After you’ve been away for a long stretch of time, even just the four months I’ve been gone,  home is no longer quite what it was when I lived there before, it’s simply just not the same.

Yes, of course, there are many things that are familiar and the same- the layout of the streets, the houses on the road I grew up on, the love of being around my family,  and adventuring in the beauty that is Vermont. But, now the ground is dug up next to my neighborhood so a whole new development can be built, there are new stores around town that I never even know were in the process of coming, and the friends I left behind are all starting new chapters of their lives just as I am.

Home changed since I’ve been gone. But, I’ve changed too.

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Last week I was lucky enough to be able to work my schedule around so I’d have time to go home for a few days. It’s been about 4 months since I’d been in Vermont, and to be completely honest I’m pretty over this Oklahoma heat, so I knew it was time for a visit home.  I flew into Burlington on Thursday and didn’t have to leave until the following Tuesday!

There’s nothing like a little family, friends, puppies, sunshine, and Lake Champlain to fill my heart and soul!

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Friday I spent a few hours down on the waterfront with Hannah, one of my best friends from college and my “Little.” It was so great to catch up with her as we both live very similar lifestyles regarding the military and it seems there’s no one who quite understands me like she does.

Saturday I hiked up Mt. Philo with my parents and the dogs. I missed being able to go outside and actually walk vertically, we don’t have many mountains  hills in Oklahoma.  Although it’s not a rigorous hike whatsoever, the view from the top of Mt. Philo is one of my favorites so I knew it was something I wanted to do.

(This is how sweet dear Emi rides in the car for 40 minutes. It’s a good thing she’s cute…)

Saturday night I met up with my college roommates and went out to dinner on Church Street in Burlington. It was so great to catch up after months of being apart as we’ve all moved onto brand new stages in life. Walking down Church Street back to our cars was the first time we’d all been there together since graduation. It was weird knowing that we weren’t going back to our apartment on Hungerford.

One of my favorite fall activities in Vermont is apple picking. Mainly because my Dad’s homemade apple crisp is probably my favorite thing to eat. Shelburne Orchards is beautiful and on a cool crisp fall day at home I wouldn’t have wanted to do anything else.

My last night was spent at one of my favorite restaurants, Folinos (BEST pizza in the area).

In the restaurant they had a live feed playing of a town in Uganda where Folino’s sponsors a borehole water project. It was pretty cool to watch this while eating.

Notice the sunset outside the door in the bottom corner of the picture

I was lucky enough to witness one of the most beautiful sunsets on my last night in Vermont as we were leaving dinner.

I swear, Vermont sunsets are some of the best around.

I flew back to Oklahoma early Tuesday morning. As much as I didn’t want to leave, at that point I was ready to get back to Enid, America- See Conor and get back to work again.

♥ GOODBYE VERMONT!! ♥

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As I was driving home from the airport, I knew it, YUP, I was back in Oklahoma for sure…

Visiting home was bittersweet for me. I was so happy to be back with my family and some of my best friends, Vermont is beautiful, and it was the perfect time of year. But at the same time I realized that home just wont ever be quite the same again.  Something will always be changed and new, it’ll always be a break from my day to day life, and I’ll always have to try to find time to squeeze in everything that I want to do while there. From now on, I’ll always just be visiting.

But, how lucky am I to have a home to visit with incredible  beauty and surrounded by such loving family.