Skip to main content

Foreign Land

Today as I am driving the girls to art class I was thinking to myself these things....

How long will I have to drive around town to do it thoughtlessly. What I mean is when you grow up in a town you drive around without much thought. You don't have to pay attention to every sign. You know how to get to the main roads and without much thought can say what cross street you are stopped at without looking at the sign.

Another thing I then thought about is when will I stop driving around town and think to myself how I don't live in St. Petersburg anymore and that this in not "my" town? It seems so strange to be in North Alabama at times. We have been here since April of last year. We bought our house a year ago tomorrow. July 1st was our closing!

So I dropped off the girls and went to run errands and went to the places I now consider "my" stores. Hobby Lobby at Jones Valley, Chick-fil-A on Whitesburg. All foreign words to some of you, but these are "my" words now (for some reason I am teary right now).

Anyway, I go back to pick up the girls and we are walking to the van and I run into a native Alabamian that I know. I actually stopped and talked to another mom that is from here. I KNOW someone here. I just didn't nod my head to her and smile a friendly smile and say hi. I can have a conversation. For some of you reading you are thinking Heather has lost it! But being a stay at home mom and moving to what we consider a foreign land (it is Alabama after all) I don't have work friends to talk to, we know few people. I do get to have little chit chats at the kids school with other moms, but never a conversation based on past human interaction. This is huge for me.

All that to say I am really looking forward to my trip home where I can drive around thoughtlessly and have more than one conversation based on past human interactions. Miss my Florida friends so much, but am excited to finally feel like I am am not a compete stranger here in Alabama.

Comments

Melody said…
This may or may not make you feel better, but I still feel and go thru many of those same things after more than 3 and a half years in TN! However, I do not enjoy being in St. Pete, and it is no longer "home." I LOVE being with my family and friends and the familiarity of everything, and I am so excited to be visiting soon to see everyone..... but I am always so thankful that I am just visiting. I wish I could have the people I love and the place I love together at the same time.
July 1, 2010 at 2:15 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thank You 2010

I try very hard not to base my life on my location, size of house, materials I possess, new cars or the latest fashions. It is not something that is easy for me or something I don't have to work on everyday. I have chosen my life to be about Christ and not this world. I try to understand this world in the point of view of Christ. This world is not about what, but who. Even if you are not a Christian it is nobel to do for others. I have chosen in my life to follow Christ. Not perfect, just forgiven. I chose to help organizations that are centered on the love of Christ. My main point this holiday season is to remember the who and not the what. I always thought it would be cool to start a Thank You Card movement. Not that I do things for a thank you. A thank you card just shows me that I did something for someone else that was nice, meaningful, worthy. Kinda like a report card. So my challenge to you is to get a thank you card in 2010. It doesn't have to cost you mon...
Post a Comment
Read more

Southern Charm

We made an offer (low), the owners countered (expected) and they countered exactly what I thought they would. So, unless the inspector says the house should be demolished we will be the owners of a 1965, full brick, colonial style, bi-level house the second week of July or earlier. It is on a golf course, 6th fairway. It has a pool, fireplace, an original 60's kitchen (redo), hardwood floors, two car garage and much more. We know the process is long when buying a house in this condition. It's not in deplorable shape, livable in need of some updates. It is 44 years old and has not had major updates. This house is 10 years newer than our last house. It has character and southern charm. Not perfect, but perfect for us. Photos on the web are copyrighted. Not sure If I can post them here. I will try and do a link instead......
3 comments
Read more

Dogwood

On our 13 hour car ride to our new dwelling place I had to drop Mark and Delta off at the Chattanooga airport to get his truck. He flew from Chattanooga to St. Pete to come home to drive with us to our new digs.  Chattanooga is the closest airport other than Birmingham (1.5 hours away) that flies directly to Tampa/Saint Petersburg.  The Chattanooga airport is two hours from our new house.  This meant that I got to drive by myself with the kids for the last two hours of the very long trip.  Of course all the kids fell asleep, which is not good when you are leaving your hometown of almost 30 years. First time on the trip it was quiet.  Most days that would be a blessing, but this Sunday was not the case.  I needed noise to keep my mind from thinking about all that was happening.     So what does any girl do in a time like this?  I called my mom. One of the few times I am thankful for the invention of the cell phone.  The drive from Chattanooga to our house is so pretty and there are so m...
2 comments
Read more