2 of 2: places

don't judge me for posting twice in one day- ha- in one evening nonetheless!

i've talked about people i've spent time with recently. now i want to talk about places.

every year around the holiday season i think most people get nostalgic for home, wherever "home" may be. for me, the home i remember and want to go to is in Clarinda.

my family moved a lot when i was growing up, but Clarinda is where i spent most of my childhood/teenage years. 10 years to be exact. and even though it wasn't the least bit suprising when my family moved again, it was still sad for me. i can't complain too much, this was a few years ago, into my great aunt's old house only 30 minutes away from Clarinda, and i was in college at the time, but still. the Clarinda house is what i had considered home for the last decade of my life. i had drawn on my bedroom walls! my high school best friend lived on my block! i had climbed the trees in the front yard and sat on the roof outside my window!

everyone i know has had to move at somepoint in their life- whether it be to college for the first time, or to find a job post college, or have had a situation similar to mine and are trying to reach some stability in their adult life. everyone has a different set of homes or places familiar, and everyone knows how hard it is to move. not just physically, but in every other way imaginable. when you've made your house a home, when you've put your imprint on a place, no matter if the change is a good one, you are still leaving memories and a little part of your life behind.

a couple weeks ago, a good friend and i traveled down to Clarinda. she isn't from there, but we had been planning a day trip for a long time (partially to get the best Chinese food in the world) and there is a great spot in my hometown if you want perfectly cooked Sesame Chicken and the best crab rangoons ever made! we ate the yummy food-which was just as good as i remembered- and the woman who works at/owns the place still recognized me. such a good feeling! and after lunch we drove past my old house and was kind of amazed at how different it looks now.

its easy to give into nostaliga sometimes. and it also can be very therapuetic. but sometimes things-people- places- only remain perfect in our mind. and sometimes you're lucky and they're still just as good as you remember- like the chinese food ;)

in between pit stops and memory lane, there was much time for talking. my road traveling companion for the day has been thinking about buying a house. she wants a place of her own, to stop paying rent, and be free to remodel and decorate to her heart's content. she is still looking for a roomate though, and had asked if my boyfriend and i would be interested. for several reasons i had to turn her down. and whats funny is, i felt that i was in the same place she was about a year ago. our apt had flooded a couple summers ago and we were ready to find a new place immediately. of course, its always easier said than done and we soon just settled back into our current abode.

financial logic and then some, it wasn't feasible for us to move then, nor is it now. but i think beyond that, we've actually started a life here. and after our house hunting search last year, i still don't think i'm ready. there are several reasons why moving can be exciting, but our house has become a home over the years. and whenever we do move, that place will become our home too. but spring is the season for change, and right now i'm just ready to cozy up with a blanket in my old apartment- carpet stains and all.

i really love this place. it may not be Clarinda, it may not be brand new, and it may not have multiple bathrooms, but its ours. and i want to stay here for a bit longer.