“Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it”. Ferris Bueller may have said it, but we’ve all thought it. Up until this year, I never realized the accuracy of the quote.

It seems like just yesterday I was walking into the doors of Northview High School as a terrified freshman, or even raising my hand to get ketchup at the beloved (okay not so beloved) River Trail Middle School. Back then, I never dreamed of packing everything I own into a minivan and hauling it all to Oxford, Mississippi.

My friends and I talked every day about how amazing college was going to be and how we couldn’t wait to leave the only city we’ve ever called home, Johns Creek, Georgia. I never really thought about being six hours away from my friends, let alone my family. I have always heard how college is the best four years of your life, and I never thought that I would be hesitant to leave.

No one realizes how much you’ll cherish those middle school nights at the Regal on Medlock Bridge, or going to Egg Harbor with your friends before school until you can’t do them anymore. I always thought I was just in the habit of life and could easily adjust to anything that came up, but I was wrong. Starting college has been a MAJOR adjustment for me, but it's so worth it.

I absolutely love Ole Miss and have made so many new friends, but I also can’t help but miss home every now and then. Everything I have ever known has dramatically changed. I'm not cheering on the Northview Titans from the sidelines every Friday night, babysitting the sweetest girls almost every Saturday, or going to Church Sunday mornings with my family and some of my best friends.

So much change has been thrown my way in the last 5 months. I'm sharing a room with someone I barely knew until August, a bathroom with nearly 40 strangers who have become some of my best friends, and I'm a 6-hour drive away from that place I’ve called home for 18 years. It’s a little overwhelming when you think about it. Okay, A LOT overwhelming. But this change has been one of the biggest blessings in my life.

The small town of Oxford, Mississippi has become my home away from home and I can't imagine it any other way. The Velvet Ditch truly has lived up to my expectations and now I never want to leave. As I think about that, I realize that in four years, I may be behind this computer again writing about my worries moving to the real world and leaving the beloved Ajax Diner, the Corner, and Bottletree Bakeries’ amazing cinnamon rolls. Life is crazy. I just hope I get a chance to stop a look around once in awhile because I sure as heck do not want to miss the crazy roller coaster that’s ahead.