Home Sweet Home

My 1 month anniversary of moving to Baton Rouge is 2 days away! It has been such a great transition! I really like it here even though I already considered myself a part-time resident by visiting on the weekends. The only thing that I thought would take an adjustment was the traffic but I cope with it. I don't get frustrated and I take it in stride. I love my new job, I get to travel all over the state of Louisiana and meet so many different people and telling them about the importance of voting. I am adapting to living in an apartment again but I really like it.

Things are just a little different than they were a month ago. I moved from my hometown of DeRidder, LA for a new professional opportunity. DeRidder is located in Southwest Louisiana in Beauregard Parish. It is a small town, but we do have a Wal-Mart and more than one redlight (lol). I miss my DeRidder home and sometimes I miss my old job. I miss my DeRidder home because of my family. As much as we would all get on each other's nerves, I love them and wish that they lived down the street from me sometimes. I miss going to my Gran and Pop's house to eat and talk with them. I miss only having to drive a mile or two to where I want to go.

I miss my old coworkers. I miss our daily talks about the clients we dealt with and how to help them. I miss my lunch dates with my friend, Heidi and our Frappucinno runs when we needed an extra caffeine boost. I don't miss the drive from DeRidder to Lake Charles and the miles that I put on my car.

I only moved to a different part of the state but I am happy that all the things that I love and miss are only a short drive away. I have no hard feelings against my hometown, DeRidder, LA. DeRidder has taught me a lot about community. It's a good feeling when people know your name and have something positive to say about you. It feels good to know that someone is always going to open the door for you and give you a friendly hello. It feels good to know that someone is going to almost greet you with a smile. As much as I tried to avoid DeRidder like the plague when I graduated from college, I ended up staying there for 4 years after that. I learned what it meant to work 3 part-time jobs to make ends meet. My first professional job was there, someone took a chance on a girl with no experience and built me up. From there, I went to another position that taught me lessons daily. I appreciate DeRidder and the people that also call it home. My failures and shortcomings are not to be blamed on the place that I am living but the things that I may not be doing correctly. I won't forget where I came from because one day I may be back. DeRidder is not a death sentence, as I've heard some put it, but a change of pace. If you can make it in DeRidder, you can make it anywhere. Not because it is rough around the edge or overflowing with crime but because it is going to give you a dose of the skills you need if and when you decide to take your talents elsewhere.

I am now blessed to have 2 homes, my home in Baton Rouge and my home in DeRidder. Home is where the heart is and my heart lies in both places.