We did it!! After talking about it for several years, we finally moved out of Phoenix, Arizona! The reason for our choice? Horrible summers! How some people jog or play tennis at 8am in July is beyond me… 

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You’ve never been to Phoenix in the summer? “Alors, je t’explique…” (“Let me explain it to you”, like Jacques, my ex-father-in-law, would always say). 

The real-real truth about summers in Phoenix

There are places on Earth that defy… the calendar. Phoenix is one of them.

Four seasons? Nope. Having lunch or dinner outside in the summer? Non. Leaving the house without plenty of drinking water? Nein. Planting your petunias in March or April? Node. (They would turn into dry herbs within 2 weeks. You plant your petunias around Halloween).

In Phoenix, there are two seasons: hot and insanely hot. Fall and spring last about 2,5 days each. Winter has cold nights, true, but with warm/hot days. As for summer… well… summers are insane, really. Unless you love the idea of 113°F (45°C) for weeks…? 2024 was the hottest summer on record… Just writing those temps makes me wonder if this post will melt…

If you are considering moving to Phoenix, here are some of the things you need to know about the summers before making a crazy (oops, sorry)… final decision:

• Your seat belt buckle can give you 2nd degree burn;
• Whether you park in the shade or not, sitting in your car will be very unpleasant until the AC gets to a decent temperature;
• You learn to drive with 2 fingers because the steering wheel is so hot;
• You drive multiple times around the parking lot waiting for a precious spot in the shade to become available (which, in the end, doesn’t make that much of a difference when you get back in your car after your shopping…)
• The cold water tap is hot: you can take a shower using only the “cold water” tap and never get cold water;
• The pool is as warm as your body temperature…
• If you leave a water bottle in your car but not in a cooler, just drop in a bag of tea and it will be ready in a minute.
• You can’t leave your phone too long outside in the shade or you’ll get this message: “Temperature: iPhone needs to cool down before you can use it“.
• Ironically, always take a sweater wherever you go: stores, restaurants, movie theaters, doctors’ offices are freeeeeezing.
• Monsoon season (June 15 through September 30) and haboobs… When you see “the cloud”, you have about 2 minutes to put your backyard furniture away if you don’t want it in the pool or in the neighbors’ backyard!
• Oh, and the nights… temperatures rarely go below 86°F (30°C) for months…

The past few years, during summers, I would swim my 110 laps early every morning then stay locked up inside our house all-day-long, with blinds and curtains shut, from end of April to end of October, hoping that the air conditioning would work all summer (thank you, Mr. Willis Carrier, for inventing it!) If we had to go somewhere during the day, I would worry about a car failure and being stuck on the side of the road waiting for a tow truck. (Very important: in the summer, always take plenty of drinking water with you, even for short trips). 

I can hear some of you living in cooler but more humid areas say: “But it’s a dry heat!”… Sure. It is dry. Still… Put your head in the oven after removing your chicken/potatoes/herbs dish and imagine this temperature every day, every time you go outside, for 6 months… Then we’ll talk about “dry heat”… 

You think it’s just the summers? Noooooo… Winters are warm too (during the day). One of my husband’s brothers, who lives in Wisconsin, visited us for Thanksgiving a few years ago and helped us put up our outside Christmas lights. When we were done, he said: “That’s the first time I break a sweat putting up Christmas lights!” 

Like I said in a previous post (Genealogy and Gratefulness), I’m convinced that Jack Swilling (1830-1878), founder of Phoenix, discovered the area in the winter and thought: “Wow! Such a nice weather! I think I’ll stay here and build a town!”. Then, when summer came along, he realized his mistake (big mistake… huge!)… By then, it was too late…

Turning the page of a 33-year chapter…

The decision to move was not an easy one. My son Jérémy still lives there, and I spent 33 years in Phoenix (a little less for David, my husband). It’s not easy either to sell the beautiful house you’ve loved, renovated, upgraded, cared for, and inhabited for 25 years… A quarter of a century full of memories! We lived in Ahwatukee, a very nice area of Phoenix, with good schools, good neighbors, good friends, and everything we needed around us.

The only reason for our decision was the heat of the summers. The older we got, the more difficult they had become. So we decided to move to Prescott Valley, just 2 hours north of Phoenix, still in Arizona, with an elevation of 5,000 ft (1,524 m), 4 seasons, and much nicer summers!

Moving Day!

You would think that moving in 2025 would be a lot more comfortable than these people’s move in 1900 (Boulevard Saint-Michel, Paris, France). Think no more! I bet their truck was more comfortable than the 26-foot U-Haul truck we drove! “Gentle-Ride Van”? Not really!

We left Phoenix (Ahwatukee) on Monday, December 1st, at 1:30 pm, wearing shorts and T. Shirts. After an uneventful drive with a couple of stops to rest our backs from the very uncomfortable U-Haul truck seats, we arrived at our hotel in Prescott late afternoon, and it was cooooold!! The next morning, I was drinking my coffee outside at 4am and it was… -2°C (28.4°F)!!! What a joy! Finally a real winter in perspective! (I can hear Canadians or Wisconsin people say “28.4°F cold?? We are in T. Shirts, with that temperature!!” Well, after so many years living in a hot climate, it’s pretty much water, running in our veins… Our bodies adjust… so yes, 28.4°F is cold!)

After 8 days eating microwave dinners on our lap in our hotel room, surrounded by a few very un-decorative moving boxes and suitcases everywhere, we moved into a beautiful 1-bedroom apartment to rent month-to-month in Prescott Valley until we find our next dream house! Oh, the luxury of having a full equipped kitchen, a living room, a separate bedroom, washer and dryer, and a private balcony to watch the beautiful mountains and… do people-watching!! (I know who doesn’t pick up after their dog, who parks on handicap spots when they shouldn’t, and what cute kid got a new scooter for Christmas!) We hadn’t lived in an apartment for years and we are loving it! Goodbye weed-pulling!! Well… for now… 

Since we’ve arrived, we breathe and sleep a lot better! David is discovering new mountain bike trails every time he goes for a ride and comes back all excited! I’m enjoying my walks and finding a lot of similarities with where I lived for a few years in my youth, in the French Alps: the air is much, much cleaner! Also, we can actually see the definition of the mountains, while in Phoenix, all the surrounding mountains were covered with pollution.

We also noticed that people here smile more, are more friendly, and honk less if you don’t start driving at the split second the traffic light changes to green! David also says that drivers are a lot more respectful of bikers than in Phoenix. Oh joy! Would people be more patient, here? 

I’ll never forget the day we went to the Prescott Valley post office to forward our mail… There were quite a few people in line. When it was our turn, the post office lady, after helping us, started to ask us a few questions. Here we are, talking with her for a few minutes about our kind post office person in Phoenix, Mark, and our life there. When we were done, we turned around to leave… only to see 8-9 people waiting in line! Our faces dropped and we apologized for talking and taking so long… Not only nobody showed impatience or gave us dark looks, but on top of that, they were all smiling! Two women said “Don’t worry! We have time!”…

Finishing 2025 with the start of a new life

In numerology, 2025 was a Universal Year 9. The number 9 represents the end of a nine-year cycle. It’s a time for releasing and letting go of “the old” that no longer serves us, closing chapters, tying up loose ends, spiritual growth, gaining insight from past experiences, and an opportunity to elevate our consciousness.

2026 is a Universal Year 1. The number 1 represents the start of a new 9-year cycle. New beginnings, innovation, fresh start for projects, ideas, setting new foundations, action and courage, personal leadership, and new life chapters.

How fitting to our situation! I’d say we moved at the right time. 🙂

At any time in life we can make positive changes. So I’m ready for the next chapter of our lives! I’m very excited about our new life here, the new people we’ll meet, and the discoveries of all kinds we’ll make. I’m also very excited about re-discovering a life with 4 seasons! The beauty of spring announcing new life in nature, putting a light sweater on when having dinners outside in the summer nights, the changing colors of the trees, falling leaves, and the smell of fall, and real winters when kids are not wearing shorts and T. Shirts on Christmas Day trying their new scooters! I’m looking forward to coming home from a walk during the day with cold cheeks! 

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I moved from Paris, France, to Phoenix “just for 2 years”… 33 years ago! Life has a way of its own. If we pay attention, in the end, we realize that things are always in their place.

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Enjoy the last few days of 2025, wherever you are! I wish you a safe New Year’s Eve, and a beautiful New Year filled with good health, love and joy! À bientôt !

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