Thank you to you. And you. And you...
It's officially May 2. Let me say that again. It is officially MAY! Man oh man how the time has flown by. I still remember moving into this dorm room on August 19, the same day that my grandpa died - not exactly the way that I envisioned my college life beginning. Yet here I stand over 8 months later, a stronger person because of it. I've always believed in the quote "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger." This year has been a testament to that. In the words of Shawn, 25% of our college lives will be over as of Friday. How scary is that? I just wanted to take some time to share some thoughts and shout outs to some people that have impacted my life in the past year. Let's go.
I guess I'll start with the thing that has consumed my life the second semester for the most part: The Fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta otherwise known as FIJI. Honestly, if you are reading this and knew me in high school, I would be the last guy that you would expect to join a fraternity right (OK maybe Schuler, but work with me here guys)? I came in with the typical Animal House-Old School-PCU-Going Greek stereotype of what a fraternity is. I don't think I could be more wrong. From my interview for the Black Diamond scholarship where I met Brent, McCready, and Faigh, my image of what a fraternity is was shattered. Should I have pledged in the fall when I originally received my bid? In hindsight, I still think I made the right decision. Although it would have been nice to be a full fledged brother right now, I enjoy having a lighter schedule and more free time to do stuff for FIJI than I would have first semester. Plus, I wasn't exactly a fan of joining something that's a commitment for 4 years (and as I later found out, a life time..."Not for college days alone") my first month of my first year on campus. I could not have asked for a better group of guys to be around, both older and my age, time and time again. It's nice knowing that not only can I count on a group of 40 or so guys to be there for me now, but to be there for me until the day I die. The feeling of knowing that there's always something to do is great to have in college because, let's face it, the dorms are boring. I am proud to be a FIJI to be.
On to stuff that I've learned...
Random, chance meetings have been some of the best things to happen to me this year. 2 examples: I'm sitting online one night at about 2 AM when I receive an IM from the screen name "Chagrinbabe." Figuring it's one of Leah's or Boyle's friends, I accept it. Well it turns out that this mystery girl just happened to have lived in Chagrin for 13 years of her life, knew a ton of people from Chagrin obviously, and lives ohhhh 10 minutes away from me on campus at BSU. What are the chances that someone like Sarah Harpster comes into my life like that? And here I was thinking that Jar and I were the only ones representing C. Falls out here in Muncie. Thank you Sarah for helping me rehash the days of being back home. You are more than welcome to come visit this summer and relive your childhood.
Second random occurrence. Thank you Shawn for drinking alcohol; without that, I'd be sitting here without one of my best friends on campus. One night Shawn came back a little drunk from a party and felt the need to talk to people online. Well he got kinda bored with it and laid down on his bed. I, being the good friend that I am, sat down at his computer and picked exactly one person to have a conversation with: Brittney Tiemann. What started as a totally random IM turned into a fantastic friendship that has lasted for the duration of the year now. Where would I be without having an awesome girl like you in my life to stay up talking to about everything and nothing all at once? I always have a smile on my face around you, and there's never a dull moment. I mean come on, you let Leah and me eat at your house on Easter. How great is that? I can't even imagine what next year would be like if you transferred to CMU. Thank God that you chose to stay here in Muncie with us. And thank YOU Brittney for being a great friend. I will always love you for it.
Speaking of Leah, this goes out to her. Leah Eichenbaum is a girl that any guy would be lucky to have in his life. Do you have any idea how relieving and comforting it is to know that you have your own "Dear Abby" advice columnist as a friend? You are someone that was there for me when I was emotionally breaking down over something in my life at 3 and 4 AM in the morning. You didn't just disregard my problems as worthless, say you were tired, or just nod your head, you provided rational, logical, and deep answers to my problems and helped me get through some tough times. Leah, I know that I've acted like a total jackass at times to you (especially recently) and for that I am 100% truly sorry. Thank you for being there for me and helping me keep my sanity. I love you.
I need some sort of segway here, so I'll go with the fact that Carly and Leah have talked and are Facebook friends. Carly Brandenburg: hands down, without a doubt, the single funniest girl I have ever met in my life. I have never met anyone that has my identical sense of humor, I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not, but I'm trying to give one out. You are always there to make me laugh about the most random things, and that is awesome. I'm glad and least SOMEONE gets my pop culture references. GOULET!
Next up: the wife. Lisa oh Lisa, how I have missed you. If only you knew how many people knew about "the wife" here at BSU. You have supported me in every decision that I have made this year no matter how smart or stupid that may have been. I know I had a hard time saying the words "I miss you" to you directly, but trust me, I felt it in my heart and in my head every day since I haven't been able to wake up and look out the window of my bedroom knowing that you were right there, so close to me. If you feel that we have grown apart and that I'm ignoring you, I am sorry. You know that I could never live with myself if I ever lost my best girl friend in the world. I just hope that you understand that college can get a little hectic sometimes and I'm not able to always be around. If you ever need anything in your life, whether it's now, tomorrow, 5 years from now, or 50 years from now, I will be there for you and do my best to provide you with everything that you desire. Thank you for being a great wife, but more importantly, a true friend.
That takes care of all of the gals execpt for one, I'm saving that for later, let me hit the guys real quick.
First and foremost has to be Drew Schafer. For as much as I love to rip on you man, it's all in good fun. You've been a helluva roomate this past year, and it's been a blast. Thanks for driving my ass all over Muncie among other places. Next year should be just as fun, and it will be a true pleasure to finally call you brother...which is a much better name than some of the things I've called you.
Like Bert and Ernie, they've gotta be together, so next is Shawn Meier. Dude, I still remember going to Wal-Mart with you one of the first weeks of school. Man that seems like forever ago but I remember it like yesterday. You represent everything that is good about FIJI, but you also represent everything that is good about being a person as well. You are a true man of quality, and I also look forward to calling you brother in the near future.
Continuing with the Swin 3 theme, I guess I'll hit up the ring leader of it all: RA Alex Helt. I still recall sitting in your room on the first night of school watching the Blue Collar Comedy Tour until 2 AM. Of course, who could ever forget our epic ping pong battles? We've had some good times together and some bad times together, but in the end, I am proud to be a resident of the third floor of Swinford Hall. Thank you for making the adjustment to college THAT much easier.
One more quick shout out to a Swin 3 member. Mr. Steve Olson better known as Stolson. Who else could I cheer for the Buckeyes with or call out an "O-H!" knowing that I'll get an "I-O!" in return? It's amazing that there's someone here that can relate with me back to Ohio, even if you are from that awful city known as Cincinnati. I look forward to another year of Indiana bashing come August 2005.
Moving up a floor, I'll touch on Jamie Manuel. If Shawn was a true man of quality, you are a true leader. You sir, are the future of the fraternity. You have the ability to take FIJI to the top over the course of the next few years, and it's going to be a privilege to be along for the ride. Thank you for being the one to take charge and step up to the plate when no one else will. I think I speak for all of us in FIJI (and soon to be an official part of Phi Gamma Delta) when I say it's a honor to know you. Just like Shawn and Drew, I can't wait until I can refer to you as "Brother Manuel."
Jumping across state lines, I go to Ryan McCrystal. Ryan man, what can I say about my favorite son? You have the ability to keep me laughing with your ridiculous stories and dreams. You are either the greatest or worst RA in the history of American colleges, but I know plenty of people that are thankful for that. You've got the guts to pilfer pumpkins, order sinks to be torn off bathroom walls, and risk expulsion from every NBA arena in the freaking country. How something that started off on a website featuring pics of Bron on a Hummer and me and Emma has grown into the amazing success that is draftace.com is beyond me. But you did it. I will forever remember our late night chats about how women are the most irrational creatures alive and how the nice guy never wins. And while I'm still a firm believer in the first part of my statement, I'm beginning to waver a little bit on the second part due to...
Last but not least, my darling girl Caitlin Boyle. Haha, who would have seen this coming a few months ago? Me and you? You and me? I never would have thought so either but here we are. I love your smile. I love your laugh. I love your energy. I love your voice. I love your drunk phone calls (in moderation of course). But most importantly, I love you. I cannot wait for this summer; I hope you can say the same. God has truly blessed the broken road that led me straight to you.
If your name didn't get mentioned in a big paragraph (oh God here we go in order of screen name of who's online for the most part: Abby, BA, Ange, Clark, Kate, Tiff, Carrie, Slatts, Boon, Kelly, Lee, Katie, Tara, Mr. FIJI to be as well Mike Grasso, Nick, Amanda, Stampy, Megan, Laura, Jar, Jeremy, Ngofeen, Adam, Zahn, Bayley, Bron, Brad, Jenny, Julie, Vanessa, Keah, Camille, Jenny Jackson from Miami, Jenny Jackson from BSU, Dave, Olson, Christy, Nicole, and everyone in FIJI) it doesn't mean that I don't like you or you haven't had an impact on my life. It means that it's damn near 3 AM and my fingers are tired. If I didn't hit your name now, then I either don't have your s/n or I skipped over it unintentionally on my buddy list. Accept my apology. Maybe I'll do another update for more people, but this will suffice for now. If I made your day or night somehow by writing this, that's fantastic. Just know that you all have made my YEAR. In conclusion, to all of my friends, new and old, I just want to say THANK YOU for making this the best 8 months of my life.
I guess I'll start with the thing that has consumed my life the second semester for the most part: The Fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta otherwise known as FIJI. Honestly, if you are reading this and knew me in high school, I would be the last guy that you would expect to join a fraternity right (OK maybe Schuler, but work with me here guys)? I came in with the typical Animal House-Old School-PCU-Going Greek stereotype of what a fraternity is. I don't think I could be more wrong. From my interview for the Black Diamond scholarship where I met Brent, McCready, and Faigh, my image of what a fraternity is was shattered. Should I have pledged in the fall when I originally received my bid? In hindsight, I still think I made the right decision. Although it would have been nice to be a full fledged brother right now, I enjoy having a lighter schedule and more free time to do stuff for FIJI than I would have first semester. Plus, I wasn't exactly a fan of joining something that's a commitment for 4 years (and as I later found out, a life time..."Not for college days alone") my first month of my first year on campus. I could not have asked for a better group of guys to be around, both older and my age, time and time again. It's nice knowing that not only can I count on a group of 40 or so guys to be there for me now, but to be there for me until the day I die. The feeling of knowing that there's always something to do is great to have in college because, let's face it, the dorms are boring. I am proud to be a FIJI to be.
On to stuff that I've learned...
Random, chance meetings have been some of the best things to happen to me this year. 2 examples: I'm sitting online one night at about 2 AM when I receive an IM from the screen name "Chagrinbabe." Figuring it's one of Leah's or Boyle's friends, I accept it. Well it turns out that this mystery girl just happened to have lived in Chagrin for 13 years of her life, knew a ton of people from Chagrin obviously, and lives ohhhh 10 minutes away from me on campus at BSU. What are the chances that someone like Sarah Harpster comes into my life like that? And here I was thinking that Jar and I were the only ones representing C. Falls out here in Muncie. Thank you Sarah for helping me rehash the days of being back home. You are more than welcome to come visit this summer and relive your childhood.
Second random occurrence. Thank you Shawn for drinking alcohol; without that, I'd be sitting here without one of my best friends on campus. One night Shawn came back a little drunk from a party and felt the need to talk to people online. Well he got kinda bored with it and laid down on his bed. I, being the good friend that I am, sat down at his computer and picked exactly one person to have a conversation with: Brittney Tiemann. What started as a totally random IM turned into a fantastic friendship that has lasted for the duration of the year now. Where would I be without having an awesome girl like you in my life to stay up talking to about everything and nothing all at once? I always have a smile on my face around you, and there's never a dull moment. I mean come on, you let Leah and me eat at your house on Easter. How great is that? I can't even imagine what next year would be like if you transferred to CMU. Thank God that you chose to stay here in Muncie with us. And thank YOU Brittney for being a great friend. I will always love you for it.
Speaking of Leah, this goes out to her. Leah Eichenbaum is a girl that any guy would be lucky to have in his life. Do you have any idea how relieving and comforting it is to know that you have your own "Dear Abby" advice columnist as a friend? You are someone that was there for me when I was emotionally breaking down over something in my life at 3 and 4 AM in the morning. You didn't just disregard my problems as worthless, say you were tired, or just nod your head, you provided rational, logical, and deep answers to my problems and helped me get through some tough times. Leah, I know that I've acted like a total jackass at times to you (especially recently) and for that I am 100% truly sorry. Thank you for being there for me and helping me keep my sanity. I love you.
I need some sort of segway here, so I'll go with the fact that Carly and Leah have talked and are Facebook friends. Carly Brandenburg: hands down, without a doubt, the single funniest girl I have ever met in my life. I have never met anyone that has my identical sense of humor, I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not, but I'm trying to give one out. You are always there to make me laugh about the most random things, and that is awesome. I'm glad and least SOMEONE gets my pop culture references. GOULET!
Next up: the wife. Lisa oh Lisa, how I have missed you. If only you knew how many people knew about "the wife" here at BSU. You have supported me in every decision that I have made this year no matter how smart or stupid that may have been. I know I had a hard time saying the words "I miss you" to you directly, but trust me, I felt it in my heart and in my head every day since I haven't been able to wake up and look out the window of my bedroom knowing that you were right there, so close to me. If you feel that we have grown apart and that I'm ignoring you, I am sorry. You know that I could never live with myself if I ever lost my best girl friend in the world. I just hope that you understand that college can get a little hectic sometimes and I'm not able to always be around. If you ever need anything in your life, whether it's now, tomorrow, 5 years from now, or 50 years from now, I will be there for you and do my best to provide you with everything that you desire. Thank you for being a great wife, but more importantly, a true friend.
That takes care of all of the gals execpt for one, I'm saving that for later, let me hit the guys real quick.
First and foremost has to be Drew Schafer. For as much as I love to rip on you man, it's all in good fun. You've been a helluva roomate this past year, and it's been a blast. Thanks for driving my ass all over Muncie among other places. Next year should be just as fun, and it will be a true pleasure to finally call you brother...which is a much better name than some of the things I've called you.
Like Bert and Ernie, they've gotta be together, so next is Shawn Meier. Dude, I still remember going to Wal-Mart with you one of the first weeks of school. Man that seems like forever ago but I remember it like yesterday. You represent everything that is good about FIJI, but you also represent everything that is good about being a person as well. You are a true man of quality, and I also look forward to calling you brother in the near future.
Continuing with the Swin 3 theme, I guess I'll hit up the ring leader of it all: RA Alex Helt. I still recall sitting in your room on the first night of school watching the Blue Collar Comedy Tour until 2 AM. Of course, who could ever forget our epic ping pong battles? We've had some good times together and some bad times together, but in the end, I am proud to be a resident of the third floor of Swinford Hall. Thank you for making the adjustment to college THAT much easier.
One more quick shout out to a Swin 3 member. Mr. Steve Olson better known as Stolson. Who else could I cheer for the Buckeyes with or call out an "O-H!" knowing that I'll get an "I-O!" in return? It's amazing that there's someone here that can relate with me back to Ohio, even if you are from that awful city known as Cincinnati. I look forward to another year of Indiana bashing come August 2005.
Moving up a floor, I'll touch on Jamie Manuel. If Shawn was a true man of quality, you are a true leader. You sir, are the future of the fraternity. You have the ability to take FIJI to the top over the course of the next few years, and it's going to be a privilege to be along for the ride. Thank you for being the one to take charge and step up to the plate when no one else will. I think I speak for all of us in FIJI (and soon to be an official part of Phi Gamma Delta) when I say it's a honor to know you. Just like Shawn and Drew, I can't wait until I can refer to you as "Brother Manuel."
Jumping across state lines, I go to Ryan McCrystal. Ryan man, what can I say about my favorite son? You have the ability to keep me laughing with your ridiculous stories and dreams. You are either the greatest or worst RA in the history of American colleges, but I know plenty of people that are thankful for that. You've got the guts to pilfer pumpkins, order sinks to be torn off bathroom walls, and risk expulsion from every NBA arena in the freaking country. How something that started off on a website featuring pics of Bron on a Hummer and me and Emma has grown into the amazing success that is draftace.com is beyond me. But you did it. I will forever remember our late night chats about how women are the most irrational creatures alive and how the nice guy never wins. And while I'm still a firm believer in the first part of my statement, I'm beginning to waver a little bit on the second part due to...
Last but not least, my darling girl Caitlin Boyle. Haha, who would have seen this coming a few months ago? Me and you? You and me? I never would have thought so either but here we are. I love your smile. I love your laugh. I love your energy. I love your voice. I love your drunk phone calls (in moderation of course). But most importantly, I love you. I cannot wait for this summer; I hope you can say the same. God has truly blessed the broken road that led me straight to you.
If your name didn't get mentioned in a big paragraph (oh God here we go in order of screen name of who's online for the most part: Abby, BA, Ange, Clark, Kate, Tiff, Carrie, Slatts, Boon, Kelly, Lee, Katie, Tara, Mr. FIJI to be as well Mike Grasso, Nick, Amanda, Stampy, Megan, Laura, Jar, Jeremy, Ngofeen, Adam, Zahn, Bayley, Bron, Brad, Jenny, Julie, Vanessa, Keah, Camille, Jenny Jackson from Miami, Jenny Jackson from BSU, Dave, Olson, Christy, Nicole, and everyone in FIJI) it doesn't mean that I don't like you or you haven't had an impact on my life. It means that it's damn near 3 AM and my fingers are tired. If I didn't hit your name now, then I either don't have your s/n or I skipped over it unintentionally on my buddy list. Accept my apology. Maybe I'll do another update for more people, but this will suffice for now. If I made your day or night somehow by writing this, that's fantastic. Just know that you all have made my YEAR. In conclusion, to all of my friends, new and old, I just want to say THANK YOU for making this the best 8 months of my life.