Thoughts on Suburbia

The boys watching Uncle Cameron mow our lawn...

Just one of many exciting moments in Suburbia

*I almost hyperventilated the first time I went to Walmart. I didn't remember stores being THAT big with such wide aisles. I may have some post-New York City trauma to deal with. Seriously, after looking at (what seemed like) 14 different brands of chicken nuggets, I realized I was in a different world.

*Did I mention that milk at said Walmart is $1.78 / gallon? Yay!

*Little boys were meant to have backyards. Christian and Andrew have spent hours and hours in the backyard already. They have explored, gotten dirty, run nonstop, and soaked up fresh air to their heart's content. In the evenings, we go out and lay in the grass while the kids play around. It has been a dream.

*Jonathon was meant to have a backyard too. He has

already planned out his garden for next year and started his compost pile. The kids made their own "compost pile" out of rocks and bricks. I guess they don't quite understand the idea, but they sure

have fun with it. Christian always says, "Mom, we'll be out working on our compost pile."

*Everyday when we have to go somewhere, Christian asks, "Do we have to take the train?" When we tell him we are going to drive the car, he gets so excited. The thrill of a car still hasn't worn off. Oh, and the letters on our new license plates say ZOO... it couldn't be a more accurate description of what it is probably like inside the car. Haha.

*Customer service in Utah is alive and well! We LOVE going to stores around here because we are always greeted when we enter, and the checker actually looks at us and wishes us a nice day when we leave.

*It has been a pretty busy family time the last few weeks because Gma and Gpa Hill just moved to Utah and Cameron came home from his mission. We have had several fun family get-togethers and every time we leave I think, "What have we been missing for the last 3 years?" I am so happy we have so many family and friends around.

*Home improvement is tougher than we expected. In the first 4 days of living in our new home, we had been to Home Depot 6 times. I have the receipts to prove it. Not only did we have a lot of things to fix, but it seems that nothing is standardized any more, so half of those trips were returning the items that didn't fit the first time. Luckily, Home Depot is only .7 miles away. (P.S. We are putting in new floors and carpet... before and after photos to come.)

*Our first Sunday at church, I was shocked when we sang the opening song and nobody was really singing. If I tried, I could probably have sung louder than the entire congregation. Even the organ was whisper soft. I had a twinge of sadness for New York City and the gusto for which ward members sing there.

*One of our first stops after arriving in Utah was Cafe Rio. The "Pork Barbacoa burrito -- enchilada style" tasted just as good as I remembered. Yum!

We have really missed our friends in NYC and think of them often, but we are adjusting to Suburbia. It has been an exciting time!