Two Weeks.

I have approximately 14 days left as a resident of Virginia and then it's off to Alabama. My moods and feelings about this whole college thing range from "OMG OMG OMG I'm so excited so many new friends and people and things to do and see" to "I'm locking myself in the Suburban and living at home forever and ever and I'll work as a nanny or something as long as I can stay here".

This summer has been so crazily busy that interning kept most of these feelings at bay for June and really until the middle of July. Since I didn't really handle my feelings in a healthy way until, um, last week, the past few days have been a serious roller coaster of ups and downs and second thoughts and reality checks.

My list of places to eat are growing more and more lined with blue and only a few places remain: The Yard House next friday, my favorite mexican restaurant with my favorite waiters who are almost family now for my last night in town, Whole Foods for cupcakes, Sugar Plum for a slice of cake. No Frill for chicken sandwiches, Chicks for fried oysters, and Bakers Crust for tavern chips all got crossed off last week. One last Taste run is in order today with one of my favorite people ever, but who am I kidding, I'll probably take a second lunch sometime before I leave just for one more Hilltop.

I'm trying to balance running so I keep my head on straight, TidalWheel so I can have more time to hangout with my friends and favorite instructors, and now Pure Barre so I can kick those lassssssst five pounds off the scale that I was supposed to lose the week after graduation. Many thanks to those three for keeping my legs consistently sore/bruised for the past three weeks. (Sidenote: Pure Barre is no joke.)

Then there are things I can't even deal with/talk about: minute things like shower caddies, laptop cases, waterproofing backpacks, ordering stationery, when exactly my last sit on the beach day is, new glasses, where I'll fill prescriptions. In my next life, maybe I'll write a book about all this, and how to do things like moving more efficiently, because the refrain "I went to summer camp, this will be easy!" no longer applies. Things like school colors and matching and dorm schemes now apply.

Case in point: my mother and I go to Target for a white shirt, see one of my best friends, talk to him for an hour and a half, and leave with sheets and towels at 10:30 at night. I then proceed to take my sheets and towels to my monogrammer, get in a debate about what font and which colors to use with her, finally leave.  I picked up my coral sheets and navy towels in a trashbag three days later. Old high school habits die really, really, really hard. This has also been evidenced by the amount of orange and blue I've found in my room while packing and weeding things out. 

Back to my point, there are things I'm anticipating, like getting to eat at my favorite places, and things I'm not thinking about, like saying goodbye to my 30 or so closest friends until Christmas. Nothing triggers a good old "why didn't I go to UVA and follow the normal route with my friends so I could come home on the weekends and still see everyone" freak out like realizing I won't be at home or see anyone until almost 2014. Yikes. There's going to be no safety net of friends to fall back on the first week of school or knowing everyone in my class or my home to come to.

But that's okay. Life goes on and even though I'm a little terrified, I am ready to fly from the nest. I might stumble a little bit, but that's okay. I might not 100% think it yet, but I am ready and I know I'll be okay. I think it's my orange and blue bulldog heart that might take the longest to convert.

xx

A Whole Week? Yikes!

I can't believe it's been a week since I've even opened the blogger in draft! Sometimes our heads just need a break and especially with everything going on at the end of the year, life just gets crazy! Definitely tunnel vision for sure.

So what have I been up to?

Lots and lots of grad parties! We went on a ship, the next night decked out in all white, then went to the beach the next day!

I've spent many afternoons laying out on my deck and at the beach. The start of summer wouldn't be complete without sand in my shoes!

We had our Vespers service last week as well! I cried a lot but it was fantastic and a great way to kick off graduation weekend. I can't wait to show y'all my grad dress - but that's for another post!

My eyes look so weird thanks to iPhone flash + dark fountain, but I'm so so so obsessed with my Vespers dress. This is my new favorite dress and literally go into my closet just to look at it. It's from Jules Reid and I've been working on building her blog for her! Go check it out - she is one cool lady and I've had so much fun working with her and getting to know her!

The rest of my summer is going to be spent laying on the beach as much as I can, interning, spinning, lifeguarding, and trying to pack up my life before I leave for school on August 7th!

It's so crazy that everything is starting to slow down but pick up at the same time! 

xx

College Thursday: WorthyStyle’s go-to list for freshmen (Part I)

Today's College Thursday post comes from one of my favorite bloggers and fellow Virginian, Whitney from Worthy Style!

Hey y’all! So I have had a lot of fun following Royar’s blog the past few years, and

especially thrilled she is headed to Bama (ROLL TIDE!), where my Mom went to grad

school. I am a Virginia native, twenty-something, with parents who both went to undergrad

here in Virginia (JMU and W&L). I followed what has traditionally been, in my family,

a predominantly male tradition of boarding school. I attended boarding school for my

sophomore through senior years of high school, and learned a lot. I think boarding school

amply prepared me for life on dorm, as it did not faze me whatsoever. I told Royar about

many ideas I had of things to pack for her dorm room, as I learned them from my seven

years living in a dorm or apartment!

The following items I highly suggest you adding to your dorm shopping list. If you or your parents have Ebates, now would be a good time to go ahead and order everything (that is a referral link where you get $5 for my referral). It saved my family a lot of money shopping for school this way. Then you can enjoy your last summer at home before college.

First of all, make yourself an emergency kit. Royar is moving into tornado alley, but I know I was at Randolph-Macon for only a month when we got hit with a hurricane that campus closed for TWO weeks. So, have your parents get you a weather radio, some of those cell phone/iPad boost chargers, some batteries, and an LED flashlight. Go to Target and buy one of their emergency kits in the pharmacy section and place it with the other items. Put them in a strong box, like a fireproof safe you can stick under your desk or under your bed (unless you loft it). Another option would be one of those heavy- duty aluminum train cases you see makeup artists use. Something you can carry if necessary is best! Another item to pick up in the pharmacy? Advil, Tylenol, Aleve. They are good for different things. Roommates will love you for having these, too. Advil is good/safe for preventing hangovers (take 1 or 2 with a bottle of water before going out), Tylenol for general headaches, Aleve for muscular pain. Then you can keep yourself going regardless of your circumstances. Some schools close their Health Center on the weekends so it is good to have some basics for the time being.

Are you a light sleeper? I am, but I am also highly affected by light as well. I made do with generic nylon eye masks for years, but now I swear by this eye mask from Magellans. Gwyneth Paltrow wrote about it on her goop newsletter and I purchased it in black. It is $16 well- spent! Another bed-time savior of mine is a noise machine. I love it and normally a roommate is receptive as long as you tell them about it ahead of time. Pick a sound together that you both are good with (ocean waves is what I have always found best for all) and set it up so it is more on your side of the room.

A drying rack sounds weird, and it kind-of is, but it can also be a life-saver. Some dorm rooms require endless amounts of quarters to dry your clothes. If you are not in the laundry room drying your clothes yourself, you might walk in to find your items in a damp pile – unceremoniously plopped on the counter. Save some $$ and keep your cute clothes safe with a drying rack! When the dryers in the dorm are full, you will love this thing. The foldable kind is good as once it is done drying you can stick it back in your closet or under your bed.

Another item is a behind-the-door shoe rack. Some dorm rooms give each student a small closet with door on either side. Other schools only have open space inset into the wall with a hanging rod so you have to figure out what to do on your own. A behind-the-door shoe rack could be hung on the door to your suite-style bathroom, on a curtain rod, on the door to your closet, or even on the end of one of your bunks. It is such a space-saver. Instead of dealing with a bunch of boxes you can stick your Rainbows, Tory Burch Revas, Jack Rogers, and Sperrys and keep them off the floor.

Here are some other incidentals that are great for your desk area

• Power strips 
• Surge protectors for everything (seriously, anything worth $$ should go in one) and also helps with us ladies sharing one room and using a hairdryer, straightener, curling iron, etc. 1-3 extension cords 
• A lamp that clips onto things. Great if you are going out and your roommate is staying in, and she wants to sleep. You don’t want the entire room to be lights out and want to be able to find your stuff, so that is where this helps. Also, a book clip light is great, too. LED lights are powerful and last a long time. If you stay up late studying or get up early to study you can clip this to your book and highlight or catch up on class reading in bed or at your desk.

I hope you all find these ideas to be helpful! It is really only the first year that getting all of

this stuff makes move-in stressful and expensive. As long as you are buying these items in

relatively neutral colors, they should last all four years you are in undergrad. Pretty great

argument to make for the parents, right? I will be sure to include more tips in my next guest

post, especially including items such as fashion and beauty products to make your life easier

on dorm.

Thanks so much Whitney! xx

T-Shirt Day

Every year, on the last friday for seniors, we all wear our college t-shirts! It was so surreal to finally put my Alabama shirt on that's been hanging in my closet since I went back in February!

I'm going to miss my besties so much next year! 

"We all take different paths in life, but no matter where we go, we take a little of each other everywhere." 

Happy Monday!

xx

College Thursday: Advice From Alumni

This week I'm so excited to have one of my favorite teachers from middle school post! She is such an amazing teacher and woman, and I was so lucky to be in her class!

College Tips from a former Virginia co-ed:

I’m approaching my ten year reunion this June and waxing nostalgic about how much I loved college life. Here are the tips I would give myself if I could write a letter and send it back in time:

1.       Make good friends, but keep the old. It’s easier than ever to stay in touch with your high school friends as you all move away, but make the extra effort to hand-write notes and make good, old-fashioned phone calls.

2.       Don’t lose yourself in your new life. When you arrive in a new environment, it’s easy to become what you think others want you to be. Change your style, change the way you talk, change what you believe. So much of college is about discovering who you are, but don’t lose sight of who you were and the values you hold dear.

3.       Leap at every opportunity! You have (hopefully) four years to explore different career paths and dreams of the future. Take advantage! Go to career fairs, volunteer, join a sorority, join a debate club, dance, sing, do whatever interests you! Get involved! Can’t find a club that’s right for you? Start one.

4.       You can be happy anywhere. I truly believe this. Some guys and girls go to college feeling disappointed because they didn’t get in somewhere else. Never waste a moment of your experience on that kind of helpless regret. You are in an environment with literally thousands of other people your own age. How can you possibly NOT have a good time?

Thanks so much to my teacher, Charlotte Zito for this post!

xx

College Thursday: The Little Things

So now that I've picked out my room, I still need to register for orientation (scary), and I'm going to pick out my bedding pretty soon. Going to camp has prepared me well to live in a tiny space and pack efficiently, but there are so many "littles" that I'm scared to forget.

Laptop case

Tide Pods

Towel Wrap
Crocs
Air purifier
3m command strips

What else did you take/wish you had taken to college?

xx

Boom, Accepted.

So Friday night I got some pretty amazing news, quite unexpectedly. I got home from the gym, super tired and really irritable, and I decided to randomly check my UGA admissions status before I went to dinner. 

As I clicked through everything, I was expecting a denial, or at least a wait-list.

I clicked "view" and immediately saw fireworks.

I got into Georgia!!!!!!

I'm officially 100%, 2/2. 

My high school experience has not been an easy one, and while I haven't always worked as hard as I should have, there were definite roadblocks that led me to thinking I would only get into Alabama. 

My acceptance is more than just a check mark to me. It's my proof and validation that if you work  really really really hard and believe in yourself, anything can and will happen. Good things happen to those who wait patiently and work hard day in and day out. 

But now I'm rethinking everything, and have a very hard decision to make in the next four weeks. I know you're all thinking that I was set on Alabama, and I was, because that's how much I didn't think I would get into UGA, so it was my way of softening the blow. Now I will be thinking everything through and listing lots of pros and cons. Right as I'm writing this, my head tells me UGA, but my heart tells me Alabama. 

When I visited Alabama, I felt like I was home and comfortable. When I visited UGA, I felt awed and challenged (see: that time I awkwardly cried on the tour). My brother and his friend have graciously offered to take me to an accepted students day in a few weeks to visit, just one more time. Maybe we'll even drive over to Tuscaloosa one more time

It's funny how life can completely change in an instant. This is going to be the hardest decision I'll probably make in my life, and I'm going to be sad because I'll be saying no to a great school either way. But then again, I'm extremely thankful that I'm being given the choice to make a decision about my college education. 

So now it's March 25th, and I have until May 1st, and I'm sure I'll change my mind many times over, etc etc, but regardless, I'm just thankful I look really good in red.

xx

College Thursday: Bedding

Originally, I was going to have my bedding be custom made and perfectly matched to my room. Then after talking to Sarah, since she lived in the dorm I'll be living in her freshman year as well, she made an excellent point: this is probably the first and last time I'll be using a twin bed, so why spend a ton of money on sheets etc that are going to be relegated to the guest room at my house by next June?

So now I'm thinking a simple color duvet, colored sheets, which I have right now and LOVE, with accent pillows. But maybe not. There are a plethora options available.

Dorm Suite Dorm has a customizable option for everything. I don't know if I'm going to to go down this road, but it's still an option.

For the super spirited Alabama, UGA, or Auburn girl you can get school sets from Decor 2 Ur Door.

I really like these sheets from PB Teen

And I love this duvet!

I'll do white pillowcases with my monogram like I have now, most likely from LL Bean, since they do a fantastic job with monogramming, and their quality is excellent.

What did you do for your dorm bedding?

xx

College Thursdays: Visit to Tuscaloosa!

I had such an amazing visit to Tuscaloosa last weekend!

My trip down was made better by a quick stop in the US Air club

It was rainy on Friday, but it didn't hamper my trip one bit!

My Dad and I went to Baumhower's and I had some really good Beignets. I mean better late than never, right?

The sun finally came out on Sunday before we drove back to Birmingham and of course I had to get a picture of Bryant-Denny!

xx

The 5 Things Every College Freshmen Should Know

I first must say thank you so much to Royar for asking me to guest blog for her! Royar and I work together on The Smart Girls Group, an international sisterhood for girls from middle school to college that works to connect, inspire, and empower girls through contribution to the community. We have a monthly digital magazine, a daily blog (which is about to get a facelift!), and campus chapters throughout the country. Royar writes an AMAZING column for our magazine called “The Smart Girl Is Aware” and it is a column all on current events going on in our world. I’m so lucky to be able to work with her and I’m so excited to guest blog for her today!

I am in the midst of my second semester at Fordham University in New York City. Just like every college freshmen, there are ups and downs, and lots of adjusting, in more ways than I ever imagined. So when Royar asked me to write about college, I decided I would write about the 5 Things Every Incoming College Freshmen Should Know. 

1. Schedule everything and follow that schedule. 

This is a big one! You may follow a strict schedule in high school now, but with more freedom, less time in class, and an entire campus at your fingertips, trust me, it can be hard to stay as disciplined as you may have at home. My suggestion is to use Google Calendar. I schedule in every minute of every day, and then add in my to-do list to the task area. This way, I get notifications on my phone, my Mac’s iCal, and via email (you can change these settings as well). I am held completely responsible to sticking to my schedule that way! I also use an agenda for daily goals, specific homework assignments, and reminders. It’s a system that works for me, but may not work for everyone. Just remember to stick to your schedule. 

2. Don’t have any social expectations.

I made this mistake. I went in with expectations for what I would do socially, who I wanted to hang out with, how I wanted certain relationships to be. I assumed the first people I met would be my best friends. In all honesty, that idea came because my boyfriend, who is a sophomore at another school, is still best friends with the same people he met the very first day. The truth is, it doesn’t usually work out like that. Most people I know have different friends now than they had at the beginning of last semester, and that’s totally normal. My problem was I wasn’t particularly open to that concept. However, after I opened up my mind, let go of my expectations, and just did my thing, I met the best people and now, I couldn’t be happier. I do what I want to do when I want to do it, which can be hard because most people do the same things as far as the college social scene. You don’t have to, though. The key is to surround yourself with people who will lift you higher, not knock you down, and at the end of the day, you must be independent. The people that fail to see college as an opportunity are those who are too dependent on their friend group. 

3. Buy a lot of socks and bobby pins.

Seriously. I’ve seen chocolate last in my room longer than socks and bobby pins. And that’s saying something.

4. Dive in, again and again.

Some may disagree with me on this, but freshman year is the year for you to discover in more depth your interests and who you are. The only way to do this is to take initiative and just try things. At the club fair, sign up for the email list for any and every club that interests you. If you hear about an internship, see if it fits into your schedule. No matter what, don’t play the “I’m only a freshman and I have time for all that.” The people that get ahead are the people that get started from the very beginning. If something becomes too much, prioritize and drop those activities that don’t hold a high spot on the list. I took on a lot from the beginning and my schedule is jam packed, but I have learned more about myself in one semester than in four years of high school. Bottom line: dive in!

5. Find something that keeps you stable.

College can be a high stress environment.  Find one or two things that keep you sane. Personally, I know that if I work out every day, even if it is just 10 minutes of high intensity interval training, I feel at ease with things. I started doing that more this semester and I’m proud to say, I’ve worked out every day of 2013 so far! I also meditate on a daily basis. I know that may sound funny, but usually I just will take 5 to 15 minutes, find a guided meditation video on YouTube, and I’m in good shape. It just clears my mind and is very relaxing. No matter what keeps you sane, make sure that you always find something that will keep you relaxed for a few minutes every day. You will find that taking the time to do this leads to a healthier, happier you.

Well, thank you so much for reading and thank you so much to Royar for having me! I hope you have a great day!

Be smart share smarts,

Emily :] 

Thanks Emily! xx

Dream Dorm Room

So naturally I have two college pin boards, one of what I want mine to look like, and a secret one for the roomie and I to start planning!

Here are some of my faves from my board:

xx

A Hunter-ing We Will Go

With the amount of rain in Tuscaloosa in the past week, I realized it's probably wise of me to invest a good pair of wellies.

Of course I'm going to get Hunter's, but what color?!

Help!

xx

So College Right Now

So now that I'm a second semester senior and such, I've started to chat with my roommate and we get to pick our room in April! So now comes the fun part, decorating our dorm! Thursdays will now be dedicated to all things college and how I'm going to decorate my room for next year! I also hope to have some of my favorite college bloggers post about their freshman dorms!

Roll Tide!

The In-Between

I'm in phase I of 'the in-between'. I'm done applying to college, I don't have to worry about exam exemptions, know when I'm picking out my dorm room, and APs are in the far distance for now. Phase II will commence once I've trotted across stage with diploma in hand, but haven't quite moved into college. 

But my motivation to do well is at an all-time high. Like all of high school high, comparable to how I felt while studying for my IR class. I guess it's because I'm doing it all for me, not because I'm trying to get into college or get my midyears up, but to stand up at graduation for the honor roll and to know that I left it all on the field when I leave high school for good. 

Maybe things would be easier in our lives if we did them for ourselves, because we're worth it, not because of some goal, lofty or close by. 

xx

Alabama Wins!

Roll Tide Y'all! Can't wait for #16 next year! 

xx

It's Official!

I'll be yelling "Roll Tide Roll" next year!

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}

Perspective

So Friday may or may not have been the longest day of my life. But at 4:20, I logged into my status check for UGA, and clicked the "view now". Not really knowing what to expect, I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and looked at the screen. 

I got deferred. 

It doesn't mean I got denied, but it also certainly means I wasn't accepted. My application needs a little more time to develop. So now I get to write some fun essays, talk about myself, and hopefully be admitted in the coming months. While I would have loved to have been admitted for early action, it's not the end of the world. I'm not a perfect student, but I know I will leave high school with few regrets, and if that causes UGA to not accept me in the long run, so be it. God has a plan for me, and I'm just along for the ride.

Besides, at the same time a year ago, I was getting accepted into Mission Training for Operation Smile. Would I have rather gotten into UGA this year, or not gone to India last year?

You bet I'd take India a million times over.

xoxo,

Royar
{The Young Southern Prep}

Decision Day

Well, y'all, today's the day. I find out where I'm going to college, or if the road continues on. I have been accepted to Alabama already, and if I get into Georgia, it's going to be one tough choice. I would like to say that I've had a gut feeling about UGA, but I don't. I honestly don't know what I'm going to see on that screen. Since I don't know how I stand with UGA, I've made myself fall out of love with it, in case I end up getting hurt. But sometimes I forget that I teared up on the tour twice, because I could see myself there. I didn't want to leave Athens, nor did I want to go to Alabama the next day.

The past week has been rough, but I've made peace with the process, and I'm ready to see what the outcome is. I'm also very excited to hear about my friend's results.

As much as I would love to be a Bulldog for another four years, I do know I get to buy a lot of red and black either way!

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}

Our Campus Market GIVEAWAY!

As a newly appointed HerCampus High School Ambassador, I have a super awesome giveaway to tell y'all about!

The “Design Your Dream Dorm with OCM & Her Campus” Pinterest Contest is your chance to show off your supreme style and show us how you would deck out your ultimate dorm room. The best part (aside from the fun of ogling OCM’s products and playing on Pinterest)? HC and OCM will be giving the winner a $1000 shopping spree to OCM.com to make your dream dorm room a reality!

Here’s how to enter:

1. Follow Her Campus on Pinterest.

2. Follow OCM on Pinterest.

3. Create your “Dream Dorm Design Contest with OCM” Board on Pinterest. Your board must be titled “Dream Dorm Design Contest with OCM” to be eligible.

4. Pin the official contest graphic. You can pin it directly from this page you’re reading right now (see above) or repin it from Her Campus’s Dream Dorm Design Contest board.

5. Fill your board with 8-12 of your favorite items from OCM.com. All images must come from OCM.com. Be sure to open up the actual product page and pin from there rather than the "Quick View."

6. Use hashtag #DreamDormOCM on all of your pins – so we can find them!

7. Submit the link to your finished board at HerCampus.com/DreamDorm(below) by September 26, 2012.

8. All valid entries will be considered by a panel of judges from Her Campus and OCM. The winner will be announced on HC on October 2, 2012! We’ll also email you if you’re the winner!

Pinterest + Interior Design + Easy Entry? SIGN ME UP!

Good luck y'all! If you end up entering, let me know so I can follow your board!

xoxo,

Royar
{The Young Southern Prep}

Summer, Kind Of Crazy

Hello again y'all!

I feel like I have been such an awful blogger this summer! Honestly, I've been suffering hard core from writers block! I have so much to catch y'all up on from the end of Junior Year, to camp, to my week in Georgetown for Operation Smile, to all the crafts I've been doing, to my getting ready for Senior Year!

In true Royar fashion, I've spent exactly fourteen nights at home this summer. Fourteen y'all. Fourteen days I've spent in my house, my city, driving around where I live. A part of me is completely okay with it, because my city has never truly felt like home to me. I love Virginia, don't get me wrong, but I've spent a lot more time away from home than normal teenagers.  But another part of me realizes that in less than a year, I'll be starting college, and I'll never live at home for an extended period of time again. 

My senior year is fast approaching, aka cross-country starts next Monday, something which I've barely prepared for.  I've also read approximately 1/6th of 1 of the 6 books I have to read for summer reading. I'm clearly chomping at the bit for school to start, right?

I've already applied to one college, and hopefully will have some good news come the end of August right as I head back.  I also have senior pictures next week. Crazy, right? I've been working really hard to tan out my lifeguard suit strap marks since we just do a formal drape pose. 

I wish I could say my life is way more exciting than tanning, scheduling appointments, and reading books, but it's really all I've been up to this week. Other to-dos involve consigning some clothes, volunteering at a race I'm unable to run in (boo-hiss foot injuries!), and writing college essays!

What are you up to this week?

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}