As I’ve mentioned, my Dad and I made our last trek to Maine in January, where I graduated from Stonecoast.  I’ve spent the last few weeks sorting through my feelings about it all.  I haven’t even forced myself to look through all of the pictures and videos we took, because that would mean saying goodbye.  I won’t kid myself by saying things like “we’ll keep in touch” or “I’ll see them again,” because the truth of the matter is that I’ll probably never see or interact with 99% of these people again outside of Facebook or email.  But that’s okay.

In all honesty, I’ve never really had many “real life” friends, so the switch to maintaining cyber friendships with these people, my Stonecoast family, isn’t a big leap for me.  However, many of them are less active online than I am, so it’s still a bittersweet adjustment.  I won’t get to see everyone twice a year.  Won’t get to catch up with those I don’t see much online.  And, possibly the most depressing thing of all, I won’t get to be in Maine.

Granted, I’m not entirely sorry I missed the grand snowfall, and it’s not the most handicap friendly of the states, but!  It’s beautiful, and the people are super friendly.  After each trip, when we get home, I always miss Maine more than I ever missed Texas.

In fact, one of my fellow Stonecoasters once asked me what I missed about Texas.  I told her I missed my dog.  Just my dog.  That was a half-truth.  I missed Mexican Coca-Cola.  I missed having easy access to decent Mexican food, or at least Tex-Mex.  I missed BBQ (don’t get me wrong, Maine has something it calls BBQ, but it ain’t the good stuff).   I missed 99.5% of public places having wheelchair entrances.  It was little things like that that I found I missed.

It’s all thanks to Stonecoast that I got to experience these things.  Friendship outside of the computer.  Travel.  Finding a home away from home.  Figuring out what I would miss about my current home.  It was all part of my crazy new experience.  I’m thankful for it all.

Yes, I will miss Maine with its moose heads (see below), its wonderful people, and its crazy weather, but it’s time to move onwards and upwards.  It’s time for me to focus on my writing and where I want to go in life and how to get there.  Who knows, maybe when I’m a rich and famous author (a girl can dream big, can’t she?), I’ll find my way back to that home away from home.  Maybe by then, it’ll just be home.

That’s all for today.  Check in next week for something completely different!