A Balancing Act

For me, college is a balancing act (sometimes even quite literally). I have two jobs (one that is on campus during the school days) and one that I work mainly weekends on (and sometimes I go in when they need me), I'm in a sorority (with meetings once a week, not including other activities going on), I always take anywhere from 17-19 hours, and I'm planning on joining (and being very active) in two clubs next semester (History and Anthropology club), and I have two majors and two minor, so sometimes things can be a bit crazy. People look at me like I'm crazy when I tell them I'm crazy busy. But honestly, I love it. I've made so many friends and it's kind of crazy but so much fun. 

I would be at a loss if it wasn't for my iCal and my iPhone syncing up my schedule, along with writing all my assignments to do down in a full page planner (everyday), and my Self Control App. These few things help me stay on time, organized and focused toward a main goal. 

Another thing that really helps me is that I have a regular routine. Once the semester begins, I have a set schedule each day and I know (usually two weeks into the semester) exactly what I'm doing or where I need to be. By doing this, I'm not as stressed when it comes to what to do during the day. 

Being OCD when it comes to grades. I came to college for a reason. I want to graduate and get a really good job with whatever I end up doing with my life. Having two majors and two minors leaves little room for error in my classes, so I am always on top of my grades. I make appointments with teachers when I need to and I'm even on first name basis with my academic counselors. 

True or False?

When it comes to college, there are a few things that people told me that I wish I would have known they weren't true. Such as: 

A lot of roommates spend a lot of time with each other. This is so false in my sense of the terms. I knew my roommate going into college, and while it wasn't a pleasant experience, it wasn't awful (until the last few months anyways). I've even seen seen some friends who room together in the dorms, and while they spend a lot of time in the room together, outside of that not much time was spent together (it was more of a "okay she's there, let's hang out" thing). 

College is super hard. While yes, some classes are more difficult than others. College in general is not hard, it's just a different style of teaching and learning you've been used to for the past 16 or so years of your life. Just remember to plan ahead and always, always keep a calendar of when things are due! You'll be fine. Take a deep breath and just jump in! 

Meeting new friends will be instant and easy. I'm out going, really out going (I'm in a sorority for heavens sake). But this doesn't mean that meeting people was necessarily easy for me to do. I met a ton of people during Rush Week, Move In Week and Freshman Week my first semester here that I began to talk to for a while and then things just fizzled out. It's all about taking time to make a good friendship with someone!

You  have just as much responsibility as you did in high school. So False. It's not that you don't have as much, but it's that you have so much more. Everything is your choice now, and you don't have Momma and Daddy right behind you telling you what to do. You have to make all of the right decisions (and some of the wrong ones) to figure out how to be on your own and still do well in school. 

Remember, College is so much fun and you'll love it (or you'll hate it) but it's something that you have to figure out for yourself. It's not something  you can just shrug off and forget about. College is a time of growth and new-found freedom. Take it all in and just run! You'll be glad that you did.

College Clothes!

When it gets cold outside, I have about three outfits that I normally go to, other than when I'm just being completely lazy and wearing tights with yoga pants, and an over-sized t-shirt. 

Layers: Begin by a tank top or short sleeved shirt and go from there, then maybe add a sweater, with a cardiagan and a jacket with leggings under jeans with socks and boots. Trust me, you'll be thankful when you can take off layers for the scalding hot temperatures inside classrooms but can layer stuff back on to go through the arctic tundra like weather outside.

Always wear a scarf/hat. I'm naturally cold, so beginning in October when the weather even hints at dropping below 80 I'm in a scarf of some sort. There are so many different types/materials that scarves come in so you can always try different looks before finding a signature one!

Keep your summer clothes out during winter season. Now you may be looking at the screen and thinking, WHAT?! But really, wear a summer cut dress with a pair of thick leggings underneath and pair with a pair of thick high socks and you'll be good to go! Don't forget a nice jacket and cardigan as well!

Boots, boots, boots! I love boots, so when the weather begins to change, I'm all about breaking out the boots. During this time, it's really important to buy a nice, comfortable pair of boots and scotch-guard them if they are not leather so they don't get messed up easily! 

Week of Death. Aka Finals Week

Oh god. It's here. Finals week. I've taken three exams already and I have three more to go. So much stress and lack of sleep. All is well. I have one more Wednesday at 7:30 am....dear god..., one at 3:00 Thursday and one at noon on Saturday. 

Here's something adorable to make you smile. 

kitten

Best of luck to everyone who has to take them as well. 

It's Friday, I'm in Love

As much as I'm in much need of a weekend, I just want to skip over the next week and weekend. I have finals this coming week which means that this weekend will be filled with nothing but studying. On the bright side, the studying will be done in New Orleans with E. So excited. 

Also I have to move out my dorm next saturday (YAY!). So gathering all of my belongings and bringing them home is happening today. Literally all I have left is 7 days worth of clothes, food and my fridge...well and office supplies...but everything else is empty. 

Now on a positive note: Fill in the Blank Friday 

1.   What I love most about my home is    it's new and we just moved there, and I got to paint my room. Also, because it's so close to E's house. Love that the most. OH and it's cozy.

2.  I'm excited because,  in just one week I'll be done with my freshman year of college.

3.  My preferred method for blowing  off steam when I'm frustrated is   crying or going to the gym. I love crying when I'm sad, but going to the gym when I'm angry. Just depends really.

4.  Currently I am craving   celery and cupcakes....odd I know .

5.  The thing I love most about my mom is     she's the exact copy of me. We get a long really well. I love her. ... oh yeah, and she puts up with my nonsense for the most part. She's got a cute little blog as well.

6.  If I was going to write a book about my life, the title would be       Never Surrender. I've been through a lot and the thing that has kept me going is just knowing that I'm in control, for the most part.

7.  If I were to eat one thing for the rest of eternity it would be    grilled cheese, all the way. I love it so so so much. Could eat it all day every day.

Picture This....

Warning: Forgive me for this, but you're about to experience a total sorority freak out over here. I promise it doesn't happen tooo often. 

So, picture this. One of your favorite designers tells you you're going to design a special pattern for you and your closest group of friends, but first you have to go through a crazy process with a bunch of different people. Well that's basically what happened to me for the last month. Lilly Pulitzer announced about a month ago that they were going to be creating new sorority fabrics for the top three sororities that gain the most votes. First round cut down more than 20 sororities down to 9 different sororities. Then after that, the next five were announced. Yeah, that's right five. What was originally supposed to be only three was now five. 

As I waited in anticipation for the announcement to be made, I was freaking out. I've never wanted to get something so badly in my life....well this is probably an exaggeration...BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. Theta deserves this SO much. So, two o'clock strikes (when they were going to announce it our time), and they haven't posted. Literally took five minutes, which felt like a life time. I sat and clicked and refreshed and refreshed. Then finally around 3:05-3:10 it was announced. Theta was in the top five. Now I was in class and couldn't really get so excited but I had two of my sisters in front of me and we all looked at each other with beaming faces. Kinda like this: 

It may seem a little shallow, but it was such a proud moment for us. Lilly has already designed four other sorority patterns and this is such a great honor to know that they have chosen Theta as one of the next sororities to get a Lilly pattern. 

Congratulations to all the other sororities who gained a Lilly print today. 

Dear,

Dear SelfControl App, 

I understand that you and I have a love/hate relationship but it's nothing personal. Really. 

pecture

If you have a Mac, you may/may not want to know about this app. I found it yesterday and have used it so much ever since. (You can find it here). Basically what it does is it makes sure, for however long the allotted time you give it, that you don't procrastinate. Now I admit, I don't have the best self control when it comes to studying for exams. Usually I end up like this: 

Or even sometimes (read: majority of times) this

So, when I found this little gem I had to try it. Oh my goodness did it work. I got an obscene amount of study guides done, which for me is a feat in itself. 

My recommendation: get the app. try it. It works miracles. 

Weekend Wrapup!

This weekend was a good weekend. I sat outside and did homework the majority of the day Saturday, but it was pretty so it's okay. And really just spent the weekend preparing myself for exams. Unfortunatnely, this is what I'll be doing again tonight and the next week. Wish me luck!

Oh yeah, and E came in town to spend some time with me before exams. Just two more weeks before I get to see him again!

Scheduling Classes

(Once again, nothing to do with scheduling; yet how I relax after scheduling. Hanging out with friends)

         

Oh my dear Jesus, I was so freaking nervous about scheduling for classes. You see, I’m one of ‘those people’ who looks at the schedule as soon as it comes out. I want to know what classes I can take, who my teachers might be and so on and so forth so I can be organized right down to the T. Usually [read: the last two semesters] it hasn’t been hard trying to find which classes I need to take, what time they’re offered and who the teachers are. This semester is a completely different ball game. Almost all of the classes that I needed/wanted to take this semester occur at the same time. It took some maneuvering but I’ve finally figured out my schedule. Yes, I’m taking 19 hours. No, I’m not worried. I’ll be taking Art History 1441 (for my art), Chemistry 1001 (because I have to), History 2055 (Into to US History, ew.), Italian 1001 (so excited), EDCI 2001 (Education/Course Instruction class, excited), and Political Science 2051 (Louisiana Politics). All in all I’m really excited for my classes. I cannot wait.

I'm "Studying" Promise...

So this is me, not only 2 hours ago: 

What am I doing might you ask? Well I'm studying of course. A friend snapped this on her phone when she came in my room. She giggled then woke me up. This is what happens when I try and read books while laying in bed. From now on, sitting up and paying attention...maybe....

Back to the books!

This is What Stress Looks Like:

Literally all last week and this week has been filled with is homework assignments, tests and quizzes. Now, I realize that I'm in college and that's what it's supposed to be like, but COME ON. Last week: 4 tests, a quiz and about 10 homework/reading assignments. This week: 2 tests, 3 quizzes, and a lot of sorority things to do. 

This is what stress looks like: 

My body is begging me to stop eating bad food. BEGGING me. And it's pleading for sleep. 

So, I shall drink my tea and eat my pineapples. Back to the Minoans and Mycenaeans. Lets cram 1000 years of history into one night! Oh and can't forget Anthropology. 

Thank goodness Mardi Gras is this weekend. 

Boyfriend.

Boyfriend lives an hour and a half away, however, he doesn't have classes on Friday. I got the greatest surprise in the world when he came into town to surprise me last night. 

Usually, we try and talk every night at least 10 minutes every night, via skype. 

It's not too bad, and if you ask me. It's completely worth it.

PS: He's incredibly silly.

Weather.

The weather this week has been crazy, to say the least. Monday, I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt. No big deal, it was 70. Today, I'm wearing tights, pj pants, baggy sweats, an undershirt, a long t shirt, a sweater, my anarack, a scarf and a head band thing that keeps my ears warm. The temperature....22.

Yes, I'm still at work.

First Week of School [Kinda]

The first week of school has come and gone. Holy goodness, this is going to be a long semester. I love my classes for the most part, but goodness gracious are they going to take up a lot of my time. 

These area  few pictures from the week:

First up, me looking exhausted after a long, long day of class:

Next we have one of my addictions: Hot Tea. I just can't help it. I love tea so much! 

There's not a day where I go without some kind of hot/cold tea!

This, unfortunately, is my desk. However, it has been cleaned. No worries. I was just a little stressed. I've  got all my books, homework, calendar, and computer on here!

And finally, one of my favorite things in the world. A shrimp poyboy. (: 

Dorm!

I have almsot everything settled in and now it's just beginning to feel like home. I went grocery shopping this morning and I got some tasty (but healthy) food!

I love hanging my scarves on the end of my bed. That way they're easily accessible and it gives a little more color to the room.

And I even had time to get my desk straight with my books and calendar! 

I'm Not Quite Sure What Packing Is

Example: This is me, not packing. 

This is also me not packing.

...I think I may go attempt to pack now. It's not like I have to have my car loaded and on my way to school by 8:30 tomorrow morning....

Sleep sleep sleeppp

Sleeep, what is that? I'm pretty sure the amount of time that I've slept in the last week and a half would add up to be about 17 hours. Total. For two weeks. I'm living off coffee and tea right now as I clear out my dorm, completely, make christmas lists, attempt to study for the next two exams I have Thursday and Friday, and avoid doing anything strenuous, like walking to the sorority house, which I'm about to have to do. Oh life. I cannot wait until I get to fall into my bed at home and just sleep, without a specific time to have to wake up, or any specific plans. 

not my bed, although i wish it was

Classes!

Since I'm changing my major, I've been looking at all the courses I have to take. Needless to say, I'm insanely excited. I'm thinking about taking two history classes, one anthropology class, introduction to French (I need a foreign language, and WILL be trilingual [French, Italian and English]), and either chemistry or biology. That will only be about 16 hours, which will be glorious since I'm taking 17 right now. I just need to catch up on my school work and I'll be set! So excited!

via

Goodbye My Friend

So, today is the day. My last day of high school. EVER! I've finally done it. I've gone through four years of difficult schooling and hard times to only come out on top. Today, my most upsetting thing is not that I have to say goodbye to friends, or even that I'm leaving the school that I've loved/hated for so long. No. The saddest thing is that I have to turn in my lap top. I've had a laptop at my hands for the last four years. We've been through dells and Toshiba's. Now. I'm going to college and I have to actually go buy my own laptop. There is no running to the help desk with laptop in hand as I'm getting the blue screen of death to prove that "look, it really, really, really is crashing this time!". There will be no more trying to convince the help desk that I need a new keyboard, well, because I don't like the way this one types (shout out dell laptop). It's only fair to say that I've relied on the help desk a LOT in my four years here. It'll be different going to school where if I miss class I can't just ask someone to send me notes (because everyone doesn't type everything) and I can't just be like "Hey you want to put that on common for me?!" ...this is because there will be no common. It'll be interesting to see how much things change, but I'm ready for whatever college throws to me. 

Dormmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

So I got my dorm room the other day. You may not understand how big of a deal this is, but it's huge! I ended up getting the dorm that I wanted. It's slightly bigger than most of the other dorms on campus. It's got a sink in the room and it has a suite bathroom. This means that instead of sharing a bathroom with an entire floor of girls, I only have to share with 4 girls! I'm so excited. I can't wait to buy everything and start getting everything together! (: It's my first step on the way to "the real world"!