You take what you get

Last week was the return trip home. The trip from one home to the other.
Sitting there in passenger seat I watched Marquette pass by, and I thought back. And there in that moment I pulled out my journal and began writing. Writing down each thought swirling in my mind. Writing on the past eight, nearly nine months of my life.

The tears that fall are tears of joy. The joy of all the good times; the memories made. The late nights filled with midnight snack runs. The wallyball games where laughter caused sides to hurt. The early Saturday morning cycling class with a post workout trip to Smoothie King. The afternoon pool games which I occasionally won. And Monday nights filled with Castle, laughter, and challenging life questions.
The conversations: priceless.
The times of almost falling off the chair. The crazy sayings spoken in the early morning hours by a mind running on low. "You take what get".
And that is it; you take what you get and you run with it. You embrace the time. You live in the moment. That is what college is all about; that is what life is about.
And to all those who helped shape these good times... Goodbyes are hard, but it isn't really goodbye rather see you later. A time will come once again where our lives will intertwine. A time where we create more memories, have more laughs, share more conversations about life. 

Being home everyone has asked me how the first year was. I answer in the simplest way possible: "It was awesome; I loved it up in the UP". Those two things are both true, but to tell someone how my first year truly was would take more time than just one cup of tea. My first year was more than just awesome. It was  a year of growth, learning, discovery. The list could go on. I could talk of times of laughter and tears. Times of fear, trial, and overcoming. In it all one discovery is key: tea. Without tea so much wouldn't be. Tea has become more to me than just a drink for a sore throat. It has become life.
My first year; a cup of tea.