Back to The Grove

The sign with my town's name on it says: Cedar Grove. Population 1887. Not joking. The last stretch of the major highway before my house has two lanes. Yes, just two, all you Chicago and other big city people. 

Yep, I am home for Christmas break. In good old Wisconsin for the next six days. And while it is wonderful to be back here, it is a weird feeling to be back. Here are the top ten reasons why it's both good AND weird to be home: 

1. It's just my parents and I. While I love watching the Survivor 3-hour season finale with Brian and Kathy just as much as the next guy, a family activity void of constant sarcastic and loud conversation with my older brothers and significant others present is eerily quiet. 

2. My room. I know everyone goes through this to some extent when they are in the college/young adult/in-between stages. While it is remarkably neater and more organized than when I inhabited it full time, it makes me sad to walk into MY room and see that it has transitioned to a guest room/storage room/mom's 2nd closet. Que triste. At least they have maintained the presence of 3 important elements: the orange and yellow paint choice (that's a high school freshman girl decision for you), the van Gogh prints on the walls (love those then and still now), and my ever-faithful childhood stuffed Saint Bernard named Snowball (or "Snow" for short.) 

My dad and I, last year on Christmas morning

3. The free time. Exams are finished. Schoolwork is done. My jobs are back in Palos Heights, IL where my college is located. And here I am, with the open fields, the smell of the neighboring farm, and the spare time to contemplate those big decisions like: Should I commit to Facebook timeline? and Should I paint my nails? And let's not forget the ever-pressing question: Is my desire to go running greater than my hatred for the freezing cold weather outside? I need a hobby, people. 

4. The food. This is a win and lose, depending on how you look at it. Win, because my mother happens to be ridiculously talented in the dinner department. Lose, because I am trying to be healthy and the steady supply of Doritos and Oreos in the pantry is not helping my cause. One thing I do appreciate is the fact that the basement freezer is always stocked with Jack's Naturally Rising Frozen Pizzas. A luxury I don't get to enjoy while I'm at school. 

5. DVR. We don't have DVR at my house at school, and watching my shows whenever I want them is bliss. However. My parents' recording needs do not always equal my own. I need a constant stream of How I Met Your Mother, New Girl, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. But when I scroll through the options of recorded television, I find House Hunters, House Hunters International Edition, Top Chef, and Iron Chef America (Apparently my parents want to move and open their own restaurant). We actually are in complete agreement over two shows: Jeopardy and Seinfeld. Thankfully. 

6. There is no traffic here. And I mean no traffic. If you wait behind more than two cars at a four-way stop sign, you are allowed start to get irritated with the unnecessary delay. Or you should probably blame yourself for not taking the back roads. 

7. Places to go, People to see. There is this weird mixture on break from college of wanting to see everyone from your old high school friendships, balancing everyone's schedules, and realizing that you can't see everyone in the short time you have. While I've grown apart from some people (somewhat sad to me), I have loved seeing over the years the friends that, no matter the time or distance between us, can pick up with me where we left off. These are the people who know me for who I am and let me just be me. (Me being me can mean funny or obnoxious, depending on your perspective. But I don't care.) 

8. My Wisconsin accent. It's dramatically more pronounced when I'm home. What can I say? Surround me with my own kind and I start to make "TOAA-st" instead of toast and put on my "COE-aahhtt" instead of my coat. It's a curse. But hey. It's who I am. Usually I can switch back and forth to some degree, but over Christmas break I give in completely to Wisconsinese. 

9. I don't have class for a MONTH. That is a sweet sentence to write right now, at this moment immediately following finals. But I can honestly say I get giddy with excitement when a new semester begins. I like school. So at the end of break I'll be itching to take notes and write papers again. 

10. No roommates. This is nice for one reason: 6 girls taking a shower each day can sometimes mean the hot water running out in the middle of your shower. Unpleasant. Having no roommates is not so nice for this reason: I miss the little crew! Finding funny things on Youtube is hilarious when with roommates and lamesauce when you are with your parents. As cool as my parents are, I don't think they have the patience to watch every Lonely Island video in existence with me. And they just don't find the joy in this video like other college kids do. 

So while it's weird at this age to come back, I know this town will always be where it all started. And each time I come back to make the population swell to 1888, I gotta say, it's a great time.