Today in 2008: Remembering 28300.

Kim, Karli, Natalie and I moving out of the Malibu Villas. April 28, 2008.

I need to start this blog post by admitting that I shamelessly stole this topic idea from Becca Marie Patterson. Thanks for being creative, Bec. 

That being said, I was thinking about where I was a year ago today. I had spent the entire Monday after graduation from Pepperdine (April 26, 2008) moving out of the beautiful villa I shared with three amazing women in Malibu. Karli, Kim, Natalie and I lived in our sweet two-story home during our junior and senior years in college. So many good, hard, amazing, difficult and beautiful things transpired under the roof of our quaint residence. We truly shaped one another's character during our years as upperclassmen. We emerged from the experience as stronger women, as closer friends.

Fast forward a year. It is insane how much has changed. The four of us, alongside the rest of our friends and classmates, were introduced to so many new things: new hometowns, new residences, new roommates, new relationships. We got jobs, some of which were incredible, others of which served to shape us for just a period of time while simultaneously preparing us for something bigger. Some of us got engaged; others of us endured heartache. Some of us traveled the world; others of us explored our new neighborhoods in Southern and Northern California. We all laughed, cried, reunited and reminisced. 

Nothing could ever replace the memories made at 28300 Rey de Copas Lane. Nothing. But I know I can speak for Kar, Kim and Nat when I say that I know that despite the things we'll miss about our pretty villa, we're so excited for what's in store for us within the next 12 months, and for years to come. 

These girls mean the world to me. I owe them so much for shaping who I have become. Long live 28300.

Eventually.

I was cleaning out my room and two pieces of paper fell out of an old journal. It seems that during my senior year at Pepperdine, I had created a bucket list of sorts. It looked something like this...

Eventually, I hope to...

Work for a magazine.

Live in a new city.

Take a hot air balloon ride.

Do mission work in Africa.

Teach exercise classes.

Visit Thailand and Costa Rica.

Take a photography class.

Rebuild New Orleans.

Take on a crazy entrepreneurial challenge, like opening a bookstore/coffeeshop.

Run another marathon.

Vacation in Italy.

Write a book--who cares if no one reads it?

Start and maintain a prayer journal.

Paint something.

Work/volunteer for St. Jude even after college.

Finally learn to play the guitar.

Work as an event planner, either for non-profits or corporate organizations.

Read the Bible cover to cover.

I love that I found this list. It's so interesting to see what I envisioned myself doing a year ago. I've accomplished some of these things, lost interest in a few of these things and am still pursuing the rest of these things. 

It's a great reminder of all the incredible opportunities that life has to offer, and of all of the things my little collegiate self thought were possible to achieve. I think it's easy to, once you enter the real world, forget all of those dreams you once had. It's not hard to become disillusioned, believing that goals you desired to accomplish are way too far out of reach. They're not, though. Keep dreaming.

St. Augustine.

::

All anxiety is caused by the   

COLLAPSE 

of a false idol.

::

St. Augustine

Or Any Other Reason.

:: It is well to remember that there are five reasons for drinking: 

the arrival of a friend, 

one's present or future thirst, 

the excellence of the wine, 

...

or any other reason. ::

Latin Proverb