1. 01 February 2010 ยท 10:35 PM

    Home-ish or home-y, or whatever you call a place that means something when you no longer have a home base

    Hubby and I went back to Wichita this weekend for a brief visit. Houston has been relatively easy to settle into, but I’ve missed the extremely comfortable lifestyle we had in the ‘Ta.

    When I told BFF Shea this, she asked me if I miss the place or the people. When I lived there, I would’ve said the people — no question.

    But being away makes me see it differently.

    In the 72 hours I spent in Wichita, I only left Old Town once (for a Mexican feast at the Haysville VFW. It’s a tradition). Yet in that short time I managed to:

    • See an awesome R&B/blues act
    • Catch up over greasy spoon breakfast with a friend who’s expecting a new baby (and run into a former coworker in the process)
    • Have coffee with the woman who is my professional and personal role model (if my future children turn out even an iota as cool as her kids, I will count myself an excellent parent)
    • Hang at the neighborhood bar with a former coworker
    • Try on the cutest little peep-toe heels (on sale!) that unfortunately were a half size too small
    • Meet a friend and her husband for cocktails and an update on the new house they’re building
    • Have dinner and go dancing with my most fabulously stylish and fierce friend/stylist
    • Reconnect with Shea over brunch and many cups of coffee
    • Have my hairstyle restored by my fierce friend/dancing partner
    • Watch a Celtics game with friends who over the years turned into family.

    I can’t think of another place where I could’ve packed all that in and be left feeling not exhausted, but refreshed.

    I don’t have a real home base anymore. I’ve spent the last dozen years hop-scotching around the country. Ever since my parents sold the house I grew up in, my ties to Vermont are more of a slipknot than a double bow. So Wichita feels home-ish, or home-y, or whatever you call a place that holds a special place in your heart. Houston may grow home-y for me over time, but for now I’m glad to have a soul-restoring spot to land just a few hours north.

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