WEEKEND RECAP - BLOOMINGTON

Ah.... what a great weekend.

I feel like I have been saying that every weekend, but it's just the truth. Every weekend is filled with some sort of happiness and fun, and I just love it.

Per my post on Friday, I went to Bloomington to be in the thick of College Gameday hysteria. But not before having a night out in Nashville on Friday and seeing Zac Brown Band at the bar... Seriously - is this life of mine real?!

 Photo compliments of Claire Malinowski :)

Saturday brought a lovely morning drive up to B-Town, making a quick pit stop to pick up my dearest friend Sara Michael. Oh my gosh, it was just a great day. Snow was on the ground, campus looked beautiful, and everyone was having such a good time and pumped for the game. And beating Michigan decisively and impressively made it THAT much better. 

My gorgeous home for 2 years in college... Miss this place and all the people in it! Sadly, didn't get to see Mom Smith... hopefully at Little 500 ;)

Beautiful Union, even when it's cold and there is snow on the ground.

Please move to Nashville ASAP?!

Cheers to a great weekend and a Hoosier victory! Now onto a tough stretch of games... Let's keep that #1 ranking :)

Happy Tuesday!

TELL THE WORLD I'M COMING HOME

 

 

Happy Friday everyone!!!! Is anyone else insanely excited for the weekend to be here? I know I am. I'm headed back to Bloomington, IN - a little slice of heaven in the Midwest. I'm obviously partial, but I can't wait to get back to my alma mater after almost a year since my last visit. This weekend is the Indiana-Michigan game and in case you've been living under a rock, it's a huge, huge game. I can't wait to be posted up at Kilroys, cheering on my Hoosiers back in one of my most favorite places with some of my favorite people... Now if the Hoosiers get a win, that will pretty much make it a perfect weekend!

 Anyone else have fun weekend plans?

summer hiatus

As all of my wonderful followers may have noticed, I took a bit of a summer hiatus from blogging. This wasn't intentional at first, in fact, I fully intended to continue blogging through the summer. However, with work and a busy schedule, I fell out of the blogging routine. Now with summer coming to a close, I've decided it's time to begin posting again! Many, many posts to come. In the meantime, I'll leave you with this.

one year ago.

A year ago, I was getting ready to start my senior year. Plans of boats, day parties, tailgating, and long hours at Kilroys filled my mind. One year later, those thoughts are a little different. I can't help but feel a little  lot of resentment towards those who are returning to B-Town in the next week, anxious and excited for a new school year to begin. I want to be making those same plans I was a year ago. I want something to look forward to. But then again, as my mom and my friends continually remind me, I have plenty to be excited about. I am moving to a new city, I have will get a job, make new friends, and have all kinds of new experiences. And if all fails, well, Bloomington is only a short plane ride away.

Living Out the Dream

I’ve always been excited to get back to Bloomington each fall. This year I was especially anxious, knowing that a senior year of complete chaos and memories awaited me. What made me even more anxious was knowing that I would no longer be living at 441 N. Woodlawn, better known as Theta, but in my own house with five of my best friends. Finally, I’m a live out.

I didn’t always plan to live out as a senior. In fact, it wasn’t until I spent the summer after sophomore year living on my own that I really considered the idea. With a pass down live out two minutes away from Theta and many of my close friends living out, I saw an opportunity and took it. 420 Apt A would be my new residence.

And so far, living out of Theta and in 420 has been perfect. Don’t get me wrong, I had a great two years living in that mansion of a house and having no responsibility to cook or clean. I was blessed to know the pledge classes above and below me, an opportunity my friends at other schools never had. While I miss seeing some of my best friends’ faces multiple times through the day, I still feel welcome in the house. We can eat lunch at the house everyday, which saves me the effort of making a peanut butter and jelly and piece together the previous night at Kilroys with my friends.

Now, we have had some minor challenges. We spent days in the new house scrubbing floors and washing walls and still haven’t quite mastered our Smokey Joe grill. Our faucet makes a weird noise if its on too long and the smoke alarm goes off when cupcakes are baking, not burning. We recently came home to a weird smell in the kitchen. After several minutes of searching for the odor, we realized a spatula had fallen to the bottom of the dishwasher and melted completely in half.

Even with these complications, I wouldn’t trade living out for the world. It’s an experience, but I am independent. Let’s face it - I am 21 years old, and should be able to live by my own rules. I don’t have to eat dinner at 5:30 like a person in a nursing home and if I want to have a beer… or four… with dinner, I can. I have my own room with a full bed – a definite plus. We can host parties and pre games and stock our fridge with more alcohol than food. Our neighborhood is like a senior Frat Row, with Sigma Chi, Beta, AEPi, and Phi Psi close by. Boys can come over at any time of the day and I don’t get a $50 fine if it’s past 3 am. I’m living out the dream, and am finally on my own, without really being on my own. Mom is still buying my groceries.