Lilly

The friends you make your freshman year of college have the potential to shape your entire college experience. I was fortunate enough to make friends that shaped not only my college experience, but my life. There were 6 of us and we were inseparable. Sure we had our little fights, but we were 6 girls who moved away from home and lived, ate, drank, breathed, laughed, cried, and learned together. It’d be weird if we didn’t have our off moments. Moving away from home and leaving for college is a very big transition, and can be very overwhelming, especially alone. So the 6 of us bonded together and functioned as a unit throughout the year. By the end of spring, we knew things were going to change and we clung to everyday like it was special. Unfortunately the year ended, and as we packed up our rooms, we went out on one last adventure. A group of six 19 year olds went to Build-A-Bear and agonized over which bear we would stuff. We decided on a plain tan bear with little patches, we painstakingly picked out a nice outfit, and argued over a name. But most importantly, we gave our bear, Lilly, 6 hearts- one for each of us. And we decided that as we went our separate ways, Lilly would become the traveling bear who kept us all connected. The next year, 2 of the girls transferred to UNC, one left for Maryland, and the other 3 of us stayed at Elon. Sophomore year was rough on everyone. Lilly made her rounds, collecting letters and notes that were passed around to all of us to keep us all in touch in some way. By junior year, everyone but me had left for UNC. And while that was miserable for me, I think I realized that Lilly was not what was keeping us together. We had a friendship that could tolerate the distance, with or without a bear. And so Lilly stopped traveling and took up permanent residence with me. (However, she sometimes made appearances when we all got together). As we continued to grow up, our friendships evolved and changed. We became more than friends, we became a sisterhood. And I’d like to say that just like in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (which is what we were going for with the bear), each one of us fit a role, like the rebel or the nurturer. But truth is, we all step in whenever necessary. I only keep in touch with 3 of the girls now, but they are 3 of my absolute best friends. They have been there for some of the best and worst moments of my life, and they will continue to be a big part of my life. I am truly myself when I am with them. However, time marches on and we have all grown up. Lindsey will be moving out and moving in with her boyfriend and their new puppy. Kelsey will be moving to DC with her boyfriend. And Katie is in grad school in Florida. And I’m here. And sometimes I feel stuck. I feel like I’m standing still while everyone around me is moving so fast. And so on nights like tonight, when I feel stuck and alone, I grab Lilly. Yes, as a 23/almost 24 year old, I grab a stuffed bear. I grab her and I hold her and I remember that she has 6 hearts that represent a little piece of each of my best friends. And I’m reminded that no matter how much we grow or change, and no matter how much distance comes between us, these girls will always be my sisterhood. We will always be there, for the good and the bad. And although we may be apart, we will always find a way to stay with each other. So tonight, I am sitting in my bed with Lilly; and for tonight, as silly as this may seem, I don’t feel so alone.

PS- I’m the one who has Lilly because I’m the sentimental one. And if any of them read this, they would laugh and laugh and laugh about me posting about a bear. And yet they love me anyway J

bELONg

Today I went back and visited my alma mater, Elon University. It was the epitome of bittersweet.

This campus. This is where I grew up. Physically, I did most of my growing up in Wilmington. But here on this campus, during those 4 years…that’s when I really did my growing. I laughed and cried and learned more in my four years here than in the rest of my years combined. I took some steps forward and I took some steps back. I met some temporary friends and some forever friends and I’ve learned from both. This is where I learned to be more independent. I learned the importance of good work ethic; how to face my fears and anxieties; how to trust in something bigger than myself; how to love harder and deeper; how to grow from the hard times, and how to appreciate the good times. I learned that your friends become your family. You eat together, take naps together, play, fight, laugh, cry, and do absolutely everything and nothing together until you can’t quite remember how you ever lived your life without them in the first place. I learned that I’m capable of far more than I ever imagined. “This is where it all happened for the first time. The heartache and the happiness. All of it. Being here, feels like it was yesterday. I wake up sometimes and I miss it. But this is good. It’s all still right here.”

Carolina Dorm. Where I met some of my best friends in life. 

My BEAUTIFUL alma mater

Long Live Elon

 

College Videos

Oh college. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. I could write a whole book about some of my best and worst college experiences, but I won't do that (right now). Here are some of my favorite college memories that I caught on film. In no particular order:

1. Girls Night In. This night Megan, Amanda, and Courtney came over to my apartment to make cookies and watch Step Up. We set up the air mattress and lounged around all night. Then Amanda felt inspired to dance. I think this video describes all of our personalities very well. Courtney is the one laying on the mattress CRACKING UP. Amanda is the one with the sweet dance skills, Megan is the sarcastic one, and I'm behind the camera.

 

 

2. Belk Library Rave. I know we aren't Carolina or any other big school, so it isn't as impressive, but the library rave was so much fun! Everyone gathered in the library, the music was blasting, some guy was dressed up in a head to toe gorilla costume. Heck, I even stood on one of the book shelves! It was a fun night of chaos!

 

 

3. Spice Girls Dance. One night I had Kelsey and Katie spend the night. We spent the night talking, laughing, watching movies, and dancing around the living room. The next morning we woke up, made breakfast, and danced some more. This is the result.

 

4. Roadtrip. This was coming back from one of our annual Wilmy Weekends. At this point we were all tired, sick of being in the car, and trying not to think about going back to school. That is when hilarity, terrible singing, and craziness ensued.

 

5. Strawberry Wine. This was freshman year when we were just babies. We had a lake weekend at Lindsey's house and set up beds all over the floor. This was kind of our anthem freshman year.

Some honorable mentions would include: trying to unwrap tootsie rolls in our mouths, roomie rocking out to I Believe In A Thing Called Love, the infamous Abused Children Don't Shower, the Walmart driveby, and snowday water bottles!

 

 

 

Stuff Social Workers Say

This video pretty much sums up my college experience perfectly.

30 seconds with yourself...5 years ago.

Someone posted a question on Twitter today that really got me thinking:

If you could call yourself five years ago, and had 30 seconds, what would you say?

Well, 5 years ago, I was finishing my senior year of high school. There are a lot of things I would say to my 17 year old self, but if I only have 30 seconds I better make it concise. So here’s what I would say:

“Enjoy the last few months of high school. Don’t worry about college. It will be scary at first, but you can do it. And it will be so worth it. Speaking of college, study. It will be better in the long run. Make sure you let your grandparents know that you love them, they won’t be around much longer. Go to your grandmothers funeral, don’t worry about finals and packing for Beach Project. Go to her funeral. You're gonna suffer a lot of losses in one year. It does get better. Always be honest and have a good work ethic. Be someone who is worthy of respect. You can’t expect others to respect you if you don’t respect yourself. If you need to take a semester off, do it. Your health is more important, so don’t stress out about it. Things are going to change, go with it. Nothing can stay the same forever.”

If you only had 30 seconds, what would you say to yourself 5 years ago?

Maybe

124 days until graduation and I can honestly say I’ve never been more over school then I am now. I have also never been more excited, nervous, scared, anxious, and curious all at the same time. Half of me feels like I want to crap my pants in fear, and the other half wants to jump with excitement. As far as the future goes, I am a very planned person and I like what I know, so the plan was always to graduate in May and start nursing school in August. But as the time creeps closer, I can’t help but think, what else is out there? When in my life will I be able to explore my career options and travel and try new things without it being called a midlife crisis? I’m not saying I don’t want to go to nursing school, I’m just saying maybe not right now (which seems to be a common theme in my life, but more on that later). So who knows…maybe I will graduate and…well, first off that’s a big MAYBE…but maybe I will graduate and get into nursing school and move to Nashville or Charlotte and become a settled down adult with a real job. Or maybe I will get an internship in New York and turn into a city girl while developing a love of Starbucks and a lack of manners. Or maybe I will move back home with my parents and slowly go insane…eating toilet paper by the roll and sleeping with a hair dryer…(I just watched My Strange Addiction on TLC). Maybe. There has never been a time in my life where my future has been so wide open and up in the air, and maybe I’m excited, and maybe I’m scared. Maybe you’ll have to keep reading to find out how things turn out!