Where is "Home?"

 

In my opinion, the word "home" is a tough one to define.  It's very personal.  It can be a physical house, it can be where you live now, it can be where you come from, it can be where you feel you belong, etc. 

 

"Home" for me is a loaded word. 

 

It's no secret I don't consider Nashville my "home."  But could Nashville become my "home"?   Eventually?  Eric and I moved here together a year into our relationship. We got engaged here. We returned from our wedding / honeymoon as a married couple here. We had Cooper here. We bought our first house here. It's a great place to have a family. It's a booming city. The food is great. The cost of living is super reasonable. We have made some really awesome friends.  Eric loves his job, and I will likely love my new gig, too.  I even had this moment on Thursday of this week when I was driving to meet Eric for lunch where I looked around at my surroundings and my sunroof was open, the sun was shining, the trees were so green and full - it was truly such a peaceful, beautiful moment.  I thought - this could be "home." But it just isn't. Not yet. Probably not ever. It's just too hard to be 2000+ miles from family, especially now that we have a little big addition. But it certainly has been a lovely place to live for the past 4+ years, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. Nashville will always be very special to me...hence the decision to switch Cooper's middle name from Anderson, to Nash at the hospital. I always want to remember where I had him, and where so many good, truly very good things happened...no matter where we end up.

 

So, I keep saying my "home" is where my family is:  Southern California.  I would be so happy if I got to spend more time with my family (family, friends, etc - they're all family).  I would do almost anything.  That said, I don't really want to move back to California when I think about it - unless we suddenly become millionaires and traffic miraculously becomes a non-issue. ;) 

 

Then there is Arizona.  Could Arizona be where we plant our roots and call "home" someday?  Arizona holds a very special place in Eric's and my hearts.  He loves it there.  He visited every summer as a kid.  (Who knew we had Az in common?)  I spent the majority of my childhood there.  It was such a great place to grow up.  It is very close to California, without most of the headaches.  Whenever we visit, we exhale.  It's like we know we belong there.  So, maybe we'll end up there.  Maybe it will be "home." 

 

But in the end, I suppose my "home" is wherever I am with Cooper and Eric.  As long as I am with them, I am "home."       

 

 

True story.