Ultimately, I felt ready to start this new chapter in my life. New people, new places, new experiences. Granted, it was not easy to leave my wonderful friends and family. I am very close with my immediate family, but also with my extended family. I was able to spend a great amount of time with cousins, aunts, and uncles this past summer, which I have not been able to do in a while because of summer sessions in college. They always made the trips to come to my games, and we always get together during holidays. The amount of gratitude I have for them is unreal. I really did grow up with an amazing family situation. The saying “it takes a village to raise a child” is so true! I definitely feel so blessed and very grateful for all of their love.
Not to mention my immediate family who has been there all the way. My mom, dad, sister, and I were able to spend much time together this summer and even took an amazing family cruise to Bermuda to get our summer started out right! The quality time with all of us together really meant so much to me, especially before moving to Ireland.
I also put plenty of miles on my car this summer visiting friends. From Virginia to Jersey to Philly and Saint Joe’s—it was awesome! I was able to spend some quality time with friends I’ll miss until I’m back in the States.
So, I will miss all of these folks mentioned above (and my dogs!), but I was very content with the amount of time I spent with all of them this past summer. They are so excited for me which is so encouraging! After all, they can always come visit me, too!
