Rick Smith, one of the owners of Scottsdale-based Happy Trails House Cleaning, has recently published a book on his experience moving to Arizona later in life and how the cleaning service came to be.

The title of the book makes you think it’s about cleaning houses, a press release explained, but it isn't. 

Author Rick Smith begins the love story by dedicating “Cleaning Homes For The Rich And Famous In Scottsdale, Arizona” to his wife — the “Goddess of Clean,” he calls her.

He also discusses “forever love” in Chapter 17, which tackles the back story of Connie and Rick Smith, how their love began, Rick serving in Vietnam and building successful lives and careers in Montana.

Then at 50 years old, the Smiths chose to hit life’s reset button. In 2001, an option to move to Arizona presented itself and they took it, the release continued.

So, with no jobs, not enough youth, not enough education, and not enough money, the couple followed an uncertain path with blind faith and learned about happiness along the way.

Connie Smith created Happy Trails House Cleaning in 2002, with her husband convincing her to let him ride along. Together, Connie and Rick Smith have cleaned homes for a living the past 20 years in the Valley of the Sun.

Rick Smith’s stories blend the truth of their personal journey with heartfelt adventures of serving people, the release explained.

Many customers became their friends, and his tales offer humor, humanity, dignity, compassion and spirituality in his recounting memories. The thread of time allows readers to sense the journey traveled, the challenges overcome. 

Rick Smith studied journalism in high school and college and served as a military journalist in the U.S. Army. In 2003 he published REMF, a memoir about serving in Vietnam.

He has been a contributing writer to The Peak Magazine in Scottsdale for the past 15 years and was a contributing writer to “We Gotta Get Out of This Place,” which was named Music Book of the Year (2015) by Rolling Stone Magazine, the release stated.

Rick Smith also plays the guitar and sings at senior communities in Phoenix. He has written 25 original songs and four of them are included in “Cleaning Homes For The Rich And Famous In Scottsdale, Arizona.”

For information, visit rick-smith.co.