Feels like Home....

A few weeks ago, I went home. And I was reminded that home is not always a specific place, but the place where you go to find yourself. A place where family and friends remind you of who you really are, where you came from, and where you are going. A place where your heart, mind and soul are truly at peace. A place...

where we enjoyed mini-cakes made with love by Nonnie, just because life is worth is celebrating...

where little boys run freely, because jackets can always serve as improvised capes.


where secret hidden treasures were finally discovered after 16 years. And it was well worth the wait.



By the way, did you know grey foxes can climb trees like cats? Neither did I, but I totally dig it.




After a few days of loving and recharging with my mama,




I headed west. And check out my wheels for that journey...


the ultimate shaggin' wagon. And you can be sure we enjoyed the hell out of it for the few hours it was ours.


Next stop:



And it was here that the reality of "home" hit me. Pensacola may not be the biggest, the most sophisticated or the most culturally stimulating town I have ever lived in, but is one of the places I feel most "at home". Here, the memories are abundant and comforting. It is here I cultivated a relationship that later became a marriage. Where a Navy midshipman was educated into the world of Navy Nursing. Where newlyweds navigated the new, uncharted waters of marriage...and totally rocked it. It is also here where we welcomed new life into the world, and became a family.

I have had the incredible fortune to live in many different places over the years. Each place has its own story and holds its own treasure chest of memories. Each is unique in its history, culture, and opportunity. But there is something that is always at the forefront of every one of my memories. It evokes emotion and nostalgia that grips at my heart like a vise grip. It is one of my most honored treasures and greatest blessings. It is the gift of friendship. I have been blessed over and over throughout my life with the gift of good friends. Some have been a part of my life for just a moment, but their memory is long-lasting. Others have stayed longer and left a lifetime impression on my heart and soul. And from these friendships emerge memories of : side-splitting, nose-running, eye-tearing laughs; the squeeze-the-breath-out-of-you hugs; the "aha" moments; the hand to hold when life got hard; the shoulder to cry on when none of it made sense; the arms that picked you up off the floor when the whole world seemed to come crashing down; the ear that listened for endless and until often obscene hours on the other end of the phone line; fingers that have typed and texted furiously until they cramped; and the quiet encouragement and reassurance that always accompanys true friendship.

As I arrived "home" in Pensacola, my heart was giddy with excitement at the opportunity to spend some quality time with one of those lifetime friends...my best friend, Summer. Not a day goes by that Summer and I are not in contact in some way. And though many miles and often many, many months separate us, I know she is never farther than a quick text or phone call. It is this kind of quiet reassurance that reminds me that I am never truly alone.

Summer and I had both of our children within a few weeks of each other. This gave us the opportunity to not only experience the joys, excitement, hormones, and miseries of pregnancy together, but it has also given us a partner-in-crime on the journey of motherhood. Maybe it's because I had the privilege of knowing each of her children since before they were born, but I love them like they were my own....





and somehow, our children must innately feel this because they are pretty fond of one another, too....and it makes my heart very, very happy.




God doesn't always promise us an easy passage in life, but I am grateful for the blessing of friends who make the journey easier, more exciting, and a hell of a lot more fun.

Photography by: Emily

And though motherhood is often NOT glamorous or easy,



we do our best to fake it. One thing that we don't fake is the undeniable, gut-wrenching, unconditional love for our children.



It has been said that, "Home is where you start from..." (A. Warhol). If this is indeed true, than my home is in Pensacola, because this is where my journey began.



Here I have become a wife, a mother, and a friend. Here I have found love, peace, and myself. Here I have come, "Home".