I'm an official alum of Elon University!

After yet another night of very little sleep (did I ever actually fall asleep), I found myself sitting on my bed at 6:45am on Saturday morning - more than an hour before I had originally planned on being out the door - dressed, makeup and hair done, gown in hand. I sat there and looked at the clock, wondering what I was going to do with myself for another hour. I called my parents to ask if they could pick me up, and my dad showed up at my door no more than ten minutes later. One step outside, and my heart sank.

It was COLD!!! And drizzly. Yay.

My sunny, no rain forecast had failed me. So I went back into the house, got my signature Elon hoodie, slid it over dress, and got in the car with my dad. The school had moved our breakfast inside, and everywhere you went, people were grumbling about the weather and wondering if they would decide to brave the weather, or if Elon would move the ceremony into Alumni Gym.

What a disappointment that would be!! Not only would I have 12 disappointed family members who wouldn't have rain tickets (ok, 9 disappointed adults, three rather relieved little kids :)), but Elon students are SUPPOSED to graduate Under the Oaks! Not under the flourescent lights amidst bleachers....

But, everyone remained optimistic. Sometime during the speaker's presentation, the clouds rolled back, and the most glorious blue sky appeared. It was beautiful!!

Nothing like sitting through 1,000 names being read in the bright sunlight, receiving the famed Leo charge, and walking away from the school for the last time with a hard-earned, beautiful DIPLOMA.

Don't get me wrong, I loved my time at Elon. But I finished classes in January and have just been waiting for my college career to officially be complete. People kept asking me what it felt like to be done. And yeah, it felt GREAT. But it also felt about the same as it did when I was really done in January.

I wasn't too sad to drive away from campus for the first time. I mean, this fall I worked full time and I've been involved with an incredibly ministry in NYC since then, but God has too many incredible things in store for the next couple of years to sit here and long too hard for more time in the Elon Bubble.

Bulgaria, HERE I COME!!

I will officially be in training to be a Youth Development Peace Corps Volunteer two days from TODAY!!

And tuesday will mark two months from when I will be on an airplane finally headed to BULGARIA.

I've been dreaming about this for so long, and its so strange to think I will be living the dream in a matter of months. :)

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Well, after three AMAZING months in the Big Apple, its hard to believe it, but I am back in Virginia!!

Crazy... I loved {almost, haha} every single minute of my time in New York City, and just being there doing the job I was doing was definitely a dream come true, but it feels good to be HOME. 

Because I am leaving for Bulgaria with the Peace Corps {still whoa!} on July 19th, I've decided I'm not going to try and get a job. Too much to do!!

Between graduation during Memorial Day Weekend, and a couple of weeks with family in Florida, I have a lot of packing and prepping to keep me busy for the next two months!! It will be nice to just be home... getting ready... spending time with family and friends... and just enjoying the relative calm before the storm.

I am also thrilled to be able to spend some time getting to know DC like I know New York! So lets just say I won't be bored!!

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My aunt Val came up to the city to spend my last three days in NYC with me! We had such a blast! We wandered the East and West Village, ate John's Pizza (twice! shhhhh :)), saw Mamma Mia on Broadway (so good!), tried to go to Ellis Island (dang rain), and indulged in cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery. MMmmmmmm. And we also spared time to go see my great aunt and uncle in Jersey! Yet again, I loved being able to share the city I love with one of the people I loved. Thanks Aunt Val!! :) 

After a few years of dreaming, 9 months of applying, 3 months of uncertainty, one month of unrelated (and unrelenting!) job offers/applications/resumes, and an hour and a half waiting on the floor of FedEx, its official!

I'll be a Youth Development Peace Corps volunteer in BULGARIA this July!!!

Crazy, huh? I've spent the last few months convincing myself this wasn't meant to be, and I wasn't sure I wanted to go anymore, but its actually happening.

Just last week CSM officially offered me the superhost/assistant director job in NYC for the summer, and I wrestled hardcore about whether or not to accept. I mean, it was a job I KNEW I would love, and would be good at! And they were offering it NOW. How could I not accept? But saying yes would be closing the door to Peace Corps. And while I wasn't sure that was still what I wanted, I've been dreaming about this for too long to not give myself the option to still let it happen...

So here I am, sitting with an invitation kit from the Peace Corps weighing exactly 1.7 pounds, planning out the next 2 and a half years of my life. The next two and a half years in BULGARIA.

Whoa.




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