My eardrum-piercing alarm goes off at 5 a.m. I lie in bed for a solid 15 minutes before deciding I should probably get to work on time today. I've always been a morning person, but some days can get a tad difficult when it comes to the actual waking up part. I go about my normal routine and grab a small breakfast on the way out the door. After the regular drive down the Cedar Point causeway, I arrive at the Breakers resort and clock in before 7. I look around at my coworkers with their fresh-brewed coffee in one hand and their cell phones in the other. I breathe in the scent of the just-grilled bacon, and within a minute, the doors are unlocked. Game time.

I throw a smile at one of my host friends as he guides a group of guests towards my section in the restaurant. With each table is a different experience, whether it be a party of one trying to get a quick breakfast in or a family of six wanting a nice, long dinner. The stories I have heard while serving are some of my favorites to look back on, but the best part of the job has to be the people I have met working under the same roof. Our Perkins Restaurant crew consisted of a supervisor, a host, three servers, a dishwasher and a couple other various employees who would join in on our conversations and laughter. Inside jokes galore, a lively group chat and several hilarious Snapchat stories later, we had a real bond. I'm not too sure any of us would have survived the whole summer without the others.

We didn't work in just any resort. We were right in the middle of the Cedar Point peninsula, in their elusive on-property Breakers hotel with the beach and Lake Erie water right outside (the perfect way to spend breaks and days off). Also, let's not forget the Starbucks that was right outside our restaurant's door. At first, I was absolutely terrified to start my new job, given I had never served before. I had worked in restaurants, but this was a whole new ball game. We started training as a group of quiet, nervous strangers, and over time a group of us grew together and before we knew it, we were going to the movies and grabbing dinner downtown together on the days we were all off.

I'll never forget some of the funniest times we all shared together. From eating the kid's meal Go-Gurts to making a mess out of the milkshake machine, and of course cleaning it up together, we always managed to laugh until our stomachs hurt. I'll always remember the one time I accidentally dropped a muffin that rolled all the way across our dining room. We were able to laugh about that one for the whole shift. I always looked forward to coming to work, because I knew I would share a shift with at least one or two members of the group. They made it memorable and made me grateful to have gone through with the job, even though I was terrified.

So here's to the extra long shifts, the job I fell in love with, the beach that gave me comfort, the breakfast food that had my wallet always open and the true friends I became fond of. Thanks for a summer I'll never forget, and I can't wait to come back and do it all again.