I was cooking spicy black bean soup when I began to have a lot of random thoughts that I wanted to write down... So, here goes... I miss the places I've been. I grew up out west and I didn't appreciate it as much as I wish I had. I miss Quaker Meadow Camp, going to USC football games, going to the Rose Parade each year, and In-n-out. I hope I will be able to help my children make the most of the experiences they have and help them learn to savor them. I never thought I'd end up living so far away that I wouldn't get to enjoy these things again and yet here I am. I miss those familiar things that I loved about my childhood. Yet, of all the places I've lived, I loved Colorado the most. That was where I really felt like I fit. At the time, I lived there I never wanted to live in the South. Yet, the South is the second place I felt the most comfortable. I am thankful for the warmth and hospitality of the folks in the South. I learned to appreciate manners an...