A Love Letter to my Four Best Friends as the Summer Comes to an End

I swear that there's a spark that ignites when you meet your best friends. From the moment you first meet, there's an undetectable change in the atmosphere that revolutionizes your life. I am lucky enough to have this spark happen to me four times. From my oldest best friend who I met when I was eleven to my newest one who stumbled into my life a couple of months ago, these are my people. My biggest supporters. My unconditional love bugs. My soul mates. The ones who have helped to make Summer '16 one of my favorite summers yet.

They've seen me at my lowest lows and have helped celebrate some highest highs. They've laughed uncontrollably with me in Target over nothing. They've inspired me to run over ten consecutive miles. They've eaten thousands of gallons of ice cream with me. They've laid in bed for hours with me watching the worst of the worst horror movies. But most importantly, each of them has always picked up the phone when I've needed them the most, giving me the support and strength I need to get through absolutely anything.

As you know, this has been my summer of changes. I've graduated from college, started my full time job, and moved to a new apartment in a new town. Through this all, they have been my constants, my rocks. Those days when my emotions overtook me, they knew a shopping trip and some ice cream would make it better (and they were right). But mostly it was their overwhelming love that kept me together. The tears and the laughs wouldn't have wanted to be shared with anyone else. 

So one last thank you for the concerts, the beach trips, the ice cream, the beer, the phone calls, the hugs, and the faith. To be honest, I would've survived this summer without you, but it wouldn't have been half as fun.

 Right before we decided to it would be fun to run 10 miles. LOL. 

 I never want summer days and concerts with you to end. 

 A galaxy button down, jorts, a visor and boat shoes. Couldn't describe him any better than that. 

A throwback from our high school days, since Mul wasn't able to make an appearance this summer. 

The Habit Forming Truth

I've officially made my move one month and one day ago! Not sure how it's gone by so quickly, but at the same time it feels like I've always been here. Taking this journey by myself has definitely helped me grow into the person I want to be. I think that there's a change that occurs when there's only you to help yourself daily. I was the one who had to fight with Peco for weeks about my electric, I am the one who carries all my groceries up my apartment steps (still haven't mastered the art of one trip), and I am the one who motivates myself to get out of bed every morning and "carpe diem". I wouldn't want it any other way though, things have been really great, I am running my life more than I have ever before and I am running it into the right direction. 

Now for the real topic of discussion...

Routines and habits, they have never been my strong point. They say if you do something 21 days in a row, it becomes a habit, but I've never found that true and don't ask me who "they" are. I could do something for 53 days in a row, not do it one day and never look back. I think the real secret to forming a habit or routine is to form it around something you love, which is a realization I've recently made. Since moving I have found routine to be something extremely important to me and no, I do not have every moment of every single week planned (and I never will), but it is nice to know that I have constants in my life. For example, every morning I know that I will wake up at 6 AM, turn on the news, drink my coffee and spend that time with myself, I know that every Tuesday night I will work late and then go to Yoga, I know that every Monday evening I will have dinner with my parents, I know that every Sunday morning I will be reading outside and then writing a blog post with a coffee next to me, and I know that every Thursday afternoon will be spent at some happy hour with some happy person next to me. 

The people who I choose to spend time around are important to me (obviously) and I've built my routines around the people I love and the strengthening and nurturing of those relationships. I love knowing that I will be spending time with my parents and myself and my best friends and my yoga teacher (Lauren, you know you rock). My time with all of these people fill my heart with so many different types of love and gratitude and maybe that's what I've been missing from my other attempted routines for so long. 

So, my unsolicited advice to you is to go find what you're passionate about and if you want to find routine or habit in your life form them around your passions.  If you are passionate about music, include a little music into the things you want to do, if you are passionate about snacking (like I am) include some snacks into what you love to do. 

Then again, maybe everyone already knew this and I'm just a little late to the game, if so, I guess it was better for me to learn late than never.