Year 3

I'm back at Sewanee, and life is exciting and fun and new all over again. It has always been tough for me to get back in the swing of school, but this year has been surprisingly easy. I live in a house now that I share with 5 other girls, as opposed to a janky dorm that I shared with 90 other students the past two years. I have my own bathroom (for the first time), a balcony right off my room, and even air conditioning! It truly is a palace for my roommate and I. The weather is amazing, and my friends and I have already made our way down to our favorite spot, Lake Dimmick. After dinner tonight I went on a solo bike ride to a close second favorite spot on campus, Lake Cheston. The sun was about to set, and I was the only student on the backroads. As the pink sky glistened across the glass-like water (lol), life felt so different from what it has been these last couple of months. Sewanee is such a unique and amazing place and I am so lucky to be able to go to school here.

Here are some of my recent snaps:

1. balcony jamz | 2. morning light

1. turn-down Tuscaloosa on the longest drive ever | 2. inevitably happens to my shoes @ Sewanee

1. new room | 2. arrow always points to balcony

room 2

Dimmick 

I've been jamming to a bunch of girl bands recently. Here are some of my favorites:

"Joke" by Chastity Belt

(side-note I really want to hang out with the girls of Chastity Belt)

"A New Wave" by Sleater-Kinney

THIS VIDEO IS MY FAVORITE VIDEO OF ALL TIME

When All Else Fails...

Life is hard, friends. It's hard for every person, at every stage of life, and for many, many different reasons. However, there are so many good things about life that allow people like me to "just keep swimming."

I am five days away from being able to go back to Texas and attend Austin City Limits Music Festival for the fourth time along with my sister, cousin, and father. BUT before I am set free, I have to struggle my way through what might be one of the more difficult weeks of my life. I have three tests (one Wednesday, two Friday), and several other homework assignments (such as programming work and reading about half a book en français). What keeps me from losing my mind, you ask? Well, as I am sitting in the library at 11:39 pm on Monday, September 29 typing this blog post, my answer has to be the future. Future adventures I might have, future friendships that might spring, future excitement that is to come is what gets me through this week from H-E-double hockey sticks. Knowing that after completing a French test, a Humanities midterm, and a Computer Science exam, I can jump on a plane and be with my family is making everything seem just a little bit brighter.

So, knowing that this week would be absolutely insane, I took it easy yesterday and decided to go on a solo hike and complete my homework and reading assignments in nature (so Sewanee, right?). I pulled on my fancy Chaco's (aka car seats for my feet), hopped on my bike, and STARTED SOMEWHERE.

Also, gang, when I logged onto Blogger tonight I saw that my blog is at exactly 10,000 views. I know that might not be much for having this blog for almost 3 years, but I am incredibly thankful and happy that people have taken the time to actually read what I write!

So, to whoever is reading this, THANK YOU. 

Eat, Sleep, Study, Repeat

Just when I thought all the struggles of college have passed and I finally got in a groove, sophomore year hit me like a ton of bricks. By the end of freshman year I had a good handle on life; I could balance my classes, friends, dorm life, sorority, and extracurriculars pretty dang well. I came back to school thinking that sophomore year was going to be just as wonderful, exciting, and as manageable as last year. But boy....was I wrong!

I am just one month into my sophomore year, and saying that I am overwhelmed is an understatement. My classes are harder, my dorm is dingier, and my friends are busier. I find myself spending way more time in the library than in my dorm, and even though my friends and I all live under the same crumbling roof, I find myself not knowing a large amount of what is going on in their lives. I am taking Humanities, French 300, Discrete Mathematical Structures, and Computer Organization, which have all proven to be extremely difficult. I am a computer science major so I am required to take many hard math classes (such as Discrete Mathematics), and my computer science courses are no walk in the park either. 

I find myself barely having any time to do what I want to do, such as ride my bike around campus with my camera and capture the beauty that surrounds me here, or take time to sit down and watch something funny on Netflix (Bojack Horseman is my favorite right now), or even do my laundry (it's a three hour process including 8 flights of stairs to the basement so I'm kind of putting this one off)! Needless to say, this year has been one long, sleep-deprived journey, and although I feel like I'm drowning in a sea of schoolwork, I need to take the time to be thankful for all that I am offered at this school. 

After a weekend of unfortunate events, such as my car getting towed out of a ditch, missing the first football game, and someone stealing my favorite poster (of Snoop and Tupac) off of my door, I have decided to focus this week on all the positives in my life (this blog being one of them). When I feel like I just can't deal with all the junk going on in my life, I feel as if it's important to put struggles into perspective. Everything could be WAY worse, and I am so thankful to go to a school that I love and consider a second home. 

I found this graphic while wasting time on Pinterest the other day, and it came at just the right time. Although it seems like a little silly message, it is so true and applicable to my life right now (please pardon the language). 

Sophomore Year Snaps

Ah yes, another year on the mountain has begun. It's time again for long nights in the library, dorm life, sorority events, friends, and most importantly, being surrounded by my beautiful second home of Sewanee, TN. The outstanding nature and academic buildings that give such life and personality to this campus are a constant photo op for me. It's hard to resist having my camera out at all times!

Back To School

So, it's that time of year again...time to go back to school! At this point of the summer last year, I was beyond nervous. I had a breakdown almost every day because I had no idea what new experiences were waiting for me at Sewanee, where I was about to start as a freshman.

This summer, however, has been quite the different story. Now that I know that I absolutely love my school and every person there, I cannot wait to get back. It's the best feeling in the world to be ecstatic to start school again.

At school, when I am not hunkered down in the library studying or in the dining hall eating, you will most likely be able to find me on the dance floor with all of my friends. This summer has been particularly lacking in the dance aspect, so I have been improvising by researching and discovering some of the newest and freshest tracks to dance to with my chums once I get back on The Mountain.

These songs are what I am sharing with you today. So, pull out your wedged sneakers and fancy snapback, and dance with me...

So You Think You Can Dance? from aokphotography on 8tracks Radio.

Snow in Sewanee!

Nothing is more beautiful than Sewanee in the snow...