First blog from CHAMPLAIN!!

I moved into my dorm Friday morning. Luckily I was the first to arrive because let me tell you it was a full out brawl when the last girl arrived! Her mother apparently did not like the room design so she wanted to draw straws for who got the "shitty" bed. It was a whole lot of drama that the roomies and I figured out amongst ourselves later that night. Oh, by the way, I have 3 other roommates. Yes, 3. We are in a tiny quad. We made it work though.
I have my wall dedicated to my wonderful fiance<3 Jon is currently at Camp Lejeune, NC and will be there until December. We talk everyday but it is really difficult being so far away from him and starting a new experience without him. This was a big WELCOME TO THE MARINE LIFE smack in the face for me. lol.
It is amazing how independent you become without even realizing it. I guess college will do that to you but so will having your other half 1,000 miles away from you. I picked a really amazing college though. The area and atmosphere makes it almost impossible to be upset. If I'm having a bad day I just look out my window and I can just see the mountains and Lake Champlain and I immediately feel relaxed.
I often find myself thinking about other women who have gone through this. You know, the whole being with a marine while being without your marine thing. If they can do it so can I. If I can do it then maybe that will give at least one other couple a little more hope. Things could always be worse. I figure I'm living in a beautiful college town, surrounded by friends, and experiencing what is supposed to be the best years of my life. I miss Jonathan more than a lot of people will ever miss anyone but I know he is missing me too.

I am going to use something that one of my teachers told us on the first day of class yesterday.
Go beyond the Fuck It. YES, that's swearing. I was shocked that a teacher would swear too but hey, its college and he didn't wear shoes either so I think he's well past the norm. What he was saying is that everything is better once you get tot he point where you just throw up your hands and say well..Fuck it. From here on out I am diving into whatever is thrown at me and enjoying it for all it's worth. I am going to enjoy the dreaded papers and smile at the thought of learning something new. Fuck it, I'm enjoying life.

Another little note of inspiration that I remembered from a speech I heard from Tammy Trent is that everyday you should open your eyes and see the beauty in front of you. She said "Today, I see beautiful." Every time I say that or hear it I get chills. I often forget this and just have those days where no matter what happens you feel like you just want to crawl into bed and never leave. I am going to make the best of every situation and see the beauty in everything.

No more sad Bre.
Fuck it, I see beautiful.


Semper Fi<3