The L Word

As Valentine's Day approaches us quickly, I would like to approach the idea of love. 

For starters, I hate Valentine's Day. People making a profit off the "holiday" of love. It's made for the card companies, the chocolate confectioners, and the stuffed animal makers. All of these things I love, but I haven't ever been in a relationship on the stupid day. 

Anyway... Girls are taught all their lives that finding the perfect man to marry is a big deal. A large part of our lives. We become obsessed with it as we grow up. Disney movies with princesses falling in love turn into teenage sitcoms and movies with buff guys as the perfect boyfriends who have cheesy lines to make the girl swoon. Those turn into Sex and the City and Say Yes to the Dress marathons, which turn into romcoms. All of these continue to play on the idea that being in love is the ideal in our lives. 

I'll admit, I dream of my future wedding every night, changing up who the groom is. My dress is perfect, a full skirt and a tight, lacy, and beaded bodice that make me look like my childhood princesses. My bouquet full of fresh pale pink and white peonies. My shoes lifting me inches above my usual stature. The aisle decorated with colors matching my bridesmaids and bouquet. My groom, pressed and dressed in a tan suit, hair neatly tousled, and smile broad across his face. 

The groom changes because I myself cannot imagine a single person being my groom. I am simply not in love. How could I be? I am 18 and have a steady changing of guys. Some like me, some don't, I like some, and others I don't. Sure, I've dated several guys. It's easier to pick what I dislike than it is to pick what I do like. 

I don't like smokers. I don't like guys with dependencies. I don't like guys with bad grammar. I don't like bad teeth. I don't like bad hygiene. I don't like this. I don't like that.

It becomes difficult to say what I do like.

As the likes and dislikes begin to outweigh each other, it becomes clear that maybe I am indeed learning the habits that would be deal breakers.

Love isn't about deal breaking though. It's more about bending. You have to be able to accept the smoking, the drinking, the grammar, the teeth. You love the person wholly. However, teeth and dependencies are past just deal breakers, they are completely out of the question. 

It seems as though college is the place to fall in love. Apparently women used to go to get their MRS instead of their BS. Which has changed to women going to school for school instead of marriage. 

You hear your parents' friends talking about meeting in the dorms, in class, at a party.. You have to ask yourself, "will I find my love here?" You begin questioning where all the guys are at, if you're at the right school, and if there's anywhere you are missing. You forget that you don't have control over who you fall in love with.

I'm always chapped on the good ole V-day. I'm single. I'm chocolate free. I'm smelling pizza rolls instead of the peonies that will be in my bouquet one day. 

Not this year. This year I am spending Valentine's Day with the girls I love. My best friends, the ones who watch stupid movies with me, the ones who help me forget about being single and remember the importance of friends. V-Day is about love. But not just romantic love. Friendship love, puppy love, deep love, the love of a family, or the love of a pet. You can love several people in many different ways. Why would you only celebrate a princess idea of love? 

I remind myself daily that I will find myself a good ole boy to fall in love with and we'll get married. Or maybe I won't. Maybe I will find a cute little puppy instead. Either way, as long as I keep the delusions of love out of my head and remember all the different kinds of love, I will be okay.

Changing Majors, Coughing Feathers

Being an Animal Science major meant dealing with a bunch of seemingly unnecessary agriculture classes. I was thinking and thinking about how working at the vet clinic made me feel. It was fun, but it didn't feel like my idea of the perfect life long adventure that many call a career.

So, I began brainstorming. Using every resource I could think of. I spent hours on Bridges, finding the perfect future job for me, or at least a more perfect major.

Then it hit me. Science was my clear passion. I had to do something in the science field. Biology. I had mastered the art of AP Biology last year and it was the only class that I actually retained information from. Plus, I could become a doctor with a degree in biology. 

It was clearly perfect. So I made the switch. 

I, however, did NOT change my classes like I wanted to. Now I am stuck in Poultry Science, going to labs in the buildings that reek of ammonia, even though it's a low percentage. 

Now, if you don't know me, I used to have asthma. It has been managed pretty well over the past several years, but the ammonia felt like a trigger. It could be a small amount of ammonia and I will feel like I am going to pass out. 

I am also freaked out by birds. They have those talons and those beaks. Clearly, not my favorite. But the 26 day old chickens were cuter than I imagined they would be. 

The Life Of College As I Learned In My First Semester

It's been awhile. Surprisingly, college makes it hard to find free time. Between the classes, the parties, and all the Netflix movies and shows, it's hard to figure out how one might manage this balance. However, I think I'm beginning to figure it out. 

Classes are easy enough, they're scheduled and you show up. Showing up really is the hardest part of the classes. 

Once you get your classes down, finding time to party and watch an excessive amount of movies come next. Being a single female that is apparently pretty enough to be desired by drunk and sober males alike, parties are easy to become invited to. 

The fraternities on campus all hold some fun guys and some douchebags, as you would imagine. Finding people to hang out with at parties is easy enough, especially since the best thing to do is go in a group. I found my group. Enough girls and guys to make it safe and balanced. But back to the "frat" boys. I refuse to say "frat" as the appropriate term. Frat has more of a negative connotation, and the boys I hang out with do not deserve that negativity. At least not always. 

These boys are basically in charge of flirting to get you to stay. It's like all the girls that work at breasteraunts. The scantily clad girls will flirt with you for a larger tip, much like the fraternity boys will flirt and make sure you are having a good time so you will stay, with the ultimate goal of getting you to come back with more hot girl friends. 

I've never been one to clean up someone else's physical mess. If your boyfriend breaks up with you and your emotional stability is out the window... I can clean that up, ice cream and The Notebook. But if you vomit on my shoes... I'll most likely remove my shoes and leave them on the pavement with the rest of your rejection. I've always been that way. So as you would imagine, parties are a harder concept for me than a t shirt would be for a horse. Plus, I don't dance. 

I do, however, enjoy being flirted with. 

The Phi Delta Theta boys had a party and sure, they ran out of alcohol, got busted by the cops, and the house was like a sauna from the body heat and sweat. But, the boys did their job, even I got to dance with one of the more attractive brothers. Actually, he could have been a pledge, but that doesn't stop him from being attractive. I also got to meet a kid from my history class; he had that foreign exchange sexiness that comes with being Mediterranean. I'm actually 90% sure that the Phi Delt boy I danced with is in my English class now... 

The Sigma Nu party was definitely not the same. I was completely different in the beginning of the year though. The SigNu party came well before the PhiDelt party and I had changed in those 3 or 4 months. The Sigma Nu party was one of the first weeks of school. And it was a paint party. I only had my best friend, Kelsey, there with me. Which made things difficult since we didn't know how to find some people to talk to. We eventually found a kid we had met in our lobby a few weeks before. This party actually led to my first "hook up," if you will. However, it was not an actual "hook up."

The Delta Chi parties are always fun. I say that, because while several people would find the more kickback like parties boring, I like the intimacy of getting to actually know people in a place where getting off your ass wasted is harder than double fisting 4 beer cans. These boys are the definition of chill. Sure sometimes they can go hard, but they usually just gradually get wasted.

Then there are the guys who don't invite me to parties, but to the several bars around town. While technically as an underage adult, I am not supposed to be in the establishment, I guess no one really cares as long as I don't drink. Tonight I got invited to Bullfrogs. I almost said yes based off the sheer fact that three of the guys going were attractive, and I tried to get to know the boys that asked all last semester.

Netflix will ruin your life. "But one more episode," you'll say. By the time you're done watching tv, it's 5 in the morning and class is in 3 hours. I have no comment on this really because I haven't managed to beat the movie temptation. 

Astronomy

So I walked into astronomy thinking it would be the single greatest class. However, I've come to realize that I just really would like to have several blankets and a parka because it's the coldest class in the history of history. I'm in Nacogdoches, it's like 100 degrees outside and I'm walking around in sweaters because the cold from this class resonates. It lasts for like 20 minutes after the class is over. 

YouTube Tomorrow!

So Kelsey and I are super excited to be starting up our channel tomorrow! Hopefully we are successful in making you laugh. More successful than how I first spelled successful "succesffful." Right... ANYWHO, we will basically just be going through a quick run-through of who we are, what we are all about, and how our lives have gone thus far. We should even be able to show you our shiny, newly decorated AXE HANDLES! Which let me tell you something, I spent so much money on all the paint and stencils, and what have you. Being a college student teaches you frugality, not really, I just bought some lipstick online. 

So that's my main update for the day, love you guys!

Kara

Life Update

ONE LAST THING!!

I don't know if anyone even reads my blog, but in case anyone does, my best friend and I are starting a Vlog/YouTube channel, which I am really excited about. I will post the details later, and who knows maybe when people actually read this it will be because I promoted my blog on my vlog or whatever.

College Update

Being away from home has been really weird to be honest. I miss my dog, my brother, my family in general... 

It's the times when I'm feeling really down that I miss my Papa, he was THE BEST!

And my Mimi, because she's really amazing and strong.

And this sassy canine, my other half, my Abby. Look at that sass.

Then there is this little kid, who is the bomb dot com, and adorable, and a bio-terrorist with his streptococcal grossness that makes him an elementary kid.

And of course I miss my mom, she's my rock, being without her is really weird. However, I know this is what she wants me to do and that she's a three hour car ride away.

But the key is to just find things that bring you comfort. Adding personal touches to your dorm is really important, once you add pictures, posters, anything that is you, it all becomes easier. I added two Game of Thrones posters, one wolf poster, one Boondock Saints poster, and one James Dean poster, because let's be real, we all are attracted to James Dean.

That being said, living in a dorm comes with its headaches. People slam doors, they forget to remove laundry lint, and they run in the hallways. None of which would have bothered me had I been able to bring candles, candles make the world a better place. 

Mini rant... Y'ALL. DRYER. LINT. MUST. BE. REMOVED. You will start a fire, and I am not waking up at 2 AM just because you don't know how to do your laundry.

Music is VITAL! No one I have been able to spend time with so far likes country, so I've been sticking to the "usual." But when I study I get that break, classical music, or really anything that isn't lyrical is perfect for studying! I've recently gotten into listening to a Celtic Folk station on Pandora that is upbeat enough to keep you awake, but not distracting like Kansas. Carry On My Wayward Son is not conducive to focusing.

Because you want to do this...

And not this...

Celtic music sometimes makes you feel like this though...

It's week three and I honestly wish I would have discovered both Java Jacks and the library sooner, because they totally get me. Java Jacks plays the most PERFECT radio station and the library just gives me a nice bright place to get it all done. I feel like I need to elaborate on the amazing place that is Java Jacks... So they play this indie station that throws in some Marley every once and awhile. Plus they have tea you can buy for like a dollar a package, which in college student dollar conversions is amazing. Their staff is, as I've seen so far, all college students, and they have good wifi.

NEVER underestimate the importance of a planner! I seriously live by my planner, I just recently started writing my schedule for my day out by 30 minute intervals, and plan breaks, and it works SO WELL!! Like it  is perfect, for real! Once you get it going, it reduces stress so much!

I am making up for my lack of candles by air freshener, I am totally a Febreeze person, but y'all... Glade is sold for like 97 cents and I've bought like ten. I have an addiction to all things that smell delicious! It's a problem... My latest favorite is the Cashmere something or other from Glade. Heavenly.

The hardest part is definitely making roommate agreements, like be home by this time, no music after this time, and what have you. Luckily, my roommate is super cool!

That is all!

Kara