Working in Provo has kindled all kinds of memories from past visits and past living! While driving home from work today I compiled a mental list of the good and bad memories that I’ve re-visited. Some will make you smile; some will make you shake your head in understanding.
The Bad
- Happy Valley Dating… Only in Provo will date two become a DTR that is considered a success if you’ve discussed the possibility of your future marriage and children. Although meeting the parents by date 3 is encouraged it’s not mandatory.
- The one CRAZY roommate… maybe when you move in with an apartment full of strangers it’s always expected that one will be a little off, but I experienced this more in Provo than anywhere else. From the roommate that would turn the AC on in the winter and the heat on in the summer, to the one that would use the rest of our bath loofas, and the one that was medically declared mentally insane by the end of the semester I’ve had ones that would make a great book one of these days!
- The driving… I don’t know if a person’s driving IQ automatically drops 10 points when you enter the city limits, or if it’s a domino effect from being around so many bad drivers, but nobody seems to know how to drive, especially in the snow. This is still true…
- Get-Rich-Quick jobs… I swear there was more opportunity to sell Cutco, MaryKay, Avon, do envelope stuffing, etc. than anywhere else I’ve lived! And I had two roommates in particular that fell for each and every gimmick and tried to pay their tuition through these schemes.
- “On my mission”… I have since served a mission and know how life altering the experience can be, but it gets old really fast if every example in a church lesson, and in general conversation has at least 3 references to the glory days. I would hope positive, uplifting, and funny things have happened since that time.
The Good
- Climbing 5 days a week!!! There were so many people willing to get out on the mountains, and for some crazy reason I always had time to squeeze in a climb.
- Great friends are easy to come by! I moved in and out of several wards when I lived in Provo and each one had a few top notch people that I still keep in contact with. Also random friendships could pop up anywhere.
- My discovery of snowshoeing! A friend found three pairs of snowshoes in his garage, and a few of us found it our calling to make sure they got the use they needed. I’ve since bought my own, and am so grateful to have discovered this winter sport.
- BYU Creamery Ice Cream! Need I say more?
- Living in the “ghetto”. When I was told by my first Provo roommates that I really should drive the .01 miles to my work because I got off at midnight and we happened to live in the ghetto I knew I had moved to the right apartment!!!
- Hot Tub Hopping! All my apartments had hot tubs, and I indulged in them on a regular basis, but if our hot tub happened to be shut down for maintenance you could always go to the apartment complex next door or down the street because none of them had locks. They were all open for anyone to enjoy!
- Food at every activity! There’s something to be said for food that I don’t have to make, especially on a week night.
- REI Garage Sale! True, we had to drive to Salt Lake to indulge in this, but it was in Provo that I discovered this fabulous tri-yearly event that changed my outdoor gear purchasing power forever.
- Always someone to share your cooking with! Which is great when you love to make eggrolls and only know how to make a family sized batch.
- Walk in Baptisms! I loved that any day of the week; I could just walk in and do some good. Because it was so accessible I made this a weekly ritual. The question now is where has all that time gone?
Saddly, I have none. However, next time I'm out for a visit we'll have to start a new Ikea memory. Is that in Provo?
ReplyDeleteClose, it's in Draper which is in between Salt Lake and Provo. When are you comming out next? Do you know if we are having a reunion soon?
ReplyDeleteOoo yeah. Haha!!! I was born in Provo but most of my memories from there were from the two times I attended BYU ballet camp during the summer. I also went to the U for my first year of college and well, let's face it. There are crazy Mormons all over Utah!! I can relate to all of your top 5 bad things!(St. George drivers are retards, too.)
ReplyDeleteI used to do walk in baptisms in the Salt Lake temple and that was awesome, though. And I made some good friends. I am rather fond of that big mall by BYU.