SOMEWHERE IN MIDDLE AMERICA

It's crazy to think that before this July, the last time I had been in Nebraska in the summertime was May of 2006! MAY OF 2006! Granted I visited during the fall, winter and spring, but I hadn't seen the tall corn fencing in my childhood backyard for 8 years. Needless to say, it did my heart a world of good. Sadly, Kyle couldn't come with me because of his work schedule, however, there's always next year!

My sister and her family were visiting "home" as well, so I got to see my nephew and brand new little niece, Amelia. I love them so much, it's crazy.

I looked through old boxes in our basement and picked out things I wanted to bring back to Nashville with me for our little one coming this September. I can't wait to read her the books I adored as a child and find out which one she likes best! I also found a pair of sunglasses that belonged to my grandmother, Florence. Who knew she had so much pizazz back in the day?

As with most trips to see loved ones, it went by waaaayyy too quickly. 

Oh, the list just goes on. The good news is, I've got lots of little moments stored in my memory, and photographs to jog it in case I forget. I don't ever want to forget...the time Ryker entertained himself for an hour filling up two buckets with water while I weeded my mom's garden...standing on a chair, on tippi-toes, in the backyard to see three different firework shows all going off at the same time with my parents...dressing up Amelia in multiple outfits a day, just so she could wear everything at least once before she got to big...walking to the park I grew up playing at and watching Ryker discover it for the first time.

It seems that without fail, every time I'm flying back home, Counting Crow's song, Omaha, starts playing in my head. 

"Omaha, somewhere in middle America

Get right to the heart of the matter

It's the heart that matters more..."

It's pretty fitting, I'd say. No matter where I go in the world, or where I put down roots, Nebraska will always have a place in my heart, and there's really just no way around it...it will always feel like home to me.