Pilgrimage to Parkland

Tanner and I decided that we needed to do something other than lay around the house for four weeks before he starts work on Tuesday, so we decided to take a trip down to South Florida. I really wanted to go and see my old house in Parkland and just see how the area had changed. I was excited to go, but the logical part of my brain thought that it really should be no big deal. I was like a little kid pointing things out to Tanner after we got off the Sawgrass Expressway showing them how things had changed and stuff I remembered. When we got to the gate at Meadow Run, the guard came out. I thought I recognized him, but then I thought, why would I know him? Here is how the conversation went:

Me: "Hi, I used to live in here, and I just wanted to drive by my old house"

Guard: "Oh, well, what's your name?"

Me: "My last name is Nielson"

Guard: "What was your name when you lived here?"

Me: "Carter. We lived on NW 98th..." (the guard cut me off in mid sentence)

Guard: "Doug and Debbie?"

Me: (In complete shock) "Uh yeah! Did you work here then? Because you look familiar"

Guard: "Yes! How long has it been?

Me: "8 years since I graduated high school. This is my husband and my son"

Guard: (He is now in complete shock) "Wow! Yeah, I remember you guys were the ones with the jet skies that would go in and out all the time"

It was so surreal talking to him. We chatted for a few minutes and he let us in of course, since he KNOWS me.

What is it about the sights and smells of your early childhood that are so endearing? I remember buying some random cleaning solution one time and realizing the second I sprayed it that it was the exact same cleaning solution that my kindergarten teacher used to clean our desks. Just like that my brain had made the connection, and whenever I smell it, it gives me warm fuzzies about my kindergarten days in Mrs. Ickenberger's class. It was the same thing as I sat there looking at my old house. It was the feelings I had while living there more than specific memories that came back to me and the fuzzy feeling was back. Although I would never want to go back to that time, it was great and I will always look back at my Parkland days with fondness.