Utah is good!

Sure, the water is still gross, the air is much hazier than anywhere else I've been, the weather is too hot in the Summer, and my family isn't close by, but other than that, I'm actually enjoying Utah! (What? Did she just say that?) Of course I still hold Colorado, with all of its charm, close to my heart. However, Utah is not as revolting as I once thought it to be. I still don't think I will want to live here forever, but for now it's been really good for me. I've found it to be much more pleasant than I ever thought I would. Maybe my attitute has just changed, (no doubt) but I've had a lot of good experiences and made some really wonderful friends. When I first moved here, I forced myself to make a list of the good things about living in Utah. This is what I listed:

*There are many members of the Church here

*The Temple is 10 minutes away

*I get to see Temple Square at Christmastime

*I found caffeine free Diet Dr Pepper at the grocery store

*Cafe Rio

*Chipotle DOES exist here!

*My roommates are great

*Ryan and Kara are here

*The ward made me feel welcome

*I'm glad I'm here in a semi-familiar place and not in a strange city

*Cheap rent

*My church building is really old and beautiful

*It's easy to get un-lost because of the street layout

Now, this list may seem slightly pathetic, but at the time I made it back in November, it helped me to be just a little bit happy about being here in Salt Lake (because I definitely was NOT).

I have had many good times since those lonely days of my first month here. I have learned to see Utah's beauty, to enjoy my job, to get to know people outside, to enjoy being close to some extended family, and more. There are a plethora of other things that I won't share here, but the point is that I have learned, and continue to do so. Thank you to all who have helped to make my move here and my experience thus far a little better!

Here are some recent pictures of what I've been up to since my last post. :-)

My sister Tiffany visited, and we went for a hike to Cecret Lake.

Sammy!

Katie came to visit and we went to the Capitol.

The view from the Capitol Building.