living away from "home"



{our first day in Indy}

 I don't often use this blog to wax philosophical about topics I am pondering.  It is my place of escape to catalog my thoughts and ideas (mostly girly and often food-related).  But it is also my space of confiding parts of me....sharing my "loves," my home, and my life.  When I moved down to Indy to start my life with Zach there was part of me that felt empty, because I didn't know who to confide in about our tiny apartment, my ideas, recipes, inspiration, and especially that girly side of me. I'm pretty sure I even asked Zach to give me a girly day, where he would just indulge that part of me that loves to gab and shop and dream (sad, I know). 


Now the obvious answer is to "get out there and start making friends!" but for one reason or another this has been a painstakingly slow process for me.  I'm glad to say after 3 years in I've made a lot of headway in the "friend department," and choosing Indy as a permanent home means more time to deepen our roots with the people around us.  I feel blessed to have some really amazing childhood friends who have consistently kept me as part of their lives from a distance.  I also get to live life with my best friend and partner, and living away from "home," family and friends, means we depend on each other and have grown so close in these early years of marriage.  I cherish our little family of two.  These are good things.

Some days though, I miss being in a space where I am known.  I feel differently when I am surrounded by those who I have grown up with - perhaps less on edge and eager to please.  I speak differently (and probably more confidently) in a group of those who have walked through life with me and understand my background and history.  I miss being in those places and with those people.  I miss hearing their advice, wisdom, memories, and stories, and seeing their faces (because the phone just isn't the same).  I wish I could invite them into my home on a more regular basis.

I don't really have a conclusion to these thoughts....and often I put on a confident front and say everything is fine (doesn't everyone, though?).  But a little honesty never hurt, right?   And some of you are away from home too - so, does a part of you always ache to be home?  Does it change when kids enter the picture?  How did you get connected in a new city (sans barhopping)?  A little advice today would be so appreciated, dear friends.