Tale of Two Homes: An Ode to DC and Oakdale (yes, Oakdale)

DC was gorgeous the week we arrived. The sun warmed each afternoon, the sky was clear, and the cherry blossom trees budded pink. The spring air was full of anticipation and welcome.

Joe and I truly felt we’d come home.

Home to the place we met, where we built a friendship and then decided to risk it on love. Where we built a community over four and a half years, a community that we were grateful to discover is still largely in tact.

Our friendships barely skipped a beat.

Each day, I spent time with a treasured friend I hadn’t seen in two years—as well as a couple good friends I made in Seoul. Fellow church members at Christ Our Shepherd welcomed us back on Sunday with smiles and hugs, and exclamations over Luca’s health and vitality. These are people who love us as part of the family, who prayed for us consistently while we were away. I could not be more grateful to call such a community my home.

Returning to this beloved place was fantastic. Refreshing. Comforting.

I had a full-on honeymoon with DC: the friends, the vibe, the restaurants, the Metro, the museums, and perhaps most of all, the pleasant memories. Oh, and it didn’t hurt that we made our first legitimate Target visit (Oh, how I love, love, love, love Target) and we stayed very close to a Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.

Just, you know, strolling on the Mall.

Luca also had a ball.

The first time I took him on the Metro, he was fascinated by the doors opening and closing, by the people coming and going, and by all the announcements. He told me to hold on to the bar, like the other riders (even though I was sitting), and he repeated, “Step back! Doors closing.”

Later, wandering the American History Museum, we found an exhibit with a Chicago L train we could board. We spent about 15 minutes on the train, with Luca diligently holding that bar. On every subsequent Metro ride, he did the same.

Playing by the White House

I get it, the White House. Now let's go!

I had mixed feelings about leaving DC just as the cherry blossoms were about to open up full force and many friendships there were back in full swing, but Joe reminded me it is better to leave on a high note.

Regardless, any sadness was promptly dispatched at SFO, when I turned a corner to see my dad waiting for Luca and me.

Oakdale may not be a place I’ve chosen to reside as an adult, but it certainly feels like home. It is familiar, it is beautiful, the weather is fantastic, and it is where I can find some of my favorite people in the world: My family.

Luca and I definitely miss Joe, who is back in DC preparing for our next post, and we miss DC in general—Luca keeps suggesting we "Go on meh-ter-oh train?"—but we feel blessed to be surrounded by people who love us. Luca feels right at home and happy in “Nana Papa’s house." In fact, occasionally he wants me to go away so he can have his Nana or his Papa all to himself. What a relief to be with family.

And Oakdale welcomed us to town with the most Oakdale of experiences: The Rodeo Parade. The essence of small-town charm. Luca enjoyed watching the horses and trucks and classic cars and Shriner clowns with his cousins and grandparents (pictures below).

It was an excellent way to kick off our short season in California.

If things continue as Joe and I expect, we will keep making temporary homes abroad and building new communities every couple years. We will keep developing some temporary and some lasting friendships with people who will also move around the world. It is a fun and adventurous lifestyle, but of course a lifestyle with challenges. We miss being present for the people we love, for birthdays and celebrations and milestones and hard times and changes. We miss having those people present, in person, for us.

But this month reminds me that in all that transience, I am blessed with two homes, both filled with people I care about. When I feel lonely in a new country, which is bound to happen, I should remind myself that I can always treasure—and visit—two places rich with good memories and with love.

Truly, there is no place like home.