Home, Home on the Front Range -- and in the Midwest??

Fall break was the first time I came back home since leaving for Drake and it struck me how, even though I was home, I also referred to Drake as home.

"I'll have to take this back home with me," I'd say. And "I have this one back home."

Drake became "home" so quickly. Fall break fell only two months into school and already I felt as though I was at home.

I was comfortable on campus and in the residence halls. I got along with my roommate and our neighbors. I knew where the food was and how to get it. I never felt lost when getting to classes. In fact, after only a few short weeks it felt like I'd been there for much longer.

But just because I consider Drake home, doesn't mean my real home is demoted in any way. I certainly do still feel like this is home. This is where my family is and where I've grown up these past ten years and going to college will not and did not change my emotional attachment to the building or, of course, the people within it. I found a quote that seemed to sum it up nicely "Home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts" -- Oliver Wendell Holmes.

For now, it certainly feels like both places are home. Imagine! At the age of 18 having a summer home!

When my parents move, I don't know if I'll consider the new house home. Certainly I'll be home in the sense that I'll be with my family which is really the important part, but I won't be attached to the actual building which definitely contributes to that homey feeling.

But for now, I'm going to enjoy the next couple of months at home before I have to pack up and head back home.