I'm a Terrier!

SED!

Hey! Did you know I go to BU?! Have I mentioned that?! Have I mentioned that I LOVE IT?! I hope you think I'm as funny as I think I am. I'm laughing. Anyway. College. BU. I'm here guys.

My mom and I left Colorado over a week ago. We went to Boston first and went to a Red Sox game (THEY WON, GO SOX!). Then we left Boston and went to New York. Then, the much awaited move in. We came back to Boston and moved into my dorm. Have you ever been to Bed Bath and Beyond in Boston (TONS of College Students!) during move in week? It's insane. Most stressful/scary/thrilling shopping experience of my life. We successfully got all of the things we needed and got my dorm all set up (there are pictures below!). Additionally, I fit all of my clothes and shoes in the closet (so take that everyone who said I would never fit all those giant bags in a dorm room!). I'm pretty pleased with the dorm. It's bigger than I expected it to be. My roommate and I seem to get on well together. So that's good.

Yesterday, we had matriculation. This is basically the opposite of graduation I suppose. It's pretty much the only time that the entire BU Class of 2016 is together in one place until graduation. My favorite part about this whole event was SED (because SED is my favorite part of everything, duh). We all had our matching SED ROX shirts on and so we looked way cooler than all of the other schools (because we are, duh). The shirts were also great because when I was standing around in the crowd alone and didn't have any friends or anybody to talk to I just looked for people with SED shirts on and befriended them. I met a lot of new SED people. I'm pretty sure that every single person in SED is amazing and wonderful and awesome. Have I told you that I like SED?  There was Splash, which is a sign up for all the clubs and activities. I was stoked to sign up for Quidditch but other than that I didn't sign up for anything...can you guess why? Because none of the SED clubs were there! (duh, those are the ones I wanted to join). The other thing that happened yesterday was a floor meeting. This was long and hot (Boston weather is hot and sticky, winter come faster!). BUT this was fun because I ended up meeting all the people on my floor and making some new friends. I learned that there are two more SED girls on my floor besides me and my roommate. So that made me happy (duh). Later on I made my first non SED friend (she's my neighbor). We ate cookies and sat on our laptops, so what's not to love about that?

This morning! I loved this morning of course. You know what I did this morning? SED stuff! (duh). First up was the Amazing Race, which is basically a scavenger hunt throughout campus. We did this with our TM groups (shout out to Jeff and Kristina, who are both awesome!) and other TM groups. This involved a lot of running and sweating in the heat of the day. But, it was worth it when Dumbledore's Army (our awesome team) won second place and free movie tickets! Then we got ice cream! Because SED is great! THEN there was SED get active, which was like splash for all of the SED clubs (I was excited obviously). I signed up for pretty much all of the clubs and all the SED intramurals, because I just want to do everything related to SED all the time (duh). So that was exciting. I had lunch at one of the dining halls with a bunch of other SED students and made some more new friends! Look at me go!

Anyway, you'll have to excuse the randomness and poor writing found in this article, I think the heat is getting to me or something. I hope you're a Terrier too and that you're having as much fun as I am! I also hope for your sake you're in SED! (duh) If you're not a Terrier or in SED, that's a shame for you but I hope you're having a nice time wherever you are too!

Comment about your favorite part of college or how your experience are in the comment section and stay fabulous!

That When Kelly and Tayla Tell Me to Write a Blog Post, I Do (and other lessons about friendship)

One of the first thoughts that I had after graduating high school in May was that it was so wonderful that now that I didn't have to go to school with them everyday, I never had to spend time with people that I didn't want to spend time with. There were a few people that were on the top of this list. There were also people that were on the top of my "I never want to lose touch with them" list. But what about the people in between?

We all know how it is. We have our friends and then we have our acquaintances. High school is a place that there a lot of acquaintances. Some times you meet people and you instantly click, you guys become friends. You hang out all the time and you're inseparable. Other people, you want nothing to do with from the moment you meet. Then there are the people that you have always had classes with. You guys get along fine and you share jokes in class but it doesn't go too much further than bonding over how awful your history homework is. There are a lot of these people in high school, so it can be hard to really sift through them at graduation and categorize them as "people I want to see again" and "people I could do without".

It's been almost three months since graduation and I haven't hung out with too many people. Work has held a monopoly on my time and anything left has been reserved for those beloved best friends I rarely get to see these days (shout out Jules and Em!). The fact that I haven't seen very many people this summer hasn't really bothered me, because there aren't too many that I really wanted to see. I realized though, as I thought about the things that I needed to do before leaving and the people that I wanted to see, that some of those people who I categorized as classmates and acquaintances in high school had actually become my friends, I wanted to see them because I missed them and felt like we needed to say goodbye.

Kelly and Tayla were both people who I shared a lot of classes with over the years--probably since sixth grade. I don't remember meeting either of them or what sparked our friendship. We were probably thrown together as partners occasionally and maybe seated together in a seating assignment, I'm not sure. But at some point we became classmates that interacted, as opposed to those that don't. They both always thought it was fun to tease me--probably because it is. We would joke around and act like we disliked each other. The term 'best friend' was often thrown around with a sarcastic tone and a small sneer. But it was always important that through all the jokes they cracked, it was easy to differentiate them from the people that wanted to hurt me. They were never the people that made me run out to my car after school, tears streaming and Taylor Swift blasting. They were my friends.

At some point, in the mess that is high school, we became friends without ever realizing it. It took a little time of not seeing each other to realize that they had fallen into the category of "people I want to see again" while many others had been discarded into the "I could do without" pile and never thought of again. Summer began winding down and I started to realize that I hoped I would run into them so we could hang out. I realized that seeing them was actually important enough to text them and make plans, and so we did and so it was lovely.

As I get ready to go off to college in a new place where I don't know anyone, I've been thinking about the idea of making friends a lot. I've been asking myself how I'm going to do that and trying to think about how I've done it in the past. I reached a conclusion that I had never had to make friends before--because I've lived here forever and just always known everyone--but this conclusion is wrong. I've been making friends the entire time and never realized it, because it's such a natural part of life.

You meet a person and you have something in common. Maybe you have a shared friend, job or class. Things just grow from there. An inside joke arises and suddenly you have a topic of conversation. Obviously you send a friend request and make things Facebook official. When you see each other you smile, wave, say hello. They are no longer a stranger. You guys make plans. Things continue along this path and eventually, you realize that this is someone you want to continue to have in your life. This is a person you want to call your friend.

That thought makes me smile at the friendships I've acquired over the years and feel more confident about the ones that await me in Boston. I've made friends before, so why shouldn't I be able to do it again?

Shout out to my friends Kelly and Tayla, who I never
realized I became friends with. 

The Top Three Things I'm Most Excited About For College

So to follow up my last post about the top three things I'm going to miss most when at college, I thought I'd highlight the three things I am most excited about (because obviously even though I'm going to miss things I'm super excited!). So here it is:

BU and SED

Hey there, Kenmore Square

Have I told you how excited I am about SED? If you answered no to that question then you obviously have not been paying attention.

The People

I've been around the same people my entire life. For the most part, all of the people that I've been around have been the same type of people. There's nothing wrong with this, it's just the way that it is. This is obviously due to the environment. We have all of have grown up in the same place with the same influences for the most part. This makes us all pretty similar, no matter how much we hate to admit that. 

I can't wait to get out and experience new types of people. People who came from different backgrounds and grew up in a different environment. People who see things differently than I do and come from a different place than me. City people and country people. People from around the nation and people from around the world. But mostly...just for some new people. And so many of them!

(Plus, all of the people I've already met are completely splendid and I'm excited to meet many more just as spectacular!)

The Classes

I love learning! I just really do! And college is so cool because there are so many cool classes to take! And I get to take classes that I'm passionate about and that I choose to take! Ones which will help me with my career! And how cool is it that I get to start going to schools for ED100 right away?! So cool, just like SED and BU!

The Activities

Hey SED TM program, I'm looking at you. Besides that, what about all the clubs and sports. And watching hockey games of course!

A New Beginning

As I mentioned, I've been in the same place with the same people for my entire life. My town is about the size of the Freshman class at BU, my county about the size of BU undergrad. There are about five towns that comprise Summit County, totaling a population of about 20,000. There are six elementary schools which feed into one middle school and one high school. This means that I've gone to school with all the same people since I was either five or eleven. This is definitely not something I love. You can never get rid of the person you were when you were five, or what kind of kid you were at eleven. Maybe you talked too much when you were five, or you had a lisp at eleven. So that's the reputation you're stuck with. That mistake you made when you were thirteen? It never goes away and you can never get rid of your baggage. This makes for a really hard and often painful adolescence. When all you want to do is be the person you know that you can be and spread your wings and fly it sucks to be chained to the ground and weighed down by judgmental and mean teenagers who never forgive or forget. 

So I reach my biggest point of excitement in going to BU: a brand new beginning. The closest person I will know once I move to Boston will be 217 miles away. I never have to tell anyone about those painful memories that I can't stand to have brought up and never again have to hear someone call me that awful nickname my Chemistry teacher called me. I finally have complete control of being exactly who I am and who I want to be without the weight of the past dragging me down. It's finally time to takeoff from the launchpad I've been waiting on for all of these years, so here's to "infinity and beyond!"

The City and Independence

Let's review. My county has 20,000 people in it. BU alone has 20,000 people in it. The most exciting thing there is to do at home is go to Target. At BU I'm going to have an entire city of entertainment at my doorstep. I could not be more excited.

I'm never going to be bored again. There is simply so much to do! And I can do it all! Because I'm going to be on my own and independent and able to do whatever I please! What a great feeling!



Now to finish out this poorly written and scatter brained article, a Dr. Suess quote: "You have brains in your head and feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go."

What are you most excited about for college? Let me know in the comments section! And as always, share this with your friends if you liked it and if you want to!

The Top Three Things I'm Going to Miss in College

My Princesshood

Disclosure: The tone of the following paragraphs on princesshood is largely sarcastic, joking and playful. My parents do not cater to my every whim and my closet isn't really that big.

Let's be honest. All I really want to in life is to be a Princess (well, that and Hermione Granger). College and dorm life isn't getting me any closer to this step. My queen size bed and I share a very special relationship. I find it completely necessary to spread, sprawl and spin over the entire surface. My ten pillows? Completely necessary. I don't think it's possible for me to fit me and my sleeping habits on a twin bed, even if it is extra long. 

And what about my closet? My guess is that the one I'm moving into in Boston is about four feet...max. Mine? It's a walk in. It's probably the favorite part of my house. We have a really great history. I used to play in it when I was a kid. I had a kitchen and a barbie playhouse in there. I just sat in my closet alone for hours. What could be better? But alas, I grew up. My closet stuck with me though. As an angsty middle schooler, my dad would wake me up for school and I would go lie down in my closet and go back to sleep so he would think I was getting dressed. I wasn't. Now as I've grown, so have my collection of shoes, coats, dresses...all the beautiful things in life. And my closet has supported this addiction. It's never been anything but good to me. And now we're being torn apart from each other. 

Next...Private bathroom? Enough said. 

What about the way I'm treated at home? Common phrases I use include, but are not limited to, are "Mommy will you make me some Top Ramen?" "Daddy, there's a bug! Kill it!" "Mom, look how cute these shoes are! (hint, hint)*" "Daaaddddd I'm hungrryyyy". These phrases typically grant my wishes. Because I'm a princess and a witch. Obviously. But...what's going to happen when I'm two thousand miles away from my magical top ramen makers and bug killers? 

*This one rarely works

Summit County

Did I just say that I'm going to miss Summit County? The place that I have done nothing but talk about leaving for as long as I can remember? What happened to "I just can't wait to get out of here"? Okay, that's still completely true. But there are some things I really am going to miss. Admittedly, one of the things I will miss is also one of the things I am dying to get away from. The small, closeness of Summit. Sometimes I actually do like it. Sometimes it's cool when I can go almost anywhere and have an instant connection and also an instant memory. Sometimes I like pretending like I live in Stars Hollow. 

I'm going to miss Soupz on and filling up my card to get a free one. I'm going to miss Target, because the ones in Boston won't be this one. I'm going to miss just driving. You know those nights when you just want to get out, go somewhere? I've had some of the best nights just getting in my car and driving across the county and back. Because I can. Because there isn't traffic or stressful roads. Because it's simple, and beautiful. I'm going to miss the beauty. I'm going to miss that sparkling lake that has been the center of my life for as long as I can remember. And the protective feel of being surrounded by towering mountain ranges. I'm going to miss hiking with my dog through the forest in complete solitude. The solitude in general...how easy it is so feel completely isolated and alone with yourself and your thoughts. I'm going to miss the clean water and the crisp air. The thing I'm going to miss the most is the stars. Sitting on the docks or at Sapphire Point just taking in their beauty, gasping at the clarity of the moon. 

My Privacy

Here's some confessions: I like to blast my music sometimes. Sometimes it's really lame music. Sometimes if I'm home alone I walk around in my batman underwear. I stay up on the internet until the wee hours of the night too often. When I talk on the phone my voice sometimes gets too loud. I make weird faces at myself in the mirror. I talk to myself. Occasionally, I dance across my room to get to the door. Besides embarrassing myself...the point is that those are things that I can't, or shouldn't, do when there's another person present. I guess I'll just have to save singing and dancing poorly to my childhood hits for Christmas break. 

Things may be changing, but Disney Princesses have survived worse, so I will too--with my tiara firmly in place.

So there it is. The things I will miss most when at college. What are you going to miss most at college? Or what did you miss most when you went? Share in the comments!

About Finding My Rhythm

Singing in my car along to all my favorite songs is one of my favorite things to do, but only when the music is loud enough that I can't hear myself. Simply put, I'm not a singer. I tend to speak the lyrics instead of sing them, I lack rhythm. I've been told this by multiple people and those comments put the seed into my head and sprouted its roots, making me too self conscious to ever let anybody hear me sing, even if it is just in the car along to the radio. The other night as I drove a friend home, a classic song came on and we both started singing along to it. After the song ended I laughed and apologized for my terrible singing voice, explaining that I don't have any rhythm and using that as my excuse. He shrugged it off and told me that all I needed to do was practice and that I would find my own rhythm along the way.

This message struck me in more ways than one. I decided to take it both literally and figuratively. Today, as I drove around town running errands I decided to give it a shot. I decided to practice my singing with the music at a volume that allowed me to hear myself. At first, it felt a little strange and I cringed at the sound of my own voice. However, after a few songs I began to sound better, or maybe I just began to feel more comfortable. I felt like I was really singing, and not just speaking. I felt like I had found my rhythm.

To parallel this, I feel like I have found my rhythm in life lately. I could call it a lot of things--rhythm, niche, place--simply put it relates to what makes me happy. This summer has been one of self loving and self discovery and it is exactly what I have been needing. I've spent time with people I love and stopped worrying about those who aren't worth it. I've worked like crazy and enjoyed feeling close to the people I spend my days with and savored the feeling of purpose and hard work. Recently, I've discovered a lot of things that make my heart soar and on the top of that list is Boston University.

Boston University is the next verse in my song and it feels as if the rhythm of my life flows there without missing a beat--I made the right choice. Being able to say that makes me proud, because it wouldn't have been achieved if I hadn't worked hard and never given up on my dreams. I applied to ten schools which were scattered from Boston, to Denver, to Seattle. I could have ended up anywhere, studying anything, but in the end I'm going to BU and I know that if I'm Cinderella, it's the glass slipper, It's the window to my dreams and my fairy tale ending. I visited Boston for the first time when I was eleven years old and my loquacious, blonde, ever-confident self firmly stated "I'm going to live here when I grow up". Nothing is more exciting to me than seeing myself reach that dream, and eleven year old me--as well as eighteen year old me--couldn't be prouder (or more excited to be a Red Sox fan and a Terrier!). I think that this is all part of finding my own personal rhythm. Knowing that I worked hard and got where I wanted, knowing that I made the right decision and knowing that I'm marching to the beat of my own drum in whichever direction I choose--because I can.

We all have the option in life to turn up the music louder to block out our sound because somebody else told us to. We can listen to the voices that we already know are good and be too embarrassed to let our own be heard. Or, we can break free. We can turn down the volume of all of those who bring us down and find our own rhythm, belting it out for the world to hear.

As the wise Dr. Suess once said: "You've got brains in your head and feet in your shoes, you can steer yourself in whatever direction you choose!"