Moving

Welp, we are moving.

Every corner of our apartment looks like this right now.

After 2.5 years of living in Midvale, we have decided to pack our bags and venture off into the bustling, delightful patch of land that is Salt Lake City. And I'm not talking "Salt Lake City" as in one of the nearby cities close enough to call it Salt Lake City -- I'm talking downtown, behind the conference center, seeing the glow of the Christmas lights at Temple Square, Salt Lake City.

I have mixed feelings about this milestone. Yes, I'm excited. But I'm also not excited. If my 23 years have taught me anything about this life, it's this: Most changes are bittersweet. At least, to some extent. In helps to lighten my mood about the whole situation, I've been compiling a list of pros/cons. Except I'm presenting it as a list of cons/pros, because ending on a happy note seems like the better option here. Some of the situations I've been battling or celebrating are as follows:

CONS: 
- Potentially an extremely long, painful commute for me to West Jordan. (If I continue working in West Jordan. Which is another post for another day.)
- I will miss the amazing friends we've made in our ward and apartment complex.
- A heartbreakingly far distance away from a Super Target.
- No dishwasher. I know, I know. I cried a little bit. I foresee many paper plates being purchased in the near future. Scotty signed a full-time contract for dish duty, and he's currently on the hunt for a portable dishwasher.
- The bathroom in our new apartment sucks balls. LISTEN, I know that phrase is wildly inappropriate, but I promise you there's no better description. There is literally not an inch of counter space, no cabinets, no drawers, and I really hope the grout in there was painted brown. I can barely fit inside the bathroom, so two people seems completely out of the question! I'm thinking we will need to put an office/vanity area in the living room so I have somewhere to do my hair. Which also isn't ideal.
- The closet. *shudders* Picture this: a dark, cold, 1.5 ft. by .5 ft slice of wall space with a rickety pole and a couple of shelves. One where you need to stand sideways and suck in to be able to get through the door. That's our new closet. Pray for me.
- I reeeeeaaaally wanted to move into a 2 bedroom apartment. Sadly, this only has one bedroom.
- Packing and moving. Ugh.

PROS: 
- Rent is $200 less than what we're paying now, for more sq feet. So that's awesome. With my income doubling and the smaller rent check, Scotty predicts we'll save at least 7 grand next year.
- That extra stash of money could possibly turn into a down payment for a house!
- Harmon's and Trader Joes will be my new convenient grocery stores of choice! I love those places!
- Scotty can walk (within minutes!) to work and school. No more daily TRAX ticket purchases, planning out a schedule for the car, or driving way out of my way to pick him up!
- The living room in our new apartment is GREAT! It's bigger than ours, and it feels really open. There are huge windows that provide beautiful natural light, and the whole thing just seems fresh. It's not like the yellow-tinted cave we're living in now.
- We'll be living on the second floor. Every night in our current apartment, I fall asleep to the sweet sound of elephants stomping around above me and serenading me with their bodily fluids falling into the toilet. I won't miss that.
- Our new place is walking distance from City Creek, the Conference Center, Temple Square, and other enjoyable SLC hot-spots.
- I'm excited to explore a new city. Scotty and I love finding little hole-in-the-wall places. I want to get the authentic SLC experience! Unique restaurants, home stores, and clothing boutiques are calling my name!
- THE KITCHEN! Oh my goodness, the kitchen! It's open, it's full of light, it actually has decent cabinet space, and here's the best part -- more than one person can stand in it at a time. Isn't that magical? It's like all of my wife duties and experiences have been leading up to this point!
- Speaking of the kitchen, someone left a huuuuuge brand new freezer there. Score. I treasure my freezer space! I am so excited to buy in bulk and vacuum seal things even more than I already do.
- I'm excited for a fresh start with new friends, a new ward, and new neighbors.
- The Bountiful Temple won't be so out of the way. I love that temple; it's gorgeous!
- Whilst packing, I plan to do a lot of PURGING, which brings me an unspeakable amount of joy. I love de-junking and organizing. D.I. better clear some shelves!
- Combine the de-junking and saving extra money each month... Do you smell that? That's the sweet smell of new furniture and decorations.
-I may or may not have been bribed with hair extensions.

As you can see, the pros definitely outweigh the cons. My mind is a swirling pool of emotions right now. I'm happy, I'm excited, I'm anxious, stressed, terrified, humbled, and worried. Wish us luck!