The summer of two thousand nine brought upon a wave of mixed emotions. School was out, student aren't happier any other time of year, including myself. But bad news rolled in. And then more bad news rolled in. I looked ahead to my future not knowing what to expect, for some that sounds exciting but for me it was upsetting. One thing could help semi-appease these bothersome emotion. A trip home, a trip to Kansas. For two years prior to the summer of '09, Florida had become my state of residence. Was I happy in the sunshine state? No. But the sunflower state on the other hand, it just had a way with me. For 10 years Kansas had been "home" and it still is. This last trip home, I visited an old best friend. The entire trip we reminisced and made new memories as well. We spent two days together before I had to head to another town. I wouldn't trade those days for anything. Kansas just has a different feel; the people, the realness, it's a breath of fresh air for me. On the drive home to the town I was staying in I couldn't help but take photos of the scenery I once took for granted. "You don't know what you got 'til it's gone" couldn't have ran any truer for me. It was more than picture taking, it was admiration; making up for the past. It was taking pieces of my home, the Flint Hills, the prairie, the center of tornado alley, whatever name you'd like to call it, back to Florida with me. The feeling I get when I'm there I can't get anywhere else. This photo brings to me a sense of that feeling.
