Chapter 7:
Fall Break!!
“Back on the Ground”
October 2012
Scotty Mccreery’s song, “Back on
the Ground,” perfectly describes the feeling of going back home for the first
time in a long time. To be exact, this was the first time I had been home since
August 17th, which is exactly two months. I didn’t want to go home
until fall break because I wanted to get accustomed to the college life. The
two months definitely let me become comfortable with the environment. I was
able to build friendships on the weekends that I wouldn’t have built if I would
have gone home every weekend. It also allowed me to stay on top with Carolina
Fever points. For the past two months I have been diligent in going to every
sporting event because I want my basketball tickets!!
The week
leading up to Fall Break seemed like it took forever. It was probably because I
couldn’t stop thinking about home cooked meals, and my queen sized bed that
needed my comfort. However, after 2
exams, reading a novel, and writing a five page paper, I was ready to go home.
Since I was
riding home with my cousin, her mom and mine decided to just cook dinner at my
cousin’s house. I really didn’t mind because there was food, and I got to see
my mom. I would have preferred a meal at my house, but this would suffice for
the night. As soon as we arrived my mom came outside with a huge grin on her
face, ready to give her son a much awaited hug. After the hugging I decided to surprise
her, and introduce her to UNC’s newest Student Admissions Ambassador.
I forgot to
mention that I also applied for the Admissions Ambassador Program at UNC. The
ambassadors at UNC give tours for upcoming freshman, and I knew it was
something I wanted to do. The application process was very long and demanding.
They informed us after applying that they had a record number of 600 students
apply for the program. After the application process 200 or so students were
invited to an interview, and then roughly 100 moved on to a finals day. After
all of the stress and worry, I became an Admissions Ambassador. When I received
the email on the Wednesday before I left I was so excited! The bad part about
getting the email was that I was in class and couldn’t scream like I wanted to.
Instead of going outside or skipping class, I just asked my classmates to give
me a high five. They all gave me a puzzled look, but I told them I deserved it,
so they best give me one.
When I
informed my mom that I was officially an ambassador, she was exuberant. My mom
had helped me with the first application, and had ironed my clothes so I would
look “fresh” on my interview day. Let me tell you, I was looking spiffy in my
pink bowtie, and I think that actually helped my cause of getting the job.
After talking
to my mom for a bit, I realized that my dad was nowhere to be found. My mom
then informed me that he was on a work trip and he would be back home Friday.
Now, my dad never goes on work trips, but I guess I’ll forgive him. My dad is that
kind of father figure that never missed anything while I was in grade school.
He was at every sporting event (well almost, I can tell you the ones he
missed), every assembly that I was recognized, and even Donuts for Dads in
elementary school. I still think he enjoyed Donuts for Dads more than me
because he always took two or three to go.
After eating some spaghetti at my cousins,
it was finally time to go back to my house. On the way over I was hoping that
my father hadn’t made any huge mid-life crisis changes to the house. I just couldn’t
deal with a bunch of different accessories added to the house. When we pulled in I noticed that nothing had
changed, other than a huge satellite in the middle of our backyard. Before I
left the satellite was behind the house, and now it was sitting awkwardly in
the middle of the yard! I quickly asked my mom, “Why is that there?” She
laughed and said, “Your dad thinks you will be proud, we have HD now.” In case
you don’t know my dad, he thinks that a HD TV comes with a clearer picture than
a regular TV. I have told him plenty of times that you have to buy the HD
channels in order to get the clearer resolution. By being at UNC, I was always bragging about
having HD, so it must have rubbed off on him. My mom explained the reason the satellite
was in the middle of the yard was so that it had a clear shot to the sky.
When I walked into my house for the
first time in two months I had to stop and take it all in. I was trying to
figure out what the smell was, and realized that it was our family scent. When
you live in a house for so long you become use to the smell, and usually don’t pay
it any attention. The smell I am talking about is the smell that you notice when
you go into anyone else’s house other than your own. Since I hadn’t been back
to our house in so long I could finally smell our scent. I was finally home, as
my nose clarified. We still had the same green carpet, same magnets on the
fridge, and I had the same cozy bed. Oh was it was great to go home!!
When I awoke from my mattress, that
felt like heaven compared to my dorm room, I realized that my mom had bought all
the snacks that I loved! It was as if I was a little boy again. All of my
favorite treats were aligned in the cabinet, and I knew my dad would be extra
happy when he got home because there was no way I could eat them all. As I
munched down on some Powdered Sugar Donuts, I realized that it had been a day
since I had taken a shower. I also realized that I didn’t have to take a shower
with sandals on. If you didn’t know already, you have to wear sandals when you
take showers in college. Although you can take them without sandals, I wouldn’t
advise that because you can catch athlete’s foot, and you never know what people
do in the shower! After my sandal free shower I was ready to begin my first
ever Fall Break!
Since I am the son of Amy Helms, I
have learned that if you want to get anything done efficiently you should make
a schedule. Before arriving in Valdese, my mom told me I should make a list of
all the people I want to see because time will go by too fast. On my first day of
fall break I had planned to go out to eat with my Grandma Sissy (my dad’s mom
and the name is a whole different story, but I’ll be referring to her as “Sissy”).
I arrived at her house around 10:30am and was met with her running out the door
with the biggest smile I had ever seen. I knew Sissy loved me, but she was
acting like I hadn’t been home in ages. She gave me one of those short grannie
hugs, and we were on our way.
Sissy
informed me that we could go anywhere I wanted to eat, and I could eat anything
I wanted to. What Sissy didn’t know was that I had already planned out where I
wanted to eat, so I was quick to tell her Olive Garden. Before college I didn’t realize how much I
would miss the food at home, and in my community. Since I am a first year
student, I don’t have my car and I am limited on the restaurants I get to
indulge in. I have also found that when I begin to get homesick I begin to miss
the food that used to be so readily available. Now back to “Austin and Sissy’s Day Out.” We drove
all over Hickory, NC buying me food and clothes for the remainder of the
semester. It was definitely a day that I will never forget. It was the first
time that Sissy and I had gone on a shopping trip without my mom, and because
it was very difficult hauling all of my food/clothes in my two-door truck.
The hickory
adventure with Sissy was super exciting, but it was now time for me to go an
open gym and play basketball with kids from my high school. Even though I was
only getting to play with one of the kids I played with in high school; it was definitely
fun getting to play with the younger guys. When I arrived at the school I
realized how small our campus actually was compared to UNC. I graduated with
about 150 students, so you can just imagine how small my school is. In 2016, I
will graduate with close to 6000, which is hard to fathom. If you have the chance to go back to your high
school, I would advise you go back. I know you are probably thinking, “I am
never coming back to this place!” However, you must realize that this school
shaped you, and you shaped that school. In my case, I was a part of the first full
class. In other words, the school is in its 5th year. It has been an
awesome experience watching my high school evolve into a school that is now known
nationally. During my senior Jimmy C. Draughn was ranked in the Top 20 of high
schools in North Carolina. I quickly realized that the school had changed even
more since I had been their last. There were now more murals on the wall, pictures
of the new students, and a brand new gym floor.
I was disappointed that they decided to redo the gym floor after I was
gone, but I guess that comes with the school’s growth. The floor looked
spectacular, even though it looked nothing like the Dean Dome floor; I was
still impressed. By being able to come
back and play in the gym I made so many memories in was really special. It was
a different experience now because I was no longer the youngest player in the
gym, but the oldest player. I guess it served as a wake-up call. It served as a
wake-up call because it made me realize that this is home, this is where my
roots where planted, and I should never forget where I come from. I gave
everything I had on that court, and I should carry that to Chapel Hill. No, I
won’t be playing on a court, but I will be playing the game of life, and in
order to succeed I must give it my all. Just a side note, on senior night, I
dropped 19 points, which was my career high. Maybe one day, I will leave Chapel
Hill with a bang; well not maybe, I will
leave in a bang!
Even though
playing basketball with my friends was fun, it also made me miss high school
like I had never missed it before. I usually don’t get emotional, so I didn’t cry
when I left that day, but I realized that this was all high school would be to
me anymore.
When I
finally arrived back home after an activity filled day, my mom was waiting on
me with the taco dinner I had requested. This is a must do when coming home.
Tell your mom or dad to cook your favorite meal because chances are it will
make your day, and they will enjoy cooking their child anything they would
like. If your mom is like mine, when she is a “happy chef” the food is
delicious! Of course the food was wonderful, and after devouring my second
helping I gave my mom the biggest thank you hug that has ever been given out. I
will tell you that if your Fall Break days are as jam packed as mine, you will
be worn out, and nothing is better than sleeping on your “cloud” of a mattress.
(Well compared to that prison cell bed you are being forced to sleep in)
Friday’s
are always my favorite, and this Friday just happened to be extra special. My
father was coming back home, I was going out to eat with my high school
friends, and going to the high school football game. If you haven’t figured out
already, I love sports, and I especially love high school football. For as long
as I can remember my dad and I have always gone to football games on Friday
nights. Since I am in college, these Friday nights have not been filled with
football games, but other activities that UNC has to offer. My dad arrived
around lunch time and he took me out to eat at Chubby’s in Valdese. If I didn’t
mention already, that is where one of my gumball machines is located, and their
food is amazing! We were able to catch up on all of the stuff that I had missed
out on. We primarily talked about Draughn’s football team. I was overjoyed that
my dad came home because I had really missed those conversations. College makes you realize that your parents
were really the ones rooting for you all alone. Sometimes you may have felt that
they were being to protective or too harsh on you, but you will soon realize
they were doing everything for a reason. I said before that grade school doesn’t
prepare for you college, but your parents do. Never forget to come back and to
have those conversations. There is nothing in this world that a parent wants to
hear more than their child’s voice.
After some
quality time with my dad I went to hang out with some friends. This is kind of
ironic, but we also went to eat at the other restaurant that held my other
vending machine. I guess you can call me paranoid, but I had to go see if they
were still intact. I went to eat with three of my “girlfriends” that I had been
in school with since kindergarten. It was really cool to meet up with all them
and hear their different experiences. Elizabeth was going to Campbell, Bailey-
NC State, and Marykate was at Western Carolina. We just shared stories from our
different universities, and caught up on life. If you have a close set of
friends that mean a lot to you, I highly recommend giving them a call on break.
Discussing your college story with your friends really helps relieve stress,
and it helps you realize that college gives everyone a unique experience. After
dinner, we were on our way to the football game!!
When I
heard the voice of Bill Poteat ringing through the speakers, I knew I was at
the right place. “Sharpen up your claws……Cause’ it’s time to play football in
WILLLLLLDCAT COUNTRYYY!” Man, did it feel like home. When I walked into the
stadium it was as if I recognized everyone. I wasn’t used to this because when
the undergraduate population is 18000 you very rarely know more than ten people
at one event. I was able to chat with people that I hadn’t seen since
graduation. Then, I saw her, my ex-girlfriend. We had talked about meeting up
at the game and talking, but how long we would talk; only time could tell.
Before I
talk about our conversation, I want to tell you that I love surprising people.
I like to jump out of places, give surprise gifts, and I love to make people
smile. I guess you could call me a romantic in away. Even though, my mom would attest
to the whole surprising thing. Since she is my mom, it’s more of a scaring type
of surprise, but that is beside the point. I love to surprise people, and even
have the way I am going to propose to my wife planned out. I would tell you,
but my future wife could be reading this and I don’t want to ruin the surprise.
After
catching a glimpse of my ex-girlfriend, I decided to sneak around so I could
come in behind her so she wouldn’t see me. I quickly moved so I could do so,
and was directly behind her. I moved in and gently touched her and head, and
gave it one of those “you know who it is” touches. We talked about everything
from her high school stories to my college stories, and before we knew it, it
was the fourth quarter. I realized that
nothing had really changed about her, she was still gorgeous, she still had the
same laugh, and the same look that always makes me smile. I really don’t know
where the relationship will go from here, but I do know that I miss her. If we don’t
ever become an “item” again, I know that I will always have a friend that will
always be there for me. The game ended, and so did our conversation, but I don’t
think it’s the last time I will be seeing this girl. She is really special.
The weekend
flew by, just as my mom predicted. I was able to see my sister, Anna, who is pregnant
and my brother-in-law, Brian. It was awesome seeing my sister because she will
be having a child in November, which means the next time I see her it will be
time for her to have a baby. The thought of being an uncle is sweet. Although,
I will not be able to see it a lot, I still know he will be my little buddy!
The weekend also consisted of getting my cookie jar refilled by my mom’s best
friend Gretchen. Gretchen always makes the best cookies, and she is always up
for trying a new recipe for her favorite Tar Heel. This time she filled the bowl
with snicker doodle, and oh are they perfect. Hopefully my roommate want get
into them because they won’t last a week in the dorm room. Realizing that Fall
Break was coming to an end was not at all exciting. However, I knew it was time
for me to go back, and I had Fever points to get!
Fall Break
was everything that I thought it would be. I was able to eat food that I couldn’t
have on campus, I was able to spend quality time with my family and friends,
and I was able to reminisce high school with the basketball team. The break
also made me realize how much I missed home, but also how much I enjoyed
college.
As I am
recuperating from fall break, I feel homesick at times. However, as I read my
goals this morning I realized that goals don’t come easy. The people that stick
it out, and work hard through the thick and thin, reach their goals! Even
though I am trying to get back into the swing of things, I am still counting
down the days that I “get to drop by and check on mama… for a minute.”
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