Amanda moved 1,000 miles away when she was 18. I get that this is normal for some people, but for me, this would not have seemed normal! This weekend, we got to see her true pride and joy - the place where she feels most at home - the Penn State campus.
Since our visit this weekend (and many more to come in the future), I consider myself an honorary Nittany Lion. (Bonus: I now have a new team added to my top Divison 1 teams to cheer on during football, March Madness, etc! My past Tarheel love will now be shared with the Nittany Lions. :) )
I totally get it, because when I returned to Gustavus a few weeks ago, I immediately felt my heart beat faster. The energy, inspiration, and hope on a college campus is powerful - especially a campus that is not scattered throughout a city, but the kind that welcomes us into its distinct community with open arms. The kind that gives us that invincible, open-minded, warm-hearted, and hopeful feeling. I was so happy that she got to share her place with us.
Above, we're laying on the campus lawn, chatting, taking in some sun. This needs to start happening FAR MORE OFTEN in my life. (This is also where Libby helped us align our ribs for better backs - this part can still happen less often. :) )
Below you can see Em's pride for her school - Iowa - followed by a bit of Gopher pride for all of us Minnesotans.
On the way to the library, we got to see Amanda's favorite place in the whole entire world. Here she is, standing in her favorite place. To be able to share moments like this and think about the times she experienced here is one of those little things that makes life great. Look how happy she is!
Above was taken inside the library, which I just thought was pretty and interesting.
That college experience - it's one that if you've had it, you know what I'm talking about. It lives inside of us forever. Whitney told us about the sweetest thing that happened her senior year of college, when in short, she was encouraged to wander campus and reflect on every moment over her four years there. I'm SO glad that during college I realized how great life was, because now when I pay my monthly student loans, I am honestly grateful for every moment. I also realize how much I gravitate to college life and plan to be back there someday.
Since our visit this weekend (and many more to come in the future), I consider myself an honorary Nittany Lion. (Bonus: I now have a new team added to my top Divison 1 teams to cheer on during football, March Madness, etc! My past Tarheel love will now be shared with the Nittany Lions. :) )
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