You know how recently in our debt repayment reports I’ve been mentioning the uncertainty at my husband’s work?
Over the last month, it became clear that my husband’s work life as he knew it was about to come to an end. For the last two years, he’s been doing his post-doc with his mentor. He still should work with his mentor for a few more years until my husband is ready to branch out on his own.
Well, his mentor is moving–to Arizona!
We could choose not to go, but then my husband would have at least one year of his post-doc that would essentially be a dead year while he looks for a new mentor and tries to work long-distance with his current mentor.
His mentor negotiated in his new contract that my husband also come to Arizona for a few years.
Staying with his mentor over the next few years would increase my husband’s job prospects in the future, so going is probably the best choice, even though we’d be far from family and friends.
We haven’t definitively said yes yet. I want to first go out there and see it since I’ve never been in that area of the country before.
Yikes.
Life is about to get crazy!
If you live in the Southwest or Arizona, I’d love to hear your experience.
If you’ve made a long distance move lately, I’d love to hear what works for you.
I don’t live there, but I have one old friend who has been in Arizona for years and loves it. Another has recently moved there (and they’ve lived all over the world) – and they love it so much, they are putting down roots and buying a house.
I moved to Tucson in 2007 and love it! It does get very hot in the summer, but everyone has A/C so it’s okay. I love the warmth and sunshine year-round. Tucson is surrounded by mountains, and though the desert landscape is quite different, I feel it has its own kind of beauty. : ) Because of the great weather people seem to be much more active here, out for walks or bike rides or hiking. Then again, in the summer, you have to get out quite early if you want to beat the heat. We had assumed we’d want a house with a pool, but if we could do it again we would get one w/ o a pool due to the costs and the fact that we barely used it. Are you guys going to U of A or Arizona State or NAU? Best of luck to you! : )
Thank you. It’s good to hear that you enjoy the area. Where did you move from? Have you had any run ins with rattle snakes or scorpions? Those are the things that freak me out most about moving to AZ. I’m excited that we’ll be close to visit the Grand Canyon, though.
Good luck to your new location Melissa! I will wait for your more life updates and maybe you can post pictures from Arizona when you get there.
Thanks. It sure to be a big adjustment. Luckily it looks like a beautiful area!
I live in the Phoenix area and love it. We did live in Oregon for 5 years and moved back to AZ and it took a good summer or two to get used to the heat again! Feel free to email me if you have questions about the area! We have our home sprayed for bugs so I haven’t had a scorpion inside but I have seen a couple of dead ones outside.
Oh my gosh. I have visited that area and it is beautiful. Good luck with deciding if it is the right place for you. My sister lives there and loves it. She would only move if her job made her.
We live in Texas. Moved from Maine 3 years ago. (I told you about umove on Facebook). Make sure you have access to a pool you can use everyday. It takes 3 years to get use to the heat. You are going to want to swim, a lot. 🙂
We live in Arizona! My husband did Grad School at one of the Universities here, a long post-doc at another, and now is a professor at yet another! So, I’m familiar with all of that! 😉 There’s a GREAT network of Arizona bloggers here. Good luck on the move- if you have any questions, feel free to email me!
Thanks, Sara! I sent you an e-mail. 🙂