growing community

i'm not sure how i feel about the expansion of my little town of laie.  i understand that it can economically benefit our locals, create independent long-term sustainability for the community, give my family more options on where to eat out, and possibly give me a home of my very own.  my employer, byuh, is currently working on a ten year expansion plan for the university, which includes new married and single student housing, as well as a new multi-purpose building, among other things.

the thing i struggle with is, why do i feel a sense of hesitation when all of this talk of change and growth is only supposed to improve my beloved hometown?  i love the fact that i can literally walk outside my front door and there before me lies a mile & a half bike path created solely for my own convenience, safety and health!

yeah, it's an old picture, but it's cute. and there's the bike path in the back.

and i love that i can drive 2 minutes away to get the best froyo EVER!

ono yo...onolicious!

or that we can now enjoy our own little burger joint that's open past 9pm...

seven brothers at the laie shopping center

so why am i skeptical when i'm told that homes will most likely be built to house my future family of ten? (hehe.)  i would love to bite on that dangling carrot...but i really don't want to get my hopes up.

also, i'm a pretty big fan of the small town feel of laie.  to be quite honest, it has already gotten a little too crowded for my taste.  i'm shocked that i often need to wait behind a car or two at a stop sign.  me no likey.  it's not that i'm giving in to my impatient tendencies here...but more along the lines of: "why-are-there-so-many-people-here-that-there's-enough-to-have-two-cars-in-front-of-me-at-a-stop-sign?!" kind of feeling.  with the continually increasing enrollment at byuh, we're only getting more students, more teachers, and more staff.  does this create a sense of job security for me?  not really.

i've completed the envision laie survey so that my opinion on the future of laie could be taken into consideration.  i (when able, sometimes) go to the community meetings.  but mine and my family's future in my favorite place in the world still seems uncertain.  even if i don't want things to change, even if i want my kids to be able to walk alone down the street and play at the park without worrying, it's out of my hands...change is already happening.  change is inevitable.  and all we can do is hope, give our two cents, and continue to work to ensure that these changes come out in our favor.