Home Sweet Home

When people ask me if I’m from here, here being Roanoke, many times, I didn’t know how to answer. Not knowing the short answer, it normally results in a long explanation of my historical geography. I am sure it bores many. It is complicated.

Sometimes, I respond with another question and ask them exactly what they want to know, as in, “Do you mean where I was born or where I grew up?” (If you’re interested, I was born in York, Pennsylvania but I am an Army brat – I’ve lived all over from Hawaii to Upstate New York to Texas and everywhere in between.)

Perhaps, you might now understand why this simple question is so hard for me. I didn’t know where “home” was.

Another difficult question people ask, typically following the geography chronicle that I go through – if they’re still talking to me – is, “How long have you been in Roanoke?”

Realistically, I could ask them, “which time?” I say this because I have moved to and from Roanoke four time times in my life – twice on my own accord and twice because of my parents.

I’m not joking.

Not too long ago, I realized that the time I have spent in Roanoke, collectively, of course, exceeds the time that I have spent elsewhere.

Officially making Roanoke…. Home.

I have no desire to move elsewhere. I’ve tried to leave, thinking the grass was greener on the other side, somewhere, anywhere, but here. But I keep coming back. And I do so for the same reasons that my parents relocated here for the first time in 1988…

Roanoke is a great place to cultivate a family.

Explaining our family dynamics over the years could be equally confusing about explaining where I’m from but I’ll keep it simple. Today, I’m the mother of two, future step-mother of two, pet owner, and employee among a host of other things. Roanoke offers each of us what we need, both individually and as a family.

Our children range in age from thirteen to five and while it might seem challenging to find something that we all enjoy doing around town or at home, it’s not as hard as you think.

It is my hope I can share with you, over time, not only a glimpse into our family, but a look at the events and activities that can be found in and around our area…

…to aid in the cultivation of your family.