On the last day of freshman year, I sat in Chick-fil-A with some of my best friends. My classmate's mom posed this question: "What's something you didn't expect this year at college?" Well, there is a lot that happened this year, a lot of which wasn't expected. From what we reminisced about, here are a few things worth mentioning. Things I did not expect from my freshman year of college:

Not rebranding. My whole life I have been the goody-two-shoes, always following rules, being responsible and high-achieving. But I figured that that way of life would only get me so far. I wanted to rebrand. New place, new life, right? I figured I could party all I wanted and ignore responsibilities. I desperately wanted to be someone else. However, once I actually got to college, I found no need to rebrand (and I still haven’t partied). I found friends that accepted me and a college community that encouraged me to be myself. I am so glad I didn’t rebrand. I enjoy being me.

Finding true friends. Along with rebranding, I figured I would find some friends in that crowd. But alas, God injected some weirdos into my life who are now my best friends. Meeting a lot of new people at once means making a lot of superficial relationships. You know: small talk, chatting in passing. But not these people. These friends are true friends who are always there for me. And they accept me for who I am. It took me years to form relationships like this in high school, only to have them crumble. So how blessed am I to be given these amazing new friends to share some amazing memories with?

Which is where the title comes in. My new friends and I watched a comedy sketch on Netflix called "Freezing Hot" in which the comedian talks about raptors. We thought it was very silly and tried out our best dinosaur impressions. Somehow or another, that morphed into my friends and I using pterodactyl noises to great each other. I distinctly remember making dinosaur screeches in their dorm room at midnight, pissing off all their neighbors. Worth it.

Support. I figured, “This is it. This is where I am left alone. I am an adult now. I have to make my own life choices without help from anyone.” I was absolutely wrong. Charleston Southern University and the community surrounding it have provided support when I needed it most. Staff pray over students. Counseling services are provided. Professors build strong relationships with students. I am comforted by the thought that I can rely on professors for my academic and personal well-being. One professor drew me in and invited me to his church and small group. These people have really built me up emotionally and spiritually. They have cradled me in my faith as I transition from believing in Christ because my parents told me to, to questioning everything, to making my faith my own. They have given me a safe space to be. I am eternally grateful for the staff at CSU, the Church at Goose Creek, and Harvest Bible Chapel Charleston.

I also have to mention my friends again. If you haven’t figured it out already, I am a bit of an oddball. All my life, my peers have labeled me as weird. Some appreciated it, some condemned it (one of the reasons I wanted to rebrand). But my new friends have wholeheartedly accepted me and my weirdness. Their love for me gives me courage and strength and makes me want to be a better person. I hope I can be there for them as much as they have been there for me.

My parents having lives. They go out and DO things. They volunteer for events and hang out with friends. There have been several times when I have called my mom to see what she was up to, only to reach her voicemail or her telling me she can’t talk now because she is in a ladies meeting. I thought parents were supposed to wait by the phone, on-call for every single thing I needed. I guess my parents have lives now and they’ll have to pencil me in. Take this humor with a grain of salt. My parents are still very much there for me; it’s just interesting seeing them build their lives as empty-nesters.

Appreciation. I did not expect to appreciate everything in my life more. Senior year was incredibly difficult for me. I ended the year being very bitter and ungrateful toward my parents. But now that we all have some space and time to reflect, I appreciate all they have done for me. While it hasn’t been easy, they have done everything they can to get me where I need to be. And they are here for me now as I grow in my independence.

And if it weren’t for my grandparents, I wouldn’t even be in college. They have helped financially and given me all the love, support, and guidance that I could ever need. Grandparents are awesome and I don’t know what I would do without them.

CSU was definitely not my first college choice, so I was bummed when it turned out that that’s where I was going. But OH MY GOSH has it been worth it. I love CSU and every second has been worth the hardships it took to get there. Every tear-filled night of senior year, ever test grade, every prayer - all of it was worth the amazing experience I have had so far.

So I guess what I really want to say is thank you. Thank you to my friends, family, and college for everything you do for me. Life would not be as wonderful if you weren’t in it.