Kiley Wellendorf | Blogger

A year ago today, I would have never pictured how much has enfolded so far in my sophomore year at Buena Vista. Approached amongst a heavy crowd, two girls asked me a question that completely back-fired against me, and someone turned out to be the best decision of my life. I agreed to live with four other girls I had never spoken to for more than minutes at a time, and my roommate and I were completely okay with it. Apparently we must all be a rare-breed at Buena Vista, because whenever I told people I would be living five girls – they were completely dumbfounded. Over the course of the past few months, I can honestly say that our suite has become more than just a random pair of girls who used to only say “hi” to each other in the hallways. Scared that our personalities would collide and fire, I wasn’t prepared for the amount of ease and happiness I felt the moment I’d walk into our suite. It’s funny when you live with strangers because somehow these people are able to form stronger bonds than best friends you’ve had your whole life. Here’s to the two birthdays I get to celebrate with the two girls I somehow didn’t know existed a year ago.

01. One Headlight – The Wallflowers

You grabbed your phone and took it upon yourself to push through songs in order to find one that fit perfectly. “One Headlight” by the Wallflowers came on, and I cringed as I realized you would probably skip over it just like others had before. Instead, you started humming the song and quickly forced yourself back into the conversation you paused to change the music. I could feel myself ease up around you and felt so excited to share such a special song in common with you. (As if fate struck down instantly, both of our dads introduced us to this song when we were little girls.) You became so much more than a stranger that night, and I could tell that we would be nothing short of best friends in no time. When things were bad, I texted you, and when things started to lighten up – I texted you. I think I realized you were becoming one of my best friends the moment we both reached out to each other at the same time during fall break; I couldn’t help but thank every star in the universe that I was able to land such a safe and peaceful friendship in the short amount of us living together. You’ve become a safety-net, a comfortable place, and one of my favorite people on this campus. It’s funny to think that a year ago I used to dodge you in the hallways because I was terrified of you.

02. Locked Out Of Heaven – Bruno Mars

We barged into your room, fresh off of the adrenaline that filled the air from being back on campus from Christmas break, and assumed that you two were second-semester freshmen just like us. Upon introducing ourselves, we found out that you two were really second-semester sophomores, and we instantly felt embarrassed. You both never let us feel that way, though, and this will always be one of the strongest first impressions I ever received from anyone. In a matter of months, you would personally become someone who I’d laugh with over the dumbest things when everyone got together. You were so sweet, and always genuinely wanted to listen even when an entire room was shouting different stories. From being squished into dorm rooms silently laughing about nicknames and hilarious high school stories, to crowding around the table in our lounge for heart-to-hearts, I’ve never found myself tired of having you around. You bring out this light to any room and besides being absolutely stunning, you find a way to have an incredibly big heart that cares so much about everyone. I’m so lucky that we live a hallway apart, and I can’t thank you enough for all the times you’ve laughed at the stupid things I’ve said when everyone else just looks dumbfounded. I get you, and you get me, and I’m not sure if that’s horribly hilarious or just plain perfect.

So Happy 21st Birthday to two amazing girls who’ve only walked into my life a few months ago, and have continuously brought light and laughter into B10. You girls are the absolute best, and I couldn’t be happier with our decision to live together. (How did this girl get so lucky?)

Graphic by Krystal Schulte