Moving on and moving out!

Goodbyes have never been my strongest suit. The same can be said about transitions. In every transition I've made within the last 10 years, it's always been to something better. First was the move to Memphis and the start of my college career at Rhodes. Then there was the graduation from Rhodes and the start of my big-boy job. Recently there was the move to Athens and the start of graduate school. And now, it's saying goodbye and farewell to my roommates on Arch St. as they embark on new adventures.

Kari left this morning for Seattle. I'm sorry I couldn't be there to see her off this morning but glad to be in New Orleans to avoid going upstairs and staring at her empty room and realizing that the end is here.

I remember when I sent Kat an email last March saying I would love to be their fourth roommate. I remember my friends in Memphis thinking I was crazy to move in with three girls and a pup I'd never met and wondering if I'd lost my mind. An adventure I thought to myself. I imagined my home life would be crazy and at times, a bit too hectic, but I was looking forward to my new life in Athens and I figured the girls would be great resources on how to best navigate the grad school experience.

I've done my fair share of complaining this year. About noise, about common space, about equal contributions to shared goods, about late night guests and visitors, all those usual things roommates deal with and struggle over. But I've also laughed...a lot...this past year living on Arch St. I've banded together with the girls to fight with our undergrad neighbors, shared stories about our wacky neighborhood, killed thousands of spiders, roaches, wasps, giant ants, and other bugs, and had some of the best nights of my first year in Athens staying home and hanging out with them.

I'd be lying if I said I weren't excited about moving into a safer neighborhood and a nicer place in the coming weeks. But I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that I would miss the zany, crazy, days of Arch St. and the memories I have of this past year.

Top 5 memories on Arch St.:
5. Brothers & Sisters marathon nights on the couch complete with ice cream and bags of popcorn.
4. My side job as a Terminix employee.
3. "Rude." "Listen." And all the other Ebeth-isms.
2. Roommate Breakfasts
1. SNOW NIGHT

So, as the packing begins over the next few weeks and we all set forth on new adventures, I'd sending a shout out to Kat, Kari, Ebeth, and Lucy!
It's been one hell of a ride.