ShonaScraps: FlashBack Friday-The College Years

Its been a while since I did a flashback Friday, but I find myself with a few minutes to indulge myself. I am traveling back to my college years, I probably could do a whole month on college. Seems fitting to do this now, as so many of my younger cousins and even some friends children are heading off to college just this week. Such exciting times, but boy oh boy, just thinking about Phoenix going off to college makes me go into a fit of anxiety. One of my Aunts commented to a cousin regarding her daughter going to college, "at least you are not there to know what she is doing, Ignorance is Bliss"...heck no..ignorance is not bliss...I am an admitted control freak, and well quite frankly, I've been there, and I want to know everything, but I do have a few years to overcome my control issues and let go.

So anyways, I went University of Florida and majored in Environmental Engineering. I did not arrive to UF until 2 years after high school, and I really had not known or kept in touch with any of my high school classmates who ventured to UF after high school, so I arrived, alone, not a friend in the world (yeah, ya hear it?..woe is me). I lived off campus. I was soo excited to have my very own place, until some crazy man decided to murder and mutilate 5 students. I think that was still the most scared I have ever been in my life, not knowing anyone, living alone in a strange place, but I got through it.

Now I know, some of you will not believe this, but I was kind of shy being in that real big place not knowing anyone except my boyfriend when he finally arrived, so I concentrated on studying and working those first few years. But those last two years came, I came out of my shell. Probably something to do with attending class and being involved in activities with the same group of people over and over and over again. There was a core group of us that seemed to do pretty much everything together. Those are the years I remember the most, really good times and really good memories of Gator Football Games, Wine and Cheese Parties, Softball, pizza with no cheese (please don't ask), a wastewater design competition, even a St. Patricks Day Party at my place, the yielded me in the emergency room the next morning to get a tetanus shot (that's what happens when 20 people crash at your place and you get up to tinkle and step on that part of the belt buckle that goes in the hole of the belt) and some really good memories of some really good people of which most I have lost touch with.

So I have a smathering of photos from that time, I lost many of them in my divorce so many years ago, but I still have a few.

We (actually I think it would be proper to say Dave) formed a intramural softball team one year. I remember this game well, because my best friend Elaine and I singlehandedly saved the game with our uncanny and amazing softball skills. So let see from left to right that's Dave , Jamie, me Kevin, Greg, and Elaine (in the top picture). In the bottom picture thats Dave and Kevin.

A few pictures from Gator Stompin (probably best I don't include all of them). So Gator Stompin occurs the last week of school, you buy a ticket or a wrist band (the details escape me) that entitles you to a a free drink special at all participating bars along University Avenue. I cannot name half these people anymore, but, soo much fun that night. My favorite memory of this night was crashing a non participating (that happened to be entirely empty until we showed up) bar to drink and dance...

Below, Me, Dave, his buddy, and Elaine before the Gator Stompin Activities.

Random photo from that night.

So where we got all the money to do all we did, I have no idea, but that last year I swear it seemed like a typical night consisted of going out to eat every night (third pict below) followed by either a night of dancing, playing pool or drinking.