But here's the thing: since moving back to Utah (its only temporary) I'm finally starting to get fed up. Not to mention my stupid effing brothers and their testimonkey BS, and every single one of my brothers and sisters are complete dingbats. Some of the nieces and nephews totally don't believe, but my family has like, ZERO family unity, so it's not like I'm gonna be besties with any of them.

Long story short? I just need to get the eff out of Provo! Austin Texas is my next destination.

I guess that's all. Being in Provo was nice for a couple years, now I'm ready to get the eff out of here.

BOOYAH!

Hey Mr. T! I hope you are behaving yourself :) I think you will like Austin. I am sure I would have a hard time in Utah, let alone PROVO too. Make good choices, choices give you options. You know I want the best for you :)

I never wanted to go to school there or live there like some of my friends did. I do live in Utah and, for the most part, it works. I live in a small town, Hyrum, and the only people who know me are the ones in the neighborhood, the ones who lived here when I moved in 36 years ago. The new people have no clue who I am.

My TBM daughter doesn't like living in Hyrum so works in Alaska. I guess can't get far enough away.

I'd definitely be looking at getting out of Provo as soon as possible.

Hey Theo! Hope all is well. I live in Utah as well. Every time one of my siblings/parents decides to bear a testimony, I bear mine that the cult is false and that Joseph was a fraud, and that the current president is just an old man making a lot of money off the grift. They stopped talking church around me. Hmm??

Good move plans though. Good for you! Enjoy the warm air, and the diversity! Wish I could follow suit. Alas, the wife has her roots firmly planted in cult territory.

Best Wishes,


HH =)

Hi Theo. I don't think Provo is the ideal place for you either! I hope life is going OK for you and that you can get outta there soon. Nice to see you drop in.

Being around LDS family can get on your nerves.

I live in Utah, and we like to do our grocery shopping at a store in Orem. As soon as we go around "The Point of the Mountain", you can feel the mormonism before you see it.

Provo is the center of Mormondom and it's good that you will be moving away from there.

Good luck with the move.

In our youth we all referred to the Provo\Orem area as "Happy Valley".

I live in Utah, but I am on the edge of the western desert where people tend to mind their own business. There have been a few that have to be educated on what they think they can order me to do, but overall I have great neighbors of various faiths\beliefs, and we all do just fine.

I still call Provo\Orem "Happy Valley" since it has never changed, so its best you get out of dodge. For the 6 months I was there at BYU in my youth it drove me nuts as well. In addition that area seems to be central station for rabid Mini-Van drivers. Which is another reason for it to be avoided.

Provo, centered around the MTC, has so much concentrated self-righteousness that it has turned into the first known spiritual Black Hole - neither light nor intelligence can escape.

Nine of my 11 grandchildren were born and raised in Happy Valley, and only one remains a seemingly observant mormon.

I think I mentioned that my TBM's youngest, a girl, recently got two tattoos, the first of which was started on her 18th birthday. This was despite her TBM mother's efforts to keep her in the fold, which included what seemed to me to be almost monthly Facebook updates regarding visits to both local and distant temples.

She and her two "non-mormon" brothers do not live in a vacuum; they have what seemed to me to be a normal amount of friends.  So don't think that Happy Valley is a solid block of rank, dank mormonism.



I'd move there to be closer to them except that I'd likely be called to be an EQP again...

What! You are avoiding a EQP calling?

And give up the blessings of spending every weekend moving somebody in\out of their house or apartment. I mean who can pass up lugging a plush heavy couch up 4 flights of stairs. But hey if you are not into that, then those calls to all those other Elders who suddenly had mass deaths in the family that prevents them from helping will always give you that burning in the bosom feeling.

Then on Sundays, think of all the lectures about ministering that you would be giving up.

IDN, I think you ought to reconsider that opportunity to serve.

Yep, I've even given up seeing the priceless look on the faces of inactive elders when they answer the door to find a handsome devil Lamanite who tells them he's their EQP, and their mouths hilariously drop open, and they go "...wah wah wah what!!"

And then they turn and look over their shoulder and yell, "Honey, come and see this!!  You are not gonna believe it!!!" 

One thing that I think most LDS hate with passion is being possibly put on notice that they might be delinquent in getting up to speed and appear late to the party or behind schedule.

Handle that one with care (if you can).

I was part of the weirdo family who made plans to go to Utah for vacation (we had zero family in UT). This was during the 1980s and the only notable problem occurred with my mom, who was booted out of the church's genealogical library. She was wearing shorts and they required church dress to stay and use the library. She went down the street to purchase a church dress and shoes.

Otherwise, I saw plenty of normal dressed people with shorts and tank tops. I even have a photo taken in Provo when the big steam train came to town in June 1982. There's people in shorts watching a crane loading up coal. A very normal summer scene.

BUT we know that the church started pushing its modesty standards later in the 1980s.

“Run Forrest, run!”