Home is...

I have heard two quotes about home. "Home is where the heart is" and "Home is where your mom is".

What if these two things are in different states?

This weekend was full of ups and downs,which have given me a lot to think about.  I left Texas and Drew for the first time since we've been married. The first up was immediately followed by a down, Up-I left the ungodly hot weather Texas calls normal; Down-I left the love of my life in that ungodly heat (I truly felt that he should be beside me on the plane instead of the Norwegian man afraid of a little turbulence).  We have spent a year apart so I really didn't think it would be a big deal! But let me tell you something--marriage changes things and I'm not just talking about your last name either. This sounds super cheesy but I felt like I was leaving part of myself in Texas, even just over four months of marriage this happened. Crazy!

Critics hated Bride Wars. My friends hated Bride Wars. I LOVED Bride Wars, but not because of the plot line of two friends hating each other as they both plan their weddings.  I loved the moral of the story, that you can have a soul mate who has known you for a lifetime and still even after super drama is by your side.  I have been so blessed in my life to have sure a rare friend; I can't take credit for the start of this friendship, my mother and her mother planted a mustard seed.  This might seem completely tangential, it's not. The Midwest holds my heart in any different ways and this is one of them.  Over the years, especially as I've had many people come and go in my life, the appreciation of good friends deepens. Drew moved around a lot as a child and never really got to have a chance to build lifelong friends like I got to, and I realize the gift I have.  When after months of not seeing each other you can still be able to finish each other's sentences and order the exact same thing at a restaurant, you know that's pretty awesome.

These are my thoughts just within the first couple hours of my trip; I still have so much to say! Keep with me a little longer because the trip was really meant to celebrate 65 years of marriage. Holy cow! 65 years.....of marriage....with one person.  I am simply amazed by my grandparents. They have been through so much and not just in their relationship but as a generation. They have worked hard, and I'm so proud of them. This is probably the hardest and happiest part of the trip.  Leaving them, saying goodbye and not being sure if this is the last goodbye or not, kills me.   The time that I spend with them is so precious and the best parts of my trips home. 

The moral of this story is love with all your heart. Love your husband and miss him like you haven't seen him in months when really it's only been a few days. Love your friends as deeply as our own blood, bonds of friendship are the best gift given to you (because sometimes your family is a little crazy). But even if your family is a little crazy, they get you in ways no one else can. Plus they have the best inside jokes ( lil' brudder, did we have lunch?, get your own, and chicken shit basket) just to name a few.

Home is...home. You make your heart big enough to reach across the country because God blesses you with the ability to love; He is love. And God is a pretty bid dude. Trust your heart and trust in the Lord.