Thoughtful

My first semester of college was a little lonely.  I had some friends, but I hadn't quite found what I was looking for.

But then I met Ashley.  She and I met because of a mutual friend, and that first day we ended up at the food court telling our stories over Dairy Queen.  We're still telling stories today, by phone and text, since we are six hours apart.

Then Ashley and I discovered spades and made some new friends.  Chris, James, Magan, and Tony were our regular partners or competition.  Occasionally others joined in, but it's so much fun to play with people that you've come to understand.  Leading with a Queen before the Ace has been played is important.  Playing a high spade when a small one would do means something, too.

Then there was Matt.  He and I chatted on instant messenger, keeping each other company while we worked on homework.  We even took a road trip to Cincinnati to see his sister graduate and so I could see CCU.

And of course, there was Kassey.  I actually met her when I was a senior in high school, but we got to know each other best once I was in college.  Line dancing was on Friday night, and we both loved Fazoli's breadsticks.  She was one of my bridesmaids and is a great person to talk through your troubles with.

Becky, Lara, Heather, and I got our first place off campus together.  It was small, better suited for two, but we made it work because we could afford it on our part time jobs.  We watched Smallville gathered around a laptop because we didn't have a TV, and we hosted our own dorm "open house."

Senior year, Lara, Anthony, and I always went to Sonic for "slushy day" on Fridays because our ten o'clock class we shared didn't meet on Fridays.

Finally, there is my husband who I met in college.  Adrian makes the whole five years worth it, even though there are plenty of other reasons I'm glad to have gone to college.

There are many, many other people I could mention (so please don't feel sad if you're not on the list and should be), but you probably don't care to hear all my memories.  Just remember that friends make college (and life) worth while.  You don't have to have a bunch; you just need some good ones.  Even though I don't regularly speak to many of these people anymore, I still think of them all as friends and remember how they made my time in college that much better.