The Sound

Soaking up all the sunshine I possibly can, which for a city girl is no small task. Growing up on Long Island, by the sound, being able to take in the view, breathe in some fresh air, and go for a (skinny) dip at any given point, was pretty magical. The Summer I first learned to drive, I think I lived between my car and the beach, and well, summer school for math… and while we're at it, sneaking out in the middle of the night and driving to a neighboring town to watch movies and misbehave with a boy - #icanteven.

Growing up so close to this kind of beauty isn't something I realized was special until I left home to live on my own in a city, with the brightest lights, the one that never sleeps, and has all the distractions. Is it possible to forget what seeing stars feels like? Yesterday, on our roof, I counted precisely seven and found that to be so impressive; those seven stars really moved me. Either my G&T's had me feeling a little too nostalgic, or I'm becoming desperate for a little nature and some room to breathe. Probably… Definitely, it was both. Concrete everywhere, living in boxes stacked on top of each other. A girl really learns to stop and smell the suburban roses, once she goes home and is forced to slow down.

So,

to this day, whenever I go home, the split second we can run away, my little sister and I drive to the beach, blast music from the early 2000's, so loudly that it's admittedly obnoxious, with too much bass for our quaint town along the sound - in that moment, we are "those kids" riding around and getting it.

This beach,

is where I've gone alone, sans phone, without a care - or with too many - to hide from everything.

It's where my baby sister and I've shared secrets and talked about all the things sisters do. We fight hard, we love really hard too. And, if mom doesn't know where to find us, odds are we'll be right here, enjoying the view and probably acting like two damn fools while we're at it.

Steph,

remember a few summers ago when we literally ran into a naked man. Where did he come from and why did he look shipwrecked? Or, when I left my cell phone on a random rock and had to look for it in the dark for an hour? Maybe the time we sat on the rocks for hours and were all Pass the Dutchie?