With family growing, Michael Phelps becomes more attached to Arizona home

Every time Michael Phelps returns from a trip, he falls deeper in love with his still relatively new Arizona home.

First, let's define what a trip entails in Phelps' post-swimming life.

Most recently, he traveled from here to London, to Geneva, to Dubai, to Hong Kong, to mainland China, to Los Angeles and back. Essentially around the world in eight days.

"People say you're retired, you must have so much time," Phelps said. "That's so far from the truth. Now is really more challenging than it was when I was a competitive swimmer. We live on planes, in hotels and out of suitcases. It's stuff I enjoy and stuff I want to do."

Being a mental health advocate, building his Aqua Sphere MP Brand of swim gear, branching into new sponsor categories like the latest with pet food company Nulo and perhaps most importantly his long-term commitment to youth water safety.

"In China, every one of their kids learn to swim in a mandatory class in school," Phelps said. "It's pretty incredible to present the sport that way," both for safety and fitness.

At 32, the five-time Olympian -- with his record 23 gold and 28 overall medals -- remains in high demand a little more than a year after his swimming retirement. He welcomes that.

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"Finishing on my own terms (at the 2016 Rio Olympics) allowed me to have a better state of mind going into the real world," he said, but also the down time that he now has the luxury to take without sacrificing training.

"Nicole and I have done very well since Rio making sure we have time for one another," Phelps said. "We love being here especially this time of year. It's some of the best weather, and we're stoked to enjoy it and just enjoy our house and play out back with Boomer. He has a butterflyesque stroke in the pool. He's seen me do it a couple of times."

The Phelps family is about to expand. His wife Nicole is 17 weeks pregnant with their second child so Boomer will have a sibling (the sex of the new baby is a family secret) in March, two months before he turns 2.

For both of his children to be born here makes Arizona much more to Phelps than a place he came to train for his final Olympics because long-time coach Bob Bowman took a job at Arizona State or where he came for his life-changing rehabilitation in the fall of 2014 after a drunk driving arrest.

His long-time swimming friend Allison Schmitt, a three-time Olympian, continues to live with Michael and Nicole and is working toward a master's degree in social work at ASU. Bowman, in his third season as ASU swim coach, lives close to Phelps and is a grandfather of sorts for Boomer.

The warm and fuzzy adult relationship is something that never seemed possible during long stretches of the Phelps-Bowman coaching years, which began when Michael was 11. Their relationship was at its rockiest leading up to the 2012 Olympics so to be at its best now across the country from where it began in Baltimore is quite a reversal.

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"Boomer has changed his life in a positive way," Phelps said. "He loves coming over and hanging out for an hour or so then says I'm done, see you guys later. I've even heard from other coaches that he is more relaxed than he's ever been. Being here is mellowing him out some and that's good. I missed that part of his career."

Phelps' post-Rio plans to help Bowman at ASU as a volunteer coach have not materialized for the most part because of his extensive travel schedule and NCAA regulations. 

"If Bob asks me to watch a video, that's something pretty easy for me to do and pick up on some small technique things," Phelps said. "I have to be careful who I interact with and what I say to certain people to make sure ASU is not breaking any rules. It kind of stinks but maybe farther down the road I can stay involved in the sport (in coaching)."

Phelps still swims to stay in shape, sometimes at ASU, but with no plans to return for a shot at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

"It's a peaceful thing for me to do. In 2012, I don't  think you could have paid me to get in the water. It's one of the few places I can be really alone and I'm able to think and escape from everything. I spend a lot of time (bike) riding and lift when I'm on the road. 

"For me I've found health and wellness are the way to be the best person I can be. After 20 years of working out for a living, I know what my body needs to be my best. My goals outside sport are much bigger and clearer and I'm able to be more productive when I take time to work out."

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Phelps sees a healthy parallel in his representing Nulo in a "We Decide" ad campaign aimed at promoting weight control for dogs and cats. Former U.S. Olympic teammate Ricky Berens works for Nulo, leading to the sponsorship deal with Phelps.

The Phelps household includes French bulldogs -- 7-year-old Juno and 2-year-old Legend -- and Juno is becoming less picky about eating these days. "They play together more and have fun together," Phelps said. "I like to think it's partially because of them eating the right food."