On arriving home...
We were at one of those rooftop parties in Washington D.C., watching the fireworks, on the Fourth of July. Could there be a more iconic way to celebrate Independence Day? In the midst of the patriotic salvo, Sam leans over and he whispers to me, "I wish we were home, with our pups." It was day ten of our summer adventure, first Colorado, and now D.C.. We had never been away from our home, our business, and our "furry children" for this long, and when it comes to traveling, we're definitely rookies. Two weeks of traveling was a stretch compared to the typical six-hour road trips to stay three nights with family. But this trip was more than a break, it was time away that left us feeling challenged, and definitely humbled.
Prior to our trip, we had always discussed leaving Texas (a three year discussion). I came to Texas from Los Angeles and Sam, Kansas City, both in 2010. We unknowingly came here to find one another, get married, and move on. Texas never felt like home; we spent hours and hours discussing where we could make our life and business work elsewhere. We complained about the weather, the climate, the culture, and we both agreed that we loathed Texas. We began to consider other states: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Idaho...we had lists, we researched every possibility that we could somewhat agree on. Of course our business had to be considered too, the wood supply, the cost, taxes, etc. The discontent and indecisiveness continued to swell. On June 25th, we headed to Colorado, hopeful, perhaps there would be a new home, a place where we'd feel inspired. Vail was gorgeous, the drive; stunning. If you haven't been to Vail in the summer, it's worth visiting. Boulder, Fort Collins, both great college towns that feel "alive". Colorado Springs, Denver, Manitou Springs, Woodland Park. All of these places had beautiful weather, and gorgeous scenery. Colorado is BEAUTIFUL. But you know, there wasn't peace about relocating to this dreamy location, and this is when we began to feel challenged. Challenged because we still didn't know the answer, and every discussion of a possibility was ephemeral, momentary.
We headed out of Denver to D.C. on July 2nd. We were eager to relax, spend time with friends, and to see a new place. D.C. was our first destination city east of Kansas, and it was great to be in a walkable city. One of best was days was our trip to the Eastern Market. Here you have beautiful historic row houses and apartments; just footsteps away, a weekly farmer's market and flea market. The restaurants and shops are likewise charming; families and friends gathered outside to enjoy the perfect Sunday morning weather with fancy coffees. We were beginning to realize, whether beautiful, progressive, vibrant, hipster, big city, small town, suburban, any place could be "home" to us.
July 8th, our plane touched down in Dallas, TX. It was an odd feeling, to come home and ignore the 100 degree sticky air, the "concrete jungle" surrounding us, and feel peace?
We had finally been humbled. Had our own discontent, our lack of gratitude allowed us to be swallowed into this spiral of restlessness? Suddenly, Texas wasn't so bad after all. And with clear minds, and the remaining senses at peace, we could now listen. It doesn't matter where we choose to go, but it does matter if we leave our current home with a critical spirit. Texas is where our marriage was born, our business, and is home to dear family and friends. Some day, when we leave, there should be both sorrow and joy, because there is an abundance of beauty here, we just have to remain humble enough to see it. "You will show me the path of life: In your presence is fulness of joy, at your right hand are pleasures forevermore ." Psalm 16:11
(See more of our travel photos on Instagram-> http://instagram.com/hurdandhoney )