Almost home.

I will be home in one week from tomorrow.

This makes me very happy.

I don't feel as homesick as I did awhile ago. Probably just because I know I'll see them all very soon.

Also, it helps that I met a few new people and spent an amazing weekend laughing, boating, eating, and smiling.

Not to get all cheesy BUT......

I think my first two summers here were more about realizing the importance and joy of finding independence. And this summer, I feel like I've already established that feeling of independence so my focus has really been toward the importance of friendships in my life.

I'm a firm believer that friends come at different times in my life for different reasons, and they all serve a purpose.

I know that I have

Party friends and acquaintances: these are the fun-loving, outgoing people that I let loose with and laugh hard with. When I'm with them I am fun, relaxed, happy, not stressed, smiling. Most hilarious memories are usually created with these people.

More serious friends: these are the friends that give me solid advice on real dilemmas or issues I'm facing, and we have more in common than a favorite bar downtown. We may not go out and socialize together, but we can talk (and vent) about things like work, money, relationships, or any other real-life stressor.

Old friends: these are the friends from high school and college that I've drifted apart from over the years due to real-life things like going to different schools, getting married, moving out of state, etc. We don't see each other or talk on the phone a whole lot anymore. But with old friends, there's loyalty. And there's history. I can always count on rehashing favorite old memories from when we were younger, and feeling younger when I'm with them. Nostalgia.

Seasonal friends: these are friends that I only see during certain parts of the year, for whatever reason. Examples: friends from football season that I really only see tailgating and at the games. My Maryland friends that I only see in the summer time when I come back east. My Utah State friends and girls in my program that I reunited with every fall when I saw them up on campus after being home all summer.

Friends with a random common interest: these are friends that I am not close with or may not even know much about them, but we have an inside joke or common interest. For example, an old acquaintance from work that I know loves Project Runway as much as I do. We won't talk for months or really have any REAL conversation, but we'll send the occasional "Oh my gosh, tell me you watched last night's episode!" text. Same goes with funny picture messages with inside jokes to people you haven't spoken to in a long time.

Best friends: the rare few who I feel truly know the "real me." They encompass all the very best parts of the "friend categories". With them I am happy, safe, honest...myself.

There's probably a hundred more subcategories of friends that I could list, but you get the gist.

Friends are great.

Friends keep me sane.

Friends come out of nowhere.

Friends drift away.

Friends will continue to pop up all through your life.

Friends are waiting with open arms for me to come home.

See you next Wednesday!!