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Georgia vs. Utah

The last of the boxes are unpacked, pictures are up on the walls and we are settling in. Here are some of the differences.

Derek’s commute – Atlanta, 1 hour sometimes more. Utah, 20 minute bike ride or train ride or ten minutes by car. Love it!

Bugs- I haven’t seen a single one yet I bet no one in Georgia can say that.

Weather- It is still a little cold for me (it snowed again today) but I keep telling myself that the summer will be great and try not to think about next winter.

Kitchen- Atlanta, beautifully renovated designed by me, plenty of storage, good lighting, lots of counter space I could go on but I will save you. Utah, it is tiny, really tiny, I call it my half a person kitchen. I will never get used to it.

Church- much closer here, we walked on Sunday. I will miss all the “Amen” and “Good mornings” and the good Southern feelin’ though. Church in Utah is not nearly as exciting.

Bathroom- We now have a bidet. I love it! My kids have been showing everyone our cool water fountain in the bathroom. Anyone is welcome anytime if you want to try it out.

Sidewalks- We can walk to a lot of places: parks, stores, restaurants, school and there are good sidewalks everywhere. I love our neighborhood

Traffic- I have been surprised how empty the roads feel. I drove Derek to work in the morning supposedly rush hour and I kept wondering where all the other cars were. People think Utah has traffic problems?

Trees- Derek enjoys the wide open feel, but I miss all the big beautiful trees and the forest in our backyard

Mountains- Utah, who doesn’t love the majestic Rocky Mountains towering over us? Atlanta, Stone Mountain? It should really be Stone Rock.

Derek’s Office- Atlanta, 300 people in tax with 25 specializing in international tax. Utah, 25 people in tax with 1 specializing in international tax (that would be Derek).

Family- We can drive to Grandparent’s houses. This is my kids favorite part about moving.

Temple

Just before we left Atlanta we went to the Atlanta Temple open house. It had been closed for over a year for renovations. We had a wonderful time. It was such a wonderful experience for my children to be able to go inside and feel the spirit of that building. Jensen was touched, Siesa was impartial and Elsie was well . . . just how you would imagine a 18 month old to be . . . irreverent. I love the Temple.

Dear Atlanta Friends

You are not going to believe it but it snowed and hailed in Utah today. We were very excited to play in it. Mommy said it wasn’t going to snow for a long time and she was definitely wrong. We want to unpack our winter coats but mommy said it was spring here but we still think it is winter because we have to wear jackets and long pants and it snowed.

Love Jensen and Siesa

When is it going to end? I thought April was supposed to be warm!

Utah or Bust

√ Pack (ninety percent done, the last thing to pack the computer)

√ Plane tickets (I am so glad we are flying)

√ Truck (it wouldn’t fit in our driveway. I am going to apologies in advance to those that will have to move my 500 pound piano up the very long drive way)

√ Find place to live in Utah (Thank you Derek)

√ Find renters for our house (we feel so blessed that we found renters before we even put it on the rental market)

√ Get rid of couches (it was time to say goodbye to the cuddle couch. It did make me sad to see it compacted by the garbage truck. We did have 10 good years together)

√ Keep kids feed and happy (we even had fish sticks and baked potatoes tonight. Yeah for paper products and prepackaged food.)

Now I just need to clean, clean and clean. I still have 4 more days. I better get to work.

Birthday Weekend

Jensen is 6!
Jensen’s birthday can be summed up in two words legos and golf. He got a few different star wars lego sets and golf clubs. For his birthday he chose to go golfing with Derek. (I veto birthday parties this year and instead he got to pick something fun to do.) They went to the driving range and hit two buckets of balls. They have gone before but Derek said Jensen did much better at hitting the balls having golf clubs his size. We actually have a few bigger ones for him to grow into because we couldn’t decide what size he needed but I got them at the thrift store for a dollar each so it is no great loss. I love finding a good deal.

Siesa is 4! Almost every gift she got she said “I always wanted a _____” She got a lot of art supplies and a bag to carry it all in, clothing, princess puzzles, play make-up(she has been sparkly all week) a music box and some little princess dolls.

For her birthday She and Derek went to the Georgia aquarium for princess day. She was so excited when she came home because she got a jewel (aka a rock) from a real princess.

Creative Outlet

One of my creative out lets is making cakes for my kids. I am by no means a professional but I do have a fun time trying to think of something my kids will enjoy.

For Siesa a Barbie cake. When she saw it she said “I always wanted a cake like that” she is sooo cute.

For Jensen I went with a Star Wars ship.