Being at college may not be hard for you – but trust me, it’s hard on your parents. My mom still cries when I leave home to come back to school, even if I only go home for a weekend. My parents are really good about not calling me all the time, and they know I’m busy and will call when I can. Some parents, however, are not nearly as laid back as mine. I have a lot of friends who’s parents still call them daily and check in. This may not be too terrible for some students, but I can’t stand my parents being clingy.

One of my favorite things, however, is when I get random texts/e-mails/picture messages from my parents. The one I got from my dad this morning actually made me laugh out loud, which is rare before noon. There was no subject, there was simply this picture with this caption:

Thousands gather to protest global warming

I have no idea how my dad got his hands on this, nor do I know who sent it to him. What I do know, however, is that this picture is now my background on my phone. Gotta love your parents!

Well good news – it’s almost the weekend! One of the many great things about Gardner-Webb is our Student Activities department. The school is constantly showing movies, having game nights, hosting dances, playing concerts, etc. Because GWU is in Boiling Springs, NC, there aren’t too many options for us to do either on or off campus. However, with the help of our Student Activities and a few friends, the weekends are always full of free entertainment!

I am absolutely in love with the MTV show, Jersey Shore. Last night was the season finale, and just thinking about not seeing new episodes makes me die a little bit on the inside. Don’t judge me. The show is about a group of “guido’s” which are modern day loud, tan, and out of control Italians. This group of people lived together for an entire summer in a house on the Jersey shore. A lot of people hate the show because the people are so boisterous, but that is the sole reason I watch it. The lives these young adults lead is absolute chaos and they pride themselves on things many people frown upon. I have no idea why I love Jersey Shore so much, but I literally can not wait for next season, if there even is one. As for now, I guess I’ll have to fill my Thursday nights up with something different.

Some of my close girlfriends and I are putting together a benefit concert to raise money for disaster relief in Haiti. I’m getting really excited as we’re getting some of the details put together. As of right now, we only have a date, time, and cost. We haven’t gotten the bands lined up yet as we’re still waiting to hear from several musicians from across the state. I think the concert is going to go over really well and I’m hoping we can get a lot of people there. The more people, the more money we get to send to a country in dire need.

We’re planning on charging $5 at the door and we’re going to have 5 or 6 bands playing. When you think about it, it’s $1 per band which is a great deal for college students. Of course, students will have an opportunity to give more, but the cover charge at the door is just to make sure we have a decent amount to send. The concert isn’t until February 11th, but I’ll be sure to put pictures up when the times comes!

Yesterday, it was sunny and warm. I was walking around campus in shorts feeling great. People were back on the quad playing ultimate frisbee or doing homework. Today, it was rainy and cold. All of my winter clothes in my closet could not have been enough layers to wear today. Walking from class to class was absolutely miserable. You couldn’t help but get absolutely drenched by the layers of freezing cold rain falling from the sky. The temperature was out of control cold and when the wind turned just the right way, you wanted to die.

Days like these make rain boots and a good rain coat an essential while in college. The one thing I make sure to tell every student I give a tour to is to bring rain boots. It takes about 2 steps between classes for your sneakers to get soaked and the bottom of your jeans to become impossibly cold. And girls, a pocket sized umbrella that you can keep in your book bag is very handy as well. North Carolina weather is extremely tricky so it’s always nice to have some precautions.

I’m sure all of you have heard about the earthquake in Haiti by now and the alarming death toll. I couldn’t believe what I was reading and seeing at first. How could such a poverty stricken country have such bad luck? I can’t help but feel helpless here in the States. I wish there was a way I could board a plane tomorrow and fly to Haiti to help out, but classes stand in the way. I wish I could donate money to the relief fund, but I’m a poor college student. The only thing we can do now is pray. Prayer is a powerful thing and with enough prayer, I hope Haiti can feel the overwhelming love us Americans are sending their way.

Gardner-Webb University is a very unique school due to the fact that it is in a town with only one stoplight. There are a few restaurants on the corner of that stoplight, and we are fortunate enough to have an Ingles grocery store and a CVS Pharmacy just down the road. However, if you’re looking for anything substantial, need to run to a bank, or would like to branch out and try a new restaurant, you’re shortest drive is going to be about 15 minutes.

Today, I had to run by Wachovia and then go to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things. Wachovia is about 20 minutes away, and Wal-Mart is close by. Since everyone is back at school now and not too many people have already been assigned homework, I decided to call my good friends Haley and ask her to road trip it with me to Shelby. We jammed out to some sweet music, I got my check deposited, and I found everything and more that I needed at Wal-Mart. So overall, today was a great success.

For college students, the first day of classes is always drones a bittersweet tune. It’s the one day a semester where you don’t have to bring ANYTHING to class and my book bag travels with me for mere companionship. Some kids don’t even take their book bags, but going into a college classroom with absolutely no materials intimidates me for some unknown reason. It’s also the day professor’s go over their expectations for you and depending on the class, this can be a lot of fun or it can be the worst news of your day. Syllabus day is a rude awakening for students dreading attending college again, but is also like a much needed rain after a long drought for those students who live and breathe new educational material.

Since changing my major, I have a lot of new classes in new buildings with plenty of new faces. I’m really excited about my schedule this semester and I think there’s only one or two classes that might give me some trouble. My goal for my spring semester of college: obtaining that 4.0 GPA. I know I can do it, it’s now just a matter of how much time I’m willing to devote to my studies. Here goes another semester!!

FINALLY the room is complete! AND I finally posted pictures!

This is the view of my room when you first walk in - don't worry.. the yellow isn't staying. I ordered a brown duvet cover online. Should be here shortly!

My desk and an old shower curtain. I just weaved some brown ribben through the holes at the top and bam! It's now wall decor!

Probably my favorite part of my room. Wall decal purchased at Hobby Lobby and painting courtesy of Pier 1 Imports.

View from my bed. Best futon in the world. Big Lots has some great furniture!

Well. Tomorrow’s the big day! I move into the big kid apartments on campus at Gardner-Webb! I’m really excited about moving in with my 3 roommates and getting to know them better. I’m also really excited about decorating my new space! I’ve already got my whole color scheme planned out: chocolate brown and greens. As excited as I am to move in tomorrow, it doesn’t mask the giant task at hand – packing up all of my seemingly useless stuff only to unpack it a few hours later.

While hunting through the house to find enough suitcases, I realized that I suffer from the disease many young women around the world also suffer with. It’s every girls nightmare: opening up your closet before going and out and realizing you have nothing to wear. This same horrific conundrum happens to me on a regular basis, and while folding all of my clothes today I realized that I have enough clothes to adorn the entire North American continent. It seems to me that whenever I don’t need an outfit, I find cute stuff to wear all the time. However, when I’m in dire need of something nicer than my usual sweat pants and hoodie, finding Carmen San De Ago anywhere around the world would be easier.

Hopefully, by this time tomorrow, I will be over my packing anxieties and will have all my clothes hung up in an orderly fashion as to avoid further mishaps. My inability to find an outfit when necessary will probably continue to be an issue of catastrophic proportions, but I suppose a girl can always dream, right?