Two Years

This week marked our two year anniversary back in Phoenix.  It doesn't feel like it's been that long, but it has. After all, two years ago we still had adults in the White House.

I'd be lying if I said there weren't things about Denver that I miss—especially at this time of year. It doesn't help that I stream KUVO (Denver's jazz station) on many a morning and afternoon commute and hear the high and low temps. I'm sure I won't feel the same way in six months once the snow starts falling, but right now it sounds wonderful.

But there's this…

Ah yes, the Denver commute from hell. Such fond memories of driving the 25.

And then of course this…

…are all that's needed to snap me out of any nostalgic longing I may have.

We also just signed another two year lease on our current domicile. It's not perfect (we'd both rip out the 69-year old bathroom and kitchen and replace them in a heartbeat if we could), but the house remains a good fit for us at this point in our lives. We still don't have use of the third bedroom, filled to the brim as it is with Ben's mother's crap, but we're planning on getting some sort of outside storage set up for that in the coming months to get it cleared out.

And then there's the back yard. It's 5500 square feet of weeds in winter and nearly dead lawn no matter how much water we throw on it in summer. Several months ago we proposed to the landlords that we cut the lawn down to a small patch directly to the west of the patio (that's shaded and protected by a large elm tree) and lay gravel down in the remainder of the space. Throw a couple drought-tolerant mesquite trees back there, a paver walkway from the patio to the back gate, and call it done. Surprisingly, they just agreed to it—assuming of course, that we pay for it.

So that's not gonna happen any time soon. But who knows…we could win one of those HGTV giveaways we keep entering or strike it rich with the Arizona lottery!