End of the School Year

We are about ready to enter finals week and I can’t believe how fast it has all gone. I didn’t think I had done a whole lot this year but when I look back I realize how many new experiences I have had. Caitlin, my roommate and fellow blogger, has been awesome. I talked about before how easy it has been to live with her. We have a lot of the same thoughts and I can talk to her about anything. She’s been a true blessing. No matter if I’m laughing or crying, she’s right there with me. She is also, as you know, an English major and she gets lots of practice editing because she edits all my papers. While she stays up, and wakes up, late, I go to bed and get up early. I try not to wake her up in the morning and she tries to not wake me up at night. We’ve discovered that we both to weird things in our sleep and we are as messy as we thought. Obviously the roommate situation wasn’t as terrible as everyone told me it would be and neither was the dorm food. I went to the homecoming parade and loved every second of it. I watched the CSU vs CU football game on TV because the damn hippies held it in their town, but I watched proudly as the Rams crushed the Buffaloes on their home field. Caitlin and I went to the CSU vs. CU basketball game, screamed our hearts out, and watched with pride as the Rams crushed the Buffalos. I participated in rallies on the plaza and signed petitions. I ran in my underwear with hundreds of other students to relax before finals. I visited Old Town and fell in love with Fort Collins. I got a coaching job up here for club and middle school volleyball and fell in love with the people of Fort Collins. I took classes I wasn’t sure I would like and broadened my view of the world. I dissected a live larva and ran my own DNA through a gel. I failed some tests and I aced some. I really found myself this year. I learned to be me no matter what because you can’t make everyone happy and why should you? I made ME happy this year. One person who has been there the whole way is Brandon. I love him very much and we're on our way to our 2 year anniversary which we will spend in Missouri near the end of our road trip. I think the highlights of the year were going to Boulder and counter-protesting the Westboro Baptist Church and running in my underwear through campus with Caitlin. Most romantic moment goes to Brandon and I's night in the kitchen where we made his famous scedi (pasta and the best meat sauce ever) and watched TV. All things must come to and end, and the end of my freshman year is coming fast. So long tiny dorm room! I think I am actually going to miss it.
What I learned my freshman year:
1. TA’s have no power. They still have more power than you as a student do though, and they like to make that clear.
2. Either I have too many clothes or CSU needs a bigger closet in the dorms.
3. You can make a 10x15 room home
4. Do your dishes or you will end up with a really bad smell and mold
5. Ice cream makes everything better
6. If you think moving away from your parents was hard at the beginning of the year, it’s nothing compared to moving away from your friends at the end of the year
7. You can wish for a snow day, and once a year that wish might come true
8. I have way too much crap
9. Do your laundry before the bag is so heavy you can’t carry it to the laundry room
10. You can cook a lot of things with a microwave
11. Don’t eat hotdogs if you even think they MIGHT be bad
12. Don’t touch your face when you are in a biology lab with E. coli. You will get REALLY sick
13. Try new things. You never know what you’re going to love by the end of the year.

-Katie

This school year has been amazing. I have found myself in ways that I never could have imagined. I’ve found a sense of self – what I like and don’t like, where I draw my boundaries, what kind of person I want to be. I am truly a different person for having lived away from home for so long. Being away from Morrison has given me insight into things I couldn’t see while it surrounded me. I have come to appreciate some people more than ever, while learning to let go of others.
I’ve got a core group up here, mostly consisting of my roommate, my boyfriend and his friends, some kids from high school, and some kids from class.
Katie has been the best roommate I could ever ask for, and has really come to be one of my closest friends. We do almost everything together, and always end up laughing until we're red in the face. There isn’t a single thing I can’t talk to her about, and I can’t wait to move into our new place next semester!
I love Erik so much; I can’t believe we were so lucky to be living in the same building. He’s been around for so many hard times, and so many great ones – and his friends too! Chris has put up with so much from Erik and I, and Danny has been there for me personally, especially in the beginning of the semester. Not to mention the rest of his friends, they’re really great. And Charlie is just a badass. Enough said.
I knew Cody during high school. He took me swing dancing in the beginning of the semester, and ever since, I’ve been hooked. I haven’t been able to go in a long time because I’ve been so busy, but it really is one of my favorite things to do up here. College life has brought Cody and I a lot closer. Same with Greg. We worked together and hung out a LOT last summer, and he has become my Art study buddy. We always wait until the last minute and study the night before for like, 5 or 6 hours. Noelle got Katie and I temporarily addicted to Tudors. She’s a super sweetheart. I don’t see her very often, but she’s a lot of fun. And Parker! I love Parker! I met him in freshman orientation over a discussion about our religions. He’s taken me to a few plays and we’ve studied our butts off together at dinner.
I can’t wait to get home to my wonderful family and friends. I’m looking forward to saving up some money and to the late summer nights – especially with Heather. But first I’ve got to go over some of the highlights of this year.
First semester: I was bogged down with classes, and didn’t do too much. When I came home for the weekends, I would work and go clubbing with Heather. Katie and I spent most of our time eating, watching movies, hanging out in Erik’s hall, and going to basketball games. The best was the CU CSU basketball game. It got way too rowdy and we ended up storming the court when we won, but getting in trouble was totally worth it. We all got an angry e-mail from our president telling us to be professional. Around Christmas Katie and Noelle made little stalkings for the boys filled with candy. It was adorable.
Second semester was a lot more exciting. I took a lighter load of classes, so I was less stressed out. Katie found our future apartments and applied really early. Then came my birthday – Katie made me a little microwave cake while Erik was passed out on my bed. He woke up exactly at midnight to say happy birthday. He’s got crazy sleeping skills like that. The next day, he took me to the most romantic dinner ever, with squid and pasta at this beautiful Italian restaurant and he took me to this huge swing dancing thing in the LSC. On break Heather and I got my conch pierced. In April I went to The Audition concert with Erik and a bunch of other people.
Katie and I went to the Westboro Baptist Church counter protests in Boulder a few weeks ago. We made posters asking for people to support the Boulder County Aids Project. The first protest was insane. There were tons of people, and when they tried to leave, the streets filled with people and they couldn’t get their van out. The highlight for us though was when we caught them by themselves walking to the next site. Katie ran up next to them and said “Hey… Hey! Wanna donate to the Boulder County AIDS Project?!” That’s when they started walking really fast.
Then Erik and I had our 6 month anniversary on April 28th. He bought me flowers and laid out a blanket under a tree in the oval for us to have sparkling cider. He’s so adorable.
A few days ago, CSU had a benefit for Haiti and Chile called the Undie Run, in which students donated their clothing, and ran. Katie and I decided to go the modest route – we wore shorts and sports bras. We arrived to find hundreds of screaming kids. We all took off our clothes and threw them into the plaza, and then ran a route around campus. It had to be the funniest thing I’ve seen so far this year, and was by far the most fun!
This year has taught be how to be independent. Though the schoolwork is hard, I am so happy I came up here. I’m on a path to a career I’m going to love, and I can’t wait for next year!

Things I have learned this year:

1) One of these three is true: My ears are crooked, my eyes are crooked, every pair of sun glasses I have ever had was crooked.

2) I play bejeweled better with the sound off because I get nervous when I hear the timer running out.

3) I am terrible at time management.

4) According to Katie – when I don’t want to do my homework, I paint my toenails.

5) My metabolism is slowing down.

6) I do well under pressure.

7) I want to make a difference in the world.

8) Love every person to the best of your ability. The world is a better place as a network rather than bazillions of individuals looking out for themselves.

9) Take risks. It’s easy to miss out on life!

-Caitlin