Living in the mountains in Provo, Utah ~
After living for 26 years in the swampy flatlands of South Florida where the only hills we saw were the landfills, mountains are a breath of fresh air.
Florida has great air quality while valleys in Utah do not. However, the mountains are different. We have excellent air quality at this high elevation.
I live in a neighborhood, Indian Hills, where hills and mountains abound.
As the moon shines into my window in the evenings, I am in awe at how close it feels.
The sun rises in these mountains and sets in the west over Utah Lake which I can see from my view of this amazing and gorgeous part of the earth.
The stars shine brighter in midnight skies with the illusion you can reach up and touch one.
Most of all these blue skies are beyond blue. It is indescribable how blue these Provo mountain skies can be! And we get a LOT of days in all the seasons of sunshine and blue skies.
I was SO looking forward to the snow. The first year I was here it only snowed 3 to 5 different times during the winter. But this last year, as most know, it was the highest precipitation year on record with the highest snow pack.
People flew in from all over the world in droves to ski and snowboard on the slopes up in Park City ( near Salt Lake City) and Sundance in Provo, near my home.
Utah earned the honors of holding the title of the 3 best ski destinations in the USA.
Here are stats I got from SGE ( Search Generative Experience- Google's new search engine):
- Utah's snowpack peaked at 30 inches in 2023, breaking the previous record high and making it the deepest snowpack on record
- The 2022-2023 winter was the snowiest ever measured in Utah
- Powder Mountain recorded a 130-inch base and 479 inches of snowfall in March 2023
- Snowbasin Resort recorded its best-ever season with 482 inches of snow after an 11-inch storm in March 2023
- Alta Ski Area received more than 900 inches of snow throughout the winter
- Snowbasin Resort opened for the 2022-2023 season on November 18, its earliest opening ever
- The resort will have held 156 ski days by the end of the season, making it the longest season in its over 80-year history
- The statewide snow water equivalent, or the amount of water there would be if the snow melted, surpassed 30 inches on Tuesday, beating the 29-inch record set in April of 1952
Pretty impressive!
I love the snow. This past year going through this extra long snow season, I thought to myself, " why did it take me 26 years to get back to Utah and the west?"
I have always loved the snow. I love cold weather.
When it gets too hot here in July ( the only month it reaches into the 90'), I threaten all my adult kids I am moving to Alaska:).
I know almost everyone in my neighborhood. Friendliness is an understatement. It does help that in our given geographic area of about 6 streets and a little over a mile, over 90% of the residents go to the same church I do, we go to the same building, at the same time each Sunday.
Sundays... another thing I love about Provo, Utah... Sundays...
So quiet, you see people walking to church everywhere. Hardly any cars driving. So peaceful and relaxing. Our ward chapels are on nearly every other corner all over Provo. Yes, there are other denominations and other churches downtown Provo for Christians who are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
In our faith, our temples are holy onto the Lord. One of the items on my bucket list was to live within walking distance to one of our temples and I do! I live a 7 minute walk from the Provo Temple nestled right up on the mountains.
Our neighbors will stop to help you when they see you struggling to lift something. Neighbors take out the trash each week for elderly residents in their 90's. We have church events where we all gather for fun activities, such as last week's Pioneer Day celebration.
I am walking distance to Day's Market, a locally owned grocer. Everyone around here loves Day's. So convenient, wonderful and friendly staff and owners.
Next to Day's Market is Ace Hardware which we love to support as it is locally owned. We only go to Lowe's and Home Depot for things that Ace doesn't carry.
The locally owned pharmacy is also next to Day's market. I love the people who work there. The pharmacist is so helpful and kind. I went there for my Shingles vaccination. I don't take any prescription drugs.
The pharmacist is one of the few who makes compounds. I am doing an all natural yam based hormone trochi which he makes according to my natural doctor's formula. So cool!
I may complain about my reconstruction project of this super duper fixer upper taking so long... but it will be gorgeous once completed. We have been working on this for 2 years now. By the looks of it, it will be another 12 to 18 months before this house is completed.
Even so...
I am grateful to be back in the mountains!
If you know of anyone who is moving to Utah, Tristan Gasset and I would be happy to be their advocate in finding their dream home here. 561-603-9592.
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