Ah, the memories

It is cold and snowy here, and just about the time of year I start missing Ann Arbor. Why, you might ask, do I miss Ann Arbor in the winter? Well, I really miss the place all year round, but in the winter, I miss our apartment and the free heat that went with it. Our two bedroom place was so hot, we didn't need to wear sweaters indoors, even if we had the thermostat set to 66. When the heat was on, it was ON. So, every year, when the mercury dips and I start turning blue (despite the 5 layers I am wearing) I long to be back in that two bedroom apartment in Ann Arbor.

Of course, if we WERE in that two bedroom place in Ann Arbor, the girls would have our old room, Aaron and Melina would be sharing the little bedroom, the cats would have to hide from the dog in the bathtub, and Tim and I would be stuck with the couch and the floor, both of which would most likely be hidden by all of the stuff we have miraculously accumulated in the years since having kids. So, do I really miss Ann Arbor? Yes. Here is what I miss:

1. The Cloverleaf Diner.
2. Gallup Park and running through the Arb.
3. St. Mary's Student Parish.
4. Jerusalem Garden, Tios, Bev's Caribbean Kitchen, chapatis, Earthen Jar, the Backroom and Stucchi's.
5. The Ronald McDonald House and the old pals we had there.
6. Walking down State Street/Liberty/Main Street.
7. The friends we left behind when we moved here.

Do I like where we are? Yes. Here is what I like:

1. First Watch.
2. The metroparks and running through them.
3. Our neighborhood and neighbors.
4. Flying Pizza.
5. Our preschool and our city school.
6. The libraries
7. The friends we've made since moving here.

I'll think of this again next winter, and all of those winters following, perhaps until I find my way back to Ann Arbor someday.