Home.

top: The Home. T c/o, pants: Fidelity c/o (in the Hampton rinse), shoes: Steve Madden (similar), Bag: Massi c/o, hat: husband's, Jewelry: INPINK (similar) c/o, Jewelmint c/o, necklace: Maya Brenner c/o

We did it.  We made the move to California.  Not just temporarily for an internship like the last two summers, but for a real, live, J.O.B.  The hubs and I are both from here (same city...same high school....each other's prom dates, you know the drill), so we have been dreaming about ending up in Southern California since forever.  We were welcomed home by these lovely fires.  But other than that, we can already tell we are going to love it here.  California has always been home.  And I do believe this tee sums it up quite nicely.  

(It is also the most comfy slash soft thing ever, and a portion of the profits are donated to multiple sclerosis research.)

But there is this twinge of sadness knowing we won't be making that drive back to Utah once the summer is over.  I think back to the many moons I spent living there, and it really became my home.  Some of my favorite parts of good old Utah can be summed up in this list: 

• The park across the street that was super convenient, except for when it rained.  Then it became the community swimming pool.
• The breathtaking view of the valley from our balcony that always included some form of snow-capped mountains.
• This list could entirely be made up of food places, lets be honest, but I'm just going to say: The Awful Waffle, Station 22, The Communal, Brio, Gurus, Malawi's Pizza, La Jolla, Groves.  That city knows how to do FOOD!
• Seasons.  Summer to Fall- glorious, Winter to Spring- heavenly.  Let's breeze right past Fall to Winter, shall we? 
• Running down Provo canyon.  A constant slight decline right along a river.  And every time I ran down it it was like I was running a half marathon because of all the other runners around me on that trail.
• The people.  Never in my life have I been surrounded by so many talented, generous, genuine friends.  We've made many dear friends up there.  Lots of them have since moved away, and lots of them we had to leave behind.  My sister-in-laws, who are the closest thing I'll ever have to real sisters, were the kicker.  Those two are the cream of the crop, and I will miss them every single day.
• I can't say that I will miss all the bad driving that comes with living in a college town, but there is something fun that comes with being around students.  People don't bat an eye when they drive past a Spiderman waiting at a bus stop, or  walk past a student heading home from the library belting out The Phantom of the Opera like he is on his own personal Broadway stage. 
• A real live white Christmas.  I'm converted, I'll admit it. 
• How you can hit up a story time at the library on the hour every hour 5 days a week.  Standing room only if you are 5 minutes late.