We were searching for adventure. As we climbed over my friend’s fence and later under the barded wire. Running through the woods stomping in crunchy leafs in the Georgia winter. To our surprise stumbling across a makeshift fort. Later finding out it was our friend’s father who helped build it the previous summer. Never fully completing the project. Regardless, we were still amazed. Coming up with ideas on how to finish. Wandering a little further, we found a creek that we decided to walk in even in the cold. A couple months later showing other friends our secret spot. Moments later, running and screaming when someone yelled “snake!” We would still go back and become even braver than before, carefully scooting across the fallen tree across the creek. My friend’s mother giving us old fabrics such as a leopard print one to wrap across the started fort to continue the imagined idea. Even walking through the cold water, Georgia clay mud, dirty jeans from climbing through the leaves we continued the adventure. Knowing my friends mother would always have warm chocolate chip muffins waiting for our return.

This was not the only adventure. There was always one in Georgia. Living in the generation almost seconds before the iPhone took over. The long Georgia creeks in the summer, the grass turning green in the spring, leaves changing colors in the fall, and the winter with always hopes for snow. Snow always lead to a week off of school even if it was less than an inch of powder.

Riding a bike was always one of my favorite adventures. As my brothers would always take it the extreme. Leading into their own makeshift dirt bike track. Complete with dirt ramps, a large hole they always left shovels to continue digging, and of course a makeshift fort with broken nails everywhere. Riding my bike through the woods or around the street would always fuel my sense of rebellion, adventure, and adrenaline. It made me feel alive and that one day I might escape to bigger things.

It was the point when I would start to find many days spent under the hot, humid sun. Which included watching my younger brothers’ very slow baseball games. Eventually I would decide to stay home alone and watch endless seasons of The Kardashians. While the rest of my family would continue staying out watching my siblings play in a variety of different sports. These days I would imagine myself living a luxurious and fast paced life that was constantly displayed on The Kardashians. Eventually changing my voice to hide my southern accent. From the moment that I visited New York City in my early elementary years there was really no returning. After seeing the flashing lights, people running around with dramatic outfits, and cozy restaurants that never compared to the ones in Georgia, I knew I had to run away.

I was determined to make the most of Georgia. Even though, I knew I always wanted to travel aimlessly around the world. There was a point that I realized I outgrew a lot of my childhood friends. Including the friend that we used to run through the woods together. It was the moment when we were all sitting in my room laying on the floor, bed, and bean bag. Not having a word to say, rather completely engaged in our phones. Stalking the Instagram pages of the slightly more popular kids from our high school. There was a moment that I decided it was enough and optioned for us to check out a near by waterfall. Everyone sighed and said something most likely how it was “too far” or “too hot.”

Eventually my friendship with these girls, most who I knew when I was little started to fade out. One fall I was attending my high school’s homecoming football game. Arriving with my family, but desperately texting these old friends to see if they were there. After not ever receiving a response the worst fear hit , that maybe I was more alone than I originally thought. Until I ran into some girls a grade younger than me that I knew from my families church. One of the girls Dad owned a very popular restaurant in our town and had a car in the parade before the game. They asked me to ride with them during the parade and everything seemed to change. These girls lead me to God one last time until I eventually ran completely away from Christianity. But I knew there was a power still there, as we would take endless hikes across the Appalachian trail. Waking up early to hike the local trail, or kayak before school to show everyone that we were those girls. The kind that were too cool for school. More the kind that had less worries about being popular but more concerned about being different. Alternative.

As the passion for adventure started to instill in me, I was also craving the idea of a high school boyfriend for a while. This type of idea was shown to me at an early age. Watching endless early 2000s high school based movies. The idea of having a high school boyfriend seemed to be a right of passage. Eventually it did come to me, strangely enough. A guy that graduated a year before me, a local skater boy. Long story short he was my first love.

That is not the point though. The point is that we explored every last corner that Northern Georgia had to offer. Every weekend we met up it would be a new adventure. We would find secret waterfalls and swim under or slide down. Wandering on trails for hours and climbing on rocks we probably should not have. Discovering new parts of Georgia that we never thought we would have found.

As much as I was very consumed with my first love, I would still do my best to create adventures with my girl friends as well. Creating a list of different places to visit. Mostly finding various kayaking spots . Using different coordinates to find cliff jumping spots. One of my personal favorites would be to discover abandoned buildings. One weekend me and my friends decided to discover an abandoned school in Atlanta. Driving in the Nissan Xterra blasting A$AP Rocky and Childish Gambino most likely. Smoking herbal cigarettes to make us feel cool but not to get addicted. We discovered the more alternative sides of Atlanta, deciding to go to last minute shows at the Tabernacle or finding unique T-shirts at various vintage shops. Realizing all this time our city never was that bad.

After graduation, I decided to go to the University of North Georgia to continue following my love for the Georgia outdoors. Eventually completing most of the items on my Georgia adventure list. Talking to my first boyfriend daily about running away. Finishing my freshman year in college at a concert in North Carolina. Loosing our keys, phones, not knowing how to drink. I stared up the sky asking God or whoever was listening at the time. Thinking there has to be more to life than this.

Georgia is where I was raised and shaped. My passion for adventure was found here. My desire to be different in every last possible way was found here. My idea for love being an endless discovery of new and old places was found here. Understanding that friendships, romance comes and goes. That going back to your younger self can sometimes bring you back home.

There was a point that I knew it was time to go, time to make a drastic change. Realizing the moments in life where you finally say enough!, I want out. Those moments always lead to a whole new journey. I applied to the University of South Carolina with not much hope, until my Mom asked me to check the mail. I received a large envelope with the letters YES! with the universities logo. I wanted to discover what they typical US college life was like. Understand my parents experience going to a large state school. My hopes were high, but like anything in life, it never goes as expected.

It was time to go. It was time to leave my original home.