home again

a year ago i thought i had no reason to come home anymore. now i can't get enough of it. there's something about the place i grew up that i absolutely love. it's taken me about 19 years to realize how lucky i am to have grown up where i did and i don't think i'll be taking it for granted anytime soon. maybe everyone feels this way about the place they were raised, but i think i grew up in the perfect location. 45 minutes to l.a. 45 minutes to s.b. hour and a half to disneyland 15-20 minutes to the beach, what more could you ask for? plus i grew up in newbury park instead of thousand oaks, which i think is better. we're a smaller town, everyone knows everyone which is annoyingly fun, its a gorgeous town and is becoming rather nice in the past couple of years. we're a small town just a free-way overpass away from the bigger thousand oaks and a 5 minute drive to westlake. everything we need is within reach. plus, i have never been anywhere that has as many donut shops (have you?). besides the town itself drawing me back, i have my friends and family. last year i didn't care to come back because it just wasn't the same anymore after my friends had gone off on their missions, but i made new friends who i love just as much as the old. i love hearing from them while i'm at school and i love coming home to them, it makes me so excited for summer. i have some of my closest friends that live here. i've come to find it's hard to explain the magicalness of our little area to those who don't know it or didn't grow up here, they just don't seem to get it. growing up i thought that every family was like mine who had such close family friends that we did absolutely everything together; we are so close they are like family. i thought thats the way it was in the world, then i went away to college and realized no one else has that. whenever i try to explain the relationships to everyone the only way i can do it is to say "they're like my brothers/sister." there's just no other way (especially to guys who think my boys are love interests). it's not just the kids who are like family either, the parents are included, theyre my second or third parents who i feel just as comfortable with as i do my own ma, and i know they care about me just as much. every halloween, christmas, (most) new years eve, spring breaks, whatever, is spent with this family that our parents have created and i would never change a thing about it. and this all has to do with the magic of our little towns i think. if we had lived anywhere else i don't think it would have happened. i'm so very lucky to have been raised where i was and live the life i live.
p.s. got a surprise phone call from none other than my bestie whos residing in pocatello for his mission. he's doing just great and the sound of his voice made me smile for the rest of the night. can't wait till that kid gets home so we can both dwell in the magicalness of newbury park.

2 comments

  1. you're becoming such a great writer...love your thoughts...i'm so glad you like where you grew up...i love it...and the 'family' we've made...

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  2. i love NP, it truely is the greatest place in the world, with the best people!! i miss it.

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