Here's to Life...

First up! It's the song of the Day!

So this is it.

The last few hours of life as a 25 year old. At midnight I turn 26.

Y'all know I'm a sucker for strolls down memory lane, and a blogger I love to read recently listed a reflection on her favorite college memories. My turn :-)

Freshman Year: Experiencing new things in general, lots of fall adventures, joining one club, working an event for a high profile politician (hey it was an experience!), staying up past 2AM only to have to wake up and be briefed by the FBI in a few hours, intramural soccer, meeting my first love, donating blood for the first time, and traveling by train with one of my best friends!

Sophomore Year: More of the same, dating my first love, joining a fraternity, road-tripping for an entire week, and having a solidified group of new friends.

Junior Year: A breakup that was heart wrenching and liberating at the same time, and all of the hijinx that ensued! Multiple excursions to visit friends at Pitt @ Johnstown and Penn State. Penn State homecoming, walking ALL over State College, waking up on the floor of Chris's apt, reading The Collegian the next morning... the pumpkin festival, lots and lots of hockey games, and a string of "young" decisions.

"Senior" Year: Welp... I changed my major, changed my job, quit the club and the fraternity, thanks to new major got completely new friends (again!), studied the anthropology of foods and food insecurity on a global scale, took my first trip to New Orleans to rebuild the city after Katrina (worked in Lakeview and New Orleans East) and grew up a whole lot!

"Super Senior" aka 2nd Junior Year: Met tons of new friends, fell in love with Chemistry all over again, and lived in a research lab for three months completing my HIV research, took another trip to New Orleans to rebuild the city after Katrina (worked in the 9th Ward and the 7th Ward).

"Super Super Senior" aka 2nd Senior Year: Learning who I can really count on, meeting new friends, developing deeper relationships with other friends, running my first half marathon!, Jess M having her first baby!, learning to let go and that I am better than I give myself credit for, and finally walking across the stage to receive my diploma - with my best and most loyal friends by my side!

Life Since Graduation: (Count 'em!) 4 weddings including 2 best friends from high school and 1 best friend from college, including one that I served as Maid of Honor and got to participate in an insane amount of planning, and including one with a stellar bachelorette party, completing another half marathon, traveling to VA, MD and NC, going on my first business trip and taking on many more responsibilities at work, and remembering to trust my instincts and follow my heart, regardless of what others say.


Phew! That was a lot to think about in a short time period!
Ah, memories... Here's to hoping the next year provides even better memories!