By DEVYN LANSDEN, Editorial Editor
Over the weekend, I take the free time I have very seriously.
Two weeks ago, I finally got to go to my house in Beaver and see my family for the first time in more than a month.
Going home when I have not in such a long time is my favorite thing to do.
Since I have my own house in Alva, I cook every meal for myself.
Whenever I go home, that is something I thankfully do not have to worry about. Growing up, going out to eat was something we did all the time.
We rarely ate at home, so now that I am kind of on my own, I unfortunately, do not get the luxury of going out to eat a lot of the time.
Whenever I was in Beaver, we went to the casino in Guymon and did not come out on top, sadly. We also went to Liberal, Kansas, the next day, and I stocked up on groceries, of course.
Groceries are another thing I was not warned about whenever I started living on my own.
I despise grocery shopping. I used to be so good about planning out my meals throughout the week, but now I am tired of the food I used to eat all the time. I run out of ideas quickly.
Paper towels and toilet paper are what I always make sure to stock up on when I go to Walmart with my parents. You can never have enough.
In Beaver, I enjoyed every moment with my parents and, of course, my dogs. My dad is working on his teacher certification so he always has me help him with making his PowerPoints look presentable.
My favorite thing to do when I am home is going on a walk with my dad and our dog, Otis.
Otis is still a puppy, so he needs to exert his energy or he will not sleep. So, we walk to the track and let him run wild.
Going on those walks makes me the happiest. Even though Otis is still a puppy, he has gotten so big, and he still thinks he is a lap dog.
We have two little dogs, and he sees they are lap dogs, too.
A lot of my friends went to Beaver, too, so I got to catch up with all of them. I am so thankful I still see all of my close friends.
Every time we get together, it makes me so happy. Whenever I don’t see my family or friends for a while, it makes me appreciate them even more.
Reality hits me every day because I will graduate soon. Every day, I am so thankful for my parents and all they do for me.
I hope everyone knows how lucky they are if they have a great support system, whether that is your friends or family or both.
When the people you love have your back, you can do anything.
My weekend was full of laughs, puppy kisses and food. It was nice to have a change of scenery, and now I feel even more motivated for the upcoming weeks.
Usually, before the weekend starts, I like to get all my homework I have due over the weekend done.
Even if that means I stay up later on Friday night, it is worth every second. I get to relax Saturday morning and not have to worry about getting my Sunday homework done.
I am really good at looking ahead and planning out when to do homework so I am not stuck doing it at the last second. I recommend that to anyone who is a procrastinator. It is worth it.
I have started enjoying the little things that make me happy, and that is getting my homework and having Saturday morning to relax.
I enjoy Saturdays because my roommates are home, and we all get to have fun together for the whole day.
One of my roommates has had plans every weekend since school started, and this past weekend, she finally got to stay in Alva.
It was such a fun time with all of my friends. It makes me appreciate these times because we will never get them back.
Something I have learned the older I get is to expect nothing and appreciate everything.
If you stop expecting things to happen and start appreciating everything you have, you will be much happier.
I am grateful for everything that is thrown my way. I take everything as a lesson and learn from it.
Eventually, I will have to support myself, so I need to do and learn as much as I can before I graduate and am thrown out into the “real world.”
Not being able to go home as much has made me appreciate things even more.
I am working on living life in the “now” moment. I am always so fixated on the future that, sometimes, I do not stop and enjoy the moment I am in.
That is something I am aware of and will try to fix. I have realized it and remind myself to enjoy every moment.
I will continue to work on it, and I encourage other people, too. I know I am experiencing a lot of “lasts.”
That is why I am embracing everything college has for me in these lasts months.
I hope everyone can have a chance to see their family as much as I do.
There is no one else who will support you like family. I appreciate everything in my life, all the good and bad.
All of the stress and craziness thrown my way, I appreciate.
The sooner we all do, the happier we will be.