My name is Samantha, and this is the introduction.

Blogging is new to me. Obviously. So, here goes nothing.
I guess this is the part where I talk about things... Today, I thought about it, and I realized what true love is.
I am a student at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. I hate it. I am from Covington, Louisiana, where it is humid and warm... Not in Boone. It is April 28, 2011, and it is currently 52 degrees outside. Thank goodness that the semester is over and I only have two finals left until I get to go to Lake Wylie, where it is warm and I feel at home. I have had an interesting time here at ASU. I have met fake girls, jerk guys, and very few real people. However, is that not what happens all throughout life?
College is strange. After you graduate from high school, everyone pretty much goes their separate ways, and all that you have left are memories of the good times you had. It's like starting a new life, which can have both negative and positive consequences. People change, as do relationships. It's bittersweet, and I really do miss the old times. I have never really been one for change, so it has taken some getting used to.
It's a sad thing for me; I have two younger siblings. Grace is 13, and Nola will be 8 on May 8th. I feel absent from their lives, and it kills me. No longer am I home with them to fight and cry and hug and love. I must do that from a distance. No longer do we bicker and drive each other crazy; I never thought that I would miss arguing with my sisters.
I have always been the protector of my family. Especially Grace. Nola can pretty much handle herself. Grace is so fragile; she always has been. I feel like I have to protect her. When you say somebody means the world to you.... They are my life. I have a love for them that will never change or falter. Anyways, Grace is sweet. You meet people in life that are sweet, but she is innocent and pure, and I feel like if I don't protect her, the world will taint her. Being physically absent from their lives makes my heart ache. We have never been separated for this long. They say that separation gets easier with time; however, for me that is not the case. I have horrible separation anxiety from my family. A phone call is just not the same as a warm embrace.
The sweet part is coming home. Since Grace is now a teenager, the hormones are raging, and she is full of attitude and eye rolls. But I still get the smirk when she sees me. It's the look of "I have a badass reputation that I am trying to start, so I'm too grown for hugs and kisses". Nevertheless, I get them. I especially love Nola's reaction. I usually get home before she is home from school, so I wait for her to get off the bus. She walks in the front door - sometimes it is locked and I have to let her inside - and she jumps on me. I pick up all of her 60 pounds in my arms, and she squishes my face with her hands and says "SAM!!! I missed you so much!", before wrapping her arms around my neck and hanging onto me like a monkey. These embraces last anywhere from one to five minutes.
Although it is bittersweet, the reunion makes it all worthwhile.
This, my friends, is the epitome of true love.
Signing off for now,
Simply Sam.