That Home on the Hill

Earth Jam - velcro wall with Seth

 Part of our softball team, The Swingers. Tai, Betsy, Me, Jake

 Jake in our dorms trying on my clothes

 "Family Breakfast Table" - our awesome group of friends at the GAC sign

 Homecoming queen nominees, Crystal and me, with Paul, the king

 Senior year party - Bert and Ernie, Pebbles and Bam Bam

 J term after guitar practice with JZ at our house on Elm

It's completely inevitable this time of year.  I don't even try to pretend anymore.  My heart aches, as I feel the cool fall breezes coming in.  I see school buses practicing their routes and college football on TV.  At Target, kids choose colored pens and notebooks, and recent high school grads excitedly load up on shower caddies, clothes hampers, ramen, and flashy decor for their dorm rooms.  

The Thursday before Labor Day, I am fully reminded of the years I moved in to campus to prepare for the incoming freshmen, who would arrive on Saturday.  For the Gustavus Class of 2015, that's today.  In about 6 hours, station wagons and SUVs will line up on College Avenue, and a new round of Gustie freshmen will move old couches, hand-me-down televisions, flashy new microwaves, and large Rubbermaid tubs into campus.  Most likely, they will either turn left at the sign (to Pittman) or right (to Coed).  11 years ago, my family drove both station wagons down, and we turned right.

My college roommate Tai called me today and left me a voicemail, after she had read on Facebook about people getting ready for the big move back to St. Peter.  She wanted to remind me of the day and how it's now been 11 years since we anxiously said goodbye to our families to enter this completely new world - a world that will forever be listed in my book as nothing short of spectacular.  

I remember some little details, like my parents hugging me goodbye in the parking lot, my dad putting his sunglasses on so I wouldn't see his tears.  He hugged me and he said, "I'm really proud of you, take care of yourself."  I moved in with Beth Boser, an only child from Plymouth who lived with her mom and immediately exuded more confidence than I was feeling.  I remember my Gustie Greeter, Cambria Halgren, who led us through orientation.  We started class the following Wednesday, the day I only had Macroeconomics with Henry Hays.  The other four days I had First Term Seminar, Spanish, and Calculus.  I remember feeling it was nice to ease my way in on a Wednesday.

The next years, I moved to St. Peter early to prepare for orientation, as I became a Gustie Greeter and helped make move-in day special for the incoming freshmen.  I was also involved in a gajillion other activites, and every one of them helped shape who I am now.  Gustavus for me was not just school - it was a way of life.  The pictures I share here are a snippet of the random adventures we had and the amazing people I got to share them with.  

I still have a recurring dream that it's senior year and I only have a few months, and I'm scrambling to make the best of them.  And when I think of autumn leaves and a river valley, I think of meeting Emily Kofoed on that bench by Old Main every single time.  

Part of the excitement of getting ready for this baby is thinking about experiencing life again through his or her eyes.  Jake and I have been watching Glee, and parts make me nostalgic about my old high school days.  In the not so distant future, I will get to experience running around on the playground, hopscotch, jumprope, tee ball, slip-n-slides, Red Rover, Field Day, and H.O.R.S.E. in the eyes and smiles of my child.  And when I drive him or her to college in about 19 years, my heart will ache, but in a different way.  I will also be oozing with joy for the experience upon which they are about to embark.