A "Real" College Experience

When I think back to the time before "real life" started (you know, career, house, bills, baby, the usual) it seems like a different universe. Life was so carefree, so laid back....I mean, I thought I had it rough because I worked 15 hours a week and had to study occasionally. Tough life. My college experience wasn't exactly typical, but I wouldn't trade the years (and years and years...seriously, it took me seven years to finish)  that I spent living that life for anything.

I started college at the University of Central Oklahoma (what, you've never heard of it?) in the fall of 2003, right after high school graduation. I went to school full time my entire freshman year, then took a couple of classes the following year....not near enough to count as it being an actual "sophomore year" though. I had never wanted to go to college, and decided to go on a whim just a month or so before classes started. Then, during my freshman year, this boy I just thought was the love of my life broke up with me, and it really threw me off a bit. I was so unhappy with everything at that point, and being in school just made it seem unbearable since I never wanted to be there in the first place. So I had a nice long chat with my parents and did the logical thing: I quit school and moved to Los Angeles to try to make it as an actress.

Freshman year...look at those little babies!

I only lived in L.A. for about a year...and the funny thing is, the entire time I was there I would spend time on MySpace and this new site for college kids called Facebook (isn't it crazy to think of Facebook as something "new"?), and I would see pictures of my friends in college and think "I wish I was getting that whole college experience". What a twisted little woman I was. Somehow, I just knew I was missing out on something amazing.

So back to Oklahoma I went. After a year of working at the mall and taking classes at the community college, I knew I still wanted that real college experience. So, that same old guy who broke my heart years earlier convinced me to give college yet another shot. This time, I enrolled at Oklahoma State University where he went, again just a month or so before classes started. I really like to leave things until the last minute apparently.

Starting out at OSU was a little intimidating. Literally the only friend I had there was my ex, and needless to say that wasn't a great friendship to rely on. Luckily I met several fun people right away, and settled in pretty easily. The very best friends I made were actually met through the ex, and I'm still super close to them to this day. Also, I met Arsen through one of those girls. Isn't life funny? If that ex-boyfriend of mine would have never convinced me to go to OSU, I would never have met the love of my life, and I wouldn't have this gorgeous baby boy or my sweet little tiny dog.

The 2 1/2 years I spent in Stillwater were honestly some of the best times I have ever had in my entire life. I wanted the college experience, and let me tell you, I got it. I have never had more crazy, more hilarious, more fun things happen to me than I did in that town. I wish I could share some of the stories with you...but I think it's best we leave that side of Celeste off the blog :)