In the Land of AZ

My adoring fans are harping on me, crying "update, update!" All three of them have been on my case for months now, so I suppose the time has come to appease them. Let me lay for you the scene:

A long time ago in a month called December, the Paystrups thought they had life pretty well figured out. Wifey had just gotten a new, full-time, decent paying job. Husband was preparing for the upcoming teacher-hiring season. The holidays were upon them, and the snow falling madly to Wifey's great pleasure.

On Monday the 27th, Wifey started her new job. On her lunch break she got a text from Husband saying "I'm pretty sure I'm going to get a teaching job in Arizona". Long story short, she quit her job at 6 PM the same day she began (with profuse apologies), and kissed Husband goodbye as he packed his bags and drove through the night to get to Phoenix to begin his teaching career.

Since then, life has been a whirlwind. There have been so many ups and downs that I'm physically exhausted and mentally worn. So many changes have happened I'm afraid you'll get lost if I write about them in paragraphical form, so here comes a beloved list:

• Jeff teaches middle school, 5 different subjects. He is so busy I feel like I don't have a husband anymore. When he isn't sleeping or at school, he is planning.
  
• I graduated last semester but I couldn't believe it until I had a diploma in hand. I finally do, and I am still in doubt that it happened.
  
• We've been living with Jeff's sister and her husband. While we are extremely grateful for them taking us in, I have been overly stressed by feeling we're imposing on them.
• Houses!!! The market is INCREDIBLE in Maricopa. We found one we almost bought, decided it cost too much, and found a different, more AWESOME house that we were two weeks from closing on when we found out there are even more changes on the horizon. Instead, we'll be moving into a temporary apartment in Mesa. Someday I'll go into more detail, but for now just know things are crazy.
• Though my stress levels have been through the roof with my life not having a definite plan, I feel myself growing closer to the Lord as I learn to rely more on Him.
  
• I started substitute teaching at my sister-in-law's school. It is way fun, but no lie I slept for 12 hours after the I subbed for the 1st grade class.
  
• I applied and was accepted into the Arizona Teaching Fellows program. This is an alternative route to licensure and I will be teaching secondary science next school year after an intense summer training. The program is amazing! The purpose is to bring qualified individuals to teach in high-need areas and improve education. I am going to be Mrs. Paystrup. Weird.

We are in the process of making Arizona our new home. Arizona, of all places. I love the cold. Snow is guaranteed to instantly cheer my mood. The mountains are my refuge. But somehow I have ended up in a desert. Now I know Utah is desert too, but this is full-on 100 degree days, cactus desert.

See what I mean?

I wouldn't have voluntarily chosen to live here, seeing as I like the house to be at a cool 65 degrees and I look forward to skiing all summer long. But I love adventure, and I know we were brought here for a reason. I don't yet know what that reason is, but it looks like I'll be tan year-round during the next phase of our life.

I'll leave you now with a few things I've learned while in the Land of AZ:

• Coyotes eat cats. Coyotes also can clear 5 foot and climb 7 foot walls to get to said cats.
• I met my first black widow here in Arizona. Luckily it was already dead.
• In the winter, the grass in Arizona is "dead" and matches the color of the dirt, giving me the impression that everything here is yellow.
  
• I can get In-N-Out whenever I please, and I love this.
  
• You don't have to pay for heat. But I'm sure air-conditioning in the summer will make up for that.
• I swim outdoors in February. The only others at the pool are the Canadians.
• 50 degrees is considered "cold".
• Arizona drivers really are the worst I've ever met. They don't believe in keeping a safe distance between cars, tailgate, and weave without signaling. I get really mad.
  
• Frozen yogurt is cheaper in Maricopa than it is in Logan. I really love this.
• Tile floors are much better than carpet.
• There is only one Cafe Rio in all of Arizona, despite the massive amounts of Utah transplants, and it is very hard to get to on Tamale Thursdays.
  
• July-September, everybody stays indoors. In Phoenix, the average high is 105, and the low (dead of night) 80.
  

Me in 3 months

P.S. We'll be in the 90s this week. I may just die.