Tradition.

Tradition is VERY important in my family. Every Thanksgiving, we have a huge dinner for 17 people at either my parents' house or my aunt and uncle's house (they trade off each year). It's an entire day of family, football, and fabulous food. This year, however, the adults made the executive decision to have our Thanksgiving dinner at a RESTAURANT. This hasn't happened in my entire life so needless to say, it didn't go over so well with my sister and I. We had a hard time coping with the drastic change; we wanted the same thing we had gotten year after year, but we sucked it up and ended up having a fantastic day with our family.

While it was hard to eat turkey that didn't come out of our own oven, we were back to our old addicted-to-tradition selves the very next day as we made the trek up Skyline to our favorite Christmas tree farm. Travis joined us this year for his first time ever cutting down a Christmas tree! We love putting on boots and gloves to hike up the muddy hills of the farm, swinging the old saw that is supposed to be able to cut through a trunk easily, analyzing tree after tree and trying to avoid the large clusters of ladybugs that have made their homes there. Dad thinks ever tree is too yellow/brown, Mom wants a 10 foot tree that won't fit anywhere in our house, and Megan wants the "fluffy" ones that are so full, there's no way you could fit any ornaments on it. We always manage to find a perfect tree that everyone loves, and we can hear the "hallelujah!" chorus in the background, just like in the movie Christmas Vacation (which we quote year-round due to our excessive watching of it each holiday season). Every year, every Christmas tree hunt is full of laughter, pictures of the whole family being ridiculous, and watching Dad and Travis struggle to saw down the tree due to the "condensation" (excuse??). There's nothing like bringing in a Christmas tree that we found from nature itself, smelling unbelievably good. We spend the whole rest of the day/night decorating it, and every year as tradition would have it, the middle strand of the lights doesn't work AFTER we've already strung the whole tree. Pure comedy.

This year has taught me how important tradition is, how comforting and special it is to do the same family activities every year. However, I've also learned that a little bit of change is okay, that the important part of the holidays is to spend time with the ones you love no matter what you're doing. If I'm eating a home cooked turkey next year, it'll be great only because I'll be with 17 people that I adore. On November 23, 2012, we'll be right back up Skyline, looking for that tree once again. I cannot wait :).

C.

For that, I'm thankful.

Thanksgiving is one of my absolute favorite holidays. Not only is it one of the absolute best days of eating (oh my gosh, I could eat stuffing for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy), it brings my whole family together and reminds me to take a step back and look at how truly blessed I am. So, instead of posting a status on Facebook or sending the same mass text to a bunch of people, I'm posting my thanks right on here, for each and every one of you.

1. I'm extremely thankful for my entire family. My parents are my mentors and I treasure my fantastic relationship with them. My sister is my absolute best friend in the entire world. My aunt and uncles are some of the funniest people I've ever met, and my cousins are on the top of my list of favorite people. My grandparents teach me strength and prosperity, and even my second cousins in Germany that I almost never see still keep in touch. I'm so blessed to be surrounded by such supportive, loving and happy people, and for that, I'm thankful.

2. My wonderful, wonderful boyfriend, Travis. And, we admit, we owe Ben Greer for introducing us :). I've never met someone who is the love of my life and my best friend. My family and friends love him and he them, and I love his family and friends just as much. I can't wait to see him everyday, and I'm excited to see what other surprises and changes he will bring to my life. He's an incredible man who loves me and supports me through my trials and tribulations and for that, I'm thankful.

3. Travis' family. His caring parents who instantly adopted me as one of their own. His brother Tyler who is one of the most down to earth people I know, and his brother's adorable girlfriend Rachel, who has also become a friend. His grandparents and all of his aunts and uncles (there are a lot!) who are incredibly family oriented and make me feel at home. I'm so happy to have such wonderful people in my life who create a second family for me and for that, I'm thankful.

4. My best friends. My life would be so different without them. Brittany Hall, Erin Cutler, Brianna Rose, Paige White, Sara Dolan. 5 of the craziest, sweetest, hilarious girls who constantly bless and enhance my life. These girls will be bridesmaids in my wedding, aunties to my children, and girlfriends I play Scrabble with when we're old. They keep me laughing and loving every day of my life and for that, I'm thankful.

5. My degree from SCU. I'm so blessed to have had the opportunity to attend Santa Clara University and study what I love. Graduating in four years as a transfer student seemed impossible at the beginning, and without attending a school that wants their students to succeed, I wouldn't be where I am today. SCU pushed me to my wits end, focused on my success and introduced me to some very important people in my life and for that, I'm thankful.

6. My job at MoFo. I feel so lucky to have landed such a great job right out of college that pays me well, gives me great benefits, and allows me to learn and grow. Over the last 7 months, I've been pushed, tested, confused, uncertain, interested, excited and intrigued with the work I'm doing. Not only that, I've met some brilliant people who take interest in me and my future and I've made many lifelong friends. MoFo keeps me secure, interests and entertains me, and gives me great friends and for that, I'm thankful.

7. My friends. Especially the ones I've met through Travis (though really, they're the people I met through Ben ;)). I may have only known these people for about a year, but they are truly some of the funniest, coolest, kindest people I've ever met. Ben Greer, Mike Chavez, Jason Von Raesfeld, Jerome Burton, Keith Guo, Matt Paolercio, Mike Gibler, Dane Rasmuson, Mike Bermudes, Mike Sylvia. Annie Espinosa, Julie Connelly, Tess Rickert, Marissa Silver, Jenny Long, Jenny Harlow, Siyi Tian. Such wonderful people who I'm sure will be lifelong friends. I'm also so appreciative of the friends who I've kept over the years and even though we don't speak 24/7, we still connect instantly when we see each other again. Lexi Burns, Tiffany Liou, Jacki Tuman...that list goes on way too long. I feel so blessed to have such caring people in my life and for that, I'm thankful.

8. My best guy friends. Guys are so important to have around - they ground me, give me advice, and we have so much fun whenever we hang out. Sean Pierce, Michael Boyd, Mike Chavez, Michael Arriola, Myron Cotran, Patrick Brennan, Steven Ross...the list probably goes on. They understand me and appreciate me for who I am and for that, I'm thankful.

9. Steamers. It may be a funny thing to be thankful for, but I truly am. Travis and I love this grillhouse in Los Gatos that we go to every Sunday night to drink amazing wine and hang out with our two favorite bar tenders of all time, Mike Chavez and Khalil Mujadedi. It's a great way to start and end our week - trying new wines, desserts, and talking/laughing with great friends. It's great to know that some of the simplest things can mean the most and for that, I'm thankful.

10. My apartment. It might be cold at times, or the shower head might not be the best, but it's a roof over my head and a place to sleep every single night with two awesome roommates. We've got heat, water, electricity and food, and for that, I'm thankful.

11. Everything that I haven't mentioned already. There's so much in my life to be thankful for and for that, I'm thankful.

Hope you all have a very happy Thanksgiving and remind yourselves how truly blessed we all are. :)

C.

The purple bracelet.

Last week, I was told I was going to be switching desks at work. I love the desk I'm currently in and the people around my desk, so this was devastating news. After multiple hours of sulking and complaining, work had become a place I no longer enjoyed, but rather resented. My mood dropped, my crankiness reached newfound levels and I ended up sick in bed for the next 4 days.

In between watching Big Bang Theory episodes, I surfed Facebook. I was already feeling crappy, but my mood deteriorated further as I read status after status from my Facebook "friends" that were littered with complaints, animosity, and depressing statements about life, school, parents, etc. I was less than excited about the amount of negativity that consumed my news feed, so I finally began deleting the chronic complainers. Why had Facebook become such an outlet for depression? If it weren't for those few people praising the Sharks or posting awesome pictures of their adventures, Facebook would pretty much be Whinebook.

Being exposed to so much negativity really took a toll on my mindset. I felt claustrophobic in a sea of sadness and bitterness. I began to see that being negative was a massive waste of time. Don't get me wrong - I'm an offender as well. I complain all the time about the LAMEST things. I had to give myself a wake up call - having to move desks at work is probably the dumbest thing I could possibly complain about. It's all about perspective. Who cares if the desk is on the roof - at least it's a desk at a full-time, paying job that I love.

A friend of mine, Happy (yes, her name is legitimately Happy) gave me a purple, rubber bracelet awhile ago with the words "a complaint free world" printed on it. It's part of a 29-day program (because that's how long they say it takes to form a habit) in which the wearer has to switch the bracelet to the opposite wrist every time they complain. It really makes you aware of when you're complaining and what you're complaining about, and the end goal is to have little to no complaints at all. I don't actively participate in the program, but every time I see the bracelet I'm reminded of the amazing life I have and I forget the desire to complain about trivial details.

Negativity is literally a disease. I'm a FIRM believer in mind over matter. Whenever I couldn't fall asleep as a kid, my mom used to make me repeat out loud and in my head over and over "I can fall asleep, and I will fall asleep". Mom sure knew best, because I fell asleep every time. If you set your mindset in a positive direction, your life will follow. You'll be more successful, you'll be surrounded by better people and you'll lead a happier life...and best of all, you'll love every second of it.

Two days before my big desk move, they told me I was no longer moving. Funny how these things work out...:).

C.

Falling in love with Fall.

September 23, 2011: first day of FALL! I'm sure that doesn't mean a whole lot to everyone else, but to me, this marks the first day of my favorite season that tends to last a glorious 3 months.

There's something magical about Fall. It's a season of change: the colors, the weather, the people...it's refreshing after multiple months of sweaty and uncomfortably hot days and nights. We can all take a little breather and enjoy the cool, crisp Fall breezes that have been absent while the thunderstorms and heat waves raged. Once Fall is in full force, I retire the shorts and tank tops and bring back out my beloved scarves, jackets and boots. I order the pumpkin spice lattes and the peppermint mochas at Starbucks, and I put on my UGG slippers the second I get home from work. I carve pumpkins with my crazy friends, I eat abnormally large amounts of holiday cookies, and I turn on Christmas music the day after Halloween. It's a season of romance; I curl up on my couch with my boyfriend watching Friends re-runs and drinking tea, or take a hand-in-hand walk through a nearby leaf-covered park. Fall brings a cozy, comforting feeling, and there's nothing more serene than looking out your window and being surrounded by a sea of red, yellow and orange on all the trees. Total bliss.

Fall also brings about my three absolute favorite holidays. My birthday is in October, and the fact that it falls in the middle of Fall (no pun intended) makes it so much better. Thanksgiving is in November, and this holiday is huge because my entire extended family all comes together and celebrates. Lots of laughs and love. After that is my favorite month - Decemeber, which brings Christmas (I know it might be more in the winter category, but humor me a little). All of these holidays are centered around family, which is why I count down the days to each of them as the year flies by. I cherish those times when school, work and our hectic lives seem to simmer down and we can spend time together watching football, or a James Bond marathon, or Elf. The start of Fall means they're right around the corner.

Fall is the last season before we move into the new year. We settle down from our crazy summers and take these few months to relax before it starts all over again. It brings those who are far away close, and those who are close even closer. I can't wait to spend this season with all the wonderful people in my life, and I know this year, same as the last, those leaves will begin to change and the temperatures will begin to drop and once again, I'll be falling in love with Fall.

C.

Castello di Amorosa - a wine affair.

Had you asked me a year ago what my favorite drink was, I probably would have clung to my college years and given you an answer like "cranberry & vodka". Not anymore. My new-found love is wine. I used to hate it - burned my throat, too strong, made my mouth dry...now, I find myself enjoying a raw, spicy, cigar-box tasting Cabernet Sauvignon that Travis always orders and fruity aftertaste of a dry Pinot Gregio. Wine became our drink of choice every Sunday night at Steamers, and our curiosity and desire to learn more about wine started to turn into a hobby.

Buying wine at the store and giving it a whirl just wasn't feeding our interest enough, so we picked a random weekend and made the trek up to Napa Valley for a little wine tasting. We rolled down all the windows to catch the 75 degree breeze from the greenest vineyards I've ever seen. Wineries and vineyards everywhere we looked! We had died and gone to wino heaven. We continued up I-29 until we found ourselves in Calistoga, and here is where we ran right into one of the most unique places I've ever seen - Castello di Amorosa.

This is no ordinary winery. Ohhh no. Castello di Amorosa is a legitimate CASTLE. Pretty much straight out of Europe...and that's not an exaggeration. This 125,000 sq. ft. castle was built entirely from materials taken from run-down castles in Italy. The owner was extremely meticulous during the 15 years it took to build the castle, and made sure that everything was totally authentic. It's as close as you're gonna get to time travel back a few centuries. The lights, the doors, the patio...everything seems so European. AND they do horse and carriage rides around the vineyards. Romance novel worthy. Who would have thought there was this little slice of Europe tucked up in Calistoga, California??

After we wandered around the castle pretending like we were royalty, we got the chance to taste some incredible wines. The tasting was in the cellar of the castle with romantic mood lighting and tons of beautiful items (paintings, olive oil, soaps) for sale. We each got 5 tastings - so, since we always share, we tried 10 different wines! Yumm. We loved just about everything we tasted. The best part is, they don't sell these wines anywhere but in the winery itself, so when you come home with a bottle, that's the only bottle you'll have until you go back to the winery! This allows them to price their inventory reasonably. The most expensive bottle we considered getting was $88, and it was a Cab mix. Sooo delicious. The label has an image of the caste right on it, so it's totally unique. The dessert wine actually has the castle etched into the bottle - beautiful. The entire ambiance was romantic, elegant, and historic, all nestled up in the hills of wine country.

Needless to say, I'm dying to go back and try the rest of the wines. I plan on taking my parents up there when they get back from the real Italy, and would love to go with all my girlfriends! There's nothing like a Fall day, hanging out at a castle, drinking wine...an Italy away from Italy. A perfect start to what is going to be a lifelong enjoyment.

"Happiness is the wine of the rarest vintage" - Logan P. Smith. Ahh, yes indeed it is.

Winery wesbite: http://www.castellodiamorosa.com/

C.

Where were you when the world stopped turning?

That September morning started off like any other morning I had experienced in my short, 11-year life. I woke up to get ready for school, and came out of my room to find my mom and dad staring at the TV, horror-struck. My naive mind couldn't imagine anything worse than going to advanced band practice at 7:30am until I saw images that will be engraved in my mind forever. I couldn't figure out why two normal planes, planes I had been on many times before, had hit these towers, or why the news station kept replaying the same, graphic images and saying the same, tragic phrases. And I was watching it all from the comfort and safety of my California family room.

Over the last ten years, I've learned the real meaning of words that I never used to identify with. Terrorism. Patriotism. Tragedy. Community. As each 9/11 passed, I became a little more educated and a little more aware. I've religiously read each CNN article, watched countless videos, and heard so many personal stories. Today, on the ten year anniversary of one of the biggest events of my somewhat sheltered life, I reflect on things beyond the act itself. I look at humanity in its rawest condition.

To this day, I don't understand the level of hatred that could prompt an attack of that magnitude on a country, and justify multiple suicides in the process. I probably never will understand. While I continuously feel overwhelming terror and sadness as I watched people running for their lives from giant walls of smoke, and jumping out of the top stories of the trade centers because they had to make a choice about how they want to die, I can't help but feel extreme pride and admiration for not just America, but humans as well. While I was sitting there paralyzed in fear, others were fighting. Some were dying. Many were mourning. Everyone was praying. Our freedom and strength were tested that day, with the expectation of defeat. We were not defeated. We walked away from an event that could have destroyed us with immense hope, strength, and resilience.

Alan Jackson's song "Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning" illustrates that day better than I could articulate. The last line of the chorus sings "faith, hope and love are some good things He gave us, but the greatest is love." As we enter into the second decade of remembrance, we must not hate those who hated us first. We must not live our life in fear, but rather in faith. We must not cry for the heroes lost, but rather celebrate the amazing stories and lives of so many incredible Americans who selflessly acted in a time of crisis. The light that reflects off the top of the newly constructed trade center and the bottom of the powerful memorial pools that now flow where the trade centers once stood allows us to embrace the positive, celebratory message of faith, hope and love.

I may not have witnessed it first-hand, and I may not have been able to do much to help, but I will always remember to never forget. 9/11/2001.

C.

A little bit of childhood that can never be lost.

Last night I found myself in a massive deja-vu from this exact time last year. This time there was not as much crying, but maybe it's because I had the experience from last year under my belt, and the knowledge that it's not forever. My little sister Megan was headed back to Brown University in Rhode Island for her sophomore year, and I was staying here in good ol' Cali. The hugs, the laughs, the "I'm gonna miss you so muuuccchhh"s were all the same.

While going off to college and moving away are totally natural things, this parting of sisters is massively distressing. Not just for us, but for our parents and our friends. My best friends and my boyfriend have to endure me whining about how much I miss my sister, and then I have to listen to them moan back because they miss her too. Last year I saw her four times - Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring break and summer. But I know how college works, and I know that as the years goes on, those visits home will dwindle to just Christmas, if I'm lucky.

Megan and I are 100% different. Not only are our physical appearances different, our personalities are almost night and day of each other. We're the classic, successful example of opposites attract. Her wicked sense of humor, independence and free spirit keep me laughing and alive, and my good sense, ambition and understanding keep her grounded. Despite our differences, we have been best friends our entire lives. Maybe it was the convenience factor of living together that made us bond, or maybe it was the fact that my parents instilled the ideal of having your sister as your best friend so early on that it made sense. Nonetheless, Megan and I would spend hours upon hours as kids making up scenarios with beanie babies that made little to no sense, driving our barbies around in their red Mustang convertible, or making up dances to our favorite songs and performing them for our family, while mainly consisted of me making up the dances and instructing little, blonde Megan what to do. Regardless, every plane flight, every long car ride, every short car ride and every family event was way too much fun because my sister was there to keep me insane.

Now that I've finished college and she's almost halfway done, not much has changed in our relationship. Watching her come to me for advice, or telling me a big piece of news before she tells Mom or Dad makes it so incredibly easy to forget those few years when our relationship had taken a dive into the teenage moodiness of high school and resulted in petty fights, competition, bossiness and jealousy. Ask us about it now, and we'll barely even remember.

As I'm saying goodbye once again, I'm able to withold my sadness just a little bit more than last time because I know she'll be back. Even though it'll be 4 months instead of 2, it's not time that makes our relationship stay and grow. It's us, with a little bit of help from Facebook, Skype, and the iPhone. Each time she leaves, her coming back is just a little bit sweeter. Once she graduates, she'll come back to Cali because everyone here might disown her if she doesn't. Just a little incentive. :)

We're so blessed, and we both finally know it and appreciate it. And that's a bond even the span of an entire country can't break.

C.

"but the most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself..."

"...And if you can find someone to love the you that you love, well, that's just fabulous.” -satc.

Well Ms. Bradshaw, that's not the easiest thing to figure out. We live in a society that focuses more on what we want than what we have. We change ourselves to fit into something that we think that we want, or that we think will be better. I've done it - guilty as charged. In all honesty, I have yet to see it work out well.

I used to apply this same ideology to something destructive - relationships. Both romantic relationships and friendships. I was always changing who I was and what I (thought) I wanted to fit the situation I was in, rather than the other way around. I won't go into the gory details, but it never worked out in my favor. I cycled through friendships and relationships unable to figure out what was wrong. I had no idea who I was, where I was going and what I wanted to do. Going into my first year of college, I was lost and in denial, which is a less than ideal situation.

I stopped focusing on what other people wanted, and tried to figure out good ol' me first. Throughout college, I got to know myself, and I was able to understand what I wanted and needed, and then do it. I loved my school, my friends, my family, and my future, and never once did I feel like I was missing anything. I had a newfound confidence. I could move to London if I wanted to! I could go to law school on the East Coast! I could study for the LSAT for 12 hours straight! (Not sure I ever would, but still). Totally liberating.

After that little epiphany, everything clicked. My sister and I became closer than I can even describe; a best friend that was right in front of my face and it wasn't until I was confident enough in myself that I could overlook the petty fights and jealously we battled all through high school. I met my best friend in the entire world (not my sister) at community college (that I had previously been embarrassed to be attending) who I adore. Through her, I formed another best friend, and the two of them constantly remind me how blessed we all are to know each other. Those three girls will change over time, but not because we have to in order to stay friends.

It wasn't until I was stuck up in a study room on the top of Lucas Hall at Santa Clara University watching a finance/accounting guy do LSAT logic games with me for 3 hours and actually enjoy himself that romance began to make a little bit more sense. I'm not changing anything about myself or my life to fit my relationship because I don't have to. Yes, there have been some compromises and yes, there will be more - but I no longer worry about losing my relationship with myself.

Turns out, when you've found the right ones, friends, family and relationships all overlap. Friends become family or relationships, family and relationships become friends. And that's exactly how it should be.

Here's the whole quote:

“Later that day I got to thinking about relationships. There are those that open you up to something new and exotic, those that are old and familiar, those that bring up lots of questions, those that bring you somewhere unexpected, those that bring you far from where you started, and those that bring you back. But the most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you can find someone to love the you that you love, well, that's just fabulous.” - Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City.

C.

"Wedding Season" is gonna last much longer than it's name claims.

WEDDING SEASON!...I have no clue what that means. I think it's the highly-educated observation that more people tend to get married in April-October than any of the other months. Regardless of when this over-publicized ideal of "wedding season" is, it's definitely been going on for the last few years of my life. So many of my friends have been getting engaged and then married (as the logical sequence of events go), while I'm still longing for the days when losing at tetherball to your best friend was probably the worst thing that could EVER happen to you. I look back on those times wishing I could be a kid again and not have to worry about money, or responsibility (though I probably wouldn't play tetherball again...hitting a ball on a string kinda makes me feel like a cat). When did everyone jump on the marriage train and why am I still looking for Platform 9 and 3/4? (You know you love the HP reference).

Don't get me wrong - I LOVE WEDDINGS. In fact, love might be the understatement of the year. I'm the kind of cliche girl that will buy the $10 bridal magazines long before being engaged, or even being in a relationship. I'll read them into early hours of the morning, drooling over the stolen-from-a-postcard locations, the out-of-any-normal-person's-price range dresses and the probably-photoshopped-but-not-enough-for-me-to-care bouquet arrangements. I take note of things I see and want for my own wedding (however many years away that may be). A bridal magazine is the equivalent of a car magazine with prettier colors and more description. Some people might call this obsessive or weird, but I call it good planning. And, by the way, there are very few women you will meet that haven't thought about at least one detail of their future wedding. It's in our blood. Lucky for me, my best friend loves weddings just as much as I do and my boyfriend, bless his wonderful heart, never yells at me when I accidentally tune him out while flipping through my magazine. Part of that is my inability to multi-task, and part of it is my true wedding fetish.

My love for weddings doesn't translate into a desire to get married immediately. I was talking with a few of my girlfriends after graduation and my friend Annie asked "why do people always assume your relationship gets way more serious after you graduate college?!" It's totally true. The second we picked up that deceivingly empty diploma on stage, people are asking about engagements, move-in dates, and wedding locations. Woooaahh, cool those jets!. I'm still learning how to apply for jobs, let alone marriage licenses!

I definitely will get married (see paragraph 4 for repeated confirmation), but I have a good 50+ years to spend married. Right now, I'm happy with my new job, my new apartment, and my newly made-over life. I probably won't be walking down the aisle within the next year (knowing me, it'll take me that long just to plan the damn thing), but I know when the timing is what I call "movie perfect", it'll happen. Until then, I'll continue enjoying swooning over my friend's wedding photos on Facebook (Joshua & Brooke Ziel's wedding in Mexico has induced the most swooning so far) and collect tidbits for my own dream wedding. I can't wait for all our closest friends to tie the knot and start the big time celebrations. It's barely even begun.

For all you wedding lovers like me, this website is drool-worthy.
http://www.theknot.com/

C.

It's as if I went to Hogwarts...and graduated.

July 15th proved itself to be exactly what the majority of the world expected - one of the most emotional endings to the era we had all grown to love over the last 14 years. The opening night of the last Harry Potter movie was, to say the least, magical.

Before you throw me into the categories with the HP fanatics and envision me walking around wearing Gryffindor robes and waving a fake wand, let me explain. I'm a HP fan, yes. I've read all the books within a day or two of them coming out, and I've seen each movie multiple times in theaters. However, I don't love the series because I want to be a witch and do magic (though I do wish I had an English accent like the characters), but more so because it was the one series that followed me through my childhood, that kept me reading instead of watching mindless TV, that opened up my mind to a whole different set of rules I was unaccustomed to. I've grown up with these characters and the story, and I've found myself escaping into their mythical world ever since I opened Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone at the age of 7.

My best friend said it perfectly - Harry Potter has been the Star Wars of my generation. The end of the series is sad; I will miss standing in lines for hours waiting for the newest movie to start the night it comes out while making up ridiculous HP card games with my sister. However, the end of the series hits home a little harder. For me, Harry Potter was my entire childhood, and as I was sitting in the movie theater seat watching (spoiler alert!) Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny all grown up in the last scene of the last movie, I realized that I was all grown up too.

Just as Harry will never be returning back to Hogwarts, I will never be returning to SCU. I've graduated college, and it was only two days after the actual graduation that was I sitting in an office chair in my grown-up job, struggling my way through legal documents that seemed far beyond my own intelligence and feeling more overwhelmed than I did when I was writing my thesis for my senior seminar class. Terrifying, to say the least.

Well, it's been a month since graduation and I feel like it's been years. I'm fully immersed in my job - competent, confident and excited about the work I'm doing and the opportunities that I can see so clearly. I've got my alumni license plate frame on, I'm moving into a brand new apartment and watching my (what I used to think were awesomely large) paychecks dwindle away to rent, car insurance, gas and so on. Sometimes it sucks, but hey, this beats having to fight Voldemort ;)

The end of HP coincided with the end of my childhood perfectly. Both have given me memories that I will take with me through adulthood, and then pass on to my own children when the time comes. Until then - well, it's been magical.

C.