Going home

It's funny that my last post was about treasuring the time I spend with my parents. I woke up this morning after having an interesting night only to have a misunderstanding with my roommate. It ended with me slamming my door, showering, packing, and getting on the road. Where was I going? HOME.

After a 3 1/2 hour drive, I pulled into my driveway and this is what I saw:
While the picture turned out dark, I felt like I was in heaven being home. I hadn't seen this place in months. As I got out of the car and gathered my things, I noticed my mom on the side deck waving out to me. She was just as excited to see me as I was to be home.

This was not the house I grew up in. I grew up in the house two drives down. This is the house we moved to about 5 years ago. It is the house that my grandparents lived in for many years. I went in and looked out the back window. I looked out over the green fields and was reminded of just how much I love this place.

Tonight, I sat in the hot tub and watched the stars and the planes. When I was growing up I would sit in the yard with my dad and watch the planes go by. Some would fly north to Washington D.C. while others fly east to Richmond. Some are military planes, others are carrying hundreds of people. After counting the stars, I looked out towards the back yard. There's the barn I remember playing in as a little girl. It has been there for over 50 years. There's the jet ski, the boat, the golf cart, and random pieces of junk. As I looked at each thing in the back yard, I was reminded of stories from the past.

I rarely come home, so when I do it is like a retreat for me. I can come and go as I please. I get to talk to my parents and enjoy the conversations. However, after a few days I'm ready to leave. I'll be missing the freedom and the people I have in North Carolina. But for now, I'm happy to be home.


(Photos: first photo is of my house as I drove up this evening. second is of my mom waving at me.)