Thanksgiving

So while sitting here, I began thinking about food because of course, what else would I think about? Then it dawned on me, I associate food with happiness and family, which reminded me of Thanksgiving.

I love Thanksgiving. I get excited waiting for it until the end of November and when it comes I'm always so excited. My day usually goes like this: I wake up and instantly smell the delicious food my mom is cooking that wafts up to my room. I then rush downstairs for coffee, then begin seeing what food my dad and I can sample before my mom notices. It's always delicious, and her cooking always makes me feel at home.

I've always loved watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It's on my bucket list to go down to New York City to see the parade in person. I love the floats and performers, and the little kids waving to the people walking by. However, I usually don't watch the whole thing because I'm running between helping my mom cook and watching the parade.

Also, my favorite thing about thanksgiving is the sweet potato casserole we make. It's mashed sweet potatoes with a caramel glaze and marshmallows on top. It's my favorite comfort food, and just tastes like Fall( if that's even possible). I also lived on the casserole for a week when I got my wisdom teeth out and it made me feel so much better.

Unfortunately, we have to share all the food we made, so my family comes over and I love seeing them. My cousin Jessica came home from college (she goes to University At Buffalo) and I see my younger cousin Josh. Everyone loves to just talk and make fun of each other, which is hilarious. At dinner, everyone is silent because we're all too busy eating to talk. After dinner, we all collapse into food comas, and then later play scattergories. We actually debated playing cards against humanity, but didn't. I wish we had because it would be hysterical.

I think Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday to see family and just bond over delicious food and conversation. I always look forward to it, and once Thanksgiving passes, I'm impatiently waiting for Christmas, because it's my favorite holiday. Ever. Thanksgiving is a close second :)

Florida

The first place that popped into my head that makes me feel content is Daytona Beach, FL. I've been visiting it since I was five years old. My parents and I rent a condo at a resort that leads right to the beach. We visited every year for vacation, so naturally I associate it with summer, relaxation and spending time with family.

The heat of Florida is so familiar and striking that it feels so nice to go swimming in the pool or to visit the beach. It is so refreshing to go in the cool water to escape the heat. Or going down to the beach where the waves beckon the people to swim in the ocean. The salty air wafts around as people splash around in the waves. I think one of my favorite things to do while there is watch the sunset. They are so beautiful, with assortments of pink, orange and purple as the sun sets over the ocean. In addition, the waves make a wooshing sound as they retreat which is so calming. In addition, the feel of the sand under my feet as it soothes them and gets in my shoes truly reminds me of summer and helps wipe away any of my stress from the school year.

Florida is also one of my favorite places because we visit my dad's friend from college and his family. They have kids around my age and we have so much fun hanging out. When were little, we would put on these shows where we danced and sang along to music which was so fun. They also live 15 minutes from Universal and Disney, so we always go to the parks and go on all the roller coasters and water rides. Two years ago we went to Harry Potter world and it was so cool. The simulation ride that is in the castle was so creative, and I loved the frozen butter beer. Since I've been there, they have added more things such as the Hogwarts express and some shops. I'd really like to go back. Anyway, getting off track. Um, oh my dad's alma mater is in Florida, Stetson University. I love visiting it there because I love the palm trees and brick buildings. I also love hearing my dad's college stories- they're pretty interesting. I love watching him reflect back on college and commenting on how the campus has changed because one day hopefully I'll be reflecting back on college with fond memories.

Another thing that is so familiar is the smell of the condo and the lobby of the hotel. Strange, but every time I go there it's always the same. It's a mixture of salt and sweet fragrance that smells amazing.

I feel like when you get older, you begin to appreciate the memories from your childhood more(Sounds like a theme...). But it's true. I started missing my childhood when I brought my AP US textbook to the beach to do AP summer work. It was so sad, and I miss the days when I was more worried about going to the beach than getting AP summer work done. Needless to say, I ditched the book the moment I walked down to the beach. Priorities :)

Lastly, Daytona is a wonderful place that I love dearly, and will continue to visit. However, this summer we won't be going down to Florida but up to New England. Although I'll miss it, hopefully I'll visit again soon.

                       

Childhood memory

When asked to remember an early childhood memory, I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to talk about. While sitting here staring at the screen, I remembered how my cousin used to play with my hair. Not the most influential thing, but now that I reflect on it was one of my favorite things. When someone plays with my hair, it is so soothing as they run their fingers through it and I just get to sit and relax. Temporarily, I forgot all my responsibilities and sitting there, I didn't have a care in the world. It became a tradition for her to do my hair, and then I would do hers, which looked terrible but she didn't mind because we were bonding.  Fast forward to the present, my cousin is 30 and getting married in a week. It's kind of crazy how fast time flies, and you're not a little kid anymore. Instead of worrying about coloring in the lines, I'm going on college visits, writing college essays and crying about a2 trig( kidding...actually no I'm not). I feel like I'm not ready to say goodbye to high school, but at the same time I'm ready to move forward with my life. It's days where I'm stressed beyond belief that I long for the simpler days where I could just relax and have someone play with my hair. Depressing, but true.

 

                                      Ignore the chem papers behind the picture :)