10 Things I Learned Freshman Year

1. You determine your own happiness

2. This is the saddest you'll feel, but you are never alone

3. If something doesn't feel right then change it. No one cares

4. Not all people are meant to stay in our lives

5. Nothing is that serious

6. Effective communication is SO important

7. Do not make yourself smaller for people. Be you and take up lots of space

8. To go with that, not everyone is rooting for you and that's fine

9. Always be kinder than you feel

10. And most importantly, you will be okay

Having this blog space to be vulnerable is probably something I will continue to do for myself. This year has been a crazy journey, but I'm beyond grateful for the experiences I've had along the way. 1 year down, 3 more to go :)

Life Update

 I do not know why every class I'm in decided now is the time to squeeze everything in. The amount of last minute projects I have is insane. I feel like I'm frequently talking about how hard it is for me to stay motivated, but it really has been such a struggle for me this semester. I feel like moving home was a blessing and curse because love being able to work, but I feel like I'm missing out on the social aspect of college. I definitely have the time to prioritize whatever I want, but I always think about how different it would be if I never moved home. While I do love time to myself, I also thrive off of my relationships with other people. I am really looking forward to summer. I love school, but I just need time away from all the stress.

Thoughts on the Rational Argument

 This is easily the hardest paper for me to write. I have a lot of big ideas in my head that I would love to write about, but I can only pick one. I submitted my first draft, however I think I need to change my topic. Researching has been really difficult, and I have found myself doing a lot of cherry picking. Originally, I wanted to write about teachers being paid more, but I caught myself choosing sides. It was really tricky for me to find evidence to support both sides, and I have strong opinions towards this topic. Writing my rational argument essay has been so challenging and frustrating. Please let me know if you have any suggestions!

Gratitude!

This weekend I went to Purdue to visit my boyfriend, and every time I go, I always come back more grateful for my relationship. As hard as it is being away from my best friend, I think it's really cool to watch how being apart has changed us for the better. Facetime and snapchat become a lot more special Our time together is valued even more. We've figured out how to effectively communicate in ways that work for each other; the list goes on. Most importantly, I've learned that good things do require effort. Nothing about doing long distance has been easy, but it is 110% worth it. I'm very grateful to be with someone who is supportive of my goals and actually cares about them. Someone who is patient. kind, and isn't afraid to be vulnerable. Someone who makes me feel loved and doesn't make me question it. I believe everyone deserves to know they are loved. I could go on forever about how everyone deserves someone like my boyfriend.

It's almost the end of freshman year meaning we've done almost a year of long distance, and I couldn't be more proud of us. If someone would have told sixteen year old me I would be doing long distance in college, I would have laughed.