July, Already?

I suppose it's true that the years fly by faster and faster as you age. I'm learning this more and more; this year has flown (I know I said it last year and the year before, but damn, it keeps picking up speed). How is it possible that Christmas is less than six months away!?! The days are already getting shorter and summer just got here.

We hit a few milestones this month. As of June 14, we've had the apartment for a year. The gate and the speed bumps are still the biggest annoyance. The neighbor's dog in the houses across from us can be a bother, more so the owners than the dog. They let him bark for hours on end. The windows in the apartment are the worst feature. They are anything but energy efficient. They let the heat and the cold in, and when there is wind, I joke that we have a windchill factor indoors, because it whips through strong enough to make the verticle blinds fly about. Aside from that, it is fabulous. It's a breeze to clean, maintenance requires only a simple phone call and voila - it's fixed. We love the Silverado Ranch area, at first we were unimpressed with the food offerings but they've improved tremendously over the past year and more great places are coming soon.

On June 27 it had been a year since we turned over the keys to our house. We miss the hot tub. We miss the pool, but not the maintenance. We miss our large patio and grill, but not the tree that dropped seeds, leaves and bark 51 1/2 weeks a year. We do not miss the ants. I do not miss spending an entire day cleaning house or the back aches or achy feet after doing so. I do not miss carrying dirty laundry downstairs and clean laundry upstairs. I do not miss $450+ electric bills in the summer. I do not miss the neighbors' dogs pooping in our yard. I do not miss the guilt of forgetting to feed the fish in the pond. I do not miss cutting grass, tending to the landscaping or dealing with frozen pipes or ponds. I do not miss having to deal with whatever might break. It always took a lot more than a simple phone call to get it fixed.

It's probably needless to say, but we did decide to sign another 13 month lease at our apartment. We'll be staying put in the Silverado Ranch area until August 2015. We'll see what comes next.

One last milestone is that June 22 marked our eleventh year of living in Las Vegas. I still love it here. Though, I admit I need to leave and seek adventures elsewhere to remind me how good we have it. I take conveniences for granted and I've grown more cynical, but once stepping foot in another city, another state, or another country, I'm reminded that no where is perfect. The pros far outweigh the cons of life in Vegas, and as much as I yearn for new experiences. There is no place else that feels like home. I am right where I belong.