What is home?
Home is a place where meals are made & where we lay down at night to rest. It’s a place where we can take off our makeup, put on our comfy pants & curl up with the people who we hold dear. But is it only a place? How is it that a road trip this weekend was a trip “home” to Kentucky? And then at the same time, how is at that the first sight of the Arch I announced “feels good to be home”. How can both of these cities be my “home”? Then there it is, crystal clear. Home is not a place, it’s a feeling. And even though this weekend I was miles away from where I sleep every night, I was home.
The worldwind of a weekend started bright and early on Friday morning. We were Cincinnati bound to see John Butler Trio. There is rarely a band I will see multiple times – Avett Brothers, Jason Isbell & now John Butler Trio. Skyline Chili, a meet & greet and third row seats made this an unforgettable night.
To get a head start on travels the next day, we drove on to Lexington after the concert. There is nothing quite like Lexington at Christmas time. The downtown tree lit up, skaters in triangle park & just the chill in the air. I bounced out of bed the next morning to see the “Girl Gang” & my “Brother/Cousin”. We laughed til we cried over plates of biscuits & gravy, cheese grits & multiple cups of coffee. Seeing this group of people was so good for my soul & if I could pack them all up and take them with me I would.
Driving through the mountains of Eastern Kentucky I have never been so in awe. I felt like I was seeing it all for the first time. Pulling into my parents driveway I saw them come out of the garage. I wonder how long they had been watching for us to make sure the timing was just right. It’s the same every time and I enjoy that consistency more than anything. Dad carrying my suitcase & Mom offering us something to eat or drink. I love the excitement that filled the air when we arrived & we settled down on the couch to catch up under a big fluffy blanket. The rain on the tin roof eased us rather nicely into a nap before dinner. We spent the rest of the night showing photos of our trip, talking & a quick Netflix tutorial.
The sun creeped in through the window & I realized I didn’t close the blinds all the way. It was Sunday morning, here too soon. After packing up the car with way too many sweet treats we took off down the Mountain Parkway for St. Louis. Five hours (or a bit more) later, Raising Cane’s, audio books & failed attempts at sleep, we made it back to our downtown loft. What a whirlwind it was. Exhausting & marvelous all at the same time.