As I sit on the porch of Pig Skin, sipping my Bloody Mary reading a book, I reminisce on my life in this beautiful town. This town has seen the best and worse of me, sometimes even in the same day. Walking on these bricks for the thousandth time, I think back to my time here and how it would have turned out completely different if I never would have come here.
Flashback to senior year of high school, college applications were due. I applied to 3 schools. Ball State University, a school I never would actually be able to go to, unless they gave me a scholarship. Ohio University, my top school, the only one I realistically saw myself going to. Wright State University, it's right down the street, all my friends are going, why not?
First letter to come back, Ball State, I got in, yay. Yet, I knew, out of state tuition would be my downfall. Next, came Wright State. Ok, cool, I could go there and be with a lot of people I knew. Ohio University sent me a letter saying they were missing part of my application and they needed it before they could give me an answer. Shit. Is this the end? Am I not going to get into the only school I really applied for?
March. The middle of March is when I finally got the acceptance letter and I screamed. I screamed and jump so loudly my dog was barking and my mom was like, "what the hell is wrong with you?" I had gotten in. I was going to Ohio University. There was no decision that needed to be made. The acceptance letter was it.
July 2008, I received information about where I was living and who my roommate was going to bed. Kyrstin Ratliff. This was scary. My roommate finally had a name and it was real. We were going to be living together for the year. I decided to do what anyone in 2008 would do, I creeped on Facebook until I found her. We talked about what we were bringing and when we were moving in. We wanted to make sure we didn't have duplicates. Good thing too, our room was the smallest on the floor.
Move in day came before we all knew it. My mom, dad and Jessica moved all of my stuff in. Four flights of stairs later, probably 15 trips up those stairs and everything was in. We made my bed, and put some of my stuff away, then it was inevitably time to say goodbye. Mom hugged me and cried, Jess and I knew we'd see each other soon and then I said goodbye to dad. He knew what it was like, many years before he'd done the same thing at the exact same school with my grandma.
Being roommates with Kyrstin could have never worked out better than it did. We were instant best friends and I can't imagine my life without her now. Four years, four of the best years we were roommates. We had other roommates along the way that lived with us, but her and I never faltered our friendship. No matter who was in our life, we were the best of friends and nothing and no one would change that. Her last year was the saddest, I had to find a new place to live and with new people, people that weren't her.
When I finally decided on the summit as my next adventure, I had the privilege of living with two incredible roommates, Natalie and Sarah. Oh, and you can't forget my favorite companion, Rascal. This was another great year, an unexpected year. But, nevertheless one of adventure and finding myself. I came back from a month long trip to Costa Rica, broke up with a guy I had dated most of college and was starting fresh. New roommates, new major, and Racal. 2012 came fast and hard and hit even harder. I think I found myself that year.
I learned to love myself no matter what anyone thought. I made friends I still have today. And I found new ways to make myself happy. If these bricks could talk, they'd paint a picture of a girl who fought for everything, drank a little too much and learned to believe in the little things.
December 2012, I met some of the best people I never thought existed. I decided to get a job at my apt complex, The Summit. Thank god I did, or I wouldn't have met my best friend, or my boyfriend. Once Andrea came into my life, I knew things would never be the same. Ever since the day we had to "hold down the fort," and all hell broke loose, we became the best of friends.
Fast forward a few years. October 13, 2017. Today. I'm in Athens waiting on Andrea. I had an opportunity to walk through campus. I tried to stop at Ellis, the English building, but they're closed for renovations, until 2019. So, I decided to go through Alden Library.
The stacks. Holy crap. I didn't think I would get that emotional walking up those three flights of stairs to the stacks, but I did. 7th floor Alden saw tears and failures. 7th floor Alden saw my heartbreaking while having to write a paper for a class. 7th floor Alden saw me more than some of my friends. To be back in the place where I wrote nourmous papers, it took me back. I will never forget the smell, the quiet, the books, and the smell. Yes, the smell of old books, it was a euphoric.
Sunday, October 15, 2017. Being back on campus was just what I needed this weekend. I remembered that I'm getting too old to drink the way I did when I was in college and that's perfectly fine. The amount of food I consumed this weekend was more than enough for a week, but nostalgia hit hard and I couldn't choose one place over another, so had to eat all the things. Had a conversation with a couple and realized she was one of my favorite professors in the education department. Saw some old friends I haven't seen since graduating. Met some older Bobcat alums and realized what a truly small world it is. That's the thing with Bobcats, you can strike up a conversation with just about any other person who went to Ohio University and you will have something in common.
It's sad that I have to pack up and leave this morning, the weekend went too quickly, but it's okay, I will always come back.
Love from the girl who walked down 6 and a half years of memories in one long weekend.
