Things I've Learned in My Freshman Year of College

I can officially say that I am done with my freshman year of college. It was a long and hard road but I am glad I got that done and over with. Here are some things I learned in my freshman year of college that I wish someone would have told me.

• After a while cafeteria food sucks: Going into college, I was like cafeteria food won't be that bad I have eaten it all 12 years of school. Boy was I wrong! University of Arkansas has a Meal Trade where from 7-10pm you can eat at one of the fast food places on campus and it counts as a meal in your plan. But after the first semester I could not eat anymore Slims Chicken or Papa John's Pizza or Burger King. So i went to the cafeteria and they had such weird hours, and the food wasn't as great besides a couple things. 

• You are tired 95% of the time: I don't even know how this is possible, but in college I was always tired. Whether it was from staying up and studying, walking up and down hills for my classes, or 8am classes I was always tired. I would come home for christmas break and just sleep. I also learned that naps are good at the time, but bad in long term because you probably napped during your homework or study time. In the end, making you stay up late to finish and being tired the next day. 

• Don't do laundry Saturday or Sunday: Everyone does their laundry Saturday or Sunday, I would pick a time to do your laundry when you think nobody is in the dorms. Such as if you don't have a class till 1pm do it in the morning because once 3pm hits everyone will be doing laundry. Also, put a timer on your phone for when your laundry is done, don't be that person that leaves it in all day.

• Go to a teacher's office hours: This really important if you are in a class of 200 students, the teacher will never know who you are.Just go into your teacher's office hours to introduce yourself, it will help. Especially, if you need help on something going into my teacher's office hours helped me raise my essay grade from a B to an A. This will also help you if you are at a border line grade and the teacher sees that you come to class every day and went to their office hours, they might be nice enough to bump your grade up. 

• DO EXTRA CREDIT: This is probably the most important thing I have learned in my freshman year. I did so much extra credit, even when I didn't need to but let me tell you on the days that I didn't do so good on one of my papers or test that extra credit was there to balance me out. In my English class I was sitting at an 88% and I still had a paper to write, I ended up getting a B on my paper, but because I did that extra credit I ended up making an A on the paper. Which turned my 88% to an A in the class. 

• Getting a C in a class is okay: I am a perfectionist, I can deal with a couple of B's but to me a C is failing....Until i took Principles of Biology. I am an education major, so science isn't really my forte. This class however was a class that biology major had to take as their intro class, and as an education major you are required to take it. However, this class wasn't easy.. I studied so hard for these tests, went to all the tutoring sessions and was determined to get a B in the class. However that wasn't the case I ended up ending the class with a C with 2% from having a B which killed me. But after a while, I realized it was only one class. It was not going to determine whether I was going to be a good teacher or not. Getting a C is average, everyone is  either going to fail or have a C in a class it just happens... so its okay.

• Join Clubs: I know that college can be stressful at times, and you feel like you don't have time for anything. However, joining a club will help you get your mind off of things, and help you relax and have fun with friends for a bit. It is also great because you get to meet new people, and trust me, in college there is a club for everything, and if there is not make your own. I joined a club called Foundation of International Medical Relief for Children. We got to do bake sale's and went out for percentage nights. We also have a Go Fund Me, we are currently raising money for children in Uganda if you would like to donate. 

• Have some fun: Don't spend your time studying all day, go out and have some fun. My best memories with my friends are our late night iHop runs, concerts, going hiking up in the Ozark mountains, having chair races down the halls, football games, and basketball games. There are times when you just have to go out and enjoy yourself because your only going to be this young once. So go out and have some fun.

I hope this has helped you guys, and help you be a little more prepared for college because trust me I didn't know what I was walking into either.

A Wedding Toast To My Best Friend

Ladies and gentleman, friends, family, relatives, everyone who came out to witness this beautiful ceremony among these two wonderful people. For those who do not know me my name is Maria and I am the maid of honor. We are so happy to be here for this joyous occasion celebrating Tehya and Zach’s wedding.

I met Tehya my first year of college at the University of Arkansas. As a first year student not knowing many people I decided to do potluck and have a randomly assigned roommate. I honestly glad I did because then I would not have been able to meet one of my best friends. Tehya and I shared so many similar qualities it kind of scared me at first but then I loved it! Now Tehya has grown into an amazing woman. It is an honor to know the person she has become, and to have stood beside her on her special day as her bridesmaid and best friend. Tehya has always had a kind heart, brilliant mind, and always knows the right thing to say and do.

For as long as I have known her, the most important thing in her life has always been her family and her friends. She is an amazing friend - loyal, patient, generous, and kind. Tehya and Zach have an amazing bond together. I won’t go on too much about when they met, mostly because I wasn’t actually there, but I witnessed it through the eyes of Tehya when she told me the story. I could see it in her eyes she really loves Zach and that she was crazy about him. For a while Zach, I was a little jealous of you stealing my best friend, but as you become her husband I would like to pass on the best friend role to you. Because I know I won’t always be there for her when she needs me but you always will, and I know you will do you’re very best to protect her as I have. I cannot think of a better fit for my best friend then you. I hope you know you are a very lucky man to be able to have Tehya as your wife for the rest of your life. You look as happy today, as you did when I first meet you two in college.

Anyways, Tehya looks stunning tonight and Zach you look a little stunned. Therefore, here is some advice for you. Number one, she is always right. Number two, she loves food but she hates cantaloupes. Number three; never say no to a movie nights with her. Number four; always make your side of the bed because she is not going to do it for you. Finally, number five; love her with your whole heart.

So here, we are at their wedding night. They have finally made it after years of being together; their love grows stronger and stronger every day. High school sweethearts that defied the odds. From here on out they will be conquering every obstacle that comes at them. 

Today we do not only celebrating where they are right now, but also their beautiful future together. If everyone would raise their glass now and join me in congratulating the beautiful bride and handsome groom. Congratulations. I love you both, and wish you all the best. 

My College Experience (So Far) at The University of Arkansas

It has been a while since I have written a post. It has probably been because college has taken up most of my time. So far The University of Arkansas has been an amazing experience. I have meet so many new friends, gone outside my comfort zone, and had so many new experience. Oh the picture above is this trail that leads to my dorm. It is so pretty especially in the fall. With that being said I am going to tell you about my experience at The University of Arkansas so far.

As i said in my last post I live in Pomfret, and that there have alot of fire alarms go off and they still do. Here is a picture of Pomfret when the fire alarm went off on a school night at like 2am. They didn't let us in the building for 30 minutes. There was also an incident where the whole power on campus turned out. Yeahh... it turned off! The power was out for quite some time about 3-4 hours. The power went out because a squirrel got in to the power-box and turned off all the power in the university.That poor squirrel got fried :(

 So far I have only gone to one football game. It was University of Arkansas vs Texas Tech University sadly we lost 24-35. But overall it was a pretty fun game. The student section is pretty fun, because everyone is screaming and chanting. The tailgating is pretty fun too! Whenever there is a football game the college campus is just crazy with people screaming and its super fun.

I have also made some amazing friends throughout my college experience and awesome things i've got to do. I went to Little Rock Arkansas with my friends, I went to a bonfire with my friends too which was so much fun! 

                                              

On the right is when I went to Little Rock with my friend for a church retreat. On the left is me and my roommate in our dorm.

So that is my college experience so far but hey i'm only a freshman my college experience is just beginning.

My Favorite Quotes

These are some of my favorite quotes from movies, television shows, books, and people that I find motivational and relate to my life. I hope you like them...

Movies /Television Shows 

• "Spend a little more time trying to make something of yourself, and a little less time trying to impress people" - The Breakfast Club

• "Sometimes you need to step outside, clear your head and remind yourself of who you are. And where you wanna be. And sometimes you have to venture outside your world in order to find yourself." - Gossip Girl

• " The past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it" -Lion King

Books

• "So, I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them." - Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

• "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. Its not" -The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

• "Soon we must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy" - Harry Potter by JK Rowling

People

• “Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent” - Victor Hugo

• "Be the best version of you" - Zoella 

• "Do more of what makes you happy" - Alfie Deyes

Those are some of my favorite quotes I hope they inspire you and become one of your favorite quotes. Let me know what your favorite quotes are.

Reasons Why Every Girl Needs A Guy Best Friend

Many people believe guys and girls can't be just friends, but I believe that is false. Guys can be more straight forward and help you more than girls can. So here are some reasons why every girl needs a guy best friend. 

1) They do not judge you. Girls can be very judgmental at times but with guys when they know you and don't like you in that way they see you differently and do not feel the need to judge.

2) They are your perfect wing man. With girls it's pretty obvious when your best friend talks to your crush they know something is up. When guys talk to guys they don't find it that obvious, which is super easy for your guy best friend to swoop in and ask about you 

3) Help you when you have guy troubles. Guys know how other guys think making it easier for them to tell you if they have a crush on you or how and why they act the way they do. 

4) They are always completely honest with you. Unlike a boyfriend if you ask if they like this outfit or if this makes you look fat they will lie to not hurt your feelings. Guy friends will tell you an honest answer because they really care about you and want you to know the truth.

5) There is never any drama. Girls can have drama any once in a while but with guys they just shake it off and they just go with the flow.

6) They teach you what they like in girls. As girls we never know what guys look for in a girl... with guy friends at least they can tell you what they look for in a girl and what they don't which can be similar or different for guys.

7) You can eat whatever you want without judgement. When you go on a date with a guy you sometimes watch what you eat so you don't look like you are pigging out. With girls sometimes they count the calories which makes you not want to eat something fattening. With guy best friends you can eat whatever you want and they do not care.

8) Teach you things your girl best friends can't teach you. They teach you how to do more manly things such as help you understand football, teach you lessons on guys, and how to love yourself by being you.

9) Your own personal body guard. When you have been through a bad breakup or feeling victimized your guy best friend will always be there and have you back no matter what. He is there for you and have his friends on call for backup in case anything were to happen to you. 

10) They love you like family. They see you as your little sister and nothing more. They love you no matter what happens or what they do. He is your best friend that will always be there for you no matter what.

It takes some time to find a best guy friend that you can trust and have your back no matter what. But having one is defiantly something that is essential in a girls life.