I’m from the middle of nowhere Indiana. People always ask me “Oh, where?” even though they’ve never heard of any place in the state besides Indianapolis. So when I say “Kokomo…” , they just make some joke about the beach boys song (which I thought was written about my midwestern town and not a tropical paradise when I was little).
Therefore, when I was 17 and looking at colleges, I made a big, 500 mile circle around my hometown and starting applying outside of it. Unfortunately, that makes it a bit expensive to see my family and friends back home. In the past 4 years, I’ve only gone back to the midwest twice a year, for Christmas and over summer break. So I was so excited this year when my mom and sister decided to come visit me for Parent’s Weekend.
The highlight of our weekend was the football game, obviously. I taught my family the traditional SoCal spellout and the motions to do for the different songs that the band plays. The Spirit of Troy is an amazing band, so half-time is always a special treat.
The next day, I took my family out for a trail ride where I keep my horse! Mom and Fast bonded….. 
Megan…. not so much
Then we went to Beverly Hills for Brunch and took a stroll down Rodeo drive, where Megan enjoyed drooling over the beautiful, expensive clothes and jewelry
Finally, we headed down to Manhattan Beach for some beach volleyball and a beautiful sunset, having dinner before heading back for sunday student organization meetings
It was really great to see my family again, and though I sometimes miss them alot, we manage to cram alot of fun into a short amount of time. I encourage you to also look beyond what you’re familiar with and make decision that allow you to grow and explore!
