Sunday, July 5, 2009

Goodbye Dear Provo

While we've been packing up to move, I've been thinking about the things I'll miss about Provo. And a few things that'll I'll be happy to say goodbye to. I'm taking a break now from last minute packing and cleaning to tell you my thoughts. Along with a few pictures.



Things I’ll Miss:

  • RESTAURANTS: Zupas (best tomato soup I’ve ever had), Maestros (oh man, they’ve got European Drinking Chocolate), Bajios (though there might be some good replacements in Texas), Noodles and Co (Pesto Cavatappi!), Paradise Bakery (I could eat the Walnut Chicken Salad Sandwich every day. I need to learn how to make maple bread), Coney Island Custard (Chocolate Shake with raspberry mix-in), J Dawgs (best hot dogs, hands down).

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This is Maestro's European Drinking Chocolate. I know. I know.

  • What I like to call “Heaven in a Bottle,” otherwise known as BYU Creamery Chocolate milk. Oh how I’ll miss it. Ohhh.

  • It’s been really great having Kyle around the last year. Sean and Kyle’s mission overlapped by a few months, so there a stretch of almost 4 years that they didn’t see each other. I actually think that Kyle’s what we’ll miss most about being here. He’s a good brudda. I don’t know how much Kyle will miss us though, he just got an awesome and pretty girlfriend- he’s well occupied.

  • There’s this one drinking fountain in the Widtsoe that I know is very temperamental, but many others do not. How I’ve loved watching them press the button and have the water shoot straight up, right in the face. It's terrible, but I love it.

  • I really love hearing news about the church on the news. It makes me chuckle and smile.

  • I’ll truly miss my lab. I work with great, brilliant people. And mice. There’s such a happy atmosphere and music’s playing all the time. My advisor/boss has been such a great help in every way. And there’s a fantastic view from the top of the SWKT.


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Yep, I worked at the top. It was great

  • It’s been great just knowing the town so well. Especially campus. I feel so comfortable here. It’s no fun starting over. Well, it is actually fun, but less comfortable.

  • Provo is such a safe place. I have no problem walking around with Sean at night; I’ve never died here; stuff like that. Houston’s… not quite as safe.

  • Our ward is such a treasure. I’ve made some woooooonderful friends and learned how to be a good woman from all those great ladies. It’s been really fun being with so many newly married couples and I’ll miss that automatic kinship.

  • Provo is where “Sean and Katie” began, where it blossomed and flourished. Except for weeks here and there, our whole life together has been in this funny little city. We won’t be able to take a walk to where we had our first kiss anymore. We can’t drive by where Sean proposed to me anymore. That’ll be sad.

  • Oh man, I’ll miss the Daily Universe. BYU’s newspaper is so unintentionally funny. And sometimes thought-provoking. I’ll especially miss Police Beat: “Man in bear suit was reported handing out flowers to women walking into the library. Police told the man to stop.”

  • Silly as it is, I’ll miss the malls in Provo and Orem. Sean and I really enjoy walking around the mall, watching funny things people do and finding fun things to laugh about. We’ll have to find a new mall to visit.


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We usually enter the mall through Nordstrom's which have mannequins with flexible fingers. So we always put them in the "I love you" sign.

  • Our apartment is so cute. It’s small but it’s served us well. Half of the front was covered in plants and yesterday someone came and took it all out. It’s a sign that it’s time to go.

  • I’ll miss unconsciously knowing exactly which way to turn to reach the elevator buttons in the SWKT. I couldn’t tell you which way they are, but my body knows which way whenever I’m there.

  • Surprisingly, I’ll miss the mountains. When I first came here, I was annoyed that they blocked my view of the sky. Now I like them. I guess they’ve grown on me. No more mountain hikes.


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I'll miss Y Mountain the most.

  • My most frequented buildings at BYU: SWKT, Benson, MARB, Widtsoe, and the Library. And Sugar and Spice in the Wilk.

  • Sean won’t have anybuddy to speak Hmong with anymore. He had some old companions here but we’re pretty sure there won’t be any Hmong-speakers in Texas.



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Hmongers: Yaj Pov, Cai, and Yim Leej


Things I Won’t Miss

  • Our shower is leaky and gross and I can’t wait to get away from it!

  • Those idiotic Questar commercials with the guy being a show host and interviewing the water heater and others. Ugh, I’m about to throw up every time I see it!

  • I have no clue where they all come from, but there’s are waaaay too many bugs in this house. Especially lately. No matter what we do, they appear. I think they’re trying to chase us away.

  • The South Stairs of Death. I’ve died a thousand times and I’m ready to stop.

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d.e.a.t.h.
But I really will miss you Provo. You've been a good city to me. So long, farewell! I know I'm going to shed a tear tomorrow. I'm such a pansy.
Now, I need to know what to look forward to about Houston! Anyone familiar with Texas and/or Houston- what should I make sure to check out??
Things people asked about the pictures in the last post: I use a 18-55mm zoom lens (the one that came with the camera, the one that will last me a long time because lens's aint cheap) though occassionally a 10x macro lens the just screws on (not anything fancy). I also use Photoshop CS4 to edit my photos, to which I'm eternally grateful.

7 comments:

  1. Ha~I remember a finicky water fountain in the Widstoe! Things to check out in Houston: the Galleria. It's huge and crowded always but you just have to go there. The temple is sooo pretty especially at night. There's a million museums to go to, especially near the medical center. I think we went to the science museum...(clearly the name didn't leave an impression but it was fun). And I've heard in the summer there's lots of free music stuff and entertainment going on, but I missed those summer months, not regretfully, knowing how hot it is. And if you ever make it over to Austin, the Salt Lick has the BEST bbq EVER. Hands down. It's about 20 minutes outside the city and is like its own little town complete with traffic-directors.

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  2. We lived our first year in Houston in the Galleria area and it was so fun. There are amazing shops and gorgeous houses (that we will never be able to afford). Our ward was a fun mix because there were lots of young couples just starting their families who lived in apartments and then a lot of older couples/families who could afford the homes in the area. Our favorite restaurant is Chacho's and is near the Galleria (I just blogged about it - we still drive to it often, especially when family is in town). Chaco's is Mexian, which there is a lot of, and then of course lots of BBQ (Pappa's is a favorite of ours). The fast food chain Whataburger is popular - you'll see them everywhere. The museum district is awesome and many of the museums are free on Thursdays which is even better! You can go to any major sporting event because we have professional teams in the each sport. You are within 3-4 hours of the other major Texas cities which makes for fun little getaways: Dallas, Austin and San Antonio- each of which have their own fun to offer. You have a beach 30 minutes away in Galveston...not the prettiest beach, but a beach nonetheless :-). There is something to be said for southern hospitality as well! But my very favorite thing about Houston and a big part of why we will stay here forever...the winters :-)!!!
    It was fun to read through your Provo list. I, unlike you, didn't think there was much I would miss about it...I just wanted to get away! But we went back a year later and I was so excited to visit because there was a lot I did miss. I still miss the mountains - it is pretty flat here- and many of the restaurants.
    GOod luck with your move!!!

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  3. Oh, to see some HUGE houses...you'll have to check out River Oaks. There are lots of big houses all around there - the memorial area, etc. but River Oaks has some that are just insane!

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  4. I feel ya, I'm sad to be leaving too! I never thought that I would miss Provo, but when we leave later this month, I know I'll cry. Good luck in Texas! At least you know it's not forever, enjoy the time there and then you'll move on to new things!

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  5. We are going to MISS you guys! I'm happy that we'll be able to keep up on your life through blogging, but for real- I'll miss your happy face every Sunday leading the music! Provo really is a great place to go to school, despite all our protests. I'm sorry we didn't make it over to help you move. JD ended up going to work, and Hailey isn't that big of a help anyway. Good luck with everything!! We love you guys!

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  6. "I’ve never died here; stuff like that."

    "I’ve died a thousand times and I’m ready to stop."

    ?? :)

    We're going to miss you!!!!! I love Provo too. I want to get out of Utah, but the longer I stay, the more I realize how much I appreciate it. And thanks for the restaurant recommendations. I also love that dish at Noodles :)

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  7. Hi Katie (& Sean)! Hope you don't mind but your Dad gave me your blog address. I really enjoyed hearing how you are doing and glad to hear things are going so well! Your pictures are fabulous! You were asking about things to check out in Houston...well, my girlfriend just moved back there about 2 weeks ago and one of her favorite places is Pappadeux's (I think I have the spelling correct). It's Cajun food but with something that everyone likes. I know everything will continue to be great for you guys! Enjoy your new adventure!!

    Sheri Kaminsky

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