Backpacking with the Boy

I went home for the week to recuperate before the semester begins. Sam & I had been planning this little backpacking adventure for a few weeks. It was a four mile hike out and back on the Appalachian Trail, right outside of Harrisburg. Beautiful vistas of the surrounding rivers.

It was my first experience with backpacking so I didn't completely know what to expect. My pack was about 40 pounds and the hiking was definitely more challenging with that weight on my back. I ate some weird freeze dried Chicken & Rice meal for dinner which was surprisingly not gross. We enjoyed quality conversation by the fire and slept with a full moon peaking through the 'windows.' 

Other than that, we caught up with family and did errands. We parted ways on Saturday morning to start a new semester of being apart. It's sad because I don't when we'll see each other again, but I'm never worried that it won't be worth the wait.

Smiles, Morgen.

Two years.

We've made it to another one of those landmarks - two years of togetherness.

I'm about three weeks late with this post, but I also didn't see the boy until a few weeks after our anniversary. We celebrated by going back to a hot dog shop that we discovered on a trip to Philadelphia last summer - before we were apart, before I moved away, before a lot of other challenges and complications. And there's a picture of Sam in underdogs where he's refusing to just look at the camera.

But here we are. Still holding on to what we have. Still making each other smile. Still cherishing sad goodbyes and excited hellos. When people ask me if the distance is hard, I honestly have to answer not really. I'm still just in love all the same and there's no one I'd rather have by my side (but hundreds of miles away) than this guy. We have so much history, so much shared understanding that it'd be hard to not do this.

I'm happy to be able to look back on these two years and be proud of what we have created.

Dorming time.

I've been here since Thursday and it's already been an emotional adventure that I get equally excited and nervous about all the time. I thought I'd take this quiet Sunday off from going out to read some of my book (still loving Anna Karenina a lot) and to post about my living space as of now. It doesn't feel like home yet, but hopefully it does soon.

 I'm not really one of the matchy-matchy types, and my dorm isn't quite as cute as half the others I've seen but it's mine. As you can see, I had to bring my swing music CD and a copy of the Great Gatsby. Also, I have a cute little collage of photos of Sam and I from Prom which is nice for smiles. My jewelry containers have definitely been very convenient. I love my mixtape comforter too, it reminds me of one of my favorite books, "Love Is A Mixtape." If you haven't read it, look it up, I'm thinking of re-reading it soon.

I just started feeling a little homesick starting today. My little brother and I are texting a lot which is nice and keeps me from feeling far away. Living with three girls is much, much different from growing up with two brothers, that's for sure. Of course, I'm also adjusting to not being able to see Sam. It's not quite as dramatic as either of us imagined, but it'd still be nice to hold hands with my best friend. Anyone else going through this transition/remember going through it?

Smiles, Morgen.