What I Miss

Obviously I miss being close to friends and family more than anything since moving East, but I thought I would take a minute to write about some of the other things I miss about living in the great state I was raised in.

The mountains: Not many things can beat the majesty of a giant mountain range being visible from nearly every point in the Wasatch Front. I miss seeing the snow covered peaks and being able to hike in just about every city.

A lot of what I miss in Utah is food, probably because I am pregnant: I have had many cravings for things that I can't get here such as: Mazza, Settebello, Thai Siam, Royal India, Noodles and Co, Zupas, Pei Wei, Cafe Rio etc. etc. etc. One of the things I am looking forward to the most while spending time in Utah this summer is eating out at all our usual spots. There is great food out here as well. I just miss not being able to get some of my old standbys.

The Broadway Theater and having someone to tend while we went out: We don't have date nights anymore. It was so easy when our parents were so close and willing to tend for us. Also, every movie I want to see never plays here. We have one little indie theater that only has one movie screen. I miss the Broadway theater so bad.

Kids: Places in Utah are generally more kid friendly. I never felt uncomfortable having Atlas anywhere. Here, not so much.

Shows: I miss having shows to do posters for. Bands don't play in Providence, they just go to Boston.

Gallery stroll: I used to think that no matter where we moved, there would be a better art scene than in SLC. I  don't think I realized what I had! The art scene is Utah may be small, but it is surprisingly forward thinking. From free admission to the UMOCA, urban art, art festivals, and galleries willing to show contemporary and illustrative works, Utah is pretty awesome. It's also a small enough environment that everyone knows each other and they all convene on one awesome Friday night a month to stroll and hang out with art. It's so great.

Driving: I miss the smooth roads. Out here is pot hole city. It's also really confusing to get anywhere cause there are tons of tiny one way roads and nothing is straight, every road seems to unexpectedly curve you into the wrong direction at some point, even the freeways. Utah has it figured out- grid systems are where it's at.

I should probably say some good things about Rhode Island now.

We have beaches all over: suck it Utah!

The architecture here is incredible: It never gets old to go walk around these big colorful and intricate  neighborhoods where most of the buildings were built before Utah was even a state. Everything is old here, which sometimes has drawbacks, but never aesthetically. The buildings are beautiful.

Although I haven't really utilized this fact yet, we are close to everything: If I felt like it I could easily be in Boston, Washington DC, or New York City today. There is public transportation to take you to all of those places very easily (or I could drive). I am excited for the weather to warm up so that we can finally explore. I want to go to Cape Cod, see a Red Sox game, drive up to Maine and do a million other things. It's been too cold and Nick has been too busy, but we are going to explore this summer.

The Church: In Utah I always felt lost in our wards. People always thought I was new even after living in Centerville for 5 years. Here, I know every single member of our ward, have spoken to each one, and I have been here less than a half year. So much more is required of you in a small ward. I have more responsibilities and so does Nick. We have both felt uplifted by the ward and enabled to fulfill our callings. Nick is the Gospel Doctrine teacher and I am Relief Society 1st counselor- things we would never have been in Utah, and both our callings have been very good for us. Our ward is huge on service and missionary work. Everyone helps everyone out. Everyone is friendly. We constantly have investigators in our ward. Ya sure, it's weird to have to stream Conference on your computer, or have Nick at Priesthood meeting from 8-10pm. It's inconvenient to drive over an hour to get to our stake building or the nearest temple, but some of those inconveniences make you stronger. Most of our ward is made up of amazing converts and people who have all different background (the missionaries have to translate our meetings for members who don't speak English). Which brings me to another point-

Diversity: I love being around people who come from all walks of life! In Utah I felt like I was some crazy radical non-conformist that didn't fit in, then I moved here- what is fitting in? Where would I fit into? No one is the same out here. I feel zero pressure to be anything but myself, which leads into my last point-

Women here are so much less scary: I went to the Children's Museum this morning with Nick and Atlas and I had one a zip up hoodie, some ugly maternity pants and some flip flops. My hair was in a ponytail and all I had on my face was mascara, and I didn't feel frumpy at all! In fact, I may have been the only woman in the entire museum with any make-up on at all. Women out here are natural. No one uses tons of product and fluffs up their hair (no one really even does anything except just brush their hair). No one has on heels our huge boots. No one is wearing trendy clothes. The kids aren't dressed like little models. It's SO much less intimidating here. I don't feel inadequate or ugly like I used to. If we end up going back to Utah I am really going to miss that.

I think I am finally getting used to living somewhere else and realizing that everywhere you go there are going to be pro and cons. Nothing beats living by friends and family, but having a little adventure isn't so bad. I am determined to make the best of it out here, and like I have said, there are going to be things that I miss about here when we leave- something I wouldn't have thought a few months ago. And hopefully, wherever we end up after here, I will feel the same way about as well.