Coming home.

An essay I read for one of my English classes has had me thinking about the idea of home.

The dictionary definition says:

HOME: noun

1. The place where one lives permanently, esp. as a member of a family or a household.

 I started thinking that it goes beyond that. 

Home was the place I dreaded when my curfew started rolling around. 

Home was what I called the D-TV offices my senior year of high school. 

Home was what I hurried to my first semester of college for free food, laundry, and an escape from reality. 

Home was the place all my friends congregated while they were waiting to leave for their missions. 

Home is what I long for when I'm alone in my apartment because I'm stuck at work all weekend. 

Then I found this. 

And started thinking of the times home had been merely a moment in time.

Like the midnight drives with my roommates around the temple when we didn't want to do anything else.

Walking into SigEp and hearing a chorus of "Hi Ash" come from the boys I love more than anybody else. 

Falling asleep surrounded by my best friends with a movie playing.

Singing Taylor Swift at the top of my lungs with my little sisters on the way to a lunch date. 

The waves from the front window of Kappa Delta as I walk up to the front door, and the laughter that is inevitably filling the room. 

The feeling that overwhelms me as I drive down Main Street in Farmington. 

The hug I get from my favorite boy right before I leave for the night. 

It's funny--you think home will always be the place you grew up. But as you get older, you realize that home is anywhere that's touched you and any place you left a piece of yourself--and that maybe, just maybe, you're a little piece of home for somebody else. 

The little things.

"I miss you" texts. Family FaceTime. An extra $5 in the bottom of your purse. Having time for a nap before work. Having a hand to hold. Emails from your dad. A new tube of ChapStick. The smell of summer rain. Finding a new song to obsess over. Forehead kisses. Your favorite sweats after a long shift. Starting a new book. Laughing so hard your stomach hurts. Reading a good book over again. Late-night canyon drives. Clean sheets. Getting your hair played with. Your favorite dinner. An early morning run. Checking something off your to-do list. A huge cup of pebble ice. Laughing til your abs hurt. Movie nights with a cute boy.  Bubblegum. Summer fireworks. The "I've missed you so much" hug. Pool days. Phone calls from your mom. Piggy-backs over puddles. FaceTime dates with your little sisters. Playing in the rain. Flowers from cute boys. Compliments on your new outfit. Hair appointments. Wearing your favorite hoodie. Impromptu dance parties. The "it-hurts-so-good" feeling after a hard workout. People who make you smile without even thinking about it. The smell of the person you love. Hot chocolate after a snowball fight. Chocolate ice cream. Good hair days. Handwritten notes.

Sleep deprived and fabulous.

You'd think after two years of this, I'd get used to trying to get back in the swing of things once school starts again.
And you'd think after two years of this wonderful place I'd be able to say that I'd reached the highest of Aggie highs and it couldn't get any better.
You'd be wrong on both accounts.

The last month has been a whirlwind of recruiting, workshops, recruiting workshops, meetings, class, serving pancakes, writing essays, and spending time with the people that make Logan home.

The Judester got married--and if there's anything that makes me happy, it's making sure that the people I love are happy. Her wedding day was magical, and I loved that I got to be a part of it. 

The weekend before school started, I got to spend three days with my Kappa Delta sisters; preparing for this fall's recruitment and getting to know the girls I didn't know very well. If you ever needed a confidence boost, spend absurd amounts of time with 40 girls who share the same loves and ideals that you do...you'll feel like you can do anything when you're done. 

A new school year means new roommates...and this picture just about sums it all up. We can't take a decent picture together, we don't see each other unless we're getting into bed, and we make sure the other person gets to work on time. She's my person. That's all. 

Sorority recruitment is exhausting, exhilarating, and exciting--but it's worth every second of it. Because after a week of house tours, information packed nights, and a couple hours showing the girls that come around what our houses are all about...

We get to welcome new women into our sisterhood. And it was amazing how quickly I learned to love these new members, and even more amazing how quickly my love for Kappa Delta grew. 

Abby and I even found time to be crafty for our boys...a small price to pay for the things they put up with on a daily basis from the two of us. 

And when we finally put our books down for the week, take off our pencil skirts and heels after meeting, and clock out of good ole Village Inn, we get to have a little fun. Because every week should end in a party, especially if it's safari themed and we get to dance outside all night. 

Life is good. 

It doesn't always go as planned and sometimes it's not perfect. But that doesn't mean it's not wonderful, and worth every second. 

 

So good night world--here's to this year being the best year yet, because that's exactly what it's shaping up to be.