From the time I was 10 until I was 20, I moved 15 times (that I can recall at this moment). My family averaged 8 months in one place. No one in my family was in the military during that time, either! We were just nomadic by nature, I guess. I planned on continuing in that path as an adult. When I moved from the St. Cloud area to the suburbs of the cities, I only planned on staying around a year or so. My next stop was to be Chicago. Why Chicago? No idea. I think I liked the idea of the Chicago style pizza all the time!

But, here I am. Living in the same house, same town, same state 5 years later. I finally feel like I'm putting down roots. I recognize people in the community. For anyone that has NOT lived in a two-horse town, or the same town/area your entire life, that is HUGE! I feel at home in this town. I care about this town. My house is my home. And there truly is "no place like home". This is not all roses for me, however. In my nomadic nature, I get bored being in the same place for so long. The four walls that make up my house feel confining at times. So, I go to Menards/ Home Depot and buy some paint, couch covers, new pictures for the walls, dig up and plant different plants and bushes, put in a fence... Much to my husband's dismay!

Kenny lived in the same house in the same town his entire life. He left for four school years while he went to college. When he graduated, he bought a house that now we both call home. At the end of September, he will have lived here for 7 years with the only changes made are the ones I have done. To say he doesn't like change is an understatement. In fact, it took a year for me just to be able to put a fresh coat of white (not yellow, blue, purple, or any other color) paint on the bathroom walls. I think he only said yes because there was mildewy stuff that had stained the wall above the shower! My undertaking of the basement redecorating was started when Kenny left for work so he couldn't tell me no. :)

Along with calling a place home, I've found that I really try and maintain relationships with people. In the past, when I moved, I didn't keep in touch with very many people. My unofficial motto was "new place, new people". Not that I intentionally did that, I just didn't find the time for them. I'm trying harder these days to keep in touch with the people I care about. Of course, facebook, email, blogging, and the internet in general helps with that. So if your one of the people I try to keep in contact with and meet up with once in awhile, know that I am consciously trying to keep you in my life. I will, however, only try so hard. If you constantly don't make time for me or say "I'll get back to you" and never do, you're done. I don't need more friends on facebook or a phone full of numbers I never hear from. Trust me, I do know how absolutely crazy life can be. I also know that the things in life that matter, you have to make time for.

I don't know if I'll be in this house in this town 5 years from now. I can't imagine moving too far. After finding this sense of community, I don't think I'll want to pull up roots any time soon.