The End

We are finally home, and we are SO glad! In fact, we got so antsy to get home that we left on Wednesday rather than Friday, drove to Cleveland the first night where we crashed at my aunt's house, and then drove all day Thursday and through the night so we got here on Friday morning (6am to be exact!). Yesterday was fun, but I was pretty much walking dead because I was so tired! Last night I think I slept about 12 hours without a problem, so now I feel rested and refreshed and ready to take over Orem!

Near The End

As our time here in Boston winds down, I have been contemplating those things that I will really miss about living here and those things that I will be excited to leave. So here is a taste of that list:

Things that I WILL miss:

• living next to the beach and going for a swim in the ocean nearly every sunny day. Not that it has been very sunny, but oh well.
• my sunbeams.
• having a whole house to myself, even if it is an old house.
• having space for a garden. Not that I ever did anything with it, but at least it gave Jake a hobby.
• living in the "mission field". Where else are you going to sit down for church and have the guy in the pew in front of you drinking his Dunkin' Donuts coffee?
• The families that I have gotten really close to - both from church and just babysitting in general.
• having the missionaries over for dinner. You never get to do that in Utah.
• the babysitting money. People out here pay big bucks for childcare! Jake and I sat for a family with 3 kids for 5 hours (the kids were asleep after 1 hour of us being there) and came home with $80!! The families I sit for here think nothing of plunking down $60 for just a few hours of babysitting their ridiculously easy children!
• our Brazilian friend Vania. She's been so good to us and really got me craving her yummy Brazilian food!
• $5 Tuesdays at the movie theaters. All shows are $5 all day Tuesday.

Things that I WON'T miss:

• humidity. I hate it. It saps me of all energy. I can never wear my hair down. Heat I can handle, but not humidity. We are mortal enemies.
• rain. This has been a SUPER rainy summer (it is raining as I type this).
• the bed. It is an old antique, but in my mind, antique=uncomfortable. And it doesn't help that I have the most comfortable bed waiting for me in Orem.
• no dishwasher. After our first apartment I swore that I wouldn't live without a dishwasher again. So much for that. And since Jake is constantly busy, it's my job to always wash the dishes. I'm so done with it!
• the price of groceries. Who knew that Utah had such cheap groceries! Milk here is close to $3.70 a gallon! And that's for the generic brand! And they don't have Mexican food here.
• the distance it takes to drive places. I have finally made the switch where if something is within a 30 minute drive, it is considered close.
• no garbage removal system. We have to drive to the dump to dump our garbage. And we are actively recycling for the first time ever, which isn't bad, but just smelly.
• not being near family. I have missed my siblings and all of my nieces and nephews like crazy! I seriously called my sister Alex twice a day every day since I've been here. Hearing familiar voices from home was so comforting!
• being back in "Mormon country"! We are the only Mormons in our whole town.

So there you have it. And for those who are curious, Jake and I will be back in Utah on Monday, August 24th! Can't wait to see you, but also very hesitant to leave.

4 Things

1. I went to walk the Freedom Trail last week with my friend Kristin and found some of my ancestors: 2. I finally had my piano tuned. It's the piano I stand to inherit (it follows the Martha name) and hasn't been tuned in forever! Luckily, the lady who tuned it also restores old pianos and said my piano is in Fabulous condition! Hooray! It was fun to see it all dismantled around my living room!3. Hana left on her mission today to the Salt Lake Temple Square Mission. See you in 18 months! (haha - everyone knows we'll try to *bump* into her on temple square!)4. It's my mom's birthday! Happy Birthday Mom! My gift will be not telling everyone that you are 51. Oops... ;) (seriously - I think she could pass for someone in their 40's!)