Dear Grand Haven,

I will soon be leaving your sandy beaches and crowded streets for a new and unfamiliar place. I will be heading off to college with a fresh start. Although leaving you won't be easy, its time for a change of pace and new beginning. But I will never forget all the wonderful days spent in the best place and why I am so thankful for them.

Thank you for the beach, whatever season it may be it was always there to admire. In the winter, somewhere to drive by and ponder my thoughts. Or in the summer laying with my best friends by the rocks blasting music soaking up the sun. The place with the best view of watching the sun rise and set.

Thank you for the downtown, the streets I have walked and drove down countless times but never seem to get sick of it. That drive will always be my favorite.

Thank you for Coast Guard Festival, the best time of the year that everyone waits for. Where you see friends you haven't encountered in months or meet brand new people who end up making an impact on your life. Where you stand in the middle of Washington and 1st street surrounded by a sea of teenagers and all the lights from the carnival rides. There is no more magical place than Coast Guard in August. The only bad part about the festival is when its over you know summer is finally coming to an end.

Thank you for the pier, the one place where it always felt peaceful even when the world was at chaos in my life. I'd walk it at night and see all lights on the shoreline and think to myself,I am so lucky to live here.

Finally, thank you for the opportunities and being my home. This place has given me endless amount of choices, from all the people I've met who have become my best friends to attending one of the best schools around that has helped me grow so much as a person.

It will be weird coming back and realizing I don't truly live here anymore and knowing that even when I do stay here in the next summers to come, It will just never be the same. The streets of this town will always be nostalgic and filled with memories that I will never forget.

So, thank you Grand Haven for being the best place someone could have had for their hometown and had the chance to grow up in.