Another semester has come and gone, but not without another edition of Finals Feelings! Grades have been posted and feelings have been felt, so it is officially time to share my favorite memories from Fall 2018 in (mostly) chronological order.
This semester was strange for many reasons. Number one, I was in America. Number two, after a year and a half, I no longer lived with my roomie Katherine (and her cat Zoee). Number three, I was not a desk assistant but I did get a new job! It wasn’t always easy, and I’ll be honest–it wasn’t always fun.
But most of the time it was.
1. M.A.S.T.E.R. Plan Mentors
This year, what was once known as ‘Western Leaders’ became ‘M.A.S.T.E.R. Plan Mentors’. I loved being a Western Leader last year, and this year was even better! M.A.S.T.E.R. Plan was vastly different and the role of the volunteers was much more involved. Instead of just doing all of the behind the scenes work, the M.A.S.T.E.R. Plan Mentors were partnered with RAs and helped lead a group of students throughout the week. We even got to teach some of the sessions, which was incredibly fun and rewarding. I walked into training and found my favorite Western Leaders from last year (Erica and Aaliyah I LOVE YOU, and our new friend Nate), and we liked each other so much two years in a row that we are now friends outside of M.A.S.T.E.R. Plan!
2. Our Last First Day?
Every year, I see people posting their ‘First Day of School’ pictures for their moms to see. I don’t remember the last time my mom took
3. The Bros Take America!
If you don’t remember, I met some of my favorite people at Harlaxton. We call ourselves the ‘harLAXbros’ and I’m kind of obsessed with us. The first time we all hung out at WKU, we ended up with cookies and milk at Van Meter and Allie and I rolled down a very wet hill (which is something we also did at Harlaxton, sans cookies and milk).
4. More Concerts, Man
As you know, I am a BIG concert fan. This semester I was able to go to two concerts in a single week, thanks to my mom’s incredible 22nd birthday present to me (Taylor Swift AHH!) and my incredible 22nd birthday present to me (Nashville Songwriter Awards). The last time we saw Taylor Swift was in 2009 for her ‘Fearless’ and seeing her again was the best thing ever. The Nashville Songwriter Awards was another one of those ‘I want to go to a concert by myself’ nights, so I bought a ticket 3 hours before the concert and on down to Nashville. I didn’t even really know the lineup aside from Chris Janson, so I was pleasantly surprised to see Thomas Rhett, Old Dominion, and BLAKE SHELTON HIMSELF, among others. I’m going to keep going to concerts by myself.
5. Went to Fall Getaway!
It is no secret that I love Cru. That is why I spent my 21st birthday at a sweet outdoor Cru weekly meeting and is also why I spent my 22nd birthday driving to my last Fall Getaway! I intentionally left my phone at home, Destiny treated me to Chick-fil-A as my birthday present, and we went around the car each requesting songs on the drive to Dawson Springs. I won a book, took a nap, sat in the rain, convinced my bible study girls to go down the slip-n-slide “just once”, and ate a lot of Snickers. This is living.
6. Went back to Sharptop Cove
I found Jesus in 2014 at a little place in Georgia called SharpTop Cove. It has been a dream of mine to go back to that place ever since I left. I was not only able to go back this fall, but I was able to serve for a weekend with one of my favorite people! Whitney and I met at Crooked Creek this summer, and since then she has easily become one of my sweetest friends. We made the plan to sign up to be Weekend Wranglers at SharpTop and picked a weekend, and then we just went. We were supposed to work in the store but ended up working rides. We were terrified, but it was fine (and Whitney was a rockstar on the giant swing!). Let’s go back, okay?
7. Went to LOTS of Football Games
I think my mom is freaking out that her youngest child is graduating from college in a few months, so she came to three football games this year! It was so fun having her here and eating so much fried shrimp from Steamer Seafood. My dad was able to come down for a game, and we had the best day! I love my fam and WKU Football (no matter how much we lose).
8. Helped with Trunk-or-Treat
If you don’t participate in Trunk-or-Treat, you should definitely start! I volunteered to help out at my church’s Trunk-or-Treat with some Cru friends, and it was honestly one of the most fun things I’ve ever done. I loved seeing so many adorable kids in their costumes and getting to hang out with friends while passing out candy. I was even able to sneak a few mini Snickers for myself.
9. Moved in with my new roomies!
I met Emily in my Food Science lab when I was still double majoring in hospitality and advertising. We became best friends slowly and then all at once, as they say. I moved in with her and her sister (who is now also one of my favorite friends) Sarah this semester, and it has been so much fun! Sarah is a nursing major and the hardest working person I know, and Emily makes me laugh with everything she says. I don’t want our roommateship to end in a few short months.
We’ll, friends, we’ve nearly reached the end. I have had the time of my life living in Bowling Green and studying at WKU, and I’m not sure that I want to be finished with this chapter. Luckily, it’s not over yet!
What I’m listening to: My 2018 Spotify Wrapped playlist—I somehow listened to 46,952 minutes of music this year.
What I’m watching: Gossip Girl (for the first time!)
What I’m reading: The Stand by Stephen King