we love our home. but to be fair, i wasn't quite smitten at first. it was scary moving to this seemingly large city from the homey "everyone-knows-everyone town" of cedar falls, iowa.
from pastures to pavement. from cows to cars. ok, that was a slight exaggeration. but still, i had many "yikes" moments upon moving here to this concrete jungle, or so it seemed.
it was daunting and unfamiliar and i felt lonely. felt being the operative word. it took me a good year to let my guard down and allow myself to really enjoy this city and to leap beyond the three mile radius i had subconsciously built for myself. and once i opened my eyes and lifted the veil of discomfort, i was able to see beauty all around me. in all of the little things. like colorful frescos that grace our downtown buildings, and eccentric little signs that greet strangers in quaint, unknown neighborhoods.
change has the tendency to put up walls and turn even the best of possibilities into cloudy frustrations. but once that change is recognized as being a good thing, that change can do wonders. you can't push someone into feeling comfortable, they just have to find that balance on their own in able to appreciate it more and to cultivate its presence. change is one tricky animal.
it feels so good to fully embrace our home here in kansas city.
just so...wonderfully good.
1 || le fou frog in the river market
2 || the glam room salon in the river market
3 || blue bird bistro in the crossroads art district
4 || the bridge over the canal on the plaza
5 || the main street running through the plaza
Oh how I wish I lived in a bigger city! I think of that everytime I see you guys going to cool new places to eat, or parks, or any of those neat pictures up there! How long have you guys lived there?
ReplyDeleteit's been 3 years now and we finally feel like we are at home. it sure took a LONG time. i do think we will always be in the city even though a part of me loves going barefoot in the grass and having bonfires in the backyard. i guess we will reserve that for grandma and grandpa's house!
Deletexo, amanda
Thanks for the awesome city guide!
ReplyDeleteyou're welcome melissa!! hope you have an awesome weekend :)
Deletexo, amanda
I love Beer Kitchen, ha! I don't get to come into the city much because I live in the Northland and spend most of my time in school, but this summer I plan to go explore more of KC and go to the museums and parks and really get to know the area better.
ReplyDeleteOHH beer kitchen. how i love thee ;) if you are ever down in westport or the plaza give me a holler!!
Deletexo, amanda
Happy to hear that you've found your sense of comfort here in Kansas City! There are so many wonderful places to visit, qaint restaurants to dine in, and beautiful scenery to take in!
ReplyDeletethere really is so much to do and see here. we are quite blessed!! us kansas citians got it pretty good ;)
Deletexo, amanda
I know exactly how you feel! I had a hard time adjusting when my husband and I moved to South Carolina for about 6 months. But, when you give things time you always find a way to "warm up" to the change. :)
ReplyDeletei love how you put it "warming up" because it sure takes time and doesn't happen over night. i bet SC was beautiful!
Deletexo, amanda
I'm not sure when I started following your blog, but this post caught my eye.. I did the exact opposite of you. I moved from my home in Kansas City {well, my parents home..but KC is my home} to 3 hours north into the wonderful city of Centerville, IA. I know EXACTLY what you mean the 'everyone-knows-everyone' business. My husband grew up in Centerville & because of my last name everyone thinks they 'know' me. I've only lived here a few months, but i'm a so glad I did & i've definitely embraced it. I do miss the starbucks though, sometimes I wish I could just go back to KC for some..
ReplyDeleteoh my goodness. how crazy is this! we did a total swap, girl! i am so happy that you, too, have embraced your new home. it is so hard adjusting though, no matter where that new home is. and sometimes, i just crave the wide open and the country livin' with small town people, you know? thanks for sharing this with me, boy do we have a lot in common. if you are ever in kc...lets grab a starbucks ;)
Deletexo, amanda
Great post about your home! I'd love it if you did an apartment tour!
ReplyDeletethanks love! hmmm...good idea. perhaps this summer?? i'lll keep ya posted!
Deletexo, amanda
hey, I've been there! ;)
ReplyDeletelove this post ... love KC ... love my home ... love your pictures (as always). and yes, we absolutely must get together sometime. must.
we should do happy hour sometime.....soon!!! i'll email ya, sister!
Deletexo, amanda
I can relate to your thoughts on change. I,too, recently moved from a small town in Massachusetts to New York. But there really is remarkable beauty in these photos. Why did you move?
ReplyDeletewe moved for job reasons and to try something new! it's been well worth it. and i am super jealous that you have gotten the chance to live in NY!! are you in the city??
Deletexo, amanda
it is so funny that for you moving to kc was moving to the city. for us, moving to ks was moving out of the city! (we came from NJ). But really, Overland Park is much bigger and more of a city than where we lived before. We love it here!
ReplyDeleteha..you are so right. kansas city is so not big once you get here, but scary for me coming from little ol' corn country :) i am so happy you love OP, we go there all the time! my husband works for northwestern mutual and is down there practically every day! what do you guys do there??
Deletexo, amanda
As a fellow Kansas-Citian, this post put a big ol' smile on my face :)
ReplyDeleteIts weird, but I sort of feel like KC is the smallest big city around... even though it is huge with a huge metro area, everyone knows each other and is connected in some way. Maybe its because I used to live in the 'burbs of Texas where everybody kept very strictly to themselves and had no sense of community?