Before I went away to college, I had lived in the same house in a suburban town my whole life.  I had grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins nearby.

I loved my family, but I thought it was exciting to get away from home for college.  I fully expected to move to a new city for my career when I graduated.  I didn’t have a long-term plan.  I just thought it would be fun to try someplace new.

Then I met the guy.  When we got engaged, we started thinking more seriously about what the future should look like.  We both came to the same conclusion: we wanted our kids to have their grandparents nearby like we did when we were growing up.  We both had great memories of spending time with our grandparents.  Those close relationships were important to us.

Since our parents lived about 45 minutes away from each other, we decided to live between them.  It was somewhere new for me, but close enough to family – about a half-hour drive to each set of grandparents.  It was a great choice for us.

My kids absolutely love getting to see their grandparents regularly.  They have a cheering section at their sporting events and fun weekend getaways to be spoiled by grandma.  Not to mention that my husband and I have free babysitting whenever we need it.

We enjoy visiting new places on vacations, but there’s no place like home with our extended family nearby.  I’m so thankful for our parents, the great relationships my hubby and I have with them, and the close bond our kids have with their grandparents!