Eight things I like about Utah so far.

I've been in Utah now for three months. Not long, but long enough to see some things I really like about being here. I thought I'd share some of the perks with you all.

1. You know those phone calls that you dread making? The calls that require you to painfully navigate through those horrible automated systems? The calls that almost guarantee a long wait time? Those calls that you promise yourself you will keep your cool about? The calls that help you find yourself on the phone with the most angry, repressed, resentful human being on the other end of the line? They sound miserable and scripted and they talk to you like you are a fucking idiot. Don't ask a question either, because now you're not just an idiot, you're a fucking moron. They are pissed about their job, pissed about answering your dumb ass questions, pissed about the shitty sandwich they brought for lunch, and probably still pissed about some childhood bullshit they haven't worked passed yet. Every once in a blue moon I would get a lovely person on the line that at least acted like they enjoyed helping me. Actually, it was more like they enjoyed their paycheck every Friday so they showed it in their phone manner. Usually though I got an angry, bored, epitome of rude type of person on the phone.

Since moving to Utah, every dreadful phone call I have had to make has been pleasant AS FUCK! At first it made me question things. Things like life and my own existence. Whey were these phone calls so easy? They were smooth like butter. The happy people on the other end of the line were not only nice, but helpful! They even offered extra information that I didn't even ask for, because I wouldn't know to ask, and they knew that! They had manners. Not the kind of phone manners where you have to be nice or you will get written up, like real manners. They are either super nice people, or they are con artists. Either way, it made my phone call experiences top notch. It restored some faith I had lost in people getting into human services to actually help humans. I had started to think it wasn't a thing anymore.

Why is it not like this in CA? Maybe it is the population factor? Higher population leads to higher call volumes leads to RUDE? Maybe they are mad that everything costs so much in CA and can't leave that bitterness at home, they bring that shit to work? Maybe it was me? Oh God, was it me? Maybe I was bitter and resentful and they fed off of my attitude. I couldn't say, but making phone calls out here is damn near like calling a friend. I can't wait to see what it will be like when I visit the DMV to get my UT license. I'm thinking if the wait gets to be too long they might offer me cucumber water and a lavender oil massage.

2. Coffee shops! So, in my smallish (35,000 pop.) town there is a fabulous, privately owned drive through coffee shop, Janna's Coffee. Great coffee, great people. They also have a kids menu where they have $1 and $2 drinks for the little barista babies. There are two other drive up coffee shops in town that I haven't tried yet but heard great things about, like Brookie-cookie telling me that one makes their own whipped cream. Of course there is also a Starbucks, because where is there not a Starbucks? I prefer to give my coffee money to a small business than a big banger, but sometimes I have to scratch an itch for a chai latte or green tea latte, and they make one of the best. I also recently heard from my beautiful neighbor friend (also a Brooke and something I like about UT) that if your dog is riding along with you, you can ask for a pup cup, a little whipped cream treat for Fido, how cute is that!? Why didn't I know that?

What I haven't tapped into yet is all the awesome looking coffee shops I see when I browse Yelp, in Salt Lake City. Yes! I need to go! First on my list is The Rose Establishment. It looks to be right up my decaffeinated alley, the food...mmm. I was thrilled to see so many shops that seemed to have the whole Portland or Venice Beach vibe. I attended a writer's group that meets at Watch Tower Cafe, also in SLC. This place was great. Comic book themed, specialty drinks, comic book swaps, board games to play and tons of seating. My daughter tried the Hello Kitty, a specialty strawberry soda they whip together and top off with whipped cream and pink sprinkles. They drew a pink kitty on the cup and my girl felt like a million bucks. I had my own intimate moments with the hummus plate. The perfect serving size of hummus that leaves some left over after you've dipped all the veggies and pita. So whatever item is left you, cover every inch in the last of the hummus, you're not going to waste it are you? I would eat it with a spoon if I was certain no one was watching.

My youngest doesn't attend kindergarten until the afternoon so, I'm thinking him and I need to go on a weekly date to check out a new coffee shop each week. He can critique the hot cocoa while I get lost in my love of matcha. Quality time with the boy.

3. Blue Lemon. I'm so happy this establishment is a part of my life now. It's casual dining, but a higher end. It's obviously more expensive than fast food and there's a reason, real food, real nutrition, real good. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, kids, girlfriends, solo meal, whatever. Plenty of proteins and greens. Everything on the menu includes nutrient rich foods. Nothing fried, nothing nuked. Fresh, quality ingredients, and plenty of taste bud-flirting flavors. Mindful eating. I visited the Lehi location for dinner and had the coconut curry chicken breast. If I could type food noises I would. I really liked the portion size too, it was enough to leave you feeling satisfied rather than leave you in that guilt ridden, over indulging zone. I also stole a few bites of the kid's chicken tenders. Delicious. Crispy, juicy, white meat. I am not a soda drinker, but I drink theirs! They carry Stubborn Soda, an all natural, real sugar soda. The cream soda is like a light dessert. They also had a lemon acia berry, I believe, tasty!

At the SLC location, the husband and I had stopped for a little dessert. We had the peanut butter brownie. I usually stay away from dairy and sweets, but I ravaged that little sweetheart like a flesh eating zombie. A little latte on the side and it was the perfect treat.

4. Family and kid friendly. We all know that Utah is full of large families. This makes it a great place to raise kids. I still can't believe how much inexpensive or free activities and events there are for the kids, or the whole family for that matter. I was blown away by Halloween, there was some sort of event or activity every weekend of the month leading up to the day! There are splash pads, beautiful parks with lakes and walking trails, plenty of places to hike and picnic, moto sports access EVERYWHERE, all kinds of events and shows, impressive museums, tons of community events for the kids to take part in, library events, you name it. Tons to do and so much to see. I can't wait to see all the fun in store for Christmas time.

5. I feel like there is a lot more availability when it comes to organic and alternative foods. This is most likely due to where I lived in CA. The central valley has come a long way and is continuing to do its part, but has not quite caught up to the Bay Area or L.A. area when it comes to organic and natural foods. I was delighted to find such a large selection of organic and local produce in our grocery store here in town. Lot's of wheat free alternatives as well. In a thirty mile radius, there are tons of natural food stores. I visited a Natural Grocers in Sugar House (my favorite area of SLC so far). I was walking around there with my boy, feeling like a bride to be in a bridal boutique. I felt at peace. Yes, those are organic candy canes.

6. IKEA isn't far. How did I never make it to an IKEA? It's only about 40 minutes away from me here. OK, that isn't really something to like about UT, but I just finally went and I love it, so I'm happy about it and still have excitement about it after a few weeks, so it made the list. Let's just talk about IKEA for a minute. It's huge and overwhelming, but it's simple and the simplicity is calming. It's like a building of contradiction, I view myself in a similar fashion. It was just great and I can't wait to go back when I have more time to walk around and really take it all in. The kids loved it to, although I plan to ditch them the next time I go. Sorry, momma loves you.

7. I don't want to prematurely say that I love snow. I have literally had one day of it. Technically it snowed at night and they day was covered in already fallen snow. I am a snow virgin. I went to Tahoe as a kid and made snow angels and then about 11 years ago I went with my Janet to take our babies sledding not far from her house. This is the extent of my experience with snow. Oh wait! Also 11 years ago I was driving to OR with my cousin, Lauren. When driving in OR, there were some snow flakes falling, nothing on the ground though. That is IT. So watching it snow the other night and seeing everything magically turn into a winter wonderland was pretty exciting. I'm open to the fact that I may grumble about it after months in a row or having to drive in it, or shovel it, but for now it is magical, it may even stay magical. It feels right. It feels correct that it be cold and there be snow on the ground as the holidays approach. Everyone slows down a little. Kids are in the front yard sliding down the slope of their lawn and parents and throwing snow balls at their kids. It's a nice, freezing little reminder to slow down and enjoy the special time of year. It feels how it should be. At this moment, for now, I like it. A lot.

8. I love how everyone is all about the college teams! Everywhere you look is U of U or BYU. Flags outside of homes, sweatshirts, car decals, slippers, t-shirts, pajama pants, hair bows, coffee mugs. The husband got a free pair of skull candy headphones with Utah University on the side. I love all the pride for the college teams, it creates a sense of unity and encouragment.

Some things that I am struggling with is that fact that the ocean is so far away from me and that they don't paint the word  "STOP" on the ground next to the stop sign. I never knew how much I relied on that white paint! I have almost ran many a stop sign out here! I see the sign, it's red, it's there, but it just doesn't fully register with me. I need those words on the asphalt to scream at me at the same time I notice the red sign. I am feeling like more of a safe driver again now that I'm adjusting, but it was getting scary there for a while. Now in my neighborhood I find myself stopping where there is no stop. The same intersections, every day. Why can't I get it? It's a trust issue. I trusted the asphalt to tell me to stop and it didn't. Now I don't trust the sign to tell me whats up either. If it looks like a possible stop, I find myself "California stopping", just to make sure I don't need to lock up the breaks.
The sign and I will come to terms soon enough, but the ocean will never be closer.

After a while I can write what I miss about CA. I miss people, but I don't actually miss CA yet, it hasn't been long enough. I'm still in the honeymoon stage of a new place and loving change. I started to freak out a few weeks ago, realizing there weren't many trees around me. What had I done? How could I have put myself somewhere with no trees? They are a vital part of my everything! That's when I ventured out of my town and found a lovely area full of trees, natural grocery stores, and lots of brick buildings. I felt back in touch with myself.

Stay tuned for more random writings and recipes.

All the love,

Caffeine and Freckles

Ten things I will miss about Patterson

As most of you know, my family and I are moving out of state in the next few weeks. I've been thinking lately about the things I will miss about Patterson, the small-ish community in California that I live in. Most of these thoughts have randomly came to mind while I am doing things, running errands, etc.

Once I'm settled and acclimated in Utah, I'll blog what I miss about California. 😉

We have lived in Patterson for over 7 years now, we have added a child to our family, been through a few pets, made life long friends, disconnected from friends, I lost myself, found myself, volunteered, entertained, became a part of a wonderful group of exceptional women whom it's hard to imagine not having around at arm's reach, started new practices, and learned the true meaning of self love (later post).

Our time here has left a deep mark on the timeline of our life.

Besides the obvious, like missing friends, family, and memories, here are a few random things I have thoughtfully realized I will miss, in no particular order.

1. The produce guy at Save Mart. The first guy was great and made Donald Duck noises at the kids, he transferred and I thought Save Mart would never be the same. The current produce dude though, he's just great. He's nice, he's friendly, he's attractive in an unfamiliar way, he's down to earth, and he makes you feel like his job, and my consumerism is all tied into the workings of "community". The pharmacy guy is hella cool too, but the produce guy just makes you feel good about small talk at the market (let's use that word more, shall we? Market, it just sounds so quaint). Plus he saved all those boxes for me, so he's a badass in my book.

2. I will miss Domasco's, the restaurant inside the hotel. I've had countless breakfasts with my bosom buddy, random meals there with other friends, and a delicious, tipsy dinner with three of my closest girls during our "50 Shades of Food" days. The food is fresh and full of quality. The coffee is actually good, they have a decent selection of tea, and you feel like you have stepped out of Patterson and are in some hole in the wall in the city. Oh, and there sausage is THE best. It's a perfectly brown, crumbly little patty. They also have amazing pancakes. The most recent waitress really was the cherry on top. She made you feel like an old friend and said the funniest shit! She's great.

3. Running into Amber Silva and Mona Chapparo at Walmart. It's just nice, you know? You run to Walmart because there is almost always a reason to and you know people who work there so there is almost always a friendly face and some chit chat, maybe a hug too. It's comforting.

4. Frank Raines Park. If you head west of the 5 and take the first right, you can take a scenic drive (absolutly beautiful) through the winding hills. I believe it is about 17 miles to the OHV park, camping area, super cool playground, and Adobe Springs ( this will be #5!). All it takes is 45 minutes to an hour and you can get away in nature. You can spend the day, the weekend, the week, and enjoy the beautiful views on the way there. Despite the beauty, I have to be honest, I get pretty nervous on the drive, but that's me and my nerves.

5. Adobe Springs! This is a complete gem! If you take the drive to Frank Raines just a tad further you will come to Adobe Springs. You can fill up containers of spring water at no cost. It's often referred to as "magic water". It's full of magnesium and comes straight from the spring. It has 110 mg of magnesium per liter, where tap water has an average (in the US) of 3 mg per liter. Now that's magic! You feel like you are on some special adventure, driving up the hill to a little spicket for your magic water. Like a secret garden of sorts. Here is a LINK to a Youtube video I found about the spring. The guy is actually coming from San Jose, so your drive from Patterson woudln't be as long. I'd say about an hour with all the twists and turns. He is full of information. It's also a lot of fun for the kids.

6. Stewart and Jaspers. How convenient is it to have a little wine tasting bar right in town? I've had several evenings there meeting up with the crew for a wine flight. Once we rode our bikes there. We weren't quite able to ride them back home, but how cute is it to ride your bike to go wine tasting? You can sit and snack on different flavored almonds while you sip different types of wine. It's a small wine and gift shop with a wine bar and a few tables. Small, quiet (until you get towards the end of your flight), quaint, and only a bike ride away.

7. Rickey's Taqueria. It's not the best Mexian food ever, but it's good. The atmosphere is family friendly and kids eat free on Wednesday so yup, I'm going to miss that. Rickey himself is usually there and he's a super friendly guy. Also the horchata is delicious, better than the taco truck by far.

8. The three week winter school break. I sometimes have mixed feelings about this one. There I times I feel that two weeks would be sufficient and that last week may throw me over the edge, but it's become a treat to have the kids out of school for three weeks over the holidays. It gives us more freedom to visit family and friends and even to stick around home longer and just come down from the holiday madness.

9. Palm trees. The long lines of palm trees on some of Patteron's streets. They are strong and well kept, and I didn't notice many palms in Utah. It's so "California".

10. Last but not least, the orchards. I will miss driving through the lush almond and apricot orchards in thier uniform rows and watching them go through all of their stages. I always feel a little sad when I see them at the end of thier season, chopped own and laying on their side, like an orchard graveyard.