'morning Sunshine!

It absolutely amazes me that I once lived the life of a college student.

This week I am celebrating the one year anniversary of "waking-up-at-5:30-am-every-Monday-through-Friday". Yes, for an entire year, I have had my alarm go off, peeled myself out of the warmth of my bed, taken a shower, gotten dressed, put on make-up (sometimes), and gotten out the door-- all before the sun is even up.

I have been reminiscant over the past week about this phenomenon. For 262* days in the past year, I have woken up at or before 5:30. Let me explain why this is such a big deal, and possibly deserves attention from The Washington Post:

1. When I first started my job in March of last year, I wept bitterly when my interviewer told me that I had to be in the office at 8:30 am.
2. I bawled hysterically when I was promoted 6 weeks later, and had to be at the office at 7:00 am. (Keep in mind that I commute from Manassas, VA to Tysons, VA everyday- that is approximately 20 miles, or 90+ minutes.)

1+ year ago, I was still in college:
3. 5:30 am meant bedtime.
4. I made fun of roommates/friends who went to bed prior to midnight.
5. I was borderline depressed if I had a class that had "a.m." listed after the time.
6. I stayed in college an additional 3 semesters just to keep this schedule. (Ok, not entirely true...)

There are many more reasons, but I think my point is clear: the college life and the work life offer an extreme difference in bedtime hours. Looking back to the college years, if I could do it all again, I would probably set my alarm for 10:30 am Freshman year, 9:15 am Sophomore year, 8:00 am Junior year, and 6:45 am Senior year. The gradual easing process would have prevented all that mid-interview crying.

*366 days (leap year) - (52 weeks * 2 day-weened)