I'm Home

The Terrace of our Bellevue Highrise

Let me begin by saying, "I'm home". And let me add, I never knew it would feel this much like home. This house, this town, this everything has turned into a fun adventure and I want to drink it up and continue exploring.

My "home" story: I grew up in the same town that my parents grew up in. In the same town that their parents either grew up in or lived in for virtually forever. I went to the same elementary school that both my Mom and Dad went to.  When they were there, it was 1-12 and they both graduated from this same school. I walked the same school halls from 5th to 7th grade.

My parents had an adventurous side to them, and they did not stay in their home town long after graduation. Dad joined the Air Force and went off to see the world...or at least the country...the Air Force bases, anyway.

Mom moved to the big city (the capital) and went to business school.  At some point, she drove to Ohio to finally marry this young man who enchanted her for so long. They lived in Massachusetts (where I was born, along with my sister). We lived in Colorado for a time (when we were toddlers) and then we moved to Florida.  --As I was young, I don't actually know if I have the order of these moves correct.  (But, for today, we will say that I am completely correct). Anyway, you may have guessed, we are from the South. I do not know how my parents felt about their time in Massachusetts or Colorado.  I have vague memories of my own of Florida.  Before the move to Florida, Mom (and my sister and me) stayed in their home town while Dad went to Florida to find a house and get settled.  The family made that move in two parts (Dad, then Mom, and kids) because Mom was too pregnant to make the move immediately.  She stayed near her mother to await the birth of our baby sister before bringing us all to join Dad. 

We lived in Florida until the summer before I was to start kindergarten.  This is when my parents brought their family "home". And here we stayed. We moved to our "first house" in town and five years later moved to the "new house". That was the house that Mom and Dad built.  Dad was the general contractor and together they made the house happen.  The first house had a path through the woods from my Mother's parents.  The "new house" had a path through the field to my Dad's parents. The growing up years involved lots of time with cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. It was a rich time with fun memories.

The new house was so modern and very '70s. My parents carpeted every room in the house. The kitchen carpet was a low/no pile carpet that was able to deflect stains from spilled food. (That was something!) Each of us kids had our very own bedroom and we were able to choose our own color scheme including carpet. This house was the stuff!

The House my Parents Built

That house was "home" until I got married (right after college). --I went "away" to college (1 hour away...but that was away). I went home on holidays and breaks as well as some weekends (when I was so homesick I couldn't stay away).

Anyway...after going away to college, I met my husband and never went home again. Actually, going home meant visiting Dad and my sisters. It was never to be where I unpacked my suitcase again.

This story is continued in I'm Home Part II.