Moving to a different part of the country, Jenn and I have been thinking a lot about the differences in where we are from and where we are now. I think we have whittled down our answers to several things that we like about living "in the North." Pittsburghers would probably label themselves as some kind of "halfsie", not Northern or Southern but somewhere in the middle. (Yes that was an Office reference..) However, we will use the Mason-Dixon line as our guide and for the sake of this post, Pittsburgh is in the North.
Back to the point. We are really living in a different part of the country. We like Pittsburgh because it is local. You do not find a big box store on every corner. You can find many restaurants that use local, organic food and are completely locally owned. Pittsburgh has a neighborhood feel. We love the community of folks we have fallen into. We cannot be more happy or thankful for the Formation House "Pilot" group.
While it has been refreshing to live in a different environment, coming home to Georgia for Thanksgiving has been great. Getting used to living in Pittsburgh has been one huge swirl of activity and adapting to our new home. It has been gratifying, and I would not change a thing. But it is also true, that as your life moves and changes, you must remember where you are from. Seeing Jenn's family yesterday (which, by the way, had %100 family attendance!) for Thanksgiving reminded me of the support and love they have given us in our journey. We are at home here, and we know we are always welcome. We talked with my family on the phone for a while and I also thought about how they have, in their own way, been there for us and supported us. We know that we always have a place in Dallas or in Georgia for support and love. I cannot put into words how THANKFUL I am to have two wonderful families. God has blessed us immensely!
 |
| The Merrill and Locke Families, Thanksgiving 2010 |
This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for where I am from and the family that I have.
"All the sweetest winds, they blow across the South."
To finish, some pictures of family.
 |
| Drewby |
 |
| Locke family at our Wedding |
 |
| Eric and Alyson- soon to be Newlyweds! |
 |
| Papaw |
 |
| Nanny and Brousin Danny |
 |
| Jessica and Paul |
 |
| Cousin Rachel |
Awwwww! What a wonderful post Ryan! It has been a great Thanksgiving and we are so thankful for you and Jenn and the fact that you drove all the way here to be with us. Both families love you so very much! The only thing I hate is seeing "Little Blue" driving down the driveway when you're heading back! Love you so much!
ReplyDelete