A few tips from our first month in Arizona

After a month in Arizona I have learned a thing or two about this place. You probably should bookmark this post, since it may come in handy when I finally persuade you all to come live by me.

1. You can and should complain that it is cold outside when you have to put on a light jacket in February. Understanding this one is vital to fitting in with the natives. Who would ever want to be friends with someone who thinks 60 degrees is warm?

2. Move into a ward with your friends. (Since I am already here this one will be easy when you make the big move). We have some good friends from law school who actually found us our new residence (yes, I promise to do the same for you), who only live a couple blocks from us. Love having them close to show us around the place.

3. If you don’t like Cactuses, just pretend they are {insert your vegetation of choice here}. Has made my transition to the landscape 100 times easier.

(Isn’t that a beautiful maple!)

4. Don’t be sad for the rest of the country when they are buried in snow and you are playing at the park and going on a hike every-single-day. You will have your turn with being stuck inside (ahem…July, August), but school will not get cancelled and your husband will not “have” to work from home.

5. Teach your kids the scientific name for palm trees, Phoenix dactylifera. Otherwise they will forever (or after a month of noble effort) continually call them pine trees. Palm and pine evidently sound very much the same when driving in the car with Jason Mraz singing in our speakers.

6. A national forest, doesn’t actually have to be a forest. That’s right folks. A forest without trees. But if it only five minutes from your house with B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L views of the sunset, you will love it just the same. (Especially if you follow #3)