Fifteen years ago today, I moved into room 302B of the Central Campus Residence Hall at The University of Alabama in Huntsville. I did not know that I would put roots down in the Rocket City. If I had not co-oped, I would have graduated in 3 1/2 years and would likely have swooshed my way out of town to the highest bidder. I wanted to go to school here, but I didn’t plan on staying. Instead, I invested myself in the city, the Tennessee Valley, and Alabama.

I moved home for 10 weeks during the summer after my first year at UAH; I drove back three times for SGA business. Until my dad had his heart attack in April, I hadn’t been gone from Huntsville since then for longer than 10 days at any stretch; when I was gone for three weeks, I was losing my marbles. Huntsville is my home. I really don’t want to live anywhere else, and looking for jobs outside the area is hard¹ for me to do.

Huntsville means a lot of things to me: my alma mater, our hockey program, the 11 years of my career to-date, buying my first home, my churches, my coffee shop, my life. My friends are here. My best friend is here². My family aren’t here, but not for lack of trying, and I have friends that are as close as family.

As I write this, I’m in Nashville and not at home, and I won’t be home until Saturday. I’m reminded of my friend Andy Osenga’s song with The Normals:

And if you have a place where you belong
You’re a lucky one, for time was meant to waste
A laugh with good old friends or walking hand in hand
I can’t believe I’ll be there and this time I can stay

But I’ll be home soon
I’ll be home soon

A great song written by a band of guys that missed home when they wrote a great record really fits what I feel.

See you soon, Huntsville. Leave the Saturn V lights on for me.

1. But necessary, and I’m doing it, so yeah [↩]
2. Someone I’ve known for half of his life and a year longer than I’ve lived in Huntsville [↩]