Living in Utah

I guess it's been a while again. I'd really like to blog at least once a week and just haven't got to it. Adjusting to a new place can be hard on one's spirit. There are some things about UT that I love and then there are things that are just strange-or different and then there are things that I hate.
When I first got here I loved all the tulips! They were just blooming everywhere and so beautiful. I vowed that once I have my own house I will definately be planting tulip bulbs. I also love the mountains, they are so amazing and gorgeous and I use to think the Hualapais were sufficient and know now that I was just tricking myself.
There are things that just catch my eye or strike me as strange or maybe just different than where I've lived before. This is not intended to offend anyone so please just look at my thoughts as another perspective. The first thing I noticed was a whole other section in Wal-Mart. It took me a minute to put it all together but it's for food storage. There was even a man giving samples of milk, I thought it was an odd place until he showed me that it was powdered milk. Oh, I guess I thought you only used it in baking, I didn't know you actually drink it. (And maybe now you just think I'm dumb). Even more so Food Storage is a huge topic of conversation here. Yes I know I am in UT, but I bet every person I've met has brought it up in one way or another-well excluding the folks at my gym. Most interesting to me was the infomercial on freeze dried foods that will last up to 100 years and you never have to rotate your food storage. I guess if you're like me and not a Mormon you might feel as if some of this is all a foreign language too.
Another observation, no coffee shops. Sometimes a girl just really needs a good cup of jo-I finally found a Starbucks in Barnes and Noble. Yeah. I went with a friend to a Women's Conference at BYU. Did you know there is no caffeine on the entire campus? I would have paid $5 for Pepsi that day! Ha! Ha! Know that I am not critizing in anyway, just observing.
I remember when I first moved to AZ all the changes, the rock yards, the snowmen next to cactus at Christmas, or even the "snowman" made out of tumble weeds. I had to write them all down before they became my "norm". So I know that eventually "Food Storage" infomercials and mall being closed on Sunday will all be normal too.
Finally for the "I Hates". I hate that no one is concerened with time. If they say it starts at 6:30 it could be 6:45 or 7:00. The bus is supposed to come at Noon, sometimes it doesn't show up until 12:40. But then you get into traffic and everyone is in the biggest hurry to get where? I'm not sure because it doesn't matter if you're on time. And the biggest thing I hate is so many kids without carseats or booster seats or even wearing a seatbelt. Now I know I am making judgements about this, but it's safety and kids don't know better. Come on people!