For the first 25 years of my life, I couldn’t smell. If an odor was really strong, or if someone pointed out a specific scent, I could probably smell it if I focused hard enough and breathed deeply. It was a joke in my family that if I could smell something, it must be pretty potent. I didn’t think it was a big deal that I didn’t seem to have a good nose. Then a year ago, something magical happened: my doctor prescribed me a basic nasal spray for allergies, and once I started

When I moved away from Blacksburg a year and a half ago, I was ready for change. I needed a break from the ‘college world’ that had helped me grow so much, but was a constant cycle in a university town. My time living back in my Maryland hometown has felt pretty low key, pretty steady. But when I visited Blacksburg last weekend, I realized that in many ways I’m a much different person now than I was when I lived there. As any Virginia Tech Hokie knows, “This Is Home” is the p

Hey. friends. IRL, I've been making plans to run away for a while now. I don't know if "running away" is the best way to describe it, but it's the way I like to think about it. Is it running away if I've told everyone it affects? If it's not a secret? I don't know. I haven't mentioned it much on the internet though because it's a difficult situation for me to define. It's probably a bit irresponsible, and I don't want to promote or romanticize that kind of decision. But it's

Hello, 24. Nice to meet you. I think we'll get along nicely. You see, 23 was really wonderful. 23 was bright and bold, and full of new ideas. She wanted to paint and sew, and smell every flower. Soak in every sunbeam. 23 discovered people; artists and creators that made beautiful work, and connected with them online and off. 23 realized that behind every colorful instagram photo, every careful painting, is a real person. She realized that everyone really is just trying to fig