The View From Here

When we lived in Iowa, Peyton's school was 20 minutes away from our house. I didn't mind the drive, because it was beautiful.

In the winter it was a steering-wheel-gripping adventure. We drove on icy roads:

See the tire tracks? If you didn't stay on those, you were extremely likely to go sliding around.

We drove under a train bridge:  

When there happened to be a train on it, Peyton and Ella would get so excited! No matter how cold it was, we'd have to roll down the windows and listen to it as we went under.

We drove past a snowpal family that lived on a roof:

I think that snowmen on the peak of a hard-to-reach roof is excellent proof that we lived in a college town.

And we drove down long roads surrounded by barren, wintery trees:

In the spring, the drive was bright and calming. 

We drove down long roads surrounded by lush, green trees:

Did you notice the last two pictures are the same road? In the spring, every time I would drive down this street, I would consciously take a deep, relaxing breath and admire this view.

And we also drove over not-so-rushing river bridges:

I loved that drive. I took pictures because I knew I would miss it. And I do.

Now that I'm in California, I drive two kids to two different schools.

Here's what I see when I drive to Ella's school:

And to Peyton's school:

You know, these views aren't too bad either.