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In four days, I'm taking Steve home to Calgary to meet my family. (Not all of my family, actually - my mom lives in Coquitlam BC and my Dad lives in his parents' basement in Victoria, but most of my family).

I'm feeling both excited and nervous about our trip. Firstly - it's only 3 days, which doesn't give us nearly enough time to enjoy the city and the company. Secondly ... Calgary isn't the kind of city that bowls someone over the minute they land. It's the kind of city that grows on you. For me, it's home and every street and every store and every building is part of my story. But for a visitor, it's cold and sprawling and has a poor excuse for a tower downtown that feigns as a tourist attraction. In fact, it has a poor excuse for a lot of things. But still, STILL, despite the fact that it really isn't a metropolitan centre like Toronto, that it isn't as vibrant as Montreal, that it isn't as beautiful as Vancouver ... something keeps calling me back.

Maybe it's the mountains. Maybe it's the schools, which are first class in the country. Maybe it's the family. Maybe it's the 'small town' feel in a big town environment. I don't know. But I love that place. I loved growing up there, I loved playing soccer there, and I would love to live there again.

That being said, one thing I have learned over the last 7 years (where I have called Calgary, Vancouver, Victoria, Coquitlam, Kingston, Mississauga and Toronto "home") is that home really is where the heart is. I've loved every single city I've lived in and I know, in my heart, that wherever I end up, it will become home for me and my family (okay, my future family).

With the pressure off, hopefully Steve will get along with my sisters and brother and stepmom (who is actually no longer my stepmom, but I'm not really sure what to call her otherwise). I hope he enjoys himself there with me. And most of all, I hope he understands a little bit more of my story.