Love the place you live

I read something on this blog and have been thinking about it ever since: Love the Place you Live. I couldn't agree with her more that "it’s so important to embrace the place where you are living. Even if you’ll only be there for a short time." I would almost say especially if you'll only be there for a short time. I live in a double college town and know a lot of people who will only be living where they live for a short time. Some of them love, embrace, and discover it, and others gripe their way through the entire experience just living for the day when they can get out of here and move on. I try really hard to be one of those first people, and I feel really bad for the second kind. I've been in Provo for almost 5 years now, and let's be honest, I'm looking forward to moving on to somewhere new. But I'm here until my husband finishes school (cross your fingers for April 2013) and I LOVE Provo and have loved living here so much. There isn't anywhere I can go here without being reminded of a memory of something I've done there and someone I've shared it with. That goes for Utah too, not just Provo. The reason I've thought about this so much is because if all goes according to plan, I'll only be living here for another year and a half. It would be easy to wish this time away and constantly be looking forward to wherever we'll be moving, but I know that Utah has a lot to offer and I want to embrace it for the time I have left here. I want to make it a point in my life that wherever I go, I love the place I live. I know quite a few people whose schooling or careers (or their husbands) have taken them to places they didn't expect (or in some cases want). Indiana, Kansas, Texas, Chicago . . . and my husbands goal to go to medical school may very well take me somewhere totally foreign to me (right now he's shooting for medical school in the Caribbean. Yes, really. But I could very well end up in Kansas instead.) and while some places in this world are more desirable than others--find out what makes the place you live in cool, and love it.

Here are some of the things I love about Provo/Utah:

1. Skiing!! GREATEST SNOW ON EARTH. I love love love love to ski. And have at least 6 amazing ski resorts within an hours drive. I know it's expensive, but if you live in Provo for 4 years and do not take at least one opportunity to go skiing or snowboarding, you have made a big big mistake. Do it.

2. Mt. Timpanogos. Probably at least a million times this has escaped my lips: "wow. Mt. Timp is BEAUTIFUL right now" Tell me that the sight of that mountain does not take your breath away every single day.

3. Hiking/Camping. Enough said.

4. $1 Crazy bread at Little Caesars for college students. Seriously going to miss this.

5. BYU sports. Gotta love a good football game at Lavell Edwards stadium.

6. Cherry Lane Boutique. I passed this place a million times before I ever went inside, and when I finally did, I loved it. Check it out--5th North and University Avenue. Cute headbands, bags, clothes, etc. . .

7. The Utah Arts Festival. Is amazing. It's in Salt Lake City every summer (this year June 21-24) and only costs like $5 for a whole day. It features incredible art booths with everything you could imagine from painting, sculpture, pottery, jewelry and photography, to hand-crafted flutes and shoes, to guys that make art from garbage. Not to mention live music, awesome food vendors, and a very fun kids corner. I love it. If you live in Utah, put this on your to do list this summer!

8. Moab. Utah has so many incredible national parks, but there is a special place in my heart for Arches National Park. I've been lucky enough to go there quite a few times in the past few years, including to run a beautiful half marathon last March. It's the coolest town. Think granola, jeeps, red rock, and everyone in sight wearing Chacos sandals and bandanas. For hiking, mountain biking, jeeping, camping, photography, it's great.

9. Having my family close :) Going to miss this for sure!

Now, as if this post isn't already long enough, I made some goals of things I haven't yet experienced in Utah that I want to do before I leave! If you have any suggestions, throw them my way!

1. Provo Farmers Market. I wasn't able to go much last year because of my work schedule, but this summer hopefully I will!

2. Hike Mt. Nebo (highest peak in the wasatch range) Tried last year but the road was blocked.

3. The Shakespearean festival in Cedar City

4. Go to a play at the Tuacahn amphitheater

5. Temples. Want to branch out from Provo and attend Mt. Timp, Draper, Jordan River, Oquirrh Mountain.

6. Goblin valley. Haven't been here since I was a kid. Google it, it's cool.

7. Learn to snowboard. I've been a skier all my life (and always will be first and foremost) but I've snowboarded once and loved it! I want to learn.

8. More hiking/camping. The possibilities are endless.