Recognition Series: pt. 20 - Emily S

Emily and I first met in studio I think, but we also were part of a group that went to church together. There were four of us in all (I think I mentioned them before) and we went every Sunday before going to brunch. Over the course of sophomore year, Emily was also in my studio section and I think just having all of Dave's projects to struggle through brought the entire studio together, in addition to Emily and I.

I remember asking to take her out for dinner at Olive Garden, and we got all dressed up for it and stuff. It was really fun! Though I can remember being very nervous. Not only for the usual reasons, but also because my roommate lent me his car (which blew my mind and still does). His stick-shift Civic survived, thankfully. He was so nonchalant about it, too. He basically shrugged and said, "If I was taking a girl out I'd want to be able to pick her up."

Olive Garden was a blast and we continued to spend lots of time together, whether it was working in studio, or meals at dining halls, or savoring those few free minutes of time we managed to carve out of our busy schedules. I remember being so happy just to have someone special around to share my time with.

As we neared the end of the Spring semester, I really wanted to make things official. However, we were both going to be studying abroad over the next year; her in Barcelona in the Spring, and I in Barcelona in the fall. Tack that time onto the summer, and we were looking at a good year and a half apart before we even saw each other. I brought the idea up anyway, and she smartly and calmly pointed out how hard it would be.

We left things be at the end of the school year, saying that if our feelings were still there when we got back from our trips, we could definitely still pursue them at that time.

As it turned out, they weren't the same as when we left, but I think that was to be expected. She's still a really cool girl (one of the few you could go longboarding, snowboarding or waterskiing with), and had such a cheerful and bubbly personality. There will always be a special place in my heart for her, and I wish her the best in the future.