homegrown...

Short and sweet.

As my dear friend Keith said this weekend...in between rounds of beer pong.

"No matter how big it all gets, you can never escape this."

As I looked around, I realized how right Keith was. With a male friend who will remain nameless dancing to house music in cut off jean shorts, and an unbuttoned cut off sweater. There were mullets, a bottomless pit of jungle juice, my favorite white boys from Poughkeepsie, and a sense of nostalgia that wouldn't quit. As much as NYC and my world travels have shaped the woman I am...as much as Iona College was such a pinnacle in my life...it all goes back to house parties (mine and others) in Poughkeepsie, and old friends that reminds me that I'm home grown.

great weekend.

PS. For those of you who have never been to Poughkeepsie and seen the Mid-Hudson bridge, it has colored lights on it. Shouts out to PK for lighting the bridge like the rainbow for Pride weekend. I peeped it.

hometeam...

I'm mad that I Google Poughkeepsie and the first images that pop up are for the pseudo-true film "The Poughkeepsie Tapes". Anyway, this is where I'm from. No relation or associate to Snooki. I was born in Albany, and grew up in Poughkeepsie the majority of my life. The main city nestled between New York City and Albany, it's where the home turf is. It's my getaway when the hectic life in the city is too much. It's also a runaway because the truth is, since I left I rarely ever go back.

Poughkeepsie, like many other small cities and townships, is easy to get stuck in if you don't broaden your horizons. As soon as college came, I bounced, and only really look back on holidays or when I can hear that slight whine in my mother's voice because she hasn't seen me.

The truth of the matter is, no matter how much I run from it, it's home. It holds my old demons, usually in the form of men, and it also holds the early triumphs. I could never talk bad about Poughkeepsie, because it raised me. It's a huge part of the person I am today. My love of school (yes, I love school) was bred there, and opportunities that came from where I lived only aided my development into an adult. This is where it all began.

Today I've reached out to my online contacts in Poughkeepsie for support with the project push! Let's go get this! Let's blow this $5000 off the map!PLEDGE AND SPREAD! Thank you!