I am finally back home in BC, and I couldn’t be happier.

Although moving is a challenge in itself, and moving across the country 4 times in less than 2 years of marriage is absolutely nuts, I am so incredibly happy to have experienced everything that I have in this time. That being said, nothing quite compares to being back home.

Home to me, has been very different over the years. I have moved at least 17 times, and to very different cities, villages, towns, and provinces. Lately I have thought of home as wherever my wife is, and while that is still the case, in terms of a location my home is definitely the Fraser Valley/Metro Vancouver area of British Columbia. It’s a big place, but I love it all. Every city and area has it’s own charm and beauty, as well as memories for me. I often find myself thinking that I really don’t care where I live in this area, just as long as I am here!

Since moving home, I have found myself full of joy every single day. It’s like I haven’t a care in the world (even though my wallet says otherwise – moving and buying furniture is expensive!). Even though gas is incredibly expensive, I love that I get the pleasure of driving an hour to and from work each day. I get to see mountains on every horizon and am constantly surrounded by lush green nature everywhere I look. I have been constantly gushing about the view as if I had never seen it before. Once you move away from a place this beautiful, you suddenly realize just how much you miss it. I am determined to appreciate my world each and every day.

Another really cool thing about being home is that I get to stare at a volcano every day on my regular commute, which I think is incredibly cool. I think most people probably just ignore much of our surroundings in their daily life, but I seriously cannot ignore that I am looking at a volcano while driving to work. It’s just really cool. Somewhat literally too, since it is listed as “Glaciated”. But it’s still active!

I get to go back to work at the summer camp that I love and have such a passion for, which is truly a highlight for me. I have missed everything about it over the past couple years, and now I am finally reunited with all the coworkers that I loved for many years. I enjoy going to work every day, and I love that we get to see so many excited kids pass through our doors. I cannot wait for the actual summer camp to begin again and see so much incredible work happen in the lives of all the kids that come here. I am so proud of the fact that I get to play a part in that, and help make summer such a wonderful season.

As I started back to work this week, it was just in time for our open house which usually has around 2500 visitors. All activities are available and there’s plenty of food provided for free. It’s all done to raise money and awareness for summer camp. As I was outside working to keep all the food stations running, I kept looking around feeling so happy that all these people were enjoying themselves, and there were so many happy children running around. I was back in the most beautiful place, surrounded by happiness, and even though we were busy, I didn’t feel anything but pure joy and excitement.

Everywhere I go since I have been back, I am greeted excitedly by the people who know me. I feel so blessed to have known so many people that love me for so many reasons and from so many different places. I enjoy making friends everywhere I go, I have always loved people, and I don’t think that will ever change. I love having pleasant interactions with anyone I meet, whether it’s a stranger, or a regular fixture in my life.

But there’s a few things I know for sure.

Home is where the service techs at your local dealership know your name and greet you when you walk in the door after being gone for a long time. Home is when you stand on a street corner while walking and see people you know drive past you. Home is where you walk into your favourite cafe and are greeted with hugs and excitement. Home is where you know the streets, the highway exits, and the back roads. Home is where you know what you are doing, and even if you don’t, you can confidently pretend! Home is where people you haven’t seen in years are excited just to know that you are in the area again.

Home is also the place where you get to help your friends do random stuff. You may have no idea what you’re doing or why, but you do it anyway just for the adventure!

I recently heard a song by Avicii called The Nights. The song lyrics are incredible in general , but it has a line that is particularly important to me.

“One day you’ll leave this world behind
So live a life you will remember.”

There’s no better way to do that than to make friends everywhere you live, love everyone you meet, and appreciate everything around you, especially nature’s beauty.