Mackenzie Standing

I love the Wenatchee Valley. I love waking up and seeing Saddlerock out my front window. I love the deep blue Columbia River that rolls through the center of town. I love how apples are everywhere,  from the names of companies to little brothers in apple judging contests to kind strangers who save you from a flat tire, and, yes, give you apples while you wait. I love Coffee Cabin and Blue Spoon and Spring Lotus and McGlinns and Lemolos and all those other quirky, only-in-the-valley places. But mostly I just love the people and faces that make Wenatchee what it truly is: home. It was so, so, so nice to get to go back for Thanksgiving. I can't help praising God for that opportunity- I know too many people who weren't so lucky! And yes, some things were different. Some stores had changed. Some items in houses had moved around. Some babies had started walking, and others had finally arrived while I was away. Those aspects were a little strange, but in so many ways it felt like

I get to go home in two weeks. Two. Weeks. T-w-o w-e-e-k-s. 14 days. Deux semaines. One fortnight. I'm a little excited, if you can't tell. I'm also a wee bit nervous. By the time I get home I'll have been gone for three months, and a lot can change during that time. People will have moved on and places will be different. I'm not exactly the same, either, though (um, no way would I have ever kept my room clean back home. Sorry, Mom.). Much as I might want to slip back into the roles I once held, they're not mine to fill anymore. That will most definitely be weird. Therefore, it's a countdown full of excitement and just a twinge of fear. But mostly excitement. With the realization that I'll be leaving in two weeks, though, came another: I'm a little sad to go. I've grown to really like Bozeman. And so, without further ado, here is a list of the best and worst of my new life. THE BEST: My classes don't start until 9, sometimes 9:30.