Spoiled

When we lived in Trussville, the only place I visited that was within walking distance was my neighbor's house. I became very accustomed to driving around 15 minutes or more to nearly everything: stores, school, parks, etc. Many places I visited frequently were more like 30 minutes or more: church, doctor's office, mall, Whole Foods, etc. This was fine with me! I got used to listening to tunes or talking on the phone during my daily road-trips.

Since moving to Murray, I've gotten very spoiled. We are within walking distance from many of our favorite places to visit: school, church, park, library, tennis courts, pool, ice-skating rink, etc. Within 5 minutes: grocery stores, bike paths, mall, etc. 15 minutes: everything else, including all the hikes I could ever want to explore.

I find myself becoming very used to this new way of life. We wanted to go to a bookstore the other day and I warned Mark, "It's pretty far. I think it's 15 minutes from here." I meant it seriously, but then we both laughed at the absurdity of the statement!

It doesn't feel like we're in the middle of a big city because there are so many trees and our street is quiet and our backyard is private. But, we definitely have everything we need just around the corner. I expect we will really appreciate this when it starts snowing. And then, I'm sure I'll long for those 15 minute drives when my biggest concern was which song was coming on next and not whether I could safely drive through the ice and snow.

I have loved everywhere Mark and I have lived so far: Omaha, Trussville, and now Murray. I can think of things I especially appreciated about each place. While I miss the wind in Nebraska, the mild Alabama winters, and all our friends and family from both places, I will enjoy Murray's convenience and its beautiful mountainous view.