I love you.

I was raised in a small town in Ohio. Clyde to be exact. I’m a born and raised Flier, blue and gold, baby. With how much I loved that town, the people and my home, I also loved the idea of getting away. I needed to find out who Anna could be outside of the small town of Clyde.

Ironically I then moved to Bluffton University, a smaller town than Clyde. Home of the Beavers. Purple and white. I spent four years sitting in classrooms, exploring part of the world and building a stronger faith. I loved Bluffton almost as much as I love Clyde. I’ll always be a Beaver, I’ll always be a Flier.

And now, after Bluffton, I packed my bags and moved to a place much larger than Clyde and Bluffton. Pittsburgh. Home of the.... Penguins. (I refuse to acknowledge anything else, outside of the Pens and possibly Pirates) The city of bridges and black and gold. With how large of a place this city is and I thought it was going to be huge , it’s actually some what of a small town. Neighborhoods everywhere, people you know walking down the street and places to escape.

Something that I became aware of at the end of my senior year at BU, was finding and holding onto the relationships that I’ve already built. In my head I continue to think, “I’ve been doing this my entire life.... can’t I just be done with making those strong friendships? Will there ever be a time when I have that solid group that I did growing up? That group of people that know everything that is happening in my life, or that knows everything that HAS happened in my life before each new segment?”

Well- it doesn’t really matter to me I guess anymore about having a core group, but just loving the people I’m with. I have some of the best friends a girl could ask for and they are my family... but in the end, each person I come in contact with and fall in love with will be a part of my life forever. They made me feel like I was back in the hallways at CHS watching everyone come into school before the bell rang, or they made me feel like I was sharing a dinner table with them at Bluffton mixing different cereal, or they walked into Union Project to throw a pot downstairs in the studio.

These people in my life have helped carry me to the place I am today. They are continuing to be that support system throughout each moment and surprise me every day.

I love you friends. Thank you for giving me your strength when I can't rely on my own.