As summer slowly comes to an end, I've thought about all of the adventures that I've had and the time spent with my family and friends. For as long as I can remember, my family spends each summer together in Cape May, NJ. However, this summer it dawned on me just how important it is to spend your time with your family because before I know it, my childhood will be over.

It hit me that pretty soon, I will be an adult and summer will just be another season. Cape May is a place that will always have a special place within my heart. It's the place where our family gets to spend time together and create memories that I will always carry with me. As I think back to my childhood, I think about my dad teaching me how to swim in the ocean. I think about my mom and how we built sandcastles together and decorated them intricately with seaweed and shells. I will forever treasure the time with my sister, Christina playing with our baby dolls in the back yard. I will always love how my brother, Vincent, and I learned how to ride our bikes together to the beach.

Having lived away from home this year, I have missed being with my family. My eyes have opened and I see how much I love my time with my family. More importantly, I see how my family dynamic is slowly changing; we are all growing up and time is flying by.

This summer has shown me that I will not always be able to spend my whole summer down in Cape May. I plan to enjoy all of the summers that I have left here in our beach house. Thank you to my parents for giving me and my siblings a place that lets us create memories that we will always cherish. Our home in Cape May has played a integral role in my childhood.

There were a lot of holidays and great memories made in that house. My time with my family in our beach house has made me grow into myself. I found my passion for reading while sitting on the sand on the beach. I learned how to cook with my mom and my grandmother in our kitchen. Our home and summers spent in Cape May helped me grow into the person that I am, today.

Thank you Mom and Dad for all that you do for me and all that you continue to do. I will always think back to our summer vacations in Cape May. I can't wait to come back next summer and the few after that. Even though time is flying by and we are all growing and changing, I will always look back on my summers and hold them close, thinking about every memory that we all share together in our special place. For all of my friends and fellow college students in the same place as me, cherish your family and the time that you all have together. Cherish your summers. Cherish the time that you have left as a kid because adulthood is just around the bend.