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Visiting My Hometown

October 11, 2011August 25, 2015 Crystal // Dreams, etc. 1 comment
Visiting My Hometown

I’m sorry I was absent last week. I signed in to Blogger multiple times throughout the week but something always came up. It was a busy week; I started working on a new story and over the weekend I visited my hometown. My childhood best friend got married on Saturday so I journeyed over for the ceremony and watched Heather and Tyler say their vows with a big smile on my face. They’ve been dating since we were finishing up high school so I was happy to see them tie the knot!

It’s been a few years since I visited my hometown and a lot of things have changed! They now have Walgreens, Jimmy Johns, Noodles & Company, Cold Stone Creamery, Chili’s… the list of chains that have arrived goes on and on. The last time that I was there a Starbucks had just moved in. Now they have two. But once I had a feel for the town again, I drove around to visit a few places that I always think of when I think of my hometown.

While I’m a city girl at heart now, I often write about people who live in small towns and I think back to my hometown often while I build the world for my novel. I may have lived there for only nine years, but it definitely left its mark on me.

My mom and I both attended the wedding so we stayed with a friend of hers that weekend. On Friday we went out for a Wisconsin fish fry and then toured the town a little. She showed us all the new developments that have gone up and then took us to Belts, an ice cream stand that is open seasonally. I regularly think about Belts when Stevens Point comes to mind so I was excited to be able to stop by during its last weekend of the season.

I’m sorry for the blurry photo, I basically just snapped the picture because I was worried that the ice cream would melt! This is a small. They have various sizes of ice cream cones, all of which are huge. But, the ice cream is still cheap!

Between the ceremony and the reception we walked around downtown and then visited our old house, which my dad and brother built. The house has changed a lot and I only knew it had been ours because I recognized the houses on each side of it! As I was approaching our former neighbor’s driveway (which I was planning to use to turn around) I said, “I’m almost expecting to see him sitting out front.” He’s an outdoorsy guy and when he wasn’t mowing lawns or pulling stumps out of the ground after trees had to be cut down (we lived in a very woodsy area), we could usually find him sitting out in the front of his house. And sure enough, there he was! So we stopped to chat for a few minutes. We also stopped to visit the husband of the woman who took care of me when I was younger while my parents were working. I don’t want to use the term nanny, because she was much more than that. She was family. She passed away earlier this year. Her husband was excited to see us so we stopped to chat with him for awhile. He lives near the railroad tracks that I used to visit regularly and while we were there, a train came by so I ran out to take pictures. As we left, I also stopped by the park that I played at when I was a kid.

Fall is the perfect time to drive through Wisconsin with the leaves turning color. Minnesota is a pretty state but I’ve always found Wisconsin to be much more beautiful because of all the foliage. Driving through my old neighborhood was absolutely breathtaking. I honestly don’t remember all of the colors and the beauty of it. The streets were lined with trees and in some places the branches created a canopy over the road. Brilliant leaves littered the ground and the sun shining through the branches created a glow. As we drove around I couldn’t remember why we ever left.

About Crystal

About Crystal

Hi! I'm Crystal, a millennial learning how to live slowly and sustainably, while still seeking adventure and following my dreams, etc.

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One comment

  1. Julia, the Thanksgiving Girl says:
    October 14, 2011 at 8:43 pm

    The ice cream looks huge!!

    And well 9 years is not such a short time, you know… I believe even a month can have a huge impact on someone's life!

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hi!

I'm Crystal, the storyteller behind Dreams, etc. I'm all about learning how to live slowly & sustainably, while also seeking adventure as we follow our dreams, etc.

If only we always remembered to be in touch with o If only we always remembered to be in touch with our loved ones regularly; to tell them that we love them.

This thought has been on my mind the last few weeks as I’ve been in touch with one of my best friends almost daily. They’ve been navigating a scary situation.

But that’s what everyone says, isn’t it? Reach out to those you love. Tell them you love them. Don’t let a lot of time pass.

We all know that. We think about it sometimes. We hear about it when others are in crisis. We’re thankful that we aren’t the ones in crisis and we can remember this lesson through someone else.

But eventually we get caught up in life. Our daily “I love you’s” are reserved for those we live with and sometimes we forget to text someone back… or it takes a few days to do so.

This week as I wondered why we don’t remember this more often I realized it’s probably a good thing. It’s a good thing that we can live life without worrying that tragedy is right around the corner. That would be an exhausting way to live.

It’s also good that we can get little reminders, sometimes not from our own life. So from someone who spent one week numb, another week weepy, and this week sad, remember to send your friends a text. Tell them you love them.
I took these in early January when the snow still I took these in early January when the snow still felt a bit magical, but right now I’m just ready to walk barefoot in grass.

When I was younger I used to imagine what it would be like if we got so much snow that it would be piled high above our doors. I wondered if we’d be able to create tunnels in the snow to move around in.

And this year might just be the year we find out. I’m kidding, of course, but at this point I feel like we’ve been buried in snow. We’re even on track to beat some snow records I think (the amount of snow and the number of consecutive days with snow on the ground.

So. What’s the weather like where you are?
February was here and gone in the blink of an eye February was here and gone in the blink of an eye but contained moments I’ll carry with me forever.
When it’s almost halfway through February and yo When it’s almost halfway through February and you still haven’t posted January’s recap. January was filled with lots of family time. 💙
Hello, friends! 👋🏼 Swipe through for a few g Hello, friends! 👋🏼 Swipe through for a few glimpses from January. As 2022 came to an end I had this feeling that I was preparing to hibernate and I guess, in a way, I have. I’ve been slowly easing into the new year, focused on getting back into a few routines after Iceland and the holidays. And it’s been a great month. I can’t believe it’s almost over. What have your favorite moments of January been?
2022. Looking back on this year it was the year of 2022. Looking back on this year it was the year of so many dreams experiences. Whales. Cape Cod/Nantucket. Iceland. I saw musicals that have I’ve been dreaming of with Moulin Rouge, Wicked, and Six. 

It wasn’t without its stresses and rough moments but I’m grateful for the good that can be found, even when it’s hard.
Let’s journey back to November for the second we Let’s journey back to November for the second weekly dam walk of the month. My dad joined me for this one and we made it somewhat fast because it was a chilly day. “The water looks cold,” I said when we back to the car.

Between Iceland and the below zero, windy, and snowy weather we had last week (which came with requests from my parents not to go) it’s been a few weeks since I’ve been to the dam and I miss it!
Years ago I celebrated Christmas and New Years in Years ago I celebrated Christmas and New Years in Vienna and it still lives in my memory today as such a special time. I know December in Reykjavik will be the same—and not just because I came home with a little over $100 worth of ornaments of all 13 Yule Lads AND their mom AND the Christmas cat. (There was a little bit of miscommunication between my mom and me on that shopping trip. 😂)

It might have been cold (and when that wind hits you don’t want to be outside or by the harbour…I speak from windswept, breath-stolen experience and will forever be grateful for the library we eventually found respite in) and we only saw the sun a few hours each day, but seeing this already charming city decked out in Christmas lights with a skating rink and the prettiest tree secured it’s place in my heart.

Reykjavik, I hope to see you again one day. Soon. Probably not in December, but I’m glad I got to see you in December once.
Last year my niece and I visited New York at Chris Last year my niece and I visited New York at Christmastime and it was fun to see the city decked out in lights. I can also now say that I’ve seen the Rockefeller Christmas Tree and skating rink and the Saks Christmas lights, but I’ve also seen the crowds they draw.

It was completely different in Reykjavik this year. You actually had a chance to skate on the ice rink if you wanted (and I never did the conversation, but I think it’s cheaper) and you could actually walk up to the Christmas tree. Two very different Christmas in the city experiences.
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