Page 2

REPORTER’S NOTE

Back to School Edition 2016

BlueRibbonNews.com

About Blue Ribbon News

Blue Ribbon News is your #1 source for positive hometown news and
events, in print and online at BlueRibbonNews.com. Our Rockwall/Heath
print edition is published 8x/year and direct mailed free to more than
18,000 households in 75087 and 75032 zip codes. Pick up free copies at
the Rockwall Area Chamber of Commerce, YMCA, Rockwall County
Library and various local businesses. Extra copies may be available by
calling 214-342-8000. A fee of $5 for postage and handling may be
charged when requesting copies by mail.

Due to high demand, we offer an annual subscription to those living
outside our free delivery zone. To request a subscription, email
editor@blueribbonnews.com & send payment of $28 for postage
to Blue Ribbon News, PO Box 967, Rockwall, TX 75087.

To submit your good news and events, go to
blueribbonnews.com/rockwall/event-submission-form
or email editor@BlueRibbonNews.com.

Download the FREE Official Rockwall Area App at
RockwallAreaApp.com.

ON THE COVER:

Cover photo by Blake Macaluso, Blue Ribbon News intern.
See Harry Potter story, pg. 6.

Visit us at BlueRibbonNews.com

Blue Ribbon News, LLC

PO Box 967, Rockwall, TX 75087

info@blueribbonnews.com, 214-342-8000

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief:

Dawn Redig, dawnredig@blueribbonnews.com

Editor/Senior Reporter:

Austin Wells, Austin@blueribbonnews.com

Reporter/Staff Writer: Julie Anne White

Student Intern Photographer/Videographer:

Blake Macaluso

Design Editors: Fowler Designs and Qball Design

Media Coordinators: Amy Sidebottom,

Samantha Leigh Redig

Contributing Writers: Judy Evans, Patti Richter

Guest Columnists: John Adams, Bob and Becky Barnes,

Karen Coughlin, Sheri Franza, Scott Gill,

Dana Macalik, Enid Reyes, Patti Richter, Karen Straughan.

Print & Online Advertising/BRN Media Services:

214-342-8000 ext. 1123,

advertising@blueribbonnews.com

Official Rockwall Area App:

214-342-8000 ext. 1127,

rockwallareaapp@blueribbonnews.com

may not be reproduced without written permission. Advertisers and advertising agencies

assume liability for content of all ads. Information published is the opinion of sourced

authors. Personal decisions regarding health, finance and other matters should

be made after consultation with the reader’s professional advisors.

I’ve never been much of an adventurer. I read about
adventures all the time, quietly from the coziness of
my room. But I’m not normally one to stray too far
outside the lines of my comfort zone.

In a few weeks, that
is going to change
big time.

This fall semester
I will be studying
abroad in Europe.
I’ll disembark on a
17-hour plane ride to
Reykjavik, Iceland,
then one week later I’ll
fly to London, England
where I will live for
the next two months.
At the end of my stay,
I’ll spend a week or

so visiting Scotland, Ireland, and Wales with the rest
of my group, then I will have two weeks to travel
anywhere in the world my heart desires (I have my
eye set primarily on France, Germany and Italy).

There are numerous things I’ve been daydreaming
about all summer in anticipation: hiking through
glaciers and valleys in Iceland, riding in the London
Eye, exploring the British Museum, tracking down
the places that inspired some of my favorite authors,

and of course unleashing my inner nerd at the Harry
Potter studio tour, just to name a few. In the course
of one plane ride, my life will flip from the mundane
pattern of school or work to a constantly fluctuating
environment with discoveries to be made around
every corner. It’s thrilling, but in some ways it’s
also frightening.

This semester will mark the longest amount of
time I’ve ever spent away from my family, the first
time I’ve ever left the country, and (perhaps most
terrifying of all) the farthest I’ve ever been from
readily accessible Tex-Mex food. I will be living,
learning, and traveling largely with people I don’t
know well. I will also be living on one suitcase worth
of belongings for three months, which is a pretty
drastic development considering how many piles of
clothes I normally haul in my car with me to school.
So if I was looking for an extra large dose of new
experiences, you could say I’ve found it.

But as I approach the brink of my adventure, I feel
at peace in spite of the change and the challenges.
This is the opportunity and blessing of a lifetime,
and I want to appreciate it as much as possible.
As I begin my final year of college, I hope it will
set a new precedent for the way I live my life.

Instead of settling for what feels safe, I want to
become the kind of person who dares to pursue what
lies outside my self-imposed boundaries. Having the
courage to put forth extra effort or adapt to change
might not always come easily, but I hope it will
lead to a life well-lived.

I hope that soon, I can say I’m an adventurer too.

By Julie Anne White,
Blue Ribbon News reporter.
Photos by Melissa Hite.

Seeking adventure

in semester abroad

Julie Anne White

The Victoria and Albert Museum

in London

Skógafoss Waterfall in Iceland

The London Eye Ferris Wheel

Dwarves’ Cliffs in Iceland

Big Ben in

London