I'll miss you most of all, when autumn leaves start to fall....

Reflecting on my last few weeks here in the U.S., I have been thinking about how many things I am going to miss about this country. Again, I am so excited to spend this year abroad, but everyone always misses home, right? So here's my list of things that I am anticipating missing from my homeland:

1. Family and friends. I think this really goes without explaining but living an ocean away from all the people closest to me is going to be really difficult.

2. Color Guard. It's hard to think that an activity that I have performed and instructed in for the past 10 years does not exist in the country I am moving to. I will miss it dearly as well as all my best friends in the activity, my Interplay family, and all of the students I instruct. It's gonna be weird to not be around for the fall or winter season.

IP love. <3

Will miss the students at Hudsonville (above) and Portage Northern (below). Enjoy every moment performing this year!

It's hard enough being an age-out, will miss performing in this activity as well as being able to easily watch it.

3. Driving in my car. With all the instructing and out of town friends I have, I am used to doing a lot of driving. I actually really love it - the freedom of driving down an open road. Going to really miss that liberating feeling.

4. Working a 40 hour work week. Yeah, you heard it - I really think I am going to miss that. I am the type of person who genuinely likes being busy. I feel like I am going to have to try to not be bored with the 12 hour work week that I will have in France.

5. Fall in Michigan. I am so happy that I am living in the South of France, with it's warm climate and beautiful sunny days by the coast. But autumn in the mitten is my favorite season of the year, and I already know that I will miss the beautiful colors of the foliage and brisk afternoons walks at home.

Pure Michigan.

Looks exactly like my drive home. Who wouldn't love to drive down this everyday?

And who can forget about my love of corn mazes!

Love the apple orchards in the mitten, a fall tradition!

6. Peanut Butter. Kind of in love this stuff, and it is definitely not the same overseas.

My american guilty pleasure.

7. Holidays at home. Especially my favorite, Thanksgiving, which doesn't exist in France. And get this, pumpkins are really hard to find! Looks like no pumpkin pie this year.

Anyone want to send this in a care package?

8. Baking. I don't have an oven in my apartment, which means that I can't practice my favorite stressed-out pastime of baking goodies.

Deserved a re-post.

9. Being able to turn on the TV or radio and easily understand every word.

10. Easily getting things whenever I want them. There are no 24 hour stores in France and most things are closed on Sunday.

A little bit of Michigan 24-hour accessibility.

11. Country Music. Summertime, beer, tractors and trucks all sung with a twang. I know it's pathetic, but it sings to my soul! 

12. Lake Michigan. Although I will be 2-3 hours away from the Mediterranean coast, I am going to miss the easy drive to South Haven, my freshwater paradise.

Just a typical evening at Lake Michigan.

And the beautiful Michigan sunsets over the lake, gonna miss that too!

I'm sure I could go on with things that I will miss, but that is not the point of this experience. I am going to France to be thrown out of my comfort zone and to learn to thrive within this new world, to grow as a person and find new things to become accustomed to. Still, I thought I would show just a few aspects of home that I will surely be missing while I'm gone.

10 jours and then I will be gone for 9 months. Time is passing very quickly...