Home is Where the Heart Is...Part Zwei

So last night was about moving away from my home for a mere four years. Tonight, I'll be reflecting on this monumental move out of my (mostly) childhood home.
This one is a little bit tougher and a little bit easier at the same time. It's a strange feeling of moving away and yet, I'm still moving closer. For instance, instead of driving 2 hours to visit home and staying here for days on end, I'll drive 15 minutes, stay as long as I like and then drive home to my own place. So while I may not be staying here relentlessly, I'll likely be visiting more often and actually get more facetime with those who matter (i.e. not "my" room).

That being said, it has been my room for the last 8 or so years (since DC moved out) and I truly made it my room. The walls are bright orange and the trim is blue - remnants from my obsession (and I don't use obsession lightly) with U of I. The sign outside the door says "Kaytlin's Room: Enter at Your Own Risk" - a truthful warning most of the time.

There have been a lot of memories made in this basement...from snow days with friends to every New Year's Eve in high school to summertime "crunchtimes" and all the spaces in-between. There have also been a lot of changes made to this basement that perhaps make this transition a little bit easier. For one, Rex and Mom have put in a bar. It's an addition I find fitting, signaling the maturity of our family, I think. While I was in high school, I "needed" a space where we could all be at one time. Where we could lounge lazily and watch a movie or six. Now, what we ALL need is a space where we can enjoy a drink while enjoying each other's company and watching the game.

I guess what I find myself thinking as I write this post is that this transition out of this home doesn't really seem that difficult. I imagine it is more difficult for Ma than it is for me. Not because I won't miss having a room here; not that it is going to feel "good" to have my room become the extra room but because I know that when I need it to be, it will be MY room. If I need to stay here sometime, I know (almost for sure) that I will be able to. And no matter what, this will always be home. This will always be where I grew up. And as long as Ma lives here, I can always come home.

As I've said before and will say again, home is where the heart is. My home is here, where my family is, but my home will also be where Ben is. And we're building that together. It's going to be something great, not just the house we live in but the home we make. We've been working on it for awhile now, testing those waters in college, but now we get to run the show and I'm excited to see where it takes us.
Stay tuned! Next blog: new place updates!
hugs,
kaytlin