There is no place like home...

Whether it be Kansas, or a small town named Knollwood 20 miles north of Chicago, Illinois...there is no place like home. The old adage about not appreciating something until it's gone really hit me hard these past couple of weeks. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love being here at Iowa State University (no matter how busy it has gotten), but I am a homebody through and through. Back at home, I was in my zone. I spent most of my summer days with my parents, and especially with my brother. From ping pong to riding our ATVs, we were always trying to do things together. Whether it be naivety, or just plain ignorance, I don’t think I ever really grasped the fact that one day I would have to leave home, and enter a whole new realm of life. Now that I am here, on my own (relatively), I would give anything to see my family again and do some of the immature things we used to do. This may seem kind of lame or childish of me, but the closeness that my family shared has caused me to miss them more and more with each second that passes. Sooner or later, I am just going to have to accept that the next six years are going to be very different from the last six, and that ATO will have to serve as my new home.