the experiment

You might think we're obnoxious, you might think we're insane. We're a little less PC than maybe we ought to be, and we don't really seem to care a whole lot what you think we are. We're loud and obtrusive, the life of the party. You might think we're a sorority or Christian club gone awry, but the one thing we are is an experiment. That is, floor 2.

In true little sister form I carried on the tradition of starting my freshman year of college on floor 2. From the beginning we were a force to be reckoned with, a breed of our own. This floor might be different than floor 2's of decades past, but we're not one you want to (or can) forget.

What fascinates me most is something I learned tonight, from the mouth of babes. We might never have been. Why? Because we were an experiment. Despite our differences there is something that brought us together. And I don't mean that in the "there is a reason for everything" or "God has a plan for your life" kind of way, although both might very well be true. What brought us together? Fashion. Ironically it was the one part of me that didn't want to be there, the part of me that dreamt of big cities, design classes, and sewing tutorials. But for the time being, those dreams were put aside in place of Bible classes, morning chapel, and the Caf.

I think we all put something aside to be there. Something that ultimately brought us all together. We might not last. We may not get along. We might blow up. But we were worth a shot. In 6 years we've fought, forgotten, disagreed, and BloWn UP. In 6 years we've laughed together more than a group of laughing yogis. Laugh at what you ask? Mostly each other. We've spent time apart--weeks, months, even years. We've been the thorn in each other's sides. We've crossed boundaries and said too much.

The thing that stands out to me most now though is that we've changed. For the better.

It's been incredible to see the transitions each of us have made or experienced in our own lives. We're married, we're having babies, engaged, single, confident, fun, beautiful, driven. Every last one of us is fighting for what we want in life, and laughing at ourselves and each other in the meantime.

Gone are the days of sneaking around together or behind each other's backs. Gone are the days of sneaking out, sleeping in, sneaking others in, and taking midnight runs to satisfy our midnight munchies and secure our bodies' hold onto our freshman 15. Gone are our insecurities and unhealthy dependencies. We are a force to be reckoned, a powerhouse of personality. Personalities that might not always blend, but can be laughed at nonetheless. We are each unique in our own right. We live our own lives and count different blessings. But we are and will always be--floor 2.