Some time after we'd moved to Logan (five years ago this Fall!), I had visited Provo and felt awfully homesick. Everywhere I went as I ran whatever errands I had, I'd spot the sidewalks, the trails, the shoulders of the roads where we had walked, biked, scootered, run, rollerbladed... I knew this place and all it's paths so well, and I missed that knowing and I missed all the city's tiny landmarks that sparked so many memories.
A few weeks ago, Jordan and I were visiting a few of the Parade of Homes houses and driving outside of our well-known routes. And I kept noticing all the familiar spots. And the past few weeks as I've thought about our five years here in this city we chose, I've been surprised how well we know this new/not-so-new place too:
The farmlands I bike through every once in a while on my early Tuesday morning rides.
The first house we thought we might buy - that had us imagining horses (crazily) or giant gardens and (not so crazily) teaching our children to work and build and grow in this new town...
The Lee's hill that we know by heart. The gas station corner where the bike trailer brushes past the bushes with each passing. The little zig and zag of the sidewalk in front of the hardware store that's a bit too tight for the train bike. The grassy hills and slopes...
The tunnel where we cross on our bikes past Old Main, where every time we approach Ellie and Owen are sure to remind me to turn carefully after the tunnel and watch out for the prickly dirt off to the side(which Jordan and the kids discovered years ago with a few flat tires).
And our favorite spots in the Canyons. Our "rainbow campground" in Logan canyon and our secret hideaway in Green Canyon, back from the road and across the ditch where we've carried all of our campfire gear across and back again and again.
And our neighborhood that we love so much. I went for a walk recently and was just amazed to realize how much I love the quiet, alive sounds of our neighborhood.
And all the little spots we know so well on my walking routes. The little library that Owen is so excited to visit these days. The dogs that used to bark, but now just look up and see our familiar group and get back to whatever they were doing. The bench where I stop to take a picture of our changing mountains whenever I pass. The driveway where the crows always stop to snack. The corners I've set as my "I'll run till that spot before I stop to walk" markers. The little sidewalk marking reflector that the kids have designated as a kids bike stop sign.
And then our little home! With the perfect climbing tree, now complete with swings too. And our little family growing inside. What a happy feeling it is to have such sweet memories and happy paths here too.
