Allison and the Week that Felt Like a Year

This time last week I just finished day two of skit days during rush. Now I'm sitting in my dorm room, in a sorority, with two days of college classes under my belt as well as two faded black X's on my hands from my first band party.

I'm finally starting to feel somewhat like a normal college student and it ROCKS. Keep in mind that this is coming from the girl who was in denial about going to college until about a month ago and loved high school almost more than life itself. I feel like I should be a success story they show on Intervention. Okay...maybe not that far considering I am possibily the biggest and most blatant newb on campus.

What's gone down in this week?

I pledged Alpha Chi Omega

I think we're really cute. Plus this is my profile picture and it got 71 likes.
Get. On. My. Level.

Look who I got to see!!

Saw my girl, started crying.

Then I saw them, and started crying again.

Oh Lindzers, we all know I never would have made it through rush without you.

And while rush being over is possibly the biggest sigh of relief ever, the new challenge begins. New meaning new friends, a new place, a new start, a new home. New, new, new. It's kind of intimidating, I'm not gonna lie. But my self motivational phrase of the moment is "Chin up and charge the mountain." I promise I'm a real person who doesn't repeat such tidbits to herself for encouragement daily, but it really does help just to through myself into everything possible. Whether it's trying to convince people I'm "cool" enough to be friends with or leaping out of my comfort zone, I'm going full force. No half way for this college gal.

I've created a new adjective.
College (adj): acting or appearing in a manner attributed to one in college.
Example: Going out until 2 AM before your 8AM first day of school.
"So college."
Going to Julia's to get pickles from the Boar's Head Counter and my cinnamon toast coffee.
"It's okay, I'm so college."
Going to a bid day party, pledge party, or anywhere for that matter.
"I'm the stuff right now, because I'm so college."
Ahhh I don't know where the heck I'm going...is this a one way? Please don't tell me those upper classmen are laughing at me...
"Mehhh...I'm still college-ish...I guess. If that's okay."

I went to my first college class.
I was one of 200. I sat in the back and doodled my sorority letters and played on my phone. Solid. I also ordered textbooks, got school supplies, and organized my planner today in between classes. The productivity and lack there of balance each other out, I promise.

I go out.
This speaks for itself. So college. 
(I'm ridiculous and I'm okay with that.)

Starting going to Campus Crusade.
I absolutely loved it. After an awkward pledge retreat and unquenchable cravings for familiarity, a mere glance around the church made me feel instantly more at home. Tuscaloosa is my town now, filled with my friends along with my faith. And the people there were similar to me, or at least the type of person I would love to become throughout college. Wowzas, Lord, you know me so well. 

To the Moon and Back,
Allie

"Making a big life change is pretty scary. But you know what’s even scarier? Regret."

8

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, you will hear a voice behind you, saying,

 "This is the way; walk in it."  

Isaiah 31:20

Thankful this week for new friends, familiar friends, and friends yet to come.

As well as God's provision

 ...encouragement

...a genuine conversation in the midst of chaos

...loving simply and deeply.

To the moon and back,

Allie

For what its worth: its never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you have never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again. – F. Scott Fitzgerald

Allison Goes to College: Day 1

I can't believe I'm typing this from my college dorm room. Or that my shelves made it up 11 flights of stairs and fit in my cell of a room.

Or that I'm an actual, living, breathing college student.

The first day was a blur, but very fun. The line to move in was long and of course Cecil's car died in the middle of it all. I wasn't surprised naturally because this is me we're talking about. After I got settled and my parents left, my sweet roommate and I just looked at each other for a while not knowing what to do with ourselves. So we did the "college" thing to do; go out to dinner with friends. I slept like a rock in my comfy bed, which is right next to the window where I can see the sun rise and also a lovely view of the cemetery that has my grandparents future burial plots marked out. Alright, once again, I'm not surprised at all.

Want some pictures? You know you do!

Okay bye childhood room.

Yep, this happened. Did I mention that I braved a small tropical storm on the way to T-town?

My shelves that caused a lot of stress on move in day, but that makes me love them even more.

My perfect, beautiful queendom. And yes, that is my roommates bed touching mine. It's a good thing we like each other a lot because our personal space is nonexistent.

Living room (hey that's my desk!)

Kitchen. Kinda adorable.

Early morning blogging, watching HGtv, coffee drinking, and drinking an ungodly amount of water as always. College doesn't change much.

Last night I got a little homesick, mainly because it hit me that high school really is over and that college isn't just a month long summer camp. But then I got over it fast because everything here is really fun and exciting, in a typical college-like way. Keep me in your prayers so that I keep an open heart, and remember my purpose. It hit me after South Africa that my life is not my own and is absolutely insignificant to the way of the universe. In 100 years, I am going to be completely forgotten and no one who knows me now will be here either (most likely). My redemption and freedom in life is a gift, not to keep but to use for the furthering of HIS kingdom and the use of my life for anything but is useless. 

From room 1107, over and out.

Allie

"It's the heart afraid of breaking that never learns to dance." 

-Bette Miller

Two Days

I go to college in two days.

Two. Days.

Yep, it's actually happening.

Questionaire

Hi, my name's Allison and I'm a dork. But you knew that already. And I also really, really like questionnaires, both filling out one about myself and reading one about someone else. I found this one on another blog and I thought, "Well, what else am I going to do at work today besides watch the Olympics and cry about all my friends who moved into Auburn yesterday?"

1. What color socks are you wearing right now?
Currently sporting a pair of nude sandals, but this morning at bootcamp (which 100% kicked my butt. Google Tabata and you'll understand why), I rocked some pink footies. 

2. What are you listening to right now?
The Olympics...men's waterpolo Hungary v. America, to be exact. I was feeling manly this morning in the children's clothing retail dungeon.

3. What was the last thing you ate?
Everything whole wheat bagel, toasted, with light cinnamon sugar cream cheese on the side from Crestline Bagel. It's my favorite and my "happy last day of work"/"congrats you survived boot camp" reward.

4. Can you drive a stick shift?
Heck to the no.

5. Last person you spoke to on the phone?
Laine. My bestie who went to college yesterday. I cried.
Last FaceTime was Liz, who also went to college yesterday and yes I also cried then too.

6. How old are you today?
Today I am 18. Same is true tomorrow. And the next day. Yesterday I was also 18 too. I'm seeing some sort of trend here.

7. What is your favorite sport to watch?
What kind of question is this...football. Duh. 

8. What is your favorite drink?

Most of the time, coffee. Go to a coffee shop I get a cafe au lait with skim milk and two shots of sugar free vanilla flavoring. I'm also super into lattes of any sort and chai tea as of recent.

Cold drink is Crystal Light lemonade. I drank 3/4 of a gallon yesterday of it. That's almost disgusting. Or if I'm on a road trip or at the beach, it's a bottled diet coke. Nothing better.

9. Have you ever dyed your hair?
Do you think I have the patience for that?

10. What is your favorite food?
This is a toughy. Birthday cake, from Olexas, with lots of icing. Or strawberry cake. 
Favorite food genre is southern or cajun.

11. Do you sing in the shower?
...you don't?

12. Favorite day of the year?
Christmas, the first football Saturday, the first day of summer...there's lots of good days in a year!

13. What is one place you want to visit?
Paris, naturellement.

14. What was your favorite toy as a child?
Groovy Girls. So much classier than their close relative, Bratz, and twice as fun. I played with them every day for years in my neighbors closet. 

15. What is your favorite season?
Fall. Scarves, boots, football, coolness, leaves...the whole enchilada.

I forgot to mention...like the blog redesign?

Yeah, me too.

To the moon and back,

Allie

Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.

- Francis Chan

Revelations in College Packing

If you have yet to have the privilege for preparing for college, let me tell ya, you're in for a treat.

SAID NO ONE EVER.

Don't get me wrong, I love a good packing list (mine is, of course, three pages long and categorized), and a Target and/or Bed Bath and Beyond run, but there comes a point of "if I have to look at a bed skirt one more time, there will be no Allison to even put it on her bed". Don't even get me started on the mass clothes accumulation and the decision about what to take to college/not take to college. Decisions are scary and so is the unknown that is the next 10 months of my life.

Did I mention saying goodbye to all your friends is the worst? Like the absolute worst. The other night I had to say the second goodbye to my friend who I won't see until Thanksgiving, at Doodle's of all places. There I was, bawling my eyes out while a bunch of upcoming juniors in high school with their brand new licenses were looking at me like I was a complete freak. All I wanted to do was to yell at the top of my lungs at them to never grow up and graduate and leave all your friends. Let's all say a prayer of thanks to my guardian angel who is looking out for me and my vocal cords and prevented me from making a scene.

But even with all this frustration and helplessness, there's still excitement. I love Tuscaloosa with all it's charm as well as it's characters that I will get to share a town with for four years. I love the personality, the newness intertwined with familiarity, and the possibility that is at my feet. While there's a lot I look back on with nostalgia and homesickness, there's a ton more to look forward too.

As August pulls in and another hot, humid Alabama summer starts it's long decline, I can feel the change in the air that I love. When people are tired of doing nothing every day and come home from trips to prepare for another school year. The late afternoons possess a different glow and richness of the colors that always take me back to football season with me leaving school after a cheerleading practice to head home to have coffee to my mom or walk my dog. I'll miss the daily rides to school with Wayne, the nightly takeovers of Crestline Coffee and Books and O'Henry's with my friends as we cram for a government test, and of course the Friday nights under a different glow coming from the lights of a stadium and the still suntanned faces of my classmates in the stands. Football season will still be football season, but instead of caravanning to T-town with my family or friends, I'll be right there in the action first thing when I wake up. Instead of a cheerleading uniform, I'll be in a sundress and the football players that I grew up alongside with will be replaced by mountains of men that I may or may not stalk on campus. Kidding, kidding, I won't stalk them but I can justify my actions if I see any of them in passing.

So one week, readers. One week to pack up all my belongings, say my goodbyes, watch excessive amounts of the Olympics and Criminal Minds, and to spend time with my family over my favorite foods that my mom makes every night.

One more observation...I hate musicals. That is all.

To the Moon and Back,
Allie

I’ve loved the stars too deeply to be fearful of the night. –Galileo