Home Sweet Home...kinda

Ok, so today's meanderings are about home... C and I have gone to great lengths to stress to M and now L that home will always be wherever we are together. This life we chose when "WE" joined the USAF has blessed us in so many ways. One of these blessings will never however, be a long term address. You have to keep in mind that C and I had no great compelling reason to leave KY. We were living in the same wonderful city as both of our parents with most of our extended families nearby. We had lifelong friends who were starting their families there. We were both gainfully employed and one of us (Me...) loved our job. The only downside was C's growing uncertainty whether he wanted to admit to being a lawyer, much less practice. SO, of course, we decided to leave everything we knew and everyone else we loved and see the world. Now don't think for one minute that I am complaining. I would not trade our life for anyone's... really. When we do see our families, we are all actually thrilled to be together. That in itself is a big deal. We haven't quite seen the world yet, but we have just about covered the southeast and of course Texas, (they refuse to be considered part of any larger geographic region...) Anyway, I have a pretty good indication that C's course of study here (the Middle East) is likely to assure us some more exotic assignments on the horizon. I wonder how many folks are anxiously looking forward to a desert getaway... Ok, back to my point, the longer we are away, the more I consider KY home. It is definitely the point of reference for all things good. As I walked down the street in BEAUTIFUL Carmel-By-The-Sea yesterday while Princess M was in her ballet class I was struck again by the comparison. This place is beautiful and very intoxicating, yet not really....warm. I know that I am a tad bit more talkative than even your most seasoned Louisvillian (sp?) but really, is it that hard to smile, nod, or at least not frown at the woman with the stroller you just ran off the sidewalk? I may be exaggerating a tiny bit, but people on the west coast just don't seem to have much time for niceties like "please", "thank you", "excuse me",or "I am sorry that I just trampled your foot". Now it could have something to do with my Target shorts in a Prada town, but really I do pay taxes and all... So, I guess where I am really going with all of this ranting is that no matter where we go and how much we love our explorations there really is no place like home. I like to think we bring KY with us to all of these different short term homes. Everywhere we have lived we have tried to entertain the same way we have learned from our folks, with an open home and southern hospitality. I don't think we'll ever grace the pages of Southern Living, but we darn sure won't send you home hungry. I have made it my mission to warm up my little part of the world here. I have a feeling I will be getting a lot of "she's crazy" looks but really, what else is new? So, I am going to continue to wear my Kohl's attire and my Reef flip flops. I am also going to keep saying hello to everyone I pass on the sidewalk. Who knows? Maybe I'll start a trend...

My pics today are unrelated to the text, but when you have a family this good lookin' you have to show them off.

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If you drive 26 hours round trip in less than 3 days just to see us, you get immortalized on the blog... Thanks J and K. We loved every second of your visit. I just can't believe you guys aren't still 15 and scamming 20 year old chicks for pizza and cab fare..

Her first experience with the beater was a success...

This pic has a couple of disclaimers....

1. None of the kids pictured were in anyway involved with the refreshments in the background of the picture.

2. Now that we live in Monterey, we will no longer be allowed to serve boxed wine at our soirees... You can take the girl out of Kentucky....