I moved to a Condo in Salt Lake!
There’s been a lot of change in my life the last few months, but I’m now happily moved and living in a very nice condo in a great historic district in Salt Lake!
In the more than 17 years I’ve been blogging, I’ve worked hard to keep the blog mostly about the food and not so much about me. But through the years I’ve shared personal news like milestone birthdays, memorable trips, fun gifts from the family, a move to a bigger house, and nine months of house renovations on my first house! That type of post is in an archives called Things I’m Thinking About. These are posts some readers may not care much about, but I like collecting them as a history of my life.
And today I’m sharing the news that I moved to a condo in Salt Lake City, which has been a process that has totally taken over my thoughts and my life for more than three months! During this time there hasn’t been much new content on the blog. I’ve been happily surprised that no one seemed to notice, and also grateful for all those good recipes I created in the past that I could feature again while I was managing house renovations and repairs, packing, selling the old house, and moving. Thank you for your support and patience while all that was happening!
Why I wanted to move:
Many people decide to downsize when they get older, and although for a long time I loved having a big house where my huge extended family could gather, after Covid hit it was definitely not much fun. For several years I kept telling people I wanted a simpler life! Finally in March of 2022 I started looking at condos. I wanted a very walkable neighborhood in the historic part of the city, close to restaurants, stores, and the friends I left behind in Salt Lake when I’d moved in 2013. And I didn’t want a condo in a huge development and was hoping for a place that had some of the charm that I loved in my old house in Salt Lake.
Why my move was especially hard:
Moving is always hard of course, but my move ended up being especially complicated due to a pipe backup that caused water damage at my old house and a water valve accident that caused water damage at the condo while I was moving in. Both those led to big homeowners claims and months of restoration work. During that time I lost nearly ten pounds from stress, and at times I felt like it would never end.
I love where I have ended up!
But I’m now happily living in a nice condo in the historic district in Salt Lake where there are beautiful mansions and huge trees everywhere, and a wide variety of fun restaurants within walking distance of my condo. It’s an old classic building and my condo has some areas that are definitely retro, but I’m learning to love them.
What does this move mean for the blog?
I’m not planning to quit blogging any time soon even though I’m long past the age when many people might retire! But the new condo doesn’t have the perfect food blogger kitchen I had at my bigger house, and the two rooms I had for food photography and a blogging office are replaced by one smaller room here. But this last week I finally cooked with Kara in the new kitchen and we made it work, and the new office has great light for photos and seems to be working okay for the day-to-day computer work too.
And although the new condo has a huge outdoor patio area, there are no water hookups, so I won’t be able to have any kind of a garden here. So no new posts about gardening, but I still have all the previous garden photos and tips collected in my category for Garden Updates. Luckily I do have several family members who have amazing gardens, so I should still be able to cook with fresh garden veggies every summer!
Here’s a peek at the new place:
In the photo at the top I gave you a peek at the African art decor that I’ve used in my houses for nearly 25 years now. I’ve collected masks, batiks, and statues, as well as some photographs of famous pieces from the National Museum of African Art at the Smithsonian. And some of my art was even purchased in Africa, although I got most of it in import shops. (These are just quick iPhone photos, so don’t judge the quality too harshly!)
The condo has two fireplaces and this one in the living room has an arrangement of three sofas and some chairs making a great place to entertain a group of people and have a conversation. And now that I am back in the city, I am seeing a lot more friends than I used to!
If you follow me on Instagram or on Facebook you might have seen the boxes and boxes of cookbooks I took to the thrift store. But there are still three bookcases with cookbooks in the new condo, and I’ve been looking at some of them already!
My favorite room in the new place is this little sitting room which has windows on two sides, a fireplace, and a big TV on the wall. This is where I sit in my favorite chair and read almost every night!
The condo does have a pretty retro kitchen, and I’m not anxious to take on the job of replacing countertops and cabinets. And I might never do it because the retro stuff is growing on me. The biggest change in the kitchen is having an electric stove for the first time in my life, but Kara and I are determined to make it work!
And here’s the little office / photography room where the blog work is now happening. On the wall you can’t see there are three shelves with dishes, napkins, silverware, and other photography props (although I gave away more than half of the ones I had before.)
And if you’ve made it clear to the bottom of this post, thanks so much for the support! Definitely the people I have met (both in person and online) are one of the main things that has made blogging so rewarding and enjoyable for me.)
200 Comments on “I moved to a Condo in Salt Lake!”
Hi, When you can, switch out you electric range for one with an induction cooktop! I was bombing regularly when we moved to an all electric house, but all that changed when we went induction. Love all your recipes, and a belated congratulations on your move!
Hi Heidi, thanks for the congratulations. Not sure an induction stove is in my near future because I just bought all new appliances for this condo but I am paying attention to what I hear about them! Glad you are enjoying the recipes.
Looks delightful Kalyn!
Let’s get together after I return from my travels. Spent a month in Toronto Canada and traveling to Del Mar California for a week; back mid September. Call you then.
………Wanda
Thanks Wanda. Look forward to seeing you.
Love the new place! The decor is so colorful and cozy. Glad that you’re enjoying your new home!
Thanks Lisa! I am so happy here!
Your new condo has charm galore! I love the fireplaces.
I actually miss the “things on tuesday” but I understand you need free time.
Enjoy your new space
Thanks Vicki! I did enjoy doing those, but you’re right, they take time and aren’t well-received by search engines either. Glad you like the condo.
Congratulations on your lovely new home! May you build many happy new memories. xoxo
Thanks Annie! I am hoping for that too.
yay for you! Glad you’re going to keep blogging too.
Thanks Beverly. Who knows what the future will bring, but I definitely have no plans to stop any time soon.
So happy for you and the new home!
Thanks Francis!
My philosophy for aging well is “adapt”. Actually… I think it’s the key to a better life. But easier said than done. You have adapted nicely. Your new home is beautiful and reflects the warmth I have always sensed in your blogs. Congratulations. Enjoy!
Thanks Nancy! I agree with that philosophy. Always working on it. Glad you like the condo!
Wow congratulations on the move. Downsizing can be a pain in the ass, and then the water issues. Electric stove! I can’t wait to see how you make that work for you. Overcoming challenges can be good for the psyche, but when multiple ones collect, that’s when you start losing weight and sleep. I am in an apartment right now and I am enjoying my small kitchen with two steps and a pivot. Hopefully hopefully I can come by and visit again.
It has been challenging for sure! But I am loving the city life. I would love to have you come for a visit. I don’t have all those bedrooms any more but I do have two sofa beds!
So nice to have a fresh start. You have a beautiful home! Love your recipes ❤️😋
Thanks so much Barbara!
Congrats on making the move. I LOVE your new condo!!! I’m sure you’ll have a lot of memories to share in Your new home!!🏡
Thanks so much! I am just so happy here!
Your new place sounds lovely. Thank you for all your content. I’ve been following since 2011! I share your delicious recipes with my family and friends all the time!!
Thanks for all the support Kristy! I am absolutely loving the new condo!
Love this! The new place looks great and the area sounds amazing! I thought of you on the first day of school and hoped you were having a great day.
Thanks so much Melissa. I went to lunch on the first day with some other retired teachers and talked about old times, so that was pretty fun!
Thanks for sharing this, Kalyn! You are a great writer! I look forward to seeing you and your new home!
Thanks Robin! I can’t wait to have you come and visit!
Good luck. Great new space. Thank you for all you do!
Thanks Rosemary. I appreciate the good wishes!
Congrats on your new beautiful home + for being brave to follow your heart + knowing what makes you happy 😊. The pandemic has opened my eyes to what is really important in my life too! Very happy for you + Kara -Enjoy! And thank you for opening up your home + heart and sharing it with all of us -along with all your amazing recipies! We appreciate you very much for making a difference in our lives!
VIKKI D. /MASS 🪨 🎸 🤘
Thanks Vik, so happy to know the recipes are helpful for you and I appreciate the good thoughts about my condo!
I miss you!!!! Don’t stop the blogging!!!! Looking forward to more yummy recipes and inspiration!!
I didn’t go anywhere! But don’t worry, I have no plans to stop blogging any time soon.
Very nice new place! Love your decor!
Thanks very much Justine!
I LOVE Salt Lake area and love your recipes!!
Thank you! So glad you are enjoying the recipes. I lived in Salt Lake for many years and am so glad to get back here.
In my adult life I’ve lived in only 4 cities. Each had its own set of joys and challenges but the closest to my heart is the one filled with long time friends and family. In a close second is the small town on the coast. Enjoy the experience of the city you are in!
Suggestion, how about embracing and enjoying the retro kitchen changing only what is absolutely necessary?
Jo
Yes, I am excited to be back in the city where my close friends are, and my family is still close. I am going to see how the kitchen works before I make any decisions, but right now I am not planning on any major changes.