Onwards to Summer

600 miles away, and the trees begin to lose their leaves, buds only just starting to sprout and flower. The air is cooler, drier, crisper. Once you hit Connecticut, suddenly everything makes sense. Everything looks so familiar as you drive in the sun's shadows and travel steadily northward. Pine trees litter the sides of the road, mixing with shrubbery and grass unmistakably native to New England. 

Even the downtown areas off obscure highway exits keep to the same theme: coastal, preppy, white painted buildings and black street lamps and manicured lawns. 
Perhaps it was this mix of odd familiarity after such a long winter of the south that combined into a "feeling," some kind of knowledge that this, this is home. 
Perhaps it is the events, the memories that are tied to certain places, that cause us to be hit with waves of nostalgia at the streets, shops, and wooded roads that make up where we come from. To you, that hair salon might just be a name, but to me, that's the first place I applied for work, at the front desk, and didn't get it. That breakfast place across the street might seem quaint, but I remember going there when I was 8 with my great aunt and my parents after church. That Plaza Azteca used to be a Chili's—I remember all the booths I sat at. HomeGoods might fit your fancy, but to me, that's my summer job. 
​
We grow attached to the places we've visited and experienced. It's the reason why we might run our hands down an iron stairwell rail, why we cannot stop ourselves from buying a familiar brand. Sometimes, we see ghosts of people we once knew in the aisle of a grocery store. 
But all this pales to how we feel when we're truly home. 

My spring semester at Liberty created so many memories. 

It was a year of experience. It was year of learning that having fun is very nice thing indeed. It was a year of learning, of growing, and of blooming. 

I wouldn't trade the people I met and befriended for anything. 

Hanging out with my quadmates was just the best. We had so many hilarious moments, filling up an entire wall with quotes and sayings someone might say that out of context sound amazing! We had our fair share of dance parties, hiking trips, dinners out, random midnight Taco Bell runs, Wii Just Dance competitions, and more. 

I grew closer with so many people, but especially with my good friend Elizabeth. She's a fantastic individual of good character that I absolutely adore. We get along surprisingly well, since I'm an extrovert (I prefer omnivert) and she's an introvert. I tend to lean more center-right/center-left, while she's a strong right. But I suppose that's one of those things about people. They can't truly be defined; what is true for one person isn't necessarily true for the other, however similar their Myers-Briggs says they are. In fact, she's going to be my roommate next semester! See what she wrote about the year here: goo.gl/EX1Cvg
 

This summer, I'll be going back to my part time job, but in the meantime, will be writing the many chapters of my new project, The Grand Adventures of Lady Saskia and Mr. Fredrick. I've got the basic outline finished, and have almost completed the first chapter. Be on the lookout for updates!