Today, Jade wants to know which places have meant something to me this year. I love this prompt because I had so many changes this year that it gave me a chance to reflect on what I cherish about my time in Utah and the joy of coming home! It also made me miss my friends terribly!
1. My house in Utah.....even though we didn't fit in with the locals and only a few neighbors talked to us, it was our home for almost 4 years. It was my daughter's first home, she learned to walk, talk and ride her little pink bike there. I made amazing meals in the gourmet kitchen and we were happy.
2. Concepts Coffee in North Ogden Utah...this was the local coffee shop where I would meet my friends for play dates. It was a friendly, comfortable place and our children loved it!
3. Riverdale Park in Riverdale Utah...this is the park that my kids and I would meet my friend Monica and her kids for play dates. I met Monica our first week in Utah when we were both living in the hotel. We discovered that our husbands were both going to work for the same company. Monica was a lifeline for me in Utah. Ironically...we also moved out of Utah within 2 week of each other. We joke that we got early release from prison!
4. Sonoma Grill in Ogden Utah....date nights for me and my man were rare because we didn't have family nearby and every time we hired the little Mormon girl across the street....the Missionaries would start showing up again. But at the Sonoma Grill Bar....we could enjoy a cocktail and some food and feel like we were NOT in Utah. It was our place.....
5. Curious Theater in Denver Colorado....I talked about this the other day because it was the place I felt alive. Since that day on my 40th birthday, I've been there for another performance...this time Astronomical Sunset. This place feels special to me. I love how I feel when I'm there and it really is just a beautiful theater made out of an old church.
6. Lakewood Colorado...Yes, the entire city! iKeith grew up here and this is where he feels at home. We bought and made our first home together in Lakewood. Our son was born and spent his first 4 months in this town. We're home....
7. Lockwood Lake in Lakewood Colorado....this lake is right behind my apartment and it's were I spent many, many early mornings walking right after we moved here. My children also love this lake and iKeith has taken them on many Adventure Walks there.
8. My In Laws House in Lakewood Colorado...my in laws and brother in law Andrew are moving to California in less than a month. I'm upset that now that we finally have come home...they are leaving. I'm sad for my children that are going to miss them all so much and I'm pissed that I'm losing my free babysitter. This house is Nana's House to my kids. My heart hurts for what this means for them.
9. Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison Colorado....climbing the stairs at Red Rocks was on my list of 40 things to do before my 40th birthday and my dear friend Denise came with me. Getting to the top and seeing the view was exhilarating and I think about that day all the time!
10. San Francisco...deciding to have iKeith attend the World Wide Developers Conference and hopefully find a job was the first step in bringing us home to Colorado. We also made a vacation (I called it the Eat Pay Love Tour) out of it because we knew that it would be a long time before we could take another vacation together like this again. It was an amazing, relaxing and fun week! San Francisco will always be our place....
Great post, I really wanted to spend a lot more time on my post than I did. There were so many more places I could have added such as our new house which we bought this year.
ReplyDeleteGlenwood spring was our favourite in Colorado but we did love the red rocks amphitheatre too. That was a great thing the have on your 40by40 list - that's quite a lot of steps, particularly at that altitude. Although I suppose you're more used to it than we are.
I really want to visit San Francisco one day, I've heard so many people say they loved it. Sometimes it the person you are with that makes the place so special though.
Hope you had a lovely weekend,
Jade
That's awesome that you got to climb the stairs. The view and the accomplishment must have been well worth the climb! I love the idea of this list. There are so many places that we go in a year and it's great that you took the time to reflect on what they all meant to you.
ReplyDeleteIt stinks that now that you've returned home your in laws are moving! At least you'll have a vacation spot to visit!
What a wonderful post, friend!
ReplyDeleteI got a chuckle from part of it but I don't wanna say it in front of people. LOL
What a neat prompt - I love that I have remembered several of these places that you have mentioned on previous posts or twitter.....
ReplyDelete~Becca
I haven't tried out the curious theater but heard someone talking about it just the other day. I will have to give it a try this year!!
ReplyDeleteI look forward to more posts about your theater experiences!! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful exercise! I am wondering if I could come up with 10 for the year :) You have had a lot of changes this year and I am so happy that you are finally HOME!
ReplyDeleteI would be cheering if my inlaws moved to CA...just sayin
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