Texas Forever, kind of

I went to Texas this past week to see my little sister graduate, celebrate my dad and stepmom's 25th anniversary and to see other family and friends.
I also went to see my friends in Austin.
I haven't been "home" in a year and a half. It's strange how you can go some place and while feeling completely nostalgic, you can, at the same time, feel like you're picking up where you left off. I miss the open sky that Texas has to offer, the flat fields of my dad's ranch, the cows, the chickens, the deer. I miss the cedar trees (even though they set my allergies off) and the hills of the hill country. I miss my family. I miss my friends. I miss Austin. That city tugs at my heart and screams that it's my home. I love that I know all the back routes to places, and yet there are still so many places in Austin I've never been, even after living there for 5 years. I love that you can kayak in the center of the city, and be surrounded by trees. It's just so peaceful and fills me with such joy. I love how hard my friends make me laugh, and how I can say ANYTHING to these people who I've known for 17, 10, or 6 years and they still love me unconditionally. It's just so.... much.
Traveling always inspires me. It inspires me to be the person I want to be, to love my life, and always to create. Coming back to my home in Nashville, I'm full of new ideas and ready to create new habits. I'm glad to be back, to see my kitties, and be in my home, to explore this city that I live in, so that it can tug at my heart and scream that it's my home. Because I chose this place for a reason, and I want to live where I live.