Adapting to New Things...or Not!

Today marks a month since we left Canada to start a new life in Phoenix. I’m surprised how quickly a month has passed by, but I have to admit that the transition from Calgary to Phoenix has been difficult – far more so that moving from Stoke to Calgary almost 4 years ago.

The past month has been good and I certainly can’t complain. Phoenix is a really nice city, there are plenty of regional parks with lots of trails to hike or run on, and I’ve even found some decent running routes close by. The dining out is fantastic, people seem to be friendly, and we even found a dog park that was just a 10 minute drive from home that Wilson and Brandy frequent at least once daily.

So what’s making things difficult for me at the moment? I guess the easy answer is that Calgary felt like home. I loved the house there, I always felt safe, the weather suited me – yes, even the crazy cold winters and snow! – I was able to get out for runs with my dogs more frequently and even if the days were warm, there was guaranteed rivers or lakes that they could swim in to cool off. I was able to go to the mountains almost weekly for hikes or runs, I had friends in Calgary albeit far fewer than I had whilst living in the UK – but in the short 3 ½ years in Calgary, I had lots of fun with them and they are one of the reasons where I felt completely settled. Some of those friends were extra special and they helped to make our wedding day the most perfect day ever when they witnessed Andy and I exchanging our vows on the shores of Lake Minneswanka on a cold and snowy February day earlier this year.

Of course, there were lots of other happy memories, and even looking at the many photos of us north of the border, I can still recall the joy and happiness we felt living so close to the “great outdoors”. I love mountains, forests and rivers, I love how the thought of bear and moose conjure up images of the wilderness, and thinking back to everything I love in life, Canada fitted the bill perfectly. I’d always dreamt of becoming a Canadian citizen, always dreamt of swearing my allegiance to this great country that I has fallen in love with many years ago when studying travel and tourism at college, and we were thrilled when we were recently granted permanent residency – except it came too late. We’d already packed up our things and arrived in Phoenix along with all of our belongings. Had PR come through sooner, I’m pretty sure that things would have been different., but having received notification on Wednesday that our house in Calgary had finally sold and that the contract of sale was complete, it really felt like the door was closing on our lives in Canada which made me feel extremely sad.

This past 3 or 4 days, I’ve gone through a bad patch. Andy has been working away – ironically in Medicine Hat, Alberta – and I was so wishing that I was there with him. I’ve been at home alone for the past week, and whilst I have applied for a work permit here, it’ll take up to 3 months before I get a decision. In the meantime, I can’t work and so I have to keep myself entertained everyday. In Calgary that wouldn’t have been a problem – the house belonged to us as there was always gardening or cleaning to be done. Here we are renting a property that is already furnished, so apart from our clothes and a couple of other items, we don’t have any of our stuff here with us. Not working of course means no contact with anybody, and as yet, we haven’t been able to build up that social network that makes you feel like you belong. We never see the neighbours – they are hiding indoors because it’s too hot to be outdoors – and the only contact I’ve had with people has been at the dog park which usually consists of people chatting about their dogs rather than really getting to know each other.

In Calgary, it was never too hot to take the dogs out, never too hot to go for a run, never too hot to go for a hike in the mountains. Here in Phoenix, it’s too hot during the day to do anything so running and walking with the dogs has to be done very early morning or in the evening. Being up very early makes the days exceptionally long, and after an hour or so of walking or running, I’m stuck indoors until early evening when it’s cool enough to go out again. Come the spring and summer, things will only start to heat up even more, and of course we then have issues with the wildlife – snakes and lizards, spiders, scorpions – you get the picture. It’s bad enough being paranoid about being stung or bitten ourselves, but with 2 curious dogs in tow, it’s even more stressful worrying about their welfare at the same time. The critters are out morning and evening – the time of day when I want to run with or walk the dogs – I won’t deny, I am so scared of one of the dogs being hurt, and I’m getting so twitchy and stressed out trying to protect them. Wilson has already been stung by a scorpion in our own house – and there are no end of stories about rattlers and other snakes turning up in people’s back yards during the summer months. I have looked into snake avoidance training, but whilst I’ve tried to contact people to arrange a date for the dogs to be trained, nobody has yet got back to me.

That’s what else upsets me. Wilson and Brandy have always been free to wander outside in the back yard, having a roll in the grass, go for lots of walks regardless of the time of day, and I the only concern I ever had was making sure I kept them on leash whilst in the wilds to prevent them from harassing wildlife, or from the wildlife harassing them. Here, regardless of whether they are leash or not, they can still get hurt, and I cannot control things and protect them like I used to be able to. I feel cruel that their lives have had to change too, even though they never asked for it. They trust us to know best, but I know I will never ever ever forgive myself if anything happens to them now we’ve moved here.

I suppose I’m being a little melodramatic here, and I know that you have to give things time to know whether it’s the right thing or not. But what if it isn’t? What if I find I can’t settle here, that I do want to move back to Canada? That’s where I’m torn. Andy is very happy in his work and for him, it’s the happiest he’s been for a long time. He gets to travel both in North America as well as Europe and the Far East, and even though he started his job in May this year, he’s probably only spent a month of that time in Phoenix. So where does that leave things? If Andy is working away a lot, and I’m not feeling settled here, what do we do? All our stuff is here and it isn’t practical to move it all back to Canada again so soon.

I guess all I can do is give things more time – at least until after Christmas when our lease on the rental comes to an end. By then hopefully I will know where I want to be, and hopefully in that time all of us will stay safe and well. The thing is, Phoenix really is a great city with some fantastic running and hiking. Admittedly from my perspective, it doesn’t come close to the Canadian Rockies but it’s still beautiful nonetheless. 

Today I forced myself to go out for the 15km run that my coach had given me as part of my prep for my forthcoming marathon. It was a gorgeous sunny day if a little hot, and I headed over to nearby Deem Hills to hit the trails. I've ran here regularly since I found the trails and it really is a great place - close enough to houses if you encounter any problems, but gives you the solitude needed for some deep thinking about the meaning of life. The views were once again exceptional and I was grateful that I was able to live and run in such amazing places.

Clearing the mind at Deem Hills today - but still too much going on in there!

I’ve had so much thinking time this past week and have thought through so many different scenarios, coming up with different solutions for each of them, but with nobody to discuss them with at the moment, all it’s done has caused restless nights and tears of frustration. Andy is thankfully home tomorrow and I’m hoping that we can sit down and talk things over. One thing is for sure though – I don’t want to lose my Canadian Permanent Residency and I have to spend 2 years over the next 5 years in Canada. On that basis, I’m either going to be moving back at some point, or will be spending a lot of my vacations up north!

Cave Creek Thriller Trail Race

Last Saturday called for a 10km easy run on the trails, and with me still working on getting my bearings here in Phoenix, I once again opted to register for a local trail race that was just a 30 minute drive away. This event was organised by Aravaipa Running which are pretty big here in Phoenix, and with a choice of 4 distances of which one was 11km, it once again fitted perfectly with my training program.

The race took place at Cave Creek Regional Park just north of where we live, and not surprsingly, we were again treated to outstanding views of the Sonoran Desert and its many peaks stretching out into the distance.

Some of the amazing views at Cave Creek

In the couple of days leading up to the event, we'd been told to expect thundery rain, but instead we were greeted with warm temperatures and overcast skies. The cloud cover was a blessing as it gave some protection from the burning sun, but it did little to curb the air temperature which was already around 25 degrees even at 8.15am when the race started.

I knew very little about the race in terms of the course although having seen a profile on the race website, I knew there were a couple of beastly hills that would mean a fair bit of climbing both at the beginning and during the mid part of the race.

The great thing about racing here at the moment is that I don't yet know my competition. Regardless of who turns up, I have absolutely no idea where I'll finish nor what kind of time I can expect to run. I thought it would be interesting to look up the rankings on ultra signup which are always way off the mark but at least it would give me a very loose idea of what time to expect as a minimum - they had estimated my finishing in just over an hour based on my previous results, and when compared to the other entrants, that would place me in the top 3 ladies race.

Not wanting to rely on that too much (they really are way off the mark, seriously!), my plan for the race was to once again just run within myself so as not to jeopardise things for the Las Vegas Marathon. However, if I was within a shot of finishing top 3 towards the end, then I would push on and fight for that podium position.

There were about 100 people in the 11km race and with a narrow start for the first half mile or so, it was pretty tight on the trail. I'd seen a couple of ladies ahead of me and another passed me we started the first of the steep climbs up the hill side. I wasn't too concerned and was thoroughly enjoying the surroundings and the spectacular views. The trail twisted and turned as we followed the contours of the hills and finally, after about 20 minutes of running, it levelled off for a short while before heading gradually back down hill into the valley.

Out on the course

The ladies were still ahead of me, but with the descent came an increase in my pace, and before I knew it, I was gaining on them as well as passing some of the men. The trail was pretty sandy in places but my legs were feeling pretty good and I found i was making really good progress, opening up a gap of around 100m on the other ladies, and by now, I figured I must be in 2nd place. It wasn't until we started the second of the steep climbs that I found out I was actually leading, and I have to say I was extremely surprised.

The second climb was far steeper than the first and it became more rocky as we followed the switchbacks up the hill. I'd had a bit of a bad chest for a few days earlier and I was still coughing up some rubbish and that climb resulted in me wheezing a little as the legs started to get a little heavy.  I started to walk and it was then that once again, I slipped back in to 2nd place as the other lady passed me at good, strong steady pace. 

The hill continued for another couple of hundred metres and having taken a quick glance behind me as we climbed the last of the switchbacks, I knew I was well clear in 2nd place. The problem was, we only had about 2km to go with most of that being downhill, and whilst I hadn't really wanted to get in a race today per se, I couldn't let a race win slip me by, especially when the current leading lady was only about 20 seconds ahead of me.

As we crested the summit of the hill, I went for it. I had no idea whether I was opening up a wide enough gap to secure a win, but I was doing sub 4 minute km pace over that last couple of km, skipping and jumping over rocks and just doing what I could without injuring myself. I could see the finish area in the distance, trying to focus on that rather than getting distracted by the amazing scenery surrounding me. 

I won the ladies race with a gap of just 55 seconds over second place, and was in 9th position overall. Even more surprisingly, I discovered that I was just a minute off the course record - had I known, I may have pushed a little harder up that final hill. In all fairness though, I had never intended to race flat out - I'm saving that for my target races - but it sure was a good feeling to secure a victory in a respectable time on the trails without going too crazy. At the presentation, I was awarded the most amazing hand painted clay trophy of a skull - I've won lots of trophies over the years, but along with my bronze stallion from the 50 mile Sunmart Texas Trail Run, this one has got to be my favourite.

This event was truly amazing and I'm really pleased that I decided to do it, albeit a last minute decision. The organisation was outstanding, the course challenging and interesting, and with a mix of good competition and a few beginners, it was suitable for everybody. I shall certainly be back for more in the future, and I'm really pleased that the 24 hour race I have planned for December is organised by the same people - it's going to be awesome!

So, with just 4 more weeks or so until we head to Vegas for the marathon, I'm growing in confidence and really hoping that I will get the result I'm looking for :-)

ArizonaReg 10 Mile Trail Race

On Thursday evening, I caught wind of a trail race that was taking place in nearby Scottsdale at the McDowell Mountain Regional Park. There was a choice of distances ranging from 4 miles up to 10 miles, and with having a 15km easy trail run scheduled in for that day, I decided to enter the 10 mile race and give it a try.

At the minute, I'm building up to the Las Vegas Marathon which takes place in mid-November although after that, the plan is to get back out on the trails and return to ultra running. I currently have a 24 hour race planned at the end of the year which will be my first attempt at a 24 hour, and I'm also contemplating running a 100km in February- the Black Canyon Ultra which is a point to point race in nearby Anthem and which will also be a qualifying race for the Western States 100 miler in 2016.

With that in mind, I thought doing the ArizonaReg 10 Mile Trail Race would be a good introduction to trail running in Phoenix, to give me an idea about the organisation and the types of trails used for racing, as well as seeing how well I would cope under "race" conditions in the heat. The list of entrants showed that there would be just under 30 runners registered for the various distances so I figured it wasn't going to be anything too serious. This fitted perfectly with my plans - I could run it steady without being dragged into a full blown race that was not on my agenda, and I knew it wouldn't screw things up leading up to Vegas.

The event was being held alongside the State Mountain Biking Championships and the Arizona High School Mountain Bike Championships with the trail races starting first, but with a 10.35am start time, it was quite late in the morning given the intense heat that we are still encountering here in Phoenix at present. Although I was feeling pretty relaxed about the run, my main concern was how I would cope in the heat, so I was curious to find out how my body would hold out.

We wandered over to the start area, only to find out that it was actually the mountain bike races that were starting on that side, and with just 5 minutes until the gun, I gave Andy and the dogs a brief hug as I sprinted back across to the other side, joining the other runners as they started the 30 second countdown before we headed out on to the trails.

The entire race would be run at the McDowell Mountain Regional Park which sits in the lower Verde River basic. The area covers over 21,000 acres with some parts of the park rising to 3,000 at the base of the McDowell Mountains. There are spectacular views of the surrounding Sonoran Desert which stretches out for miles, and the park boasts some 50 miles of trails to explore which I was excited to see in order to give me ideas for other places to run on my own during training.

Being such a low key race, the start was far less erratic than others I've experienced, and although my first km split came in at 4.15, once the shorter distance racers split from the 10 milers, things settled down and I found I was running well within my means at a nice and steady, comfortable pace.

The trails were simply beautiful. Hundreds of Saguaro Cacti lined the route, along with low level bushes and a variety of other cacti amongst them. The trails twisted and turned, climbed up and down, and were very dry, sandy and dusty as we meandered through the desert landscape. It was nowhere near as green as the gorgeous trails and forests that I've been used to in Canada, but this place still held its own magic and I found myself lost in my surroundings, enjoying the stillness and the quietness, except for the sound of my footsteps as I ran along the trails.

McDowell Regional Park Pemberton Trail - Photo TripAdvisor

One of the things that I was very much aware of more than anything was the exposure to the sun. There was absolutely no shade at all on these trails, and although there was cloud cover today, it was still very warm with temperatures in the high 80's. Thankfully, I had taken a drink with me as I didn't know how far it was until the first aid station, but the lady ahead of me didn't appear to have anything, and whilst she was still looking strong, I could also see that she appeared to be struggling. The gap between us was closing even though I hadn't increased the pace, and as we finally arrived at the unmanned aid station at 5 miles, I caught her.

Pemberton Trail - Photo credit Edward Munrad

I was surprised that a local was saying how hot it was and how unprepared she had been for racing 10 miles in desert conditions - she seemed to spend ages at that aid station whereas I quickly swapped my empty bottle for a full one, dunked my hat in the iced water, and then continued on my way. I was feeling fantastic - warm yes, but coping far better than I thought I would - and I somehow managed to put a good 5 minutes or so between me and the other lady by the time we'd finished.

This now meant that I was leading the ladies race and was currently second overall, but with so few taking part, it was nice to just maintain my steady pace and not worry too much about chasing others or being caught. The trail flattened out for a couple of miles at this point but with that, it brought far more sandy trails which meant that with every step I took, my feet were sinking into the sand. It got in my shoes along with bits of gravel and it became apparent that when racing here, it may be a good idea to wear my running gaiters next time!

A short while afterwards, we merged with the shorter distance racers and it was just a couple of miles to the finish. Things started to get a bit more undulating again but I was still coping ok and running comfortably, and as I approached the "1 mile to go" sign, it was only then that I picked up the pace for a strong finish.

The distance in the end was just shy of 10 miles and I finished in around 1 hour 17 minutes, 1st lady and 2nd overall. Being such a low key race, there were no fancy prizes or presentations but I did walk away feeling satisfied and far more confident about committing to longer trail races out here now. It was a great experience and was very happy with how it went - I know I can now look forward to some good races again next year :-)

Post Race

For now though, I am still focused on having a good run in Las Vegas in around about a month's time - back to the roads for now!

SAGUARO CACTUS PHOTOS

Calgary to Phoenix

It's been over a week now since we left Calgary to start our new lives in Phoenix, and things are certainly different than what we had become accustomed to whilst living in Canada.

With having the animals, we had decided to drive down with the Jeep rather than flying - Wilson and Khayman had already had the experience of being loaded on to a plane when we emigrated 4 years ago and whilst they both arrived in good health with no effects from the flying, we didn't want to put them through the stress of it all again. Brandy of course was born Canadian and being a large dog, aside from the stress it would likely have caused her, the cost of flying her to Phoenix would also have been expensive.

We ended up leaving Calgary a week later than originally planned. Andy had just arrived from Sweden, only to be told that he would be needed in Malaysia a couple of days later, and so I spent a week at the Holiday Inn Express in Calgary with 2 dogs and a cat, waiting for him to return. 

It felt strange staying in a hotel in Calgary - I felt like a tourist even though our house was only a 15 minute drive away, but I couldn't stay at the house because all our belongings had been packed up and were on a lorry headed southwards to the USA.

The good news is that I was at least able to do some familiar runs that week and I also took the dogs to Nose Hill and Southland Dog Parks for a good run around and a play in the river. We even headed up to Canmore for one last time, and had a lovely little walk on the Grassi Lakes Trail. Being September, fall had arrived and the colours were absolutely beautiful.

Grassi Lakes, Canmore, Canada

Driving back from Canmore, I started to have some problems with the Jeep and shortly afterwards, the engine warning light came on. Thankfully I got back to Calgary without it breaking down on me but it was a little worrying as we were planning on using the Jeep to get us and the furry family down to Phoenix. We had already looked into the rental cars but none offered a one way drop-off option which would have meant having to drive back to Calgary with the car - not practical and absolutely no sense in doing that.

Once Andy was back in Calgary, we managed to identify the problem as a sensor that controlled the fuel mix going in to the engine - nothing too serious but it meant less fuel economy, and  it was something that would require attention at some stage. With that in mind, we made the decision to risk driving the Jeep and getting it fixed on route if things got any worse.

The drive down was amazing. I was feeling pretty emotional as we approached the land border crossing at Sweet Grass south of Lethbridge, and I thought back to all the fun and adventures we'd had over the past few years whilst living in Canada. It had been a tremendous couple of years or so and whilst we did have a couple of downs whilst we were there, we will always have very fond memories of our lives there.

We were expecting to be delayed at the border due to paperwork etc, especially with having the animals in tow, but we whizzed through without any problems and were making good progress.

Our amazing furry family on the road with us :-)

Our route would take us through Montana, Idaho, Utah and finally Arizona and we were hoping to make the drive within 3 days - a total distance of around 2,500km. 

The first night we stayed in Great Falls, Montana. We'd stayed here a couple of months ago when we drove to Colorado for the Transrockies Run and it seemed like a good place to stop again. We knew there was a dog park there so the dogs would be happy, and so long as I could find somewhere to do my 20km run the following morning, all would be good. It turned out really well - I took Wilson with me for my run and we found a lovely trail that took us alongside the Missouri River that runs through the city. We had so much fun, and the little lad was so excited as he ran along. Brandy and Khayman stayed with their dad as it was too far for either of them, and besides, I'm not sure Khayman would have taken too kindly to being harnessed up and expected to run with us!

Following the run, we had a very long drive ahead of us. Andy wanted to make as much progress as possible, and whilst it would have been preferable to have stayed in Idaho for the second night, Andy had booked us in to a hotel in Salt Lake City in Utah. It meant an 8 hour drive without stops, but of course with having the dogs and Khayman, we knew that stops were inevitable, so we anticipated arriving at around 10pm.

Montana is such a beautiful state and we got to see some wonderful scenery as we drove along. Up until that point, the Jeep had been running ok with the engine light flashing intermitently, but after about 6 hours in to the journey, we started to encounter problems. Andy had managed to get hold of the replacement part whilst I'd been running in Great Falls earlier that day, but we didn't have the tools to make the replacement. We stopped off at so many hamlets along the way in the hope of finding a garage or gas station that would have tools to assist us with the fix, but they were either closed or the tools they had wouldn't fit.

Beautiful Montana

We still had a few hours of driving and the sun was already setting - it would be too dark to do the fix ourselves now and so we decided to take the risk and keep driving, aiming to get it fixed the following day in Salt Lake City.

We passed into Idaho when things had already gone dark so we didn't really get to see much at all. But it was a gorgeously clear night and we got to watch the entire lunar eclipse and the blood moon as we drove along - one of the benefits of night travel - finally passing in to Utah and arriving in Salt Lake City at around 2am.

The following day was long. We found a garage that was able to fix the car and although we took it in early morning, we were still waiting at around 3pm. With no vehicle, we were sitting around outside the hotel with 2 restless dogs and a cat in a cardboard box and no way of being able to let them let off steam. There was no way we would make it to Phoenix today, so we opted to stay in Las Vegas instead. We'd last been to Vegas about 10 years ago when we flew to LA and did a fly drive around California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona, but this time was literally just a flying visit, arriving at 10pm and leaving by 10am the next morning.

Whilst we didn't go to the Strip in Vegas this time, it was good for the dogs to have a little walk around in the heat and to have some experience of the type of vegetation they would likely encounter when we finally arrived at our new home. They were both very wary of things, crouching down and sniffing cautiously at things, stubbing their noses on the odd cacti and jumping backwards at tiny lizards running from bush to bush.

5 hours or so later, we finally arrived in Phoenix and it was HOT! It felt strange being late September and it being so warm, and everybody was walking around in summer clothing. The poor animals were hot and we made out mission to buy a paddling pool as soon as possible for them to play in and cool off. I ran that evening too - it was dusk when I set off at around 6.45pm and I ran in vest and shorts in temperatures of around 80 degrees. I had no idea where I was running, but it was a beautiful night and I really enjoyed it.

Our home in Phoenix

Tomorrow marks our first week here and it has been pretty amazing. Yes it's hot, but we're adapting. We have to be up very early in the morning for walking the dogs and going for runs - by 9am temperatures are already in the 80's or 90's - and the daily trips to the dog park have to be done in the evenings now to avoid the heat of the day. 

The good news is that the paddling pool has been a great success and whilst Brandy is still plucking up the courage to actually jump in, Wilson loves it and refuses to come out! It's now 4 days old, it still has water in it, and as yet, there are no signs of punctures from doggy claws. 

Wilson enjoying the pool :-)

We've also been to nearby Lake Pleasant - a state park around 20 minutes drive from home - and the dogs had a fantastic time swimming and cooling off. Khayman is also doing fine - he loves the heat and is often found lounging around in the sun for as long as he can tolerate it, and now he's even pestering us to go outside and has started to explore the neighbourhood, even climbing the walls in the back yard and having a nosy into next door.

Lake Pleasant

Khayman feeling at home :-)

Of course there are risks here that we have to be aware of. We know that there are rattlesnakes and other venomous creatures live here, and we have to be alert whenever we are out walking either on our own or with the dogs. We saw our first snake a couple of days ago in the local neighbourhood. It was lying on a rock enjoying the sunshine, but thankfully we saw it before we got too close. We gave it a wide berth but it certainly makes you aware of the type of environment we now live in. We've seen lots of tiny lizards too which the dogs have been curious about, along with tons of rabbits, hummingbirds and roadrunners. I love wildlife of any type but I will be honest in saying that I am more paranoid about running into something here more so than I ever was in Calgary - you can generally see or hear a bear or a cougar, but reptiles are quiet and hide under rocks or can be mistaken for sticks, and don't even get me started on the likes of the poisonous spiders and scorpions that could be encountered.

In terms of the running, I'm surprised at how well I'm doing considering the change in temperature and not knowing where all the trails are as yet. I've done some exploring and found some good road routes, and last weekend, I managed to find the local Deem Hills - a great area with great trails for running on, and only 4km run from home. We had rain that day and when it rains here, it really rains. It was torrential and I got soaked, but it was warm at the same time so it didn't really bother me. It was amazing how quickly the trails flooded and got extremely muddy and slippery and it was another reminder about the risk of flash flooding here. The views from Deem Hills were certainly different with cacti and rocks everywhere, but it was no less beautiful than the mountains I've experienced in Canada.

Deem Hills on Sunday morning

I won't deny that I have found it tough running in the heat - I've managed to do a decent pace but it has felt harder due to the heat - and so yesterday, we got hold of a treadmill to help with some of the longer tempo runs I have to do. I ran a 10k a couple of days ago and got through a full litre of energy drink in just 45 mins or so, and yesterday despite the rain, I still drank a good 2 litres on my long run. I hate to carry things when I do speed work, and so we agreed to purchase a treadmill for my speed sessions so I can do them indoors with air conditioning and hit the pace I need. My easy runs and long runs will still be done on the trails and roads of Phoenix and of course, with Flagstaff only being a 90 minute drive or so away with its more temperate climate, I will be heading out that way to do some of my weekend runs. I hate treadmill running but sometimes needs must, and there comes a time when you need to compromise on things if you want to be the best you can at your chosen sport.

So like I said at the beginning, things are a little different here and will take some getting used to, but so far I'm getting good vibes about Phoenix. Wilson, Brandy and Khayman have settled in well and they know this is home now, and for me, the welfare of my pets is far more important than anything else. I haven't yet ran with Wilson and Brandy since we've got here, but with fall temperatures now here, and winter set to be cooler (around 70-80 degrees), I'm hopeful that we will get out for some early morning runs at some point soon.

Wilson and Brandy on one of  their daily walks :-)

We went looking at new homes last weekend and we are hoping to purchase one in the new year. Our house in Calgary is finally Conditionally Sold, so providing the buyers don't pull out at the last minute, it means that we really can make our new lives here in the US. Of course, no sooner had we arrived in Phoenix than a day later we had notification that we had been granted Permanent Residency in Canada, so who knows, one day we may move back to Canada because we have that option, but for now, we're feeling pretty settled here and all of us are looking for to new adventures in new places.