1. Paris, Je T'aime!
The summer seminar to Paris was out of this world! I never felt a strong desire to visit the City of Lights, I guess I always assumed that I would eventually get there and kind of took it for granted. But Paris charmed me in the way that it does all hopeless romantics. We stayed in the Latin Quarter somewhere between Notre Dame and the Pantheon and it was just magical! Sixteen museums, ICOM, Versailles, etc. in just 9 days! Not to mention sightseeing on our own time! Anna, Erin, Julie and I hit the Louvre (with the group), Sacre Coeur in Monmartre, the Arc de Triomphe on the Champs Élysées, and the Eiffel Tower in one day (you really can do Paris in a day)! The whole trip was exhausting with each day beginning at 7AM and not ending until midnight... but definitely worth the experience! I can't wait to go back!
(Erin, Amy and I after our whirlwind tour of the Louvre; the whole group; Me in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles)
2. Summer in Orlando
I've been living with Kristina and Shannon, which was a challenge at first but has worked out better than I initially thought (She is my sister after all). Interning with the Orlando Science Center has been so rewarding. I know more than ever that this is what I want to do with the rest of my life! And I've road-tripped more than ever... visiting everywhere from Miami to Jacksonville on the weekends to see everyone!
(Perrino and I dressed as Chik-Fil-A cows; at Star Wars weekend with Kristina; visiting Sarah in Miami)
3. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!
Okay, I know that it is crazy to try and go to Harry Potter World the summer that it opens... but Sweeney and I have always accepted that we're crazy (and we're not entirely sure when we'll be back in Florida after this simmer is over)! In a word... it was AWESOME!!! The lines weren't as horrifying as we assumed they would be, and we just had a great time! I felt like a 7 year old going to a magical place that I had read about, only now it had actually come to life! The ride inside the castle was probably one of the best rides I've ever experienced, and Sweeney got me on my first roller coaster!!! Amazing day!
(me trying Butterbeer; Sweeney and I outside Hogwarts; and with the conductor of the Hogwarts Express)
4. My Best Friend's Wedding!
This was probably the event I was looking forward to the most this summer. I went up to see Justin the Wednesday before (and nearly died on the drive home), and it was so wonderful to just talk with him and spend time with him after nearly 8 months in different parts of the country. On Saturday, he looked so happy, happier than I've ever seen him and I couldn't help but smile at that. Someone asked me if it was weird to see Justin married. It was (I would be lying if I said I didn't have the "Boy Meets World" Cory-Shawn-wedding-fight going through my head the whole day)... I still remember when it was me and Justin and Dan in a dorm room talking about our weddings. I miss those times. Wednesday night Justin and I were having a wooden spoon sword fight and then I watched him get married 3 days later. Sitting back and watching him go from my partner-in-crime/wonder twin/other half of a dynamic duo to someone's husband was the strangest part...
(Vows; First dance; Dan, Justin, and I - 4 years past Murphree)
Other summer Highlights...
(Intern Jen delivering snacks; Shannon and I taking a break from moving out; Carolina, Sweeney, Sarah and I heading to Howl at the Moon for my birthday; Lee, Agnes, Kaden and I playing Wii Just Dance at the Lopez Family Reunion)
A year ago...
-I was at RA training, desperately trying to get my bulletin boards put together before LeighAnne, Kevin, Caitlin, Mike and I took Alex out for his 21st. I didn't think I would miss it, but it's hitting me hard that this is the first time in 4 years that I'm not making doortags, or planning welcome events, or getting to know other RAs over a game of mafia. I think being an RA shaped me more than anything I did in college and I miss it dearly. It truly was the best job I've ever had...
-I didn't know that I was going to grad school. Let alone where or to study what.
-I hadn't met RJ and goodness knows what kind of year it would have been if that didn't happen.
I wasn't ready for life to change. So much has changed in a year and I'm still not ready for things to change. I wonder if I'll ever feel differently...
And just because I'm currently watching Return of the Jedi, I give you Henry IV holding a lightsaber :)
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