Six years of Utah

Six years ago today, we arrived in Utah. Our wonderful friends (Chris and Christine) helped us drive the moving truck. By the time we were finished packing and cleaning, it was mid-afternoon on Friday. We hit traffic just before Cajon Pass and were creeping along. While we were stuck in traffic, my landlady called.

In the alley behind our apartments, it was common practice to set items that still had some worth next to the dumpster. They were often claimed quickly. If not, you threw them in the trash 1-2 days later. I thought this was awesome and we were able to get rid of and gain some items in that manner. When we moved, we placed a couple pieces of furniture in the alley. In my naivete, I thought I was doing a good thing. However, the landlady informed me this was illegal and the city would fine them for it. We agreed on a compromise. We would ask family members to move the furniture away from our complex. If if it was still there in a couple days, the landlady would call the city and complain about "someone" having dumped these items.

Okay, so now I was exhausted, frustrated at traffic, and completely mortified. We kept driving. My memories of the drive include that we all drank a lot of caffeine and therefore had to stop to pee quite often, which also helped keep us awake. We were shocked that one gas station was closed during the night. Coming from SoCal, all gas stations are supposed to be open 24/7!

Around 4:30 Saturday morning, we finally stopped to sleep in a park in Provo. I had the delightful experience of using a park restroom where the stalls had no doors, with a flashlight, convinced I was going to get attacked at any moment. I'm not a fan of Happy Valley, and this is the one and only time I was thrilled to arrive there.

We slept a few blissful hours and then said goodbye to our friends. As another fun part of moving, escrow had been delayed a week. Our loan agent was kind enough to let us park our moving truck in his gated driveway, so we ditched it and then went to live with our realtor and his house of bachelors for a week. (Our realtor had been one of Nathan's mission companions.)

There were a lot of things we had to adjust to. I went grocery shopping within a couple days of arriving. Strangers kept talking to me...welcome to the store.....do you need help finding something... I just wasn't used to that in a grocery store.

Anyway, the fun of buying a home, moving, and driving through the night was a horrible experience that I have tried to forget. Even now, when I see a yellow moving truck, I have a flashback moment and shudder a little.

But I love living here, and I love this time of year as we move into fall, because it reminds me of our first few weeks as a homeowner, making our own way without family nearby.