Everything is packed and my room is finally clean for the first time since I hit puberty. This makes my mom happy now that company can stay in my room. To me, it is hardly recognizable, almost uncomfortable. My dorm room will be messy, just like I am used to.
I am ready for college -- I think.
My dad takes off work to help his “baby girl” prepare for the big move and my parents help put the last of my stuff in the car before we leave, a bittersweet moment that reminds me of an old Kenny Chesney song.
I have a whole new life in front of me that is about to begin, no stopping it. It is a life that will consist of staying up all night during the week, and out all night on the weekends. Sleep will become very precious. It will be very different from my home life I led before, but I am still naïve, not yet knowing the worth of a home-cooked meal or shopping with my mom.
I ignore this fact for awhile because I get homesick easily, but everything changes. You can choose your schedule, your classes, and your friends. I enjoy leading this independent life, no one to tell you what to do and when to do it by. But sometimes structure and reinforcement of family can be the only staple that will hold my stressful “adult” life together.
By the time September comes, I am aching for a break from academics and from soccer. Fall break arrives and God answers my prayers, at least for a few days.
On the highway home, the 35 mile drive feels like a cross-country trip. I disregard my impatience for anticipation and excitement of seeing my family and dog again – for everything to feel normal again.
Leaving home for the first time is an experience that brings on a current of different emotions, followed by a wave of change. Both of which you will eventually learn to ride out. But, if you never leave home, then you never get to come back.
I pull into my driveway and the garage door has already been opened for me. My mom stands in the door, while my dog barks behind her, welcoming me home.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
On Saying No
"Just say no!" says Officer Stonerock.
It was the ultimate lesson to learn in the 5th grade D.A.R.E. classes. Say no to drugs, alcohol, sex, and anything that could be of possible detriment to you or your health. However, these are much more complicated issues than a two-letter response can save you from. "No" feels like a little police officer on my right shoulder tapping his baton to his palm, and all my college friends on the left side cheering and saying "yes!"
I feel like life should be a little more left sided, a little more fun. You cannot always live your life by the book. It would be a very boring book. Rather, make something interesting of it. When it is a Friday night and you should get caught up on your homework, GO OUT! You will make more memories than you would in Thomas Moore Library (or maybe memories you won't remember)and Sunday will always be there to pull the all-nighter.
Always saying "no" is like the small black leech sucking all the fun out of life.
When you say "yes" you begin to take more risks and live more on the edge. I remember a quote I once read that said, "If you aren't living life on the edge you are taking up too much room." So scoot over please!
It was the ultimate lesson to learn in the 5th grade D.A.R.E. classes. Say no to drugs, alcohol, sex, and anything that could be of possible detriment to you or your health. However, these are much more complicated issues than a two-letter response can save you from. "No" feels like a little police officer on my right shoulder tapping his baton to his palm, and all my college friends on the left side cheering and saying "yes!"
I feel like life should be a little more left sided, a little more fun. You cannot always live your life by the book. It would be a very boring book. Rather, make something interesting of it. When it is a Friday night and you should get caught up on your homework, GO OUT! You will make more memories than you would in Thomas Moore Library (or maybe memories you won't remember)and Sunday will always be there to pull the all-nighter.
Always saying "no" is like the small black leech sucking all the fun out of life.
When you say "yes" you begin to take more risks and live more on the edge. I remember a quote I once read that said, "If you aren't living life on the edge you are taking up too much room." So scoot over please!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Snuggie for Dogs...What?
Friend request: accepted.
Girlfriend Marie cordially extended me a request on Facebook, and I accepted, along with 110 others. She has 34 tagged pictures alone and four profile pictures since her Facebook advent late last year. This is quite impressive for a four-legged mammal incapable of even clicking a mouse. Yes, Girlfriend Marie is a dog.
Currently, according to the Humane Society’s Pet Ownership Survey, there are approximately 77.5 million owned dogs in the United States. As an owner, this requires a lot of time, energy, and money to successfully raise a puppy into man’s best friend, but how much is too much?
At Wittenberg, it seems that dogs are increasingly gaining attention, and a reputation on campus. This includes the school sponsored “4 Paws for Ability” service program begun in 2008 which socializes service dogs for the disabled. However, it also extends beyond the school policy that forbids students to own personal dogs in Wittenberg residences. Many upper-classmen are trying to skirt the high fines by keeping dogs in their on-campus houses.
[...]
Kelly Clark, a Wittenberg senior, confesses to making special trips home just to play with Girlfriend, and all of her free time outside of academia is devoted to spending time with her.
“It was love at first sight,” Kelly reminisces about when she found Girlfriend roaming the streets of Wittenberg.
Girlfriend also knows a lot about fashion. In the summer Girlfriend chooses between outfits and in the winter she wears a pink vest that will keep her warm. Girlfriend is also a shameless consumer of the Dog Snuggie, which she wears when she sleeps at night.
Girlfriend Marie cordially extended me a request on Facebook, and I accepted, along with 110 others. She has 34 tagged pictures alone and four profile pictures since her Facebook advent late last year. This is quite impressive for a four-legged mammal incapable of even clicking a mouse. Yes, Girlfriend Marie is a dog.
Currently, according to the Humane Society’s Pet Ownership Survey, there are approximately 77.5 million owned dogs in the United States. As an owner, this requires a lot of time, energy, and money to successfully raise a puppy into man’s best friend, but how much is too much?
At Wittenberg, it seems that dogs are increasingly gaining attention, and a reputation on campus. This includes the school sponsored “4 Paws for Ability” service program begun in 2008 which socializes service dogs for the disabled. However, it also extends beyond the school policy that forbids students to own personal dogs in Wittenberg residences. Many upper-classmen are trying to skirt the high fines by keeping dogs in their on-campus houses.
[...]
Kelly Clark, a Wittenberg senior, confesses to making special trips home just to play with Girlfriend, and all of her free time outside of academia is devoted to spending time with her.
“It was love at first sight,” Kelly reminisces about when she found Girlfriend roaming the streets of Wittenberg.
Girlfriend also knows a lot about fashion. In the summer Girlfriend chooses between outfits and in the winter she wears a pink vest that will keep her warm. Girlfriend is also a shameless consumer of the Dog Snuggie, which she wears when she sleeps at night.
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