Home

After parent-teacher conferences on Thursday night, another teacher and I chatted about our weekend plans. "I'm headed back home this weekend," I told her--referencing Ogallala as home. We've lived in Omaha now for ten months, but it still doesn't feel like home. We like Omaha, and it's nice to be so much closer to family, but it doesn't have the same comforting feeling like Ogallala does. Anyway, we made the trek back "home" on Friday morning and came home this evening.

On Friday we got to spend time with some of our former students as we celebrated the life of a beautiful young woman (one of our former students) who was killed in a car accident last weekend. It was tough to see these kids so broken up, but it was great to be able to tell stories about the fun memories we all have of Emma. I'm so glad we were able to be there to hug our kids, let them cry on our shoulders, and tell them we love them. Seeing these kids made my heart heavy because I miss many of them so much more than I ever thought I would. 

We also got to spend time with our friends this weekend. We stayed with the Josjors, so of course we ate and drank well and had great conversation. Kristin and I ran six miles on Saturday morning, which doesn't seem like a lot, but if you had seen the weather that day, you'd be proud of us! It was cold, windy, snowy, and the roads grew slicker with every mile. It's always great to catch up with Kristin. She's a true woman of God who inspires me to live better. On Saturday evening we helped our friend Ryan celebrate his birthday by eating way too much food and playing a raucous game of spoons. After we left Ryan and Tracy's, Nate and I stayed up late talking with Bob and Shannon. It reminded me of our first dinner with them. A few years ago they invited us over for dinner on a Sunday night, and we ended up staying well past our bedtime. We were hooked on the Josjors after that! For the next few years they fed us, cried with us during tough times, and laughed with us. They were our first real friends in Ogallala and are part of what made Ogallala feel like home. 

While this weekend was a great time spent catching up with people who are important to us, part of me wishes we hadn't gone back because I find myself longing to be back there. I couldn't keep track of the number of kids and parents who asked us to move back (Nate's replacement will not be returning next year, so his old job is open again). After this weekend, it is so tempting to move back. We still have a house there, and we have so many great friends to come back to. The logical part of me knows that God has put us in Omaha for a reason, and it might take some time for us to figure out what the reason is. While Ogallala still feels like home, our home is here, in Omaha. Nate mentioned this on his blog earlier this weekend, but I am ready for Omaha to start feeling like home for us.