reflections

Katie, Podge and I at the top of a windy Dune 7 on our trip.

It’s New Year’s Eve and I find myself back in Kimberley after a whirlwind adventure that took me across Botswana and Namibia, through deltas and deserts, over dunes and volcanoes with three of the best travel companions I could ever desire. It was a one of a kind trip that I will never forget (to read all about it, check out my past blog entries).

Rob, the Cofer's and I outside of Fenway Park.

One of my favorite parts of this trip was the “pillow talk” sessions that my travel companions and I shared. On most nights throughout the trip, there were four of us sharing a snug three-person tent. So, we ended each night with a little “pillow talk” in which we talked about everything from most embarrassing moments to whether or not a broken heart is the most painful type of injury. Last night’s topic was; “what are some of your favorite memories from last year?”

My D3E hall mates and I wringing the Wren
Bell on the last day of classes. May 2011.

As I continue to think about last night’s question, I just keep remembering more and more of my ‘favorite’ memories. There was the time when my D3E hall mates and I completed the William and Mary triathlon in one night. There was the time when Joe and I ran around the streets of Williamsburg in the pouring rain because we were participating in Audio Adventure. There was the time when Kyle and I rode around in the back of a pick up truck because “the mountains weren’t blue!” There was the time when Tim and I sat on the hood of his truck ‘til five in the morning just talking because "spontaneity is a virtue". There was the time when my grandfather, aunt, cousin, mom and I climbed to the top of an active volcano. There was the time when my parents and I stopped somewhere in New Jersey to order the biggest deli sandwiches we’d ever seen. There was a time… there were so many times…

Janelle, Laurel and I caught in a blizzard.

There really are no words to describe how amazing this past year has been. I finished a 220-page thesis; graduated from a fantastic university that I absolutely love; I traveled the world (in ten months I have been to twelve countries); I joined Grassroot Soccer and moved to South Africa; and through it all, my friends and family have given me so much love and support, without which I would not be the person I am today.

Three of my best guy friends accompanying me to formal.

So thank you. To everyone reading this (and any of my blog posts), thank you. To my D3E roomies who send the best email updates, thank you. To my Delta Gamma sisters who check in on me every now and then, thank you. To my geo crew for making me laugh out loud even when you are thousands of miles away, thank you. To Laura (mcl), Laurel (l+n), Janelle and Meghan for mentoring me (even if you didn’t know you were doing it), thank you. To my Big for always thinking about me, thank you. To my Right Arm for always g-chatting me (and for being just as sarcastic and bitter as ever), thank you. To K-Conn for keeping me in the loop, thank you. And to Kyle, Tim, Will, Quinn, Hobbes, Daniel, Blair, Matt, Darren, Katie, Chris, Richard, JB, and a few others for being part of my William and Mary family, thank you.

My 'Right Arm' and I.

And to my ‘real’ family, thank you. To all of my family members for sharing holidays with me, thank you. To all of my aunts, uncles and grandparents for taking me to Red Sox games, to Cape Cod, and even halfway around the world, thank you. To my cousin, Katherine, for acting like a sister, thank you. To my brothers, for making fun of me, for wrestling with me, for picking on me and for always being there at the end of the day to make me stronger, thank you. And last but not least, to my mom and dad for guiding me and helping me find my own path in life, thank you.

My younger brother jumping on me... 

I love you all and I hope you have a wonderful New Year!

Graduation day with my Grandparents.

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Head's Up: I am planning to write a blog entry about almost every day of my holiday trip so keep checking in for those blogs (if you are interested) and best of all, for some pictures! I return to work on 3 January and once I know what I'll be spending my time on this year I'll be sure to write about that as well. 

Joe, David, Kevin and I. Joe and David, there are hardly any
acceptable pictures of us together... we should change this.