Learning is fun. Still.

Today I was awakened by the sound of the garbage truck rumbling by our new place, and the realization that we didn't put out our can for pickup.

This realization got me all wound up and I could no longer sleep. So I got up - angrily - and showered - angrily - and decided to sit down and write out a better perspective.

My husband, children and I have moved to a new place. At least it's new to us, so it fits the bill that way. We have double the space and about 1/12 the responsibility as before. I won't lie: the new place has problems. But I can't lie: I LOVE IT.

I love the rooms, I love the yard. I enjoy the kitchen, I like my windows. I like the balcony off my bedroom. I love having places to walk, even when my kids have made little messes. I love having my children in separate bedrooms (though it hasn't managed to cut down on the quarrelling). I enjoy the neighborhood. I love having two bathrooms. I love having a washroom. I love all the brushed metal doorknobs. I love having the "Mammoth table" in my own home! I love entertaining people here - and will be doing it more often after this last Sunday's trial run - especially being able to cook upstairs and play games downstairs!! I love being the only one to park in our driveway. I love having tulips. I love the quiet. I can sit in my living room for two hours writing thank you notes and not hear a single noise from outside. Maybe the echo of someone's sprinklers, but that's it!

But I'll tell you the best part: I now only worry about me, my husband, my children and our four bedroom stewardship. When the garbage man came, I wasn't all bent out of shape because some people had left twelve bags of garbage outside the dumpster, and I had to clean up their filth as part of my job; no! I was upset because my very own one garbage can will now attempt to overflow in the coming week. It's an oddly beautiful feeling.

We moved in nearly two weeks ago. And I have had some very good days. Like the day that we moved and we had a miraculous amount of help: and certain people set up living space just as i was about to crack. Or the next day, when my neices came to entertain my children and help me unpack the mountain of boxes in my basement. Or like yesterday when we took a free ride on the FrontRunner train to Salt Lake and back. Or this past sunday when I met my new ward, and my new ward choir! And there was two days ago when we were up at Mountain Road Ranch and my children began with driveway waterfalls, and Rivulet finished the morning knee-deep and up to the elbows in Dreampacker's garden mud. She then took a nap while my son continued to play WELL with his cousin. Then we went to my parents house and I was incredibly helpful in cleaning up the yard and burning the extra wood in a bonfire whose hotness rivals the innards of Mount Doom!

Seriously: I can't think of a single day in the past two weeks that I didn't enjoy.

And now enter the longing spoken of in Captivating. I have a woman's desire for beauty. So I think I'll go take my hair out of it's towel. I'll do the dishes. I'll let natural morning light seep in through my new blinds, vacuum my new carpet and hang my family pictures.

I will accentuate the beauty of my life today with my behavior.

I love it when simply by writing I am able to achieve a brighter perspective. I'm so glad I forgot to put out the garbage can, so that I had a chance to share my overall joy!