Transitions

The last couple weeks have been full of lasts and conclusions. Last days of high school, graduation, open houses for fellow graduates, grad dance, and the last time I might ever see lots of people from North Central. The lasts can be really bittersweet- sad and emotional and filled with excitement for change all mixed into one. One of my favorite parts of experiencing all these lasts was being able to see my graduating class really come together for the last time, and just enjoy each other. Some of my favorite moments of senior year happened in the last week, the last day, and our last dance.

Top 11 favorite parts of the end of my senior year:
1. Spirit days for just seniors

                               
2. Tailgaiting in the parking lot before school on the senior's last day

3. Riding around with my 8 best friends in Mr. B's Tahoe for the last school night, to and from the last day of school and to graduation

4. Danielle's Noodles and Company speech at Baccalaureate

5. Taking final pictures with all my friends in the cafeteria in our cap and gowns

6. Finding my friends after we graduated and just being so excited

7. Riding in the Lime-a-zine to Grad Dance

8. Staying at grad dance for the whole time and everyone just being so fun and dancing and taking advantage of our last time to all be together

9. Staying up til 3am at blast off and winning prizes and playing games and singing kareoke with Phillip

10. Being friends with people I never really got to know even though we've been at the same school for 4 years
11. Senior luncheon with my parents

 I spent the last week going to open houses and staying at home for probably my only laid back week of summer, preparing for the next 7 weeks at Camp Tecumseh. Right now is one of the most exciting times I've ever expereinced. I've finished up a huge chapter in my life, and am moving on to college in the Fall to make new friends and learn new things and have new experiences. But even before that I get to go back to my favorite place on Earth, just further fueling the constant feelings of excitement I've experienced these last few weeks.

Now, I'm sitting next to Mags and Peanut with butterflies in my stomach for what I am sure is going to be the best summer ever. Tomorrow I leave for camp to be with some of the best, kindest, most creative, amazing people I know. I am just really lucky.

So, while college is a really big deal, I'm just not ready to focus all my excitement on that just yet. I have too much of a great thing coming beforehand.

Aloha!

Today (my last Tuesday at NC) I love...

Hawaiian themes

Coming together as a class before we say good bye

Decorating foam visors

Making paper plate awards

Mrs. Ellis for helping me this morning

When people color things for me

Finishing 2 finals

Mitch giving me his lei

Alisa bringing in old pictures of us from Brownies

Only having to take our finals during regular class periods because we're seniors

Having a good conversation with my calculus teacher that didn't involve math

Getting put in the infant room at work for the first time and holding lots of cute babies

Buying a new wolf shirt (ahooo!)

Getting ready to say aloha to high school and aloha to summer!

Monday

Here's what I want to remember about my last Monday of high school ever:

Laughing so hard I almost cried in yearbook this morning. We were looking at people's comments on a facebook group complied of several hundred of the seniors in my graduating class and some of those people are just really really funny.

It was day one of senior spirit week and most everyone showed up in their Tie Dye... I especially liked that I saw several people wearing the Camp T version of the tie dye t-shirt (naturally I was wearing mine also)

How Minner wore around a life jacket and plastic bags over his shoes all day

I felt really pumped and happy about life all day. Feeling like that on any day is really great, but feeling like that on a Monday just seemed especially significant and fun.

Mrs. Ellis my Econ teacher told us what our essay question for her final tomorrow will be in advance. That was just really nice of her and makes my life a lot less stressful. She also offered to come in early tomorrow in case I had any last minute questions. Its a really good feeling when you can tell a teacher wants to do well and will go out of her way to make that happen.

Today I was just really motivated. I studied and went to work and cleaned out my car and returned things to people that I've had for way too long. I even got to turn in a couple textbooks and that's always a great feeling.

My first official poke war has started on Facebook with Pat, and I think I'm going to win.

I got to spend some time talking to Ann who I love and miss lots and lots. She is just really great and we got to talk about how extremely extremely excited we are to be getting ready to spend another summer together at Camp T.

Monday set the bar pretty high for the rest of my final week at North Central, but I have a feeling it can get even better from here.

I feel so old

Today was filled with family as we celebrated my niece Regan's 8th birthday. Regan was born when I was 10, and I just can't believe 8 years have already passed. Since Regan's been born I've become an aunt two more times, finished middle school and almost high school, gotten a new brother-in-law, been a blazer, a warrior, a pathfinder, a CILT, and a day camp counselor, and decided on what college I'm going to for the next four years of my life.

As the school year comes to a close the more and more realizations I have about how things are going to be so different soon. Spending time with all my family reminds me that those times are about to be much farther apart and less frequent. Soon I will have to adjust to living somewhere else with new people and new experiences. I think I am ready for that change, but days like today with Regan (and Griffin and Carter and Blake) make it bittersweet.

It is so weird going around telling people my plans for next year. Everyone is so excited to find out where I'm going and what I want to study and says things like "I wish I was about to be a freshman in college, you are going to have such a great time." Sometimes when I'm telling people about DePauw it still doesn't feel real or like its really me I'm talking about. I just feel like Regan was born the other day and I was just beginning to anticipate middle school.

I really am so so excited though. I'm excited to experience life on my own without my parents always there to make everything better. I'm excited to make new friends and form new relationships. I'm excited to not be in one building everyday from 7:25 to 3:00. I'm excited to walk everywhere and to eat in a dining hall and to figure out what classes I'm taking. So, while this whole growing up and leaving home thing is really kind of sad I just have to keep reminding myself all the exciting and fun parts and its easier to look past the sad stuff. Luckily, I know my family and my house and even some of my friends will be here waiting for me every time I get back and that just makes the whole thing even better.

While change is sometimes hard, its necessary. And I'm ready to accept the new changes in my life and embrace them.

Moll and Coll Forever: Twin Blog Post #1

Coll and I liked Sar and Mag's twin post back in February so much that we decided to do our own! So with their posts as inspiration, tonight our blogs are twins.

Top 3 Favorite Things About Today:
1. School was actually kind of enjoyable. No tests, no quizzes, no new projects or assignments. Other than calculus, I think things are actually starting to wind down!
2. I got to see and play with some of my favorite kids at work. I love when Anna sits in my lap and hugs me and when Jordan dances around the room all silly and when Ella looks at me and just says "Hiii Ms. Molly" and then laughs at herself.
3. It was just me and my mom for dinner so we ordered in sushi and just got to sit and eat and talk. She's really fun and the sushi was really good.

Top 3 Things We Are Looking Forward To:
1. Going with my sister Shane to visit my brother and sister-in-law in Alabama next weekend. We barely ever get to see them since they're so far away and they are just really fun and I love them a lot.
2. Graduating high school... only 27 more days! That is so weird.
3. okay i have to say it.... DAY CAMP 2012!! (duh)

A picture with both of us in it we really love:

A Favorite Quote: 

"I believe in Christ like I believe in the sun- not because I can see it, but because I can see everything else"- C.S. Lewis

Randomly text 3 people and say "Quick! Name a song you think describes our friendship!":

1. Caroline Hawes- "I Like it Like That"

2. Maggie Shadid- The Barney I Love You Song

3. Erin O'Farrell- "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"

A picture that just makes us smile:

Top 3 Favorite Songs Right Now:

1. What Makes You Beautiful - One Direction

2. Boyfriend- Justin Bieber

3. Eyes Open- Taylor Swift

Check out Col's post! : http://showuptoday.blogspot.com/

Today I miss camp

With 44 days until I head back to Tecumseh, I just cant put off an "I love camp so much and i just wanna go back right now, why can't school just be over" post anymore.

Although I miss camp pretty much all year round, there are days when I would give anything to be back in that place with those people playing with those kids and living the dream.

Today I miss carrying around a bubble wand everywhere I go. I miss one piece bathing suits and photo shoots at the lake during staff training. I miss laying on lake road and just talking. I miss dancing around the CAC with 5 year olds and giving piggy back rides. I miss finding out who your partner will be for the week and sitting through a planning meeting with the anticipation of having the best week ever with 10 new kids. I miss standing on my chair and singing as loud as I can and having T Swift dance parties. I miss Friday night campfire and feeling so close to the cabin of girls you just met a week before.

Before camp comes I have graduation and grad dance and graduation parties and a billion things to do, but I think right now all of that stuff seems incomparable to the summer I know is ahead of me. Maybe thats a bad way of looking at it, but today is just one of those get me to camp right now kinda days.

I asked some friends what they are looking forward to most about this summer, here's what they said:

Listening to kids sing the burrito song- Alli K.

Everything! Meeting new people, connecting with campers, getting to wear a blue staff polo, new camp trends, saying the DC cheer at closing campfire- Sarah D.

Spending every day with my best friends and getting to act all goofy and everyone being goofy with me! - Lizzy D.

Fourth of July fireworks and seeing campers from last year- Annie D.

The little kids! Chapel! Seeing Molly everyday! Everything!- Julie L.

Spending it with my best friends, HAVING A GREAT DAY, the love from campers- Colleen W.

Devotions and nights off- Maggie S.

Playing with kids all day everyday, spooning on weekends- Annie F.

I can't wait to live in the Longhouse with some of the best counselors I've ever worked with and to build friendships with CILT girls all summer long. I love heart to hearts and dance parties, devotions and adventures with the river kids, lake time and campfires. It really is heaven on Earth- Sarah W.

There's just so much to be excited about. Its just really great to get to go to a place where everyone is so excited about being there and more importantly, being there together. Where people love each other and love the kids and love life. Today I just  really miss camp.

Today was really great because

I got Starbucks before school even though I really didn't have time. I was a minute late to class, but the sub let it slide and it was so worth it.

I had a sub in my first 4 classes (granted, 3/4 of those are with the same teacher in the same room)

Gabby and I went and got MORE Starbucks and Steak n' Shake during newspaper... yes, I pride myself in being rebellious these days.

I still haven't died and its day 3 of Senior Assassin

Work was really fun and when I've had two iced coffees playing with tiny kids after school isnt even that exhausting.

Sar and Alli brought me PIZZA for dinner which is one of my favorite things ever

We all sang TSwift acapella at the table

I don't have very much homework so I will be in bed watching TV before 9pm. Love it.