so long, newburyport high

          High School graduation was one of the most bittersweet days of my life. I was thrilled to be done with pre-calc and homework and waking up at 6:00 every morning, but realizing that I wouldn’t see my friends everyday at school the next year was a rude awakening. The weather on June 3, 2012 perfectly described my mixed feelings of delight and sadness. In the morning, it was raining, and continued on and off for the whole afternoon. When it was time to walk into the stadium, it seemed to clear up, though the sky was overcast and windy enough that I had to hold onto my cap. The skies opened up and the rain really began as soon as we sang the last line of our Alma Mater. 

          Receiving my diploma was definitely a high point in my life; I feel like I deserved it, and I am proud to be a graduate of Newburyport High. I’m endlessly grateful to my high school for being excellent enough to give me a choice of colleges, and for the wonderful teachers I had. Leading up to graduation, we had senior week, which consisted of various activities like Vespers (a somber ceremony), the black tie banquet and yearbook signing, Ivy Day, senior sing-out, promenade, and senior celebration. It was great to bond with everyone in my class during our final week together, and I made a lot of great memories with my friends.

senior prom 

senior celebration

klaudia and i, senior celebration

vespers with charter kids

sister+best friend

parents

wyoming

          I feel like I haven’t written in so long, and so much has happened over the summer months. I can't believe it's almost Fall! There are so many things to write about, so I'll try to keep things in chronological order. In April, I came downstairs one morning to find one of my dad’s characteristic long-winded letters sitting on my placemat. Bottom line, he had written that I should seriously consider enrolling at the University of Wyoming, to make college even more of an adventure than it already is and to continue my pursuit of rugged individualism. I had always joked to my friends that I would end up there, and my dad’s letter really got me thinking. 

          At this point, I was wait-listed at a few schools, but I had a pretty clear idea of where I was going to deposit. I called my dad and told him I would consider it if we could visit campus to take a tour, and learn a little more about the programs they have for my major. Nearing the end of Spring break, we quickly booked two tickets to Denver, rented a car, and spent three nights in Wyoming. It was the most random thing I have ever done in my life, but the trip was well worth it. We left on a Friday, but our tour wasn’t until Monday, so we had a weekend to kill. I suggested we go to Cody, WY, since we had a great time there on one of our western vacations two summers earlier. It was a five hour drive, but we took turns, loving the 75 mph speed limit, lack of traffic, and wide open spaces. 

downtown Cody, Wyoming

a real cowboy (he travels all over the U.S. with three horses)

dad at the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody

we love the wide open spaces

          






















          





          

          First of all, Cody in April is nothing like Cody in July. Like Newburyport, business booms in the summer months, and the rest of the year, it is much like a ghost town. Still, we managed to keep ourselves occupied, poking around downtown, visiting the Buffalo Bill museum, and going to the movies. If nothing else, it was great to spend quality time with my dad in one of our favorite places. 

          On Sunday, we began the haul back to Laramie, home of the university. It’s actually a decent sized city, with plenty of restaurants and shopping centers, wild horses grazing in parking lots and old Ford pick ups on every corner. During our tour the next day, I was surprised by everything I learned about the college; it’s the only 4-year school in the state, so they have a ton of funding and tuition is insanely affordable. Though I applied because of my love for Wyoming, it was my super safety school because their acceptance rate is almost 95%. 

          I brewed things over in my head for a long time, but I ended up deciding that UW was not for me. I hate flying, and the thought of having to buy a ticket and go through TSA whenever I wanted to go home was less than appealing. Plus, my mother pointed out that if I’m bored in Newburyport, I’ll be even more bored in Wyoming. And as usual, she was probably right. Even though I chose to continue my education elsewhere, Wyoming is still one of my favorite places in the world, and I can’t wait to go back. 

spring ahead

          At last, summer has nearly arrived and the school year is winding down, so these past couple of weeks have been crazy. It seems like a lot of school related events have sprung up (no pun intended), and everyone has made their final decisions about college. I've decided to commit to Fordham University, and I could not be more excited at the opportunity to live and go to school in New York City. In the meantime, I plan to enjoy all of the activities planned for senior week, and to spend a lot of time with friends.
          I cannot believe that I'm finally done with high school and am graduating on Sunday, but I definitely feel ready for my next adventure.

diana and i with our favorite art teacher at the National Art Honor Society induction ceremony.

diana and i at the National Honor Society induction

klaudia, diana, and i at the ceremony for academic excellence

school vacation surprise

diana and the birthday girl!

a beautiful nautical cake courtesy of gretchen

          Two weeks ago, Newburyport had a much anticipated February vacation. This winter has been surprisingly (and annoyingly) mild, so I have been hoping for a little snow, but vacation week was nearly spring-like. Since I didn't have any trips planned, I picked up some extra hours at work, shopped way too much, and spent time with friends. One of the most fun parts of break was a surprise party my sister and I planned for Klaudia's birthday. She turned 18, which I found out last month isn't as great an age as promised.
          Nevertheless, I invited a bunch of friends for a surprise dinner at Flatbread's, one of our favorite spots, for delicious organic pizza and good company. Our friend Gretchen, who is a master baker, made an incredible chocolate cake, complete with blue and white stripes and an anchor on top to honor Klaudia's love for all things nautical. We had a great time, and spent the next few days buying scratch tickets to celebrate the fact that we are both officially adults. Unfortunately, vacation flew by far too quickly, so it's back to school for now. Even though spring is just around the corner, I'm still hoping for a snow day!

birthday festivities

          

           As of today, I am officially an adult! Since it is Tuesday, I celebrated my 18th birthday over the weekend with Diana and Klaudia. After arriving in Boston on Saturday afternoon, we had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and spent the rest of the day shopping (and eating). I was worried about the weather, but it was a perfect January day: warm enough for iced coffee, but cold enough to need a jacket. 

          After spending too much money on Newbury Street, we made our way to Cambridge to find dinner in Harvard Square. We decided on b. good, one of my favorite local chain restaurants for the cheap and delicious food. Although b. good is known for their burgers, made from local ingredients like the rest of their menu, I decided on a salad with some amazing roasted sweet potato fries. We walked around for a little bit longer before heading back to our hotel, exhausted.

          The next morning, we slept in late, grabbed lunch at Pizzeria Regina (the best pizza in the world. Period.), and trekked back to Newburyport. All in all, spending the weekend in Boston was a nice way to celebrate my passage into adulthood and, as always, I wished I didn't have to leave. It was fun to be in Harvard Square this time of the year, and being around college students/college life made me even more excited for my own experience this Fall. 

we run on dunkin's!

diana, me, and klaudia after enjoying sweet treats at Sweet Cupcakes

beautiful friends + lights in boston

back to school

       Well, this summer flew by even faster than the last one, and I've already begun to make plans for Summer 2012. In the meantime, though, it's back to high school for my final year. I am really excited to be a senior, but I'm not looking forward to the grueling college admissions process and all of the hard work during first semester. I'm hoping the boring parts will fly by, and I will be able to enjoy my last year at Newburyport High.
       I'm really hoping that I'll have enough time to take little adventures so I can continue writing--I'm eagerly awaiting both the Fryeburg and Topsfield Fairs, in October, and I would love to get in some hiking as the weather gets cooler. In the meantime, I'm going to try to finish my summer reading books, and when classes start in four days, I'm going to try to pay attention.

I wish I could find school supplies this pretty! photo c/o pinterest.com