On John's suggestion we visited Maricopa and though the area seems nice it's pretty far from Phoenix proper. Sadie is not much interested in living out there and I can't disagree with that. It's a brand new town, incorporated in 2003, and it doesn't have much in the way of amenities at the moment. I'm not saying it won't take off, but as of today there's not enough there to entice me to live there. Plus, it adds about an hour to the Havasu drive which is long enough to begin with.
The vacation was pretty great, minus the housing issues. I stayed at my grandparents' new place and reveled in its awesomeness. We swam in the lake, met herpes fish, and generally lazed about. I went to see Nickolas for his birthday party and watched him smash his face into the cake repeatedly. I also got to meet Michelle's new friends who have been, from what I hear, very helpful during her time of need. The drive up was even pleasant, as the scenery is just so different and hauntingly beautiful.
We were able to look at a few more houses on Friday before we left, but I didn't feel great about either of them. I had felt kind of worn down from the previous disappointments. In the end it turned out my feeling was correct.
Sadie and I had a bit of a tearful goodbye at the airport, however we knew and still know the future involves being together so there is no reason to be sad.
