🚗 Rediscovering “Home”: How Door Dashing Brought Me Back to the Magic Around Me 🚗

It started as a side gig—just a few Uber Eats and DoorDash deliveries to fill the time, and cover-odd ball things like…bills. 🙂
What I didn’t expect was that this would become something of an adventure.

A mini road trip through memories, neighborhoods, backroads, and new-to-me spots I never even knew existed—right in my own backyard.

🏡 The Hometowns We Thought We Knew

I’ve lived here for years. (All but 4 years of my life!) I thought I knew this place.
But now? I see it differently.

I’ve driven down streets I’ve never been on.
Passed houses with architecture that feels like stepping into a time capsule.
Delivered food to little nooks of our town I’ve never had reason to explore.

And maybe what surprises me most is the wonder I’ve felt.

How did I never notice this?
When did this pizza shop open?
Has that tree always looked that magical against the sunset?

We forget how much beauty is tucked into the familiar.

🌊 The Buckeye Lake I Never Really Knew

I’ve spent more time near Buckeye Lake lately than I probably ever have.
And every time I’m there, I feel a mix of nostalgia and awe.

The water. The beautiful homes.
The tucked-away gems I never took time to see.
There’s a sense of peace in being near the water—and I’m slowly learning to embrace it.

💛 My Husband, the Club Kid—and Me, the Country Girl

What’s made this adventure even sweeter?
Doing it with my husband. (and kids sometimes too!)

We’ve been cruising around like we’re teens again.
Music from the 80s and 90s blaring.
Him dancing in the drivers seat like we’re back in the club days.
(Me, who’s never actually been to a club in her life, laughing right alongside him.)

There’s something healing about being goofy together.
Something sacred about driving with no agenda.
Something magical about sharing space, music, and memories—just the two of us. (and when the kids come-their memories of dad being goofy and me rolling my eyes, shaking my head, and laughing right along with him.)

🏘️ The Bittersweetness of Change

Of course, not everything feels light.

We’ve seen how much land is being turned into businesses and houses.
We’ve watched fields become concrete.
And that brings a little ache with it. A tug of grief for the “before.”

But mixed in with the change is the resilience of nature—
A deer at the edge of the woods.
A hawk flying overhead.
A field of wildflowers pushing through where they weren’t planted.

It’s a reminder that there’s still beauty.
Still wonder.
Still magic, even in the middle of growth.

🌟 New Places, New Favorites

We’ve started a list—a growing collection of small businesses we’ve discovered and want to visit together.

Shops with charm.
Restaurants with heart.
Locals chasing dreams just like the rest of us.

It’s given us new places to explore, and it’s reminded me how vibrant our community really is—when we slow down enough to notice.

🌈 He Still Rides With Us

Sometimes, even on the silliest delivery routes, Garet shows up.

Maybe it’s a song playing that he used to sing.
Maybe his name pops up on an order—or is scrawled on a wall we pass.
Sometimes it’s a rainbow out of nowhere.
Or a road we remember taking him down. A place he loved.

And the ache is still there—it probably always will be.
But now, it doesn’t always bring tears.

Sometimes, we just smile.
There’s laughter again.
There’s warmth in remembering, not just sadness.

That’s progress.
That’s healing.
That’s me learning to carry him—with love, not just grief—through this life I never expected to live.

💬 When Was the Last Time You Explored Where You Live?

If you’re feeling stuck, heavy, or disconnected…
Maybe what you need isn’t a grand escape.
Maybe it’s just a drive.

A playlist.
A partner.
An open heart.

Because sometimes the best adventures are the ones that bring you right back home.

Light and Love ~Mandy

Stormeyes Enchanted