Garden State Weekend

Last weekend I accomplished two things I am proud of:

1. Ran the Queens Half-Marathon (more on that lata)

2. Won a heated game of Thumper at a house party in New Jersey

For those of you unfamiliar, Thumper goes by other names: Zoo and Animal Kingdom are two I've heard, and is in the genre of "camp games" traditionally played by the under-ten set.

So naturally, when you have 25 college graduates between the ages of 22 and 25 in a house, you spend your night playing Thumper and Charades. (I don't think anyone was counting, but I think I single-handedly lost at Charades for my entire team. Thank goodness I had my Thumper victory to keep my self esteem afloat)

a...a....a Tree grows in Brooklyn!

monkey?

At the end of August, I will be leaving New York to return to my beloved hometown, St. Louis, a move I could not be more excited about. What I am not excited about, however, is that I will likely miss out on many such parties as this one. One of my friends estimated that there is a close-knit group of 50 of us, a figure which I think is on the conservative side. We have a huge and wonderful group of friends, most of whom live between Boston and Washington D.C., and we all put in a concerted effort to see each other a few times a year. And it is amazing.

flip cup on a raft? YES.

it's a tough job...but someone's got to do it.

The support, positivity, and laughter received from true friends is immeasurably important in living the best life possible. I will miss these crazy mules (our college mascot!) so much and hope to continue to make it to our larger gatherings...at least once annually!