The Familiar Memories of the Past Meet the New 'Normal' of the Present

So, today, I had the weird deja vu experience of having memories of the past interrupt the new normalcy of this life. We were driving along in our car, and as I looked out the windshield, I saw "Carson City Courthouse" written on the side of a brick building. Then, it hit me - we live in Carson City, Nevada. But we still have some stuff & memories from Rochester, New York. It was a collision of two parts of our lives - the old (our car from Rochester) meeting the new (Carson City).

Now, I know that we have lived here for ... almost 4 months now, but things still 'hit me' in waves. It's becoming normal to live here. We pretty much know our way around. We've found the best grocery stores, although nothing compares to Wegman's. (Sidenote: whenever we go back to NY for a visit, I am going to Wegman's every day, just to look around & to be in Weg's!) We have doctors, and a pharmacy; we have a great church, where we are connected. We are making friends and doing playdates, etc.

But I am still having a bit of a difficult time embracing Carson City as my home city now. I'm not exactly sure why, but here are some of my thoughts:
* This is the first place to which I have moved. (45 minutes away, to Lima, doesn't really count.) A person tends to compare (even subconsciously) the new place with the familiar, old place.
* It's different here. I like the sagebrush, and being able to see for miles and miles. I LOVE the mtns. So, the landscape is a plus.
* The city is quite small for a state capital; in fact, I believe, it is much smaller than Rochester.
* Carson City is located in a valley, which means that the layout of the city runs north-south along the valley floor, since buildings can only be built up so far into the side of the mtns. That being said, everything is very spread out (north-to-south). Since we live on the very north end of the city, it seems like a long trip to the south end where most of the new stores are.
* There doesn't seem like there is much to do here - skiing (at Lake Tahoe), off-roading, and lots of gambling. And that is probably why we feel a restless/lack-of-hope/lack-of-interest spirit in the spiritual air over Carson City.
* We aren't quite sure why we are here in CC. We feel that God led us here b/c of Lennon's job, but other than that, we aren't sure what we are to be doing here.
* We only have one car, which makes it difficult for the kids and I to do things out-and-about or with other families, when Lennon is at work.
* We moved here right before winter time.
* Before we moved, I had always worked at least 1-2 days each week outside of the home. So, I wasn't a full-time SAHM (stay-at-home-mom) until we moved here. It's a bit different than I thought, though I am adjusted to it now.
* I'm learning how to take time for myself, to do something that I like to do; that I am important as a person, not just as a wife, mom, homemaker, etc.
* We moved. Across the country. Away from family. Away from friends. With a new baby & a pre-schooler. We're crazy!

I think that's about it. I know we'll get involved in our church and possibly in our community, but we don't want to just rush into something w/o knowing it is the right thing for us to be doing at this time.

Thanks for letting me ramble and get my thoughts out into the air. My brain feels a little less cluttered now.