30 May 2011

hello utah.



we made the move in one piece! hooray.
there was a warm welcome waiting for us here.
a ginormous thank you to everyone who helped out.
i realize treats and cold drinks don't do justice to such kindnesses!!

happy memorial day. hope you get to do something fabulous.
my main goal is to get my hands on a big slice of watermelon.

in related news

+ this family pic (look, we're all smiling in the right direction! score!) was taken at my dad's business' 25th anniversary party (more pics to come). as we were cleaning up, we announced that we were moving to utah in two weeks' time. it was a happy occasion.

+ another happy occasion was seeing our giant moving truck all packed up after the whirlwind of packing. i made the buff men stand in it for one final photo. a photo i will someday upload. i hope you won't mind belated photos. my blogging is going to be all over the place. the move went smoothly, no meltdowns. i even held it together when i said goodbye to ronda, jill, brooke, kimberly, hilary and julie. i've become so close to them. i was simply too exhausted to cry. the tears will come at some random date and time, i'm sure. (likely, when i'm choosing an avocado at the grocery store or waiting to take a new drivers license photo at the DMV.) i don't know what i'll do without them and their children either. saying goodbye is way too sad. i pray we can be the type of friends that really do keep in touch. thanks to my awesome long-winded texting habits, they won't be able to get rid of me.

+ i'm really loving the tina fey book so far. it's hilarious and i'm very happy i'm listening to her tell it to me rather than reading it. it makes all the difference to hear her voice, every anecdote could be a skit on SNL.

+ i must admit, i'm a teensy bit antsy / anxious / weirded-out about becoming one more utah blogger. whatevs. it's just funny how i feel like that matters or something. when it really doesn't. do you care where bloggers reside?! i suppose i'm just feeling out of place a bit and will have to scootch myself in again, like you do when you're laying on a beach towel and have to wiggle yourself in so the sand molds around you.

+ i already thought of like five blog posts while i was in the shower this morning. moving slash moving in with your in-laws is already full of awesome stories. they welcomed us with scented pillow cases and empty drawers and closet space. shanna even brought out all the trucks and stuffed animals. benji is on cloud nine and hasn't even asked about the surprise he was going to get when we move to utah. he is content and would be happy if we lived here forever. it still hasn't hit me that we live here, but i'm sure it'll sink in. even after seeing our truck unloaded, it's still a bit unreal that we get to look for houses to move into. am trying to keep up with all the action.

p.s. like a page from the hunger games, we're currently on the hunt. please leave your home owner expertise and house hunting tips in the comment box! i need all the help i can get. thank you and happy memorial day.

33 comments:

Tori said...

Glad to see you made it to Utah. I don't care where you live; I just hope you keep Marta Writes going for a long time. That being said, I'm not someone who reads a lot of Utah bloggers - it's pretty much you, your mom and Dooce.

My house-hunting tip? Get the best inspector possible. Something will be wrong with (or go wrong in) the house of your choice. It's better to be forewarned than forearmed.

You sound so renewed and refreshed; I think great things are going to come for you out of this move.

Emily said...

This is my first time leaving a comment! I am excited! First I have to tell you that I love your blog!
I am not an expert at house buying and finding but I have lived here all my live and have learned some things. Some areas of SLC you pay more for the area in which you live rather than the space that you are getting. For example the avenues, sugarhouse are places that the homes are smaller but you pay more to live in the area. My sister-in-law just started the process of building a home in herriman ut and they are paying around 300 thousand for just about 5000 sq feet. Herriman is pretty far out there though.
Hope this helps.
Thanks for blogging!

Hil said...

What a perfect picture! I love it. So glad you made it safe and are settling in. Good luck house hunting! I wish I had some tips... but we seem to be major failures in the house hunting game. :) I'll let the experts answer that one for you.

p.s. miss you. and Little Guy is already asking when we get to move to Utah with Benji and Marta... :)

Anonymous said...

I rarely pay much attention to where bloggers live! You're who you are no matter where you live, anyway. Don't worry about it!

I don't have much home buying advice except to look at the monthly payment more than the sticker price. And buy something you love with a short commute!

A Place to Reside said...

Your move sounded like it went really smoothly. That's such a blessing. And I completely understand the sadness of leaving your old place/friends hitting you at random times. I like to think that's normal. :-)

I don't know if you'll be working with a real estate agent, but going with one that came highly recommended and that we felt comfortable with made all the difference for us. House hunting can be really fun, so I hope it is for you (and not stressful).

Barb said...

We just put on offer in on our first house! Eek! It's kind of overwhelming.

Find a realtor you trust (I have one that I can't recommend highly enough, please feel free to email me if you'd like his name.)

Have a list of things you want in a house- ours changed a little as we were looking, but we were pretty consistent with a few things that helped us weed out the undesirables pretty fast.

Get a babysitter and look at houses by yourselves. We have a 2 year old and tried both ways and it was so much easier/faster/less stressful to just go on our own. We had our realtor set up 15 (!) appointments in one afternoon, and we saw them all in 3 hours! It was so nice to just pop in and out, take notes, compare square footage/prices, etc. in one neighborhood.

Good luck!

Fer said...

Hi!! I can't believe you had just moved and posted!!! How do you do? I completely forgot my brother's birthday when i made my last move on march, i was so sorry
I had been reading your post since more or less 3 years ago, since i found your "DIY cd sleeve" post, I from the south, Argentine, so I'm going to continue reading your post no matter where you live. My boyfriend used to tell are you reading that girl again? she's always reading" and I said "no, writing"
Good luck

Jen said...

So glad you made it safe!! Can't wait to hear about your upcoming adventures.

[eeny] said...

Good to hear you made it safe and sound all the way to utah. Sounds like you had a great welcome over there.

This picture of you and your boys is darling. What a happy little family you are.

Jen said...

that's so exciting your moved went smoothly - nothing worse than it not! funny you said that about being a utah blogger - there sure are a lot of them out there.

my house hunting tip: don't settle. believe me - you will grow to hate the place. and make sure the yard is acceptable day one - we are on year two of trying to make a good space for the kids. there are only so many weekends in the summer and no matter what you say you don't want to be doing house repairs/fixing up's every weekend. kids are too precious and grow up too fast for that! good luck - can't wait to see how it works out.
your "friend" ~ jen

kate reymann said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Miranda said...

I just realized I have so much to say to this post!

I'm so glad you made it safely and I can't believe how much you have posted during this crazy time! You definitely handled your move with more poise than I did. :)

Saying goodbye is terribly sad. I still don't like to think about my goodbyes to my Denver friends.

I know what you mean when you talk about where bloggers live. Sometimes I feel isolated because I don't know many Idaho bloggers. As if it really matters?

Take your time looking for a house. Don't push anything because that is when it stops being fun. The market isn't going to shoot up any time soon so you can enjoy the hunt.

Erin {pughs' news} said...

I'm so glad you made it safe and sound to Utah, Marta! I don't mind where you reside- just so long as you keep on blogging, I'll keep on reading!

Good luck with settling in and finding your perfect spot (I love that beach towel analogy!)

Happy Memorial Day to you and your boys!
xo

talesofahummingbird said...

ahhhh,...the hunger games trilogy was devoured in this home. so good! oh happy moving, honey. house hunting tips....don't settle. keep looking until you find something that looks and feels like home. and then go back that evening after you've had several hours to think about it and you've thought of all the questions you should have asked the first time but didn't. and then go back after dark and see what the neighborhood looks and sounds and feels like late at night. and then go back early in the morning to see what the neighborhood looks and sounds and feels like - so you are sure you want to be waking up with that neighborhood every day. many a homeowner or renter has chosen a dreamy little place - only to find later that they are located directly under the landing pattern for the airport that the realtor swears is not really that close and you "almost never" hear any air traffic noise. its great to fall in love, just make sure you know all of that lovely houses beautiful flaws before you choose it. :) and then dive in and swoon and make big plans for making it your own!

Catherine at Design Editor said...

So, so great that you made this first step. Always exciting to start a new chapter and equally exciting to look for a new house. Love it.

I'm with everyone else, we don't care where you are, we'll still be reading!

Moments and Impressions said...

So glad the move went well. Can't wait to hear the funny in-laws living stories.

My tip on hunting - go in. Even if it doesn't look right from the outside - you could be surprised. Also decide what matters to you most... neighborhood, schools, room size, yard. It will help you focus.

--r said...

when we were looking at houses, i had a laundry list of "must haves", but when we walked into this house i just knew it was home, list or no list.
hope you're as lucky to come across your "it" house, though i suppose that anywhere your guys are is going to be the best place ever.

quilter5706 said...

Great picture of your family. Already miss you so much and that little guy of yours. Hope that he is settling in well. I don't have any tips on house hunting, as I have only moved 6 times in my entire life. Don't plan on moving again. Hope that Dan's jobe works out well. Let us know your new address when you get one. Love to all....Ronda

Erica said...

umm.... my house hunting tip - come be my neighbor. we have a play set & i make a pretty mean grilled cheese for lunch. makes you want to move right in, huh?

Travelin'Oma said...

Benji's welcome anytime you want to house hunt!

summer said...

ahhhhh! happy move, mart. what a glorious day! enjoy every minute of scootching yourself back in... you know that i LOVED that image. the towel, the sand, the molding- it was perfect. :) you always have the words.

ps. blog posts in the shower: totally.

Jen Holtkamp said...

i have no preference as to where my blog authors live. you can find interesting things and beauty everywhere!

Marie Tere said...

Glad the move went smoothly.

Thinking of what I've learned about moving and house preferences, what is important to me is the location of the house in relation to the sun. I LOVE my kitchen facing east, so that I get the morning sun.

Best of luck.

Anonymous said...

I'm pretty sure you will continue to shine on the blog scene no matter where it is you call home. Love that you said WHATEVS too! :)

sheena said...

welcome to Utah cute Marta!! happy house hunting:)

Stephanie said...

Good luck on your new adventure. Getting all moved and settled is always a lengthy process, but I'm sure you will find your proper place at the proper time. Have fun!

ahappygirl said...

yay! i am in utah as well. :) welcome welcome!

xo.

Lisa said...

Please, please, PLEASE, just do yourself a favor and look at Daybreak. It's in South Jordan. It's the most amazing neighborhood. A huge lake, swimming pools, jogging\biking trails, a community gym, shops, places to eat, playground, etc. It took us a year of house hunting all over the Salt Lake Valley. We finally broke down and drove west to Daybreak. We fell in LOVE. I can't imagine ever living anywhere else!! Good luck!!

Sarah said...

wow -- this all happened so quickly!!! happy for you. love your smiles.

xoxo

Hannah said...

What an exciting two weeks! I'm sure it seems a bit surreal. That is a lot of change in such a short amount of time. Thanks for being such a wonderful friend to our family in Idaho. Jason and I were so happy knowing that his brother's family has such a great support system during the last couple years. I know you were a blessing in their lives.

We Utahns are thrilled to call you one of our own, though! Hope you find a dream home quickly. I'm sure you will. It'd a wonderful time to be hunting.

Gretchen said...

Marta, I'm so glad your move went smoothly!

Here are my house hunting tips:
When you find a house that you like. Sit down in it for at least 5 minutes, and just breathe it in. Ask yourself if you can see yourself raising your kidlets there? Also, talk to a neighbor or two. Maybe visit the local church before you make an offer. For me, where I live is more than the house I live in, and my surroundings are important.

In Utah, I suggest avoiding a north facing home. Those homes have the worse driveways to shovel in the winter! Tis true!

Also, make sure there are enough closets for you. I didn't even notice that my house did NOT have a coat closet anywhere when I went through it! Duh! Who builds a house without a coat closet? especially in Utah, where one needs to wear a coat 9 out of the 12 months! My builder did, I guess!

And I second what Lisa said about Daybreak...it is an awesome area. I live just west of daybreak, but still enjoy the Lake and the walking paths.

Wherever you land, I'm sure it will be home!

Angela said...

I'm a new follower and I just wanted to wish you the best in finding a home. I can't get any advice on home buying Utah, but I can only imgaine it's not as crazy as it is in Southern CA. *wink*
Home prices have to be better.

Oh and why is it so many Utah folks blog? I'm guessing it might be a SAHM think (more there as a percentage to the rest of the country)?

tiff said...

I had to laugh at your comment about being a Utah blogger. It's only my opinion, but I don't think readers care where a blogger is from; I think bloggers (naturally) want to be as original as possible--even if it means not living where a billion other bloggers live. Otherwise, what is your point?
I had a visiting teaching partner in New York who said she was always the model LDS girl....until she went to Ricks College. She had no idea who she was when she was surrounded by a bunch of other model LDS girls. Her beliefs had always been what made her different, unique. Not so anymore. So she went and got a tattoo. She became the un-model LDS girl, and she kept what she felt was her unique identity.
I'm not trying to preach to you here, I'm just trying to say...I feel that same itch--to be unique, to be necessary. Otherwise, what is my point? And it's a weekly struggle to remember that NO ONE ELSE IS ME. No one has my memories, my experiences, my relatives, my testimony, my stories, my parenting capabilities.
As human beings, we may share talents, fashion style, or blog topics, but that doesn't mean we're not unique. You have an infinite amount to give--even blogging from Utah. And everybody else knows it. The important thing is that YOU know it.

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