Together on Tuesday: Wherever I'm With You

**From now on, I will START my ToT entries with the topic.  This will take away any confusion as to what the topic actually IS since I seem to go on some long tangent and sometimes forget what I'm writing about.  And I'm sure you all forget too.**

TOPIC:
"The grass is always greener:  if by some twist of fate you had the option to move to some wonderful destination, would you take it-or would you stay where you live now?  What are some things you love about where you live?  What are some things you dislike, or some things that you wish we had in this area that would improve your quality of life?  If you would take the get out and leave option, what are your reasons for leaving?  Where would you go?  If you stay, why?"


I don't know one single person who lives in my home state that loves every aspect of it.  Not One.Single.Person.

That's saying something.  Why do we all just keep staying here?!?  There are millions of places that are more desirable.  There are MILLIONS.  I can think of 6 or 7 places just off the top of my head without even really thinking about it that I'd rather live.

But...I'd find things wrong with those places too.  And so would everyone else.

It's like having curly hair.  I HATED my curly hair for many many years.  I FINALLY learned to embrace it about 5 years ago.  I'm almost 32...so for 27 years, I struggled with what to do with my crazy hair.  And all the while straight-haired people all around me were saying things like, "I'd kill to have hair like yours!!"  and "People pay LOTS of money to chemically alter their hair to look like yours!"  and "You should embrace your curls!!"  Well, 12-year-old girls are mean, y'all.  And it's hard to embrace something that everyone makes fun of.  It's sort of like having braces or glasses.  They saw it as my weakness and they used it to their advantage. 

My point is that I have curly hair and everyone thinks THEY want curly hair too.  But if they had curly hair and had to deal with it the way that I and all the rest of my curly girls do, they'd think again.  It's always very easy to think you want something that you don't have...that is, until you actually have it.

And there is the flip side of that.  If I had straight hair, I'd probably be fascinated with curls.  Maybe.

So...everyone I know who lives here hates something or another.  I live in the Midwest where we experience all 4 seasons.  We have hot summers and cold winters.  We sometimes have droughts in August that are brutal.  And we sometimes have so much snow in the winter that it is difficult to even do everyday things like go to work and/or school. 

I personally love all the seasons.  I have my favorite things about every one of them.  I have a hard time with commitment, so having 4 changing seasons every year is good for me.  I LIKE change...when it isn't personal change. :)

What I love most of all about where I live is the people I live around.   A lot of my family is here.  A lot of Chris' family is here.  A great deal of our friends are here.  It's important to be surrounded by people you love.  That's MY opinion anyway. 

I dream of moving.  I dream of moving to Boulder, Colorado because of the movie Catch and Release.  But come on, that's just Hollywood making something look outstanding.  I dream of moving to Santa Monica, California because I once visited there and thought I was in heaven.  But we all know that being on vacation somewhere is MUCH different than living there and having a job and whatnot.  I'd love to move to London, but that would require way more effort than I'm willing to deal with now.

Boulder, CO.  Some of the movie took place in this little village.  Isn't it beautiful?

(courtesy of gadling.com)

This picture does NOT do justice to Santa Monica.  There is something about standing on a beach and looking at mountains that had me completely floored.

(courtesy of tripadvisor.org)

Big Ben.  Parliament.  (Catch that reference?)

(courtesy of europe-trips.eu)

Having a child has also changed all of this.  Jayna is attached to her Nanas.  They both live where we live now.  How could I ever justify changing that now that she's almost 4?  She's made friends here.  She loves her school and loves the places we visit around our city.  She gets to go sledding in the winter and go swimming in the summer.  She gets to learn all about how a seed becomes a plant in the spring.  She gets to learn how leaves lose chlorphyl in the fall.  And she LOVES all of that. 

I guess my answer is that I'd stay here.  I do hope that soon I'll have the funds and the flexibility to go visit more places.  I know that Jayna would love to see new places too.  I want her to know just how big her world is...that there are more places than just home.  But I also want her to know where home is and that home is really what and where you make it.  Surround yourself with people and things that you love and home can be just about anywhere.  "Home is wherever I'm with you."  ~Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.

The one thing I do wish we had where we live is more diversity.  When I lived in Bloomington, there were so many cultures there that you had no choice but to learn about them.  It was fascinating to me!  There were events based around certain cultures, restaurants with almost every kind of cuisine and so many people to talk to and become friends with.  And everything was close together and/or within walking distance.  That seems slightly more difficult to do here.  I wish my big city was more aware and more dedicated to teaching diversity.

So, friends, what would YOU do?  Would you stay or would you go now? :)

Now go on over to read these lovely ladies' thoughts:

Michelle - After 9 and Some Weekends
Nancy - Purple Peaches
Charlotte - The Dog Days of Life
Sarah - Just Living Daily

Happy Tuesday, everyone!! :)