Oh Washington, My Washington

Today, Jenni's Blog Every Day In May challenge asks: What do you miss?

Well, I do miss my declared "Home State", Washington. I'm German, so my actual home state is Bavaria, Germany. The first state I've lived in the U.S. is Kansas; not really a fan, I have to admit. So when Richard's separation from the military became imminent, we discussed where we would go from there. We had several contenders, the top three being (in no specific order) Boston, Chicago, and Seattle. We did our research. Boston was out after the 2007 bomb scare, which the hubby considered just asenine.

PSA: NOT a bomb!! Source: Wikipedia

Chicago went out due to the statistics, since the crime rate seems to be fairly high there. So off to Seattle we went one sunny July afternoon. The next day, we hit Denver, CO, and I was amazed. I wondered why we never even considered to move to Denver, since it was simply amazing there. Once we hit the Cascades, I knew why. I fell in love with Washington so hard that I still miss it to this day and become homesick for it. I've never seen green as green as there. I've never before seen seasons this beautiful before.We loved Seattle at first sight, and still love it, even though we decided to move away from there for a better future for our family in Germany. I will always consider myself a Washingtonian by heart, and I'm always excited to visit my Home State. Believe me, there is no way to describe my feelings when the plane descends into Seattle. Then, our family ist turly coming home...

Seattle from the Space Needle, October 2008

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Home Is Where The Heart Is...

It is our last evening here with our friends in Washington. Tomorrow, come 4:30am we will pack the luggage and kids in the car, me most likely squished in between the girls under a whole bunch of bags on the backseat, and head out to the airport. While, on the one hand I am looking forward to returning to normality at home, I do not want to leave all those people behind once again.

Taking in consideration the often-cited saying (see headline), in have to say that my heart is all over the place. I still miss people terribly that I am friends with from when we lived in Kansas. And even though I did not like Kansas in particular (can you say: tornado!!), I felt like I left a part of me behind when I left the place where I was welcomed with so open arms, the place where Richard and I had our first home together, where I got pregnant and brought our firstborn daughter home.

Here in Washington, we have spent 2 years, building a family away from our actual families. Arriving here in July 2008, I thought it to be our home, where we would raise our girls and build our life post-Army. Little did we know that we would end up at almost the exact place where we started out in 2005. When we left Washington last year, I left my home to a uncertain future, just the way we did for our move there. And once again we pushed through it and build a new home for ourselves, meet new people and reconnected with old friends.

Now, as I am getting ready to return to Germany, I feel it more than ever how much I will miss Washington once we're back. I felt elated as our plane from Texas descended upon Seattle, and I know that I will feel the same once our plane will hit German ground. And while my home will be wherever Richard and the girls are, I know that a piece of me will remain in Washington, with those people who have been more than friends to us, who have taken us in as family, and with all those wonderful memories we have shared during our 2 years here. But while I am sad I also know that this family will always be there for us, and we will return to create more and more wonderful memories for everyone to cherish.