Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Loving the Little Things

It's two days shy of three months living in Utah, and there are some phenomenal little things that I realize I love about this gorgeous area!


  • Case sales and a basement.  The first two weeks of September, local grocery stores put about 200 items (or more?) on sale.  Cans of vegetables range between 49-60 cents each.  Cans of fruit are a bit more.  There are tons of other items on sale, too (peanut butter, cake mixes, dry foods, etc.).  We stocked up on canned beans, corn, and tomatoes.  Most of it we stored in the basement.  Yes, a real basement!  It is so wonderful to walk downstairs (albeit via outside) and pick up what is needed for a meal instead of having to mentally prepare a grocery list with extra items!
  • No humidifier.  Yes, the air is dry, and for some reason I love it!  We open our dishwasher to allow the contents to dry and add moisture to our home.  Clothes dry on drying racks inside our home without needing a fan (we do open the windows), and without having the noise of a dehumidifier.  (Note- I have rarely, to date, used lotion or moisturizer here.  Maybe I should, but so far, so good!)
  • The mountains.  It really is a change from the creek behind our place in Woodbridge, but I take comfort and joy in looking at them!  As you know from the previous post, they are in full color ranges.  The sunlight peeking over the ridge in the morning catches me breathless at times.  
  • Less traffic and congestion.  Living away from all of the development that was Northern Virginia is a gift, especially given that Walter Reed is moving (in part) to Fort Belvoir, making our former home area a traffic torture zone.  We found a "back roads" way to get to the university this morning, thereby avoiding the school traffic on Harrison.  Genius!  (Thanks, Scott, for guiding me!)  It's also a delight to walk to the farmer's market, to the library, etc., and to be able to walk safely as there are sidewalks everywhere (as opposed to Route 1).
  • A different focus on life.  There is probably a bit of political stuff around us.  There are signs for election day, but they do not crowd every seemingly-available free space.  People are aware of politics, but it does not dominate them.  This is quite the opposite from our former home.

How long we will be here is dependent on a number of realities.  The biggest is Scott's schooling and where he does his PhD.  He is working exceptionally well to make that happen, and I researched for four to six hours on Friday night possible programs.

As with all things, we will go where is best for us and our family.  For now, I am enjoying this opportunity to learn a different lifestyle and am grateful for each moment here.  

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