Home sweet HOME!

In less than a week, M and I will be winging our way to the homeland!  We haven't been back to Missouri in almost an ENTIRE year.  Sad :(  My grandpa's 80th birthday is 11/9 and we're all celebrating in St Louie on 11/11.  I'm excited to see my family and catch up!  

After a fun family filled night in the Lou, we're headed to Rolla-where I grew up.  Rolla and I have a love-hate relationship.  I don't go back often and I haven't really kept in touch with many people from there, sooooooo, ya.  Its Rolla.  I am excited to be amongst familiar surroundings though, it should spark some fabulous memories.  It will be awesome to see how much my tiny home town has grown in the last 8 (or so) years.  It will also me interesting to see how many old ghosts I bump into from my "former" life.  

After our brief Rolla adventures, we're headed to Springfield, also known as Spring-Vegas, Spring-Tucky, Springtown, etc.  M and I met here while attending Missouri State University ;)  It holds so many great memories!  I'm excited to drive through campus and check out how much its changed since we graduated.  FIVE years in December...where does the time get to?  I can't wait to drive through Fraternity/Sorority Row.  It will be bittersweet to see the Sig Ep and Alpha Chi houses.  Such great times spent there!

M's parents also live here, so we'll get to spend some time with them too.  We haven't seen them since M was hospitalized last fall.  Its a long overdue visit!  

Our final leg will be BRANSON!  We loooooooooove Branson, does that make us honky?!  If it does, we're proud to be honky!  Oh we can't say enough great things about beautiful Branson.  You know from previous posts that we had our first date and got engaged HERE.  I think that link will confirm just how corny and sentimental we really are ;)  We just love it there.  Its a down home place that is full of family fun, whats not to love?!  OK, I actually can answer that.  The main highway in Branson, 76 Country Highway, is perpetually jammed.  It can sometimes take hours to go a few miles.  Its pretty horrid.  

I've been chomping at the bit to start packing since like last week, but I'm holding out.  I just wish our trip could be longer.  The military gets in the way of everything?!  Regardless of how short our trip, we're looking forward to it.  Yay for Missouri!  <Ok, I never EVER thought I'd be so excited to go home to a place I was dying to get out of my whole life.  Funny how life works, isn't it?