We're looking at the same moon.

This weekend wasn't spent doing anything particularly exciting, but I realized something; Angers has become home to me. I love that I live in a fairly large city, but have the comforts of a small one. That we have the option of busy streets and many people, or roaming the wilderness by a lake. I have gotten used to the flow of schoolwork, and class will be forever hard to wake up for, but it's becoming routine. I have made some friends here, who I know I will have a hard time leaving come June. Being in France in itself is a dream come true, and when I found out Angers was my destination, I'll admit I was less than thrilled to be in the Loire valley,but now I don't know if there's any place I'd rather be spending my study abroad time. We have just under two weeks until Spring Break, where I will be visiting some incredible places (Nantes-Nice-Marseille-Cagliari-Rome-Brussels)and after that I have a feeling time will pass very fast. This makes me sad that my time will be up so fast, but at the same time there are little things about home that I miss dearly and think that everyone takes for granted.
I will now proceed to list some of them to give you an idea of what I mean.

-That first day when it's barely warm enough to do so, when you roll the windows down on your car and cruise with the wind in your hair. Now anyone who knows me, knows that driving does not belong on my list of favorite things, but it is one of the things I find I sort of miss while here. I love walking everywhere and experiencing everything as the French do (slowly) but I also miss getting somewhere fast, and conveniently.

-Scrub clothes. I'm talking those jeans with so many holes, that are so worn out you are almost too embarrassed to wear them in public...almost. That paired with the hoodie that's lasted you longer than any relationship you've had. ;) The closest thing I brought like this with me from home is a tee from high school, and some soffe cheerleading shorts. le sigh.
-Being able to walk around without shoes. The french don't do it...like ever. Liana and I do it while upstairs (for the most part) but when we go downstairs at all, we have to have shoes on. Now, we have never been told this rule, but we follow by example, therefore if Chantal and Dominique are doing it, so are we.
-My roommates/friends I find myself thinking about those nights when things weren't going our way, when things were amazing, when we were sleep deprived, when we were lazy all day. The nights spent laying with eachother sharing secrets and stories, and the car rides filled with obnoxious and slightly embarrassing tunes. Bonfires that lasted too long, beach days that involved junk food and slushies, and loud singing in the car. dancing together to clear tension. Parties.shopping. bonding.movies...I could go on and on and on in this one. I miss my girls, I miss the select few boys I actually hung out with (haha) and trust me I plan to make plenty of new memories with all of you this summer.
^That being said, I have made some amazing friends here, and am blessed to have done so. I hope to god to be able to see them over the summer, and am happy that I will at least still have a few of them in Michigan. Thinking about parting ways in June makes me very sad already. The closeness we have encountered here is sort of hard to explain, and is something I'll never forget.

-Family. I miss my sisters. I know that most people my age are at the rebelling against family stage, or just nearing the end of it...I'm not sure I ever hit this rebellion. I have always wanted attention from my sisters, and as I got older it turned from me being the annoying young girl bothering them, to a friend who can share secrets and jokes. I miss having Kristina 5 minutes away while at school, and during particularly rough times, just laying in her bed watching t.v. I miss singing loudly and offkey in the car with Jenelle. I miss friday nights with my girls drinking more coffee than anyone ever should in one night, and telling more personal information than family should know about eachother.  I miss my mom's advice on everything I do, and creating new masterpieces of dessert with her...and of course shopping. I miss my dad pretending to ignore everything I say, but teasing me about it later. I miss witnessing Josh get bigger, and having him repeat stupid things (and maybe inappropriate ones) and I'm sad to be missing Jack in his first few months of life. I know that I am truly blessed to have such a tight knit family, and am lucky to have all of these people believe in me. I cannot wait to see you all again.

I could go on for a while about things I miss from home, but truth is, If I could move the people here, I'd never leave. I love Angers, I love France, and the thing I miss most is the people who mean the most to me. I promise I'm not an emotional wreck or anything, I just have been writing about all these fantastic things I've been doing, and plans I'm making...and just wanted everyone at home to know that I haven't forgotten about any of you. You're all on my mind at one point or another, and in that way, we're not really that far apart. After all,
we are all looking at the same moon.