Cincinnati: A Love/Hate Thing

First, I would like to thank my girl Noor for designing my spiced up "about me" on my sidebar! She does a great job with Blog Designs so check her out!

Today I am going to blog about something that has been on my mind for months now. Moving away. This may ramble a bit but its my blog and I can do what I want:) 

Before I start, I need to tell you a little background scoop. I am from Cincinnati, Ohio. Born, raised, the whole deal. My extended family is spread out over the country, so I only grew up being close to my immediate family. They're my rock, and they're all here (including my nugget nephews, Zack and Eli, and my niece, Alexis "Lexi"). 

I went to college in a small town outside Cincinnati (YAH MIAMIIIII), so that doesn't really count. I went to grad school in Ann Arbor, but came home a fair amount. It was never my permanent home, and I knew that. All in all, I've never really left the Cincinnati area for an extended amount of time.

Reasons I love Cincinnati: 

1) my family

             2) Skyline Chili (google it if you don't know what this is)

3) my high school (Ursuline) is like Disney World, the most magical place on Earth 

4) my high school friends that live close 

5) my college friends that are from here that also live close

 6) how nobody cares where you went to college but where you went to high school

 7) how you can go out to any bar and most likely see someone that went to pre-school and/or junior high with you

8) our spirit for sports teams that typically suck

9) our spirit for neighborhoods that aren't that great and our undying love for a Midwestern city that is pretty average, but its home, its our culture and we die for it.

10) Everyone talks weird. You only notice you talk weird when you go to school in Michigan and everyone says you speak like a hillbilly. 

Reasons I hate Cincinnati:

1) See items 6 & 7 above

2) Sometimes your past mistakes are also at the bar where you see your preschool play pals

3) Everyone knows everyone (Though we aren't a small town, you can play 7 degrees of Kevin Bacon and you will undoubtedly will know someone a new acquaintance does

4) No reality shows are taped here

5) We have no beach/the weather is stupid hot in the summer and fuhhhreezin in November I mean Winter.

6) Famous people aren't typically spotted, except for maybe Nick Lachey. I've never seen Nick Lachey.

7) There is less pressure to make new friends because I already have a group

8) Sometimes I get that "stuck" feeling, like I want to be doing and seeing more.

I am in a PhD program here, so I will be in Cincinnati for at least 4 more years. I also never grew up with cousins and other family members around, so I want to be close to my parents, siblings and their kids. I also want my future nuggets to have their family close. My friends here are awesome and I have a network. I can always find someone to hang out with and if I moved away, that wouldn't be an option.

I just sometimes feel like I should be doing more. I should be seeing and experiencing new parts of the country that are unfamiliar to me. I should be scared a little. I almost want to be forced to strike up a conversation with the person behind me in Starbucks, (oh wait, I do that already...) or go to an event alone. I am less independent here because I don't have to be. I don't want to seem like I am complaining for having a bomb diggity family and friend group, but there are days I just want to break away, like Kelly Clarkson's song.

I don't know where the wind will take me. Maybe I will end up leaving for a bit, maybe I won't. I know I'll come back because this is home. I hope I am not the only one that wants to fly away sometimes. Maybe I'll do what Julia Roberts' character in Eat Pray Love did and come back all inspired and wear head scarves all the time. 

Who knows. I'll forever be in love with you Cincy, but sometimes you're a giant pain in the behind.

Cincinnati from Northern Kentucky. Oh yah, I live like 2 seconds from the border of KY. Pretty cool.