Freshman Survival Guide

As a sophomore college student, I'd like to think that I am an expert on freshman awkwardness and struggles.  Fear not youngins,  I will bestow my great knowledge onto you so you can be half the snazzy freshman I was.

1.  live on campus with someone you can trust
I managed to accomplish half of this task but it was not enough.  I chose to live in an off campus apartment with my older sister, Taylor.  Don't get me wrong, I am SO thankful that I was able to live in such a nice place my freshman year but it definitely did damper my social life. It is very hard to meet people when you do not live on campus.  I felt very secluded and alone.

2.  get involved
I know everyone says this but it is so true.  No matter what your interests are, there is a club or organization on campus that you will love.  Go to campus events no matter how "lame" they might     sound.

3.  be yourself
Yes, another very cliche thing to say but really think about this one.  College is your time to figure out who you, what you want to do, and how you want to live your life.  It is the first time that you are on your own.  You are in charge of you.  You do what YOU want to do.  With that being said, don't try to be someone you're not.

4.  don't look like a freshman
You can tell you is a freshman and you isn't by watching body language and apparel.  The "freshman look" is a lanyard, backpack (overstuffed), free t shirt, and your id firmly attached to your body.  Freshman boys travel in packs and girls travel in twos.  Freshman are perpetually nervous and walking very fast.  Put your shoulders back, and put a swing in your step.  You will instantly feel more at home.  Guaranteed.

5.  follow up with plans
Don't let plans fall through.  Dinner dates, tailgates, movie nights, coffee runs, do it.  Don't cancel because you don't feel like wearing pants.  Put on your big girl pants and go get you some grub. You are going to regret not going.  I promise.  Any chance that you have to be social and have fun, jump on it and enjoy it.

To the Person who Loves Me Next

Alright folks, we are about to get sappy.  My best friend Danielle from Beautiful Disaster has inspired me to write this post. Love is some powerful stuff.

I'm not going to preface this much more because I think it speaks for itself.  So here we go. 

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To the person who loves me next,

You are in for the ride of your life.  After all this, you are never going to forget me.  But before it gets too serious, there's a few things you should know.   

When I fall, I fall hard.  in love, on the floor, off a horse, out of bed.  HARD.  So be ready to catch me when I fall no matter what.  

You don't have to be a world class athlete or the prom king.  I'd rather you not quite frankly.  I don't want you to think that you are anything less than my kinda perfect.  I will love you no matter how much you like cheese dip or hate the sport volleyball.  You are my perfect.  So shut up.  

I say y'all a lot and sleep is on the top of my priorities list.  I will drop anything to help my friends so you're gonna have to learn to love them too.

So you might have noticed that I'm a bit quirky.  Embrace it.  Because it ain't goin away.  Let me do my thing.  Let me color code my closet and have full discussions with my cat.  Watch me buy christmas decorations in September and spend hours on pinterest looking at recipes I will never make.  

I am going to critic your driving because it's important to me.  If you text and drive or drink and drive, leave now.  

I don't need grand gestures like expensive gifts and five star dinners.  All I ask of you is to show me how much you love me.  Leave a note on my car or make me dinner.  Surprise me at work just to hug me and tell me I smell like hair dye.  Anything is everything to me. 

Oh and I hate beef, boiled eggs, and green beans.  

So, Buckle your seatbelt sir.  It's going to be a bumpy ride.  I hope you're ready.  

Love, 

Joanna 

How To: Sesame Snow Peas

Being a bust college student, it is hard to eat healthy, quick snacks.  Sesame snow peas are one of my favorite healthy snacks to make, and it is super cheap!  It takes a few ingredients and about 10 minutes to make.  

All you need is:

Soy Sauce

Sesame Oil

Sesame Seeds

Garlic salt or powder

Snow Peas

Coconut oil or Olive oil

* I do not use measurements.  I eyeball it and add to taste *

1.  In a saute pan on medium heat, add a splash of coconut oil, 2 spoonfuls of sesame oil, and the snowpeas.  

2.  Let cook for about 5 mins, occasionally stirring and flipping the mixture. 

3.  Add sesame seeds and garlic powder (as much as you want to taste)

4.  Continue cooking until the peas begin to look see through or until they are less crunchy and more fluid.

5.  Add soy sauce to taste and serve!

Inspiration

So it's a month into my sophomore year of college and surprise, surprise... I've already lost all motivation and inspiration.  Every year I start with an optimistic mind set with a "strict" set of rules and goals for myself.

This year's are as follows:
1.  only wear work out clothes to the gym
2.  save money *cough cough* thrift shop
3.  eat healthier
4.  write regular blog posts
5.  make friends
6.  talk to boys

Guess who has wavered from everything on that list... me.
Yes I am guilty but admitting it is the first step right?  The past week or so I have been sick, which put me in a funk of fatigue and lack of motivation to frankly do anything.  I have been living in leggings and T's.  #sorrynotsorry

I have been saving a lot of money by buying clothes at discounted prices at thrift stores but I go so much that I end up spending a lot.... again #sorrynotsorry

Since my surgery, I haven't been able to work out at all so I gained a few pounds.  I have been conscious of my food and water intake to help counteract the lack of exercise though so... point 1 for Joanna!

Y'all, lets be honest.  School has been kicking my ass.  I have had so much work and studying that I have had absolutely no time to write blog posts.  I'm trying.

I did make a few new friends who are awesome and are defiantly going to stay in my life for a while. Not just those classic "one semester friendships" that I HATE.  But it is always a goal for me to meet new people and make lasting connections with people, so lets call this a work in progress.

And this brings me to my goal of all goals.  BOYS.  Well, lets just say, the first time I talked to a cutie in class i said "uh i like your shirt."  wow Joanna.  so original.  I know but he said he liked my shirt too! SWOON

On that note, ladies and gents if you are still reading, college is hard and I need to get back on my game.  Let's hope that I can snap out of my funk and return to being a sassy socialite of Towson.  Fingers crossed.

Closet Tour

My favorite room in my apartment is my closet.  I have a huge walk in closet that makes me smile just thinking about it.  When I moved into my apartment a year ago, I was so overwhelmed with all of the space and features of the space.  Trust me, I did NOT have issues filling it!  After a year, I  have finally organized everything in a convenient way that makes sense to me.  I thought I would share it with you so here we go!

This is the view from the doorway of my magical closet.  It has one large garment pole on the right wall and two rows of shelves on the front and right walls.  I will go more in depth with each feature below! 

On the top shelf, I have all of my heels and wedges organized by color and style.  This way, I can see all of my options and am able to pick my shoes.  I also have a few heavier sweaters on the left that are a bit too warm to wear now.  I have three bins storing socks, winter shoes/hats, and scarves.  I have a stack of solid color t's and tanks because I reach for these very often.  

Under the shelves, I have a garment pole where I hang the majority of my clothes.  I have them organized by style and by color.  From right to left, I have crop tops, tank tops, t's, three quarter length shirt, long sleeves, shorts, pants, skirts, dresses.  Each of these categories is organized by color as well.  Color coding works well for me because then I know where everything is and it is easy to match outfits. 

Right under the shelves and my clothing, I have a shoe rack from target that holds the rest of my shoes.  I organized my flats by occasion and color.  From bottom to top I have tennis shoes, fashion sneakers, black flats, brown flats, and sandals. In the winter, all I do is replace my sandal shelves with boots.  I love this rack because you can see all of your shoes so it is easy to grab them.

On the very left hand wall, I have all of my statement necklaces hung on command hooks.  I love this feature of my closet because not only does it look fancy and posh, it is easy to find what I am looking for.  I'm sure you've guessed it by now but yes, these are color coded as well with an exception of the top row.  The top are very large statement necklaces, the following rows are by color in no particular order.  Often, necklaces inspire an outfit I choose.  I will see a necklace I love and haven't worn in a while and design a look around it. 

I apologize for the bad photography in this blog post but the lighting is horrendous in my closet and it was hard to angle the camera correctly.  I promise I will work on photography for upcoming blog posts but I hope y'all enjoyed it and have been inspired to clean your closet too!