Nine

Winter 2013 was a mess. I mean it was good, but it was a mess. One of my best friends was just accepted into the study abroad program in London and the other was contemplating a mission and my current roommate had decided to serve a mission. So seriously all the hours we had spent house hunting went out the window by the end of January. All I knew is that I really didn't want to be alone with a bunch of strangers in a new apartment and I didn't know where to go or what to do or anything. Then all of a sudden I thought maybe I should apply to be a Resident Assistant. It was something I honestly had mocked all the months leading up to it but after struggling with a ridiculous amount of loans for a ridiculously high rent in the Freshman Dorms, free housing was looking pretty promising. I knew I'd need a job so I thought why not apply and see where it goes.

I wasn't sure how my friends would take it and they thought I was joking when I told them. They even thought I was kidding when I said I was seriously contemplating it after being offered a position. I decided to go ahead and accept it.

So I did. And it has honestly changed my life.

I spent the summer praying that I would be the right fit for these girls and be able to connect with them and the people I worked with. I spent so much time coming up with a theme for the year and making cutesy decorations for the hall to make them feel welcome and seem more home-y. I showed up to RA training and started to get a little scared when we started talking about the aspects of the job we would be trained on. I swear I read the contract but maybe some lines were just filtered out as I read it and there was so much I didn't know that I would be doing or even if I could handle it.

I just felt thrown in. Like one of the situations where you learn to swim out of necessity rather than for leisure. {I mean, it worked, don't get me wrong}. I met all the girls and tried to remember their {60} names, where they were from, what they were studying, and keep tabs on our similarities so that would we would have something to talk about when I came to visit their apartments.

These girls are inspiring. They drive me nuts and wake me up early and lock themselves out more than I can count. But they teach me more than I feel I ever could them. I have been so blessed with the most self-sufficient girls and they actual listen to me {most of the time}. We've just spent the last year making memories and going through this experience. I'm honestly worried for the next year because I won't have my little nuggets within arms reach where I can cushion their blows and hold their hand and walk them through the chaos that is college. They bring me happiness when I see them get excited to see me and I LOVE gossiping with them and hearing about their lives. They drop by my place and I stop by theirs and we celebrate and cry together. I really, truly hope they will remember our friendships through the years because I know they have forever changed me. I've made some of the best friends this way and I'm grateful for the memories we have so far.

But we aren't done partying yet.