Thoughts on the First Week of Summer

I was REALLY excited to go home for summer this year.  To chill, relax, run, sleep way more than normal....but right before I left school and continuing into my first week of summer I have come to a couple conclusions:

1.  This summer is not so much about the hellos as it is about the goodbyes.
2.  People grow. And change. And .....
3.  I'm not going to have an actual summer.
4.  At this point in the summer everyone has hit cruise and I'm still pulling off of the brakes.

Conclusion #1:  This summer is not so much about the hellos as it is about the goodbyes.

Saying goodbye to my friends from school was exceptionally difficult.  We've gone through a lot together...lots of amazing moments and a few hard times.  Living together definitely brings another level to a friendship and I'm so grateful that I was able to bond with so many people.

While saying hello to all of my friends from home has been nice, for me it has been greatly overshadowed by the fact that at the end of the summer I will be saying goodbye for a lengthy period of time.  Yes.  I'll be home for Thanksgiving.  I'll probably be home for part of winter break.  Maybe, I'll be home for spring break.  But I don't think I'll be coming back for the summer.  Chances are great that this is the last time that I will be spending large amounts of time with people from home.

This is my last summer at home.  My last opportunity to strengthen my relationships with the people I grew up with.   My last time to create bonds and get things straight.  To in a way find closure in relationships.  After this summer all of these relationships are up against time.  We move in the direction of Christmas card friends, checking up only with important news and or a yearly Christmas update.  It's kind of depressing that the relationships that I've been fostering for the last 19 years hinge on the next 3 months.

Conclusion #2:  People Grow.  And Change.  And .....

A lot of the people that I've grown up with have changed.  It isn't bad or good change.  It's just change. They've had different experiences then I have.  They have new sets of friends that have influenced them.  They hang out with different people and value different things in friendships.  I've come to realize that I don't have any control over these situations and it's best to accept what's happening and move on.  Another thing that has influenced me this summer is that I no longer care about the people who don't care.  If people want to make and effort to hang out, then I'm willing to hang out with them and make the effort back.  However, I'm not going to go out of my way to contact people who don't care.

Conclusion #3:  I'm not going to have an actual summer.

I finished my last final on Thursday, June 7th at 5 pm.  Caught a flight home at 9:21 am on Friday, June 8th, and was in the office from 9 am to 3 pm on Saturday, June 9th.  My normal work schedule (7am-3pm M-F) began the first Monday I was home....meaning that unlike everyone else who got 3 to 4 weeks to chill and SLEEP before starting their summer jobs, I went directly from school to work and then will go directly back to school in the fall.  I'll be moving back into NU on the Saturday after my last Friday of work (I think we're at 78 days?)!

Complaining but not really.  This is real life.  No more long breaks where you chill for endless hours and spend a whole day deciding what to do just because you can waste that much time.  That's for spring break....duh (and middle/high schoolers).

Adulthood here I come.

Conclusion #4:  At this point in the summer everyone has hit cruise and I'm still pulling off of the breaks.

All of my friends were home for a good 3-5 weeks before I even finished my last final.  Meaning that they've all caught up with each other, talked about their year at school, and are utterly bored by sitting around for hours doing nothing.  ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE SHINY AND NEW TO ME!!!  I want to lay in my bed for hours sleeping.  I don't care about staying out until 3 am in the morning because that's what the school year is for!  This is summer.

People have started to get a little restless.  College is a constant experience where every moment is something new and exciting.  Being at home is chill.  Everything is familiar and you can only enjoy the calm and quiet for a little before it gets a little tedious.  I'm not at that point yet, which is a stark contrast to lots of my friends from home.

Keep it chill.
Kat

Random Ramblings #2: Movie Mania

This is the second edition of "Random Ramblings" where I make random comments on the topic of the day.  Today's topic is movies...so here we go!

-When I was little I used to watch Mary Poppins almost everyday.
-I've never seen the movie Titanic
-My favorite move is Ferris Buellers Day Off....one of my life goals is to recreate his adventure.
-I really don't like the movie 500 Days of Summer
-My favorite holiday movie is Home Alone, but I always watch White Christmas and Holiday Inn with my family,
-I'm OBSESSED with Harry Potter
-The last movie I saw in theaters was either 50/50 or Moneyball...both decent movies.
-I hate horror films.
-The last horror movie I saw was The Ring, in 6th grade, literally had nightmares for a good 5 months.  Definitely thought Samara Morgan was hiding under my bed.
-27 Dresses is my go to chick flick.
-I've only seen Inception once, therefore I don't understand it.
-I'm a Star Wars fan
-Justin Bieber's Never Say Never movie changed my perception on him....but that doesn't mean I like his music!
-Smart House is my favorite Disney Channel Original movie.
-I'm a fan of 80's movies...The Breakfast Club, 16 Candles, Pretty in Pink, Dirty Dancing...never get old.
-I've never watched the Lord of the Rings movies
-I saw the 8th Harry Potter movie 4 times in theaters....once in 3D, once in imax, and twice normal.
-My favorite Disney Princess is Ariel, my least favorite is Snow White.
-The last movie I watched was Toy Story 3.  It was really good.  If you haven't seen it yet, you should watch it.
-I love The Wizard of Oz.
-I walked out of Saving Private Ryan after the first 2 minutes.
-I've never seen the animated version of Peter Pan, instead I watched this version.
-Mean Girls.

Keep Smiling.
Kat

Random Ramblings Edition #1: Focus on Food

I was struggling with thoughts on today so I decided to start doing "Random Ramblings"...unorganized thoughts on whatever I feel like talking about!  This posts focus is food.

-Today the food in the dining hall was terrible.  Since I'm not allowed to eat foods super high in saturated fat my choices were limited to a sad looking salad bar or a sandwich with limited meat and dressing.  Tough call, but I went with the sandwich.

-Fresh fruit is only available in limited portions in our dining hall...but today we were lucky enough to have fresh strawberries!!!  Such a treat!!!

-Totally obsessed with Special K.

-Even though soy milk looks absolutely disgusting in all its off-white glory, I've been enjoying it lately.  Especially since the skim milk machine pours at a rate of 1 cup a day.

-One of the things that I miss most from home is my absolute favorite froyo place Freeziac #nomnomnomnom

-I eat spaghetti almost everyday...usually with whole wheat penne.

-I always order pesto cavatappi with no mushrooms and a flat bread when I go to Noodles and Company.

-My ideal breakfast consists of waffles with peaches on top and orange juice OR blueberry muffins

-The only food I'm morally opposed to eating is lamb...and brussel sprouts, but that's only because I can't think of another reason to hate them.

-I once tried to mix milk and orange juice as a more efficient means of drinking my breakfast beverages.  It was disgusting.

-When I was little I used to freeze milk in a bag and eat it during the summer time.

-I LOVE ICE CREAM.  (Chocolate chip, mint chocolate chip, peanut butter chocolate chip, oreo, vanilla)

-I always ask for a chocolate almond cake for my birthday.  Or an ice cream cake.

-If there is fruit sitting out I will finish it.

-I really like pineapple on pizza.

-Eating crab and lobster makes me tired.

-My absolute favorite seafood place is the Neptune Oyster Bar in Boston.

-Croissants are way better in France then they are in the United States.

-Red velvet cupcakes are my specialty.

-I hate TV dinners

-I used to only like Kraft mac and cheese but now I only eat Annie's white cheddar shells.

-Bonne Manman jam is the best.  No exceptions.

I honor of my food post...#frenchfood

Mange On

Kat