Kirksville

3 years ago began the process of life as a medical school student/family. Derek was invited to interview in a place I had never heard of. Kirksville, MO. The two days he was gone for the interview, I had a feeling that is where he should go. He came home and had the same feeling. After he got accepted to attend, he cancelled all other interview offers and took his place in the class of 2012 at KCOM.
Spring break came, we packed our bags and flew to this new place to find somewhere to live. It was raining...and raining...and kept raining. The roads were skinny, the buildings old. I was nervous about him bringing me to this little old town. Believe it or not, I even felt lost while driving around to all the listings we wanted to look at.
May came and we moved our things to this hot, humid adventure. We spent the summer months in Wyoming, and when those summer months came to an end, we made Kirksville our home. I remember the smells...I remember the feelings. I remember not knowing anybody and feeling like I would never make friends.
It took months to get used to Derek being busy with studying while I was stuck at home with a little baby. I spent lots of nights crying myself to sleep. Maybe a year of adjusting was what it took before I found a groove that worked for me. I finally found my happy place-and now its time to leave. I made this little town my life, and now I have to move on.
As we make arrangements for our next journey, I can't help but reflect on the things I love and will miss about the town I didn't even know about just 3 years ago.

*I love the experience of seasons: spring, summer, fall, winter
*I love that the grass is always green without the need of sprinkler systems
*I love seeing the green grass peek out through the snow
*I LOVE the purple trees in the spring
*I LOVE the deep reds and oranges and yellows of the fall leaves
*I love that you can actually swim in the summer without freezing your head off
*I love walking down the street and getting a wave from everybody that passes by, whether you know them or not
*I love the slow pace of a small town
*I love going to WalMart and seeing at least one person I know every time I am there
*I love the frequent sound of lawn mowers cutting the grass
*I love hearing the frogs and crickets
*I love that you run your AC more than your heat
*I love having friends from all over the country that come together for the same purpose, who experience exactly what I do on a daily basis
*I love seeing the Amish with their horse and buggies driving down the highway, through town on the cobblestone streets, or at the hitching post in the WalMart parking lot
*I love the farmers market when the weather is nice
*I love the rumbling thunder and the lightning that lights up the sky
*I love leaving the doors open, feeling and smelling the breeze, with the sounds of summer echoing in my ears
*I love that Peyson grew from a small infant to a huge toddler

I could go on and on. It makes me sad, the idea of leaving this place in the world, the friends I have made here. I finally made this town my home, just in time to leave it behind. Our life continues but our stay here will end. Only the memories will remain. While some are better forgotten, I will always remember and ever appreciate the growth that took place within me.

Kirksville may not have anything to do...no shopping malls, no approved restaurants to dine at, no entertainment. But Kirksville gives you the opportunity to leave your family and all familiarity behind, create your own entertainment, and truly find yourself. It puts you on the road to the person you want to be. It makes you stronger and prepares you for bigger and better things that will inevitably come. Kirksville is our home for just a short time more. I wouldn't trade the last two years for anything. And I will remember them forever.