4 years...Reminiscing about College

In less than one month, I will begin my final year at the University of New Hampshire. It feels so surreal because I remember being a high school senior so vividly and now here I am, 4 years later (gap year, remember?), about to embark on my senior year of college.

4 years.

4 years when you're a kid feels like forever. 4 years as a child means getting taller, moving up a few shoe sizes, aging from single digits to double digits. 4 years as a child feels like forever because the changes that take place are often tangible. Post high school, time accelerates. The years become harder to define and often blur together a bit. This blur is very obvious during those magical college years.

Only, they aren't so magical.

I firmly believe that the most important lessons you learn in college take place outside of the classroom. Sure, debating the ethical principles of human experimentation is eye-opening but it pales in comparison to the experiences you gain in the "college real world."

College often feels like a reality show. There are moments where you're almost expecting some hipster producer to jump out and point out all of the hidden cameras while shouting, "Gotcha! You're on Candid Camera!" I really recommend writing down some of these experiences because they only get weirder as time passes.

And time will pass. Quicker than you think.

As a freshman, you'll be so naive and eager. College, to many, is synonymous with freedom so there is always potential for anything to happen hence the reality show comparison. It's fun but it's also easy to lose yourself this year. Everyone seeks out a second family of sorts because, well, the people you live with are all you've got!

My college experience has been a little unorthodox. I set aside the party lifestyle for a more real approach. I studied hard and worked hard. Let me tell you, it isn't always easy seeing everyone around you go out and have fun. In fact, I've lost many friends because of that. Some people see college as "one big party before reality hits" but I've always viewed it as 4 years to work really hard, push myself to be the best I can be, and by the end, be able to boast a stellar resume.

Here's the thing - you can't list all of the ragers you've been to on a resume. Or talk about them in a job interview. The only times in your life that it will be appropriate to talk about your wild college years will be a parties with fellow partiers. Oh, you used to get blackout drunk and sing Britney Spears songs? In the real world, no one cares.

Make sure that at the end of your 4 years you're proud of who you are and what you've accomplished. You are spending literally thousands of dollars to go to college so make sure you get your money's worth. Take advantage of making connections, joining clubs, and work study jobs (Note: no matter how many hours you've worked you will always struggle financially hence the ever-popular #BrokeCollegeKid saying).

When I throw my cap in the air at graduation, I know I'm going to be proud of myself. Our society is ever-changing but the value of hard work will always remain the same.

LDRs: The Real Deal

We've all heard the saying, "absence makes the heart grow fonder" but when it comes to long distance relationships, that absence comes with a myriad of emotions. These emotions will still strike a nerve even years after the distance is bridged again. When you're hundreds of miles from the person you love, life takes on a new perspective and you begin to cherish Skype calls, "Good Morning" texts, and of course, short visits. LDRs aren't easy but if you can stick through it, it is so worth it.

Summer is here again (well, for college-age kids at least) and I've been thinking back to the end of my freshman year two years ago. For the first time in my life, I was dreading summer because I knew Jesse and I were going to be long distance for the 3+ months of summer vacation given to college students. On May 11th we said our goodbyes and I cried for the first hour on the drive home. He visited me in New York every 3 or so weeks and I lived for those visits. The fact that he would get out of work at 5pm, leave straight for my house, arriving at 10 or so at night just to see me for 2 days still amazes me. We made the most of our short visits together catching up, making out, and going on walks. But every night as I would fall asleep in his arms, I would get this lump in my throat as I realized our time together was almost up.

Jesse would leave at 5am on Friday mornings. The night before he left I would try to stay up as late as I could because I knew the moment I closed my eyes and fell asleep, the next time I would open them, Jesse would be leaving. 5am is such a beautiful time of day during the summer with the sun just beginning to rise. The day has so much potential. However, during that summer, I hated 5am. It was the hour that Jesse would get up, pack his things, and start up his Mustang to drive back to New Hampshire. We would say a really tearful goodbye and I would wrap myself in the blankets we just slept in and walk to the front of the house to wave goodbye. As soon as his car was out of my sight I would sit on the porch and cry. After just two short days, I would be alone again, in the lonely silence that 5am brings.

Whether you're currently in or will be in an LDR in the future, here are some things to keep in mind.

• Use technology to your advantage. We live in a world that has Facetime, Skype, texting, and every kind of social media available so use it! Skype every night. Text in the morning. Whatever works! 
• Handwritten letters are super romantic and they are a great keepsake. I channeled my inner Noah Calhoun and wrote Jesse a letter every single day that summer and man, are they fun to reread. They're repetitive and kinda cheesy but they are always reassuring to read.
• Once you've been in an LDR, you'll never take that person for granted ever again. Every time I'm annoyed at Jesse I always think back to that summer and it just puts everything into perspective.
• We all do crazy things when we're in love. Example #1: Jesse drove hundreds of miles to visit me during that summer. Example #2: After that summer, we promised to never be apart again and look at me know! I live in New Hampshire!
• Countdowns will become your life. After I stopped crying after Jesse left, I would start a new countdown until he visited again. There's something about watching time pass that makes LDRs a little easier...either that or I was just really bored without Jesse.
• If you want it to work, it will work. LDRs take effort to maintain but if both parties put in that effort, you guys will make it. I promise.
• LDRs are romantic...in retrospect. While I would never want to go back to that summer (for multiple reasons - hello summer of surgery), I have great memories of those months that I'll carry with me forever.
• There will be tears. Lots of tears.
• You might have a breakthrough in your thinking. It was during my long distance summer that I truly fell in love with Jesse and realized that he is The One.

During that summer I found a great quote that helped ease the pain of a fresh goodbye:

"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."                                                                                                                    -Winnie the Pooh

Saying goodbye to the person you love never gets easier but I am so fortunate to have found someone like Jesse. I still get choked up when I stop and think about how Jesse would drive to see me every few weeks because he wanted to see me. If the person you're with is willing to go the distance, you'll make it through the summer, year, or week of long distance love. If it's true love, no distance is too great.

Goodbye 2014, Hello 2015!!!

Happy Holidays from Apartment 23!

At the end of each year, I get suuuper nostalgic as I look back on the past year. I always conclude that the past year was the best year of my life and I can never imagine how the next year could possibly top the past year but it always seems to. This year is no different. Here is a list of my top ten favorite moments of 2014!

1. Having my first ever New Year's kiss with Jesse at 12:00:01 AM.
2. Celebrating my 21st birthday at the bar with Jesse by doing shots of Absolut peach. 
3. Reaching the one year milestone with my one and only!
4. Travelling to Disney to see my sister as a castmember.
5. Moving into a tiny one bedroom apartment with Jesse.
6. Surprising my sister in Florida who had absolutely NO IDEA I was coming!
7. Old Orchard Beach 2014♥
8. Watching my episode of MTV's Virgin Territory and live Tweeting.
9. Buying and decorating our first ever Christmas tree while it snowed.
10. Meeting tons of fans after Disney's Frozen on Ice.

2014: My Favorite Moments♥