Going Home!

Today is one of the first days in awhile that I have had nothing to do, and I'm feeling a bit nostalgic. So, I decided to blog about it. I'm heading to my hometown of Fairfield, Illinois this week for my 20th class reunion. It just doesn't seem possible. As I reflect on going home, many different feelings are consuming me. Some of you reading this blog live there or grew up there, and some of you reading this have no clue where Fairfield is. For me, Fairfield is home! It's where I was born, it's where I learned about God, it's where I learned to walk, it's where I learned to ride a bike, it's where I learned how to roller skate, it's where I learned how to read and write, it's where I got my first cat named Mopsey, it's where I spent many overnight stays on Friday night with Grandma and Grandpa, it's where I met the best of friends, it's where I've made many amazing memories, it's where I played softball in the park with my church and was conked on the head by a fly ball my brother hit to me (he really wasn't aiming for his sister, his sister is just a dork who misjudged it, and it stinkin' hurt!!), it's where I met my first boyfriend, it's where I learned how to drive and dodge cops while chasing boys around town ;-)...I could go on and on about all I learned and did in that small town, but I won't bore you. :-) I lived there for 18 years, and that town is a part of me. I may live in Nashville now, but Fairfield will always be home as much as I love or hate it at times. :-) It's not the perfect town, but what town is? My parents moved away from there in 2009, and going home now kinda gives me a strange feeling. I drive by the house I grew up in thinking my parents should still be there. I see the yard I played hours upon hours in, but I know my folks aren't there when I see a strange car in the driveway. I don't know how many times I have pulled in that driveway, so it's weird going home now, and just passing by instead of pulling in to see my parents greet me on the front porch. My grandparents have since passed on, but I make sure to visit them at the cemetery every time I go home. I drive past their house, wanting them to greet me on the front porch when I pull up, but just like mom and dad's, someone else lives there now. I love going home, but to not have family there anymore, kinda makes me feel like a stranger to Fairfield. I remember traveling home from college for holidays, and it was SO exciting to finally see your family all together again, and now? No one is there. So, I have mixed feelings about going home now with no family there, but I also know this weekend is going to be so fun seeing old friends, some of whom I've not seen since graduation day on May 24, 1991. This is the first reunion I've been able to make, so I'm sure it will be fun reminiscing about the "good ole days". The above picture is of our downtown area (you can click on it to make it bigger), I've walked those sidewalks many times, from the time I was just old enough to walk when mom would take me into the stores uptown, to the time I was leaving for college. The building on the left is Fairfield National Bank. I worked there my Senior year of high school. So to Fairfield, you will always be home to me, and I look forward to sharing a few days with you and a few good friends this week!! Dimaggio's and Taco Tierra, here I come, so you better have the good ice just for me! ;-)