Home sweet home
Home is not a place, it is a feeling.
It’s always funny when someone asks me about home. I usually have to stop and wonder do they mean Texas or New York? Home to me is more than where my personal belongings are. It’s the place I feel comfy and cozy, where I know all the roads without needing a GPS, and where it’s easy for us to decide where we want to go eat, least you realize that after you leave. Though Texas officially has my heart, and all of my belongings, New York will always be home even if it means borrowing my moms guest bedroom for weeks.
I recently took a solo trip home to visit my family and friends in Rochester, NY. Though it was a quick two weeks, it filled my heart with every bit of love it needed. I got to see my littlest nephew who was only a few weeks old when I saw him last year. My youngest niece who is a splitting image of me (thank you Marco and Amanda) was very sick my last week there but it meant I got extra cuddle time in. I got to spend some valuable time with my older nephew and nieces as well. It was just what we all needed, some good quality family time.
It is amazing how leaving home makes coming back that much more exciting.
It brings the whole family together, makes me feel so beyond loved. Hearing my oldest niece plan her week to spend as much time with me before I left, I never thought I’d hear the day she was as excited to see me, especially in the teen years! It seems however, none of them listened to me when I told them to stop growing…but it’s fun seeing the little adults they are becomming.
My favorite thing about visiting home in the summer months is spending time at my parents cottage. Oh the place I loathed being at in my younger years where I thought weekends were meant to be out and about. As an adult, I appreciate so much more the peace and quiet, the sound the waves makes against the rocks, the way the sun sets over the water, the smell of the fire late at night. It is by far my favorite place to be and from what I’ve gathered, it’s also my dad’s most favorite spot. Hey, they don’t have the saying “like father, like daughter” for no reason!
By far though, the best was to see all my brothers, sister-in-laws, nieces, nephews, and fur-nephew spend so much time together. At the cottage, we did it all. We played board games, yard games (I kicked my nephews butt in ladder ball, thank you very much), threw rocks, walked along the beach, made smores by the fire. All the things I enjoyed with my friends before we thought we were too cool to be around family. Pure bliss. Back home, my parents and I had dinner every night together, watched a little TV, and helped take care of some things around the house. I can’t pass a good evening alone with my parents. Dinner cooked every night. Windows open as the breeze passed through, Watching classic movies and TV shows with my dad. Enjoying Italian ice outside with my mom. All in all, it was a great trip.
This was my first solo trip home, but my third trip back. I’ve learned some key things along the way that have helped me plan for my return! We are planning another trip this summer and I know I will be using these tips this next go around. Let me know some of your tips and tricks when visiting your hometown!
Traveling home tips:
If flying, pack light. I love bringing back to Texas some of the old stuff I left at my mom’s and some hand-me-downs my parents give me as I visit, such as old Italian cookbooks!!
If you can, leave extra clothes there each trip. I officially have a small number of clothes that can last me a good amount of time on my next visit home so I technically don’t need to bring anything when we go again!
Plan the places you miss eating at!! My husband and I have a list for each time. There are too many places we miss eating at so each trip we plan a few to visit, then cross it off our list.
Plan the items in the grocery stores you can’t find home! There are so many treats at the local grocery store in Rochester that we can’t find down here in Texas so we always make sure to grab some when we visit and get our fix.
If you’re crazy about certain foods, make it your arrival meal. Every trip, solo or together, we get a pizza from our favorite place! When my parents picked me up from the airport at 11 pm, they had a pizza from my favorite spot chilling in the backseat for me! It honestly makes the first day back easy and no one has to worry about cooking or trying to figure out what to cook.
If flying, have mom pack you a mini lunch/dinner. I love bringing back my mom’s pizza. So for my flight home, I packed pizza into my carry-on. I can’t stomach airport food or much fast food, especially while traveling, I just can’t do it. Having mom’s food with me helped so much! Not only did it help fill me because I was famished but it helped my anxiety about leaving home because I had a piece (literally) with me.
As lame as this may sound, buy the freaking t-shirt with your hometown’s name on it. Trust me, you’ll wear it a ton.
Last but not least, take as many pictures and videos as you can each time! Though you probably visited that pizza place a million times, it feels so good to go through pictures when you get back home and see that ole’ sign within your album. Plus remember, each time you go home, something will be different and you will wish you took a picture. You can thank me later on this one.
Rochester, NY will forever hold a special place in my heart. It is amazing how growing up, all I ever wanted was to get out of there. As an adult who no longer lives there, I’m drooling at the chance to visit again. Home will always hold your heart. Cherish the memories and document them. There will be a day it will all be different and you will wish you had that picture. And don’t assume Google will have that image…
No one has images from your perspective.