It's Good To Be Back

"There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered." _Nelson Mandela

I am currently at the cottage. Honestly, I wish there was a better way for me to start of this post, but I don't even know how to begin. For those of you who do not know, the cottage is my absolute most favorite place in the entire world. The quote above is perfect because the cottage is a place so close to my heart; a place that has literally been here my entire life. My grandparents bought it back when it was blue and a simple lakehouse a week before I was born. Three weeks after I was born I made my first appearance at this incredible place. While the siding is no longer blue, and the porch wraps all the way around now, this place is still the same place it has always been. This perfect summer getaway where my dreams grew, and somehow, I grew too. It never has changed in my mind, so as the quote says, returning to such a place that has not changed and seeing how you have is incredible. That is how I feel every summer.

My childhood summer days were spent in absolute bliss and wonder. I remember my family driving up on Fridays and stopping for fast food along the way. The first thing my sister and I would do was run down to the lake to feel the water. Then we would swing for a while, grab some licorice and sit on the porch and watch the moon come across the lake. The rest of the weekend would be spent eating tons of candy, riding the boat, playing Barbie Dolls, providing fashion shows for the family, and laying out in the water until we were burnt and exhausted. We would play "pioneer" out in the yard, have bon fires, and go on long walks to Bozos for ice cream. Today, much like then, I still eat a lot of candy, play in the water, go on the boats all day, and walk to Bozos. My life is much different from then, of course, and there is something so beautiful about returning to this place that has always provided such a serene and magical place for my thoughts to run wild. It seems that whenever I am here my dreams get crazier and somehow my mind becomes clearer.

Today was my first day of Summer 2010 at the cottage. I drove up with the windows down and the music up. For some reason, you just have to listen country music on your way up. I can't explain why, but you just do. And I am talking about the classic country: Tim McGraw, Brooks and Dunn, Garth Brooks, etc. Then, of course, you have to get a donut and make sure you have licorice for the weekend. That is exactly what I did today. And, the best part about your first trip up for the summer is when you first pull up to the drive and look down and see it. It is the true sign that summer is here. Walking into the airy atmosphere and hearing the waves crash along the beach, and the sound of boats and children screaming on their tubes, and hearing my family laugh throughout the place is wonderful. And I haven't even gotten to the smells here yet. Oh the smell. There is a certain smell of the cottage that I can't explain...but it is just great. The same smell since I was a baby; a mix of coffee, bon fire, my grandma's perfume, and this soap that we have been using ever since I can remember. It may not sound like a great smell combination, but it represents this place perfectly.

I am ready for another summer of my wild imagination going crazy, long boat rides, s'mores, family traditions, and playing rock the boat with my sister on the dock. Just like the cottage seemed to be saying, "Welcome home, Erica," as I pulled into the gravel and looked at the beauty, I say, "It is good to be back."

A Look Back

"I've learned that things change, people change, and it doesn't mean you forget the past or try to cover it up. It simply means that you move on and treasure the memories. Letting go doesn't mean giving up... it means accepting that some things just weren't meant to be.""I want to be able to look at you and not be hurt by you."

After a horribly long and stressful week, I am finally able to breathe. Through this process of breathing tonight I realized that I only have 4 days of my junior year left. Next year at this time, I will be graduating and saying goodbye to people who mean a whole lot to me. This year has been crazy, and I have seen my friends and I go through many different changes. I learned a lot this year, and matured, made new friends, said goodbye to some, and had a lot of fun. Of course there were moments when I absolutely did not think I could take it another minute being down here, but I was always brought back to the beauty of everything by good friends and great people. It is strange to think that the seniors that are graduating this year I probably will never see again. I think this year has shown me that people come into your lives and you don't know how long they will be there, but for that moment that they are apart of your life, they are there for a reason. Things do change, relationships change, friendships come and go, and just because it is over does not mean they were not significant. Sometimes it is sad to think about those people you were so close to who who now are not that front and center in your life anymore. However, I have realized that even though things do change, as they have to, God always brings someone else in your life that you need right then. So, here is a look back on my junior year at Huntington University. I am warning you now, there are a lot of pictures, but I can pretty much guarantee that you will enjoy looking at them :)

First, the lovely ladies I lived with all year in the 807: Lindsay, Megan and Emily. Life with them is pretty great.

My roommate Lindsay. Let's just say that we have had a lot of amazing times...most of them happening randomly in the middle of the night! She always makes me laugh!

Megan and I. We are probably the best Principle and Superintendent out there, who can sing "I Will Always Love You" pretty well too.



Emily and I. She has always been such a steady friend in my life, who I love watching movies and going crazy with!



First day of junior year classes! Courtney named this bush by our apartment Winnie. Many great dance parties happened by Winnie.

Brynne came and visited me for a weekend! It was one of the best weekends. Love her!

This picture sums up a lot of what happened throughout the year. Basically, the boys would steal stuff from our apartment and then we would go and steal their stuff and the cycle would continue. This is one of their prized possessions that we hung up in our apartment.

Halloween: my dreams came true. I was finally able to dress up as Dr. Quinn. Great Halloween.

The baseball boys made this for us after coming to one of our get togethers. This was back when we used the "strike" method of keeping everyone align in our apartment.

I was very lucky to get closer to these amazing girls! This apartment was definitely my second home! I so appreciate them listening to all of my crazy stories :)

After one of our junior block classes we had to go to the Huntington Museum (blah). Don't worry though, Erica and I made it fun by taking random pictures throughout the place while we were supposed to be paying attention.

Making Christmas cookies at home with my sister = a very good time.

Is November 2 too early to decorate the apartment for Christmas? HECK NO! We got decked out in Christmas colors ready to get down to business!

The lighting of the 807 Christmas tree :)

Nothing better than Christmas in Grand Rapids!

Annual Christmas party with my high school best friends! Love these girls so much!

So...we love coffee. Starbucks has gotten some pretty great business from us this year.

Scotty became very famous this year. He is just a natural model.

Chicago at Christmas time with the girls!

All of us!

Milly and I ice skating downtown!

Brynne and I at the New Year's Eve Party! So fun. Of course, we are standing next to the trellace. Beautiful memories.

We had some great birthday moments in the 807. Hiding cupcakes in the microwave was one of them.

One of the most amazing experiences of my life was working with these students in Fort Wayne over J-Term. I learned so much from them and miss them daily! This experience has opened my heart for wanting to teach in an inner city school.

Driving to Harrison Hill during J-Term everyday with Chelsey, Jackie, and Beth was amazing!

I learned that candy really does inspire some students :)

Basically, we love to eat anything and everything at this counter. So many good memories of just standing there and eating popcorn with m&m's!

I spent about 6 hours on average with these people. We grew very close and struggled through the sometimes annoying year together. What is life going to be like without them? haha.

Disco ball. Another thing we stole from the boys. Provided lots of good entertainment!

We had to write children's songs in one class. I wrote the "Zoo Song" to the tune of "Home on the Range." It soon became a number one hit on campus.

I was blessed enough to make myself at home in Boca Grande. My first trip was over spring break with Chelsey, Christen, and Lindsay. This place has already become a special place in my heart and I can't wait to be back!

Once again, Scotty. For those of you who read my big book, this picture is for you ;)

Spring break! I could not have asked for a better location, or better people to spend a week with!

Making bulletin boards was the essence of my being this entire year.

Tennis breakfasts!

Kellyn, Beth, Carrie and I at the Tin Caps game! These girls and I have become so close and I am so glad I got to spend so much time with them!

Beth and I in the backseat while we all creep on people around campus at night. More fun than you will ever know.

April Fools Day turned into April Fools Month, which now (I am happy to announce) has turned into April Fools Year. You better think before you believe what goes on this year :)

Our reading table: Beth, Kellyn, (Carrie), me, and Jake. We suffered through a lot of pain from thsi class by writing notes to each other on little blue pieces of paper. We made it!

This year truly has been a wild adventure. I hope that everyone at some point in their lives gets to experience living away from home for a while and gets to meet new people and experience new things. Also, take this advice, from what I learned this year:

-If you want to tell someone you love them, do it right then. Don't go home and analyze it. Say it when you feel it.

-Think before you do anything drastic. If you know it will hurt the person, don't do it.

-Feel what you feel. It's annoying when people act like they don't care, anyway.

-Say you're sorry. Don't let friendships or relationships die on your part.

-Meet new people.

-Don't be afraid to get close to someone or to let yourself love someone because you are scared.

-Don't wait until 8 p.m. to start your bulletin board the night before it is due.

-If you want to complain about teaching and how stresesd you are, always complain with other pre service teachers.

-Pray every morning before the day starts. No, really. It helps.

-Starbucks makes everything better.

-The best memories you will take away always seem to be those silly moments like when scary boys are pounding on your apartment door and you and your roommates are lying on the floor screaming. It really is all about those little moments.

So, with that, goodbye junior year. It seems like just yesterday I was moving everything into an empty apartment infested with bees and no working air conditioning. Time goes by much too fast.

Stumbling Upon My Childhood

I'm not going to lie, this week has been intense on so many different levels. I am exhausted and I feel very overwhelmed for many different reasons. So, tonight I literally locked myself in and I have been doing homework for several hours, until now, when I just couldn't take it anymore. So, what better to do then get on youtube for a quick break? Somehow, and I'm not even sure how, I ended up revisiting an old memory...Shania Twain. Here is where I should warn you about this blog: you may make fun of it, but I am only sharing another piece of me that you probably never knew :)

I don't know what it was when I was a little girl. Maybe it was the fact that Shania actually had brown curly hair and seemed independent. I don't totally know, but I do know that from the time I was about 8 years old, I loved Shania Twain. The first song that I ever heard from her was "Any Man of Mine." The lyrics caught my attention even when I was just a small girl who didn't even really understand...but, none-the-less, from that moment I really did believe that "any man of mine better be proud of me, even when I'm ugly he still better love me, and I can be late for a date that's fine, but he better be on time." Perhaps I can blame some of my annoying independence on this song?

Then, I saw the music video. I officially became her biggest fan. There she was in ripped jeans, a grungy bandana, dancing around with horses, and that is when I knew that is all that I wanted out of life. A cabin in the wilderness with some horses. My eight year old self did not care about how I would actually earn money. I just knew that the simplicity of a life taking a bath in a trough was where it was at. As the years went by, I still loved that song. I remember listening to it on my portable CD player as I earned money mowing for my aunt and just loving life in that moment, and not worrying about anything else. It seemed like then all innocense and wonder was unbroken and true enjoyment came from just living.

I am not saying that it is not like that now. It is just different. Now I know about 'life' and now I have actual responsibilities and deadlines and stresses and worries. I can no longer go out by the creek and dance around in wripped jeans to "Any Man of Mine." But, the song sure does bring back some beautiful memories of my beautiful childhood. And as silly as it seems, I am so glad that I stumbled upon this song again tonight to remember the simple stuff and to relive those times of being young.


Oh, and one more thing: I will always be Shania's biggest fan :) haha, and I am making a promise now to do some horseback riding this summer and listen to some country music. Can't wait.