When Andrés and I moved to Kansas City from San Diego, we had every intention that we would move back to San Diego in three years. We had no sense that we would have two children in our time here and also couldn't know how that would extend our time here. We've signed a six month extension to our current lease, so we now have a pretty good sense that we'll be leaving at the end of July. I've wanted to move near family for so long, it was easy to ignore the things that I've come to love about Kansas City. Here's a sampling.

• Andrés and I only lived together in San Diego for eight months. Kansas City is home for us as a family in a way that San Diego really wasn't.
• My aunt and uncle (who are campaigning for Phoenix to be our future home) are definitely using temperate weather as a major motivation. But this is the best time of year here. It's crisp and cold, but there are clear skies and beautiful colors. If we move to Phoenix or San Diego, the Fall colors will be a thing of our memories. I almost pulled over when I started crying the other day driving down State Line. I couldn't stand the thought of leaving it all behind.
• I know that our memories will go with us wherever we move, but the thought of leaving behind the places where Alli and Mimi said their first words or took their first steps is quite sad for me.

Of course, the people are what we'll miss most. There are surely more people we'll miss than I could possibly list here, but here's a few.

• Rebecca: Just Friday, I told her that it seemed crazy to come all the way back to Kansas City just for our family pictures. Of course, she joked that she didn't think it was crazy at all. It's a small thing, I suppose, to find a new family photographer, but Rebecca's known our family since it was just the two of us. It will be hard to say goodbye.
• My obstetrician, whose name I won't write here, because that's just weird: I'm sure if Andrés and I decide to have another baby, I will be able to find a perfectly suitable OB in another city. But I kind of love the one I already have. (Can you tell that I maybe don't so much like change?)
• My mom friends: I can still remember how nervous I was when Cagey invited me to meet her. I'm completely socially inept, but she made me feel welcome with her and among her friends. The moms I met with her are the first mom friends I ever had. When I felt alone, they made me feel like I had a community. And since I am so slow to make friends, it will be a big loss for me to leave that behind.
• My church: We visited exactly one church when we moved to Kansas City. We were fortunate to have friends who were already living here who brought us to the church I've spent my life looking for. I know there are other churches. I am convinced that if we move to another city, we will be able to find a church where we can serve and be served. But I am perhaps most desperately sad to leave our church family when we move. Though we don't have close personal friendships with many of the congregants, we have felt the support through two difficult pregnancies and especially in these last months when our attendance has been spotty at best. (I'm sure entire posts could be written on this point alone. Perhaps they will be as our move comes closer.)

The move is still nine months away, but having a date in our minds makes the whole thing seem so real. I know that being close to family again will make these sacrifices worth it, but I'm surprised at how sad I feel about the prospect of leaving what has become my home.