Our Logan Journey

We have had so many memories here in Logan, Utah. Cache Valley has been a wonderful place to live and it will always hold a special place in my heart. We decided to take pictures of some special places. I want to remember Logan just as we left it.

Oakridge Apartment Building 24. I lived in 24 C. He lived below me in 24 B. This is where we met and became friends.  I still remember the first time I heard about "Chris from Connecticut who played football." I was definitely looking forward to meeting this mysterious neighbor. An out-of-stater like me and an athlete...seemed just like my type.

This is where we went to church: the 53rd Ward. Chris was called as "Family Home Evening Dad" and I was later called as "Family Home Evening Mom." Coincidence? I think not. We planned lots of activities together including "Pop Pong" where I totally dominated. We also ate breakfast on the roof of this church and watched the sun rise. It was pretty romantic. Despite the fact that I fell off and hit the concrete while trying to get up- it was a fun date.

The Logan Temple is of course a special place. We went here often and sometimes I would plan my runs so I could take a break and just look at its beauty. It's different than temples in Salt Lake City or Manhattan because it stands out so much. I love that it can be seen from miles away and at night, it lights up the whole valley.

Utah State deserves a picture of course... for its the entire reason we both moved to Logan. Christopher came here because we wanted to play football and he wanted to live in Utah but not go to BYU. I chose Utah State on a complete spontaneous whim, to be honest. I was attending Ohio State and at the end of my first quarter there I just had this idea to apply at Utah State. They offered me a full-ride and I couldn't say no. From then on, things just fell into place and it just seemed right. I really loved being a Buckeye and at times I miss it and wish I would have stayed. But transferring was the right decision. Utah State ended up being the perfect place for me and of course, I met my husband too. 

Woodruff Elementary School was my first job. I worked here a few days a week for the After School Club program with America Reads. Chris also worked here and we played with the kids, helped them with their homework and organized activities. I loved seeing him interact with all the kids. They sure loved Mr. Chris. I also met my awesome friend Brittnee here! We often car pooled together.

Betos. Where to begin? The funniest thing about this place is it's actually called Rancheritos. But the old owners named it Betos and it just stuck. No one even calls it by its real name. Chris loved their breakfast burritos. I just loved it because it was open 24/7 and it filled him up for pretty cheap. We spent one of our dates here, just talking about our lives and sharing pretty intimate details about our past. I loved how comfortable I felt talking to him. We just clicked.

This is Romney Stadium where Christopher spent many hours playing football. I sat in these stands and watched him play his first scrimmage. We also rushed this field when Utah State beat BYU. It was epic. I was painted blue and on ESPN. Such a great memory.

While on the sports note, I must say the Spectrum is one the best parts about Utah State. The energy in the arena is amazing, especially while singing the Scotsman, "I believe that we will win" and "winning team, losing team." We cheered the Aggies on to 4 WAC championships. I also spent many hours working here for athletic media relations - compiling media guides, archiving clippings and taking down stats. It was a great job to launch me into the world of PR. It's also where I met my great friend Lacey.

This was our first home together: Old Main Village Apartment 2 B. It was just a small studio but it was really close to campus and made some great memories here.

After we got married, we attended the 61st ward for married students. We met some great friends here!

I worked at The Rage as a receptionist for tanning, hair and nails. I was so relieved when I got this job because I had been looking for a long time. I met some of my best friends here! I loved all the girls and the free tanning. Although, I probably increased my risk for skin cancer while working here...

Christopher spent many long hours at Intermountain Healthcare, job shadowing a pediatrician Dr. Visick and a surgeon Dr. Harker. He spent time in the Women and Newborn Center and also the ER. This is where he solidified his desire to pursue medical school and become a surgeon.

Some of our best dates were spent at the Fun Park and the Gutter. We loved country swing dancing, playing the games, laser tag and bowling. We learned lots of flips, turns, lifts and moves. I think this was really where we started to fall in love. I loved this place!

Logan wouldn't be Logan without Deseret Industries, aka the DI. We found so many treasures here! Furniture, ski boots, flippers, costumes, dishes, books, a wake board, picture frames and more. Best thrift store, ever.

Charlie's is our favorite ice cream in all of Logan. They have the best shakes and blizzards! We loved going on dates here and sharing a Reeses cup, cookie dough shake. So yummy we had to get one more before we left.

While we are on the topic of ice cream, we can't forget World Famous Aggie Ice Cream! While it's of course delicious, the best part was when it was free on campus! ASUSU (Student Government) or the LDS Institute would often pass out free cups for various occasions. I loved Aggie Blue Mint and Christopher loved Strawberry Cheesecake. We'll sure miss it. 

Adams Elementary School is where Christopher worked for a few years. It was the same program as we Woodruff, where he helped out at After School Club. He also volunteered to help Mrs. Copenhaver's 2nd grade class. She adored him and the kids did too. It was really convenient because it was only a few blocks from Utah State.

Merlin Olsen Park was only a few blocks from our 2nd apartment. It was fun because this is where the Farmer's Market was held in the summer. We ate the best Mexican tacos and drank the most delicious, fresh squeezed lemonade. It was fun to walk around and we often went with Josh & Lacey after us girls went on our long Saturday runs.

First Dam is a great place for picnics, frisbee, feeding ducks, star gazing, pictures and wind surfing. We loved spending Sunday afternoons and warm nights here. This is where David and Christopher wind surfed for the first time. The best is when there are little, fuzzy baby ducks... so cute :) I often ran here because it was about 3 miles from my apartment.

This is the best hike in all of Logan! Christopher took me here while we were dating and married. It's different than most hikes because it's not just a trail - you have to walk across pipes, through tunnels and then finally to cement formation. The view from this point is spectacular.

I have a love-hate relationship with this trail. This is where I ran many, many miles with my friend Lacey while training for the San Francisco marathon. Some days it was really enjoyable, but other days it felt like 100 degrees and we got super dehydrated so running by a gushing river only made things worse and the trail seemed to go on forever. It definitely beat running on the sidewalks and roads.

Anyone who has been in Logan for a summer knows about the canal. It's fenced off now, but we loved spending sunny days floating down it in rafts. Logan has so many great places to float and cliff jump... the perfect summer activities.

 

385 E 200 S, Apt 2 was our 2nd apartment - we loved it because it had 2 bedrooms which was a huge upgrade from our last studio apartment. And heat was included too so we always kept it toasty. Despite the wood panel walls, teeny bathroom and lack of dishwasher... we loved it here!

 

I consider my job at Harris Research, Inc., my first grown up job. It started out as an internship and eventually I was promoted to a full-time employee. This was the first time I ever worked from 9am-5pm and averaged 35-40 hours a week. I loved all my co-workers... they made work so much more fun!!

This is our last church building in Logan, the 28th ward for married students. We were skeptical at first, because we wanted to stay in our old ward. But eventually we got to know new people and made some great friends. I was even called as the nursery teacher and loved it! The kids were so cute and I loved my co-teacher, Kristin. We had the best time :)

This is Beaver Mountain where I perfected my skiing ability. When we first got married, Christopher bought me my own skis and boots. He was a great teacher and even skied down backwards to help me.  My favorite memory was company ski night when there was at least 3-4 feet of fresh powder! It freaked me out, but I still loved it.

I loved Bear Lake! I almost spent a whole summer here... but ended up leaving early to get married and live with Christopher in Connecticut. We took a few trips here to enjoy the beautiful view and get a delicious raspberry shake. The water is normally an aqua blue and it's often known as the Caribbean of the west...however, this was a pretty gray day.

One thing I know we will miss about Logan is our friends. Here's an amazing picture with me and my awesome friend, Lauren. Love her lots!

Christopher will especially miss his best friend, David Paul. This picture signifies a lot of memories. Chris & Dave did this pose often so it was only fitting to have this be their last picture together. 

As Christopher posted on his Facebook status while we drove away, "Goodbye Logan. It's been fun..."