Take Me Home Country Road

Seven years ago I left Springfield, Illinois a newlywed and moved to the big city of Houston, Texas. Apartment living was tough, the city (and suburbs, for that matter) diverse, and everything was much bigger. It was a completely different lifestyle there, much more fast paced, and left me longing for boring old Springfield.

Not long after moving there we decided where we wanted to live, signed a contract to build our home, I started volunteering at a large hospital and found myself incredibly fulfilled and settled into a routine.  Once we were in our new house and I had a new job, life was seemingly  perfect.

Fast forward ::

Six years. Three kids. Three cats. Two dogs. Four deaths. Two home sales. Another apartment. Two more houses. And a few hundred {maybe more} bottles of wine.

Life has changed a lot in the last six years.  But the biggest changes weren’t from the birth of my littlest loves, the biggest change was the move from Texas to Georgia – the middle of nowhere, to be exact. 

It was tough moving across the country as a newlywed, but moving across the country with kids is a totally different ballgame.  When kids are involved there is so much more to think about, including logistics. It’s not easy to get out and meet people these days, and it is tough to make new friends.  Add in a different time zone, routine, unfamiliar surroundings … 

A Different Kind of Life.

We live in the country, pretty far out from civilization.  Life is different here. It’s no longer a quick trip to the grocery store to pick up a forgotten item. There’s a lot more planning ahead, not many options for picking up dinner on the drive home from work. {At least not if you want it fresh} Instead of paying the gardener $35 a week to mow the lawn we now own a riding lawnmower to mow our 1.33 acres, which takes at least two hours to properly manicure. Our allergies are horrendous and skin is horribly dry.   We joke about keeping our fingers crossed there’s never an emergency during a power outage, as there’s no cellular signal out here.

It’s a much slower way of life here.  My husband loves it.  Me – not so much.

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I Feel Silly.

What we have here is completely unheard of in our part of Texas.  We are living the dream. Or are we?

Bigger Isn’t Always Better.

Much to my husbands shagrin I miss Texas.  The smaller house, minuscule lot, the ease of life, Whataburger Spicy ketchup  {have I mentioned that I HATE ketchup?}, SuperTarget, freshly made tortillas and guacamole…

I could go on forever, but I won’t.

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I’m trying.

I’m trying to adjust to life here, but it’s tough.  Maybe it’s because of my kids, maybe it’s because we live so far away from everything, or maybe {just maybe} it’s because Texas was where we experienced the most momentous events. 

I wasn’t happy about moving to Texas seven years ago, but I was even more upset about leaving.  I was once a small town girl, who felt I’d never survive in the big city and therefore had no desire to try it out.   

So if you see me in public, wearing my shirt with the Texas flag on it and referring to Texas as home instead of Georgia, please don’t take it personally.  Send a smile my way, say hello and offer me that Southern Hospitality that everybody talks about. 

Moving from the city to the country was definitely a shock to my system, and I’m sure that at some point it will start to feel more like home.  I just wish I knew when…

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Diana
After residing in Senoia for nearly five years, Diana is finally embracing her inner Georgia Peach. Diana is a widow and mother to her three miracles - Charleigh June, and twins Campbelle (Cami) and Coleson. In addition to her children, she is also a fur-mom to three dogs and six, yes SIX, cats. Diana is a lover of animals, books, wine, Walt Disney World, warm weather, and the finer things in life. She is brutally honest, sarcastic, and sensitive. Diana is passionate about sharing her stories of infertility, loss, and grief. When she's not busy chauffeuring the kids to and from school you can find her cooking, cleaning, volunteering at school, eating BonBons with her Standard Poodles, or at Target.

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