The beginning of the second half

This is the first blog post I've ever written, so I hope it makes sense.  I doubt it stands out much more than other things people write on the Internet, but I hope whoever cares enough about me to read this gets a better picture of who I am and more importantly who and what is a part of my life.
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I don't like to think about the fact that I've already kicked off the third year of my college career.  My parents keep saying "You're halfway done" or "Two down, two to go!"  Sometimes my junior year seems even more monumental than it actually is because my brother and sister are also transitioning into their junior years at the same time.  As exciting as all that is, I also want it to slow down.  Like Gabriella said in High School Musical 3 (yes I just used a Disney Channel reference) "I want it all to slow down, to a stop."  To me, the easiest way to slow things down is to first, set a timeframe for myself.  Like the title of this post says, I'm at the beginning of my second half of college.  While that timeframe does seem a bit daunting, it's also a great motivation to do things that I've always wanted to do while at USC but just haven't made time to do yet.  For example, I want to go to an away football game, so I have plans to go to UGA on the 19th.  Sure, if I don't make it there, I won't be heartbroken by any means, but I'll just have to find something else fun to do like go on a hike my friends have been talking about, literally for 2 years, but have never followed through on actually making the trip to whatever state park and spending a day out there.

The second half of making my semester seem a bit slower is to make a conscious effort to enjoy all the little things.  As a person who always likes to be involved and busy, I'll never really stop doing things, but I'm setting a goal this semester to be more proactive in reflecting on my blessings and recognizing the small joys in my everyday life.  In general, I enjoy schoolwork, I like working toward deadlines, and I do a pretty good job of balancing the 3 S's: Sleep, School, and Social Life.  However, one of the most challenging parts of enjoying college... and that is simply enjoying it for all it's worth.  With all these plans, ideas and dreams floating around from my head to lists and planners to text messages and conversations, some of the pure joy that comes from actually doing those things I wanted to do can get lost in the shuffle.  For example, I love the atmosphere of Williams Brice and I love tailgating, but sometimes stressing about tickets, getting dressed up for the game, and finding my friends at the tailgates can distract from the truly ecstatic and electric feeling of a USC football game.  Next time I'm standing in the bleachers in my cowboy boots and swinging a rally towel while screaming U-S-C along with 80,000 other fans, I need to simply take in the moment and try not to think about all the other things I'd usually be thinking about.

To any of my friends or fellow Gamecocks reading this, it's gonna be a great semester here at USC.  We've just gotta get out there and enjoy it.  And remember, it's always a great day to be a Gamecock!

Continuing to Enjoy the Little Things

Last year, I made my tiny room in the Gamma Phi house feel cozy and colorful
and I enjoyed as many hilarious moments as possible with Emmi and our other housemates.

There's nothing like hearing "Welcome to Williams Brice" as thousands of students cheer

and the Gamecock call blares over the loudspeakers, echoing throughout the stadium.