“A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.” George Moore

I was born and raised in a little town in the mountains of central West Virginia. It's a beautiful place full of opportunities for outdoor recreation: hiking, kayaking, hunting, fishing, and a ton more.  Though, I didn't always think this: 
I used to HATE where I lived. There isn't much to do apart from outdoor activities here, to be honest. My town-- with roughly 1,000 residents-- had a couple bars, a skating rink, a stop light, a couple stores, and a gas station. Mind you, I had yet to take up any interest in anything outdoors (that didn't come until I was in my last year of high school).
I always thought that somehow, somewhere fate messed up. I thought that I was supposed to live in New York City, or somewhere similar. That wasn't the case. I just felt like I was supposed to do something big.

Luckily, the adventure bug bit me. Like I said before, I started hiking my senior year of high school. It happened sort of randomly, actually. It had been a terrible winter and I just wanted fresh air, so I laced up my boots and hit the trails. Making it to the top of that mountain was so liberating. It was the feeling I had been missing all along. 

I didn't lose my big time dreams, though. I attended college for fashion design the following fall. The college thing was okay.. but I loved the new environment. I was 30 minutes from Morgantown (home of WVU- a huge party school), walking distance from tons of stuff, hiking galore, and there were malls within 15 miles each direction. This was the change of pace I needed. I loved going to the acoustic sets at local coffee shops, trying food from little cafes, hitting up bars for rock shows, etc. I slowly started falling in love with my state.  

I will miss my home, truly. But I need to follow adventure. Who knows? Maybe I'll be back someday. Maybe, I realize West Virginia is where I belong. Or maybe, I'll fall in love with Portland the same way I fell in love with my home state. 

To ease my feelings of homesickness, I've decided to make a West Virginia bucket list of some old and some new things I want to accomplish in the year until my departure.

1. White water raft the New River
2. See shows at Mountain Stage- Charleston and Morgantown
3. Eat my fill of Black Bear Burrito in Morgantown, Tudor's, Secret Sandwich Society in Fayetteville, and Joe n Throw in Fairmont before I leave. 
4. Have tea at the Greenbrier 
5. Go to an Appalachian Power game in Charleston
6. Go to a WVU game and sing my heart out to Country Roads
7. Do the catwalk under New River Gorge
8. Check out the cool bookstore I used to visit as a kid in Pocahontas County
9. Hike at sunrise
10. Camping trip with friends (and marshmallows) 
11. Have a beer at: 123 Pleasant St. (my favorite bar) in Morgantown, Big Timber Brewing Co. in Elkins, SSS in Fayetteville, Joe N Throw in Fairmont, and Wheeling Brewing Co in Wheeling after my 21st birthday.
12. Hike to the tallest point in WV, Spruce Knob
13. Visit the Festival of Lights in Wheeling at Oglebay
14. Visit the Roadkill Cook-Off and other local fairs and festivals
15. See the World's Largest Tea Cup
16. Get a WV tattoo 

tattoo sketch

I'm sure my list will grow the closer I get to moving, but I think this is a good start! 

Montani Semper Liberi

-Tabitha