Not blogging here for the past seven months here has been easy, truly too easy. I arrived in Salt Lake City on Halloween and I have posted two “Wednesday photos” since then. But I am not sorry about that. The reason why? Because I moved here for a handful of reasons, none of which was to blog more. And for that I would like to say, “Sorry I’m not sorry.”

I got that phrase from Katy Widrick’s blog about healthy living, although she got it from someone else, and Katy’s blog is one of a couple blogs I read that doesn’t make me feel guilty and is healthy reading for me. I try to stay away from the ones that aren’t healthy for me, but I do not always succeed. I stay away from Facebook as much as I can for the same reason. What sets me off typically is how other people are living their lives and I start to compare mine to theirs. Comparisons are bad and I know what kind of a rut I can put myself into when I think about them too much. So I stay away. And if that keeps me happy, then that is all that matters. Sorry I’m not sorry.

Just because I have not written does not mean that I stopped traveling or doing things that I love.

I moved to Salt Lake City to be with my boyfriend. We are together every other week now (he works for a week at a time in the wilderness) rather than one week every two to three months. Sorry I’m not sorry.

I spend considerably more time outside, partly because there is much more sunshine here than northwest or northeast Ohio. I spent the winter (December through April) skiing and now I’m transitioning to reading or walking in the park, rock climbing outside, hiking and visiting the botanic gardens. Communing with nature is so much easier here, too, with mountains a 15-minute drive away and outdoor activities in every part of the state. Sorry I’m not sorry.

I have friends whom I hang out with frequently. Sorry I’m not sorry.

And in these seven months of living in the West I have seen new parts of Utah and other parts of the country, including:

A sunrise at Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park after my first winter camping experience.

Some of the tallest free-standing rock towers in the desert at Fisher Towers near Moab and the Colorado River.

Fisher Towers area with Ancient Art

Giddily spotting bison on Antelope Island.

This is my first “wild” bison. It even has a bird on its back at Antelope Island State Park.

Winter hiking in Zion National Park.

On the snowy trail to Observation Point.

Learning to safely drive the 13.6 miles of Utah Highway 210 up to Alta Ski Area and back down in my tiny Saturn, including in times of snowy and icy conditions after “sicky-gnar pow-pow” has fallen.

Off-trail powder at Alta Ski Area.

Planting a garden on my first apartment balcony with sunshine.

The garden has petunias, daisies, Queen Ann’s Lace, a jade tree (not pictured), a variety of succulents (aka cacti), a euphorbia (a South African succulent that doesn’t like too much sun; ours got a sunburn), a Bonsai tree, and bell pepper plants.

Driving across five state lines in five hours. I started in Utah and headed east to Wyoming. Then the road crossed back into Utah and then back to Wyoming before taking a five minute turn through Idaho before returning to Wyoming. The state lines are straight in these parts, but one cannot make a straight road when there are mountains.

This was the second Wyoming sign I passed.

Staring in awe of the Grand Tetons and the abundant wildlife in Wyoming.

Middle Teton, Grand Teton, Mt. Owen and Teewinot Mountain are shown here from a pull off on the drive into the park from Jackson, Wy.

And even returning to Eastern Standard Time for a couple of days to be part of a beach wedding in North Carolina.

Friends of the bride. I’m on the left.

So what does this mean for you? I have plenty of photos and stories to share, but I do not expect them to be told quickly, especially since this post took three days to write and the fact that I just spent an hour on it and then the edits did not save does not make me any more likely to spend lots of time here. But I will try. And for one last time, sorry I’m not sorry.