It's a bittersweet symphony, this life.

Well, I promised Sara Beth that I would blog everyday as soon as summer started, and I am going to try my very best to uphold that promise. Starting...NOW!

My first day of summer was somewhat lackluster. I woke up at 8, took a run to the storage unit, packed my car, cleaned my room, met with my dad, went to lunch at Ruby Tuesday, took a nap at the hotel, went to dinner with Leila and her mom, watched a movie, and now I am writing this blog.

So yeah. My dad is down at the hotel bar right now, being chatty with some App State fellow. Traitor.

I'll probably just continue watching the SVU marathon on USA. Take a shower. Go to bed early. Or not so early...we'll see.

Needless to say, I hope my summer gets a bit more exciting.

We're our own brat pack, we're always kickin' back...

So this is what it feels like. To be done with your first year of college. It feels almost as surreal as the day I came.

I am sitting in my dorm room packing. No one else is on the hall, or no one I care about at least. My dad is coming tomorrow afternoon. And I am in awe of the amount of things that managed to fit into my room. Where did I get all these clothes?! I kind of like packing...finding things you forgot you had. Remembering special moments. That has been happening to me a lot tonight. I keep finding clothes or other little trinkets that bring back things that meant a lot to me this year. I'll go ahead and list some of them for you.

O-Week T-shirt: Packing up my Toy Story shirt, memories of O-week flood into my mind. I remember sitting in a circle in Daniel Lounge our first night playing ice-breaking games. At that point, Colleen was my only friend and we were cracking little personal jokes. I remember the dynamic of our hall during that first week and how different it is now. I admit, I didn't speak much during o-week. Just ask Tori or Katie. But I do look back on it rather fondly. It wasn't really fun, but it is the beginning of what has developed into one of the best years of my life.

River Sweatshirt: I was so jealous of Colleen's first semester. I thought it was awesome. Then her mom got me one over winter break. I love it! It's so soft and snuggly. Whenever I wear that sweatshirt I will think of our times together, Colleen. I know we weren't necessarily best friends, and we grew apart a little bit second semester, but I couldn't have done it without you. We must have some sleepovers next year for old time's sake!

Class of 2013 Water Bottle and Picture: At the beginning of the year, I didn't know anyone. I came from a different state and an introverted personality. But in the short 8 months I have been here I have made some of the best friends of my life. That picture and water bottle are so dorky, but I'm proud of my class.

"Peace, Love, and Togetherness" T-Shirt: Sara Beth, this one is for you. We are so dorky. But I love it. It's little things like this that make you so awesome! Whenever I wear that shirt I am going to think of our adventures, our heart to hearts, our friendship. I will think of you taking 300 pictures in a matter of hours, watching Parenthood each week, Glee and American Idol. You're hilarious and I love you!

Nerdy Fake Glasses: HAHAHA! I love these soooo much! Katie, I know Tori made fun of us, but we for sure rock them. They make me think of Sonic, harassing our waiter 3 bajillion times. My ever so embarrassing photoshoot. And I still stand by the fact that they help me concentrate. We are wearing them all the time next year.

Those are just a few of the things, but there are so many good times that I associate with my things now. I had this sensation as I was packing to leave for college too. Making my photo albums and filling my frames. I never thought I would be able to find friends in college, let alone ones I practically think of as family. I still love my friends from high school sooooo much! But I feel so blessed to get to have even more people in my life who care about me so much. I love each and every one of my friends so much, past and present, and no one can ever replace any of them.

Well, my clothes are calling me. I think it's time to finish up with this whole packing nonsense and get ready to embark on the next 3.5 months. Ugh...I don't even want to think about it.

Here is a song that I would like to dedicate to all of my friends, past, present, and future:

Deutschland! Um den Sieg.

Translation: Germany! For the win.

Leila may be disappointed...I told her I was going to write this blog post in German and then translate it at the end. I just don't have the mental capacity to do that right now. Maybe I'll throw in some random German phrases every now and then though.

Erste, you may be wondering how I decided about to write about Deutschland and its wonderful inhabitants. Well, it all began with iTunes. I was browsing through my expansive list of superb music when I noticed the radio button. I had never payed attention to it before, so naturally I clicked on it. BEST. DISCOVERY. EVER. It is hundredsss of radio stations playing any kind of music you can imagine! Including German.

So that's what sparked the idea. I love Germany. And Germans. And German culture. Basically, if it involves Germany, I like it.

I suppose this whole fascination began 4 years ago (has it really been that long?) when I went on a mini-exchange trip to Weimar, Germany for 3 weeks. Hands down, best experience of my life. It's just so much different there. I have never met more fun loving, laid back people. It's as though they don't have a care in the world. They don't seem as rushed. And it's so much more beautiful there.

Naechste, I shall leave you with a sample of my favorite German band. Well, there are two. One of them you've probably heard of. Tokio Hotel:


Saw them in concert last year. Blew my mind. Don't knock it 'til you've tried it.

Und Sportfreunde Stiller:



I am sure there is much more I could tell you about Germany and the people who live there, but unfortunately finals start tomorrow. So maybe I should be productive? We'll see how that goes...

Every rose has its thorn...

...except Bret Michaels.

Bret Michaels is my not-so-guilty obsession. As is "Rock of Love," his klassy reality dating show. I don't know why Bret Michaels consumes so many of my thoughts and dreams, but he just seems so real to me. He comes off as a decent guy, but he's straight when it comes to partying and having a good time. One of my life goals is to be on "Rock of Love." I am convinced that Bret and I are soulmates...he just doesn't know it yet.

Recently, however, Bret was admitted into a hospital and was in critical condition. He apparently had a brain hemorrhage at the base of his brain stem. I am severely worried...what am I going to do if one of my biggest idols dies? I might just have to crawl into a corner and cry. But I am hoping for the best, and news was just released that he is stable and talking. Bret's a figher; I'm sure he'll pull through.

So in conclusion, I guess what I am trying to accomplish with this post is Bret somehow finding this in cyberspace and showing up at my doorstep saying we are meant to be. Don't worry, I am not delusional. I realize that I have a better chance of being attacked by gorillas than I do of Bret Michaels requiting my love, but a girl can dream.

So this one's for you, Bret.
Because "I want action tonight, satisfaction all night. You've got the love I need tonight."

A Poem

That last post was a bit random...but I felt it was necessary.

I like Leila. Despite her odd taste in music.

We are sitting in the library, about to commit suicide. So I thought I would write a poem about our exploits.

Getting It On With James B. Duke

There is a library named James B. Duke,
We have become rather intimate a time or two.
It has a knack of sucking the life,
out of all that enter it during the day or the night.
We sit here for hours not getting enough done,
then feeling as if we've never had a bit of fun.
There are some strange characters that wander its halls,
they provide entertainment, the ones that have balls.
I sit and I stare into the abyss,
of what feels like a huge pit of nothingness.
Katie sits across from me in her Tri-Delta shirt,
and Leila is next to me about ready to burst.
Finally our time is coming to an end,
but I know this will not be the last time with my dear friend.
So this poem that I'm writing is dedicated to Jim,
we would all have much fuller lives if it wasn't for him.

Wangster.

This is Leila:

She is currently listening to Jay-Z. Please notice the color of her skin.

Just thought I'd put that out there.

I don't think you're ready for this, Chelly.

Chelly (I have officially decided it is to be spelled with a "y"). Apparently that's my name, so don't wear it out. Recently, Chelly has become part of my identity, so I thought why not dedicate an entire blog post to it? Honestly, I don't know how this name has become so popular so fast. It started when Sarah was in my room, and she casually asked me, "Chelsea, do you mind if I call you Chelly?"

"Of course not!" I replied.

After that Colleen began calling me Chelly. Then Mary Jordan, Caroline, Marchie, and the rest of their clan. Then Leila thought it was funny, so she began calling me that too. She was soon followed by Katie and Sara Beth. The name spread like wild fire! So basically, all my friends here call me Chelly. It's even gotten to the point where I accidentally introduced myself as Chelly.

I like it though. It makes me feel...cooooool. Suave. Hip. Trendy. What have you. I've never really had a nickname before. But this one seems like the perfect fit. I think it is a good representation of my time at college too. It shows a different side of me that hasn't been let out before. I've changed a lot over the past 8 months, and it only seems fitting to have a new name to show that. So I guess you could consider this post as my "coming out" party. Not out of the closet, Leila. But coming out into the world as this new, and I like to think improved, version of myself. Chelly.