Welcome, 2008

Jan. 1, 2008

A new year. I'm very excited. I'm finally getting my shit together. Things are going my way. I've got my own apartment, my grades weren't that great last semester, but they weren't that bad, either. While a B- isn't great, it'll only take a B+ to get my average back to a B. And I plan on putting a lot more effort into my studies this semester. I'm taking this semester much more seriously. I've got a lot of shit out of the way, I've got my own apartment, I'm not worried about looking for a new one, or moving. I've got a plan for getting control over my debt... at least the credit card part. The student loan part comes after graduation. I really hope I graduate. I really do want my master's degree. But right now I really just have school and work on my plate. And because I have my own apartment I don't have to worry about other people's schedules conflicting with my own. My apartment can turn into an office, or a spa, or what ever, but it's what ever I want it to be.

I'm definitely seeing 2008 as an improvement compared to 2007. Not that 2007 didn't have it's moments, but overall, it kind of sucked.

2007 started for me with a trip to Florida... it was my first time flying. I went to visit a really good friend, and we started dating shortly after I returned to Minnesota, with him in Florida and me in Minnesota. Needless to stay, I spent a lot of time on the phone during the six months we dated. That relationship ended in July, and I was worried about losing one of my best friends, but, we've worked our shit out, and are good friends again.

By the time 2007 came around, my relationship with my former roommates was tense at best. Someone who had once been one of my best friends became foreign to me, she wasn't the person I knew year's ago... she was her boyfriend's girlfriend, and it got worse when he proposed. That was really hard on me, but I also have no problem cutting people out of my life who are toxic to me. My old roommates caused me a lot of stress, which was toxic.

In April of 20087 I was officially accepted into the Graduate Journalism program at Columbia College Chicago. My plans to move to Chicago officially began.

I graduated from BSU in May of 2007. As awesome as that was, it also sucked to say goodbye to some of my friends.

Also in May of 2007, my grandmother, my only remaining grandparent, was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was really scarey dealing with that, and I even reconsidered my move to Chicago.

By the end of May, I moved to the house right across the alley, my stress level dropped dramatically. Proving that my best roommates are people from Wisconsin. This summer was great, accept for the part where I broke up with boyfriend, right before I moved to Chicago. Other than that... it was a nice last summer in Bemidji.

I opted for on-campus housing because I couldn't afford a trip down to Chicago to go apartment hunting. The idea of sharing a two-bedroom, one-bath with three other girls didn't sound that bad. The bedrooms were tiny, and four girls generate a lot of loose hair in the bathroom.

When I first moved to Chicago, I stayed at a hostel, because residence life wouldn't let me move in early for free, and I needed to take a class. At this point, I was seriously considering dropping out of the program. I hated staying at the hostel. Never again for that long. Ten fucking days... no way.

But once I got into my apartment, it got better. Until my alcohol violation, which is when I decided I needed to get off campus.

I found an apartment in the beginning of November, and moved right before I came up to Minnesota to finish out the year in Bemidji.

All that stress at the end of the semester didn't do well for my grades. I'm sure that next semester will be better.

So far, 2008 has been great. I think I started the new year off right, I hope.