Bugs.

I just killed what looked like a giant (like 1 1/2 inch) mosquito. That's not what it was, but it was still gross. I almost killed it with GI Williamson's catechism book, but I chose to do it with a flip-flop instead. I don't like those bugs, and I don't like the ones that look like milipedes.

My first year here, somebody told me that I should sleep with cotton in my ears because the milipede-looking ones would crawl down my ears. I didn't fully believe them, but it still creeped me out.

Yeah, we've got our fair share of bugs in MT. They just don't bother me like they do here!
(And my parents have one of those bug-zappers, which I love!)

Humidity.

Yeah, I'm back to complaining about it. I hate that sticky feeling you have when it's humid, like you have to run and take a shower right away. I also hate how humidity gives you an inaccurate sense of the temperature. It's not hot outside, but you feel hot. So you put on a long-sleeved t-shirt and all of a sudden you're sweating because it's not nearly as cold as your body thought it was. I also hate how my hair feels frizzy in humidity. And how my sandals all stink really badly. And after I get out of the shower, my towels don't dry thoroughly. And my envelopes stick closed, even though I haven't licked them shut. And book pages get wrinkly. And the pictures on my walls curl up.

Fog.

My view this morning is obscured by a layer of fog. How depressing.

Lawn Mower.

I will not miss being woken up by Bob mowing the lawn right outside my window in the morning. Before I'd planned to be awake.

I am, however, looking forward to my own lawn, where I love the smell of cut grass and running through the grass in my bare feet.

una foto vale mil palabras...

Culture.

There is a lot of art and "high culture" in Philadelphia that simply isn't available in a smaller community (MT maxes out at 100,000 population), though folks out there do try.

At the same time, I am looking forward to the casual, "country" culture of MT. It's unique, it's friendly, and it's comfortable.

We also have a lot of history that the rest of the country only dreams about, like Lewis & Clark. A big fan of Lewis & Clark out here once told me that he'd heard about this place where the explorers had carved their names in a rock, and you could still go and see it!. I was like, "Yeah, that's Pompey's Pillar; we went there for elementary school field trips, but nobody in MT really cares about it because we drive by it every time we drive through the eastern part of the state."

Humidity.

Did I mention the humidity out here?

Produce Junction

Ditto the previous sentiment: I just bought 2 lbs of bell peppers for $2 and 6 apples for $1. Try doing that anywhere else!

Trader Joe's

Oh, how I will miss this place! Where will I buy all of my fun-yet-reasonably-priced food?

My brother.

He moves East; I move West. God's timing is interesting, since NYC and Philly are only 2 hours away ... but we'll miss living out here at the same time by 2 months.

Flying.

I've flown home a lot in the last 7 years. I think I'll miss it, since the trek home for holidays will be all of 3 minutes. Then again, traveling 6 hours just to go home isn't necessarily a pleasant prospect.

Sales Tax.

Granted, the income tax in MT is exorbitant, but I do like to be able to tally my bill in my head without having to figure in the sales tax.

"Soda"

Ahhh... to be in the land of "pop" again!

Washing dishes by hand.

Perpetually dry hands, having other people leave their dirty dishes in the sink, not really knowing if the dishes you are using are clean, having to wash your dishes as soon as you finish a meal (though that's a good habit to get into).

Accents.

African, Asian, Australian, Irish, Scottish, Southern, Romanian, French/Brazilian, Korean/Australian, Jersey, NYC, California, Canada ... variety is the spice of life!

Traffic.

Traffic, poor traffic engineering, crazy/bad drivers, stop signs at the end of on-ramps to the freeway, toll roads, more cars on the highway at one time than in the entire state of MT.

I will, however, miss the freedom to turn left in front of oncoming traffic if you are the first car stopped at the red light. Maybe I'll try it on Billings people anyway ... they won't know what happened to them!

Stone buildings.

There's just something about all the rough-hewn stone on all the houses around here. In Billings, the houses are all covered with siding.

Gray Skies.

They don't call MT the "Big Sky Country" for nothing.

Phone Reception.

I get great reception almost everywhere I go on the East Coast. MT has so few people that when we're driving on I-90, we expect manifold dead areas.

Wednesday night prayer meetings.

I cried at the first Machen prayer meeting I ever attended.

Since then, our weekly gatherings have been a mainstay for me. What is sweeter than having people pray for you every week? Especially when Joseph, one of the most godly people I know, thanks God for your life, prays for your requests, and prays for your future "life partner."

Friends.

Not just being cliche, but I am genuinely going to miss the amazing fellowship that God has granted me while I've been here.

Walk-in Fridge.

Our fridge is one of the coolest around. It's big enough for 18 people to have two bins in it, plus several free carts. How many people can ever say that they had a walk-in fridge!

Humidity.

It was barely humid here yesterday, but my body already couldn't handle it -- I stood up from the couch and DH remarked at how warm the couch was.

You should have seen me during some of the worst days in Michigan; I literally tried to wear as little as possible, and I slept with ziploc bags full of ice.

Granted, MT has the opposite problem ... but I certainly won't miss the humidity.

The Club.

Strange as it sounds, I'm kind of going to miss using 'the club' in my car. I mean, how many MT folks can say that they own and regularly use a club?!!

But at the same time, I look forward to not having a sort of perpetual nagging fear that my car will disappear someday from outside of Walmart or the Cryders' house.

In fact, I look forward to being able to park my car in the garage, leave my keys in it, and not even worry if I leave the garage door unlocked.

Autumn leaves.

James reminded me of the incredible displays of colors that the trees around here give in the autumn. I've been able to enjoy that for the last 7 years -- I remember how much it blew me away my first September in Michigan. And the view from Machen's porch over toward Arcadia College is so peaceful and beautiful, especially when the whole hillside is varying degrees of greens, golds and reds, with the just the castle-like spires of Arcadia poking through the leaves.

Azaleas.

I'm going to miss the budding of azaleas in the spring. The bright pinks that fill people's yards are really amazing. And then they turn into normal hedges for the rest of the summer.