Since I've moved, I've been experiencing a lot of nostalgia from my growing up in Northern Virginia. I've decided I would share some of my favorite memories to keep them fresh.

My hometown is Springfield, Virginia, a city-suburb of Northern Virginia (NoVA). I grew up in a neighborhood called Island Creek, a quiet, family-friendly neighborhood that sat between two of what my friends and I used to call "rich" neighborhoods. At the main entrance next to the sign is a giant fountain where once a week you'll see the waters filled with bubbles; a prank pulled by the local teenagers. Parents would drive by it in disappointment but everyone knew it was what made Island Creek, well, Island Creek.

Before the neighborhood basketball court was vandalized by gangs during my senior year, the welcoming bubbles of the Island Creek water fountain was the only "vandalism" the neighborhood ever really experienced. My friends and I took care of that basketball court for 7 years. We kept it clean and replaced the nets annually with the money we made cutting grass, shoveling snow and whatever was left after splurging most of what we made on the latest Air Force Ones or Jordan's; it was our way of giving back to the place we loved. It was a great place to grow up to say the least. I'll jot down my memories instead of keeping them floating around.

Thanks Google for making GoogleMaps. Far away doesn't feel so far away.