Wizard of Oz

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Photo: Oscar Blog

This Saturday will mark the 75th anniversary of the all-time classic movie 'Wizard of Oz' and it can't help but stir up some feelings of nostalgia and a twinge of home sickness for my home state- Kansas. With a new baby just weeks away from arriving it is times like these I wish I had a pair of handy ruby red slippers I could click together to get me home to see my family and friends. 

Here are the top 5 things I Miss About Kansas:

1. Family- first and foremost I miss the days I could walk over to my parents house or hop in a car and be at my sisters in 30 minutes or even my grandparent's place in 3 short hours. Now that I'm half way across the country I desperately miss being able to pop over just to say "hi".
2. Commute- In NY you can grab a bus, a train, the metro, about 50 different cab companies, a taxi, a cycle rickshaw or face the crowded streets to get just about anywhere- which is great but you undoubtably are forced to face delays, waiting in lines, grumpy commuters and flocks of slow tourists, I miss the days where you can hop in your car parked conveniently in your own driveway and be anywhere in 15 minutes.
3. A Yard- Not only has it been an adjustment for taking the dogs out to a patch of pavement (both for them and us) but I miss being able to enjoy soaking up the sun on the warm summer days outside in the privacy of your own home. The relaxing, quiet has been replaced with stoop sitting and watching passer bys and chatting with neighbors. 
4. Parking- Finding a parking spot anywhere near your destination is like spotting a unicorn, it is mysterious, magical and an overall unobtainable thing; and this is only after you've managed to decipher the mile long list of parking signs (Can park here on the second Tuesday of an even month between 2:00-5:00 but only if your car is the perfect shade of periwinkle). When the coveted unicorn sighting falls through the inevitable pricey parking garages are sure to clean out half your budget for the day. Oh Kansas and your blocks and blocks of parking dedicated to each building or store, half of which are always empty, how I will never take you for granted again.
5. Prices- The city has everything you could ever need or want and about a million different places that not only offer it but will probably deliver it too, but you pay for it. Everyone has to make rent including businesses and it's reflected in their prices. Sometimes it's hard not to think about what we could afford back in Kansas for the prices we pay here. 

As much as I love my new home here there will always be things and people, of course, that I miss and won't be able to be replaced from my old one. My mother sent me this adorable collection of Itty Bittys by Hallmark with all the Wizard of Oz characters so we can share a bit of Kansas with our baby girl.


 Here are some of the cute little characters for sale through Amazon!