Home

As I sit in my office workspace, with 2o+ students talking about going home for the holidays, I began to think of the places that I have called home in my life. Its not a really exciting list, but it is my list I call home.

The first house I remember, was a beautiful 2 story house in Pleasant Gap, PA. Pleasant Gap has exactly 2 stop lights and 3 bars. I lived there for roughly 20 years of my life. It was close to where I went to Elementary school and the location was perfect. My mom, dad, sister and I all co-existed in this house and this is where the family bonds were officially forged. My room was at the top of the steps and I was always the first one up on any gift giving holiday (Easter, Christmas). The kitchen and dining room was set up in such a way that we could all be preparing food and setting the table without it being too much of a big cluster F.
I loved this house, this is where I grew up. It was where I first fell out my bike and scraped my knee. It was where I believed so much in Santa that I made my father throw carrots on the roof for the reindeer. It was where I learned to drive and where I backed into my sisters car! This was my home...

The next place i lived was not much to talk about, it was a crappy two bedroom apartment with my 3 friends. We trashed the place, never did dishes and rarely, if ever vacuumed. It was where my friends and I figured out that we were great friends because we never lived together!

The housing situation then gets a bit weird
After spending a few months back with my parents, I went to a summer camp, i know, its not really a home, but I spent 4 summers there. This home was AMAZING, it was on a huge horse farm, and my room was shared with 13 other camp counselors. Staff quarters used to be an old chicken coup and now is used to harbor 14 staff members from all over the world for 3 months out of the year. It was amazing, it will always be my home. AND THE STARS LOOK AMAZING there. Stone Mountain will always be considered home...with 52 campers, 13 other staff, 4 directors, countless horses and a few smelly dogs.

Then, I moved into a townhouse with a girlfriend (no longer my girlfriend). I started back to school and lived here while my no longer girlfriend worked as a teacher. It was a sweet gig. I paid the bills I could, while working in a life sucking hell hole on campus and she took care of the rest. I would cook and clean and life started to make sense. Home was not a place where my entire family was, it was the place where the people most important to me is located. My no longer girlfriend and I lived here for two years and decided townhouse living was not quite for us (FINALLY!)...

We moved in to a one story ranch, with a garage for a basement. It had a huge back deck and a yard for my then, now no longer, dog to run around and poop all over. It was nice. It was a small slice of heaven...however no longer girlfriend became no longer girlfriend about 2 months after we moved in....

So my best friend and I decided to find a place to live, so i could finish up school. It was a nice place, 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, wide open kitchen and a living room. BEST PART, IT HAD A WASHER AND DRYER!!!! Life was hectic and beer flowed like water. My friend and I had our rough spots (and no cable for about 3 months) but it was wonderful...

During all this time, my parents bought a new house. It was nice. In ground pool, large TV room, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and I harbored ALOT of hatred for this house. It wasnt my home in Pleasant Gap. It was a house which was new to me and I never had a chance to make my own memories. I HATED IT...for 3 years I had no time for that house. Then, my moods changed. This house that I hated became home to me. I go home about two or three times a week for dinner and realize that my parents, my sister and those I hold close are my home...the place where they exist is just a place to hold the memories...SAPPY, I know, but it's true.

so where do you call home?