"The First Day of School"

I remember always being so excited about school beginning to start, I think this was only because I got to buy school supplies. I loved elementary school, Kindergarten and Fifth Grade were my favorite. I liked Kindergarten because of nap and play time. I never made it to play time, because I would always sleep through it and end up waking up on my towel on the carpet with all the kids playing around me. Today was my first day back at school. The first day doesn't have the same feeling that it once did. School is not my favorite thing, especially college at least the class part of it. In high school I had a high GPA, took 5 AP classes, and did everything that was "required of me". For the little amount of work that I did, I had really good grades. Friends, Art and playing sports in high school are the things I loved the most about it, and also the things that I miss the most. I never got caught for skipping class, and even skipping class to go spend time in a Coaches office was never questioned, attendance policies were not as strict as college. It's pretty bad when the attendance office knows you on a first name basis and doesn't even require you to sign in anymore because "she'll handle it". It was always good when my 3 day a week physical therapy appointments that were only 30 minutes took 2 hours. Time is flying and Samantha and I are Seniors. (well.. my 4th year.. but someday I will have my 2 degrees that I paid for)

Samantha will be starting her senior year in high school tomorrow. My little sister who will turn 17 on October 14th is growing up. Even though I'm sure I was a horrible older sister I was just doing all that older sister's do. Make fun of their younger sister, never let them hang out with them, get them in trouble as much as possible and argue and hit each other as much as possible. As I have grown older I have learned that she has watched and tried to do everything that I have done. Swim team, Basketball, and Softball even down to the same strokes and positions I am her biggest fan and her hardest coach. People say that we look just alike, but neither one of us can see it and we do have our personality differences as well. Perhaps our personality differences come from my parents divorce and me being the one to show all the emotion and Samantha showing none. Maybe she was that way because she was not put in the middle of what was going on and also only 10. I never went away for college, or even showed a slight interest in taking a second look at the other schools that I got into because I didn't want to leave my sister. Now my parents talk to one another, and things are better but at that time, I couldn't leave my lil sister to deal and handle all of that. She was too young to have to do it and I didn't want her to have to grow up as fast as I had to. I am so proud of my sister, sometimes her life is not easy and I am proud of her strength that she has on things. I had a car in high school and she doesn't, and although I wish I could provide one for her, I can't but I help her out more than she knows.
I am so proud of my sister, and wish the world for her. I love her very much even though I'm sure she will say that I don't "because I would never play with her when I was younger". Just like always I will be there for her to help her out in those times when Mom and Dad can't (minus buying her a car... although she has already tried that idea).
No matter how much she hates it she will always be my "little" sister and I will always be her biggest fan.

"Here's to the nights when the sand is your seat, the waves kiss your feet, and your friends outnumber the stars" <3

"The tans will fade, but the memories will last forever"

"Summer 2008"

"Beach Memories"

"Some beach somewhere...There's a big umbrella casting shade over an empty chair. Palm trees are growing, the warm breeze is blowing I picture myself right there, on some beach somewhere..."

"Sweet Summertime"

Summer is my favorite season, I love everything about it. The heat, softball practices in the sun, swim meets, spending time with my friends, Church Camps, 4th of July Fireworks, the Beach, even down do the late night thunderstorms. With my Nanny living at the Beach and My Mom's family going once a year my home away from home is the Beach. My favorite memories from when I was younger are the times that were spent at the Beach. Building sand castles in the sand, going out REALLY far in the ocean with my Dad and then riding the waves all the way back in. Always trying to get darker than my Grandpa, which still to this day is just not possible. The trips to Ocean Isle Beach with my Moms Family up until I was 13ish (which then they stopped??? :( ) were always so much fun. We always spent one afternoon fishing out on the Beach with Grandpa, (he would always bait my hook, because I am the oldest and favorite Granddaughter....and because I wouldn't do it) my cousin Brad would always say "Ashley It's Just a worm". It was always a contest to see who could catch the biggest fish. Grandma, Mom, and Aunt Martha were always on stand by with the Cameras, and over the years all of us managed to catch the biggest fish at some point, although I liked it better when my lil sister beat me instead of Brad. On the last night we always went to play putt putt, and yes we always had to keep score. We always had the color of the ball we wanted picked out before we even pulled into the parking lot, I always got blue, Brad green, and Samantha pink, and we always had to rotate who went first so that it was "fair". Brad and I always managed to get mad at each other and not talk to one another for at least 3 holes, and whoever won always had bragging rights for the ENTIRE year, he hated to get beat by a girl just as much as I hated getting beat by a boy. The rare times Samantha by luck beat us by one or two points were easier for Brad and I to deal with. The trips to Ocean Isle were not complete unless we bought our yearly Ocean Isle Beach t-shirt, played putt-putt, went fishing with grandpa, and sang along with Brad in the back of Aunt Martha's Volvo to Jimmy Buffett's "Cheeseburger in Paradise". Life was worry free, easy, and although sometimes the family vacations had their fair share of arguments I would pay anything to get "my family" vacations back. When my parents got divorced my "family" vacations ended. I will always cherish my memories and am so thankful that my friends have always made me feel like a part of their families and allowed me to go on family vacations with them. You have no idea how much that has meant to me over the years, especially the year my parents got divorced. When my life was torn apart and I was so consumed with fear, and heartache without question my friends were there, to without a doubt welcome me into their families. God has blessed me with many families in which I have "other moms and dads", who still to this day make sure that I am taken care of, would do anything for me, and think of me as their own. I cherish these memories as well; along with so many others. Summer always takes forever to get here, and never seems to last long enough!

<3>

<3 I Miss My Girls <3