Hello all. This has potential to be long. I have some time to kill. Let's go back a year in time and meet Casey Gilreath... August05/April06- Single. Living at home. Just about inseperable with her best friend. Sad about the relationship status, but fine. Scared of school. Wanting to grow up. May06- Prepping to move out. New friend. School's out for the summer. Chicago- the musical. New quasi-boyfriend. June06- Moved out. New house. New life. Class, work, rehearse, party, sleep. Usually without the party, until the weekend. Still quasi-boyfriend. July06- Adjusted to house. Kitty cat. Adjusted to life and the routine that comes with it... Starting to hurt people I never knew I could hurt, inseperable and other close friends. Official boyfriend. August06- Saw boyfriend. Single 2 or 3 weeks later. Relationship with roomate down the shitter. Repaired with the inseperable other half. Other half moves in. School in session. September06- Parties. Several of them. Lots of making out. Relationship with inseperable in full swing. (or so I thought) October06- Fall break, finally. School is fine. Inseperable goes to parents house for the weekend. November06- New relationship. School is more than fine. Drama beyond all control, thanks to people who have nothing better to do than fuck with my life. Inseperable never comes home from break. December06- Relationship in full swing. Already wanting out of my house. Roommate never the same. Haven't spoken to x-BFF in months. This continues all the way until February. UNO Show Choir Festival. All is good. Spent some time with the old inseperable. It's getting better. 4 or 5 days later? ish. I hear some interesting info at work and the inseperable become the very much seperated. Here it is. March. My lease is up soon. And I couldn't have been more scared two weeks ago. I bawled in Masterclass in front of my entire studio. I can't remember the last time I talked to my roomate about anything that half mattered in the world. Austin is one of the few people that don't have my blood that I can count on. Between Steph having her own life and Sarah being 6 hours away, I'm just about out of girlfriends. I've got some friends at school that I can trust, and Lindsey and I are becoming really good friends. We could quite possibly be getting a place just 2 blocks from my current one. The rent is a little less, the place is a little nicer. And I definately need a change of roomie pace. The utilities and shit will be a little more than what I'm paying now, but what I'm paying now is more than a gift, really. And I know that. Oh, and there's another girl probably moving in. She's a riot. Plus I've known them long enough that I'm not scared to move in with them. I didn't even hesitate to move in with Calyn. And sometimes I wish I would have. The other thing I came to terms with the other day, is something that everyone in college should. Listen, I fear change with the best of them.... And I came to the realization that these 4/5 years of your life are a CONSTANT change. Nothing is ever the same you're constantly learning and growing. So, in the way that everything is constantly changing... there is no change. You can't get too comfortable in one place.... Cuz leases are usually only a year. People change. You change. RELATIONSHIPS CHANGE. Everything does, and in that.... life is constant. You can't go into it expecting it all to be sugar coated and easy. Cuz that's what I sure did. You have to realize that these years are full of Ramen noodles, too many hours at work,tears, owing your parents money, late nights, booze, U-hauls, laughing, loving, and growing. Growing up is hard & I think I'm up for the challenge. -what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. | 
