This.

I feel that, in a couple of years, I'll look back on this first post and think I was pretty silly for starting a blog at this point in my life. There's not much of a reason behind blogging besides that some of the most influential women in my life all have blogs (that I am in love with) and I want to attempt it as a tradition. I suppose it's a good of a reason as any.

I've attempted a blog before, on Blogger nonetheless. My first go was pathetic -- I was such a blithering idiot. High school was important, but really, I knew nothing then! My second attempt was alright, but I just didn't follow through. And though I justified starting it because "I think blogging's pretty cool...that's how I ended up with a nose ring", it was disheartening to think I didn't have a purpose. No cool homestead, no toddlers, no craft-y ideas, no politics, and so on.

But I think I have something now. It's not much, but I'm excited that it can and will grow. I feel like it touches all aspects of my life past, present, and future.

Place. Where I am. Physically. Because where I am physically says a lot about where I am mentally. There can be a disconnect between the two, or there can be a connect. Those relationships amaze me! I see it in myself, I see it in the kids I encounter every day at summer camp, I see it in the elderly, I see it in my parents, my friends, random strangers. I want to explore sense of place, sense of wonder, why rambling and wandering are so important.

The Kickapoo Valley. The feelings I experience here are some of the most intense I've ever had. This is where I grew up, this is where I continue to grow every time I visit.

But I moved.

I went to Northern Wisconsin for college. And I met Lake Superior.

The intense experiences I encountered from the Valley were stirred up again, but in a different place. It was amazing, and I didn't understand it right away. I still don't think I understand it, but I'm trying.

I now find myself at the entrance to the North Shore of Lake Superior. A big port city, me, and an internship.

 Between the Lake and the birches, the kids and the new friends, the independence and the opportunities I have found myself experiencing life in a whole new light. It's great to be here, and I hope your place is great too.