When we first decided to move to Arizona, my dad started house hunting right away. We've been through it so many times that it's become a slight bore, but we know the ropes, and it's best to start looking as soon as possible. At first we couldn't find a house. My dad was searching while we packed up in Ely. I'm not entirely sure we had a house set up to rent until the week of the trip, in all honesty.
Well, Dad found one. And the first impression wasn't too bad. We got into town late one July night, and we were all so tired that we didn't really care whether it was a shack or a mansion. At least, I didn't. When we first looked around, it seemed nice enough. I don't remember too much about that night, though, because we all simply crashed on the floor. The next morning, I looked outside the windows at the new surroundings and found...
Dirt. And cactus. And a cemetery. And an old abandoned church house.
I didn't think much of it in the beginning. It was my first time in Arizona, and I woke up to desert. Although, I would later come to find out that we were in the middle of the monsoon season. Rain is precious in the Arizona desert.
The stay in that house was short lived. We had not even unpacked when Dad let us know that we wouldn't be staying. The house hunt had continued for him; and we moved at the end of July to a house in town, having only been in-state for a month.
Do you know what a Gila Monster is? Aside from being the mascot at the local college, a Gila Monster is one of the most venomous reptiles in the U.S. We discovered about four of them in the one month span that we lived in the Sanchez House (Had you caught on to the fact that each house we'd lived in had earned itself a nickname, usually stemming from its location? It was our way of differentiating each move and remembering each year of our lives).
The house in town was a curious one. I don't remember how long we resided in it; however, I will acknowledge that it was a stepping stone in our journey, and many memories were made there. We found and joined a church there; the first church that I remembered attending consistently since living in Missouri. That church had a youth group, and so we were suddenly caught up in all the goings-on of a young teenage life. We had such fun going to a weekly Bible study, eating pizza, being crazy teens, and making memories. It was the best time of my life, because I was able to be fully care-free for the first time since I was young.
We lived in the Bonita House (nickname alert) for about a year, and then we moved to a bigger, more private home on the outskirts of town. This house was surrounded by cotton fields, it had three bedrooms (the boys shared, the girls shared, and mom and dad had a room), a large living area with a gorgeous high ceiling, a sizeable kitchen, a play house, tree house, and swing set outside, two bathrooms (a great luxury), and generally more room than any house we'd been in since the ranchhouse in Salmon, Idaho (See previous blog posts). This house has many memories attached to it, and I loved the entire 2 years that we were in there.
So much happened during those two years that I feel I should continue the Cotton House's story in the next post. And, in fact, I shall.
And now to address the elephant in the room:
Hello again, nearly 7 years after writing the last post! I had so much happen in my life, in my relationships, in my world while in Safford, Arizona. Some ups, some downs. Many happy memories, and many hard ones. I am a mother and a wife now, though I will tell more about that in future.
I'd forgotten all about my innocent teen self inventing a blog to tell all tales of her past adventures. But I have missed it. I'm not even entirely sure that I will have an audience now, but for my sanity's sake and for the sake of my discontinued story, I think I will be updating this blog when I find the time. Please comment below if you've read this! I'd love to know who joins me in my tales.
Until next time, dear reader. Thank you for reading to the end!
A Blast From The Past,
Mountain Gal
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