To Opening Up for New Beginnings

I did it! Well, I guess I can't use this phrase in the Elle Woods context yet, until next week that is, but rather, I broke down and started a blog.  As an aspiring marketing professional, I guess I understand the importance of practicing and improving my writing skills and what better way to do that than write about my life?  If you want to stop reading now, that's fine, I don't blame you really. But I have high hopes for this blog since I WILL HAVE SO MUCH FREE TIME (see below), so hopefully it will only get better with time (like good wine for example).  The reason I have so much free time you ask? Well if you know me at all you don't need to ask, but I am graduating! Therefore, the weeks of 19 credit hours and 2 to 3 jobs/internships are long, long behind me! Am I excited? Yes! Am I terrified? Hell yeah! But, alas, it is time for me to start something new! (insert adage about all good things coming to an end, etc.).  As I have been telling New Orleans many times in the past few weeks, "I love you but we need a break".  So in honor of my first blog and the closing of a new chapter, I am going to outline for outline's sake (this may be a nod to me realizing that I won't need to outline anything again for a very long time and its a weird feeling), the parts of my life that are closing and the parts of my life that are just getting started.  I apologize in advance for this exercise and it is likely of concern to no one but me, but I am really working hard to conceptualize all of the changes that will occur in the coming weeks with the hope of smoothing the impending roller coaster of events, emotions, and uncharted territories that will be thrown at me long before I am prepared.  

Things to check off my list:

• Working at the President's Office: My longest job yet, it will be so weird leaving here.  I am not quite yet prepared for that. 
• New Orleans: Just for a little while Crescent City.  We both know its time to miss each other for a little bit. 
• Mardi Gras: I had four wonderfully beautiful Carnival seasons.  I would not trade it for the world.  Mardi Gras, I will be back.  
• Jazz Fest: Even though Dave was an incredible experience, I came, saw, and conquered this crazy, crazy festival! 
• Bug Bites: We all know that I will undoubtedly get more of these in my lifetime (hence, why I carry Cortizone-10 in my purse at all times) but I am really hoping that a few years away from my dear poisonous caterpillar friends will do me good! 
• Undergraduate classes: For most of my classes this parting is amicable, but there are a select few professors where a "Good riddance" is in order (they know who they are). But I am thrilled to not have homework at the end of every long and busy day! Oh and finals, see ya never. 
• Honors Thesis: This endeavor can easily be classified as one of the most miserable and rewarding experiences of my life.  Now that I am an expert on all things ambush marketing, I can say that I am really glad I did it.  I can also say that I am really glad I'm done with it too. 
• Riding the Bull at Bourbon Cowboy: It was a sober decision (in hindsight I'm not sure whether I should be proud of this), but we were smart enough to make the bouncer give us coupons and let us do it for free so that should count for something, right? I mean they try to charge you $5 for that... 
• Daqs on Daqs on Daqs (and even Racks on Racks on Racks-- ask Erin for that video, actually don't): So many cals, so little alcohol.  Love you Daq Shaq but I am ready for some Fullsteam action (It's a really great brewery in Durham, i'll take you if you come visit). 

I could think of these all day, moving on... (for now, I am sure I will have many a blog of all of the things I am going to miss about good ol' New Orleans). 

Ready for New Beginnings:

• Commencement: In 11 short, short days I will be walking to get my diploma.  Please cross your fingers that I do not fall in my incredibly cute, but impractical, white wedges while carrying the Gonfalon. 
• FREE TIME: I am not excited enough! With free time comes laying out at the pool (did I mention its brand new?), reading books for FUN (sorry bell hooks you didn't count as fun), catching up on all of my TV shows, working out (ode to my dear friend Reily who probably thinks I am mad at him because I have been like 2 times this year), blogging, getting 8 hours of sleep, and many more glorious things that I probably haven't even thought of yet!
• Europe Trip!: I have the best aunt in the world who is taking me to Europe for 2 whole weeks! Then I will spend a week in Italy with Ethan. I'm so excited, nervous, overjoyed, thrilled, etc. for this trip. I'm sure you can look for a post or two about the adventures post trip. 
• Apartment: I have an apartment, or at least I hope I do- we applied for it yesterday.  It is brand new and gorgeous, I can't wait to decorate it and make it mine! There will be posts on this later. 
• Pup: Wishful thinking? Yes! But Ethan promised, so I realllly realllly realllly hope that I can provide an update on this sooner rather than later.  We are looking for a young golden retriever male (bet you never guessed that?!?). 
• Career: No I do not have a job yet.  Yes, I hate admitting that when everyone and their brother asks what I am doing after graduation. Here's the outlook-->  Good news: I am getting to know more and more people in the Durham area.  Bad news: No one that I spoke to in Durham knows what openings they will have in July, so basically I have an entire month off because I cannot really start looking until I get back from Europe June 20. So the new plan is to not think about my failure as a college graduate until the plan ride back from Milan, I make no promises on that being successful, however.
• Beach: I am spending one glorious week at the beach before I move to Durham.  Part I am most excited for: hopefully getting to spend an afternoon in Charleston again.  
• North Carolina Residency: I am strangely excited to get my new license and license plate.  Ethan and I will finally be residents of the same state... weird. 
• Bills: Ugh, reality of growing up.  From my two years living off of campus I know how to pay them, my only hope is that the money will be in my account to do so... don't we all!
• Blog: Here it is! I am hopeful that this is not a New Year's Resolution that ends on January 2nd or a goal that is too lofty to attempt! 
• Family: The hardest part of all of this will be living away from my family and only having two weeks of vacation a year (don't worry I already mourned the loss of winter break in January and the loss of spring break in April), but I have a feeling that August is going to be an interesting time for me when I realize that I will not be returning to school.  

As you can see, Lindsay Hiatt's life will no longer be the same life that she has known and loved for the past 22 and a half years. A lot of seismic changes are headed her way but this girl is going to do the only thing she knows how: put her head down, weather the storm, and come up a braver and better person! 

For now,

Lindsay

Also, if you realllly are curious as to how I am feeling, Buzzfeed found a way to characterize my emotions in their "What it Feels like to be Graduating College" montage: http://www.buzzfeed.com/amdhit/what-it-feels-like-to-be-graduating-from-college-3mws.