Utah Actually

My trip to Utah was so unexpected and spontaneous I had little time to process the idea. One minute I am home, the next I am in a sleep induced comma, cramped next to a smelly, fat man for 20 hours. And when I awoke? Voila! I am in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is marvelous how that works. I decided to take Heavah for the fun of it. She was a perfect traveling companion. 8 really is great. No diapers, no bottles, no puke, and no complaints. She sat next to me watching movie after movie, and at the appropriate times, she would fall asleep. The only thing she requested before every flight was for me to tell her how many hours we would be on that particular plane. Whether I told her it was 9 or 3, she would always respond, 'Oh, okay'. That girl was born to travel, or she was born traveling. One or the other.

I would be lying if I said I did not experience serious culture shock. Surprisingly, this was much worse than the trip I took back in '09 from Nepal. I don't know what made it so difficult, but man, I thought I was on another planet. Everything seemed different and I could not get over how strange my life seemed compare to those in Utah. Where's the maid? Obnoxious Land Cruiser drivers? Huge round abouts? Sand? One factor could have been that I had peeked into so many American lives when viewing homes. So many kids, so much cuteness, so many choices, so much blonde!!!

We stayed with my sister-in-law Anna. What an amazing person to welcome us warmly into her home when her plate was plenty full. Not only is she a mother of 7, but she is also a mother of toddler twins! Albeit the sweetest, easiest, cutest toddler twins ever, but still. It was complete kindness and charity on her part. Plus, she was also so understanding of the fact that I was consumed by house hunting so she made Heavah's experience in Utah incredibly comfortable and fun. I believe there were a couple of days that I didn't even see Heavah because she was engaged in so many activities. It is great to have such a fantastic sister-in-law who obviously loves us a whole bunch. She's awesome.

Heavah loved being in Utah. She went on and on about the beauty of the country and the mountains, oh, the mountains! She experienced snow, hail, and rain and all the cousin love she could desire. I do believe she thinks Emma is her soul sister. Heavah shadowed Emma everywhere Emma went and got to sleep in her room! A sleepover every single night? Pure heaven.

Heavah also got to spend alone time with her Grandma and discussed art, visited museums and, ate dinner at a fancy shmancy restaurant. It was great to reconnect that link. Doing it thousands of miles away is tough. I am sure this trip has been burned into Heavah's memory. She was able to notice subtle cultural differences and it provoked a lot of questions. It was fun to see America through her eyes.

House hunting was way more difficult than I had expected. First, the housing market is depressing. Rarely will you find a house where the seller is simply relocating. The number of 'short sales' or 'foreclosures' are astonishing. Second, for those who are losing their home, they don't want to make it easy for you to come take a look. I don't know how many people denied us entry despite the fact that we made an appointment. Third, the houses that are vacant typically have been stripped of cupboards, carpet, fixtures--you name it. I guess the previous owner figures if he or she is going to lose the house anyways, might as well get something out of it. A souvenir, or stealing? You decide.

By the end of my trip each house was starting to look the same and I was completely tired of the whole process. When you know you are never going to live in the house it takes out a lot of the excitement. It is merely a business transaction. I had to fight within myself over and over again. What the hell am I looking for exactly? Am I seeking out a cash cow, or something that I am proud to own? This caused great conflict within me, and many heated discussions with Axel.

Despite my petering, I believe we have found our home. It took a lot of searching and a lot of pain in the process, but I think I found something that will accomplish both. I will post pictures soon. At the moment, I can't for fear that I will jinx it. If we get it, it will be fabulous. If not, I have a whole list of other homes we can make offers on. Something will pan out. Something.

A home that I LOVED but it was not the traditional 'Utah' home. In fact, it was very, very funky inside. It was so eclectic and interesting that it belonged in Barcelona or Singapore, not Utah. There was nothing predictable inside the home and it had loads of character. If I was purchasing a home for me, this is the one I would buy. BUT, I am not. Instead, I had to think about a Bountiful resident (where this house was located, right by the big 'B ' up on the mountain). No one from Bountiful would want to live in this house, unless he/she was gay or extremely eccentric and how many of those live in the city of Bountiful, really. Do you see my dilemma?

When I arrived home from our trip there were issues with our financing. Banks are really tightening up their laws and our overseas situation is a underwriter's nightmare. So many hoops (for example, our credit is affected by the fact that we have not made a purchase on our credit card in the states for years and years. Strangely, you have to have debt in order to get a mortgage. We don't. What to do?). There were a couple of moments there that I wondered if the trip was all for nothing. If we didn't get a house, or at least the one of my choosing, why the heck did I go in the first place? I could then easily reassure myself that the trip was fruitful by the mere fact that Heavah and I got to spend quality time with Axel's family. It was a great time, with great people. Can't wait for this summer!