Chicago (source)
But I don't remember it much. When I was still a baby, my dad got fed up with the cold, windy weather and riding the train to work each day, so we moved here:
Houston (source)
And this is the first home I knew. I remember a lot about growing up in Texas- our church, my elementary school, our house, and our neighborhood pool. And the bluebonnets:
(source)
But eventually, my dad got tired of working long hours and never spending time with us, and my parents decided to move back to where they both grew up and where both their families still were:
St. Louis (source)
And this place will always feel like home to me. Even though I haven't lived there in almost 15 years, part of me will always want to be there on any given day. I love the Cardinals, love the Blues, love toasted ravioli, and love all my friends and family who are still there. But, much to my disappointment, right before my sophomore year of high school, I was transplanted here:
OK, so this might not be an actual picture of Cedarville, Ohio, but I pretty much thought I was moving into some cornfields in the middle of nowhere. And I was, but I loved it. I loved going to a small high school, making new lifelong friends, attending Friday night football games, etc. I felt like I was at summer camp for three full years. I stayed for college, and my parents still live there, so it still feels like home to me as well.
In college, I met Ben, and over the past 12 years, I have spent quite a bit of time in the town he grew up in and where all his family still lives:
Des Moines (source)
I have a special place in my heart for Des Moines, even though I've never lived there. I love eating Tasty Tacos. I love the Iowa State Fair. I love that being there reminds me of being 22 and not having a real job or real responsibilities. And, mostly, I love being with our family there because they are some of my favorite people in the world. As an added bonus, my best friend lives there, too. As a matter of fact, she lives in the blue-roofed building on the right side of the picture. Hi, Courtney!
For the past nine years, though, we have lived here:
Columbus (source)
And to be honest, I have never really considered it home. I'm not sure why. The house we currently live in, I have lived in just as long as I have lived in any house in my life. But it just seems temporary. Maybe that's why our bedroom looks like a dorm room. We moved here right after we got married, with no jobs. Over the years, we have worked, bought a house, made friends, joined a church, and had two kids. But I've never really felt established here. I think I've always had in the back of my mind that we would move- closer to my parents in the Dayton area, or to St. Louis, or to Des Moines.
And goodness knows, we tried to get out of here many times. As our frustrations came to a boil at the beginning of this year, we prayed HARD that God would show us what He wanted for us and where He wanted us to be. He answered by providing Ben with a new job right here in Columbus. A job that Ben loves and seems tailor-made for his skills, interests, and personality. So, even though my heart was leading me away, I'm completely sure now that this is where we're supposed to be and that this is our home for the foreseeable future. And having that question settled makes me happy and content. Our next step will be to determine where we really want to live and hopefully move out of our "starter house" (you know, the one we'd never live in after having kids...right) and into a family home where we can raise the girls and send them to school.
There are a lot of things to love about Columbus. There's nothing like going to a Buckeyes football game and at least I can see the Blues when they're in town. We have Jeni's, of course. And in the summer, we get light until almost 10:00. We love our church, and I have friends here I'd miss terribly if we ever left. If you're reading this, and your name is Beca, Alisa, Amie, or Lia, I'm talking about you! Thank you!
I think something I needed in my 30s was to have the geographical question of "home" settled, and now that has happened. I'm looking forward to digging in and embracing it!
