Up and Running

Moving is a pain in the toock-us.  All the sorting and organizing and wrapping and labeling... actually the labeling isn't that bad.  That was probably my favorite part.  I really like writing in black permanent marker.  My mom and I had fun writing silly messages on most of the boxes.  We would describe the level of heaviness.  "Rather Heavy." "Surprisingly Heavy."  "Leave This One For Someone Stronger." "May Strain Your Uterus."  I sure hope those that helped us moved enjoyed my humor.  I put some real time into labeling those boxes.
We moved to Utah.  The biggest perk (other than being with Kenmo everyday) is having an In-N-Out Burger about 3 minutes away.  I had never had one before and I always heard people (mostly returned missionaries) talking about how good an In-N-Out burger is and all the special codes and how could I have never had one!  I used to feel really "out of the club" like a whanny loser who didn't know exactly what was being discussed but knew I was supposed to be impressed.  Well, my deary took me(and all our moving help) the day we moved in and I liked it so much I went back the next day for the repeat.  And in the 11 days we've been here... I've gone back 2 more times.  That's 4 times in almost 2 weeks.  Yikes.  That sounds like a lot.  I bet In-N-Out is happy I'm here!  Boosting those sales one Double Double combo at a time. 
We are renting.  Ken picked the place all on his own and my first time seeing it was the day we moved in.  Not the best experience.  But it is gorgeous.  Big windows.  Big rooms.  There's some long horns out the back.  I'm not kidding.  I'm really fascinated with them.  There are only 2 which is weird to me.... but I know very little about the normal number of longhorns kept in an area.
Renting has it's perks and it's non-perks (?)  What's the word for that? 

Perks:

• Someone does my lawn.  Well there's like a cohort of 7 that do it.  Last week me and Kole sat at the tippy top of the playground equipment and watched them.  They put on quite a show for Koley.  Going in circles, pretending to run into each other, waving their arms all over the place.  It was like a circus full of middle aged Mexicans.  Very entertaining.
• AC.  Ken and I have been going back and forth and ending up at each other's throats about the optimum temperature the house should be.  I say 70.  He says 75.  Which isn't even on really.  But I am sure he's thinking about the bill and I am thinking about the comfort.  I tried meeting in the middle at 73... but that just feels so hot!
• We have an island in the kitchen.  I know you could have that in a house- but our house didn't and it makes me feel so "upper class."  Other things in the town house that make me feel upper class?  1.  Our bathroom has Jack and Jill Doors off the master.  2.  I get my own sink.  3.  Out our bedroom window there are just trees.  All you can see are leaves and branches... it feels England-y.  Like a cottage...no! An estate.  Yeah... an estate.  4.   The back door has a window with a blind built into it.  I love that. 
• Really super fast Internet.  Something in our old house blocked the Internet connection a lot.  So no matter what "G"  I ordered... It always seemed like "G" stood for I will Gradually get there.  Here it is fast and fun and frisky and flying and... I'm being redundant.

Non-Perks:

• Kole has had to adjust.  I know this isn't permanent... but I sure miss him sleeping all the way through the night.
• None of the roads have creative names.  Or even boring names.  They are all numbers.  East and West.  North and South.  I guess I am going to have to break down and learn which direction is which.  I am fine if I am standing outside and can use the mountains and the sun as a reference... but I was in Target for like a half hour trying to find hand soap so I asked a worker  and he told me to head south and go to E3 and the hand soap would be on the east end of the aisle.  I wanted to cry.  It was like listening to a foreign language.
• I'm just not used to having a parking lot outside my door.  We're lucky- no one parks right outside of our house.  It's just a weird feeling.

I am completely unpacked.  Which feels great.  I am reading a really good book (Fall of Giants) which is off topic but I wanted to plug that in.  The book I am getting published in comes out next month.  Yippee yippee.  And here are some pics to send you off with.

Kole's new face.  It could mean he's thinking, he's angry, or he's eating something cold.

Doesn't care what temperature the house is on... just keep the Popsicles coming.