I always say that I'm going to start updating my Xanga more often, but I never do.  Oh well... I'd like to start using it again so I can remember the things that happen in my life, so we'll see

My life is a crazy continuum and I love it.  School is going fabulously well, although I'm ready for this semester to end. I've changed so much... In the past two months, I've made the wise decision to break up with a serious boyfriend, decided to study abroad, connected with both old and new friends, went blonde, learned to salsa dance, made peace with some past mistakes, and generally learned how to love life again with sheer abandon.  I can honestly say I've never been happier and the best part is that it's all directly linked to me.  My continued happiness is a result of the decisions that I've made and the investments that I've made in myself once again. I can't even describe how good that feels.  It seems as if the world is at my feet right now....the hard part is deciding what path I want to choose.  Some ideas and ambitions that I previously thought were set in stone have now been shattered and it's so liberating. 

Poetry and personal reflections are on the way!

It's been so long since I've written in here.  So much has happened since my last post, but it's been so good.  My freshman year has just ended...what an experience.  College is everything I thought it would be and so much  more.  The interesting thing about it is that it's really like a four year break from reality, but you'll have so much reality and life lessons thrown in your face and you'll learn so much about life.  You'll have your limits pushed and be in bad situations, and you'll also feel alive and passionate with the energy that comes with the headstrong reasoning of young people being on their own for the first time.  In case any of you guys are going away to college, I thought I'd share some advice and things that I've learned my freshman year (especially if you're going away to college)..At the risk of sounding like a mother, this really is tried and true advice I had to learn.  All of these things that I'm listing have either happened to me personally or have happened to people I know, so listen up.

1) Remember why you're there.  Seriously.  After spending a year at WVU, I've seen so many people lose their focus and screw up.  You're there to get an education, and it's really a valuable thing, as cheesy as that sounds.  You can really get a good education at WVU if you want it.  It's a really good school, even though it has the reputation of being a party place.  If you're going to school to get an education, you'll get it.  End of story.  You'll be presented with so many new ideas and philosophies on life, and you'll question your beliefs and morals.  You'll form your own opinions on things, and that's the real value of it. 

2) You'll learn to appreciate people's differences.  When I still lived at home, I wanted everything and everyone to be perfect.  I expected things to be done as they should, and I, in a lot of ways, wanted people to conform to one standard.  After being away, I've learned that you need all kinds of people to make things work.  You'll learn to like the uniqueness of people.  There will still be people that you won't like, but you'll learn to, if nothing else, accept different ways of life.

3)  Be careful when you go out on the town.  I can't stress this one enough, especially to girls.  I've had 3 friends roofied and one of them was raped by two guys in a bar in town.  You'll probably experiment with drinking if you haven't already, and you can still be safe with that, but do it in moderation.  Sipping one fruity drink with your girlfriends is cute; stumbling around with vomit all over you waiting for the drunk bus is not. I had to personally pick one of my friends up off of the bathroom floor and carry her to her room and call 911 because she had alcohol poisoning.  Other people on the floor have gone to the hospital because of drinking-related injuries.  One of the guys on my floor was a wrestler at WVU and was out with his buddies one night.  They were drunk and goofing off in the parking lot, and he was dropped on the concrete.  He broke his neck and they thought he was paralyzed from the neck down.  Fortunately, the damage was not as extensive as they once thought and he was able to come back this semester.  Advice for the girls: watch your drinks.  If a guy offers to buy you a drink, go up to the bar with him and watch him.  Stay out of the frats..they're bad news.  I've never been to one personally, but some of my close friends have had bad experiences with them. Most of the guys there are just looking for a good time, and they don't think of the consequences.  Add large amounts of alcohol in the mix, and things just aren't good.   

Also, use the buddy system.  Make sure none of your girls get left behind.  I had the misfortune of being left at the club one time.  Half of my friends left earlier in the night, and the other half left without me because they thought I left with the first group.  Watch your girls and make sure they're safe.  I was lucky enough to know some people that lived in the same dorm as I did and went home with me.  Although I was lucky, it may not work out as well for you or your friends.

4) You'll screw up.  Especially if you're away to college without your parents around to tell you to be safe and make good decisions.  You're going to make mistakes, and that's okay.  Hopefully you'll be lucky enough so that your mistakes won't have lifetime effects. I've been one of the fortunate ones that learned from her mistakes and went on, no worse for wear.  I never made any really big mistakes or did anything majorly stupid, but the small ones I made were great life experiences that I'm glad I will never have to experience again.  Common sense is invaluable.

5) Be frugal with your money.  You're in college, and everyone is poor.  Find fun, low-cost or free things to do.  In my case with WVU, I went to the rec center all the time.  There are indoor pools, 4 gyms, free classes of every kind (including yoga, kickboxing, spinning, zumbe, tai chi, bootcamp...), etc.  Get in the mindset of being cheap.

6)  Study.  Even if you didn't have to study in high school (I didn't!), studying makes the world of difference in college.  You may be in classes with 300+ people, and you're not going to get second chances.  In a lot of my classes, we only had 4 or so grades, so you have to do well on the stuff.  That brings me to my next point...

7) Go to class.  Some classes take attendance, some don't.  It's always really good to go to the ones that do, but you're going to do so much better if you go to as many classes as you can.  You'll learn the material better.  There are going to be times when you don't feel like getting up and going.  Roll out of bed, forget doing your makeup, throw on some sweatpants and a sweatshirt, and go anyway.  You can go back to bed when you get back. 

8) Take good notes.  Don't even bother hightlighting your book.  In fact, burn the highlighter.  It's always good to read over the assigned readings because you'll learn a lot more that way, but you won't always do that.  In that case, take good notes in class and skim over your readings and get the main points. 

9) Your relationships with guys/girls will change.  You'll date a few jerks, and that's okay.  Learn from the bad relationships and move on.  It's not high school, and the dynamics of your relationships with the opposite sex will change.  Have fun and enjoy it for what it is, but don't lose sight of why you're there.  Live and learn.  Also, don't limit yourself to just the kind of guys/girls you dated in high school.  It may not work out, but it will be fun along the way.  Don't feel like you have to stay with the same person you were with in high school.  When you're younger, you think that the person you're with when you're 15/16/17 is the person you'll be with for the rest of your life. If that works for you, fantastic.  If not, expand your horizons.  There are a lot of different people that you will never have experienced that you'll meet, and you'll learn to enjoy them.

10) Get involved!  You're at such an exciting time in your life right now.  You'll have so much independence, and it's great to be able to be your own boss.  Hang out with new friends, embrace new ideas, appreciate life. 

It's hard to believe my first year is already done!  It's been great, and I loooooove WVU.  My floor was a great group of people, and we had a lot of fun together this first year.  We were famous for being our own little tight-knit family/small town.  I've changed my major from news-ed to English and women's studies (yes, two majors!) with a minor in sociology.  I've also changed men; Jon and I didn't work out, but I'm glad we didn't. I'm now dating an absolutely wonderful guy named Jay, and we're ridiculously happy together.  For the first time in my life, I'm not afraid to love someone completely.  I can really see myself sticking with this guy for a long time, which is insane for me.  I'm not the commitment type at all, but he's seriously everything I've ever wanted in a guy.  You know that old forward where it talks about wanting a guy that calls you beautiful instead of hot, talks with you until 2 a.m., lets you sleep on his chest, texts you just to ask how you're day is going, thinks you're gorgeous first thing in the morning?  Yeah, totally him.  The crazy thing is, it's mutual (we've talked at length about this.. it's not just me!).  It's a crazy life..

I'm moving into my apartment next Tuesday.  I'm super excited..it's on one of the main streets in town, and it's just me living by myself.  It's really small, but I have a porch..I'm excited to have a place of my own.  I'm working at a golf course this summer.  I'll be serving drinks and concessions in a golf cart. Besides the goofy tan lines, I'm looking forward to it..

I'll try not to be so long between entries next time.  I love you guys!