Dear Nevada,

As I start to pack up to head back to the East Coast for school, I am overwhelmed by the amount of gratitude I have for you. Even though summer seemed to fly by, my time spent with you has been filled with many memories. I guess you never know the value of a place until you live elsewhere. I am so blessed to have been able to call you my home for the past nineteen years.

Thank you for teaching my the true meaning of beauty. Seeing your wonderfully sculpted mountains hug the edge of our spring green valley is something you can't find anywhere else. I have come to love being surrounded by ancient pine trees and dusty sagebrush, even if the pollen makes my nose runny and eyes burn. I couldn't be more blessed to have Lake Tahoe twenty minutes from my house, its rocky beaches, and crisp water are a perfect weekend getaway. Thank you for the summer thunderstorms, unpredictable heat waves, wind strong enough to blow away my trampoline, and even snow in June. Thank you for clear bluebird skies, fiery pink sunsets, and sparkling stars at night. Thank you for being an oasis of adventures. The deserts weaved with off roads and out coves for bonfires, hiking trails in the middle of the woods, and of course, the events that swarm with people are a few of my favorite. Thank you for the smell of funnel cakes at the Carson Valley Days during the first weekend of summer and dew filled fields and alfalfa scented air as I drive into town. Thank you for helping me experience the tail of a truck kicking up dust as country music is booming through the speakers and greasy fries from the only restaurant open in town at 2:00 a.m. Most importantly, thank you for the echo of laughter as memories were being made.

Don't ever change.

With love,

Montrashay