I LOVE Living in Utah

NEVER thought I would say that.  But I do. Let me count the ways . . .

1. Dave only works FOUR DAYS a week and gets home just 15 minutes later than he did the ENTIRE time we lived in California. AND we are within five miles of any small town we could ever want to live in.  Which means he can also bike to work - and we save about $200 in gas every month.  PLUS we get to have fun family days EVERY WEEK, no extra sacrifice required.  LOVE it!
2. I am NEVER afraid to open my garage door and see huge cockroaches scatter.  And really, even the biggest spider I have killed here was STILL smaller than the smallest cockroach I killed there. I will actually step outside my door without shoes here because I don't have to be prepared for the worst all the time.  And the only thing I'm afraid of the kids finding in the backyard is mud . . . that they made themselves with the sprinkler.  Not a bad trade, if I do say so myself.
3. We live SO CLOSE to so many temples!  Within 30 minutes, we can have a fun family getaway and be home again in the time it would have taken us to GET to the temple in Spokane or Los Angeles.  HUGE blessing!!!  And I may actually get to go to the temple while breastfeeding a baby this time around without having to plan my entire life around it.  I may go by myself, but with four children ages four and under, I am SURE there are worse things than a temple trip all by yourself!
4. The weather here is getting PERFECT for family outings.  We can take the kids walking, hiking, camping, biking, it's PERFECT!  And great as well for an early-morning getaway before the kids wake up.
5. There are so many things you can do in Salt Lake without having to LIVE like you live near a big city.  We have access to all the cultural and social perks that we could ever WANT to take advantage of without having to live in the middle of all of those who want the ones we wouldn't choose.  We can be to the country with cows, horses, farms, barns, and fields within 10 minutes of our house.  Or the city within 30.  Great arrangement!
6. My sister lives close enough that we can get together once a month.  I don't even have to PLAN a trip to her house if I don't want to.  And since I am pretty sure Isaac is FEELING his lack of male cousins, it's great to be around the only one his age for them to grow up together (however long it lasts) and not get ganged upon or left out by all the girls.

So those are my top six.  And with such a FABULOUS top six, do I really NEED any more?

Last Sunday we went for a family trip to the Salt Lake Temple and took pictures of the kids.  We also ran into some friends who have recently moved here from California as well.  So even the difficult time making friends here so far may have just been solved!  Heavenly Father has blessed us SO MUCH.  Our entire family dynamic has changed.  And I am SO THANKFUL for that.