What I'll Miss...

We're leaving soon. In a week actually.

I wanted to write down some of the things I will and won't miss about this place that we've lived in for the past 9 years. I'll start with the teary, weepy What I'll Miss post and follow it up another day with the negative, buzzkill What I Won't Miss post to stop the tears from flowing. So...what I'll miss:

My house. The secret attic room, both my bedroom and the nursery that I got to decorate from scratch exactly the way I wanted them, the windows in the living room, the dogwood tree in the spring.

My street. Where I started to love running. It's perfect for it: almost exactly a five mile run to the end and back and almost completely flat. Lots of pleasant "alone time" was spent on this road.

Book Club. For getting me to enjoy something I never did but always wanted to: reading.

Strong Museum. How I spent many a Friday or Saturday night entertaining my oldest and getting 1/2 priced milk shakes from Bill Gray's for dinner.

My OBGYN. Is that weird? My friends get it. He hugged me at our last appointment. I almost cried. So did our pediatrician. He was great.


Highland Park. Especially in May.

Wegman's. I didn't shop there often, but if I needed something amazing or amazingly odd, I knew Wegman's would have it.

Being this close to NYC.

My neighbors. And the free slurpies he would give us. And for never complaining about our rotten dog.

Knowing with near certainty at which friend's house I would spend each holiday and which would be celebrated here. Who will be in charge of the Superbowl and pumpkin carving now?

The libraries. So many branches within driving distance.

Being in a decent sized city that didn't feel big at all.


The Boy's friend's. The thought of putting him into a regular pre-school somewhere else terrifies me.

And of course, my friends. Like Nicole, who is one of the strongest people I know. Here are the ones I have pictures of, but there are more that I will miss, too. In their life, everyone should have someone who:

...is an example

... is a calming influence

...let's you be yourself, flaws and all


...you can count on for anything

... is a life line
...gives unconditional love

I love you women so much. Thank you for being my friend and teaching me how to be one in return. Because of you, I am better.