Freshman Year (of life)

Being just a few weeks away from the conclusion of my Freshman year of real life, I thought I'd do a brief break down of how this year has gone.

 

Since you are my dedicated reader, you know that my life has gone from college to moving home, to getting a big-girl job, and becoming a responsible and productive member of society.  Mary Beth and I were on our usual Sunday date (Sam was included this time!) and we were briefly discussing what this year has been like for us.  We each went through a number of personal changes which brought about some serious growth in our lives.  We were discussing how things for many 'freshman' go. Here's the general theme we came up with:

 

Freshman year of REAL life is all about becoming a BETTER version of YOU.

This can be explored through a variety of ways in which to only better yourself from the college version of you. 

 

The college version of you may look a lot like this:
-sorority / college / fraternity tshirt (ketchup or various other stains may or may not be included) always
-running shorts or yoga pants-- jeans if it was colder outside (ripped / frayed at the bottom)
-hair in a messy bun / pony tail placed discheveledly somewhere on the top of your head
-over the shoulder bag big enough for books. no designer purse. ever.
-running shoes/ boat shoes, flip flops or some type of comfortable strap sandal depending on the season
-no make up...ehh..maybe a little mascara if you woke up early
-stressed look on your face because of that term paper you have been putting on that's due in 14 hours or various other over load of projects your professors decided to give you that take forever and a day and no one in your assigned "group" is willing to help you
-the pantry and fridge have left over McDonald's, frozen pizza, easy mac, Ramon noodles, kool-aid (all flavors), coffee, napkins and forks from the dining hall and plastic everything.
-your finances consist of finding change in the bottom of your sock drawer/ under your couch so you can get a chicken biscuit from chick fil a on Saturday morning to get rid of your hang over, waiting on a refund check from the school (thank you hope scholarship) so you can go to the bar buy your books, and having $8.65 or less in your bank account...pretty much all the time.
-the "good" beer is bud light- upgrade from natty, Busch, and keystone.
-the only exercise you get is to go to and from class
-you love staying out late / getting drunk / loud music / going to a shitty bar/ dancing with random people at shitty bars / waking up and counting the wrist bands on your wrist meant you had an awesome time
-you don't have a bed time
-you don't have a wake up time (your sleeping hours are all kinds of screwed up as there is no regular schedule)
-you sleep in until wee hours of the afternoon on Saturday and Sunday
-Sunday is your "catch up day" for all the homework you should have done on Thursday but instead went to the bar
-you get 3 months in the summer, 3 weeks in the winter and 1 week in the spring to do nothing...and you do...nothing.

Graduation day +1 you get over the fact that college is over, move away from school, and begin your real life. you realize that you no longer have 3 weeks off for Christmas break and 3 months off for summer and 1 week in the spring to do absolutely nothing but bask in the sun and drink bud light. however, you trade it for:

 

10 days paid vacation and 10 personal days a year help you tremendously mentally and emotionally. regular hours at work help to stimulate you mind during those hours and you aren't all over the place going cray cray and stressing out. regular sleeping hours - welcome to having a bed time again! this also helps improve your over all health. it makes you skin look better, your hair softer, you can focus better and be productive the next day. it's really quite wonderful. PAY DAYS are the best days which help you have become responsible and financially stable enough to pay your bills each month and have some what of an income to do so. good beer and hobbies like home brewing are good for the soul. reading quality books that no one forces you to do so or write some bullshit paper on is amazing and also helps improve your vocabulary, mental capacity, and imagination. I've realized that weekend days are all mine to do absolutely nothing. it's about going to decent bars / nice bars that  make your week nights relaxing and an enjoyable place to get away from work. you wear heels / dress shoes most days of the week. you look forward to "jeans day" at work. Freshman year of life is all about eating healthy, cooking healthy, and having more in your fridge then left over McDonald's.  it's about taking care of yourself emotionally and getting your life back onto the track you want to be on. for me, it was getting myself back in line with God. I started to go to church again, pray more often, and i even joined a weekly bible study. these things help to focus my life better and gain emotional strength to go the distance needed. you also realize your body starts to slow down physically and your metabolism isn't as fast as it once was in high school so you must get it together. for me, i joined a gym and set a goal to run a half marathon...look who accomplished that one in February :) boom. your freshman year of life is about realizing what real friendships are and who your real friends are. real friends are just boozing going to the bar type of people who aren't there when you need them the most. they are people you can count on day in and day out to build you up, support you, love you for who you are, give you the facts straight up, and won't leave when times get rough. you shed relationships that you don't need and don't want and aren't good for you. It's about finding something to do with your life and pursuing your career actively. That stressed look on your face is from work that will earn you more money if you do it well.  It's about learning how to contribute to society productively. it's about discovering how to live in a city as an adult. it's about becoming a professional (ward robe included). and for some, it's about finding love. real love. forever love. it's about being able to say good bye to relationships that weren't right for you and move on. it's about becoming truly independent and a man/woman able to stand on his / her own two feet. it's about pursuing dreams. it's about realizing your weaknesses and making conscious decisions to better yourself. what ever way you need to do it to better yourself you do it. whether it's from self-help books, talking to your mom, talking to your dog, watching Oprah, going to church, joining a club, getting a hobby, or finding real love; we all do things during this year that will contribute to building the person  and adult you will remain.

 

Freshman year of REAL life is all about becoming a BETTER version of YOU.

 

With that being said, Callie and I (and Facebook friends) came up with the following list:

 

YOU KNOW YOU ARE IN YOUR 20's WHEN:

 

1. Social Activities are Photography classes, not mixers.
2. You get excited about $2 well drinks. You get more excited that it will cost you less money, not ONLY because they are $2 but because you can only drink 4, instead of 8- like college.
3. You have a hobby that does not include drinking.
4. You are on some sort of intramurals sports team for people that have graduated college.
5. You would love to have kids one day, but you would be scared shitless if that day was tomorrow.
6. You have completed 2 or more DIY home-improvement projects.
7. You have to call in sick on a Monday because you drank a handle of Jager on Sunday.You went to work on Tuesday and you didn't feel better until Wednesday.
8.You get excited when they card you for cigarettes or alcohol.
9. You have 3 or more wedding invitations on your fridge.
10. You say something and then immediately after say "oh my God that just sounded like my Mother/Father."
11. You think 21 year olds look more like high schoolers.
12. You read for pleasure.
13. You wake up in your own bed more often than not.
14. Your bank account now has more allocations than "beer" and "food".
15. You do laundry once a week, or own "Dry Clean Only" clothing items.
16.You're tired by the end of "Dancing with the Stars".
17. You actually watch "Dancing with the Stars".
18. When you get pumped that you secretly squeezed one more 2 year cell phone contract out of your Dad.
19. You have crows feet and gray hair that you SWEAR weren't there 2 days ago...
20. When you see your college friends once a year, instead of once a day.
21. You can't skip work on a rainy day and get the notes from someone else.
22. If you're not making wedding plans, you're the odd man out.
23. Its no longer acceptable to wear sweatpants in public for more than 2 hours.
24. You get super stoked about Casual Friday.
25.You have more silverware/cooking related items in your kitchen than plastic cups and beer mugs.
26. Your "night out" starts at 7:30 pm, not 11pm.
27. All it would take to make you happy on any given day is a facewash headband and 3 glasses of red wine.
28. The last top 40 song you heard was "Bedrock".
29. When Happy Hour is the Best Hour.
30. And Finally, You know you're in your mid20s when.... 30 doesn't seem old.