My absolute favorite place in Logan is my very own home and one reason I love it so much is because of our neighborhood.
When we decided to buy a house nearly 4 years ago we really didn't look very much. We were limited in how much we could spend and that made for slim pickings. I think our house was only the second we looked at and I'm not sure we loved it at first, but it was solid, had hardwood floors and fit within our price range.
I didn't know much about the neighborhood at first, though I loved that our house was on a named street, rather than most streets in Logan which are numbered. Within the first few days of moving in we had so many neighbors come to our house, introduce themselves and bring bread or other goodies. I felt so welcomed!
As time went on I just fell in love with our little spot in Logan. The neighborhood is very diverse - probably half of the people are LDS and half are not (in Logan, this is a big deal!). We have older couples, single parents, young families, couples without children and lots of dog lovers - and Subaru drivers, which makes us stand out with our Volvos. We have a few parks within walking distance, the university is 5 minutes away and the mountains are just a mile down the road. We really lucked out.
As I looked for houses in Michigan I wanted to duplicate what we've got going right here. I have a good feeling about the neighborhood in which we're moving into, but we'll just have to see. It'll be tough to compete with what we found in Logan.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
9
Ooops, missed yesterday.
Friday night we were guests of a lovely dinner hosted by the Multicultural Center of Cache Valley. I was fortunate to be asked to be on the board of this great non-profit within 2 months of our return to Logan in 2006. It was one of the things that gave me hope for a successful return for our family, that I would be able to be involved with something I felt passionate about - helping people!
The Multicultural Center has not always been an easy organization to support, there have been bumps in the road, but I am so excited with the direction it is currently headed and the expansion of programs offered to the community. I am proud to have been part of its journey.
While here I was also involved with Somebody's Attic - first as a returning employee (I volunteered and later was employed by S.A. when I lived in Logan before) and later as a board member. It was actually really tough to work at S.A. when we came back to Logan, because I felt like I'd pressed the rewind button on my life, but it ended up bringing a lot of good: meeting some wonderful people, bringing Sophie to work with me and showing her the importance of community organizations and making connections for other organizations.
There were other ways I was able to be involved in Logan and I loved it! Logan is the kind of town in which you feel you can bring people together and do something to give back. There are so many wonderful non-profit groups in the area and so many ways in which people can volunteer. It's a great place for getting involved in the community.
Friday night we were guests of a lovely dinner hosted by the Multicultural Center of Cache Valley. I was fortunate to be asked to be on the board of this great non-profit within 2 months of our return to Logan in 2006. It was one of the things that gave me hope for a successful return for our family, that I would be able to be involved with something I felt passionate about - helping people!
The Multicultural Center has not always been an easy organization to support, there have been bumps in the road, but I am so excited with the direction it is currently headed and the expansion of programs offered to the community. I am proud to have been part of its journey.
While here I was also involved with Somebody's Attic - first as a returning employee (I volunteered and later was employed by S.A. when I lived in Logan before) and later as a board member. It was actually really tough to work at S.A. when we came back to Logan, because I felt like I'd pressed the rewind button on my life, but it ended up bringing a lot of good: meeting some wonderful people, bringing Sophie to work with me and showing her the importance of community organizations and making connections for other organizations.
There were other ways I was able to be involved in Logan and I loved it! Logan is the kind of town in which you feel you can bring people together and do something to give back. There are so many wonderful non-profit groups in the area and so many ways in which people can volunteer. It's a great place for getting involved in the community.
Friday, August 6, 2010
11
"For one moment our lives met, our souls touched." Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde is one of my favorite authors - The Picture of Dorian Gray, my favorite book and The Selfish Giant, my favorite story.
This quote came up on something I saw today and it is perfect for today's post about something so important to me in Logan, the part making it so hard to leave: friends.
Moving back to Logan was so hard for me, because I didn't want to go back, I wanted to go forward! I was very fortunate to find a job at Sophie's school right away and during the training another employee came in with a cup from Starbucks, which was a sign (I LOVE Starbucks and in Utah, it's not as common to find fellow coffee drinkers as it is elsewhere). Long story less long, Lisa and I became good friends fast. I say she saved me that first year when I was adjusting to living in Utah once again. The crazy thing was, Lisa's husband got a job at another university and they moved away nearly a year after I met her. I was heartbroken, but fortunately, I'd gotten involved in Logan and things were going well, so I shed a lot of tears, but was able to move on!
Since Lisa's departure I've been fortunate to have really good friends, some I see more frequently than others, but all who've touched my life. I am fearful of listing them lest I leave anyone out and as the quote states, they have all touched my soul.
The really cool thing for me is the friendships I've formed with some wonderful women who just happen to be LDS. I had quite a chip on my shoulder before about the LDS Church and although I still don't agree with some of the teachings of the religion, I love my friends who are LDS so much that I know there is much good coming out of that religion, because my friends live their beliefs. I think there is a uniqueness when a religion is dominant and you get to be the outsider, but you are embraced and exchanges about your beliefs can be done with respect and nurtured curiosity. I have enjoyed learning more about what it is that drives my friends in their daily lives and in the decisions they make for themselves and their families. I also respect my friends who branched out and hung out with someone who at times wanted to challenge those very things with which they use as a compass in their lives.
I'm very sad about leaving the people I love in Logan. I have to believe there are friendships just waiting to be formed in Jackson and I am fortunate to have friends with whom I get to see again outside of Jackson, but good-byes are so tough - and now, as the tears start to shed I will take a deep breath, just one of many, and be so thankful for all those lives who touched my soul.
Oscar Wilde is one of my favorite authors - The Picture of Dorian Gray, my favorite book and The Selfish Giant, my favorite story.
This quote came up on something I saw today and it is perfect for today's post about something so important to me in Logan, the part making it so hard to leave: friends.
Moving back to Logan was so hard for me, because I didn't want to go back, I wanted to go forward! I was very fortunate to find a job at Sophie's school right away and during the training another employee came in with a cup from Starbucks, which was a sign (I LOVE Starbucks and in Utah, it's not as common to find fellow coffee drinkers as it is elsewhere). Long story less long, Lisa and I became good friends fast. I say she saved me that first year when I was adjusting to living in Utah once again. The crazy thing was, Lisa's husband got a job at another university and they moved away nearly a year after I met her. I was heartbroken, but fortunately, I'd gotten involved in Logan and things were going well, so I shed a lot of tears, but was able to move on!
Since Lisa's departure I've been fortunate to have really good friends, some I see more frequently than others, but all who've touched my life. I am fearful of listing them lest I leave anyone out and as the quote states, they have all touched my soul.
The really cool thing for me is the friendships I've formed with some wonderful women who just happen to be LDS. I had quite a chip on my shoulder before about the LDS Church and although I still don't agree with some of the teachings of the religion, I love my friends who are LDS so much that I know there is much good coming out of that religion, because my friends live their beliefs. I think there is a uniqueness when a religion is dominant and you get to be the outsider, but you are embraced and exchanges about your beliefs can be done with respect and nurtured curiosity. I have enjoyed learning more about what it is that drives my friends in their daily lives and in the decisions they make for themselves and their families. I also respect my friends who branched out and hung out with someone who at times wanted to challenge those very things with which they use as a compass in their lives.
I'm very sad about leaving the people I love in Logan. I have to believe there are friendships just waiting to be formed in Jackson and I am fortunate to have friends with whom I get to see again outside of Jackson, but good-byes are so tough - and now, as the tears start to shed I will take a deep breath, just one of many, and be so thankful for all those lives who touched my soul.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
13
This morning my friend, Natalie, and I hiked the Crimson Trail and the beauty surrounding us was breathtaking and almost too real to fathom. Of course, I didn't have a camera, not even my phone, which is a bummer, because if you have not witnessed the beauty of Utah, you really should.
I have only hiked a few trails in the area, I tend to do the same ones over and over, but each time I do them there is something new at which to marvel. Today it was seeing 2 owls in flight, incredible. Their wingspan and beauty was such a sight, very powerful.
It is one of my favorite things about living in Logan, to escape to the beauty of the mountains with just a 5-minute drive. One feels so small, so at peace and realizes that if our world can contain something so incredible, it is a good place to be.
I have only hiked a few trails in the area, I tend to do the same ones over and over, but each time I do them there is something new at which to marvel. Today it was seeing 2 owls in flight, incredible. Their wingspan and beauty was such a sight, very powerful.
It is one of my favorite things about living in Logan, to escape to the beauty of the mountains with just a 5-minute drive. One feels so small, so at peace and realizes that if our world can contain something so incredible, it is a good place to be.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
14
As I was driving along 600 East today, going to Sophie's piano teacher's house, I realized how much I'm going to miss the routines we have in Logan. Every Tuesday afternoon, Soph goes to piano. I drop her off, go for a walk or run an errand during her 30 minute lesson, chat with her teacher and Soph and I chat on the way home. It's predictable.
I love going to the same grocery stores, walking our dogs along the same routes, visiting the USU campus, all the things we take comfort in because they are familiar.
I worry about the unpredictability of another move, although we are going back to a state in which we've all lived. I ache for Sophie having to be the new kid and not seeing the faces of classmates she's known for 4 years. I feel sad because we won't recognize the cashiers at the local markets and even though we may never exchange more than a few words, seeing them brings that feeling of all is right in the world. I love walking around town and having someone honk because they recognize me and as I see their car going by I can place a person with the vehicle.
Having moved a few times, I know when we first get to Michigan I'll see a familiar car and think, "Oh, there's so and so," only to sadly realize, it's not. Viewing a person from the back, I might think it's a friend, only to remember my friends are many miles away. It's a feeling that causes a deep ache and no matter how many times I move, it creeps up on me.
So today I appreciate our routines in Logan, the familiar, the predictable and the ordinary way we spend each of our days. I know it's good to shake things up once in awhile and pretty soon all will settle and we'll find ourselves chatting with the cashier at the grocery store, whose line we chose because we know he or she is the friendliest.
I love going to the same grocery stores, walking our dogs along the same routes, visiting the USU campus, all the things we take comfort in because they are familiar.
I worry about the unpredictability of another move, although we are going back to a state in which we've all lived. I ache for Sophie having to be the new kid and not seeing the faces of classmates she's known for 4 years. I feel sad because we won't recognize the cashiers at the local markets and even though we may never exchange more than a few words, seeing them brings that feeling of all is right in the world. I love walking around town and having someone honk because they recognize me and as I see their car going by I can place a person with the vehicle.
Having moved a few times, I know when we first get to Michigan I'll see a familiar car and think, "Oh, there's so and so," only to sadly realize, it's not. Viewing a person from the back, I might think it's a friend, only to remember my friends are many miles away. It's a feeling that causes a deep ache and no matter how many times I move, it creeps up on me.
So today I appreciate our routines in Logan, the familiar, the predictable and the ordinary way we spend each of our days. I know it's good to shake things up once in awhile and pretty soon all will settle and we'll find ourselves chatting with the cashier at the grocery store, whose line we chose because we know he or she is the friendliest.
Monday, August 2, 2010
A bit of a deviation
I'm going to take a break from my Best of Logan Countdown to address something I've been thinking about for awhile.
In my discussions about religion I often hear people say they just knew, they felt it was right or they heard a voice telling them the religion they follow is true. As a skeptic, I've often felt (heard a voice, just knew, hahaha) that it was a self-fulfilling prophecy situation. A person wants to believe in something, so they set the conditions for it to be so. The problem was/is, I have felt a comfort when praying or in a religious setting and I like that comfort! Then this happened...
When I was preparing to fly to Michigan a few weeks ago, I kept getting signals that I shouldn't go. Nearly every time I looked at the clock, it was 9:11 (to me that was a sign because of 9/11) and a few days before I was to leave, I stopped behind a car and the license plate read 911. I prayed about it and heard a clear voice telling me not to go. Not good. The reality was, I hate flying, I am certain each flight I take is "the one", but I usually get a feeling that it's all going to be ok. Not so this time.
When I got to the SLC airport, I tried to give up my seat for a later flight, feeling like it was that first leg that was doomed. They didn't need people to give up their seats, so I found a person more afraid of flying than I was and we chatted in the gate, sat next to each other on the plane and I ended up having one of the most enjoyable flights ever.
So what does this all mean? Who knows, but, for me it showed me that when we want to believe something, we can find all the proof we need (not that I wanted to believe I was going to die in an airplane crash, but my fear of flying is very real). I still believe in listening to that little voice inside all of us - and giving it the credit it deserves, while realizing we are the ones in control of that voice. I just don't think that praying for an answer to whether or not a certain religion is true is the most trustworthy path to take, because through the act of praying you are already giving validity to the religion you believe.
I write this also believing that if a person finds comfort within a religion, within a belief system, within a faith in a higher power, they have found a truth FOR THEM. The truth is that the religion, the belief, the faith brings meaning to their life, gives them joy, etc. It still does not mean the religion or the higher power is true, but maybe that's not important - but I would feel better if people acknowledged it.
In my discussions about religion I often hear people say they just knew, they felt it was right or they heard a voice telling them the religion they follow is true. As a skeptic, I've often felt (heard a voice, just knew, hahaha) that it was a self-fulfilling prophecy situation. A person wants to believe in something, so they set the conditions for it to be so. The problem was/is, I have felt a comfort when praying or in a religious setting and I like that comfort! Then this happened...
When I was preparing to fly to Michigan a few weeks ago, I kept getting signals that I shouldn't go. Nearly every time I looked at the clock, it was 9:11 (to me that was a sign because of 9/11) and a few days before I was to leave, I stopped behind a car and the license plate read 911. I prayed about it and heard a clear voice telling me not to go. Not good. The reality was, I hate flying, I am certain each flight I take is "the one", but I usually get a feeling that it's all going to be ok. Not so this time.
When I got to the SLC airport, I tried to give up my seat for a later flight, feeling like it was that first leg that was doomed. They didn't need people to give up their seats, so I found a person more afraid of flying than I was and we chatted in the gate, sat next to each other on the plane and I ended up having one of the most enjoyable flights ever.
So what does this all mean? Who knows, but, for me it showed me that when we want to believe something, we can find all the proof we need (not that I wanted to believe I was going to die in an airplane crash, but my fear of flying is very real). I still believe in listening to that little voice inside all of us - and giving it the credit it deserves, while realizing we are the ones in control of that voice. I just don't think that praying for an answer to whether or not a certain religion is true is the most trustworthy path to take, because through the act of praying you are already giving validity to the religion you believe.
I write this also believing that if a person finds comfort within a religion, within a belief system, within a faith in a higher power, they have found a truth FOR THEM. The truth is that the religion, the belief, the faith brings meaning to their life, gives them joy, etc. It still does not mean the religion or the higher power is true, but maybe that's not important - but I would feel better if people acknowledged it.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
16
The newspaper here, The Herald Journal, is sort of one of my favorite things for these reasons: I like checking what movies arrived at the "cheap" theater on Fridays, I like reading the opinions of local readers (sometimes), and right now I'm using it to wrap the stuff that's breakable for our move.
Logan is a small town, so one can usually find a couple names they recognize in the newspaper. It does a good job of covering events in the area and even putting in uplifting news instead of just really depressing, horrible stuff.
On Sundays I like to scan the wedding announcements and count how many people are getting married in the LDS Temple. It's rare to find an announcement of a couple marrying who is not getting married in the Temple - which means that wow, there are a lot of people of the LDS religion here or people getting married at other venues are not advertising their event. Interesting.
I just hope I don't forget to cancel our subscription before we leave...maybe I should do it now, just in case.
Logan is a small town, so one can usually find a couple names they recognize in the newspaper. It does a good job of covering events in the area and even putting in uplifting news instead of just really depressing, horrible stuff.
On Sundays I like to scan the wedding announcements and count how many people are getting married in the LDS Temple. It's rare to find an announcement of a couple marrying who is not getting married in the Temple - which means that wow, there are a lot of people of the LDS religion here or people getting married at other venues are not advertising their event. Interesting.
I just hope I don't forget to cancel our subscription before we leave...maybe I should do it now, just in case.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
