So my name is Abigail (as you all hopefully should know by now). Some of you might know me by a few other names. As described in the post below, my boys and most of my grad school friends call me "Babs". That nickname originated in a very silly way, but it has stuck over the years. I have mostly just been called Abigail my whole life. For 18 years I was never called anything else by my friends or family. In fact, my mother loves to tell the story of when she had a friend over to our house and introduced her to me. The woman immediately shortened my name and said "hello Abby!". Apparently, I put my hands on my hips (bear in mind I was 5 or 6 at the time) and said very matter-of-factly, "my name is Abigail!". In truth, I really don't mind being called 'Abby'. Lots of people, including many of my coworkers over the years, shorten my name to Abby. Some of my closest friends in college and family call me "Abs" and I have a friend out West who calls me "Gail Gail", but mostly I'm just Abigail. Hopefully three syllables is not that much of a pain to say.
I spent 18 year of my life in the same house in Long Island, New York. I grew up in the suburbs of one of the biggest cities in the world (we always just call it "the City"), but always longed for the country, wide open spaces and a slower pace of life. I'm not a city girl in any way, shape, or form. No matter where I go, I will proudly call myself a New Yorker though and will always be a New York Mets and New York Giants fan. Mets games with my family are some of the earliest memories I have and riding the train to Shea Stadium with my big brother and my best friend is one of the first things I was ever able to do on my own as a teenager. The Mets are a family tradition in my family as much as they are a sports team. And no matter how miserable they are, I will always be proud to be a Mets fan!
My acceptance to college came a little funny and, due to the fact that my college overaccepts students every year, I actually spent my first semester living abroad and studying in Dijon, France with 14 other freshmen. French was my weakest and least favorite subject in high school so I was very resistant to going. I wanted the typical first year of college and summer orientation and shopping for your dorm room and meeting your roommate. Instead I got to fill out paperwork for a student visa and prepare myself for 4 months without skim milk. As reluctant as I was to go, I can say today that it was one of the most amazing things I have ever done. I loved the time I spent there and it is actually the reason I ended up majoring in history. While I was there I got to not only travel all over France, but also to Italy, Switzerland, and London. I have not been back to Europe since that time and I would love to go back some day. I absolutely love to travel! The weekend trip to Interlaken, Switzerland I took with my friends was one of the most impromptu and spectacular vacations I have ever taken!
From France I went on to the frozen north (aka central Maine) where I spent the next four years of college. I attended a very small school of only 2,000 students and while I don't love my alma mater the way lots of people do, I had a great time there. I had wonderful professors(many of whom I still keep in touch with), shared lots of fun times and made some of the best friends I could ask for. We recently went back for our 5 year reunion and I had such a fun time being back on campus and walking and living in the buildings that were my life for 4 years. Maine could be a bit bleak and I endured my fair share of 30 below zero days, but it was a beautiful place. One thing college did for me (and Maine in particular) was help me learn to appreciate little things, like grilled cheese Thursday in the dead of winter and how beautiful campus looks after an ice storm.
I graduated with my B.A in history, but didn't have a great idea of what I wanted to do. So I lived in The Most Wonderful Place on Earth, aka Wyoming, for the next 2 years. While working there I figured out I liked working with kids and I loved history enough to pursue a Masters degree in secondary social studies education. So in 2007 I packed up my car and drove from Wyoming to Virginia, which is where I have been for the past 3 years.
I spent two years in Charlottesville where I became much more attached to a graduate school than most people. The shift from a school of 2,000 to a state university was a huge change, but I loved my time there. I became a very proud Wahoo and in 2 years as a grad student there I never missed a home football game. My boys and I had some awesome times tailgating, traveling to away games and singing the Good Ol' Song whenever we could. Even though Virginia football was pretty miserable in the 2 years we were graduate students, we never let that dampen our spirits and always believed the next game would be better. Here we are about to do battle with USC. (For those interested the end result was USC 52 - Virginia 7 and, yes, we stayed until the very bitter end!)
I've lived by myself since graduating college in 2005 and, aside from my two feline roommates, I continue to live alone. I would be lying if I said I did not have days or nights where I got a bit lonely, but overall I enjoy being able to leave the dishes in the sink for a few days if I don't feel like doing them that night. I like being able to walk around my apartment in my underwear or be lazy and spend the day in my pajamas and order Chinese whenever I want.
That said, I had the most wonderful experience this summer living with my boyfriend for 7 weeks. I never imagined living with someone could be so much fun, but we had such a blast! Though we are no longer together, living together had nothing to do with that. In fact it was just the opposite(long distance) that split us up. I think it certainly helps that I am a huge sports fanatic and did not mind having ESPN on 24/7! My enthusiasm (read: fanatacism) for most sports really tends to scare off most boys. Speaking of boys, my love life is pretty short and sweet. I have had exactly two boyfriends in my entire life and both happened to be members of the United States Army. I have endured all the highs and lows that come with a military relationship, the constant separations and hurry up and wait mode, from deployments to homecoming and everything in between. The military is no longer a real part of my life anymore, but our military and their families will always hold a very special place in my heart.
Thus the reason I am running the Army Ten Miler this year as a part of Team Fisher House. I used to be a very serious runner and have renewed my training this month and rediscovered my love for running. I help coach both the track and cross-country teams and try to cultivate that same love for running in my kids.
That brings me to the last important piece of my introduction: I am a teacher. A high school history and government teacher to be specific. My primary motivation for teaching is my love of history. I was not a huge fan of history when I was in high school and did not develop an appreciation for the subject until I got to college. If I can help just one or two students realize the great stories that there amid all the facts and dates and names and terms they have to learn in high school then I would consider myself successful as a teacher. The other reason I chose to pursue teaching is because I discovered while working out West (and my first year teaching only proved even more) that I enjoy working with teenagers. Yes, they can be a huge pain in the butt most days. They can be self-righteous and annoying. They can be lazy and stubborn and oh so wonderfully awkward. But they make every day different and for that I am grateful. I love my job (even on those days when I say I hate it) because it is never ever the same.
I'm sure there is much more about myself that I am leaving out, but that's what the next 30 posts are for!
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