College | Caffeinated

I know it’s cliché, but I’m doing a “What I’m Thankful For” post. Tis the season, right?

My Family.  Without the the support of my mom, Cindy, dad, Paul, and little sister, Casey, I have no idea where I would be in life (probably hungry, lost, and broke). Also big ups to Grandma and Grandpa Salyer for having a sixth sense of when I need a little extra, and Grandma Gergen for always being concerned with what I’m doing. Thanks to my cousins in Columbia, Korrin and Cannon, for always welcoming me into their home and trusting me to watch their four rugrats: Laura, Zach, Paige, and Brennan (and the free cake/ice cream/pizza/brats/etc).

Caffeine. see title of this site for explanation.

My roommates. I’m so thankful for the last year at the Dustin house. Thanks to Lauren for being my mid-Missouri mother, Kevin for always pushing me further (as a person or towards the edge of insanity, love ya brah), and Graham Cracker for always listening to my morning-after rants.

Clif Bars. Thanks for providing a solid lunch on-the-go every day. I couldn’t make it through Natural Resources without your chewy goodness.

My super-awesome-fantastic friends that still manage to put up with me. Travis, Jeff, Megan, Guy, Carrier, Nick, Pat, Tay, Kristin, Childs, Marino, Fiddes, Koch, and so many more that deal with my consistent stupidity and ridiculous stunts. Major props to Alyssa for not strangling me (and I still owe you HuHot!). Also thankful for all of my new ‘business’ friends this year from AKPsi like Blake, Kelly, Laura, Kellie, Tom, Cleeton, and so on.

Minnesota. I’ve missed you so much, Minnesota. I’m so sorry I left you for another state. I hope you can forgive me.

Laptop. Duh.

The Tweeple. I’m not thankful for Twitter, specifically, but the opportunities it has presented me and the impact it has made on me. I’ve grown so much over the past year or so as a person. I’ve met great people and learned more than I could ever imagine. Thank you Arik Hanson for pushing me to further myself and always lending advice or an ear. Thanks to Lauren Fernandez, David Spinks, Kasey Skala, Sonny Gill, Chuck Hemann, Katie Wall, Tom O’Keefe, Stuart Foster, Dave Folkens, Mandy Vavrinak, Jason Falls, Paul DeBettignies, George Fiddler, Lisa Grimm, Ryan Maus, Justin Ware, Ryan Mathre, Kristin Gast, Dave Erickson, Natalie Wires, Richie Excovedo, Mike Schaffer, Amanda Oleson, #TFFL, #JournChat, #U30Pro (hopefully I’ll attend soon, instead of reading summaries), #PRStudChat (likewise), Andrew Weaver, Jackie Adkins, Matt Cheuvront, Sydney Owen, Scott Hale, Kris Colvin, Geno Church, Spike Jones, and SO MANY MORE. One way or another, you have all made an impact on me and helped me grow. I thank you for that. Also major thanks to the entire #MIZZOU Twitter community. We’ve got one helluva college community on Twitter and I love it.

The Mazda. It was hard to see you go, little Protege. You weighed less than a crotch-rocket, but you battled as long as you could. We had so many great times together. I hope you’re having fun in the big junkyard in the sky.

The Av. Well, after The Mazda bit the dust, I’d be screwed without you, Av. I never wanted an automatic transmission, but if I have to have one, I’m glad it’s you.

iTunes Genius. Genius brings so much joy into my life.

The Preschool and my students. I absolutely loved working there over the past year and a half. Time spent there has never been short of awesome. I can’t wait to come back.

Sandwiches and cereal. The two staples of my diet, in addition to Clif Bars.

A bed and a roof over my head. This is something I need to be thankful for more often. Not everyone is as blessed as I am.

Finally, thank you all. Thanks for taking the time to read this blog. It means more than I could ever put into words.