Traveling and home

Over the last three weeks I've been on 8 airplanes, in 7 airports, 7 states and in 3 different time zones. The first week and a half was spent with 17 other people in Mississippi , followed by four days at home and then 6 days with The Family in Massachusetts. I'm having a hard time figuring out what time of day or even what day of the week it is, not to mention what month we're in!

As I've traveled, I've come to appreciate home that much more. Each place I've been there have been good things about that place. In Mississippi I was enthralled with the beachfront from Bay St. Louis to Gulfport. I could easily imagine living in a home along the beachfront, looking out each day at the Gulf of Mexico and enjoying a slower pace of life. But then I remembered that the slower pace of life came from the ever present humidity in the summer and that many of those beachfront homes had yet to be rebuilt from a massive hurricane. Probably not where I'm going to wind up.

Massachusetts is beautiful with all the green lawns, foliage and trees along the road. Yo Momma, The Dad and I drove around many small towns with beautiful brick homes and lots of history. We showed our true California roots when driving past town signs that read "established in 1693"...Wow! I enjoyed the rocking thunderstorms that came through town and the smell of rain on the pavement. But the more I drove around, the more I longed for the beach on one side and mountains on the other to help guide me home, for lanes that were actually painted on the pavement and not just imagined by the other drivers on the road. And though I didn't experience nearly the amount of humidity, the hint of it was always there. Don't think I'm going to call Massachusetts home either.

Driving into my town yesterday I realized that I really like home. I like the mountains and the beach. I'm okay with earthquakes and droughts. I don't like fires but understand their original purpose. I can handle CA drivers who run the new red-light in town. I don't even mind the tourists and beach goers who clog up the roads in the summer time. I like hearing the birds outside my window...though if they showed up around 8am that would be better. I like the home that I share, where my memories of growing up are stored. I like my home.

It's good to travel and it's good to be home.