"Memory is a way of holding on to the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose."

Up above my bed I have probably 40 some-odd pictures hanging on the wall. Some of these pictures are quite magical. Most of them are just ridiculous. But they're all snapshots of a short moment in time when I was unconditionally happy and it shows. Every single picture brings back memories and makes me smile, if not laugh. Crazy candids of the Harry Potter premiere, going through a carwash in the back of a pickup truck, dress up nights, whether that meant "going out on the town" kind of dressing up or "let's look like freaks" dressing up, being goofy with any and all of my dear best friends.

Looking at these pictures brings mixed feelings. Of course there's nostalgia. I can look at a picture and it immediately takes me back to Fall '09, Winter '11, Spring '10, Halloween any given year, etc. It makes me miss it. It makes me long to go back and relive it again. I would seriously go back and relive my entire college experience, even the bad, because of these wonderful moments and memories I have captured on my wall.

But surprisingly the nostalgia isn't as overwhelming as I would think it would be. At least not most of the time.

Usually as I look up at these pictures it's the stories that I remember that shaped my life and who I am today. It's because of these people that I've grown the way that I have into the person I am.

It's because of these times and these people that I am able to at any given moment throughout the day burst into random laughter because I remember something hilarious that was said or done. I know what joy and happiness feel like. I know that life can be wonderful and fun, even in the midst of the hard stuff. These pictures and stories weren't from a time in my life that was all fun and games and everything warm and fuzzy. There was crap. There was hard stuff. There were days that I thought I would die from exhaustion, whether physical, mental, emotional, or any combination of the three. But even when it was hard, there were still these good times that made life worth living.

So as my last thought I want to leave with you for 18 months:

Make sure you are enjoying life. 

Find those people and things that make you unconditionally happy. Make memories. Look back at them with fondness, but not longing. And mostly, look forward to the new wonderful moments that your future holds.