*there is freedom within*

It's no secret that when we were house hunting, we preferred to live in Salt Lake City. We were young(er) and looking for a home that had character and was close to a park. Salt Lake was more "us" and it was kind of like admitting defeat when we ended up buying out in Murray. Sure, we heard how cute/central/desirable it was to people who liked that semi-suburban type of living. It was the responsible choice but not the one we wanted. 

We've been in the Ranch for three years and it's still very much a "love/hate" relationship. Maybe that's the curse of eternal renovations and the general home-owning process. No matter how I may feel about our home (or where it's located) there is one day that I absolutely adore living here each year....the 4th of July.

It's utterly wonderful to roll out of the Ranch and down the street to Murray Park for their morning parade. Bean especially enjoyed waving at everyone and clapping. She even met some dinosaurs. It will be just as nice to block party with our street later today and end with fireworks we can see from our front lawn. 

See, that's the twist. We are working to restore our house's character (our neighborhood has just been designated a historic one!) and we're close to a park. We got what we were looking for in Salt Lake, we just had to get outside of it. 

Murray may have been what we were looking for all along too. Buying a home in a community doesn't mean you automatically become a part of it. You have to be active. Being a part of the History Advisory Board has helped me recognize the merit of Murray, even on days that aren't the 4th of July.

::listening to "don't dream it's over" by crowded house::