Thursday Throwback

A few weeks ago, Keane's sister Kyla emailed me these photos with the subject line that read, "Remember this?" 

Do I ever. 

My memories of this time are fresh. 

We were 17. It was the summer before I was set to go off to college. In a few short months, I would be leaving my boyfriend with whom I was very much in love. We had dated for the last year and during that time, I spent a the majority of my evenings at his family's house. His parents treated me like one of their daughters, always including me in family events and supporting our relationship when a lot of other people didn't.

The teenage Keane taught me how to play, to be silly and to not take life so seriously. We spent countless nights just like this one, wrestling, laughing and being carefree high schoolers. His mom would laugh right along with us, encouraging our joy and capturing it with her camera. 

My heart had never felt so happy. 

As summer began to wind down however, I was confused by so many emotions. On one hand, I was heading off for my freshman year at the University of Arizona. I had my dorm assignment and I'd already met my future roommates over the phone. I was excited about my future and what college life would bring. On the other hand, I was leaving behind the first (and only only) boy I ever loved. Although three months older than me, he was a grade behind which meant his life would largely remain the same. He would continue to play football, attend school dances and go to The Hill for lunch. Only this year, it would be without me. 

I felt certain I didn't want to break up just because our paths happened to be leading in different directions, but I also resolved myself to the knowledge that long distance relationships were tough and we were young. People would tell me, "You don't need to be tied down," "Don't limit yourself," or "You're too young to have such a serious boyfriend."
Like so many other times in my life, I was conflicted between the advice of my heart and my head. 

Want to find out what happened next? Come back for part 2 of our story and more Thursday Throwback photos next week!