Carolina "Musts"

Life as a second-semester Senior is absolutely wonderful. Yes, it has already been a mix of weird emotions that I can't really put into words, but it's great nonetheless.

I have been asked a question a few times now that freaks me out even more than the "what do you want to do with your life?" question.
"Have you made your Carolina bucket list?"
This is a constant reminder that I only have a little more than THREE MONTHS LEFT at what is arguably the best place in the world.


Kristen Vasgaard Designs

As a self-proclaimed lover of lists, I am shocked that I have not yet organized and written down the list of Carolina-y things (read: jumble of ideas and goals) that I have floating around in my head. I think it is about time to concretely document what I hope to experience while I'm still a UNC undergrad.

***

Here it goes.
(I've even included a few things I've already done to jump-start the checking-off process.)

My List of Carolina "Musts"
+ climb the Bell Tower
+ eat a pint of Yopo ice cream in one sitting
+ run (& finish) a half-marathon
+ buy a UNC sweatshirt (how have I made it this long without one?)
+ run a 5k
+ participate in the Holi festival/paint-throwing extravaganza
+ watch the UNC vs. dook basketball game in the Dean Dome
+ rush Franklin Street
+ hammock in the Arboretum (have done once but it needs to happen again)
+ play in the Bynum Circle fountain
+ eat at Time Out
+ play golf at Finley
+ get a Kvetch published
+ see the sunrise on campus
+ take a random weekend mountain trip
+ take a random weekend beach trip
+ explore Carrboro (more than I have)
+ explore Durham
+ go tunneling
+ pull an all-nighter with friends & without studying
+ go Snipe hunting (apparently I've been missing out my whole life)
+ take a trip - maybe fly somewhere exciting?
+ get a job (Praise the Lord I can cross this one off!)
+ take graduation pictures with friends
+ GRADUATE

Looking forward to adding more & simultaneously crossing-off!

***

The "Mem Jar"

In my previous post, I included a picture with the caption "The Trip ate lots of Yopo and cracked open the Mem Jar." If you are not one of the people who were specifically involved in this occasion, the chances that you know what the heck I am talking about are slim to none. I have wanted to explain this for a while (because it's so awesome), so now's my chance!

The Trip

"The Trip" is the name that my roommates from junior year (Amy and Dana) and I gave to the room where we lived. It was a triple - made for 3 people - in Old West, right next to the Old Well, and is arguably the BEST place to live if you choose to remain on campus. Over the course of the year, "the Trip" came to mean much more than just the physical location in which we lived, but it essentially became a label for the 3 of us. Our friends would invite "the Trip" to go watch a movie or to go get ice cream, etc. and we still tend to refer of our outings together as "Trip dates."

A perk of living in Old West was that we were SO CLOSE to Franklin St. And what better way to take advantage of this closeness than to visit Yopo a lot. And by "a lot" I mean all the time. We pretty much became regulars. (It's yogurt so it's healthy, right?) I have no regrets of the fact that my junior year was defined by lots of Yopo outings.

Our view from Old West

So now for the "Mem Jar." Over the summer before junior year began, I came across this on Pinterest. Thinking it was a neat (and yes, cheesy) idea, I decided that my roommates and I should do it throughout the school year. I had no idea whether or not it would really catch on and happen, but it did! We deemed it the "Mem Jar" and throughout the year we filled it with fun things that happened, sweet things that friends did for us, notes to each other, exciting occasions, hilarious quotes, pictures, newspaper articles, and even a few embarrassing things that the public will (hopefully) never see. Everything in the jar related to one or all three of us. We promised to open the Mem Jar together one day at the end of the year and celebrate with Yopo (obviously).

The Mem Jar explosion

Unfortunately, the Mem Jar Date day had to wait until we returned to school as seniors, but it did eventually happen and we were able to go purchase the long-awaited pints of Yopo. (We also played Friends in the background while we were opening the jar, because that also was a staple of our junior year.) That night was so fun and full of many, many laughs (and maybe a few happy tears?) as we reminisced about our time together in Old West - when we grew so close through the happy, fun, memorable times, as well as the hard and stressful times. I am forever grateful for the time Amy, Dana, and I spent living together in the Trip, and love that "the Trip" has lived on, even past our time when we were crammed together in a dorm room.

Mem Jar + Yopo pints

Here's to a senior year full of as many memories as junior year - maybe even more than the Mem Jar can contain :)

Love, Kayla

Snapshots of Senior Year

Senior year is well underway. In fact, there are only 7ish weeks left until the fall semester is OVER. What?!?? My last year as a Tar Heel undergrad is proving to be much busier than anticipated, but of course, I'm still loving it! (Minus the actual school work - senioritis? I refuse.)

Here are some snippits of senior year at the Hill so far:

Cornerstone Hoedown (freshmen year friends!)

dear friends celebrating a 21st bday!

Senior ladies at Fall Retreat

Memphis reunion

football season!

Roommates of The Slant!

The Trip ate lots of Yopo and cracked open the Mem Jar!

Bible Study sleepover & Pizooki night

I played "mom" for a weekend with this cutie and 2 others

we went to the State Fair...and covered ourselves in obnoxious stickers

Fall Break in DC!!

Private tour of the Capitol :)

And then we beat State. Happy happy day!