That girl is ME, 10 years ago.
1. That girl is 24 years old, fiercely independent, hardworking, & fun-loving.
2. That girl smokes a pack of cigarettes a day & does not exercise regularly other than walking to and at work.
3. That girl works as a bartender/waitress at ChiChi's with some really great people.
4. That girl isn't sure how to finish her undergrad degree or what she wants to do with her life.
5. That girl is getting ready to have a HUGE summer in Germany working as a waitress, and is worried because her language skills are not so great.
6. That girl never wants to have kids, and isn't so sure about this whole marriage thing.
7. That girl is on spring break with her boyfriend of 7 months. He's going to ask her to marry him tomorrow, and she has NO IDEA.
8. That girl does not own a car and has never purchased anything over $100, other than plane tickets. Her most prized possession is her collection of travel stories.
9. That girl's favorite thing to do on a Saturday night is to go out dancing with her friends.
10. That girl lives with her best friend from high school in a crappy 2 bedroom basement apartment in beautiful Bloomington, IN.
This girl is me, now.
1. This girl is 34 years old, fiercely independent, hard-working, and fun-loving.
2. This girl quit smoking more than 8 years ago and exercises regularly at a gym.
3. This girl is a Stay at Home Mom to two awesome girls and graduate student with a whole slew of other awesome anthropology geeks.
4. This girl has finished an undergrad degree and two master's degrees. She's almost done with her PhD, just writing up the dissertation. She STILL doesn't know exactly what she wants to be when she grows up, but she has a couple ideas.
5. This girl just had an AMAZING year abroad in Berlin, Germany and is a very proficient speaker of the German language. (Some might say fluent, but I wouldn't.)
6. This girl has been married for 8 1/2 years and has 2 beautiful daughters (Ages 4 & 2).
7. This girl is trying not to go crazy while writing a dissertation with 2 kids at home, and not always succeeding, and that's just fine.
8. This girl owns a car. A 1998 Toyota Camry wagon with lots and lots of miles on it. She still hates spending more than $100 on any single item other than plane tickets, and her most prized possession is STILL her travel stories. She has many more of them now.
9. This girl's favorite thing to do on a Saturday night is sit on the couch while knitting, drinking wine, and watching a great movie on Netflix next to her handsome husband.
10. This girl lives with her husband and 2 kids in a mediocre apartment in Evansville, IN. (I promise, I've lived in other states and even one other country between these 2 pictures!)
5. This girl just had an AMAZING year abroad in Berlin, Germany and is a very proficient speaker of the German language. (Some might say fluent, but I wouldn't.)
6. This girl has been married for 8 1/2 years and has 2 beautiful daughters (Ages 4 & 2).
7. This girl is trying not to go crazy while writing a dissertation with 2 kids at home, and not always succeeding, and that's just fine.
8. This girl owns a car. A 1998 Toyota Camry wagon with lots and lots of miles on it. She still hates spending more than $100 on any single item other than plane tickets, and her most prized possession is STILL her travel stories. She has many more of them now.
9. This girl's favorite thing to do on a Saturday night is sit on the couch while knitting, drinking wine, and watching a great movie on Netflix next to her handsome husband.
10. This girl lives with her husband and 2 kids in a mediocre apartment in Evansville, IN. (I promise, I've lived in other states and even one other country between these 2 pictures!)
Now I can't wait to see what the next 10 years bring.
I wrote this comparison of these two selves of mine for my very first link up to Mama Kat's Famous Writer's Workshop. Mama Kat is a guru and queen among bloggers, and I bow to the genius way that she brings the creativity out of others by being endlessly creative herself.
I LOVE THIS!!! I relate so much to both versions of you!! Big aspirations you have! you can do this.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by and for your words of encouragement Kerry. It has certainly been a transformative 10 years for me.
DeleteIsn't it amazing how much we can change in 10 years? And yet in many ways we're exactly the same! I think that's probably a good thing. Good luck with the dissertation!
ReplyDeleteStagnation is no fun, but I'm so happy to have some of the same awesome friends. As for the dissertation, as LaMott says: bird by bird.
DeleteHey, congratulations on your first Writer's Workshop link-up!
ReplyDeleteMy cousin-in-law lives in Evansville, so I've actually been there!
I'll definitely be back for more writer's workshop. I'm always amazed when anyone has heard of Evansville. It has been great so far though.
DeleteI love the comparison! So much can happen in 10 years!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see what the next 10 bring.
DeleteI love this post! Such a good idea and so interesting to see where 10 years takes us..! :)
ReplyDeleteA little retrospection is good for the long view I think. Thanks for stopping by Emily!
DeleteWhat an eventful decade it has been for you! I like that you said your most prized possessions are still your travel stories. It's a reassuring fact that while somethings change, others remain the same.
ReplyDeleteIt has certainly been a wild ride. I'm looking forward to collecting travel stories as long as I can. My mama always told me to collect stories for the old folks home.
DeleteMama Kat's prompts are definitely entertaining. :) I really love your setup here - that girl/this girl. Fun post.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by Lisa. :-)
DeleteThis is really your first link up?? You are going to LOVE it!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post, and I enjoyed the comparrison pieces to each pic.
Well done!
Thanks Jennifer! It was pretty great. I'll definitely try again next week.
DeleteLook how far you've come!
ReplyDeleteI'm at least half new! :-)
DeleteHillary! First, loved the post. Immensely.
ReplyDeleteSecond, I see on Pinterest that "Hillary Melchiors" repinned two of my pins. I look at her picture and think, "I know her!" Clicked your photo, see this link, and find you here. So funny!
Can't wait to poke around a bit and catch up with what you've been up to. Can't wait to see what you've written, especially since the last class that I shared with you was Mr. Newman's creative writing class in 1996. *gasp* Maybe it'll inspire me to write on my blog more. (Ha. I doubt it. I'm the least. consistent. blogger. ever.)
Most of my memories from that class involve trying desperately to impress one Mr.Foreman, so I shudder to think what I wrote back then. Thanks for stopping by and have fun poking around.
DeleteAlso, write write write your heart out lady!
Love the comparisons! Sounds like you've grown immensely, while still staying true to yourself. That's something to be proud of! Good luck on your dissertation.
ReplyDeleteI'll certainly need the luck. Thanks!
DeleteLOVE the comparisons. And the second photo of you is just adorable!
ReplyDeleteI love how you can see my wrinkles and the chaos behind me in that picture. Thanks for stopping by.
Deletewhat a creative way to answer the prompt. here's to the next 10 years! thanks so much for stopping by.
ReplyDeleteCheers to you too!
DeleteSorry you've lost your eyes. I hope it wasn't a waitressing accident. Also, so many awesome things have happened in the past decade.
ReplyDeleteI assure you that those glasses are not to protect my empty sockets. Grad school had only damaged my eyes slightly, and that is one of the not so cool things that has happened to me. :-)
DeleteWhat a great thing to write about! Your photos are fun, too. Thanks so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by!
DeleteI think I could hang with this girl OR that girl. They both seem to be a lot of fun, wickedly smart, and up for an adventure.
ReplyDeleteAwwww, this girl would definitely hang out with you!
Delete