Scott's Hall of Fame: Movin' on up...

The Rough family has relocated...a few miles...yes, to the "eastside."

Translation: We've switched from Phoenix to Scottsdale.

And by a few miles, I really do mean a few miles. 6.3 miles, according to Google maps.

Jim and I decided to take advantage of the current real estate market and low interest rates and buy a new place that we could make our own.

We got a semi-fixer upper for a scorching price in a beautiful neighborhood, next to a pretty public park with a playground, soccer fields, and nearby horse properties.

Moving in has been a long time coming. We put the offer in way back in October, but the closing was delayed...and delayed again, partly because the sale had to be approved by the courts.

We finally closed on December 23, and then promptly left town for a week. By the time we returned to Phoenix on New Year's Eve, we realized we had exactly four days to pack up and move all of our accumulated possessions to the new abode.

In that time, we also had to get a deep cleaning done on the new house, carpets cleaned on our old house, floors stripped and re-sealed on the new property, cleaning done on the old property and sign a bunch of paperwork to rent out the place I bought when I moved out here back in 2003.

I seriously wanted to tear my hair out.

It was so insane that Scott and I actually crashed at my mom and dad's for two (or was it three?) nights because Jim and I didn't have time to get a crib set up in the new place.

Coming on the heels of a week-long, 3-city trip where we spent the holidays with Jim's family, well, that meant my poor Tank slept in six different beds in the span of about 9 nights.

No bueno.

But....we're starting to feel a bit more settled.

A semi-fixer upper comes with a whole series of headaches, including 30-year-old kitchen appliances that don't work, an unmaintained roof that leaks, a broken garage door, a non-existent irrigation system (and hence, semi-dying trees), a three-decade old pool with somewhat functioning equipment that is not fenced and way too accessible to an always-on-the-go toddler, outdated fixtures, horrid paint and a random assortment of plumbing and electrical issues that have a tendency to strike at inopportune times.

The first month has been somewhat stressful and hellish - but we've gotten through it.

The garage door and roof have been repaired, there's a new sprinkler system providing water to the trees, a nice secure fence surrounding the pool and new stainless steel appliances in the kitchen.

We've made enough progress that I can now start to focus on all that we've gained - an extra 1,100 square feet, a 1-acre lot where Scott can roam and play, a more open, modern living space with vaulted ceilings and a kitchen island that's perfect for entertaining, an extended three car garage, and a beautiful, safe neighborhood that feeds into top-rated public schools.

This place is also special because its the first - and likely only - house Jim and I will purchase together. This is the house we will make our home, where we (I hope) will grow old and raise our children. And I love that.

And Scott has proved that once again he's adaptable - a total champ.

After two or three restless nights, he settled into his new big boy nursery/room with ease. And he loves roaming the backyard, and the new patio, which is, by the way, big enough to hold his new "bbq grill" and outdoor playhouse.

So here's a few pics (finally) of our Home Sweet Home.