kaylacalkins - What I Miss Most

I think I miss home more than I have been letting on. Its not really home per se but instead the people at home. Today I saw some videos of back home and seeing those videos of the kids really did make my heart so happy. But on the other hand it made me really sad. I don’t really know anything about them anymore. Or at least I don’t feel like it.

Then again feelings are and can be very deceiving.

The longer I am on the field, the more I am realizing that it is the little things that truly mean the most in life.

The little things I miss about home are:

My moms hugs - yes mom, I am a hugger now. I guess I always took them for granted in the past. Yes, I have hugged people while on the race (which will come as another shocker to my mother) but there is just something about my moms hugs that I’m convinced will fix it all. Happy? Hug mom. Sad? Let her hug you. Long day? Again…hug mom, she’s probably had a long day too. (Sorry for all of those years I’ve refused your hugs)
My brothers random calls - my brother and I have a really good relationship. We love each other and we like each other about 363 days a year ;) But we don’t really say how much we miss each other or how much one another means to us. So the way that I have figured out that he misses me (or that I miss him) is that he will just randomly call me. He will tell me about how work is going, how his cows are, he’ll ask how and what I’ve been doing. Then eventually we will go on some random rabbit trail. Then we will hit each other with the “welp I better get off here I suppose” and we both go on about our days. So simple, yet so filling.
Talks with my sister-in-law - these talks usually take place in her kitchen. Most of the time she is doing dishes and I am sitting in one of their bar stools. These conversations range between anything from sports to rodeo to life to our faith and somehow everything in between. Those are the moments that I feel the most connected with her because she always drops some serious wisdom.
Niece #1 - just to clarify, I have no favorites, simply just going in age order - My niece is just about as rough and rumble as you can get, that is what I absolutely love about her. Even though she can just about beat me, I love our random wrestling matches. She keeps me on my toes and oh my goodness is her belly laugh good for the soul.
Niece #2 - again, as stated above, I have no favorites - this one here is my cuddle bug. And again, I didn’t know I would miss this as much as I do. Having her curl up in my lap in her dad’s recliner just does something to my heart. She never says much (if anything at all) but she just wants to be loved on. And I don’t think she even knows that her doing that does just as much if not more for me than it does for her
Nephew #1 - Much like his older sister, my nephew is a wee bit insane. Like the sort of insane that I’m sometimes scared that he’s going to hurt himself insane. But in the midst of it all, every now and then there is something that he needs help with. And ever so sweetly he will walk up and say “hey Lala can you help me” (okay side note…I might’ve lied, about 1/2 of the time it is sweet, about 1/2 the time he comes barreling in and smacks my legs/tries to tackle me/etc.)
Caty - what I miss most is all of our random adventures. Whether its sitting around the fire, going on an ice cream run or going on a walk, it is always just fun. We can talk about everything under the sun and truly never get bored or tired of it!
My aunt and uncle - so their front door is approximately 50 yards from mine. And until now, I didn’t realize how much I took it for granted. Moms got a late meeting and won’t be home to cook supper? No problem! Aunt Tracy already has dinner made and probably made too much. Need help with literally any random thing outside? Uncle Robert can fix that.
Gary - its summertime right now, so currently what I miss is the days that he would get home early and I’d be out grilling and he would light the fire and then we would just chat about the day. Very simple but almost always needed.

I am sure there are thousands of other small minute details that I miss about home. But right now, this is what is fresh in my mind.

I know this isn’t why you are subscribed to my blogs. You aren’t here to hear about all that I miss from home, but instead you are probably here to hear about these wild and crazy adventures I’m going on.

For me though, I can’t have one without the other. Yes the adventures are fun, but in the midst of them, I have small memories that pull me back home for a few seconds.

Prayer requests

The squad - we are creeping closer and closer to entering the 8th month on the field. That is 8 months with having the think about the water we are drinking and the food we are eating and constantly wondering if it’ll make us sick. That 8 months of being surrounded by different environments and different people. That is 8 months of perusing the Lord with all we’ve got. These things and lots lots more leave us tired and drained. It is fulfilling yes, but it is also really hard at time. Pray for strength and perseverance.
Our families - yes our families. Pray for the moms, brothers, dads, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews and friends of N-squad that are back home. Pray for our people that while we are out on the field, that the Lord is moving in their lives as well.
Pray for upcoming change - in about a month our squad will be changing teams and changing hemispheres. Pray for N-squad as we make this transition into the last three months of the race.