Road Trip --The Best Day Ever!

I married a good man. Let me restate that. I married a GREAT man! I just needed to share this fact. Maybe it'll serve as a reminder when I'm feeling less magnanimous towards him. Today he gave me one of the best gifts of my life. The gift was a trip down memory lane. It's been a long time since I've been down this specific path. The day after my sixteenth birthday, my father came home from work with the announcement that we were moving over two thousand miles. We packed up and were gone thirty days later. Somehow, thirty years had passed and I have never been back. Part of this road trip was to introduce my kids to my childhood memories. I was a little nervous. Would the memories of a picturesque childhood be shattered by a harsh reality? Turns out that my memory had served me well.

The house of my youth was right where I left it. It had weathered time beautifully, and by the looks of the toys scattered throughout the yard, seemed to be raising another happy generation. The path through the woods was still there. I took that path, rain or shine, to school for many years. The grade school and middle school were right where I remembered them. The high school was there too. It was in the middle of a major face lift, but a million memories of its former glory were easily discernible from the construction changes. It was all there before my eyes. The streets were familiar and comfortable. Even Main Street was just like I remembered it. No, it was better than I remembered. The Boy Blue Ice Cream Parlor was no longer there, but since it had been replaced with a nostalgic Malt Shoppe, I couldn't complain.

It is obvious that Greendale is well-loved. Through the generous efforts of the community, time has been very kind to the little town. I give a big shout out to those individuals responsible for preserving my memories so perfectly. Thanks goes out to my kids who gave up an entire day of vacation for my trip down memory lane. Not only did they graciously allow me to become sixteen-years-old again, but they even pretended to listen to my reminiscent ramblings as the memories came tumbling back. Of course, the biggest kudos goes to my hubby. He's the one who orchestrated the event. Getting our little band on the wagon is no easy feat. Time has a way of marching forward and it's sometimes hard to slow down enough to look back. Somehow, he not only slowed us down for a glimpse into the past, but he found a way to turn back the hands of time for a brief moment. It really was a gift of a life time, and I'll remember it for the next 30 years!