89 Days

I have an app for my phone that gives me countdowns. You punch in the date of the impending event, give it a title and set it up with a snapshot from your library and it generates a day-by-day countdown until the event. Prior to my internship last summer I set the program to tell me how many days until I flew to Minneapolis. When I accepted the offer I created counts for Commencement and starting my new job. I am grateful that the program does not automatically update, you have to open it to make it update.

Today marks 89 days to commencement. And I've decided to take my panic and stuff it into a little box. And to wrap it in a list of 89 things to think about as commencement draws near.

1. I have a job lined up already,
2. in my field,
3. for a well-loved company,
4. who made an awesome offer;
5. that includes bangin' relocation.
6. Laura will come apartment hunting with me in May.
7. I get to travel to Idaho and California to see family in March.
8. I need to make dates with my parents more. 
9. My thesis is under way.
10. I love writing, so
11. my thesis is actually fun to work on.
12. I have lots of ideas for thesis:
13. I am weaving a new fabric this week &
14. starting drawings for the next jacquard.
15. I bought a Nook!
16. My Nook makes me read instead of watch TV. 
17. I am sleeping better without watching so much TV. 
18. I have a plan to get my cavities filled. 
19. Including an appointment for tomorrow. 
20. Spring semester = staff selection season
21. I will spend an awesome Thursday interviewing people for my job. 
22. I will get to be a giant ResLife nerd for interviews. 
23. Doing interviews makes my departure feel more real. 
24. My birthday is in April. 
25. It's a chance to have a party. 
26. I will have at least 2 parties before I move away. 
27. I like parties. 
28. I might buy a new dress for the parties.
29. I love dresses. 
30. I might be able to buy a smaller dress for the 2nd party. 
31. I have been on South Beach for 1 month. 
32. So far it makes me feel great. 
33. Yoga on Wednesdays is the balance I need in my week. 
34. Yoga on the weekends makes me feel like I can do anything. 
35. Including deal with short bouts of panic. 
36. Like learning I might have to move the week of graduation. 
37. Moving will mean having a bigger kitchen. 
38. And a bathtub. 
39. And hardwood floors.
40. I would also like a dishwasher. 
41. Though I would settle for more counterspace. 
42. And possibly a deck.
43. Spring is coming. 
44. The perfect time to read outdoors. 
45. Our campus looks gorgeous as the seasons shift.
46. It will be warm here sooner than in Minnesota. 
47. I will get to show Laura what the city is like. 
48. It will be like going on vacation. Kinda ;)
49. I get to spend the semester immersed in studio work. 
50. I get to weave on the jacquards every week. 
51. I have the best commute I've ever had. 
52. I look forward to having 1 job.
53. I will miss being in the studio. 
54. I will not miss 3am wake-up calls. 
55. I am going to invite family from all over to my show and to graduation. 
56. I will be able to show my family something they understand: beautiful fabric. 
57. I will be able to take my portfolio with me. 
58. I can show my portfolio through my website. 
59. On my Nook. 
60. Anywhere with WiFi. 
61. My car is paid off. 
62. If I pay @$1000/month for @10 years my student loans will be paid off.
63. I will have a master's degree. 
64. I had no idea where grad school would take me. 
65. Things have worked out incredibly well. 
66. Everything that was scary became something awesome. 
67. I will have a job that directly relates to my degrees.
68. I will be able to share that with people at my high school reunion. 
69. Which I will attend with 2 of my oldest friends. 
70. I will have time to spend with friends and family before moving away. 
71. I will be able to afford moving. 
72. I enjoy house hunting. 
73. I can make new curtains for my new place. 
74. I can't wait to have my family out to visit. 
75. I might have to buy a coffee machine just for them.
76. I have a ton of work to do between now and then. 
77. Like drawing
78. and packing
79. and mounting the show
80. and packing
81. and photographing
82. and updating my website. 
83. My staff this year is awesome. 
84. I get to spend the rest of the semester with them, too. 
85. I've met a ton of awesome people in grad school. 
86. Intelligent, talented, dedicated people. 
87. I never thought I would be here. 
88. Grad school has been an incredible challenge, 
89. and a blessing.