abilene

I got back Monday night from the place I call home. Although 2 of my 5 days off were spent driving, it was worth it to be able to spend some time with my family in a place that is more than familiar. When I was in college, I never knew what it was like to ache for my hometown, and I certainly didn't know why some people would say Abilene was a "small town"...now, of course, I understand both. I loved eating good Mexican food and seeing familiar street signs. I loved going to the Mall of Abilene with its updated look, but ever-lurking ghettoness. I loved the fact that we saw someone we knew at the mall and then a couple of hours later saw that same person across town at Sam's. I loved seeing and being with people who actually knew that I once had the last name Wallace.

Of course, I really do love being in Nashville. I love it more for the reason/person why I am here than anything else, but I don't think it will ever be "Abilene" for me. I could ask people around my age who have gotten out of Abilene, and it is likely that most of them would not share my feelings about the town...a lot of people with whom I went to high school would say they got out of there as quickly as they could. But since I inherited my sentimentality from my daddy, I am deeply attached to Abilene, Texas. (Aw, Texas...that could be the subject of another post. It's like a whole 'nother country, ya know.) So, although I miss it dearly, I actually really love that I now have a "hometown" to miss. It is a "small town", and Abilene definitely isn't for everybody...but for me, it's home.

(I did get to see my brother Paul, although not as much as I would have liked. The fact that I saw him is sadly not represented in the following pictures...I hate that. Love you, brother!)

the new house in abilene

the monarchs were migrating through and chose my parent's backyard as a stop

if you look closely, you can see them covering the tree behind us

hook 'em horns, cutie-style

the four of us :)

cousins

my daddio

and my mama

"Hometown weather is on TV / I imagine the lives of the people living there / And I'm curious if they imagine me / Cause they just wanna leave; I wish that I could stay..." ~Caedmon's Call