I never went to college.

Well, not in the way most people do. These past two years at grad school gave me the college experience I never had. Staying up until 4 a.m. to finish a 15-page paper, drinking beer on a Tuesday night and meeting friends I will have for the rest of my life. At 27, I finally feel like I’m ready for my real life to begin.

Here’s my backstory in less than a minute: I attended the University at Buffalo my first semester of freshman year (my only experience in a dorm) then community college back home in Rochester for one and a half years, then to a small liberal arts college in my hometown for the last two years. All the while, I lived on my own (with help from my parents who lived in Virginia), working two jobs and taking 18 credits a semester to afford everything and finish my degree on time. I graduated college on a Saturday and by Monday, I was back at the company I interned at, but working full-time.

I always knew I would go to grad school, but it took four years and finally taking control of my life to make it happen. I’m not quite sure what kicked my ass into gear. Maybe it was (warning: emo moment) me looking for an escape from my miserable relationship or crying at my desk at work while listening to Bon Iver and trying to write articles about my high school (seriously, my beat at the newspaper was the very town I grew up in). Or perhaps it was me just wanting to become a college professor one day and getting a master’s degree under my belt while I was still young. Either way, my timing was perfect.

Having this college experience is also why it’s making it difficult to move on. When Ted and I said goodbye to Syracuse, we sat on the front steps of my apartment, my home, the wind blowing the hair into my eyes to hide the tears. As someone who thrives on adventure and change, it was a strange feeling; a mixture of nostalgia, sadness and excitement. I can’t wait for my next adventure: a move to Los Angeles with Ted, but could never be where I am today without Syracuse and the people I’ve met there.

So to the graduating class of 2013, I hope you will include me as an honorary college graduate (just ignore my two master’s degrees). I might have more years on you, but you taught me how to live. Never stop being young at heart, drinking beer on Tuesdays and absolutely never let yourself be unhappy. If that means quitting that shitty job sitting at a cubicle splitting your time between spreadsheets and trying not to get caught Facebooking, do it. Even if you don’t have another job waiting for you, because contrary to what your parents want you to believe, you’ll figure it out. Or maybe you always wanted to move to Thailand for six months to “find yourself.” Do it. Want to hike the Appalachian Trail? Stuff that backpack with Clif bars and socks and go. Never doing it means you’ll regret it. And most importantly, don’t forget to fall in love. It’s the best adventure you will ever have.

This time, that city was New Orleans. Ted and our friend Dave came up with the idea to take a road trip to The Big Easy last year when they were studying in London. Our other friend (and fellow redhead) Emily and I jumped along for the ride. And what better time to do it than for our last spring break?

Instead of rushing to the destination, we decided to see as much as possible along the way and on the drive back. We stopped in Oxford, Ohio (home of Miami University); Nashville; Memphis; Jackson, Mississippi; NOLA (of course); Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Atlanta; Charlotte, N.C. and Washington, D.C. We got to meet and see some amazing people along the way, too (including my brother in Charlotte, the first time I’d ever visited him there). As for the South, well, the people are friendly, the food is both delicious and diabetic-inducing and when someone asks if you’d like your beer to go, just say yes.

This is also my announcement for the start of another 365 project. In the past few months, I’ve really lost inspiration, and I’ve found my best days are when I have a camera in my hand. And my journey over the next 12 months will inevitably see huge changes. I’m so excited to see where this leg of the 365 project takes me.

With that, I give you my first concept photo, number one in this year’s 365 project and my interpretation of paper.

*This project would have never been possible without Ted’s help – he guides my disorganized brain and guides me in the right direction. He even set up a space heater on my back porch so I wouldn’t freeze to death. You can see his edits of the photos here.

My first photo for this project was taken on November 6, 2011. Ted and I just started dating and he pushed me to take a photo every day, and to see how my life would change over the course of 365 photographs and 12 months. I could never even imagine all of the wonderful things that would happen. We fell madly in love and our relationship strengthened even with an ocean between us. We traveled thousands of miles in my trusty Honda Civic – to Delaware, Virginia, Boston, Washington, D.C and back and forth from Syracuse to Pennsylvania too many times to count. I decided to pursue a second master’s degree in photography and listen to my heart by staying in Syracuse another year. Not everything was perfect, though. But that is the beauty of life and of this project.

*You can see the 364 other photos here.

*Editing note: Ted and I recently bought VSCO Film, which I used to edit most of the photos in this batch. If you’re looking to recreate that film look, it’s definitely worth the purchase.

Here is part one of my images. (It wasn’t until I began editing them that I discovered a common theme – I’ll see if you can figure it out.)

*Editing note: Ted and I recently bought VSCO Film, which I used to edit most of the photos in this batch. If you’re looking to recreate that film look, it’s definitely worth the purchase.