11 September 2010

GOODBYE


So Ben cleaned out his wallet the other day...


I couldn't throw them away.

I really, really like Provo, just in case you never knew. So, you must know I miss it.

I already miss—well, foremost on my mind lately is BYU Football! It may seem trivial, but I miss just the feeling of football season, even when we stayed at home and folded laundry as a family with the game on TV and the front door open because it was sunny, but cool, and outdoor chores were being done too. I miss the ambiance and the atmosphere of a BYU game—whether feeling like a queen in Grandpa's seats or in the crowd of hyper students (OK, some of those hyper students I don't miss), I miss the memories of meeting up with friends (Ben) at a game when we were in high school. I miss the traffic, even. And that's just what I miss about BYU Football.

I miss the mountains and hikes, the summer festivals and the Downtown eagerness to grow. I miss the variety of Hispanic joints and mercados. I miss the student-ridden grocery stores, and the MTC. I miss the very-last-minute-possible post office dropbox. I miss Robert's 40% off always, I miss Cafe Rio and I miss the Creamery's Kids Meal (with Cookies n' Cream on a sugar cone). I miss Provo Parks & Recreation. I miss the Provo River (Trail) and Utah Lake. I miss the trees—the fake one, the raining one, the oldest one. I miss driving Provo Canyon, and visits to Sundance (summer outdoor movies and the Film Festival). I miss knowing every street and the fastest route to anywhere (except from our house to University Mall... that takes long no matter which way you take). I miss knowing where to go for everything.

I miss my perk-y job at Nu Skin. I miss all Ben's plants on the front porch of Bishop Booth's house. I miss the Provo Peaks 11th ward. I miss living a block down from Mom's work or across the street from Papá's. I miss family Sunday dinners. I miss walks with friends, and Redbox walks. I miss temple trips. (We were so close to getting to all of them, Ben—just 2 more!) I miss my class, dear Class of 2KX. I miss Grandma Annie Claire's garden outside Adrian's room—most stunning when all those trees are goldenrod. I miss the studio and our "late-night social life" there. I miss the letterpress and the stock room and even the Bookstore. I miss 422-INFO and the HFAC and the Amanda Knight.

I miss the days of house shows and Velour nights. I miss the Annex—the girls, the wards, the bike-ride to school. I miss writing/making Ben letters. I miss meeting so many peeps after breaking out of (though still keeping) my High-School-friend-shell. I miss Beverage Club, and ROC!
I miss DT and that handy cafeteria. I miss my freshman routine of sack breakfast & lunch, 4 classes from 9-1, and my dear Law School Fishbowl job til 5. I miss that 'new freedom' to go out to the Hot Pots on a whim, and the epiphany that I could even see Ben every day.

I miss high school days, of course—there's way too much to say about that; though Ben, Student Government, and Soccer stand out most. I miss longboarding the river trail from just above Nunn's and jumping in the lake from the bridge before the dock. I miss Girls Camp at Mia Shalom. I miss middle school weirdness-but-fondness, which also was the time of my only "big move" I remember: from Northwest to Southwest Provo. I miss that little duplex spot—riding bikes to Little Dickens, sneaking into Branbury's pool, walking to "Double-time" for treats, movie-hopping during the summer at Movies 8, and the perfect climbing tree out back. I miss Timpanogos times—the teachers and the building and the commute, from Mom's "Don't try this til you've been driving 20 years"-U-turns to our bike rides along the River Trail. I miss the KFC picnics and pinatas at the park by the river. I miss Gymnastics at Timpview and our Friday-night browsing at Toys-R-Us.

Phew! I wasn't born in Provo, but it sure feels like my whole life! The cool thing is, I don't feel dead now that we don't live there.
I'm really excited to be here in the East. I miss all of Provo—especially the fam, but we've got a bit of family here too and it's already part of what I love about North Carolina. So, like Ben's cards, I'm tucking away this oliviainprovo blog and starting afresh—with Olivia in North Carolina! And, let's face it, I'm a sentimental sucker and I'll miss any good times once they've past even if they're out of Provo. . .

11 comments:

Ann said...

Fun memories! It brought back many of my own.

Funny thing--Brendon and I were just talking about how much we miss the Creamery's child's meal, it was such a bargain!

Cherie said...

¡SEPTEMBER is especially the BEST! (May is a close 2nd)

~Koki & I found ourselves in Macey's, of all places, at about 9 last night... A quick have-to's run in Student-infested-crazy-busy Macey's! What were we thinking?
I LOVED it, especially ** & Papá? ~Ya, not too much...
(except for his pumpkinchipcookie)
** http://www.darrelllea.com/mango.ph

Cherie said...

http://www.darrelllea.com/mango.php

(probably needs that final letter)

yummy yummy yummy yummy yummy yummy

Jenna said...

hmmm. pretty sure I could copy and paste a good chunk of your Provo memories onto one of my own. Like you, I could probably map out Provo with many special details. . . It's posts like this that make me feel slightly homesick.

I know you are going to love starting a new map and new discoveries to share with us. It's fun having a place that feels your own like NC will be to you now

Rebecca said...

Oh you made me homesick. Waa waa waa.

Amie said...

That made me miss you (which is funny since I didn't get to see you all that much when you were here!). Love ya!

Emma said...

*sigh* Being far from everything that use to be so familiar (and just so your life) can get hard at times, but just think of how much you'll love it when you make a return visit! New adventures await you here, and eventually what is unfamiliar now, will become familiar.

Great post. Definitely filled me with nostalgia for the sweet life in Provo.

Teachinfourth said...

I have two of those three same cards...

olivia said...

thank you for the comment, emma. oh, how you can relate—maybe better than anyone. :)

hello teachinfourth, lemme guess—the library cards? i've always thought you were cool because you seem to be friends with some of the coolest peeps i know—gerberta and the wells-es. thanks for saying hi!

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