So, it's been awhile since my last blog post, and to be honest, I'd kind of forgotten about it, just because I've been so crazy with work, but tonight has been a take it easy kind of night, so here goes. Not much is new on my end, except I'm starting to love Mount Pleasant! In the last few weeks I've really started to realize some great friendships, and now actually have people to hang out with. No more sitting at home in my room on a daily basis watching last night's TV (although that still happens every so often.) I'm really starting to develop relationships with the students as well, which to me is the most important part. The problem is, in less than 8 months, I will most likely be moving again. These last couple years have been very difficult, as each job I go into knowing that it won't last more than one year. With each job, moving has also been involved, and so it is difficult for me not to get attached quickly to the kids and to the people I work with, because I don't know anyone else. When I leave, it's always very hard for me, because I want to continue to see these kids develop as they progress through college. I can't wait until I get a more permanent job, where I know I will be able to continue building relationships over time.
The one thing I am happy about, is that daily I'm reminded about why I love what I do. I am so blessed to have found something I'm passionate about, and combines my love of sports with my love of kids. Never in a million years did I think I'd be working with college students, and in an educational environment. If any age, I thought little kindergartners, because I didn't think I was smart or official enough to work in a university atmosphere. I didn't think kids so close to my age would look up to me or respect my authority. The funny thing is, I just started tutoring and mentoring because I wanted to get my foot in the door in athletics, hoping to somehow work my way into marketing and then becoming a sports agent, and it was the only job open at home. That job turned into an amazing experience that changed my life completely, and here I am today. There are so many relationships I've made at the different institutions I worked or am working for, and it still touches me when old students check in and see how I'm doing. Of course I check in occasionally as well. :)
Regardless of where I end up in the end, I know I will find a home and a "family." I've come to the conclusion that I will set no constraints on my possible destination, because if an opportunity presents itself, who I am to be picky? I love where I am now, and am not trying to look towards the future, because the present is pretty great.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Traveling
I have now been back from vacation for a little over a week, and I've started to realize something. I am obsessed with traveling. After stressing myself out for several months (since January to be exact) with all the planning and preparation, and then worrying pretty much every moment of the trip about things going smoothly, you'd think I'd need a break, right?
WRONG. I am already thinking of ideas for future trips!!! Do I have a problem? Possibly. Do I care? Not really. There is just something so wonderful about seeing new places, exploring the outdoors, and spending quality time with friends and/or family.
I'm hoping to have several mini-vacations throughout the year, while I live up north and can take advantage of being closer to some places. I am already thinking to either road trip to Pittsburgh or to fly to NYC to see me one of my buddies play in the NFL, so hoping to determine those plans pretty soon.
I've noticed that I also don't mind planning vacations where I go alone. This all started when I flew to Boise, Idaho for the NCAA tournament to see Mizzou play. Ever since then, my desire to travel alone has increased. I've gone to Boise, Phoenix, Buffalo, Detroit, West Virginia, and probably more places that I can't think of at the moment. I've become an independent spirit I suppose.
This trip to Maine with my mom and my sister was one of the greatest trips I've ever been on. Everything was planned out perfectly (lots of time spent on it helped I suppose) and the company was fantastic. We can't wait to go again, perhaps to the Southeast or Northwestern regions of the country. I'd love to see different SEC campuses, especially with Mizzou's transition, but I also am intrigued by the Pacific coast up north, with Seattle and Portland being top on my list. Of course, I could always revisit Boise, my dream residence, or even further north in Coeur D'Alene, where a former employer now lives. I'll be moving again next spring, so it will be another chance to travel before I "settle down" for who knows how long.
Suggestions? I'm ready to start planning all over again. :)
WRONG. I am already thinking of ideas for future trips!!! Do I have a problem? Possibly. Do I care? Not really. There is just something so wonderful about seeing new places, exploring the outdoors, and spending quality time with friends and/or family.
I'm hoping to have several mini-vacations throughout the year, while I live up north and can take advantage of being closer to some places. I am already thinking to either road trip to Pittsburgh or to fly to NYC to see me one of my buddies play in the NFL, so hoping to determine those plans pretty soon.
I've noticed that I also don't mind planning vacations where I go alone. This all started when I flew to Boise, Idaho for the NCAA tournament to see Mizzou play. Ever since then, my desire to travel alone has increased. I've gone to Boise, Phoenix, Buffalo, Detroit, West Virginia, and probably more places that I can't think of at the moment. I've become an independent spirit I suppose.
This trip to Maine with my mom and my sister was one of the greatest trips I've ever been on. Everything was planned out perfectly (lots of time spent on it helped I suppose) and the company was fantastic. We can't wait to go again, perhaps to the Southeast or Northwestern regions of the country. I'd love to see different SEC campuses, especially with Mizzou's transition, but I also am intrigued by the Pacific coast up north, with Seattle and Portland being top on my list. Of course, I could always revisit Boise, my dream residence, or even further north in Coeur D'Alene, where a former employer now lives. I'll be moving again next spring, so it will be another chance to travel before I "settle down" for who knows how long.
Suggestions? I'm ready to start planning all over again. :)
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Academia, Awe-Inspiring Views, and Athletics
I returned from vacation just a few days ago, and felt it was time to write about the trip, after some post-vacation reflection. I wasn't sure how I wanted to document the trip, whether in a day-by-day format, or just go through my favorite things, but I think I'll group things in categories and see how that goes.
As some of you know, I have this strange obsession with visiting as many college campuses as possible. I love seeing the different architecture, and of course the athletic facilities, but universities just have that vibe of being separate and somewhat disconnected from the city/town they're in, which I kind of love. With this in mind, we were able to visit five different schools on our trip. I will list them in order of when we visited them.
1. Penn State University-at this stop, I got to see one of my friends from grad school, Mickey, who now works in their ticket office. She was able to give us a tour of the stadium from the inside, which was pretty amazing, and definitely a unique experience. It was definitely interesting seeing everything post-Sandusky scandal, with Paterno's statue now missing, and other changes around the stadium. Other than that, we didn't have much time to spend on campus, so it's hard to evaluate my opinion of the campus as a whole.
2. Yale University was next, and was definitely old school architecture. The buildings were beautiful rock, and the New Haven Green looked like a very relaxing area. Not our favorite Ivy League school, but had some great areas.
3. Brown University was the second Ivy League school we visited, and we were very interested because Jeanna had almost applied there for the fall. We were disappointed with the campus as a whole, due to the extremely narrow streets, limited amount of parking, and the architecture not standing out much at all. It was good to see, but was our least favorite of the schools we saw.
4. Harvard University was the last Ivy League school to see, and was our favorite, closely edging out Harvard. We're not really sure why it was our favorite, but everything seemed a bit more welcoming and less austere, although still reeked of academia. The buildings were not uniform, which is uncommon, but somehow they all worked well together. The dorms also were facing the Charles River, which was a spectacular view.
5. My favorite campus, and the last one we saw, was Syracuse University. I had very few expectations, and this campus by far exceeded any I had. The buildings were so beautiful, with ivy growing along many, and I just wanted to stay for hours. One street had modern architecture on one side, and all older buildings on the other, which was very interesting. And of course the Carrier Dome is intimidating in size.
Where do I begin? Everything from the road to our stays was absolutely beautiful. Our campgrounds in Connecticut and Maine were great, and the ocean views were fantastic. They were definitely contrasting, as Connecticut's waters were more placid and calm, with sandy shores and plenty swimmers, with Maine having the high waves, rocky shores, and extremely cold waters. Maine did have one sand beach, where we did get in one day and ride the waves. The water that day was around 50 degrees, maybe colder. It was an experience we won't forget, and we were extremely glad we did it.
The Academic Portion of our Trip:
As some of you know, I have this strange obsession with visiting as many college campuses as possible. I love seeing the different architecture, and of course the athletic facilities, but universities just have that vibe of being separate and somewhat disconnected from the city/town they're in, which I kind of love. With this in mind, we were able to visit five different schools on our trip. I will list them in order of when we visited them.
1. Penn State University-at this stop, I got to see one of my friends from grad school, Mickey, who now works in their ticket office. She was able to give us a tour of the stadium from the inside, which was pretty amazing, and definitely a unique experience. It was definitely interesting seeing everything post-Sandusky scandal, with Paterno's statue now missing, and other changes around the stadium. Other than that, we didn't have much time to spend on campus, so it's hard to evaluate my opinion of the campus as a whole.
2. Yale University was next, and was definitely old school architecture. The buildings were beautiful rock, and the New Haven Green looked like a very relaxing area. Not our favorite Ivy League school, but had some great areas.
3. Brown University was the second Ivy League school we visited, and we were very interested because Jeanna had almost applied there for the fall. We were disappointed with the campus as a whole, due to the extremely narrow streets, limited amount of parking, and the architecture not standing out much at all. It was good to see, but was our least favorite of the schools we saw.
4. Harvard University was the last Ivy League school to see, and was our favorite, closely edging out Harvard. We're not really sure why it was our favorite, but everything seemed a bit more welcoming and less austere, although still reeked of academia. The buildings were not uniform, which is uncommon, but somehow they all worked well together. The dorms also were facing the Charles River, which was a spectacular view.
5. My favorite campus, and the last one we saw, was Syracuse University. I had very few expectations, and this campus by far exceeded any I had. The buildings were so beautiful, with ivy growing along many, and I just wanted to stay for hours. One street had modern architecture on one side, and all older buildings on the other, which was very interesting. And of course the Carrier Dome is intimidating in size.
Awe-Inspiring Views:
Where do I begin? Everything from the road to our stays was absolutely beautiful. Our campgrounds in Connecticut and Maine were great, and the ocean views were fantastic. They were definitely contrasting, as Connecticut's waters were more placid and calm, with sandy shores and plenty swimmers, with Maine having the high waves, rocky shores, and extremely cold waters. Maine did have one sand beach, where we did get in one day and ride the waves. The water that day was around 50 degrees, maybe colder. It was an experience we won't forget, and we were extremely glad we did it.
The hills and trees in every state we drove through were incredible, particularly Pennsylvania and Vermont. The Green Mountain National Forest is a drive I'd recommend to anyone. Probably the other favorite view we had on the trip was the sunrise Jeanna and I experienced on Cadillac Mountain. We got up at 4 in the morning and drove for an hour to finally get to the top of the mountain, finding a place to sit 2 minutes before the sun came up. :-) This was totally worth it. As you can see from the picture, the fog was so thick that you wouldn't be able to see the sun rise anywhere else than from on the island.
We also had a great time walking through Boston, experiencing the Freedom Trail and the history surrounding the Revolutionary War. That time was spent with another friend from grad school, Kenny, whose company we all enjoyed, and who shared an incredible dinner with us in the North End at a local Italian restaurant. Great experiences with great people.
Last but not least, the Athletics:
This portion is not as long, simply because we only had one athletic event, but it's one of my favorites. Akron is host to the Bridgestone Invitational, a major golf tournament on the PGA tour that only the top 50 ranked players in the world are allowed to attend. I attended the event last year, and couldn't wait to come back. This time mom came with me, and we only went to the final day, championship Sunday. I got there first, and sat through 2 hours of rain and another hour delay until play resumed, then watched the leaders start off at the 1st tee as their names were announced until mom arrived. From there we walked around for a little bit, seeing different groups of players, including Tiger Woods, who birdied one of the holes we saw. Finally, we decided to head to the 18th to try and get a seat before the real action began. We got there early enough that we were able to grab 2nd row seats behind the 18th green, and watched a marvelous end to a great tournament. We definitely felt bad for Jim Furyk, who double bogeyed the final hole to let his 71-hole lead slip away and give the edge to Keegan Bradley. Whoever says golf is boring truly has not watched it seriously. My mom and I were both screaming when Keegan Bradley made his par shot to at least tie. Just another great time at the golf course.
So for now, that about sums up our trip. There were a few mishaps with the weather, but we dealt with them very well, and moved on to bigger and better things. I can't wait to hit the road again for wherever our next adventure takes us.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Life in the slow lane
Tomorrow marks the 1 week anniversary of my move to Mount Pleasant, Michigan, and in that time I have learned several very important things:
1) This town is very, very small
2) You can furnish a bedroom for under $200
3) There's this great little ice cream place called Doozy's
4) Roommates are great
5) I think I'm really going to love my job
Let's tackle these things one at a time. First, if I had moved here from Columbia this would still be a big transition, but to come from Cincinnati and Saint Louis, big cities with roughly 1 million people (suburbs included,) to a town of 40,000 that is smack dab in the middle of nowhere, was a big change. I'm still trying to get used to the quiet, the sense of security, and actually having a backyard. Now, they do have most of the bigger department stores, namely Walmart, Sam's, Target, and JC Penney, and two major grocery stores, so that is a plus, and I'm really starting to enjoy the change of pace. Once the semester starts we'll see how that changes the atmosphere. The town does not have local channels, so right now we have a TV without a purpose. This means lots of reading, which is not a bad thing, and is making me realize how much I missed spending my time with a good book.
It is true, I drove from Saint Louis with just my little Honda Civic, packed to the brim, as my sister can attest to, and no furniture on hand. Moving into a house, the only room I had to worry about was the bedroom. I was able to get a dresser, bookcase, mattress and bed frame for under $200! This was all thanks Walmart and Sam's. I assembled everything myself, and although it took me several hours, it was completely worth it. I recommend this to anyone who is looking for a temporary housing situation.
So, on my first night in Mount Pleasant, I was taken to this local ice cream place called Doozy's. Now for any of you who know me, I crave all things sweet, particularly ice cream and/or chocolate, so when the offer came up I was quick to accept. This place was fantastic! I got "Dirt Pudding," which was chocolate ice cream with Oreo crumbles and hot fudge, and was possibly the most delicious thing ever. If anyone comes to visit me, which I doubt will happen, that will be our first stop.
This being my first experience with roommates, I was more than a little nervous, but all my fears have been erased. I do like to have my own personal space sometime, but we know when to give each other alone time or when to do things together. We're still waiting on the third roommate to arrive, which should be happening later tonight, but we're enjoying getting to know each other, and I've been getting the grand tour of the town and different things to do. Now that I know what having a roommate is like, I'm wondering why I didn't do this earlier.
Today was only my second day at the new job, but I am already loving it! I found out yesterday that I will be in charge of gymnastics, which I think will be super exciting, and we are also planning to initiate a brand new mentoring program, something which I feel that I had a big part in promoting in our initial meeting today. We will also each be working with around 15 kids on a weekly basis to keep track of their course progress. The level of involvement that I'll get is just what I wanted, and the student-athletes I've met to this point are all really great. The staff members are also great, although none can beat the women of SLU! (Especially my 2 "moms" Robin and Margo.)
That's all for now, and in a few days I'll be off on my road trip to Maine, but maybe I'll blog on the go! Much love from Michigan!
1) This town is very, very small
2) You can furnish a bedroom for under $200
3) There's this great little ice cream place called Doozy's
4) Roommates are great
5) I think I'm really going to love my job
Let's tackle these things one at a time. First, if I had moved here from Columbia this would still be a big transition, but to come from Cincinnati and Saint Louis, big cities with roughly 1 million people (suburbs included,) to a town of 40,000 that is smack dab in the middle of nowhere, was a big change. I'm still trying to get used to the quiet, the sense of security, and actually having a backyard. Now, they do have most of the bigger department stores, namely Walmart, Sam's, Target, and JC Penney, and two major grocery stores, so that is a plus, and I'm really starting to enjoy the change of pace. Once the semester starts we'll see how that changes the atmosphere. The town does not have local channels, so right now we have a TV without a purpose. This means lots of reading, which is not a bad thing, and is making me realize how much I missed spending my time with a good book.
It is true, I drove from Saint Louis with just my little Honda Civic, packed to the brim, as my sister can attest to, and no furniture on hand. Moving into a house, the only room I had to worry about was the bedroom. I was able to get a dresser, bookcase, mattress and bed frame for under $200! This was all thanks Walmart and Sam's. I assembled everything myself, and although it took me several hours, it was completely worth it. I recommend this to anyone who is looking for a temporary housing situation.
So, on my first night in Mount Pleasant, I was taken to this local ice cream place called Doozy's. Now for any of you who know me, I crave all things sweet, particularly ice cream and/or chocolate, so when the offer came up I was quick to accept. This place was fantastic! I got "Dirt Pudding," which was chocolate ice cream with Oreo crumbles and hot fudge, and was possibly the most delicious thing ever. If anyone comes to visit me, which I doubt will happen, that will be our first stop.
This being my first experience with roommates, I was more than a little nervous, but all my fears have been erased. I do like to have my own personal space sometime, but we know when to give each other alone time or when to do things together. We're still waiting on the third roommate to arrive, which should be happening later tonight, but we're enjoying getting to know each other, and I've been getting the grand tour of the town and different things to do. Now that I know what having a roommate is like, I'm wondering why I didn't do this earlier.
Today was only my second day at the new job, but I am already loving it! I found out yesterday that I will be in charge of gymnastics, which I think will be super exciting, and we are also planning to initiate a brand new mentoring program, something which I feel that I had a big part in promoting in our initial meeting today. We will also each be working with around 15 kids on a weekly basis to keep track of their course progress. The level of involvement that I'll get is just what I wanted, and the student-athletes I've met to this point are all really great. The staff members are also great, although none can beat the women of SLU! (Especially my 2 "moms" Robin and Margo.)
That's all for now, and in a few days I'll be off on my road trip to Maine, but maybe I'll blog on the go! Much love from Michigan!
Friday, July 6, 2012
Bucket List
One of my Facebook friends posed an interesting question earlier this week, and on the eve of the championships of one of my favorite all-time events, I thought it only appropriate:
What is on your bucket list?
I am not your average girl/woman. My life tends to revolve around sports, whether that be as a spectator or in my professional life. And it's not just one sport in particular, I'm obsessed with them all, from the popular and football to tennis, golf, and wrestling (and no, not the "pro" kind.) I'm on espn.com on a 5 or 6 time a day basis, and you might wonder how someone like me deals without having cable. Let me tell you, it can get really rough sometimes, but I've survived so far. :) I've played sports since I was little, devoted notebooks and scrapbooks to sports page newspaper clippings, and had my bedroom walls decorated with season schedules and athlete posters since I was a little girl dribbling with my dad in the driveway. So when it comes to a bucket list, you will kind of see mine tends to have a general theme, and I've had this list since at least high school, maybe earlier.
1. Attend Wimbledon (yes, this may surprise some people that this is at the top of my list over basketball, but this event just epitomizes all I love about sports. The tradition and history, the venue, the class, the masses of fans, plus the chance to travel to England doesn't hurt.) I want this so badly, I would even be okay with going and sitting on the hill and watching on the big screen if tickets to the final weren't available at Centre Court. Just to be a part of the atmosphere would be worth it.
2. NCAA Final Four/Championship- I have attended 1st/2nd round games, as well as Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight, and flown all over the country on my own to do so, but nothing would be as significant as attending the final four/championship weekend. Especially if Mizzou finally makes their first appearance! There is nothing quite like March Madness, and the culmination of the whole year is monumental. This is so close to being number one on my list, but is a close second.
3. The Masters- I don't know what it is about golf, but it is honestly one of my favorite sports to watch. Most young people find it boring, but I find myself silently screaming for a great putt (or loudly screaming when I'm at home watching on TV.) The Masters, like Wimbledon, carries so much history and tradition, and I've heard that people try to get tickets for years before actually getting selected, so I better start now!
4. Olympics- Summer or winter, I don't really care, just to say that I was able to attend. I have to say that in general I prefer summer as a whole, but there are a few winter sports that are my overall favorites, like speed skating or snow boarding. It would be great to go when the US is host, but I also love to travel so I would honestly go anywhere if I had the money.
5. Super Bowl/NCAA National Championship- Yes, I know these are kind of low on my list, but football is just not at the top for me. I do love it, just a few other events took precedence. I'm not sure if I had to pick between the two of these which one I'd choose, I guess it would depend on who was playing, but I may actually choose the college game, just because nothing is better than true college fans/alumni supporting their school. The dedication just runs so deep.
Now these are only my top 5, but you see where I'm going with this. I do have to say, I have made some minor accomplishments in almost all of these categories in the last several years.
1. Cincinnati hosts a tournament every year that I attended twice, watching Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic
2. I went to NCAA tournament games through the Elite Eight two different years, each time watching Mizzou
3. Attended a PGA event in Akron, Ohio and saw Tiger, Phil, and all the other top ranked players in person
4. This one I haven't quite tackled yet, although I have seen Ryan Lochte swim at the Missouri Grand Prix :)
5. I've been to two bowl games, including the Cotton Bowl when Mizzou demolished Arkansas and Tony Temple had the game of his life
So maybe someday I'll be able to accomplish all these things, but until then I guess I'll keep dreaming...
What is on your bucket list?
I am not your average girl/woman. My life tends to revolve around sports, whether that be as a spectator or in my professional life. And it's not just one sport in particular, I'm obsessed with them all, from the popular and football to tennis, golf, and wrestling (and no, not the "pro" kind.) I'm on espn.com on a 5 or 6 time a day basis, and you might wonder how someone like me deals without having cable. Let me tell you, it can get really rough sometimes, but I've survived so far. :) I've played sports since I was little, devoted notebooks and scrapbooks to sports page newspaper clippings, and had my bedroom walls decorated with season schedules and athlete posters since I was a little girl dribbling with my dad in the driveway. So when it comes to a bucket list, you will kind of see mine tends to have a general theme, and I've had this list since at least high school, maybe earlier.
1. Attend Wimbledon (yes, this may surprise some people that this is at the top of my list over basketball, but this event just epitomizes all I love about sports. The tradition and history, the venue, the class, the masses of fans, plus the chance to travel to England doesn't hurt.) I want this so badly, I would even be okay with going and sitting on the hill and watching on the big screen if tickets to the final weren't available at Centre Court. Just to be a part of the atmosphere would be worth it.
2. NCAA Final Four/Championship- I have attended 1st/2nd round games, as well as Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight, and flown all over the country on my own to do so, but nothing would be as significant as attending the final four/championship weekend. Especially if Mizzou finally makes their first appearance! There is nothing quite like March Madness, and the culmination of the whole year is monumental. This is so close to being number one on my list, but is a close second.
3. The Masters- I don't know what it is about golf, but it is honestly one of my favorite sports to watch. Most young people find it boring, but I find myself silently screaming for a great putt (or loudly screaming when I'm at home watching on TV.) The Masters, like Wimbledon, carries so much history and tradition, and I've heard that people try to get tickets for years before actually getting selected, so I better start now!
4. Olympics- Summer or winter, I don't really care, just to say that I was able to attend. I have to say that in general I prefer summer as a whole, but there are a few winter sports that are my overall favorites, like speed skating or snow boarding. It would be great to go when the US is host, but I also love to travel so I would honestly go anywhere if I had the money.
5. Super Bowl/NCAA National Championship- Yes, I know these are kind of low on my list, but football is just not at the top for me. I do love it, just a few other events took precedence. I'm not sure if I had to pick between the two of these which one I'd choose, I guess it would depend on who was playing, but I may actually choose the college game, just because nothing is better than true college fans/alumni supporting their school. The dedication just runs so deep.
Now these are only my top 5, but you see where I'm going with this. I do have to say, I have made some minor accomplishments in almost all of these categories in the last several years.
1. Cincinnati hosts a tournament every year that I attended twice, watching Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic
2. I went to NCAA tournament games through the Elite Eight two different years, each time watching Mizzou
3. Attended a PGA event in Akron, Ohio and saw Tiger, Phil, and all the other top ranked players in person
4. This one I haven't quite tackled yet, although I have seen Ryan Lochte swim at the Missouri Grand Prix :)
5. I've been to two bowl games, including the Cotton Bowl when Mizzou demolished Arkansas and Tony Temple had the game of his life
So maybe someday I'll be able to accomplish all these things, but until then I guess I'll keep dreaming...
Monday, July 2, 2012
So this is my first blog post ever, and I'm not sure where to begin. Today I guess I felt like talking about the difficult place I am in my life right now, trying to establish my career and "find myself."
I guess you can say the madness began almost 2 years ago, when I moved from home for the first time to pursue my master's degree in Sports Administration. This was a big deal for me, because not only was I leaving the only place I'd called home, I was moving 8 hours away in a completely different state! I knew this was the best decision for my desired career path, but it was a struggle to leave my friends and family behind. I moved to the great state of Ohio, and spent 1 1/2 years there, meeting new people and working all sorts of different jobs to afford school and the cost of an apartment. There were stretches of time, sometimes weeks, when I doubted the choice I made, and didn't even think I'd make any new friends. In the back of my mind I always thought, "well, when they know I'm not going to be staying forever why would they want to hang out with me?" Thankfully I proved myself wrong, and I still have friends there that I keep in touch with frequently.
After Ohio, I moved back to Missouri, but this time Saint Louis, still two hours from home, to complete an internship that would finish up my master's degree. When I got the opportunity to return so much closer to everyone I knew, I was thrilled. More frequent visits to Columbia, the chance for my friends to come visit, as well as the friends I had here in St. Louis. Unfortunately it didn't work out as well as I'd hoped, mostly I feel because of the schedule I had working 7 days a week. I also feel that sometimes I do a poor job of keeping in touch with my friends, not only because I'm busy but being away from them for so long is just really straining on relationships. This makes life even harder, because I'm not one of those people who makes friends easily, and I only have a handful I truly and deeply love, and so I blame myself for us not communicating more often.
Now I'm moving to Michigan, 2 weeks from Wednesday, and I'm starting to get to panic mode. To move now 11 hours away from home without ever having visited, is definitely intimidating, but I am truly excited for the opportunity this job is providing. It IS only a year long commitment, which means I'll most likely be moving again next summer, but my mom keeps reminding me that at this time in my life it's normal. I'm just ready to settle down in one place and stay there for a LONG, LONG, time.
I guess you can say the madness began almost 2 years ago, when I moved from home for the first time to pursue my master's degree in Sports Administration. This was a big deal for me, because not only was I leaving the only place I'd called home, I was moving 8 hours away in a completely different state! I knew this was the best decision for my desired career path, but it was a struggle to leave my friends and family behind. I moved to the great state of Ohio, and spent 1 1/2 years there, meeting new people and working all sorts of different jobs to afford school and the cost of an apartment. There were stretches of time, sometimes weeks, when I doubted the choice I made, and didn't even think I'd make any new friends. In the back of my mind I always thought, "well, when they know I'm not going to be staying forever why would they want to hang out with me?" Thankfully I proved myself wrong, and I still have friends there that I keep in touch with frequently.
After Ohio, I moved back to Missouri, but this time Saint Louis, still two hours from home, to complete an internship that would finish up my master's degree. When I got the opportunity to return so much closer to everyone I knew, I was thrilled. More frequent visits to Columbia, the chance for my friends to come visit, as well as the friends I had here in St. Louis. Unfortunately it didn't work out as well as I'd hoped, mostly I feel because of the schedule I had working 7 days a week. I also feel that sometimes I do a poor job of keeping in touch with my friends, not only because I'm busy but being away from them for so long is just really straining on relationships. This makes life even harder, because I'm not one of those people who makes friends easily, and I only have a handful I truly and deeply love, and so I blame myself for us not communicating more often.
Now I'm moving to Michigan, 2 weeks from Wednesday, and I'm starting to get to panic mode. To move now 11 hours away from home without ever having visited, is definitely intimidating, but I am truly excited for the opportunity this job is providing. It IS only a year long commitment, which means I'll most likely be moving again next summer, but my mom keeps reminding me that at this time in my life it's normal. I'm just ready to settle down in one place and stay there for a LONG, LONG, time.
The people I am going to miss the most are definitely my family members, especially my mom and my sister, who I've grown closer with since I've moved away. They are my biggest sources of encouragement and I can't wait to go on our summer vacation in less than 4 weeks!!! I'm also really going to miss my friend Heather and her two boys, especially this rascal:
I act like he's my own kid, but I love him so darn much, and we have so much fun together. I'm also going to miss all my Columbia friends, I just hope they realize how much I really do love them even if I sometimes forget to text or call as often as I should have. I just wish I could have spent more time with them while I was back in Missouri. If they want to come and visit in the next two weeks before I move, I definitely would not complain, but I know we all lead very busy lives.
I guess that's all for now! I'll be back home one last time before I move for the 4th, and maybe I'll see some of you there!
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