46 Pounds of Groceries Up the Stairs

I have lived in 3rd floor apartments (without an elevator) for quite some time. When I first moved to Provo right after my mission, I moved into a 3rd floor condo on 800 East. I loved peeking through the tops of pine trees to our view of the southern end of Utah Valley.  And I loved the fact that we didn't have any upstairs neighbors. So, when Annelies and I found another 3rd floor apartment on 600 North, I knew we'd like it. And we did! Another spectacular view-- this time facing North-- of gorgeous Timpanogos.

Yes, that is an actual photograph from the balcony of that 3rd floor apartment. To me the view has always been more important than the color of the carpet or the condition of the cupboards. I know that's silly. But it's true.

I told Brent when he went apartment shopping for us in Houston to take note of the windows, the lighting, and the use of space. Those were the most important things to me. And so it's not surprising that he got a 3rd floor apartment with vaulted ceilings and large windows. And it's been great. Our windows face East, so we get lots of sunshine for most of the day.

To me the only bad part about living on the 3rd floor is getting up there. Moving in, moving out. . . . and carrying up groceries. Which brings me to this post's topic.

For three years I've carried my groceries up 2 flights of stairs. I quickly realized that I preferred one strenuous trip to two or three short trips. So I now hang all my grocery bags on each arm (no matter how many) and trek up the stairs. It can get your heart pumping!

This week I thought-- for fun-- I'd see how much weight I actually carried up. So after coming in the door, I went straight to the bathroom scale-- with all the bags still on my arms to weigh myself. Then I subtracted my weight. The answer: 46 lbs! And that load didn't feel as heavy as some I've managed.

Who needs to work out if you live on the 3rd floor, right?