Rules Are Meant to be Broken

this is not a statement i usually live by. 
i am a very typical "type a" first born.  i almost always follow the rules.  but my senior year in college i broke them twice.  and my mother even approved, she as a fellow first born also almost always follows the rules and encourages the same for her girls.
the first rule breaking resulted in the only time i have ever been fired.  the summer before my senior year i worked at camp shiloh with kiddos from rough neighborhoods in nyc, long island, ny and a very special bunch from a rough area in connecticut.  it was an amazing experience!  i got a call from my boss for one of my school year jobs as an RA, i know my nerd rating just went up 10 fold, that our annual retreat had been moved up and i would need to leave camp early to attend this super fun (insert eye roll here) event.  i decided to break the rules and stay at camp to honor my commitment to the kids and camp.  so my understanding and compassionate boss fired me, love her!
BUT i am so glad she did.  because it lead to the second major rule breaking experience.  after one semester with a pot luck roommate in on campus apartments i decided to break the rules and move off campus to live with my friends. 
it was one of the BEST rule breaks ever!  i talk about my roommates like we lived together for years even though it was a few short months.  they were such great friends letting me in mid school year and crash with them all the time before the move was official, too!

a lot has changed in the last 10 years, but boy am i glad that we can pick up where left off and feel like it is 2001 again! 

 even if it is a beating to try to be cute when it used to be so effortless.

 maybe because precious little punkins like these keep us up at night.

and a big thanks to this guy and his photographer buddy evan for putting up with a whole lotta girl time with no complaining. 
the shiner may have helped a little.  :)

 let's not wait so long for the next reunion roomies!