What constitutes as a bad day for you? For many, a series of unfortunate events experienced over the course of a 12 or 24 hour period classifies as “a bad day.” Your car breaks down, for example, or you spill your coffee on your computer/clothes or you forget your wallet…the list goes on. If you had a bad day yesterday, are having one now or will have one in the future, it is important to remember that you are having a crappy “day”, not a crappy “life”. In other words do not let one, two, three or even a HUNDRED bad days make you feel like you have a life that is “bad” or insufferable.

 

When my day makes me feel “down in the dumps,” I like to think about my life’s most memorable and awesome moments. An author named Molly Greene once said that she kept an Appreciation Journal that catalogues some of her life’s most moving and meaningful events. In a way, keeping a written memory of experiences that have defined and shaped her character has given her a sense of purpose. Green said, “It’s been a very long time since I felt I lost myself. May not sound all that huge to you, but I consider it a personal accomplishment, and I owe much to keeping a written memory of the times that have defined me. [It is these special moments that allow me to feel the most loved, find the true meaning of life and remember who I am].” (For more visit: http://www.molly-greene.com/the-most-awesome-moments-of-my-life-so-far/)

 

In honor of the New Year, I would like to channel Ms. Molly Greene and write a post that lists and reflects upon The Most Awesome Moments of My Life Circa 2015. My goal here is to remember the most funny, jovial and loving moments that have molded me into the young woman that I am today.

 

Thank you to the following people who made my year memorable: Annette Mosley (mom), Bailey Mosley (sister), Clara Cardillo, Marie Pitre, Marielle LeMasters, Colleen O’Connell, Shani Cox , Allyson Pemberton, Sam Schapiro, Vassar College Volleyball, Vassar College Women's Basketball, Evetta Mickins, Joyce Jackson, Tracee Wilson, Daniel Wilson, Londyn and Lexie Wilson, Melika Giovanni, Amshatar Stephenson, Madison Hassell, Reno Kriz, Pagie Benson, and Collin (Scottie) Peros.

 

January

 

1. Went to a Dallas Mavericks (NBA) game: I just have three words. IT. WAS. AWESOME. My mom, sister and I had the NBA commissioner seats – basically floor seats – for the game. People mistakenly thought we were VIPs (of course we are, you know!). I was so close to court I could see the sweat drip from Dirk Nowitzki’s face and fall *SPLAT* on the floor. This moment is memorable because I recall making eye contact with Mark Cuban (the owner of the Mavs and an investor on the show Shark Tank) during half time. I’m talking eye contact that lasted for 2 seconds! After the eye contact, he smiled at me…my sister swears he smiled at her but I disagree! ;)

 

March

 

2. Took a nap under my desk at the Vassar College Library: Yes, I crawled under my desk at the library and proceeded to place all my winter coats on top of my head and take a nap! This picture makes me laugh because all the stress and delusional moments my housemate, Clara Cardillo, and I went through writing our theses. Creating a 70 page Senior Thesis in NO JOKE! It took me 3 months to figure out my topic, 3 months to research, 2 days to scrap my original idea and start over; then 6 more months to 1) RE-figure out what I wanted to focus on, 2) RE-research and 3) RE-write. In total, I worked on my thesis from my junior year (spring semester) to my senior year (spring semester). THAT’S A WHOLE YEAR!!! If you look closely at the picture of me sleeping, you can tell I was exhausted…my body and soul was dead. But hey, I got notoriety for my work! I was awarded with "Thesis Distinction." It's an outstanding honor that is given to seniors who earned a rare A. Students who received Distinction demonstrated that their writing, speaking, and research skills are of the highest level. If you are interested in what I wrote, see the abstract below…IF NOT, then just skip over to my next “most awesome moment.”

Abstract:

This thesis involves the exploration of persistent racial practices that have proliferated in the sociopolitical context of contemporary America. The body of this thesis discusses how practices of racial profiling at airports, in the N.Y.P.D. and in film shape prejudicial and racialised cultural understandings of Arabs, Muslims and other social groups. I will use a praxis-based approach – a process that combines theory and action to enact change – in order to analyze the methodology used to manufacture racism and create systems of surveillance that normalize harmful prejudices through state-owned institutions and cinematic/televisual spaces. Through my dissention as a writer, I set out to break down constructed racial categories of difference in order to increase our consciousness and critical media literacy.

 

3. Went to a Dallas Mavericks game, AGAIN, but this time I was in a Luxury Suite: In order to celebrate my friend’s (Marielle LeMasters) birthday, a group of us had a birthday dinner at her house in Dallas and then caravanned to the Mavs game. Instead of sitting in regular ole seats…WE HAD A RESERVED LUXURY SUITE. Up until this point I have never physically sat in a suite so my mind was blown. It’s one thing to be present at a NBA game but quite another to experience it from the coziness of your own suite. It’s definitely the best way to watch Dirk Nowitzki play (even if I can’t see his beads of sweat).  In this suite, we had concierge services, VIP status, all inclusive food and beverages access, in-suite catering service, and more! HAHA! It was a shame that we ate fajitas before we came! We had fun stuffing our faces with free food anyways. We burned off all the extra calories when we took a tour of the Mavericks’ locker room and shot some hoops on their practice court during halftime.  

 

April

 

4. My sister came to visit me at college: This is an awesome moment for me because I was so happy that my younger sister came to see me!!! I had fun giving her a tour of the campus and introducing her to all my friends and teammates. We attended a baseball game and went to Vassar’ spring concert featuring SZA and PUSHA T. I wanted her to try all the different “college food” but all she wanted to eat was Bacio (a local pizzeria located ½ a mile away from where I lived). She even walked in the rain by herself to go get a slice a pizza one night.

At this point I was still writing my thesis so she got to pull an all-nighter with me at the library. RAGE. She was thrilled. Hahaha!

 

May

 

5. Vassar Athletics Banquet: The title is pretty self-explanatory. “Each May, Vassar’s athletes and coaches gather to honor and celebrate the achievements of the past year at the annual Department of Athletics and Physical Education banquet.” Last year I was nominated for two awards and received the FIRST EVER Female Iron Brewer Award. I received this award becuause I exhibited characteristics of a “champion student-athlete,” dedication to strength training and conditioning, and balanced athletics with academics, social life and etc. This was “awesome” for me because I – obviously – love working out, lifting, and gaining muscle. I also racked up 5 Vassar ALL-Time records and 5 single-season records!

 

6. Booze Cruise: The booze cruise was an event my friends and I partook in during senior week. On the cruise we had (too much) booze on a cruise (but actually it was a boat that floated gingerly on the Hudson River). I remember laughing and drinking a vibrant blue drink called AMF. I don’t know if “boozin” and “cruisin” was a good mix for me because I get motion sickness. Obviously I was too busy laughing, chatting, and taking a billion pictures to notice the motion anyways!

 

7. CIA Dinner: Also during senior week, my family (Mom, Sister, Cousins, Godmother and Aunt) and I went to eat the Culinary Institute of America…not the Central Intelligence Agency. The CIA is a private college that specializes in the culinary arts! Famous chefs like Cat Cora, Rocco DiSpirito and Roy Yamaguchi are some of the many notable alumni. The CIA’s main campus is in Hyde Park, NY but they are also located California, Texas, and Singapore. Since my college is in Poughkeepsie, NY, we went to eat at one of the student-run restaurants at the Hyde Park campus. The Hyde Park campus operates four public restaurants for students to gain experience in kitchen and management skills. The restaurant we went to was called American Bounty that features America cuisine.

 

8. Graduation: This is self-explanatory. I graduated from college…an obvious milestone in my life!

 

June

 

9. Tallywackers: Have you ever, begrudgingly, been to/heard of a restaurant called Hooters? Well, Tallywackers is the male version of Hooters…but worse! When I went for the first time with my friends – Amshatar Stephenson and Madison Hassell – we all thought that we would be served great food by highly attractive, nearly naked male servers. I mean, come on, their website says, “we welcome anyone who desires a fun atmosphere, amazing food, outstanding talent and a little eye candy.” Sounds like a blast, right?! Wrong. The food was subpar at best and all the male servers were certainly not candy for my brown eyes. They overtly tried to flirt with me for tips. They could have been a little discreet about their true motive. I was hurt! HAHA. All in all, we will not be going back.

 

July

 

10. Nick and Sam’s Grill (Uptown): If you’re ever in Dallas around brunch time you NEED to go to Nick and Sam’s in uptown. Words cannot describe how amazing it is. This moment is awesome for two reasons. 1) I had the BEST Eggs Benedict of my life here. They called it the BBQ Brisket Benny. It has an English Muffin, smoked brisket, and hollandaise. My mouth is watering as I write! Please try it….you will not regret. 2) I had the BEST Sangria of my life here….two pitchers of it to be exact. My family and I shared the “Pink Passion” Sangria made out of Champagne, Pineapple, Lime, and Orange Juice and Raspberry Puree. When I say “shared” I mainly mean that my mom consumed most, if not all of the pitchers because I had to drive and (of course) she didn’t want to “waste” a good drink!! If you have not witnessed your parents under the influence, it is quite the sight! I could not stop laughing.

 

September

 

11. Employment: Eeek!!! The struggle to find employment right after college is hard for us International Studies majors. Currently I have two jobs, one at an oil company and another at a volleyball club as a coach. I am looking into applying to graduate school in the future.

 

October

 

12. Visiting My Alma Mater: In October I traveled to New York to visit my wonderful friends and teammates that attend my alma mater (Wow!!!! Just saying that sounds strange). I went through so many emotions while I was there. The level of nostalgia and happiness I experienced was too real. I cried tears of joy when I saw my best friend, Marie Pitre, for the first time since graduation. Even though the four days that I spent in Poughkeepsie, New York were great, they seriously made me contemplate the pros and cons of my post-grad life. So much so that I wrote a blog post about it called The Top 5 Horrific Realities of My Post-Grad Life. You can read the post here!

 

December

 

13. Conducted “A Christmas without Presents” Experiment: In all honesty, Christmas is more than consumerism and what you can buy at a store. It is about the birth of Jesus Christ, all things festive, family and generosity. This is what my family and I are trying to remind ourselves. That is why we conducted the “A Christmas without Presents” experiment! We literally did not open a single present or stocking stuffer on the 25th of December. Shockingly, we did not open one single present during the whole month! We postponed the gift-giving part of Christmas until January. January 16th, 2016 to be exact. You can learn more about this experiment/moment by reading my blog post "A Christmas without Presents." Click the here.