A few things I love/miss

I went to Jamaica in late May this year and it was one of the most enlightening experiences I've had thus far. It was my first time venturing out of my little American bubble and I absolutely loved the feeling of a new place and new culture. It was refreshing and I learned a lot about myself there. I cannot wait until I get the opportunity to travel more. There are so many places I want to go! What places are on the top of your travel wish list?

This boy and his band, Local Natives. If you haven't listened to them you should. Don't take my word for it, read all of the genuinely nice/wonderful reviews they get (here's one)! They're incredibly talented. He came to visit a couple of weeks ago and I definitely miss him. I get to see him in Chicago a week from Saturday (as well as a show by Local Natives) so I'm overwhelmingly excited! (Image via themusic.fm)

My wonderful friends, Aya and her husband (the man behind the camera), Thom. They are both really loving and caring people and I'm so glad to have them in my life! They also have one of the cutest little ones I've ever seen. Aya is having a little contest to win a coupon to her etsy on her blog, Strawberry Koi. Go and enter! I mean, why wouldn't you? :)

My family! I love them so much. This is only part my mom's side , so I'm missing quite a few of those I love in this picture. I'm so thankful to have such an amazing family. My brother is one of my best friends and I enjoy every second I spend with him. I only get to see him every other weekend or so, therefore I miss him dearly. (Image via Matt Claghorn & yes I used to have a whole lot of hair!)

There's an infinitely long list of other people/things that I love and miss, but I'll leave you with this small slice of my life.

Jamaica

I had the amazing opportunity to go to Jamaica earlier this summer with my "Roots, Fruits, & Jamaican Ecologies" class. It was my first chance to make it out of the country and it definitely made me hungry for more! The culture was completely different and everything about it was incredibly beautiful. We stayed for two weeks. One week we stayed up at Holywell in the Blue and John Crow Mountains. The second week we spent at Ambassobeth, which was in the Rio Grande valley. We only had power for a few hours every night. I have to say, I really enjoyed that. I could see more stars than I have ever been able to see and one night, I saw four shooting stars within a couple of minutes. It was wonderful! I grew a lot from the experience and although this is only a short description of the time, I made some great friends and learned a lot. If you ever get the chance to go to Jamaica, don't stay in a resort! Go out in the country! It's such a great experience.