20 Things

This is a recap of the "20 Things I Love about CU" posts I shared on Facebook during our last 20 days in Champaign-Urbana. I'm including it here mostly for my archival pleasure, but feel free to scroll through. Those of you in CU can hopefully join me in confirming many of my choices; those of you who wonder why the heck we spent fifteen years in CU can hopefully gain some insight on what a special place it is.


#20 - Sakanaya - The best sushi joint in CU.

#19 - The Virginia Theater...and so many memories of enjoying performances and movies with good friends and family at my side.

#18 - Meadowbrook Park. I know I'm about to move somewhere stunningly beautiful, but there is something about the prairie. I will always love and remember the late summer wildflowers and bike rides and deer sightings.

#17 - GSLiS / the iSchool / the library school / whatever you call it. It's the reason we came here in the first place (for two years - tops!) and led to everything else that has happened, including my job at King and, indirectly, Sean's internship at Westview.

Pretty lucky that I had the opportunity to stay in the town where my mentors are for so long. Very lucky that the Bulletin welcomed me as a reviewer all those years.

#16 - Black Dog. Every.single.time. I think my dad will miss it too.

#15 - Sunsets. I've always thought it strange that Montana gets to be Big Sky country when in fact us flatlanders get a whole lot more sky to enjoy without those pesky mountains getting in the way.

Photo taken last August when my big sister Annie and I went sunset chasing west of town.

#14 - The Urbana Farmers Market. This one gets a whole collage of photos because I love it so very much. I remember walking there from our first house in east Urbana, practically living there during our year on Race Street, and happily wearing babies/pulling wagons/holding hands there these last ten years. I will miss it.

#13 - St. Patricks. We picked it from among several parishes just a few weeks after arriving here in 2002...and we are really picky in our brand of Catholicism. It has been a wonderful church home for our family, and we've made lots of great friends there.

#12 - CU Ballet / Champaign Ballet Academy. Finn auditioned for The Nutcracker for the first time in Kindergarten. He wasn't cast that year, and when he brought home the flyer in 1st grade and said he wanted to try again, I was admittedly a little nervous. He had now performed in three Nutcrackers and studied ballet for three years. It had been so good for him: his focus, his attention to precision, his friendships. Last year, Sean and Emmett joined him on stage and my heart pretty much exploded the entire run. How I will miss it.

#11 - King School. As my Urbana colleagues head to UMS for Opening Day, I gotta say it's feeling pretty weird not to be among them. Sending love and strength to you all!

 #10 - The King School Library. Twelve years (well, twelve minus two) is a long time to sink your heart and soul into a place. I'm pretty darn proud of what I accomplished during my tenure, and I'd like to think there are King kids with great memories of time spent there.

 

#9 - West Side Park. I love that we can walk there, that my kiddos got to hang out there so frequently while at FUMCCC, that the route from our house to downtown goes right through it. I love that when I was nursing E and chasing F and I sent the park district a letter about the need for a bench near the playground they installed one the next week. I love that it's the first place my boys ventured to independently.
 

 #8 - So this entry is a little specific, but I love the Huevos Rancheros Stack at Destihl so much that I've written to Bon Appetit magazine on multiple occasions asking them to track down the recipe for me. It is so crazy good.    

 #7 - My King School family. Tonight I'm ugly crying as I read your kind words and remember all the good times. You are in my heart.

#6 - Proximity to Chicago. Being 128 miles away from my childhood has its benefits.

#5 - Spark Play Cafe. So this one is a late entry but this fantastic cafe/bar/coffee shop/children's museum is the very kind of place I have always dreamed of opening. Maybe I'll do it in Helena...

 #4 -  Champaign Public Library. Stopped in today to turn in our reading program cards and get free books. The place is abuzz with eclipse madness, but even on a regular day, there's always an energy here. The staff is top notch, the collection unmatched, and the memories abundant. Oh, and the lobby decor is always the best.

#3 - My People. No photos. No names. But I have a wonderful tribe here and am so filled with gratitude and love on this, my last night on Union Street. ❤️

A special shout-out to those who have helped me get through these last few weeks...taking the boys, feeding me, packing my ENTIRE kitchen. I hope that on the flip side it is what I'll remember about this crazy transition.

#2 - Finn & Emmett. Born in Urbana, raised in Champaign. Products of this quirky microurban community and so much more. They are handling this transition incredibly, in no small part because of the aforementioned tribe that surrounds us.

Thanks, CU, for loving my kiddos. MT, fasten your seatbelt...here they come!

 #1 - Champaign Urbana. Fifteen years of memories. We came here as a newly engaged couple just a year home from Mongolia. We leave with three masters degrees, a dozen years of professional experience, fourteen years of marriage, and two great kids [see #2]. It has been a wild ride, and leaving is bittersweet. We're pretty excited about our new chapter, however, and I can't wait to share 20 things I love about Helena down the road.

Thanks to all who have been a part of our CU story.

❤️ Hope