beauty

If you haven't figured it out yet, I am shedding Kansas for Utah. Yes, shedding. I've been here for so long, all wrapped up in memories both good and bad and yes, even ugly that I feel like I am ready to leave it all behind. In fact, I felt like that once before and it was good to leave, to start over elsewhere. I made friends and I discovered new facets to myself that I knew I had but didn't dare explore. I grew up a little. But then I came back. And it was right that I did, because my mother needed me and I needed to be here one last time. But now we're all going and if we look back, it's not with regret but with fondness.

In the meantime, Kansas has been giving us something to remember her by:

From Misc

I apologize for the quality, the light wasn't fantastic and it's REALLY hard to photograph a rainbow. But yes, it was that gold pink outside with shades of turquoise, like a Turkish bath house. And that rainbow had two echoes of itself that you can't quite see.

Mom and I have been trying to take daily long evening strolls. We go through the Fall Creek neighborhood, a very posh and upscale area where the houses are fantastic:

From Misc

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and the hills provide a proper workout (phew!):

From Misc

From Misc

I'll miss Kansas. I'll miss the crazy storms where the sky and air turns pea-soup green and the lightning and thunder recreate wars in the heavens. I'll miss the Renaissance Festival every fall. I'll miss the winter storms that cover everything in ice, turning the world into an intricate crystal wonderland that no sculptor could ever recreate. I'll miss the sunsets. I'll miss my friends. I'll miss seeing hawks and bald eagles while walking out in the fields. I'll miss downtown Lawrence and the nonchalance everyone there possesses. I'll miss KU campus.

But I have those memories neatly packed away, freely accessible and now I'm off to make new memories. Thank you, Kansas. It's been good, it's been awful, it's been a growing experience. I won't forget.

From Misc

No, not ever.

P.S. This one's for you, Abby!

From Misc