It's on every college kids bucket list, and something everyone else goes through in life. Finding that dream apartment, or maybe your first home, is a process we will remember for the rest of our life. It is a chapter in our journey that we will forever embrace. To the good times and the bad, I'm here to say closing this chapter of my life was the hardest part.

Long live the days in my first fun house in a beautiful college town. Who knew growing up could be so hard? This moment in life was something I was looking forward to since the day I knew I had to move away from home. For most, this chapter is hard to swallow, so best believe I choked up.

Moving to a city and living off on your own is the taste of freedom we always wanted. The simplest things become quite the luxury. I remember my sister Heather telling me "take a bath often and enjoy yourself". Honestly, I never took a bath. The message however still resonates in me. I got this fire in my belly to move away from home and start my life because my sister moved out of the house at 18 years old. Besides the fact she's one of the strongest people I know, she made it look so easy. Pays her bills, feeds her children, and works her ass off to call this place home. I knew if she made it, I definitely could. Not by choice, but by fate.

Suddenly, responsibilities that we always shrugged off as teenagers became a cornerstone of my life. I never realized it until moving away. My mother told me that independence wasn't fun, but I could care less. I wanted to live this free spirit life full of love and laughter. Moving out of your parents' home is a tear jerker, but I never knew how many tears I'd shed shutting the door from the place I called home.

Granted, life isn't always full of love and laughter, nor do things always go as planned. You can play scenarios in your head a hundred times over and they will never play out the way you imagined. I've loved and I have lost but most importantly I was found. People go their whole lives not knowing what their purpose is, but thankfully I found mine in Richmond, KENTUCKY.

The lessons learned weren't easy, but they were worth it. Whether it was falling in love, losing life long friends, paying bills, landing great job opportunities, I guess you could say I had it made in some ways. More importantly, I began this great American Dream, the one society yearns for. Sure, it wasn't always a piece of cake. Hardships come and go, but optimism is the key to any free spirited life. Becoming a man in a world with endless possibilities, setting sail was the hardest part. Nobody wants to really grow up. Besides the fact I wish I had no bills, headaches or heartaches; I guess you could say it was worth it. Life isn't supposed to always be comfortable, but if you look at the glass half full instead of half empty. You're going to be just fine.