In My Own Little Corner

How to make a day off productive. That’s what I should have titled this blog post. Yesterday was my first day off in 7 days, and I had no car to run errands with. Instead of vegging on the couch watching True Blood (which I probably would have done had my netflix arrived), I decided to make my bedroom my own. As I mentioned yesterday, living at home has been an adjustment. Part of that adjustment was leaving a room in Columbus that was mine in every way. Every item I owned had a place, and my room was rarely as messy as it has been these last few days. I realized the problem was that my bedroom in Jersey was my mom’s creation (and she did a beautiful job!). But the room was just that…beautiful. It was not hip or current in any way. Pictures were hanging on the wall of country paintings, a beautiful chair from our dining room set sat in the corner, and boxes upon boxes of my “crap” were placed along the wall. There was nothing in the room (besides my clothes on the floor) that said a person of substance or creativity lived in it. I decided at 11 am yesterday morning that this portrayal of me had to change.

By 6pm, the room was complete. The paintings left the walls and were replaced by a Beatles poster, photos of New York, and a big bulletin board. The boxes along the wall were unpacked and replaced with my desk from school, and every item found its own home. Three bags of garbage later, countless pieces of tape, and enough hammering to send the cat running out the door, my room finally looks like me. It is now the place I want to spend time, and the mess is gone. Clothes are no longer stacked on the big chair…they are in drawers. My walls are now covered with pictures of my friends, family, and memories. My “playbill” wall is right above my desk, and I’m able to stare at Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff’s signatures as I write about my happenings.

My favorite addition to my room is definitely my desk – The desk my mother wanted to leave on the side of the curb in Columbus. It is placed directly under my windowsill, and my computer now has a perfect place to rest at night. Whenever I type, I feel professional. Not gonna lie, I also feel sort of like Carrie Bradshaw...yes the fictional character (technically she was based off of a real human being, so that has to give me some points for wanting to be her in every way). She would glance out her window as she wrote her column, and I only hope I will be lucky enough to someday get paid for sitting here, staring at this view, and typing. The sun is out, the birds are visiting, and cars are driving by. An entire world is happening right outside my window. I picked a great place to gain inspiration for my writing endeavors. Work at the beach begins soon, and I’m finally excited to come home to my sanctuary…the one place in this house that is mine and only mine. I found one important key to my happiness yesterday when I began unpacking those bin. This room reflects who I am, my hopes and my dreams. I would say that’s one productive day off.

Back Home Again

Hello blogging world. It has been two weeks and one day since I graduated college, and I’m sorry for being M.I.A. Life became extremely hectic from the moment I stepped my foot into our over packed (squished like sardines over packed) Sequoia in Columbus until about 8 hours ago when I went to bed. Since I’ve been home, I’ve gotten my hair done (it looks fabulous as it should for what I pay for it!), frequented the Jersey Shore bars (some I’ve loved, some I’ve hated), laid on the beach, been to New York City, celebrated my friends turning 21, started my beach job, been to the hospital for a severe allergic reaction (on my first day of work no less), hated my beach job (and thought of ways to quit), and had my first morning off – enjoying the latter as I type with tea and air conditioning.

So as you can see, I’ve been a little crazy. Living back at home has been a mixed bag of ups and downs. I love my town, summer is wonderful, and I love my family and seeing them more everyday. However, there are still lots of changes that I have to get used to. When I lived at school, I only had to worry about myself (and my roommates of course!) I bought food at the grocery store just for me, I went to bed when I wanted, I came home from a party when I wanted, and I got myself to class or other engagements when I needed. Last week I was attending my friend’s 21st birthday party and received a text from my dad at 11:30 pm that stated, “Get home soon. You have work in the morning.” I replied with, “I beg your pardon?!” I am well aware that the couch I am typing this post on is my parent’s couch located in my parent’s house. I have to follow their rules, and I accept those conditions. But I did just graduate college…right? 11:30 on a Friday night is too late? Things were a little different in Columbus. Living at home again – especially living at home into the fall season – is going to take some compromises. My brother and I got in a fight the other night because he was watching TV in the room that is right outside my bedroom till 3 am. I had work in the morning and was not in the mood to hear “Avatar.” Adjustments are happening for all of us. Mom’s eating my newly bought turkey, my brother is leaving lights and TV’s on at un-godly hours, and dad is worried about me riding my bike three blocks away from my house at midnight. And you wonder why I haven’t been blogging?

For as common as it is for adults to move back home after college to save money, I don’t read or hear about these problems often. Perhaps I’m searching in the wrong place or these issues are so common, no one thinks them interesting enough to write about, but I would love to hear how others are dealing with living at home after being independent for so long. At the end of the day I’m very lucky. I don’t pay rent or grocery bills unless I go food shopping on my own, and I get to use the car when my parents are not using it. I do help out often with my brother, gas payments, cleaning, and I’m working my butt off right now all day at the beach and all night babysitting. My family and I are trying to make this an equal partnership as much as we can. How do all of you handle living at home? Is it easy; does it take work; do you miss being more independent? The one thing I miss the most is the quiet. My apartment in Ohio was a very chill place to live, and this morning was the first morning I had to myself in fifteen days. I’m enjoying every moment of it.

See you tomorrow friends

Until We Meet Again Ohio State

Well, it’s just about over. I went on my senior bar crawl last night, and it was interesting to say the least. I never knew so many people existed! Today it is graduation practice, my best friend is flying in this afternoon, my family is driving out as we speak, and I still have to have one final night out with my roommates. This entire weekend is going to end up being the biggest whirlwind of my life, and I’m going to be loving every second of it. Last night before we crawled, my roommates gave me a surprise present. It was a picture frame of the five of us from a day last fall when we were all wearing our OSU jerseys and looking really skinning. It was engraved with BLENK on it, and I will cherish it forever. How did I get so lucky?

I said goodbye to my roommates the other day and realized that I should have one final goodbye post to everything I loved about college and what I’m going to miss. I’m going to start with the five most important guys in my life at OSU – The Browders. We met our neighbors on a not so special September morning, and they ended up being our best friends at OSU. These guys are seriously the best, and I pity anyone who does not have at least one of them in their lives. It’s not as easy to break down initials w/ the neighbors so their real identities will be revealed. These guys have taught me about Celina, party buses, Fifa, the NBA, drinking games, food places, John Deere Green, and Ugly Hour. Some of my best times have been with these neighbs. We held our Halloween party 08’ at their house, and that was an epic event. We’ve played intramural softball together, and they tried to be as kind as possible towards me for my inability to not suck. We’ve had big dance parties around their house - Some of my finest moments. You five have been the nicest neighbors, and more importantly friends, a girl could have, and I’m really going to miss you guys. Bergy – be safe in Europe, Turk – I’ll see you in NY, Gaber – I had fun crawling with you! I’m coming to visit Celina in the fall!, Zak – have fun turning 21!, Zane – Let’s hang out in Hilliard. I’m really going to miss you guys. Thanks for letting me sleep on your floor.

-Stradley 9 will always be in my heart.
-Denney Hall – you’ve been good to me.
-The Oval
-Ugly Tuna
-Applebees
-UDF
-The Gateway
-High Street
-OSU Football games in the Shoe
-JO
-Downtown
-The Short North
-Runs through Victorian Village
-Bob Evans Breakfasts
-E’s Car
-Kroger (the nice one)
-The Best Dame Band in the Land
-The Best people a girl could know.

My next post will probably be after all of this madness, and I will be snug in my bed in NJ, so I just want to say goodbye Ohio State. You’ve given me the best three years of my life. I have wonderful friends to cherish forever, wonderful memories that will last a lifetime, and oh yea…a pretty good education. To leave on a good note, here is the chorus of the OAR song Road Outside Columbus – a song about OSU.

“Surprise, surprise. I traveled here.
Four hundred miles from where I'm known.
My friends are here. A couple years I've spent.
I found I have a second home.”

Goodbye Ohio. <3

Thank You For Being A Friend: N

And then there was one. I have cried so many tears and it is only Wednesday. Tomorrow I have my last final. I’m a college student for less than 24 more hours, and this is turning out to be so much harder than I thought it would be. I started off excited because I kept thinking of how cool it would be to have my diploma and to be near the ocean again. Then I realized that nothing compares to true friendship and a life here in Columbus where I call home. This is gonna be rough.

My last roommate I have to say “till we meet again” to is N. There were two things that caused me to know who N was before I even met her - her middle name and her facebook profile picture from freshman year. I had done my own little facebook stalking (a la LH), and saw that her middle name was “Dare.” I didn’t believe it was her real middle name until we met, because no one has that cool of a name. Turns out it was, and I have been obsessed with it ever since. She is in my phone as “N Dare” and when I chat about her to my family, I tell them it really is her middle name. Her middle name ended up telling me a lot about who N is as a person. I consider N to be both unique and fearless. N is our trendy roommate. She’s our artist, and the one I go to for all artistic, make-up, hair, and nail polish advice. If N wasn’t smaller and more in shape than I am, I would probably steal her clothes on a daily basis in hopes that I could pull them off. N is one of the people in my life I admire most. I watch all she does everyday, and I sit in awe. This girl had been involved in so many Ohio State organizations (the ones that are really hard to get into!), and has been a strong leader in all of them, held a job in admissions, worked her way into the Art Ed program, and will continue to get her Masters after she graduates next year. When people ask me the one thing I wish I did more of in college, my answer is always “I wish I did what my roommate N did.” When I toured OSU, my mom asked me to get involved with the Student Alumni Council. She thought they looked like such a great organization. My freshman year, I was able to tell her that I had a SAC experience – N had been accepted into their organization, and the leaders had come to her dorm room, while I was there, to congratulate her. Mom was so proud!

The thing I love most about N is that she never tries to be anyone other than herself. You may see this as a trend with my roommates, but it’s true for all of them. I’m probably the only one in the house that attempts to be more like each of them everyday. I respect N so much because of everything she does for this university. She never followed the crowd, and yet has never acted like she was above everybody else for doing meaningful work. Recently, she discussed dropping one of her extracurricular activities because she wasn’t finding it enjoyable anymore, and I told her to stick it out until she graduated. Her response was, “I don’t think I should stick with something I’m not emotionally involved in just to put it on my resume.” My respect level for her grew even higher. Everything she participates in, she does because she believes in it. She may wake up at 6 am to sit outside and greet incoming freshman, and she may clean up trash for volunteer work, but she does it because the organization and work makes her happy. I find that so admirable. More people should try to be like N.

Now I mentioned that the other thing about N that struck me was her profile picture and here’s why. The picture was of her standing with the assistant drum major of Ohio State at the time. When we moved into the dorm, I found out that this drum major was no stranger, but her boyfriend. That’s right, my roommate is dating a celebrity. So if you know me and you’re not from the Columbus area, you’ve probably heard me say, “I wish I would have been more like my roommate N, you know the one with the awesome middle name…oh did I mention she’s dating the drum major?!” So thank you N for giving me such awesome conversational topics for when I’m home during football season.

I’m really going to miss my artsy roommate. She created the most beautiful painting of the New York skyline on my graduation cap, and I will treasure it forever. She has introduced me to The Real Housewives series, the Twilight series, and Papa Boos (on Buckeye Lake). She has taught me how to use eyelash curlers and how to pose for professional photos (she’s an awesome photographer, and if I ever get married, I know who will be taking my pictures). N was in a serious car crash in September, and thank God she was okay, but I’ll never forget how scared I was when I received B’s phone call. Stuff like that doesn’t happen to those you love, and I saw the extent of my love for N when I realized I was holding her hand and didn’t want to let go…ever. That was one of the scariest moments of my life, and I realized how BLENK had become my other family. N is and will always be my sister – the sister I try to emulate – and the sister I learn so much from everyday. Thank you for teaching me so many life lessons (even though you may not have known you've done so), and for always putting me in my place. Your honesty and genuine kindness has made me a better person. Keep shining as brightly as you do N, and know that “Big Red” will be missing you from NJ. I love you N Dare!

Thank You For Being A Friend: E

I have one final to go until I'm finished with college, and it is now time to say “See ya” to another roommate. This has been a very fun and sad experience. I love remembering all of the wonderful things about my roommates, but I hate knowing that these college times are just about over. It is now time for E to get her post – she’s been waiting all week!

I am happy and proud to say that I knew E before everyone else got the chance to know her. I actually didn’t know she existed until about mid-October of freshman year. E was the quiet one (I say “was” because that all changed last year). I remember sitting on the hallway floor after the Wisconsin/Ohio State game (I would later learn that E was obsessed with Wisconsin), and I thought she was visiting someone on our floor. It wasn’t until we were talking with everyone else that I discovered that she was actually a floormate. I soon discovered that E loved movies and the show Friends as much as I did. We went to several movies throughout the year – that was our thing. One time I made her wait on Neil Ave. for a bus to take us to the theatre for a good hour. The bus never came, and we ended up walking, but I learned a lot about her during that hour. We had quite a lot in common, and I saw that she was really a very fun person to be around. L, B, N and I discovered we needed a fifth roommate to make our house complete in January, and they asked me if I knew of anyone. They didn’t know E that well, but I thought we should ask her to live with us. They all agreed, and I’m pretty certain the reason my roommates like me is because I brought E into our lives. She’s bubbly, kind, real in every way, and she never turns me down when I want to go get ice cream – a true friend.

When we moved into our apartment two years ago, E and I shared a floor. We will be "third floor roommates" for life. We became even closer when we became the “dream team” of beer pong (we’re really not that good, but I pretend). I love that I can knock on her bedroom wall and she will respond, I love that when I want to go out, she’ll gladly lead the way (and she’s probably my favorite “had a little too much Sailor Jerrys” person ever). I love that when I want to stay in and watch Sex and the City, she will join, I love that when I want to see Night at the Museum 2 in theatres, she’ll be there, I love that we both love Lord of the Rings, all things vampires, and pro football (even if she is a Packers fan). I remember sitting on the couch watching the musical “Newsies” with Christian Bale, and I put on the sing-a-long version. E and I sang along, and I have never laughed harder, in perhaps my whole life, than when E sang the soprano part.

If that wasn’t enough awesomeness in one roommate, E is also a great runner, and I’m a not-so-great runner. She pushed me this past September to run with her on her special trail in Columbus. I workout best when I have a partner, and E is the best running partner a girl could have. We run at a similar pace (unless she’s slowing down for me and doesn’t want to make me feel bad), and she pushes me to be better – in running and in life. I love that E has a family Christmas picture of the Clintons from their years in the White House taped to our fridge, I love that E was Quailman for Halloween – she’s always been the original one. I love that we get enjoyment out of our grocery store runs or red mango trips. I'm so happy E brought J into our lives - I have named us the three musketeers of the third floor. I will miss the downtime spent together, I will miss Jessica Anne Gelber, I will miss yelling "Southview" at parties (I have a feeling my friends won't get it). I really have no idea what I'm going to do without saying goodnight to her almost every night. I get depressed enough when she goes home for a weekend and I'm the only one roaming our little hallway. You're telling me I have to live without her as my roommate for the rest of my life? I don't think this will be possible. I'm gonna miss the talks, I'm gonna miss digging her car out of the ice at midnight with my little cousins, I'm gonna miss baking with her, I'm gonna miss sharing a shelf with her in the fridge and stealing her chips from time to time (surprise!). I'm gonna miss sitting on her bed (sometimes when J is sitting on it as well...snuggle time!), I'm gonna miss waking her up from naps, I'm gonna miss watching football games with her (I'm really gonna miss seeing her throw things when the Packers lose), I'm gonna miss seeing Rigby on her computer background, I'm gonna miss chatting about Sylvania, I'm gonna miss you E...so so much. You have touched my heart in numerous ways, and I will always remember our times together. Let's make more memories this summer when you are Jersey Shorified! Love you Big Pimpin!

Thank You For Being A Friend: L

I’ve hit the five-hour mark at Panera Bread studying my life away, and I thought a break was needed. What better thing to do during a break than to tell you all about my little roommate L. Yesterday, I said my sad “See you later” to B, and following in BLENK order – L is next. Brace yourselves.

L is one of the few people I remember meeting on day one of moving into the dorms. She was sitting on her dorm room floor with her “banging brunette” shirt on and stood up to say hi. The first words out of her mouth were “You’re Kate Ferguson right? I remember from facebook.” Now, I hadn’t been a part of the facebook world for too long then, and this comment immediately placed L under creeper status for the next several days. Fortunately for me, I learned that L was so much more than just an online stalker. L has always been the “life of the party” roommate. She is one of the most social people I know and loves to have a good time. This has been helpful the last three years, because I always know that if I want to enjoy myself on a Saturday night, L is the one to go out with. L was always moving freshman year, and she was up for anything. We we’re the only girls on our floor to get basketball tickets, and we only went to one game – the UNC game. We waited outside in the cold for hours to get prime seats. That game was a blast. We had a class together in the fall of freshman year and ate at Kennedy Commons’ breakfast buffet every Tuesday morning, and then moved to Baker – both places had awesome tots. I remember the day L and I went to eat at Kennedy for lunch, and she asked me if I wanted to rent an apartment with her, B, and N the following year – I remember being so happy because I really loved spending time with them. What a good decision that ended up being. L is a genuine friend in every way. She takes care of those close to her, and I have benefited from that kindness. At the end of freshman year, someone who shall be nameless tore a name sign I had made off my bedroom door. I felt the event was unsettling and an unnecessary violent action. The next day, L sat in her room and took the time to create a new sign (colored with markers and all the trimmings). That sign is still hanging in my room two years later. This act of friendship solidified my belief that I was going to be future roommates with a pretty awesome girl.

One thing I love about my friendship with L is that a lot of our memorable times have occurred outside of Columbus. I went to Chicago – L’s hometown – for my cousin’s wedding, and my dad got L a ticket to the Cubs game. I met her on Navy pier, and we purchased my first Cubs shirt together (she gets mad because I always seem to wear it on the days after the Cubs lose big). That evening we saw about five innings of a great game – I learned that Fukudome is not a swear word and if you talk about building a new Wrigley field you will get the stink eye. All of sudden, the sky became dark and the clouds sailed in. The rain poured down in buckets, and the tornado siren went off. L informed me that tornadoes were not common in Chicago, so she was just as freaked out as I was. The voice over the loudspeaker informed us that we needed to get down to shelter, and L and I were ready to sprint down the stairs. My dad was adamant on finishing his beer, but my tears told him it was time to go. L and I hugged each other as my uncle discussed “how bad this could get,” and then ran to shelter and my cousin’s friend’s house across the street. You will never understand the bond you have with a roommate until you almost die together.

L also visited the Jersey Shore last September. She was my first roommate houseguest, and I was able to take her all over NYC and take her to a Mets/Cubs game. Thank God we both like baseball or I don’t think we would have nearly as many fun experiences together. No tornado came through NY. She also was present when the police arrived on my street to handle an altercation. Turns out, you also will never understand the bond you have with a roommate until you have to talk to the police while she watches from your bedroom window. L is and will always be our quirky roommate. She makes her own rules and is fearless in all she does. I love watching her, because you just never know what she’s going to do next. My life is most definitely going to be a little more boring next year when I’m unable to see her every day. This I know for sure: whenever I eat any form of chicken or potato products, whenever I drink Captain, whenever I listen to rap music, whenever I see the Cubs play, whenever I hear the Harry Potter twinkling music, whenever I nap on the couch, and whenever I look at my name sign, I will be thinking of you Miss L…You better come visit me in Jersey this summer!

Thank You For Being A Friend: B

Today is Sunday which means I have exactly one week until graduation, and this is officially my last week in Columbus. Boy does time fly when you’re drowning in assignments. I will not breath until Thursday, but since my mind is about to explode from study overload, I thought I would write down some of my favorite OSU moments while also pairing them with what I love most about my awesome roommates. Since I have four roommates and four days until I’m done with college, I thought this would be a perfect way to say goodbye (also, I’m poor and cannot afford to buy them “thank you for putting up with me for three years” gifts).

I said before that we titled our group and our home BLENK – the first initial in our names, so I will go in that order to say my goodbyes. First up: B

Wow, this may be harder than I thought. The tears are already forming. B for me has always been that person that I watch in action and say, “wow, I wish I could do that.” She is completely true to herself in every way. She has a love in her heart for those she cares about, and will fiercely defend them till the end (I enjoy being part of that group from time to time ☺). B lived on my floor freshman year, and my first impression of her was that she looked like my friend Liz from home. As the year went on, I learned who B was and saw that she was her own person through and through – she resembles no one (okay maybe her sister, but if you know them well enough you can tell them apart). We skipped plenty of astronomy classes together, she taught me about Perez Hilton and Days of Our Lives, we had a mutual love for musical theatre – I watched her DVD’s of her high school musical productions when she wasn’t in her dorm room (she found that weird…I didn’t). She was the first person to wish me a happy birthday on my 19th birthday (I remember because we saw our RA’s high school musical the night before, and I was in her dorm room when the clock struck 12). We are both afraid of strangers and dark alleys and lock the car doors when shady people walk by. We are both obsessive planners who cannot leave the house without a to-do list. She enjoys being the boss, and I enjoy being the boss – she usually wins. She also got me into country music – people from home never thought that day would come.

When we moved to our current location our bond became stronger (at least I think it did. She may secretly loathe me ☺). We had late night study sessions, cooked gluten-free brownies, went to parties, and travelled. So many great memories come to mind. Halloween 2009 was a night to remember. Then there was the impression she left on our then "new" neighbors when the the song "Hot n Cold" played on my car radio and the line, "Got a case of love bi-polar" was sung. B exclaimed, "Kate, this is about you!" There was the day she walked into our friend’s party with a whistle and began blowing loudly for all to hear. Everyone stared…I cracked up. We have played countless games of "never have I ever." I once went to chase her up the stairs, and she sat on the top stair, screamed and hit me on my arm – a big red mark appeared. I was with her when she bought her first romper, when she dropped her phone in the toilet…the first and second time, when the cab ride busted up her leg, when she had her first legal drink, when we sang karaoke, when we saw the Jonas Brothers, when I had my first chipotle experience (There was a hair in her food. She got a new burrito bowl and then admitted the hair was probably hers.), when she got the phone call that she had celiac, when she smacked her head on the ceiling running down the stairs, and so many other times. Her sister recently graduated from NYU, and I loved that arrangement and hope she will stay in NYC permanently because then I know B will always come and visit my homeland. I know she will be a part of my life from now on, and I’m going to miss her so much. You better visit me B, and I’ll be sharing your queen size bed when I visit BLEN in the fall.

I'm A Little Bit Country...Who Knew?

Here’s my promise to the blogging world. You will not be able to get enough of my posts this summer. That is how I will make up for my serious slacking these last few weeks. Thursday was my last day of classes as an undergrad. I did not throw my notebooks up in the air, but only because I still have finals to get through and need my notes to study. However, there may be some serious paper tossing on the 10th. Instead on Thursday I allowed my inner country girl to come out and play…turns out there is a little bit of country in this East Coast girl.

I have been trying to do everything possible to get the most out of Columbus before I leave next Monday. The other night, against all my better judgment, I went to the bar Nyohs for the last time. Nyohs is a country bar in Columbus where a dance floor is reserved for line dancers and line dancers only. These people are insane! I’m fascinated by the amount of skill that goes into holding a bottle of beer and swinging your legs in the air. Complete strangers all know the moves to the same dances. Depending on what song came on, a different dance was done. I was completely sober during my entire Nyohs experience, and B, who was with me, said at one point she turned around and I was in between people I didn’t know attempting to learn the dances. That is what I did for the majority of my night. When will I ever get to do that again? I called my cousin to tell him about my night (he was in Atlantic City during the same time frame…we had very different experiences). He hoped I enjoyed myself because “you won’t find places like that around here.”

Overall my night was what I like to call a “series of events…not unfortunate, but events.” B was a silly girl (that’s my phrase for non-sober ☺), and she was set on the fact that we would not pay for anything the entire night. And she was half right. She did not pay for anything the entire night. When an idea comes to B’s head, she sticks with it. First we took a cab with friends. When we arrived at the bar everyone ran out except our neighbor and I, and I felt bad allowing him to pay for the whole ride – there went $2. Next, we took our place in line for the club. I overheard there was a three dollar cover, and I was not really in the mood for covers. B gripped my hand and said, “We won’t pay. I promise. Watch, I’ll go first.” B attempted to schmooze the bouncer unsuccessfully when a lovely female patron in line behind us gave the bouncer a five-dollar bill – B being “silly” went running into the club. I had two choices: pay the three bucks because there is no way that girl was going to pay for me as well, or go sit by myself at the shady McDonalds across the street. I paid. While inside, I decided to go drink-free because I was quickly becoming poor…B received three drinks from male patrons. Flash forward to the end of the line dancing excitement. I realized that while I was resting my eyes on a bar stool, everyone had left except my neighbor and I. We grabbed a cab, and I lost five more dollars. Lesson of the night: Only carry around my debit card from now on.

My other lesson is that I have to learn to embrace my sexuality. I’m always told by my roommates and M that “we’re girls, we don’t pay!” It must be my inner feminist, but I always pay when I can. The only exception is if a guy asks me out on a date – I still have some sense of romance, but I like purchasing things on my own…most of the time.

I Graduate This Month?!

Happy June to everyone! The summer months are finally upon us, and my favorite holiday weekend has just ended. Memorial Day weekend is the time when we should all stop and thank the ones who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and the ones who are fighting everyday to preserve that freedom. Memorial Day also marks the unofficial beginning of summer. M informed me that the Garden State Parkway was backed up 75 miles on Friday night. Yes, summer and the Bennys are finally here. For the last two years, I have spent my Memorial Days in Ohio, and I have always felt the pangs of homesickness around the end of May. My hometown is a pretty good place to inhabit during that time. In high school, we would go to the beach, our pool would be opened, Dad would cook up an awesome barbeque, and we would participate in the parade. I was in Ohio once again this past weekend, but my time was spent having a whole lot of fun with a crazy bunch of people. It was truly a perfect weekend.

My roommate N invited us all to her home on Sunday, and my roommates and I traveled the forty-five minutes to Thornville, Oh. I love visiting the places where my roommates grew up. I feel like I know more about them if I see their homes, high schools, and local hot spots. We arrived at her house in the late morning where a great breakfast and a Great Dane the size of a horse greeted us. My jaw dropped when the dog came walking out of the room. I could have ridden this animal around the house! After breakfast, we took the boat out to Buckeye Lake. If you have never been and you’re in the area, go to Buckeye Lake. It was a gorgeous day and so much fun! The water was a perfect temperature, and the girls and I went tubing and sunning all day long – and I didn’t burn! We stopped at local eateries that we had always heard of but never attended. Papa Boos was one of these spots, and we enjoyed yummy food, drank cold daiquiris and pina colodas, and people-watched the colorful crowd. Summer had truly sprung on Sunday. Given the chance, I would go back every weekend. I can’t believe I have no more weekends to spare in Columbus – our yearly roommate reunions must be spent on Buckeye Lake.

We were then sent spiriling back into reality as we left N’s house yesterday morning. Summer is not quite here yet, and school is not quite over. I have two more days of classes as an undergraduate. I wonder if it would be inappropriate for me to throw my notebooks and papers in the air when I get out of class at 1:18 on Thursday? I have two final exams next week, and that will mark my official end to college. I have been calling this entire experience surreal since I began blogging, and it is still surreal. I have a bin sitting in the middle of my bedroom floor waiting to be filled with the essentials in my dresser and on my desk. I can officially say to M and my family that I will see them all next week. I received my first graduation card last night. This is actually happening. I have to make sure I look around and smell the flowers a lot in the next twelve days, because I won’t be smelling them again for a long time.