{For the Sake of Progress}

Well, it is finished. I have taken off two of my blogger friends' blogs. I feel kind of sick inside; I'm generally a nice kind of person, and I don't fancy kiboshing people I know and love. Alas...Emily and Tessa must have been too busy to post, so off they came.

Still, I am a forgiving person, and any blogs that get deleted from mine can easily get put back on--just let me know when you've posted again!

Anyway...everything is changing around here. I almost can't take it anymore. First there was Matta's. That alone was almost enough to send me over the edge, but I am slowly getting over it.

Then, last night, the president of my church died. Gordon Bitner Hinckley. He was aged--97, to be exact--so it wasn't really a shock. But it was certainly a sad day. Have you ever known someone so innately good...someone who seems never to disappoint you--never let you down? He was that kind of guy [a person would have to be, with all those responsibilities]. And it's not like he was some unknown, mysterious celebrity who would never talk reporters or stay hidden behind dark sunglasses. The man spoke to me--to all the members of the church within satellite range--multiple times a year. I have no less than 10 eloquent (and meaningful) quotes of his memorized, right at the tip of my head. How many people in the world are equally worth memorizing? The world is a less-optimistic place without him.

So Matta's is gone; the prophet is dead.

But here's what really seals the deal, making this week a sad one:

They painted Golf Land/SunSplash. If you don't live in Mesa, or have never been to Arizona, then this shouldn't matter to you. Not one bit. But to anyone who has ever made childhood memories at the legendary water park and game world, this will probably come as a tragic blow.

{photo courtesy of about.com}

And even though it actually looks pretty good, and I can't really remember what colour it used to be (blue? white? grey?), it nevertheless makes me sad to see the changes. Gone are the old-school days of "my" Golfland. The Golfland where I went on my first wretched, wretched date. The Golfland where Chelsie and I flat-out spied on one of Lindsey's most thrilling dates. Gone.

Everything is changing around here, and I'm not so sure I like it.

Progress for the sake of progress? Come, now--is this really necessary?