Whenever I come back to my home town I feel a little bit like this Dylan lyric:
"You can always come back, but you can't come back all the way" (Mississippi, Love and Theft).
I think a lot of you folks will understand that sentiment. I spent 19 years living in one place and that place has moved on quite well without me. People have changed, places have changed, whole communities have changed. All it takes is the ride from the airport to realize that this isn't my home town anymore. I am just a visitor. This year I even run out of reasons to why I am not moving back (when people inevitably ask me that question). We have moved into the stage of "we love living in New York, it is our home and we are staying indefinitely." That being said I love coming home and spending time with my parents, brothers and friends. It really is such a privilege to have this time off and be able to spend it with my parents. It is especially great for the girls since they are getting to know their grandparents so well despite the distance. So thank you Mom and Dad for your charity and generosity in letting us stay so long and dominating your peaceful lives.
Usually after a while the itch to go home returns; right around the time I realize that am losing all sense of reality (this happens to teachers every summer). When this starts to happen this Dylan lyric starts to creep into my head:
"I'm going back to New York City, I do believe I've had enough" (Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues, Highway 61 Revisited).
We will be flying in at night and I can't wait to see the Empire State and Chrysler buildings welcoming us home with their lights. If we are lucky we will get to see the George Washington Bridge representing our neighborhood. So here's to coming home and knowing that you are truly home. Reality awaits.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Laura 4 Provo!
And Spread The Word!
Laura is the second of eight children. With her father attending medical school, completing his residency and getting his career under way, Laura’s chilhood and formative years were spent in such diverse places as Guadalajara, Mexico, Winnepeg, Canada, Green River, Wyoming, Springville, Utah, and El Paso, Texas.
Laura and her husband, Dave, met in religion class at BYU, and were married in 1982. A few years later Laura and Dave became the parents of triplets: Paige, Cliff and Sierra. Born prematurely, the triplets faced a lot of challenges, but today they are normal, healthy, beautiful 21 year olds. Next year, they – along with younger son Marc, will all be attending colleges in Utah.
Laura paid entirely for her own education through her military service and a variety of jobs. As many young, busy mothers often do, she squeezed in study and class time during lunches, after work, and after the kids were in bed. With her youngest child still just six months old, Laura completed her degree from BYU Law School in 1994.
After completing law school and serving as a clerk for Judge Ray Harding, Sr., of Utah’s 4th District Court she accepted a job as an Orem City Prosecutor – learning first-hand the legal challenges involved in managing a city. Following her time with Orem City ,Laura joined the Utah County Attorney’s office. Among the cases she handled for Utah County were the prosecution of the “gentleman” bank robber who shot a BYU police officer as part of a cross country crime spree, as well as the high-profile MovieBuffs pornography case.
Laura is now a Partner with the respected Provo law firm of Esplin|Weight.
While still in college, Laura joined the Army Reserves – in which she still proudly serves. While admittedly drawn in part to military service by a sense of adventure and love of challenge, her fundamental motivation in serving in the Reserves is a deeply felt responsibility to country. She strongly believes that those who have been blessed have a responsibility to give back.
While in the Army Laura quickly learned discipline and gained confidence. After basic training she returned to BYU and enrolled in ROTC as the only female in the program that year. Laura continues to support and encourage young women in the military and has taught in the ROTC program at Brigham Young University. Having experienced first-hand the evolution of the reserves and National Guard from “standby” forces to essential and active elements of America’s front-line military, she knows and has lived the challenges faced by Utah’s many service families and the communities in which they live and work.
Laura now holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Laura’s unique life experiences have made her an effective leader. Working hard; dealing with challenges; managing career, service and family – all of these give Laura the understanding, the skills and the values to help lead Provo to an even better future.
M.I.A
I know I've been "MIA" for the past couple of months. We've been busy. The end of June and early July found us in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and visiting friends in the DC area. Then back to NYC for Matt to teach a summer program and to pack up our apartment. We moved everything into storage for the month of August while we're visiting family & friends in California and Utah. Then we'll be back to NY where we're moving into an apartment not far from where we were, but in a bit of a better neighborhood. Alexis will be starting Kindergarten after Labor Day. We're excited with the changes, but obviously the blog has suffered. After we're in our new place, I can update with photos from the summer vacation. It's been wonderful!
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