time spent in the den=family time.

Ever since we moved in to our house, we always wanted a den. A den is where a family gets together to watch some flicks and share memories and make some as well. When we finally got our garage made and finished into a den, it transformed our family life. T-vo, home videos, dvd's, music, comfy couches, carpet, pool table, and air hockey are all the components to our den which allow our den to pull us all together. Love is what makes a family great and true, but this room is what makes us all happy and binds us all together. I come home from school and i know that i am going to stay in some days and go down stairs to watch some basketball games or some T-vo'ed shows and it makes family time that much greater :)

driving around with dad <3

Driving around with my dad, whether it be to the grocery store or just to the local store to get a few items, it's always a great time. It seems lame to say that i miss home because of a "car ride," but when its with my dad; its no ordinary car ride. My dad is like a kid and even looks like one! He plays basketball 4 times a week and it really keepss him young. Back to the car rides-->whenever i go anywhere with him, its an awesome time. He swirves and drives fast and goes out of control at times, but its all to goof around and make me smile.(i take after him in the driving section) Music is the ultimate connection when on these rides with my dad because my dad has always been the one to allow me to expand my choice in tunes. He is so well rounded in his taste that it has made me just like him. "Harry Chapin's Mr.Tanner, Taxi, and Cats in the Cradle" are the three greatest songs in which my dad introduced me to. They are all songs in which tell stories and have extremely significant morals to them and each and every time i hear them, i wish i was home. So, when I am driving around the twisty roads of Rhode Island, speeeeding and blasting the music...it isn't because i am in a rush to get somewhere, it's because I am waiting for one of those songs to come up on the radio so that I can re-call all the times in the car with my dad and wish that i were home to share a sing-along with him.<3

just take the train!

Considering everything in Rhode Island is about 593539 miles away from anything and everything, back at home everything is close by and easy to get to. It really astonishes me how far away the mall is from the neighborhood i live in here in Rhody. In order to get somewhere without a car, a bus is the only logical means of transportation. Although to get to the next town may take about 25 minutes, back at home you can be driving and not even know that 2 minutes of driving has taken you through more than one town. In my home town of Lindenhurst, the train is sooo close and you can go to the towns over for almost free and it takes 3 minutes...if that. My friends often resort to the train as a way of avoiding drunk driving and it is something that most long islander's resort to in order to stay safe.

home cooked meals

There is nothing like a home cooked meal made my mom! Being away from school has showed me how much i love my mom's food and the way she cooks. Living off-campus is great and all because i get a chance to cook for myself, but nothing compares to aromas of the food at home while my mom cooks. It's all the smells and delightfulness of the meals that truely set me back and make me wish i was home.

Everything in RI is so far.

I miss home because everything you ever need is less than 20 mins away. My high school and elementary school were 2 blocks away and my middle school was 5 minutes away. No exaggeration in this post, everything I needed to do or anywhere i needed to go was within 20 minutes. Closest mall is about 7 minutes away, the beach by car is 13 minutes, 7-11 is 5minutes walking. Here in RI...you can't go to a decent mall without it being 45 minutes away! " My roommate is from RI and when she says that something is "down the street" or "really close" almost everytime, i sweaarrr, that means that its 20-30 minutes away. It's nuts! Stores, grocery stores, gas stations, starbucks, malls, schools, beaches and everything else is so close back at home and that just makes my life easier! Friends that lived the farthest from me lived, at most, 8 minutes away.

Brotherly love

Something else to add to my "missing home" is my brother. I only have one sibling and that is an older brother by 5 years. His name is Andrew and he is so much fun to be around...although he can get annoying at times..okay okay...most of the time. Like many siblings, we faught a lot when we were younger, mostly because I was daddy's little girl and got away with a lot. Together we tormented our parents and it was the greatest times. Through all the tears and fights, we always seemed to clear things up and get back to normal. Although my brother stuck with continuing his education, I still see him as being wiser because of all the other things he has been around and subjected himself to. He knows how to love, he knows the difference between right and wrong..most of the time..and he teaches me to be a better person each day. My parents are not always pleased with all the decisions he makes, but hey, no one's perfect. He embodies much strength and character in which really make him who he is, and I admire that. He can make anyone laugh at any time with just a few silly words; funniest guy around! Being away from him is truly a hardship but I know that the relationship we have is forever and can never change.

we can go over 25 mph in new york!

Attending school in Rhode Island has really allowed me to see the finer things in life back at home. It seems like every MPH sign in Rhode Island says 25 and that kills me! I'm not saying that it kills me because I am a fast driver or anything...well maybe...but that just seems to be a little bit rediculous. On the way to school, a main road=25 miles per hour speed is the limit. Back at home, a road equivalent to that one is at least 40. On side streets and roads that are residential the speed limit is 30. I am pretty sure that if the law raised the speed limit to a legit one, their would be less people getting pulled over. The one thing that is different about RI that really astonishes me is the fact that it is legal to talk on a cell phone while driving. Now...you can be distracted on a phone in Rhode Island, but they can raise the speed limit 5-10 miles per hour to decrease the amount of tickets being handed out.