So, as you all probably know by now, I'm pretty bad at writing on this blog. But there are a few things that come with the new year; resolutions and nostalgia. So I'm beginning my new year by making a resolution to blog more. And my first post this year? Sarah Mudge's 2013 year in review! Most of you know how scary and exciting this year has been, and while I know what a horrible cliche it is to compare it to a roller coaster, the metaphor fits. So without further ado, here's a sampling of the major events that occurred this year:
January 14th - Started my last semester of college
Or at least, what I thought was my last semester of college. I guess I'll still count it as the last one, considering the summer semester was both unexpected and fairly brief. More on that one later.
January 29th - Dorothy Mudge passed away
This was probably the most significant loss in my life so far. My grandmother was a huge support and encouragement to me. She was a kindred spirit and I will always miss her. But I've learned to celebrate the times I had with her, instead of mourning for things she won't be there for.
February 15th - Submitted application for US-2 programs
I remember this day as the day I successfully completed the longest and most invasive application EVER. This submission was followed immediately by a two-day car ride to Florida for winter break, which was awesome! (The vacation, not the car ride, though I enjoyed the car ride as well. There was lots of music, reading and some much-needed sleep.) We stayed at a friend's home in Florida where we got to see manatees, go to the beach, and, among many other fun activities, we got to enjoy the fact that we weren't outside in below-zero weather shoveling snow. ^_^
March 14th - Major Changes
This was the day I dropped my senior capstone and switched my major from Studio Art to Cross-Disciplinary Studies in art and psychology. There's more about that story in my previous posts if you're interested.
March 23rd - Found out Ben and Danielle were pregnant!!
So, my brother's birthday is March 17th, and his wife contacted us to set up a surprise birthday party for him. Ya' know, because 26 is one of those big milestone birthdays you don't want to miss. Little did we know, the surprise was for us. The birthday party was just a clever way to get us all in one place so they could tell us they were pregnant! (Well, Danielle was at any rate.)
April 3rd-6th - Interview and Discernment Days, NYC
For four days in April, I got to take time away from classes and head down to New York City to spend time with some of the amazing people from Global Ministries. I was super nervous and also super excited. The whole experience was amazing as were the people that I met.
The rest of April and the beginning of May were filled with the types of shenanigans that seniors in college do with other seniors in college when celebrating their impending graduation. Don't worry, no laws were broken (I don't think. Though there may have been some jaywalking. Wait... I KNOW there was some jaywalking... oops).
May 7th - Accepted
I found out four days before graduation that I had been accepted into the US-2 program. That was kind of a big week for me.
May 11th - GRADUATION!
Yup. I wore my cap and gown, I didn't trip, and at the end, there were flowers and lots of pictures. It was an awesome day, but also a sad day. Because graduation doesn't come without saying lots of goodbyes. I lived in a townhouse last year with five other ladies, and we were an awesome bunch. It was sad to see that adventure end.
May 13th - Summer school
That was the day that my summer semester started. I had to take two psychology classes and a senior capstone class in order to actually complete the degree I had pretended to receive two days prior. I was really glad that when I changed majors, they were offering those classes over the summer and that I wouldn't have to go back for another semester in the fall. And as long as you're only a small number of credits away from finishing, they let you walk with your class. My summer semester was actually a really great one, and I expected it to be terrible. There were way too many of us crammed into one tiny dorm. But aside from fighting over the kitchen space, the washer only being available at two in the morning and having about a dozen mini-fridges plugged in in random places throughout the building, it was a lot of fun. In fact, sometimes it's those weird, inconvenient, messed up circumstances that make for the best stories.
May 24th - Another loss
On May 24th, 2013 Dylan Parmele passed away. He was 21 years old. He was a wonderful, funny, loving guy and we still miss him. He was a friend from Koinonia, and I wish I could have known him better.
-I still remember the day I met him. As is usual at Koinonia, everyone had just arrived and was hugging all of their friends that they hadn't seen in a while. Dylan was going to each person, yelling their names and then grabbing them up in a big hug. He got to me, and since he didn't know me, I expected he would introduce himself. Nope. He just kept hugging.
"HANNAH!" *hugs Hannah*
"I DON'T KNOW YOU!!" *hugs me*
I have to say, that's a great way to meet someone.
June 7th - Left Roberts
So, I still had an online class I had to finish, but my on-campus college experience ended on June 7th when my two summer intensive courses ended. Surprisingly enough, it was sad leaving that cramped dorm behind.
July 5th - FREEDOM!
And this was the day I actually finished my undergraduate education. Once I hit "submit" on my final test in Developmental Psychology, I was actually and officially a college graduate. Most people celebrate that particular milestone in a cap and gown. I had already done that. My real celebration happened in my parents' kitchen. I was wearing pajamas and toasted the end of that particular stage of my education with a glass of cran-apple.
July 23rd - Training
I really had no idea what I was in for when I packed up and headed back down to NYC for three weeks of training with Global Ministries. There was a lot of information crammed into those three weeks. There were stunning revelations and uncomfortable truths. There were also amazing people and fun experiences. One thing that I found ironic about our time together was that while they warned us that serving in our placement sites would change us significantly, they failed to mention that the changes we would go through actually began the moment our feet hit the pavement in New York.
August 12th - Bekah's birthday!
My big sister turned 28 that day. Oh yeah, and I guess I should also mention that was the day I was commissioned as a missionary for the United Methodist Church. Our commissioning was awesome, and a much bigger deal than I had originally expected. There was a big worship service and at the end of it, we were all individually commissioned and prayed for and we all got dressed up and lots of people took pictures of us. It was a good day, but also a sad day. Because like graduation, it was also a day of goodbyes. Or at least, see-ya-laters, which are much better than goodbyes, but still kind of sad.
August 23rd - Moving day!
a.k.a. The day I packed my bags and flew clear across the country to go live with complete strangers in a place I'd never even been close to visiting. Yeah, that day. That was actually a pretty good day. People should do insane things more often.
September wasn't exactly a boring month, trust me. But there aren't really any big exciting things to report about September. Except for the fact that I survived it. I was pretty pumped about surviving it.
October 12th - My 22nd birthday!
And guess what I got for a present? A nephew!! Turns out Nathaniel was a few days late coming into the world because he knew if he held out a little longer, he could share his birthday with pretty much the coolest Aunt ever. Good call, my tiny bald friend.
November 26th-December 5th - Home!
I got to spend some time back in the woods of Upstate New York with my family for Thanksgiving. That was a pretty cool time, and I even got to see some of my US-2 friends who were placed in New Jersey. I got to sleep in my old bed, watch Syracuse basketball on TV and eat food I didn't cook. It was awesome. I also got to meet my nephew in person, who not only has an awesome birthday, but also had this great habit of falling asleep on my chest whenever I picked him up. I felt like the baby whisperer. And I'm definitely the favorite aunt. Just don't tell the others.
December 25th -First ever Christmas away from home
So, this Christmas was the first Christmas I've ever celebrated outside of Boonville. And while I really missed my family, we did have an excellent Christmas here. I dragged myself out of bed when my roommates made me get up and when I walked in the living room, the Christmas presents that I thought weren't going to be delivered from my parents until after Christmas were sitting under the tree. I guess the FedEx guy had dropped them off at about the same time I woke up. Tara made banana and chocolate chip pancakes and we drank orange juice out of wine glasses. Then we took turns opening our presents. We all got some great presents, and we had a blast. Then for dinner, my friend Kristina, who's a US-2 from Seattle, invited us to her house for Christmas dinner. That's one thing I've noticed about this program; our parents all seem to be pretty open to adopting other people's kids for the holidays.
December 31st - New Year's Eve
I ended 2013 playing Just Dance 3 with one of my roommates, her boyfriend and his dog. It was awesome.
And there you have it, folks. Some of the ups and downs from the last year of my life. It's been a crazy year, and I'm hoping that this coming year is just as crazy.
Thank you to everyone who has loved and supported me through this year. Thank you to everyone who has loved and supported me in years past. And thank you to those of you who will continue to love and support me in the future.
Happy (belated) New Year!!
