Senior Citizens

Well, friends, it's late March in my senior year of college. Time to start getting sentimental, everyone! The other day we had our friends over for a cookout, walked over to the nearby school field for a game of pickup football, and finished the night climbing up on the roof of the house that my roommates and I rent. There was no talk of the future, no talk of homework, no talk of drama or stress, just good clean fun with good friends.

Of course, my cousin/roommate/bestie Karley got the ball rolling on getting everyone together. She always does. Been doing it for all four years of college. You want a game, event, or party planned where everyone is sure to have a good time? Put this chick in charge. It's a fun form of bossy. She tells you to have fun, and you just do. We'll call it leadership.

There was a point where I looked around and took a mental note of everyone milling around on our driveway and front lawn, eating hamburgers, and playing bean bags. I've known almost all of them for my whole college experience, and their friendships mean the world to me. And not just these people from this random time of being together, but all those Trinity people that have made my college life what it is. I have so many memories of pulling all-nighters, climbing the library roof, weekend get-togethers, soccer games, special downtown excursions, and 2 a.m. pizza runs that I could go on for hours. While we all are of age and are allowed to have a beer or two together, the thing I love most about my college friends is that we don't need a big keg in the middle of the room in order to have a good time. My senior class (and other class imports of course!) is full of people like this. 

There's something special about knowing a person for your whole time in college. My class has seen me at my weird freshman year stage, the naive Wisconsin girl with the Brett Favre poster above her bed. We had those weird first impressions that were righted with actually getting to know one another. We played the "freshman dating shuffle" for awhile and can laugh at the different "who liked who" situations that went down over the years. I definitely missed them for a semester away studying in Spain. We came in together and will leave together as we walk across the stage in May. The idea that in less than two months we won't be able to do this stuff all the time does not seem like a reality. It seems ridiculous! Why wouldn't I just text around to see whose house we're going to? It blows my mind that it's all wrapping up so quickly. 

And while this is so sad, it's exciting too. I know I'll hear about how everyone's lives continue, grow, and move along in unexpected and cool ways. I can't wait to see what happens to us. No matter how much time goes on after I'm away from my class, I know I have an amazing foundation of friendships and memories that will never go away. In less than two months I'll be starting on my own road. A slightly intimidating experience, to be sure, but I know it's possible to keep going along and growing on the way because it's happened already for the past four years with this group around me. It's doable. And I'm not scared, because they have successfully proved to me that God has a great little habit of putting fabulous people right in my path everywhere I go. 

Life is moving along quickly and it's going to be a long drive. But with people like this, the trip is worthwhile.