It's not.
In fact, I think leaving home gets harder and harder each time.
While Iowa is where I grew up, and will forever be my home state, there is something about Kansas that tugs at my heart.
Maybe it's because Kansas City was where I moved after college. It was where I landed my first real job. It was where I found myself. Everyone seems to think they find themselves in college - I did a lot of searching, and it wasn't until I graduated that I realized who I was, who I wanted to be, and who I wanted to become.
Kansas City was also where I fell in love.
Each time we go back our schedules are full, and we are hopping all over the city, cramming in as much as we can during our short visits. There is family, and friends, and BBQ, and the Plaza, and a million other places that always make our "must see/do" list.
Then there is Shawnee Mission Park. It's my favorite park, and possibly one of my favorite places of all time. I go there each time I'm home, no matter the weather. It's the park where I decided I wanted to become a runner. It's the park where I spent endless hours and miles hitting the paved trails, clearing my head, soaking up the wonder of nature that is snuggly nestled among the hustle and bustle of the city. It's the place that helped me in my search for myself, and the place that aided me in finding me.
Our visits home are usually long enough to leave me satisfied, but always left wanting more. It's a vicious cycle of falling in love when we arrive and heartbreak as we leave.
Someday we will be back for good.
Someday.
We are Sisters From Another Mister. I could have written this exact post, with the exception of the Iowa stuff. Born and raised in Kansas, graduated college there, fell in love there, landed my first big job there, etc, etc, etc! Miss it!
ReplyDeleteBut I will say that we LOVE our life out here now and might not go back when we get called. You guys are sooooo close right? Like only a couple years left? We're probably still 3-5 away and if that's the case, we'll just stay. AWESOME schools, the BEST neighborhood and good people. :)
DeleteWe love Kansas City too! Its such a fun town.
ReplyDeleteIt has to be so hard going home at times. Are you going to be coming home for a longer period in the Summer, like you did last Summer? Maybe if you did we could get the kiddos together.
ReplyDeleteIt is a very special place. Every time I go back, I curse the Navy just a bit more for forcing us to live so far away. I forgot how complete strangers can be nice to each other until I was visiting at Christmas. I rarely encounter that here. I like it here, but it is definitely not home.
ReplyDeleteI hear ya, sister...harder and harder. What I wasn't expecting was to fall in love with another place too. Whenever we get the opportunity to move back to KC it's going to be sooo bittersweet.
ReplyDeletePerhaps we can coordinate our moves? ;)
Kansas City is awesome - I totally understand why you'd miss it. My little brother lives there and we love visiting! Maybe one day we'll have to plan overlapping trips there so we can meet up! Wouldn't that be fun!
ReplyDeleteSomeday soon, hopefully! I hope everything works out in your favor. :)
ReplyDeleteI'd love to visit Kansas some day - it sounds pretty awesome.
ReplyDeletethat's how i feel when i go "home" :)
ReplyDeleteI can't relate specially to KC but I feel you about home. Especially this year since I didn't get to enjoy it while being so sick. This really spoke to me today for so many reasons...
ReplyDeletei have never been but i sure do love the pictures you share of that place! though with great memories like that, who couldn't be fond of it?!
ReplyDelete:) I love it here too!
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly how I feel about the city so I understand completely.
ReplyDeleteI hope you'll be back for good one day.