Home is wherever I'm with you

I'm never quite sure how I'll feel about returning to Frankfurt after a long trip. Will it feel like 'home?' Will I wish I was elsewhere, back in St. Auggie at Acapulco or sitting on my parents' couch with a mug of coffee between my hands? 

I love how life is a series of changes, maybe tough at first but always making sense in the long run. The way our journeys have moved through time has been a natural progression... growing up under the loving guidance of our parents' wings, trying to figure out who you are and your purpose on this earth in college (although that search really never stops, does it?) For Mike & I, starting our lives together in a new town, creating lasting friendships and milking our 20s for everything it's worth-- buying our first house, growing a pup, exploring every nook and cranny of the southeastern US. 

Then, that itch to move on takes hold, and so we pursue something different, a life change if you will... for some, a new career, sweet babies to bring into this world, a new hobby-- or moving out of the country!

All this rambling to say, coming back to Frankfurt on the 8:30 train from Amsterdam felt right, like 'home.' Returning to my own bed, loads of laundry and unpacking, able to cook our own meals. And writing-- how I've missed this space to sit and process my thoughts! 

Traveling is a joy, but it's also nice to return to your friends and familiarity. 

Even if what's familiar happens to be spoken in German :) 

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Martha and I decided to take a 'walk' in the hills of the Taunus, a forrest surrounding Frankfurt. That walk turned into a 12 mile uphill hike-- but we were rewarded with a beautiful view overlooking a castle in the neighboring town of Konigstein!

You know Christmas is officially over when they strip the town's tree bare...