I love what I did...

 

 We've been doing a lot of driving these days...and it's given me the time to reflect on how I'm feeling about leaving UNH. The words bittersweet truly do sum it up. I'm happy and excited to be starting our new life, but I will miss this place. I know I would have been leaving in May anyway, and professionally, I would have rather not have left mid-year. Alas, with a baby in the mix, my priorities have shifted, and 

I'm okay with that. 

It doesn't mean I can't be a little sentimental though...

 So here are a few of my favorite images over the past few years. Trust me it was agonizing to choose...so in the end, I just went with the ones that spoke to my feelings right now and what I'm going to miss...

 Capturing meaningful moments...

This one above made me bawl like a baby. For a little back story, this is from a photo shoot of an RA staff. Johnny's actually. We had this shoot planned for a while, but about a week or so before the shoot, their hall community had a student death that rocked the campus. Johnny decided the photo shoot was just what they needed, full of teambuilders, laughing, and just focusing on them. 

I was just the one behind the camera, but I felt so fortunate and moved to be a part of this healing process.

I'm going to miss having my camera at these fun events...capturing laughter, craziness, and getting to know each others. 

 I'm going to miss my friends. 

A lot. 

I feel blessed to have worked with such funny, down-to-earth co-workers, and I couldn't have asked for better supervisors who push us to find our niche and give us such autonomy.

My approximately 1100 students from UNH have been pretty awesome. Filled with great conversations, career guiding, silly floor wars competitions, and sharing their lives with Josh, Holden and me. 

Thank you! 

And finally...

Thank you to my RAs over the years. I have enjoyed supervising you all, and many of you have become life-long friends to each other and to our little family.

My Hunter RAs: You are going to be incredible next semester. You have already done great things, and I know the spring is going to be a lot of fun for you. I'm leaving this place in good hands.

Here we go. 

 

Thank you UNH. 

Now Holden would like to add something...

lkj;lkjl;kjl;kdiiiiiiiiiiaaaaaXX

Translation: 

I'm going to miss my first floor girls a lot, and running up and down the hall in my walker. My mom's going to miss all the babysitters too!

a few cute ones of my staff

My RA staff and I got together for one last photo shoot. I picked out my favorites...but there are so many more...

the most wasted of all days is one without laughter  ~e.e. cummings

"Friendship begins when one person says to another, "What?! You too? I thought I was the only one!" 

C.S. Lewis

“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.”

-Mother Theresa

"For what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again."

-Benjamin Button in his letter to his daughter
 

I'll miss you all this summer and next year. Please visit!

an ode to spring break

Oh spring break, I didn't know if you would ever get here.

Today I was sitting in my apartment at about quarter to 5, and almost everyone had left. The hall was empty with a few stragglers, and for the most part the hallway was uncharacteristically quiet, just as it had been all day. Outside of my living room window there is a big parking lot, and through my open window, I could see and hear excited students piling into 15 passenger vans headed on Alternative Break Challenges. Some are going on Habitat for Humanity trips; others are planning on volunteering at homeless shelters or day care programs. Another group are on their way to LA for a week of cleaning up beaches and helping at non-profit organizations.

I bet it comes as no surprise that many of these trips have at least one Alexander student on them. I hope you all meet some new friends along the way, laugh A LOT, and see the impact you are going to have on the lives you touch this next week. I'll be thinking of you all, and two that will be in my thoughts the most are my friends Julia and Leah. Julia is the hall director next door, and one of her students Leah is a former Alex Alum. As I write this, they are packing up their bags and headed to Logan tonight to fly to Haiti. I hope you both remember all of us at home in Durham thinking of you and wishing you well this entire week. I know you will make such an impact on the young children you'll meet. Those two big, beautiful smiles will melt everyone's heart and bring them such joy. 

As the amazing Margaret Mead once said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Between Michelle, Michaela, Julia, Leah, Joy, Jules, Leanne, Sloane, Sarah, Julia P., and probably way more than I can remember, you are definitely changing your world.

sledding

 

 

 

  "Yes, you might say something is wrong with this picture!"

        I love this picture of Ed. He lived in my building my first year at UNH.

I can't believe he's going to be a senior next year! 

 

 

smilin' faces

 

 

 

the end of the semester...

 

 

 Some people wonder what it is I really do,

and there are days I'm not really sure either...
but if this is it,

I just might love it forever...