LV vs SJ

Ok so obviously there is a lot to get acclimated to going from the desert at 2800 ft in elevation to the woods at sea level....besides the blaringly obvious temperature change here are a few things I need to get used to.

1. no garbage disposal-ever.....This so far has been the hardest thing to get used to. Since I have a septic system I can never have a garbage disposal. This stinks! I got so used to having one pretty much since graduating college in 2004.

2. bugs-there are SO many bugs here. Not a biggie, I grew up in the woods and I know them all-but still weird to have so many (everywhere.) For example, I had the kids playhouse roof laying on the grassy back yard for a few days until it got assembled and there were a dozen or so baby slugs stuck to it. Just yesterday I found a black tick on my hip. There are lil spiders in the garage. All harmless bugs but I really got used to the fact there were really no bugs in Las Vegas.

3. wireless. So in Las Vegas the houses are stacked similar to that at the shore. While sitting anywhere in my house you could pick up about 12 or so neighbors wireless signals. Here at the new house....one (mine.) Crazy!

4. Driving-Where I am is all trees.  In LV I looked at mountains in every direction. It was beautiful and I will/do miss them.  Until I drive into Medford or Voorhees/Marlton I see nothing but trees and I LOVE it as well. I would never want to live in overly developed areas of SJ because of the local/highway traffic. I love that there is no traffic out here. In Vegas there was always local traffic.

5. silence. We sit in the house and its silent. I can hear a bird now and then but it's very quiet. Before I could hear garage doors opening, the mail man putting mail in the cluster, cars driving down my street...

6. pitch black. our street is pitch black at night. I mean I cannot even see the porch step when letting the dogs out. There are house lights here and there and we have some on the driveway, but for the most part nothing but stars lighting up the sky. In LV it was street lights galore and even though I was as far removed from the strip as I could get, I could still see the Luxor light and the sky on a cloudy night was lit up by the casinos.



V egas yard



7. yard size. When our neighborhood was bought and developed it was during the boom in Vegas. Land was a serious premium. Our house was built on .11 acres and that was considered huge for my development. Our lot was $40k more than across the street because of yard size and because it was above elevation than the street that backed up to our house. Original buyers on our street looked at our lot but did not want to pay the premium for lot size. Not like it did much since we had to move during the bottom of the recession....but still it was a great yard for new build in Las Vegas. Here we have over an acre of private woods and on a corner lot. A fence will go up sooner than later, but for now I am glad my dogs listen and don't run away



NJ yard



8. Sunshine. I have been in NJ for 13 days and I think it has been sunny 3? of them. I forgot how gloomy it is in the winter here. The temps are not much different in Las Vegas as they are here. Vegas was seeing 30s at night at 60 during the day and here is 30s at night and 50s during the day. Really  no different. Just rainy/snowy here so it does feel a bit chillier since its moist. I know this is not typical but I am not freezing.

9. Moisture in air! Hallelujah! My skin is not dry, my hair is full of body and my lips are not chapped. moisture is a phenomenal thing :)

I am sure I am missing more...but those are the things I can think of off the top of my head. Something to note. I really do miss having my laundry room on the second floor between the bedrooms. It is now in the mudroom. I have to walk down the stairs, through the kitchen, through the family room and into the mudroom. Boo! All builders should put them on the floor where the bedrooms are!