It’s time to go back to the beginning!

Almost 8 years ago, we decided to move to Arizona after spending Thanksgiving there and escaping the freezing cold winters in Idaho. Nathan 100% owns up to choosing the best time of year to convince me to move to Phoenix, and it worked! 😂

Through the years, we experienced a few different chapters of life. We lived downtown twice, which meant being able to walk downstairs to grab groceries, go out to eat, or just wander around. Though Chicago is WAY better at that, which we got a quick 6-month stint experiencing for ourselves before deciding to go back to Phoenix.

We also bought two different homes, completely remodeling the first one during COVID and unexpectedly being home 24/7. Along the way, we also realized how much we actually liked working from home. What started as something we were forced into during COVID eventually became something we intentionally changed and adjusted our jobs around so we could keep doing it permanently.

Way too many vehicle changes to own up to as we went from trying downtown living with a gorgeous convertible to match, to spreading out a bit at the house with overlanding vehicles and trailers, to EVs as we did our best to reduce our climate footprint.

Looking back, it is kind of crazy how much happened during those 8 years and how much our lives changed without us really realizing it at the time.

While we both loved our time in Arizona, there were a number of things that had started weighing on us. Almost 4 years in one home is the longest we have ever stayed in one location. The exhausting hot summers made it difficult to do much outside for several months of the year. Camping kind of sucks without family, fire, or dense trees. And we missed family and all the little things that Idaho Falls does throughout the year.

All of that was compounded when we got a call that a family member was unexpectedly in the hospital, followed later by a diagnosis that made it clear closer and more frequent support was going to be needed sooner rather than later.

So, all of that led us to decide to sell our home and move back to Idaho Falls!

We listed our home and started to pack up! From prior research into snowbirding in Idaho Falls, we knew there were new townhomes being built right along the Idaho Falls Snake River. This was a perfect location to get outside throughout the summer and leverage during the giant 4th of July celebration Idaho Falls has (or had 😩).

Nathan also decided that a Truck would be a much better fit in Idaho. Good news for him, Toyota had some amazing finance deals, so we traded in the BMW X5 for a Tundra, which honestly has been much better than I expected.

Thankfully, we have an amazing family who helped us load up in the horrible Arizona heat, but we were able to fit everything we own in one trailer and towed the bikes with the second truck (first of many uses for the truck 😉).

It took us about two weeks to settle into the new townhome, and so far it has been decent, but I do think we miss having a home. We will see where the next year takes us, but for now it’s doing exactly what we need!

Now, unfortunately, our home in Arizona has been a bit of a pain point. The market and area we lived in, while perfect for us, is not doing so great now. It is full of new builds, and homes just are not selling. We transitioned it over to a rental property and are hoping to have much better luck there.

The good news is we were able to immediately jump into all the fun that Idaho Falls has throughout the summer, including the farmers market, weekly concerts at the river, and the last 4th of July festivities. Plus all the little things with the family, including our weekly Costco trip 😉.

It has also been immediately helpful to be closer to family and to help with all the small or big things that come up. Proximity is huge when you’re dealing with a small but impactful issue, and it is nice to be able to run over really quickly and take care of things.

I think we both miss our old home. It was truly a great layout and setup for us to fit everything we need and want without being excessive. But we infinitely enjoy being in the climate and environment that Idaho Falls has to offer. Just don’t ask us if we miss AZ in January when it’s -30* in Idaho Falls and 60* in Phoenix. 😉