From the extravagant sunsets, cheerful dinners, and laughter that filled the air, Lake Burton always had a way of distracting me of all the stresses in the world and put my focus on the beauty of relaxing. My mom and dad first brought me to our family lake home, that was built by my grandfather, C.K., when I was two months old. Unfortunately, I was born months after both my grandparents had passed away, but it was at this lake cabin I felt most connected to them. At the cabin, I learned many things: to swim, to solemn ski, to hitch and drive a boat, and many other life lessons that my dad would go on about while we were fishing. My dad had always said that I was the spitting image of his mother, Cherry, when he would watch me ski at sunrise as he’d drive the boat. Aside from getting into UGA, I think this was when he was most proud of me.

When I asked my mom, Kim, of how she would describe me, the first thing that came to her mind was, “you’re a water bug”. Some may say my love for being around water has to do with me being a Pisces, but I always found that whenever I was near water I felt a sense of relief. My best friend, Justin, quickly caught onto this and anytime he saw me getting stressed he’d take me to lake Allatoona or even better to a waterfall. I found that in these places I could meditate, hike, or be able to create unforgettable memories with my friends and family.

The quaint wooden cabin will always be a place I hold dear to my heart, but it’s the relationships, lessons learned, and memories I’ve created there, that has made me the woman I am today.