Things I Would Like to Do Before I Move If the Stars Align

I've lived in Provo for five winters and three summers now and I doubt that I'll be back here for many, many years, so I'm making a list of things to do in the next week before we go to honor good ol' Provo.

See friends of course
Roll down the hill at the Harold B. Lee Library
Play chess at the Maeser Building
Have a water fight in the JFSB fountain
Possibly go browse the BYU Museum of Art
Play on the experiments at the Eyring Science Center
Move the bookshelves in the HBLL periodicals (because the first time I did it, it was magic)
Teach my Beehives one more lesson (*sniffle*)
Take Caleb to walk around at Bridal Veil Falls
Try out the Surf 'n Slurp (cheers to you, Madie and Becca)
Maybe drive up to Salt Lake City and take a tour of the temple grounds

Here is my question for you:
If you were moving from whatever place you live (or perhaps from your favorite place you've ever lived), what would you do before you left (or when you returned) to honor it?

In Transition

For a moment, we're taking a break. Patrick and Caleb are napping and I am thinking about what to eat for lunch. Our apartment is looking bare. And it's all because we're in the midst of packing. What a life experience it is! Now that I think about it, moving deserves a Life Token (you know the little pieces you get in the game of Life when you do something noteworthy) much like having your first garage sale.

The things we've been thinking about during this process are: Where will we live; How will we move especially now that we have a baby; Where do you find boxes for packing; How many boxes does it take to move a three-year-married-with-baby couple; How do you work out the timing between a moving company and a family; How will we keep a 10-month-old entertained for three days in the car; What will we do with ourselves for the week between when our stuff is taken and we're still here; Probably more importantly, what will we do with ourselves for the days between when we arrive and our stuff arrives; What sorts of stuff will we need to buy before we leave Utah and what sorts of stuff will we need to buy after we arrive in Virginia; How much do we need to budget for that stuff; What will Patrick's orientation week be like; What will our next year, three years, four years, summers, ten years be like; How will we get to the temple in D.C. once we don't have family and close friends to watch our son; How will we manage to see everything we want to see out East (especially in Virginia, and especially in Williamsburg of course); What do we want to see here in Utah before we leave for many, many years; What will we do without our amazing support network we've built up here; How will we help Caleb manage the transition and how will we manage it ourselves; and, well, there's so much besides that!

Some of those thoughts sound concerned, but mostly, to be honest, we're really, really excited. Someone warned us to be patient with each other while going through the process of moving, but so far we haven't been especially tense with each other. We've ended up dividing up responsibilities fairly naturally and helping each other a lot during these last couple of days especially. I know we're both sort of nervous, but more than anything we are looking forward to our next big adventure. Wish us luck!

I Love the Rolling Hills

So I love Utah. I have had wonderful experiences for the last five years or so that I've been here. Utah will always hold a special place in my heart -- it's the location of my alma mater, it's where I made some important friendships, it's where my husband and I courted, it's where our first two apartments were, it's where our first child was born.

But I adore Wisconsin. Wisconsin is where Patrick and I both have roots. In some ways I'm not a deep-rooted Wisconsinite since my parents are both from Arizona and I wasn't born there. But I now have deep-rooted connections through my husband's family and I lived my childhood and teenage years there so I feel like I'm truly a Wisconsinite. Wisconsin sunsets take my breath away. Wisconsin food puts meat (read "fat") on my bones. Wisconsin green is like a comforter to me. Wisconsin people make me feel like I'm home.

So I loved going back! We just spent two weeks there with our parents, most of our siblings, and a good deal of extended family. Among other things, we went to Six Flags, barbecued (three or four times), rode the ATV, played Wii, ate at the Cheesecake Factory, went to the local Deaf club, and filled ourselves up with FAMILY lovin'!

A Quick Glance from Caleb's Perspective
(There aren't many pictures of me because I'm always behind the camera.)

We celebrated the 4th of July at a lake party. The lake was cold-- that explains Caleb's look: "Grandpa, this is nuts!"

Nap times were irregular but frequent. They often took place cuddled up to someone. I'm not firm enough to make him go to sleep on his own in unfamiliar surroundings.

Loads of attention from admiring fans like grandpa (which may explain his fussiness since getting back).

Cuddling up to and playing with Grandma.

Taking a walk with Grandma.

And generally feeling very loved and cherished. Okay, let's be honest the family is a big part of our love for Wisconsin. But, hey, that's not a small thing.