When I’m here at home in Northern California, deep into my day-to-day routine, I often find my mind wandering to somewhere else . . The beach, a home in the south of France, on an epic adventure in a new locale I have yet to explore . . . Or, visiting family and relaxing at the lake house.
That’s where I found myself last week.
While nearly everyone I knew here at home was off on a European adventure, we found ourselves in Oklahoma.
It’s a trip we schedule every summer. And the entire family looks forward to it. it’s our home away from home. So, while our friends are visiting locales across the globe (which, of course, we love to do as well), we’re happy to spend time with our family – relaxing, fishing, boating, tubing and cliff jumping (along with some time in Tulsa visiting with the grandparents).
We may long to get away from our day-to-day at home, but after being away for a bit, we also long to get back home. It doesn’t matter where we are visiting – family in Oklahoma and Ohio, camping and visiting national parks, trekking Peru, or hanging on the beach in Mexico – there comes a time, we just all want to come back home.
Home is Where I Want To Be
It’s those little things that make our home, our home.
The sounds of all of us moving abut the house.
The comfort of my own bed
The smells of the outdoors
The soft fur of our cats
Tripping over everyone’s shoes
The ritual of our day-to-day lives
And, the joy of getting back into my kitchen and making my own meals.
Regardless of what we’ve experienced on the road —the delicious foods of a far away city we have never before experienced, or the traditions of extended family favorites— after being away on vacation, I long to return to my own kitchen going about my day-to-day cooking and eating habits.
This week I find myself happy to be back in that kitchen. Happy to be digging through my messy pantry in search of ingredients that I need to make our own favorite recipes. Hay to head to the store to restock the essentials so we can eat those familiar foods. Happy to load the dishwasher (yeah, I know, that last part about the dishwasher is weird.
This week, Greg is off with the girls in the Marin Sierra’s for scout camp, and I’m here with Grayson for a bit of mother and son time. Of course, Mr. 19-Year-Old spends most of his days working, and the rest of the time either holed up in his bedroom or out with friends in the evening But I still hold hope for a bit of time here at home with him. I’ve planned a few of his favorite meals for the week, and maybe an adventure or two (if he agrees to be seen in public with his mom).
He’s been home from college since mid-May, and its been an adjustment getting him back in the groove with family life here. But his time here is short. I another month, he’ll be across the country in Miami starting his sophomore year at school— which is now his home away from home.
Until then, I’m going to enjoy time spent with ALL of us here at home; especially the time in my kitchen baking and cooking foods that will remind him of home.
