To my hometown beach,

A big part of growing up is moving away and experiencing new places, and now that I am right in the middle of an urban area and away from my beachside hometown, I realize just how much I miss my hometown beach. If I didn't grow up next to the beach, I can truly say my life would be completely different. So thank you to my hometown beach for being there for me always. You've seen me through the ups and the downs and some of the best memories of my life. I never realized how important you were to me until I moved away and was no longer five minutes away from the beach. No matter what was going on in my life, you were always a place I could go to think and reflect and just feel content.

From being a baby sitting in my stroller on the beach, to a toddler rolling around in the sand, to being a child learning to swim and now being a teenager lying out on the sand trying to get as tan as possible, I've always considered you to be my second home. The months of May through September I never left, i'd be there from sunrise to sunset and go home just to sleep and wake up and go right back. All the memories made here will last a lifetime. This is where I discovered my love for surfing and sharks and learned some valuable lessons, and was given some important advice on the countless walks down the shore with my dad. Even in the winter, the picnics in the car or the bitter cold shore walks were always a must after a hard day or when I needed a break.

I came to you at some of the worst times of my life, and you were there for me for as long as I needed it, I would sit with my feet in the sand and toes barely in the water and think about everything. You helped me make some of my most life changing decisions and have helped me grow up. The beach was a place I always felt accepted, there are no rules, no judgement, it was a place where you could escape and just be you and forget about the rest. I found myself at the beach, so thank you for that. Thank you for being a place that is so constant in my rapidly changing, crazy life. Being a teenager is an unpredictable whirlwind but having you as a place to always come back to makes it a whole lot easier.

Lastly I'd like to thank you for helping me be OK with my decision to move away and sparking my love of travel because I know as soon as I see some sand and the sea that I'll be OK, and it's like having a little piece of home with me wherever I go. You will never be replaced and you hold a special place in my heart forever, and I can honestly say I don't know where I would be if it weren't for my hometown beach, so again thank you.

Love Always,

The little girl with sand in her hair and the sea in her heart.