It's not that I don't love where I was raised, I do. I am beyond blessed to have grown up with the best family and friends always showering me with love. My little city (as I like to refer to it as) is nothing short of beautiful. Where the palm trees go for miles and engulf my favorite street and the smell of salty air is always a thing. It was the perfect place to grow up. I wouldn’t want to have grown up anywhere else.

It's not that I don’t love my family, I do. I am so thankful for everything that they have taught me. They helped me through my rough years and cheered me on through the best. I could never thank them enough for all the support they have given me through the years. I am blessed to have a mom who always knows what to say and a dad who is proud of everything I have accomplished. They are what makes home worth going back to.

But, I'm ready to explore a new town, new people, and a new job. Make new friends and get lost while trying to get a midnight snack and to smell different air and embrace new scenery. I want to have to branch out and talk to people and not just revert back to everything I know. I want something new.

That doesn’t mean I will never visit home, or maybe even move back there one day. But for now, I’m ready for change. I’m ready to fall on my butt and have to be the one to take care of myself. After four years of semi-being on my own, I think I’m ready to try it out for myself. I’m ready to start a new job and figure out what I want to do with my life (you know, once I actually graduate).

I am ready to make new friendships that are going to experience the most exciting parts of my life with me and to meet the people that will guide me alongside my parents. I am ready for a new adventure and a new start; to make friends with no familiar faces and to just be on my own.

So no, it's not that I don’t love where I’m from, or that I’m not thankful for how I grew up, I’m just ready to plant my roots in a new place, and call that place home. Home will always be my home, but there is nothing wrong with wanting to call a place your own.