TheScrantonsGrandAdventure: May 20, 2012

Settling into the Utah way of life. One thing we notice is that every day pretty much just seems to be a beautiful, perfect, sunny day. Everyday. Like unbelievable. I am going to like this.

I spent my first two weeks of work in one location in Sandy and then the Freedom Fasttrack moved to downtown Salt Lake City about two blocks from where the Jazz play. I can find my way to work. I found a gym to play open volleyball. Met some guys who are getting me connected in the Utah volleyball scene. I already went and played in a sand doubles King of the beach tournament and one 1st place and $100 for my efforts. The whole family went to a tennis social for the South Jordan tennis association. They had drills and lessons for Cooper and then pizza and snacks and then drills for Rob and then more pizza and snacks. So we are finding recreation opportunities.

We are still in our two bedroom town home and enjoying doing with less but anxious for more space. We found a really cool modern brand new home in the Daybreak area of South Jordan that we hope to buy. It seems ideal for our family right at this moment. We will see if that is the home God intends for us to buy. It seems these banking chaps are real sticklers for wanting you to have some kind of proof of income. It seems you are very risky if you actually work for yourself and depend on your own intellect and work ethic to produce an income. Gee how we wish we had a low income wage from working at McDonalds and then we would be more suitable borrowers because we'd have a pay stub, who cares how small. ( notice Rob getting sarc there ). Well we shall soon know and it doesn't seem to much be in our hands at this point.

Learned that they have whole stores here dedicated to the mission industry. Even Macy's has a missionary special where you can get two of everything to dress up as a missionary for one low, low price. Just like they have bridal registry's and shower registries they have you guessed it missionary registry's at the department stores. Interesting stuff. People have warned us about or asked us, and know we have not really felt particularly discriminated against by not being LDS. Someone explained to us though that just like there are Chriseaster Christians not every Mormon is really practicing per se. So only 1/6 of the people in the valley are actually serious practicing Mormons. Much more diverse than we would have guessed before moving here.

Cooper and I have been busy viewing sports. We went down to a few BYU mens volleyball games, they were ranked as high as 4th in the country this year. We also went to two Jazz games. Got to show Cooper that this was the team that "Pistol" Pete Maravich played for.

Robyn and I were able to get a baby sitter one night and went and watched 'the avengers' movie. So one date night in two months, we'll have to do a little better on that. We've enjoyed going to the expo center just down the road from where we live. Got to see a karate tournament one weekend and went to the Scout-o-rama another and Cooper had a ball at that so many things to do.

Had an interesting experience one night last week. Cooper plays all the time with a boy in the neighborhood named Santi, especially they play soccer. The other day Cooper comes in and says Santi wants to go to the ice cream shop. I'm like great but Santi is like 6. Cooper says no Santi's dad is going to take them do I want to go. So yes I meet him and go get ice cream. He says his name is Javier he is from Argentina and he plays soccer. I say oh great I play soccer too. I soon figure out he means like for a living, for Reall Salt Lake the MLS team. Oh I see Javier Morales. I still have no idea really who he is. That evening I get home and open the newspaper which I still hadn't looked at and I open the sports section and who is there a full page picture on the front of the sports section of Señor Morales. He is like the star player and highest paid player on the team and I had no clue.

Interesting item for purchase. Supposedly was sold in a 7 pack when first launched.

This is great. Utah state troopers trying to create lifelong Chiropractic patients early in life.

Cooper at the Scout- o - Rama. Made it all the way to the top.

High altitude. Special pressurized balls are required.

Yes they do exist! An electric car charging station at Walgreens. Now there is finally one place to drive my Volt to.

Hybrid 1953 / 2004 Corvette at the Thanksgiving Point auto show

Cooper walking on Mars at the Salt Lake City Planetarium

So today we drove down to Cedar City Utah and watched a Solar Eclipse of the sun. The ring of fire. The moon was perfectly centered inside of the Sun and only a very thin ring of light shone around the edges. Amazingly cool. The sun was very high in the sky but there is a lot less light when you block out 90% of the suns rays. It shocked us how much the temperature dropped. The crickets got very confused as they started chirping like it was dusk or night and yet the sun was still very high in the sky. This is a picture of Robyn and Tucker trying not to fry their retinas.