the way home

Sometimes nothing compares to the feeling you get when you go home. Hubby and I have been living in Hamilton now for two years and slowly it has started to feel like home to us, but no matter what, no matter where we live, Ottawa will always be where our hearts are.

Maybe it's because we both grew up there. Maybe it's because our dear and old friends are all back there. Maybe it's because we first met and fell in love in Ottawa. These are all good reasons for why Ottawa is where our hearts are but I like to think the very best reason of all is because our families are there.

Family. Nothing and I mean nothing compares to the feeling you get when you are with family. And this weekend I needed to be with my family. You see it is my niece's (my one and only niece) third birthday this week and this weekend was her birthday party. The thought of being only 5 hours away and missing this sweet little girl's birthday just broke my heart. There was no way that I could spend the weekend back in Hamilton knowing that I was missing out on all the festivities. The presents, the games, the cake, the smiles.

So Winslow and I jumped in the car after work on Friday and drove straight home, making it into to Ottawa just shy of midnight. We had quite a few stops along the way and it was a long ride, but so worth it. No one knew that we were coming home and Winslow and I had this nervous and excited energy the whole car ride home.

And in the end I got just what I needed. A chance to celebrate my niece's birthday, a chance to hang out with my nephews, a big bear hug from my dad, and I was able to see a huge smile on my sister's face when she saw us walk up her front walkway. Perfect weekend.

I need to add that we were missing some important folks from the picture, Auntie Sarah and Nana from PEI. Not quite the same without them. They were missed dearly.