A Year Ago Today #3

On January 28, 2013, I attended another knitting club meeting at which I made no progress on whatever it is a person can make with 20 feet of yarn. I searched for plane tickets to California, dreaming about actually traveling there in the summer (I did!). I went to bible study, attended an info meeting, and probably ate fewer french fries than I would have liked. Today, I don't want to talk about cafeteria food or failed knitting projects, but something that has had a huge impact on the person I came to be within the past 365 days. A year ago today, I asked the cute boy in my German class to study with me.

Okay, so I didn't do anything "Rosa Parks Life-Changing," but the story that follows the moment I said, "I'm working on German homework if you want to join me," has brought new direction to my life as I discovered myself and fell in love for the first time. It sounds cheesy (and it probably is), but looking back, the sum of my life in the past year has been what it is because of that moment. You should read this because my story shows how one action -- one person -- can change your world.

Him and I were already talking in class at this point, but we barely acknowledged that we lived in the same dorm, so it was an awkward surprise for us to run into each other in the basement of our residence hall after class that day. He was looking to shave his head in a room with tile floor, and I was searching for a quiet spot to do homework. After he gave himself a haircut, he passed me again and I asked him to join me. I could tell he was nervous, but I was trying to figure out how to act around him too. From that day on, we started walking back to our dorm together from class and we'd study together once every week or so. Six days short of a month later, he taped his number to my door after I skipped class, saying to text him for the assignment. In March, we used every excuse we could to be with each other. On the 25th, I told him I liked him, and two days later he kissed me for the first time. We call April 4th the official day we started dating.

The first picture we ever took together :)

In the early months after we first studied together, my boring college life finally had some excitement. As I explained in a blog post before, I had close to no experience being with a boy who liked me back, so my time with him was fun, addicting, and always a surprise. We've been dating for close to 10 months now and I cannot imagine my life being the way it is now had it not been for him. All it took was for me to step outside of my comfort zone for a moment and invite a guy to study with me. This fact is so simple and seemingly uneventful that I can't help but laugh. Every single one of us has the opportunity to do something different. Whether it's inviting the shy girl at lunch to sit with you and your friends or submitting your work to a research celebration, the smallest choices you make can have a massive impact on the direction your life is going.

Do something spontaneous today. Reach out to someone new. That thing you've always wanted to try, but never thought you were good enough for? Stop doubting and start doing! You and I both know your excuses are easily countered.

Exactly a year after my journey with this boy began, his life is about to change drastically. He has enlisted in the Navy and ships for boot camp today. Except for letters, we can't contact each other for two months. After that, he goes to school for 18 months in a place that's five states away. It saddens me to the core knowing I won't get to be there as he experiences all these new things, but I'm so excited for where our lives will go in the next year. I know we'll break up someday because of how different our goals are, but I will be forever grateful for the friend I have in this boy. He is so incredible. I can't picture my life without him. To think it all started a year ago today...

2014 Goals!

Eight days into 2014 and time ain't stoppin' for no one! Here are the things I'd like to do this year:

• Drink more water. Between stressing over my massive homework loads and spending more time in my dorm room, I did way too much snacking in 2013. By drinking at least 6 glasses of water a day, I hope to keep myself full and thinking of other things besides cheddar cheese pretzel Combos and Fiber One bars.
• Dress up once a week. Second semester last year, I did Dress Up Mondays and found that it really made me start the week happy. This year, I think I'll do Dress Up Wednesdays because a) I have 14 dresses taking up room in my closet and b) It's the day I work and go to class the longest, so more people will see me looking my best (don't tell me you don't plan around that too!).
• Send more snail mail. I bought 100 instant-film postcards and have cute Disney Pixar stamps, so I have no excuses. I've already sent 5 pieces of mail and can't wait to make my friends and family smile when they find a special letter in their mailbox. Part of this goal is to also let the people I care about know that they are appreciated, loved, and admired.
• Stop thinking negatively. I cannot even begin to name all the negative things I think on a daily basis. I'm learning to stop worrying about what other people think of me and trust that I'm a person that people like to be with.
• Read 25 books. I barely reached this tiny goal in 2013 and I refuse to set the bar any lower.
• DO NOT WORK AT SUBWAY OVER THE SUMMER. Please, no.

I have a whole list of other things I want to accomplish, but these are the main ones. What do you hope to accomplish this year?