The First Year

It has been one year since I moved my family to Salt Lake City. On this day in 2013 I was checking into a Marriot Hotel after the long drive from Northern California to begin our next phase of life. There was so much that uncertain. I had a new job, but still did not know what to expect. My wife was looking for work and where we were going to settle down was completely up in the air. All of that uncertainty seems like so long ago, yet it feels like yesterday.

But Salt Lake has grown on me. Maybe it’s because of the restaurants, parks, skiing, dual-language immersion schools and events we have found and enjoy. Maybe it’s because of the convenience of being in a smaller city that harbors everything we need (I’ve almost never seen traffic here), or maybe it’s because we have been closer to family. But honestly, I think that Salt Lake has grown on me partly because I don’t feel like I am in Salt Lake, or at least not the Salt Lake that I used to know. My work helps me feel like I could be anywhere but Utah, but this small city has become much more diverse and cultured than I remember. It’s not always apparent on its face, but once you know where to look and go, there is more to this city than meets the eye.

So on to year two, our three girls another year older, moving on in school and childhood memories. Life goes on and I confidently say that this first year could not have gone better or more memorably.