Hogi Yogi, BYU Football, and Swing Dancing in SLC

Robert and I have been talking a lot lately about moving to Utah, since that is almost certainly what we are doing (unless some drastic changes happen in the next few weeks!). I posted a bit ago about my Utah anxieties... and since then, I've been making the effort to think about the move more realistically... to not just see the negatives of leaving the DC metro area... but to see the POSITIVES of moving to Utah (because there are MANY)...

What I Will LOVE About Living in Utah:

1. Family -- being able to rely on family the way we've relied on friends here and be able to solidify and strengthen family relationships, particularly with siblings
2. BYU and Jazz games -- seriously, I soooo look forward to seeing BYU play again; Robert dreams of watching the Jazz (when they win, hopefully!)
3. Hogi Yogi -- small chocolate non-fat yogurt with raspberries, please... yummmmmm
4. Swing and Ballroom Dancing -- sooo available in SLC with swing and ballroom dances going on tons... very clean, usually alcohol-free... what a fun date for us!
5. Friends -- we feel so blessed that in all of our "homes" past and present, we have made some true, lasting friends. We love you and miss you and are excited to hang out, play games, and generally have fun with you again on a regular basis!
6. Temples -- we live 45 mins. from the DC Temple, so we definitely are close to a temple now; but we look forward to being in Utah where we can go to different temples and see the new temples being built.
7. Temple Square, Conference, Proximity to Church Headquarters -- what a blessing to be near to the Prophet again and be able to attend Sunday Mormon Tabernacle Choir broadcasts, special events, even Conference.
8. Beautiful, Livable Seasons -- fall and spring in DC is beautiful, but winter is drab (and when it snows, the whole city shuts down--check out our latest storm!!!) and summer is UNBEARABLE (soooooo sooooo hot and humid, with little to no relief in the shade or at night). I love winter as long as it's livable, so I look forward to that aspect of Utah; and summers in Utah are dry, not humid, so it's bearable, at least for me (with lots of lotion, of course)...
9. Distribution Centers and Deseret Book -- you have no idea how wonderful it will be to go to a Deseret Book or a Distribution Center in mere minutes and be able to find resources for callings or for our family
10. Skiing, Sledding, and Ice Skating -- winter sports in general... I love skiing and would love to do it again, in the greatest snow on Earth... woohoo...
11. Family-Friendly Everything -- TONS of kid-friendly restaurants, activities, everything... most places are family-friendly and accomodating to such things as multiple kids (carts that have two kid spots, for example) and strollers...
12. Dollar Theaters -- WE LOVE movies, so it is extremely exciting to live where there are dollar theaters... so we can see movies in the theater for cheap... woohoo!
13. High-Quality Community Theater -- for us to see AND perform in... family-friendly usually again...
14. Christmas Lights -- Christmas lights are somewhat skimpy around here... I look forward to lots of Christmas lights in neighborhoods around and the beautiful Temple Square lights (DC Temple lights ARE beautiful, though)
15. Cheaper Almost Everything -- we pay (in a government-subsidized apartment complex) the same or more right now than some of our friends and family pay on their MORTGAGES in Utah... CRAZY!!... in DC, groceries are insanely expensive... movies are insanely expensive... EVERYTHING is insanely expensive... I look forward to Utah's DI (high-quality thrift!!!), great, cheap grocery stores... woohoo...
16. SUPER Wal-Mart and SUPER Target -- no, we don't have these here... and I MISS THEM. I love being able to do my shopping all in one place... so I look forward to once again having the "Supers"
17. Mountains -- I do miss my Utah mountains... I will miss DC TREES and greenery, but I will enjoy seeing the beautiful mountains again...

I could go on and on... but I'll stop there. Basically, I'm starting to feel more and more peace about moving to Utah, and we're getting ourselves excited by focusing on the pros (instead of the cons). I will miss our DC friends... my primary kids (AHH!!)... the city... but we look forward to this new adventure.

FIRST THINGS FIRST -- graduation, finding a job, moving... please do keep Robert and our family in your prayers! The next few months are CRAZY!

Love to you all! (-Jocelyn)