Arizona Normalcy

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So life has pretty much settled down...we are moved in, unpacked, and getting used to living in an actual home - no more apartment living!

Our home is beautiful; I just love it! I couldn't ask for a more gorgeous house to come home to. I have started to focus on decorating now, and slowly but surely getting colors, styles, and textures together. It has been fun to shop and bargain hunt; I have really done a good job money wise with what I have bought thus far (Bed Bath and Beyond Clearance Center is the best!) Down here, house stuff is really inexpensive; it is very easy to decorate on a dime. You just have to be patient and hunt a little. I have the kids bath and the downstairs bath done now and have started on the kitchen. The extra wall space has been an intimidation to me (I have always been scared to put pictures up; don't feel I am very good at it), but I have promised myself that the walls will be colorful and the house will look lived in. Mom just bought us our wall clock to go up over the fireplace and it looks fabulous! (Look at "Updates to House" pictures on the left side) I do have all the time in the world, so I am in no hurry...plus, I am having too much fun making this place our own.

Matt's hot tub project is still his little project...every Saturday he spends the entire morning cleaning and getting it ready for the weekend...I just laugh. He spends WAY too much time on it, LOL. I have told him that he should get someone out here to look at it, and show him how to keep it up, but he really doesn't have anything else to work on around the house and he enjoys the challenge, so I guess it isn't my place to care.

The weather has started to cool down now which means longer day hikes can start back up with Matt. I have been hiking early in the morning with my new friend Kristy on South Mountain. We hike for approximately 3 hours and burn about 1,350 calories. These workouts have really built up my stamina. I could tell yesterday that I was stronger than normal in comparison to where I was at the beginning of the year. It made me feel good. Matt didn't have to continue to look back this time - I actually led on the way up!!

We have been doing this project for Tyler that has had us laughing all week! We have had to take this "little guy" - a colored, cut-out picture of a little boy named Flat Stanley with us everywhere. You will have to check out the pictures. We hope that Tyler likes what we did. We have had a really fun time with it.

Today will be a normal Sunday for us - football, grocery shopping and getting ready for the next week of work. We head back to Michigan on Friday for Tyler's birthday. We are very excited to see the kids. We really miss them!!

Hope everyone is doing good. Miss you all!
Olivia