Editorial: Moving Home

Hi Friends! We’ve been missing you for the month of June, and I think it’s time to tell you why. For the last few weeks, instead of blogging about our beloved hometown, all of my free-time has been devoted to painting, packing, mowing, moving, unpacking, more mowing, and settling my family into our new home in JONES, OKLAHOMA!!! Praise the LORD! We are so excited to be back!

Yes, confession, I have been blogging about our town from my house in Edmond, driving an hour round-trip to Jones to cover stories and bring you updates. But all of that driving is no more! My husband and I have moved to a sweet little acreage on the family farm with our three precious kids. We are so glad to officially join you as members of the Jones community.

This move has been in the works for over a year, praying and planning for such a big change in our lives. Why are we moving back? There are so many reasons, but here is my top 5 list:

5. Mowing – Yes, the thrill of a zero-turn mower blazing across a 5-acre lawn is something you can’t fully appreciate until you try it. I like to compare the experience to the jet-ski of the lawn (at least that is what I told my husband).

4. Gardening/Animals – There is something beautiful about connecting with your Creator in the midst of His creation. I’ve never been able to master the urban farming thing, and I am looking forward to a huge veggie garden with chickens, goats, and maybe a few other additions for our little farmlette.

3. Friendships – Nothing beats a small town when it comes to creating deep roots in relationships. My theory is the overlap we get when our kids are in school together, playing ball on the same team, and worshiping together on Sunday morning. We get to invest over and over in the same people, and the result over a lifetime is those friendships start to feel more like family.

2. Schools – Jones Public Schools are some of the best in the state. During my time at OSU, I remember being so grateful for teachers like Mrs. Dooling, who made my college level chemistry class feel like a review course compared to her classroom. I graduated in 2003 (before the 2007 fire that destroyed the high school), and the investment the town has made since my time as a student has been amazing to watch. From the beautiful new high school to the continual improvements in technology, the community of Jones obviously cares about education. The schools are the center of most of the town talk, and even the City’s investment of a new library points to the priority of literacy in the community. The upcoming bond election for the early childhood center is just one more check on the list to solidify our decision to educate our children in this district.

1. Family – This one is so deeply personal, that I may cry giving you every sappy detail (so I won’t). To sum it up, most of my immediate family live in Jones. My grandfather lives next door to us and rides his lawn mower over to bring us mail (It’s completely precious). Having my mom and sister only 5 minutes away is an indescribable comfort to my soul.

The Boggs aren’t the only family moving home this summer. I’ve talked to a few other familiar faces who are changing their zip code to 73049, and here is what they’ve had to say.

When Casey and I were dating, we always talked about moving back. We wanted our kids to grow up in Jones and have that same small-town experience we did growing up. Jones is home – It’s what made us who we are, and we want that same opportunity for Fisher and Asher. I’m excited that we’re moving into a neighborhood where we are surrounded with several familiar faces, many of whom we grew up with and now our kids can play with their kids.

Tabbi Burwell, 2000 Jones Alumna

Jones has circulated in my veins since I was born. I was always extraordinarily proud to be from East County. I never really left, as evidenced by my having stayed at the pharmacy for more than 20 years. I had no conscious plans of returning here for residency, until my husband, who is from everywhere except East County, informed me that we were purchasing the PERFECT 5 acres, which happened to be 3 miles from my childhood home. Our 8 year old son and bird dogs are thriving in our newly completed farmhouse. I wish I could say that I chose to come back home, but, in fact, my family chose to make my home their home and brought me back with them! To come back home is the ultimate satisfaction!

Missy Wilson Wilkinson, 1997 Jones Alumna

We look forward to seeing you all around town! Blessings!