Appalachian State University: An Ode to My Freshman Year

 I've told this story about a hundred times too many. But it is a story worth telling, and if you are interested enough in my life to come check my little blog, then perhaps you would care to learn about my Appalachian adventure. So here it is, in pictures and captions only.

I fell in love with Boone, NC after a lifetime full of family vacations to North Cackalacky. Pictured: the house that is, was, and forever will be my dream home. Once I make millions as a high school history teacher, it will be all mine.

I spent the summer of 2009 counting down the days until I could make a fresh start in a town that was700 miles from home.

I moved into a teeny tiny little dorm room with a bathroom down the hall on a co-ed floor.
Note: This was the first and last time I ever made that bed.

I looked out my window every thirty seconds. Wouldn't you?!

My roommate and I bonded through hiking expeditions and daily meals at the campus Chick-fil-a.

I suffered through the Swine Flu with said roommate.

I made some fun new friends, and we did pretty much everything together. We practiced our "sorority smiles" whenever we could and this off-centered, self-timed photo serves as embarrassing proof.

I decided I wanted to become a Grecian and went through rush.

I received and accepted a bid to the sorority at the very top of my list, Alpha Delta Pi.

I became close with my pledge class as we learned the Divine Secrets of the ADPi Sisterhood. 

I also learned the importance of the "big/little sorority squat". (My grandbig was not a pot of fake flowers, as this picture falsely suggests.)

I rocked the "black and yellow" on the reg. Sadly, Wiz Khalifa had not released his obnoxious song yet or I'm sure it would have made it to my Top 25 Most Played iTunes playlist. (Note: The building in the left corner was my dorm)

 "Mixers" (aka swaps) were probably my favorite part of Greek life.
Pictured: Revenge of the Nerds.

I really embraced the different themes of the different mixers.
Pictured: 80's Night.

Sometimes I even hand crafted my outifts/costumes.
Pictured: ADPi's Mallard Ball

I spent a lot of my time with my ADPi sisters.
I tailgated with them,

I picked up trash with them,

and I even studied the Bible with them.

I was slightly homesick, but my, oh my, the fall semester was memorable.

I cheered on the Mountaineers at every home football game.

I celebrated my 19th birthday with big hopes and long hair.

I rode in the back of a pick up truck to ADPi's formal.

And I danced. And danced, and danced, and danced.
(My elbow isn't deformed. Promise.)

But then the snow came.
By mid-March, we had received around ten feet of snow. I flat out hated the constant snow storms and single digit temperatures, despite how much I loved my Patagonia fleeces and L.L. Bean boots.


(I don't have many pictures from this season of my life because I spent most of my time curled up in bed with the History Channel and a freezer full of Lean Cuisine's. And I wish I was making that up. I am still convinced that me and most of my dorm were inflicted with Seasonal Depression... It's real folks.)

When I wasn't wallowing in self pity and desperately calling home,  I was forming friendships with the people that lived on my floor.

I hung out with my new dorm friends in our lobby until the wee hours of the night.

I somewhat randomly decided to transfer to Florida State, and then I somewhat randomly met my future FSU roommate/BFF right there in Boone, NC. It was totally a "God thing". Stay tuned for a future post. (Sara is on the far left.)

And I went to Walmart. A lot.

After months of a gloomy gray sky, the sun came out. And all was right in the world again.

I started hanging out a lot with a sweet girl named Abby, and soon we became close friends. I could not have been blessed with Abby at a better time! She had an enormous impact on my life, and I love her dearly.
(You hear that Abby?! I love you! And I can't wait until I make my way up to Rocky Mount one day. Or maybe just show up on your doorstep in Boone one random weekend this school year...who knows?)

And eventually, I had to say goodbye.
This picture was taken moments after Ryan (left) and Chris/Abby's Boyfriend (right) helped me pack my little white Jeep to the gills, and moments before I would ride into the sunset, and out of Boone.

And that, my friends, was my year as a Mountaineer.