It's late-definitely past my bedtime. Especially since sleep has been quite the stranger lately. Restless nights and crabby-until-I-get-my-coffee mornings have made me reevaluate my life this week, and it's only Wednesday (although, I guess technically it's Thursday now).  So instead of sleeping, or hanging out with the friends I come to appreciate more every single day, I've been doing a bit of soul searching. And by that I mean quote creeping on Pinterest, of course. Here's what I found for today. After some humbling reflection, I've realized how important this message is.

I've spent so much time this year focusing on what I want. On getting accepted to "grad school," bringing Alpha Mu Gamma to campus, being elected to a position in Delta Gamma…I could continue the list forever, and then some. But now that I've been accepted into my pharmacy program, Senate approved AMG, and I've become the Honor Board Sophomore Member, I feel like I'm at such as loss. I've worked and worked and worked and reached my goals, so now what? I struggled most of last weekend and this week with finding a way to answer that question and fill the strange void in my stress-o-meter. Believe it or not, I finally found an answer: all I needed to do was count my blessings. I needed to remember what I've had all along…what's helped make me, well, me and bring me to where I am today. Here are just a few.


1. My parents. They push me hard, even when they don't know they are doing so. I love making them proud. 


2. My DG sisters. I've spent so much more time with Sar, Kathy, Ann, Rachel, Ame, ERob, and Kitty than I have in the past, and I love every moment of it. I can't wait to get closer to these lovely ladies this semester and last year.


3. My St. Pascal friends. Through thick and thin, Curtis and Brittany have stood by me since Day One of kindergarten. They're great. I appreciate them more than they'll ever know. 


4. My smart pen. Sometimes it's just so dang difficult to pay attention to Senchina when he wears an earring to class. I think he's deliberately trying to distract me. Man, you've just gotta love technology.


5. My Drake fam. I love my big, and I love my little. We don't always get to spend time together, but when we do, I'm reminded why Drake is so great. 


6. My study abroad advisor. I can't wait to get out and see the world. I've already begun checking countries off my travel bucket list, and this summer I'll get to cross off one more. I'm going to start a countdown soon.


7. My teddy bears. Sometimes you just need a good cuddle. No one knows how to snuggle like a teddy.


8. My staff. Being a resident assistant is really something else. No typed description could bring it any justice. But I have a wonderful staff, and I couldn't be more grateful for the few that have really been there for me lately.


9. My orgs. Colleges Against Cancer is starting to play a bigger role in my life. I usually am unable to attend meetings, yet I still feel like a member of the club. I can't wait for Relay for Life. I seriously couldn't be more excited.


10. My church. Hope is the best part of my week for so many reasons. If I could build a fort under the twinkle lights, I'd live their forever just to hear Pastor Mike share is wisdom. 


That's what I did tonight. A huge wave of relief washed over me after I thought about all of the things I'm thankful for. I'm living the good life as far as I'm concerned, and I refuse to keep losing sight of that because of futile concerns. Try it sometime. 

The Day after Valentines Day

I love Valentine's Day. It's my favorite holiday, hands down! It's not because I have a significant other to celebrate with, but rather because I have friends whom I love dearly. Valentine's Day is for everyone! Here are a few of the reasons why I looooooooooooooooooooove the Day of Love.

 Starbucks Cups

 Sparkle Hug Critters

 Flowers from Campus Organizations 

 Roses from my Singing Valentine

Valentines for Friends

Spread the love, kiddos. All day, every day. Not just on Valentine's Day. 

Hell Week: Priorities

DAY FOUR


Officially in the homestretch. Can't. Lose. Focus. 


Tip #1: Study for important exams instead of checking future-determing emails. All emails will still be viewable after the test is over.


Tip #2: Spend time with friends who respect such decisions. 


Tip #3: Regardless of the news in the morning, don't post results on Facebook. 


Tip #4: Don't EVER let your daily diet consist of a caffein pill, coke, fruit cup, carrots, coffee, chips, and coffee. Just don't. 

Have faith, be happy, love the people who mean the most. They're more important than a billion-dollar education anyway.

Hell Week: We are Young

DAY THREE


I really like Pinterest. It's possible that I even love it. Recently, there's been a certain quote that has been catching my eye every time it is pinned in a new font or color. It goes something like this:

As I got ready for bed tonight, my head hurt and a crabby cloud loomed over my entire dorm room. I started listening to my new favorite song when I started to blog, and my spirits immediately lifted. After humming along a bit, I realized my day wasn't bad at all. By all accounts, it was amazing. So amazing in fact, that I'm purely exhausted. Thus, I only have one tip tonight. 


Tip #1: Look for the good things in every day. I promise you'll find something.


Here's a list of all the good things that occurred tonight: the coffee shop actually had my pink grapefruit juice, I didn't fail my ochem test, I had a wonderful lunch with my DG sisters, I worked on my study abroad application, I chatted with my daddy, I got coffee with Mags, I had some great laughs with Sar, and I listened to all my Glee tracks. See, what a great day? All thanks to a little inspiration... 

we can burn brighter than the sun

Hell Week: The First Plateau

DAY TWO

Assignment # 1 completed. Paper turned in neatly stapled. Staff meeting endured with positive attitude. Back to the books.

Tip #1: Take a break. If your head hurts, go to sleep. Naps, my friends, naps.

Tip #2: Listen to cravings. Want chocolate? Flan? Soup? Tapioca? Bread? Well, eat it.

Tip #3: Don't let the stress drag you undersea. Have a friend chop off your crabby claws. 

Tip #4: Do your work. Get it done. Study. Drink caffiene. Study. Eat. Study. Just do it.

Tip #5: Be confident in your knowledge. You have study swag. Know it, live it, love it, share it.

Tip #6: Smile to yourself knowing that your best friend is also sporting friendship frizz and sweatpants. When she offers to tuck you in with sinus meds, a water bottle, and some T-Swift for the second night in a row, don't object. 

I wish I were saying goodnight, but infrared spectroscopy is calling my name. Wish all of us lowly pharm kids luck tomorrow, world. 

Hell Week: Confessions from the Inside

DAY ONE

Today is Day One of Hell Week. It may sound silly, but this week is my first legitimate full week of grade-influencing schoolwork. From here on out, I have a speech, or paper, or test every day. Each of these pieces will count for roughly a quarter of my final grade in the class, so I have to kick butt. Not to mention I have duty, staff meetings, student senate meetings, sorority meetings, etc. up the wazoo. Goodbye, social life, family, and friends; and hello, stress! Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I secretly love the stress…even though I stress about stress. Keep up, kid.

But there's a light at the end of the tunnel. At exactly 11:50 am on Friday, I will be free from school, and the wonderlands of Michaels, Hobby Lobby, and JoAnn Fabrics will be awaiting me, along with Brenton Skate Plaza where I will spend the evening ice skating with my sisters. Yes, I legitimately already have a countdown bookmarked on Safari. To get me through each day, I'm keeping my sights set on Friday and posting quick blog blurbs. Welcome to day one.

Tip # 1: Make a schedule. Make it beautiful. Make it unique. I love looking at mine.

Tip # 2: Stay on track. Stick to the schedule. Avoid distractions.

Tip #3: Don't worry about faltering a bit. The world will still turn. Obviously from today's timestamp, I'm already off schedule. Just keep on trekking.

Tip #4: Be realistic. About workload. About study partners. About time management skills.

Tip #5: Support someone else. Chances are, 115 other people are experiencing the exact same set of responsibilities. Give a hug. Send a text. Rub friendship elbows. Whatever it is, just do it.

Tip #6: Sleep. Go to bed. Get up early. Nap if needed. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

Goodnight, moon.

The Circle is Round

Tonight, this snowy Saturday officially became a Froyo Funday. That's what I'm going to call any days I stop into Orange Leaf with my pals from now on. In case you haven't been to Orange Leaf before, or if for some ungodly reason you haven't ever even heard of froyo, I strongly urge some exploration. Every visit is different; I don't think I've ever had the same combination of flavors once. Talk about a real treat!

Today's adventure was special because we all made a new friend. It's siblings weekend here at school, and there are so many munchkins running around (granted, they're pretty much all in high school, but still). So Sar and Mags and I all took a trip to Orange Leaf to meet a friend's younger brother. He was quiet, but I really think he had a good time.

The whole night got me thinking about a lot about friendship; well, the friends I've made at college, to be specific. I've been in a real camp mood today, so all that was going through my head at Orange Leaf was the friendship song I first learned at Camp Lakamaga. You've all heard it:

"Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver, but the other's gold. A circle is round, it has no end. That's how long I want to be your friend."

Cheesy? Obviously. Meaningful? Definitely. I had to refrain from posting the entire song because I love it so much. I'm extremely thankful for the friends I've made since coming to college last year. I love them all so much. I'm equally appreciative of the opportunity to meet new people that has risen so often recently. Regardless of who may come or go throughout the course of my life, here's to the ones that I hope will last forever.

⚓

The Grace of Active Perspective

I'm not really a quote person, but I've always wished I was. A lot of my friends decorate their walls and notebooks with beautifully handwritten passages, and I love looking at them. The most creative thing I've ever tried was writing a quote on a bro-tank for the world's greatest camp counselor, and results were questionable at best. Last night in one of my classes, a teacher included a quote in a powerpoint that really caught my attention…

"Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens." -John Homer Miller

I loved it. Still do, in fact. I'm really trying hard this semester to live with this exact mindset. There are so many variables in my life right now that I literally have no control over. Instead of stressing over them so much, I'm trying to see the positives.

Actively altering my mindset has been difficult, and I've gotten off track quite a few times. I've come to find it definitely makes me sad when I watch my friends or sisters or classmates let life's little negatives get them down. I just wish everyone had the grace to realize how rewarding looking on the bright side can be. So here's a bit of advice from someone who wants to be a Positive Polly instead of a Negative Nancy: don't worry if you don't make the grade, get offered the job, or don't finish first; everything will be fine. John Homer Miller and Bob Marley know much more about this than I do, so give them a chance and listen to their messages.

First post. Day 1. The beginning. Hopefully the start of something great.

I love writing...always have. Yet for reasons that may or may not become clear in future posts, I've yet to allow room in my life schedule to ever pencil my thoughts on paper. I guess that's a shame, because memories of life's little pleasures fade away quickly, especially when one is consumed by collegiate chaos. But I don't want to forget the small stuff, ever. So, after an afternoon of good company and welcomed adventure, I've decided to commit my memories to paper. At present, that is my only expectation for this blog; I don't know what it will turn into, but I'm excited to find out. So be ready for a few posts, a couple of photos, and the occasional crafty tutorial. Let the adventure begin.