Top Ten Things I Remember Right Now
I love how a smell, song or simple thought can transport you back in time to what seemed like a long lost memory. Think about it, we know and remember so much, but most of the time that information isn’t being accessed, it’s just up there. If you tried to think really hard about your past year you probably can’t remember all the awesome times you had, but in the future when you’re driving in your car or listening to your iPod or day dreaming at work one of those moments that you missed will come flooding back. My memories most frequently surface when I hear music associated with them or when I smell something that reminds me of a particular place. While I was on the bus to Bangkok I heard a Bruce Springsteen song and it reminded me of something. I wrote it down and then I tried to just let my mind remain open to see what would pour out, this is the result:
1. Going to a Bruce Springsteen concert with my Pop, sisters and Bruno our Brazilian brother. We all drove to Hershey, the traffic was horrible and the beer lines were long, but the show was great. Bruce played all our favorites and then some. We all stood the entire time and Bruno grooved along to the music. He seemed like he had the best time out of all of us even though he barely knew who The Boss was. I will forever remember that night. My parents have a way of connecting with all their kids that make them seem like they’re our age again, like they’re just another one of our friends and they really are. It was awesome to spend some quality time with the Pops while listening to his favorite musician. At one point during the show he leaned over and told me that he was my age when he went to his first Bruce concert.
2. Getting a call from Katie and Calder one morning thanking us for the wedding gift we sent. Then they jokingly invited us over for milkshakes, so Dave and I drove three hours to Penn State and had a fun-filled day with both of them. We drank shakes, rode around on the Vespa and had ceviche and gazpacho for dinner. After chillaxin and chatting we got back in the car and drove to Philly.
3. Walking into my bedroom on Stiles Street and finding Jeff lying on the floor on his stomach hiding something, that something was my kitten Charlie. Debbie, Dave and Jeff all conspired to get me a kitten because I had the winter blues; it was the purrrrfect cure. She was the most adorable little baby ever and I honestly still see her as a little kitten. The following weeks I skipped a few more classes than usual to be with her. I would come home every possible minute to pet, play and nap with her. She is definitely my most valuable possession.
4. Visiting Temple University when I was 17 with Momma Schu. I really can’t remember a valid reason for choosing any of the colleges I applied to. I remember looking up a lot of random statistics on collegeboard.com and seeing that of all the Philadelphia schools Temples was the cheapest and easiest to get into and it had the major that I wanted. Momma Schu and I drove into the city, which was an adventure in itself and we went on a school tour. After lunch we got separated and I was standing in the lobby of what would be my future dorm for over an hour. I was a little worried and I didn’t have a cell phone so I just stood there thinking that was the best plan. Eventually she came and found me (she was listening to a talk in the journalism building) and we walked to the journalism school to hear the head of the department speak. I instantly fell in love and now four years later I’m a graduate and I like to think I made my mark there.
5. Drinking Red Stripe at 9 a.m. and watching the World Cup for a month straight. I was in Jamaica, living at my friend Blacka’s house during the World Cup last year. All Jamaicans are huge soccer fans so every morning we would wake up early, position the fans so that they would blow directly on us and drink cold red stripe until all the day’s games were over. It was so much fun to watch the games with such a lively fan. He would constantly be jumping up, yelling, cheering and cursing in Patois. After each game we would fill in our brackets and make predictions about the next match. After dozens of games it still didn’t get old. That was the most relaxing vacation I had ever had.
6. Wandering around the German Christmas Markets with Katie and Calder looking for traditional gifts, warm liquids and yummy food. I have never felt so immediately immersed in a country’s culture and tradition as I did in Germany. I also loved how there were so few American tourists in the markets. I can still remember the music, smells, sights and definitely the cold. Even though I keep telling myself to visit everywhere once before going back to the same place twice I cannot help but want to go there again next year. It was a great trip and it was way too short. I was also a busy bee during the day because I was there on a grant so I was constantly photographing everything. I really want to relive that week including the terrifying first drive. I could go on and on about all the things I loved about the markets. Maybe I’ll start a time capsule post where I go back in time and blog about a past event.
7. The weekend I spent in Matthew Daddona’s hometown on Long Island. Steph, Dave, Matt and I decided to take a little road trip one weekend and it turned out to be one of the simplest yet most wonderful weekends of my life. I got to see a new place, meet Matt’s big family, all of whom rock, and learn a lot about the friends I was with. We drove around the area, took walks and ate at delicious restaurants, but we also just sat in Dave’s car a lot talking about everything and anything. We ‘made up’ the question game, basically one person asks a question and everyone has to take their time and think of their answer and then share it. It can be anything. Some of the questions I remember are ‘describe your dream bathroom’ ‘what animal would you be if you had a choice’ ‘what is your dream job without thinking about the paycheck’ and ‘where would you like to have a home some day’ we all went around and asked questions for literally hours each night, just sitting in Dave’s car in the driveway. From time to time one of us had to get out and go to the bathroom and we would joke to watch out for the mountain lion because apparently one had been spotted earlier in the week. I’d like to recreate a weekend like that.
8. Summer vacations with the Schu family. For as long as I can possibly remember we have went gone to the beach at Indian River, Delaware and Chincoteague, Virginia. Every single year we all put our lives on hold and gather together at Tom’s Cove campground and more recently at the Shady Pine beach house. Vacations are full of activities, reading, games, food and most importantly laughter. We are all best friends so at any one time we are split up doing different things, but we all manage to gather together at night to eat a big meal prepared by Momma Schu and most likely caught by Pop. I don’t think any of us kids thank our parents enough for always setting up these weeks at the beach, but I know that it’s our favorite time of the year. Stress is low, relaxation is at the max and family time is abundant. Every year when I drive away from the beach I say “Hope Ya’ll Come Back Now” (because of a sign at Tom’s Cove) and every time I’m thinking that the week went by too quickly. I’m counting the days until this year’s vacation.
9. Saving my pennies for Ultra Music Festival. Maybe I thought of this one because I’m currently saving hardcore for my April travels. I’m applying for six different visas and they’re not cheap. Anyway, at this time last year, I walked into my friend Pete’s house and was bombarded with a proposition. Pete, Annie and Dave all wanted to go to Ultra, a music festival in Miami, and they wanted me to come too. All of our other friends were already going and Dave and Annie just found out that they could work with their school schedules and also make the trip. It was two months away and it was pretty damn expensive. Of course I immediately agreed and then we all made a budget that included food, drinks, hotels, tickets and a flight. I had to save a few hundred dollars really fast and I ended up doing it. As much as money stresses me out, I love to challenge myself to spend little and save lots. It’s really rewarding when you can do the big things you want to and forget the little stuff you skipped out on.
10. My awesome going away party in Philadelphia. With the help of my party-planner-partner Virginia, we threw one epic house party. All of our parties draw a crowd, but this one was definitely the biggest. We cleared out the downstairs, bought a keg and a hundred mustaches and invited all of our friends over. The house was packed, food finished and keg kicked at 2 a.m. I was able to see all of my favorite Philly peeps before I headed out and it couldn’t have gone any smoother. A lot of people called me afterwards saying they met really cool people and had some great conversations and when it comes down to it that’s what a house party is all about. I had an amazing night because I received about a hundred hugs and good wishes and that still has me smiling.
