Provo has had a lot of exciting things going on in the past few years - we have gained national attention for being ranked the best place for start-ups, well-being, generosity (and a whole lot of other things you can find here) and we are also one of only a select few cities Google Fiber has chosen to work with. I've lived and loved in Provo for years now and lately I've been so thrilled to see the wonderful city that I love getting the recognition it deserves. Because of all the recent excitement Provo has seen, you can imagine that when Mayor Curtis shared that he would be announcing the next "big thing" for Provo, it caused quite a stir, and a lot of speculation. Clues were given, guess were made, and on Tuesday it was revealed that Provo City bought Rock Canyon! Many were excited by the announcement, many indifferent, and some were underwhelmed (having hoped for a Disneyland, or a Target, or some other kitschy thing).

When I read the news that we were purchasing Rock Canyon my eyes filled up with tears. So much joy. I still get chills just thinking about it. If you read this post, you know how much I just love our Utah mountains. I tell Kory about it constantly (at least once a day) how much I love them because I feel like it is worth saying on a daily basis. And its not just that I love the mountains in general, I especially swoon for Rock Canyon. I often refer to it as "my mountain" or think to myself "man, she just looks so good today." I know which angles she looks best from and at what time of day (and year) she looks the most purple. I pay attention to that mountain and whenever I leave Provo, I'm excited to know that it will be that beautiful rock face to greet me when I return. I could go on and on about this but I think this quote from Mayor Curtis sums it up best

"For our residents who have lived in this area and paid attention to this issue, our announcement today is arguably one of the most significant things we’ve done to preserve our past and assure the canyon’s future. With this purchase, we’ve removed all doubt about what will happen to Rock Canyon."

So welcome, Rock Canyon, I'm so thrilled you're permanently ours.