Home Sweet Home

I have had a lot of questions from my Hutch peeps about "The Cat House" and the progress.  My blog sort of stopped (anyone who knows me gets why that happened.  I wonder if I will ever be able to make that a regular thing?) Some thought "cat house" referred to some sort of house of prostitution.  Lol.  Um, no.  It referred to the smell of cat urine in this house the moment we walked in the first time we saw it.  It was disgusting.

Those days are long gone thank goodness.  I just finished a Christmas gift for mom and dad about the renovation; a retelling of the entire process, if you will.  Looking back on the whole thing was so much fun.  I had forgotten little details and all the fun we had.  I am so thankful to those two for all they did to help me make my dreams, both big and small, become a reality where this house is concerned.  I love it.

I Miss Hutchinson

I miss Hutchinson, Kansas.  I never thought I would utter those words.  Really.  I mean some really crappy things happened there. 

• I never wanted to move.
• There was no support system or family there.
• I was pretty much alone from the minute I set foot there.
• My marriage died there.
• I struggled as a single mom there.
• It was ridiculous being the ex-wife of a person everyone thought was "such a nice guy".

The list is long.  And let's be honest, Hutch is not a booming metropolis.  I constantly complained about nothing to do, no cultural experiences, blah, blah, blah and with the news that they won't even have a Target next year...I must be off my nut!  However,  now I find myself living in another city, completely happy in the spot where God planted me, yet missing something I never thought I would and reflecting on what that place really was.  I've come to realize that Hutch wasn't a bad place to be at all.  In fact, Hutch was where:

• I watched Brig start school, never looking back at me, but holding her Bubby's hand tightly.
• I saw Conor shoot hoops on the driveway for hours and then in gyms for more than I can count.
• I watch my babies grow into teenagers, learn to drive, fall in and out of like, love, etc.  
• I met some terrific friends and co-workers.
• I met students who changed my life and who taught me instead of the other way around.
• I learned some important lessons from some excellent bosses.
• I learned some important lessons from some terrible bosses.
• I got my masters degree.
• I made our home into my perfect sanctuary (with the help of friends and family).
• I discovered Roys, Crosspoint Church, and that the best iced tea at the State Fair came from the Bracket's stand at the Sugar Shack.  
• I grew up.

So as I look at that second list, it's obvious that Hutch was much more than a location on a map where I "did some time".  It was an important part of my life.  It still continues to be as Conor and Rhyanna are firmly planted there and are thriving so I get to go back and spend some time now and then.  It's not the same, but it'll have to do - and I can still get my Roy's fix when I need it!   That 20/20 hindsight is a tricky tricky thing, huh?  I guess the lesson learned is to stay focused on the positive and bloom where I'm planted instead of looking to the future and making plans someday, right?