The joys of unpacking

Just some eye candy: Cherry Almond Quinoa "Oat"meal

Okay, I lied. Unpacking is NOT joyful.

I arrived back on campus at Xavier University last night, with all my belongings (LOTS of them..) and my fishy. After spending a lifetime trying to figure out how to set up the futon that was left for me by my old RA, my parents hit the road home (only fifteen minutes away!) and I started unpacking.

Oh, boy.

It's because I don't know how to pack NORMALLY. I always over pack, I swear! It's terrible. But the good news is, as I unpack, my room is really starting to come together and look amazing. Pictures later!

Since I'm an RA, I have a room all to myself. It's pretty nice! The only bad thing is that my room is super moist right now, and it's making everything in my room moist as well. Gross. And the carpet we ordered won't be installed fora few more days, so I must wear slippers everywhere I go. Which is fine.

I unpacked what I could yesterday (while watching the Cooking Channel!) until I started feeling REALLY sick. Like, throw up sick. I've been feeling that way a lot recently, and I don't know why!!! Does anyone know why I could possibly be feeling sick? Is it some sort of dietary necessity? 

But I managed to get a lot unpacked before becoming sick! And even rearranged my furniture.

I woke up this morning at 9:00am, which is ridiculously early for me on a day when I have nothing to do. To be honest, it may be because I didn't get much sleep to begin with because there was a huge thunderstorm around 4am that woke me up. That, and my boyfriend accidentally (I think? He didn't answer!) called me around 3:30am. So, kind of a crazy night. I'll be spending the rest of my day finishing unpacking, most likely.

RA training starts for me on Tuesday, which I'm really excited about! My schedule for the next two weeks looks PRETTY INTENSE. In a good way. I'm looking forward to the rest of the year!

RANDOM: I was looking through old pictures, and I found that my dad scanned a copy of an article I had written last year about the vegan diet, right after I had switched to veganism for the first time.

Click here to see the whole thing! I apologize that the bottom is cut off...and that its not full blown YAY VEGAN! I had to cater it towards the Xavier University atmosphere, and the fact that I was writing this through the eyes of Xavier's Newswire, not my own.

I've also been thinking a lot about Chef Katelyn with all this college talk (who, BTW, is having a GIVEAWAY! CLICK HERE TO ENTER!). She's heading to Syracuse University in the fall for the first time. So I thought I'd leave her some good, ole' fashioned college advice.

Good Ole' Fashioned College Tips!
1. Party hard, but don't neglect your studies. I have had 3 of my friends transfer or get kicked out because of various grade/academic related issues (or that plus a variety of other things). School is important!!! So work hard at what you do.
2. Pull an all-nighter at least once in your life. It's a good experience. Plus, you get kind of slap happy, which will either a) make it harder to study or b) make studying a LOT more entertaining. And chances are, your friends will be pulling all-nighters as well.
3. Have "study parties...." sometimes. And by study parties, I mean meeting with friends where you INTEND to do homework, but you instead end up playing games and goofing off.
4. Take risks. Whether that be in a relationship, by trying a new food, or taking a class you think you'll hate, try it! You'll be thankful.
5. Get involved in something artsy... even if only for a short time. Join the choir, take a sculpture class, audition for the school musical. You meet a lot of different people that way from all sorts of different backgrounds. Plus, you can expand your list of things your knowledgeable on! Heck to the YES.
6. Stay involved with the things you love. For me, that's baking and writing. Find a way to get involved with what you're passionate about on campus! I write for the newspaper and bake for my friends, and am considering starting a sort of student catering business. Don't let the things you love fade away because you're too busy with school!
7. Don't let other people get to you. People will be a pain in the butt. You will end up not staying in touch with some of your closet friends, there will be cliques, and people will try to control you. Don't let them.
8. Stay true to yourself, even when peer pressure hits you. I gave in to peer pressure a lot my freshman year. And my sophomore year, but less so. This year, I'm hoping it will be even less. It's hard, but be whole you are. That's the most important thing. But also realize that YOU WILL MAKE MISTAKES. It's a part of life, and definitely a part of college. Don't get too worked up about it.
9. If you don't get along with your roommate, don't request to switch roommates right away. You may like them later! Or not. Just don't take action immediately; give them a chance.
10. Have some "me time" every day. Even though you will probably meet your wedding party in college, it's important to take time away from your friends to just allow yourself to relax and unwind from your busy day. Take a deep breath. Blog. Listen to music. Whatever it is that makes you chill, do it! Even if it's only ten minutes, it's important for your sanity.

Well, that's all from me for now. Time to finish unpacking (sigh). Have a beautiful day!

Much love,