This summer, time has been playing with my heart and head. Time is such a crazy thing, and I don't think I will ever be able to wrap my head around it. Moments you are just praying for it to past, and other moments you are just wishing for more. But it just keeps marching on. Never pauses. Never stops. Just a consistent march.
Summer 2014. What a crazy ride. As soon as summer started, I knew right away that I had no clue what I was in for and boy was I right. Sitting here in my bed for the last time for a while and thinking about this last summer leaves me smiling, shaking my head, chuckling, dumbfounded, in awe, and a bunch more emotions that I can keep listing forever. It was one heck of a ride and I'm glad every single part happened, even if it wasn't always happy.
Here is a list of some key events to get a little insight on this wild Summer
- Trip to San Francisco to see my awesome family with the fan and my sisters two best friends
- My Farfar (Swedish for Grandpa) gets scary sick from the side effects of breaking his hip and surgery, but is thankfully able to recover
- Maria, Sarah, and Theresa visit for four of the fullest, most jam packed, Erik think's of every Chicago and Erik related thing to do days ever for an amazing trip
- Physics Summer School Starts, five days a week, 4.5 hours a day…. yup it was a doozy
- Working at Navistar starts at the same time
- Road trip to St.Louis to Louisville to St.Louis to home again to pick up Theresa and visit Sarah to be with her as her Grandfather passed away as well as meet her incredible family and splash around with her many cousins at the Nash family party
- 4th of July camping adventure with Jacob, Sarah, and Theresa
- Extensive physical therapy and podiatrist visits for my poor foot
- #bootlife
- The summer of the significant others: getting to meet/spend time with Chris's girlfriend Whitney and Mikayla's boyfriend Luke
- Theresa visits for a fun day exploring Naperville with Chris and Mikayla, as well as Lindsey's graduation party
- Door County trip with the family
- Back to San Francisco for one last visit to see Farfar doing so much better and the rest of the gang
- One last road trip to SLU to see sooooo many beautiful and awesome people before I head out
….. so yeah those were most of the major highlights. So much going on. Never a dull moment that is for sure.
With all that craziness tho, it was a great distraction for this next journey that I am about to embark on: MADRID.
Not that I was trying to purposefully avoid thinking about it… it was just easier to think about the moment. But this past week with all my hometown friends leaving and knowing I just left my SLU friends starting their semesters, I was finally able to get in the Madrid mindset. This is really happening.
One of the most common questions/the only question I get is: Are you excited for Madrid?!?! I think my go to response is a little half laugh and "yeah… it sure will be fun". Now you may say, wow Erik that sure is a lame response. YOU ARE GOING TO FREAKING MADRID?!?! But definitely throughout this summer I have been fighting the fear of the unknown factor quite a bit. I'm a person that loves knowing whats going to happen, having a plan, organizing, and being prepared for whats going to come. Traveling abroad basically laughed at my face and stripped me away from all of that. I have no clue what to expect. Never been out of the country before. How will the host family work out? How will it work out that I don't really know spanish that well? What are classes going to be like? What is meeting new people going to be like? What is walking down the street going to look and feel like? What is eating going to be like? SO MANY UNKNOWNS!!!! It freaks me out man!!!
But I have prayed long and hard throughout the summer and a lot in just this past week, and have definitely found peace with God. This will be a great test and experience for me where I will be able to let go of myself in a way, and just truly trust God. I really don't know how this whole traveling abroad thing works, but I know God will keep me safe and guide me when I don't know what to do. It also helps out IMMENSELY that I have some pretty terrific friends that will be by my side in John, Sarah, and Theresa. That gives me a lot of comfort too.
I am going to Madrid. I don't know what to expect, but thanks to God and all the awesome people in my life, I am completely at peace with that. My heart and mind are wide open, ready to feel and experience everything traveling abroad to Madrid has to offer. I'm ready to explore. I'm ready to learn. I'm ready to explore a new culture. I'm ready to see what this life outside the US is all about.
One last thought before I sign off and go to bed. Goodbyes are really a funny thing. They suck. Period. Having to say goodbye to someone you really love and know you won't be in their presence for half a year is one of the hardest things to do in my opinion. Often times I have no words to say. I just let my hug do all the talking. But through all that pain and lousiness, I actually think painful goodbyes are actually quite beautiful. It brings me great happiness knowing I have people that I love so intensely that it brings me pain to let them go. I don't know. I just think thats a cool way to look at and helps me see light, in such a sad moment.
That being said, I have the two hardest goodbyes yet to come tomorrow morning: Mom and Dad. My leaving will be rough in a couple ways. First one being… yeah I'm all the way across the ocean in a different country. Definitely the farthest I have ever been away from my parents. The second reason though is that my leaving begins the empty nest life for my parents. Really not sure how that is going to go over. This is definitely a huge transition moment for the whole Hoaglund family with Lindsey starting College this year, me going abroad, and like I said my parents being on their own. But we are all great and I know we will all thrive with our new situation. Mom and Dad: thank you very much for letting me go on this trip. I know this may be one of the hardest things you have had to do as a parent, so I appreciate you letting me go. I'll definitely come back with lots of stories and come back a better person and son. Love you guys.
Sorry I have bounced around throughout this post. Thanks for sticking with me. To everyone in my life: from huge role to small role, thank you so much for making my life truly special and I will be praying and thinking about you so that you can have successful and enriching semesters and falls. I wish you well on whatever journey lies ahead of you.
With that I will say goodnight.
Love to all.
I'M GOING TO MADRID!!!!!
#Beardown
