Life is an aimless drive that you take alone

Might as well enjoy the ride, take the long way home

Rather profound for a white boy rap group, wouldn't you say?

Where is home? Is it where you live? Where you grew up? I am having a hard time coming to terms where home should be.

I spent most of my life in Michigan. I loved growing up here. This is not where I was born, nor where I spent my early years but from 8-16, my formative years, this is where I lived. Since then I have lived in Arkansas, North Carolina and Ohio but in the end, Michigan is where we ended up. Again.

I would like to say that my love of Michigan lasted throughout the years and I am so happy to be "home" but I am not. For the last 6 years we have lived here and made the best of things. Don't get me wrong. I have made some great friends in my adult life. I also really enjoyed going to college, even if that degree turned into nothing more than an overpriced hobby. The problem is that I don't feel like this is where we belong.

My husband works for a company that has branches all over the country and really, the world. A bunch of positions opened up and we have been mulling over the idea of getting the hell out of here. Michigan is a beautiful state, but frankly, we live in the butthole. My area is not pretty. The cost of living is fairly high and the wages have done nothing but plummet. It definitely does not have the same appeal to me that it did growing up.

Where does one go when one can go anywhere? I miss North Carolina like you wouldn't believe, but will it have the same appeal to me as a civilian? (Ok, I have always been a civilian but since my husband was in the Marine Corps, I count it) I miss the ocean and the mountains.  Then there is Iowa which is where we considered before. Nothing but rolling cornfields and it completely appeals to that side of me. Then there is Colorado. Colorado is stunningly beautiful. There are even positions in Alaska which is yet another absolutely gorgeous place.

Would they feel like home? Is it worth uprooting my kids on an ideal? How do we handle the logistics? There are a bazillion questions and no answers. I just know that Michigan no longer does it for me. It's not right. I just don't know what is.

Ponderings for the day...