Got to talk about the Saints, SORRY!

Ok, so if I haven't told you before, I am from New Orleans, LA. And, we do things really weird, crazy, awesome in NOLA....if you haven't been there, I would highly recommend going. Not even necessarily during Mardi Gras (though that is so fun), but maybe Jazz Fast (April/May), Voodoo Fest (October) or for the Sugar Bowl every January. Anyways, this season, (just in case you have been living under a rock), the New Orleans Saints are ROCKING IT OUT. Quick stats on the Saints:

-Founded in 1966
-We are rated FIRST in the NFC South right now!
-First ever NFL team to be 13-0 (HOPEFULLY we will be 14-0 in the next 30 minutes!!!)
-NEVER, ever, everrrrrrrrrrrrr, in Saints Franchise history, EVER, had this great of a season!!

Ok, so allll that said, I am freaking out right now watching Saints play the Cowboys. We always turn on the A-game in the 4th quarter when I am about to have a heart attack. This winning season has been SO GREAT for the city, giving hope and excitement to its people, and stimulating the economy and stirring up the pride that we have always had for The Crescent City but that has been somewhat dormant since Katrina. Louisianians have been going CRAZY with Saints jerseys, t-shirts, flags, magnets, cups, coozeys, pants, hats, signs, if you can put a fleur de lis and WHO DAT on it, they make it.

Also, for the record, WHO DAT, is our quick, proud chant which is short for:

WHO DAT? WHO DAT? WHO DAT SAY DEY GONA BEAT DEM SAINTS??

Laissez les bons temps roulez!!!!

Christmas Time is Here

Between final projects, papers, presentations, tests, exams and moving, I am just now getting to write another blog! The ends of semesters while in college are always, ALWAYS, insane. Professors cram assigning final projects, papers, etc to the last minute. Students cram doing the final projects, papers, etc to the last minute. Then come final exams. Then, most students pack to go home. Everyone gets overwhelmed with family and the year doesn't slow down until after New Years! Whew. I hope all of you finished strong, got good grades and are thoroughly enjoying your families, friends and relatives at home! Whatever you are doing this holiday (which for most of you should consist of 4-6 weeks OFF, YAY), I hope you soak up the time off of classes and ENJOY life :) For you freshmen, college only gets FASTER, so don't wish it away. For you sophomores, you are almost finished HALFWAY of your college education. For you juniors, this is the last "carefree" break you will have. And for you seniors, finish up the graduate school applications and job applications so that next semester, our FINAL semester of undergraduate, will be an EASY BREEZE!!

Everyone done Christmas shopping?? What all are you wanting for CHristmas?? I still have a few to get AH!!

Sorority Parties

Everyone knows one of the funnest parts of being a college student is all the parties we get to go to, especially if you are in a sorority or fraternity! This Saturday night is my formal (my last formal ever) and I am so excited. I love the opportunity to dress up and go out on a date! We are having it at Gabriella Manor. Apparently this place is awesome. Can't wait to check it out myself. Should be a really great time.

Any good parties this weekend? Where do ya'll have your formals? What has been your favorite party theme this year? I have gone to parties from White Trash to Chi O Casino! Loved them all but my favs have been Chi O Casino and White Carnation Ball.

Hold on...

Hold on guys. Keep pressing on. We are in our final stretch of Fall 2009 and though everyone is anxiously awaiting Thanksgiving next Thursday (YAY!) and Christmas in 5 1/2 weeks (no one is counting :/), we must press forward with the end of the semester! Going to class and doing work is the absolute hardest at this point because as college kids, we get tired. We get burnt out and tired of doing so much work for so long. But know, it is worth finishing STRONG until the very end. When high, good grades are returned and you can put an awesome GPA on your resume to make you MUCH MORE MARKETABLE (and get a job) in this jobless market, all your hard work will pay off. I know that hole "C's get degrees" motto. But I don't agree with it. Why not be the BEST you can? Why not challenge yourself to produce quality work and build a good reputation for yourself? I started feeling really burnt out this morning so I wanted to encourage ya'll to all focus on the finish line. Don't stop before it. You must finish the race WELL. Take each day at a time. One project, presentation and test at a time. Deep breaths, lots of red bull, coffee, monsters, stress food, and late night study buddies. Find those people who you can be productive with but will keep you company late into the night (or early in the morning if that's more your style).

One of the smartest and BEST things about college life is the LONG (NEEDED) Christmas break in between Fall and Spring. Keeping this in mind oftentimes helps me finish what I have to do!

Maybe a little realistic/thought-provoking quote is appropriate!

“There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning.” - Louis L'Amour (1908–1988), American writer

Somewhat negative, but good to keep in mind and SO TRUE! I like to interpret it as there always being a new challenge to conquer!

NEW ACCESSORIES

Dorm Suite Dorm Friends-

We are launching a new and exciting winter accessory collection. In order for you to decorate your dorm rooms the best, we wanted to offer you the cutest and trendiest decor. Many of these accessories make great gifts. With Christmas coming up, remember your college daughters, sisters, friends, and cousins at www.dormsuitedorm.com. I have included some of our collection above. Please visit our website or give us a call to see the complete new line and to answer any of your questions 205-879-8278.

WHO DAT?!

Who dat say dey gona beat dem SAINTS?! The Saints played the Atlanta Falcons tonight and considering I am from New Orleans and a huge Saints fan...I AM PUMPED!! 7-0 baby! Superbowl anyone?? :)

Football is such a huge part of our society, especially college. I watched the game tonight with a past professor who I have become good friends with (She is from New Orleans too) and she was saying that if it were up to her, college sports would become obsolete. She would turn, say LSU Football, into a pro-team. I gave her a funny face and then asked why in the heck would you do thaaatt!? She hates that people make college decisions based on the sports. However, this further reflects how important we make sports, football, baseball, soccer, basketball, as a society!! It is crazy!

Hope ya'll weren't pulling for the Falcons tonight!! :)

Holiday Decor

Halloween always reminds me of costumes and decorations for the upcoming series of Holidays! Holiday decorating is so much fun, especially in a dorm room. There are so many options to embrace the holidays by decorating your dorm room. I have seen college students wrap their doors in wrapping paper (appropriate for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas) and add ribbons, bows, signs, etc. onto the door. (This is also fun for birthdays!). Pumpkins, cats, turkeys, Capricorns, Christmas trees (small ones are available to fit in your dorm at http://www.christmastrees4smallspaces.com/, http://www.target.com/gp/search/179-0483622-2072919?field-keywords=christmas+tree&url=index%3Dtarget%26search-alias%3Dtgt-index&ref=sr_bx_1_1&x=0&y=0, or http://www.acehardware.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=christmas%20tree&origkw=christmas%20tree&sr=1 ), Santa Clause, stockings for you and your roommate, holiday towels, decorative curtains, or rugs are all great additions to your room to prepare for each holiday. Don’t forget you can hang decorations, signs, etc from your fans or in between ceiling tiles. It can be fun to hang fabric from your ceiling or walls as well.

Another option to change the mood in your dorm room is to buy different colored light bulbs. You can visit http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Navigation?storeId=10051&categoryID=502955&langId=1&catalogId=10053&navFlow=3&searchRedirect=light%20bulbs or http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productList&Ne=4294967294&category=Light+Bulbs&N=0+4294960302 to find decorative and multi-colored bulbs for your rooms. Orange is fun for Halloween. And, red and green are festive for Christmas. Changing all your bulbs may not be good for your eyes and reading; however, changing a few will set the holiday mood!

I don’t know about you, but scents and smells always bring back memories and put me in a holiday mood along with all the decorations. Candles are obviously the first thought when I say scent; however, many dorm rooms don’t allow candles (fire hazard). So, if candles are not an option, diffusers are an awesome alternative! You can purchase diffusers at several different stores (Target, WalMart, Hallmark) or from small businesses online. Just Google diffuser and choose the scent that best matches your favorite holiday smells! It will complete your holiday-decorated room and set the perfect aroma for the holiday season.

Have fun decorating your dorm room for the upcoming holiday season!

Happy Halloween

Happy, belated, Halloween to ya'll! I hope everyone had a fun, and safe night last night. Halloween is always so fun in college. There are always many parties to choose from and crazy costumes to wear. I came home this Halloween. For the first time in four years, Halloween fell on the weekend so I could come home for my Maw Maw (my grandmother, for all you non-Louisiana people) and my Moma's Birthdays! After we celebrated, I met up with my cousins to further celebrate All Hallows Eve. It was a great night. What did ya'll do? Any fun parties? What did ya'll dress up as (that is always the hardest part for me)?!

p.s. I hope everyone remembered to set their clocks back last night at 2am. We gained an hour, to sleep, but lost an hour of daylight. We can't win with this whole daylight savings time thing!

Happy November!

I am BACK!

I AM BACK! I cannot even explain how happy I am to be able to say that. I took the GMAT TODAY. It took me 4 hours.....10:45am-2:45am. Brutal. Standardized tests. What is the point? They are so incredibly frustrating. You remember those days of taking the ACT or SAT right? I would encourage you, if you are interested in Graduate School, to start prepping for the GRE, GMAT, MCAT, LSAT, whatever the test is, early and make a schedule for yourself! Anyways, enough about that.

Funny story, at least for me. Mrs. Sheri got some new bath robes to offer ya'll on her website www.dormsuitedorm.com. They are so comfy and cute cute colors. Welllll....she didn't have a picture of them so she got ME to model them. HAAAA. I pasted the picture on the left...hilarious! I hope ya'll take a second to go look at all the new accessories on our website. Other than bath robes, Mrs. Sheri has matching cosmetic bags, mirrors, picture frames (ADORABLE), picture bags, picture pockets, and so much more. Trust me.....go check it out.

PS those capris I have on in the picture are on the website too...love them. Almost took them home with me haha

Quotes continue...

Sorry this is how it has to be right now :( Hope ya'll are at least enjoying the quotes! I personally love them... Have a great week

	“In this world, you must be a bit too kind in order to be kind enough.”
	Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux (1688–1763) French writer

Stress

Stress! It is a very manageable thing; however, it can also take over your life!! I am sorry to say that I will be leaving you with several quotes to enjoy, contemplate, disagree with, etc in the next 9 days because I am taking the GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test) for Business Graduate School next Wednesday (talk about stress) and will thus be preoccupied studying to hopefully ACE it!!! I hope you enjoy the next marathon of quotes...they are some really good ones :)

	“No time like the present.”
	Delarivier Manley (1663–1724) English writer

Presentations

Just as I wrote last night about how every college student HAS to experience...and endure.....group projects, presentations are something else that you won't escape. Presentations have never been stressful for me personally. Yes, I have to prepare (even though I usually do better just winging it) and work for the quality of my presentation; however, public speaking has never really freaked me out or scared me. I know this is not the case for many people (and I am ever-grateful I am not included in this bunch). For those of you who hate presentations, just remember to 1. practice, practice, practice. In front of the mirror, in front of your friends and even in your sleep. 2. Research and study the information SO well that JUST IN CASE you mess up your lines, you can start speaking from memory. 3. Go to the room/site where you will be speaking before the planned presentation in order to be comfortable with the environment and maybe even do a practice run. 4. Try and look people in their eyes as you speak, but if you can't, look at their foreheads. It is not good speech-making etiquette to look over your audience. 5. Make flash cards or some sort of prompts. Most presentations allow for prompts to keep you on track and smoothly speaking. 6. DO NOT READ YOUR PROMPTS. These are not to be read. That would not be giving a presentation. That would be reading to your class, which anyone could do. And 7. Ask someone you respect, and who you know can be honest with you, to critique your presentation. There are always mannerisms and gestures that we make as we talk; however, we don't realize that we do most of them. So, it is good to get an unbiased and helpful point of view.

Any presentations this week? I have 2!!

Goodluck if so....knock em dead :)

Group Projects

Inevitably, you will be required to participate in a group project. That is part of college. You can't avoid it. Many people love group projects. Usually these people consist of the ones that don't do SQUAT. And then there are other people (the ones who do EVERYTHING) who hate group projects (i.e. ME). I wish I could hope that this scenario would alter once I got into the real, working world, with mature adults; however, I do not have high expectations. There will always be those that ride along on others' hard work. How do we avoid this? Or at least minimize it? I have found, within college, if I delegate specific tasks to people and then follow through with them OFTEN, they are a little more likely to complete it. This is just a small action, which doesn't have a huge turn around, but it is something. I wish I had a better answer. Sometimes people need to be "babied" or "micromanaged." At that point, maybe it's better to just do it yourself. Or sometimes people just need to be called out, embarrassed if you will. Most of the freeriders continue to freeride because no one says anything. If you call them out, especially in front of people, maybe they will care enough to do something about it, ya know. But maybe they won't!

I guess you just have to ask yourself: Am I going to just do the work RIGHT and let others get credit for it? Am I going to call him/her out? Do I micromanage (which isn't my job)?

UGH, group projects....

I like quotes!

	“Be not careless in deeds, nor confused in words, nor rambling in thought.”
	Marcus Aurelius (121–180) Roman emperor and philosopher To ponder......

I love LSU...GEAUX TIGERS!

Alright. I don't know if you are a football fan, but basically, if you didn't watch the LSU v FLA game tonight, you must live under a rock. FYI, about 34% of Americans claim football as their favorite sport (http://pewresearch.org/pubs/315/americans-to-rest-of-world-soccer-not-really-our-thing). Anyways, I refuse to be a fair-weather fan so, even though the Gators beat my Tigers 13-3, I still love the LSU Tigers. LSU started the game really strong, pumped and positive; however, did not end quite as passionate. They put up a great fight but the game is not over. We still have Alabama to beat on Saturday November 7. I am hoping we can redeem ourselves then!

Football is one of the biggest parts of college. When I began going to Samford University and football was NOT big and there was no 12-hour tailgating, and nobody had an intense PASSION and love for SU Football, I began to wonder if I was missing out on the "typical" college experience. All my friends from high school went to LSU, UGA, USM: mostly big, state schools (where the football rocks)! Me and a few of my really close friends however, decided to attend smaller schools (5,000-10,000 students). And though the football isn't the same, we can support state school football just as much as if we attended the state school and can experience football as often and as much as we want! So basically, 3 1/2 years later, I can say that I get the valuable small classroom sizes, the close relationships with professors and the small school benefits while still supporting and enjoying the large, state school football games! Don't be discouraged if you feel like you are missing out college, you are not! You can experience both! Live it up!

GEAUX TIGERS!

Working your options

Never for one second think that many of the professors, staff, faculty or professional people you are encountering in your college career will not be able to help you find a job when you are nearing graduation. I forgot who gave me this brilliant piece of advice, but I want to pass it along: "Always, always be networking." Fortunately, I listened to this advice since I was a freshman in college and it has already helped me get my foot in a few doors. Two important, intelligent and powerful people that I greatly respect and admire in this community have dropped my name to the same company (go figure). Wow. No one would ever think that your actions years ago would or could affect how someone views you, your work ethic, your character, your skill set and your intelligence for a future job or career. REMEMBER THIS THOUGH. Always be networking. You never ever know who someone may know and how they can help you one day. You don't want to screw that up!!

For Four Years...

Night before last the senior Chi Omegas took our NEW HOOTIES (or freshman pledges) to dinner. This was so fun! Typically, seniors in the sorority are so far removed (they live off campus, focused on graduation, graduate school, jobs, weddings, moving, and already have made their close friends) that it is rare for them to get to know the freshman pledges. I remember when I was a pledge, the seniors actually intimidated me! And I don't get intimidated hardly ever! For serious. The seniors just seemed so old and knew the ropes so well, I wanted to be like that. And I thought I would never get to that point. So, in an effort to close the 3 year gap, senior pledge class 2009 (last year) thought of the idea to bring the freshmen out to dinner. They paired up pledges with seniors to ride together and sit together at the restaurant. We decided to do that again this year and it went so so well. I have gotten great feedback from both seniors and freshman (since I planned it this makes me even happier)! I know that I personally loved talking to them and investing some time in the pledges. I want them to be comfortable talking to me and I don't want to be intimidating!! After all, I am their new sister :) A few weeks ago I ran into a Chi Omega that was a senior when I was a freshman. We had a short conversation (about mi casa, New Orleans), she looked me straight in the eyes, but still had no idea who the heck I was, much less that I was a sorority sister. ha! This made me laugh. However, it also made me realize, that though it was unintentional, I do not want that to be me with our new hooties this year! I know that I cannot (because I do not have the time during the day) get to know all 50 pledges; however, I would love to get to know as many as I possibly can!

If you are a pledge/new member this year, how is the situation for you with the seniors? Have they made an effort to know you or are they too far removed, distant and intimidating?

Advice for pledges-You too make an effort to get to know the upperclassmen. Don't let them intimidate you. They may not show it well; however, they already love you and would love nothing more than for you to walk up to them, introduce yourself and have a conversation. Be daring. Get out of your comfort zone. We can both learn from each other :)

Be Intentional

Each semester, you as a student get to schedule the following semester's classes. Take it from me, BE STRATEGIC when you are planning your schedule. Since I am a business major, I oftentimes do not have Friday classes (which is amazing) and this weekend, I got to come home yesterday, slept late in my own bed this morning and am getting an extra day with my family. I love this part of my schedule. The weekends I don't get to come home, I can travel elsewhere for a longer weekend OR I can have an extra long, lazy weekend at my college casa. Anyways, make your schedule exactly how you want it. Sometimes classes are only offered on certain days or at certain times and this can really screw up your plan; however, for the most part, you can get it pretty close to how you want it.

Also, remember to keep into consideration if you are a morning or night person. Don't schedule yourself ALL 8:00am classes if you hate the morning!! Take classes later into the day so that you aren't miserable and can focus better. Or, if you like the morning and want to be done with class before lunch, schedule those 8:00am's! (Goodluck with them ha I hate the mornings!)

As graduation nears, I am quickly learning that this freedom of scheduling will no longer be available to me post-graduation. You might say this is ONE of the many reasons I am going to grad school next year lol So, soak up the amazingness of creating your own schedule while it lasts!!

Travel in Style!

So I am sitting here in the Birmingham airport, trying to be productive while I am waiting on my flight home to New Orleans and I just thought to myself how I really need to get Sheri to make me a cute carry-on bag for when I travel! She has told me that she can make bags, so why not customize a travel bag?? I love traveling and having bags created exactly how I want them would make me so very happy! Heck, I could get an entire line of travel bags from Sheri. Carry-ons, duffels, lunch bags (SO CUTE, I saw), garment bag or even a laundry bag!

Do you like traveling? Where have you traveled to?

Is any other place better than America? I personally love my country but I love LOVE Europe over us! ha. It may have something to do with the history in Europe (I love history). But they do things so different over there. Why?? Any thoughts??

Parking Tickets Ruin Any Day

Parking tickets really blow. I had a test this morning (which was FINE...that is suppose to be in my dry, sarcastic tone) and after I left the business building, I found a stupid parking ticket on my car. It said that I was parked in an unmarked spot. Ok, ONE, I have parked there for the past 2 weeks and never gotten a ticket. TWO, there were lines on the ground. THREE, there is a cement parking block in the grass behind where I parked. UGH. It makes me so mad.

Luckily, there is an appeal system in place at my university. My appeal (which I did TODAY) will be presented in front of the traffic appeals council (comprised of students) and then they will decide if I have to pay the $50 fine. I hope they are gracious!!! Seriously, I think I have personally paid for one of the campus officer's salary in the last 4 years of parking on campus. ha. Pretty sad how many tickets I have gotten.

My daddy always taught me that if there is no place to park that you should make your own parking spot. We drive a lot of SUV's in my family. When I came to college 4 years ago, I figured that still applied (I was driving a Jeep Liberty at the time). So, in like 4 weeks I got 2 parking tickets for making my own parking spots. haha. I give daddy credit for those! He still jokes about it til this day!

Does your campus security get on your nerves? Do they give crazy parking tickets? Are they effective in keeping you safe??

Is sleep optional?

For my whole life, my Daddy (who I am the spitting image of and much like in personality) has told me that sleep is optional. We are both night owls and become very productive at night (we also procrastinate like nobody's business and love music from the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's). I have always believed him. There are not enough hours in the day to do everything that everyone should experience in their short life time. We have to live it up while we are here! HOWEVER, two things, ONE: Some people just need sleep. If you are one of those people, figure this out (preferably before you go to college because college is all about NOT sleeping). And TWO: even those people such as myself and my Daddy HAVE to get some sleep or else you will GET SICK. Trust me. I can speak from experience. Lack of sleep for many consecutive days decreases your immune system and everybody knows how many millions of germs exists, especially at college (since everyone is all over each other in the dorm, sorority house, fraternity house, parties...). So what do ya'll think? Is sleep optional? How do you experienced college goers do it? Naps? Sleep through classes?....

Turn my swag on....yeeeeaaahhhhhhhh

We played ADPi tonight in flag football. CHI O v ADPi. OMG. Talk about craaaazy! Competition started with the players and kept on going into the fans. Can I just say that, WE WON!! 6-0, OT. It was beautiful. My sisters get so intense. It is unreal. Our coaches (for tonight), were saying that they need my sisters on their football team (haha they play for my university...real, tackle football). There were flags almost every play. ADPi got a least 5 downs each time they were on offense...if not more. The calls were unbelievable...but Chi O's prevailed, as always. Girls were flipping, sliding, elbowing, pushing... all over the place. Wish I would have taped the game. This one goes down in the books.

Our pledges finally came (Chi O's are always late!!). They supported well. They were loud and one girl did a little half time show for us :) Which reminds me, Bid Day was awesome last night. We got an amaaazing pledge class. So exciting. In fact, supposedly, ADPi is mad at us because we took all of their girls haha. So the game tonight just sealed the deal. Oh snap.

Hootie Freakin Hoo

BID DAY

I am not a rush fan (as I have said a few times, I think), but this year was my last and I was kind of emotional. Yes. I admit it. I cried today at pref. We only had 3 pref parties and I had a speech and choked up during all 3 of them. ha. Oh well. I can not believe no more rush, ever again.

Though rush in general is not a favorite season of mine, I do LOVE Bid Day. Seeing all the PNM's open their bids and FREAK out is so fun and then welcoming them into our sisterhood is awesome. It always makes me so proud to be a Chi Omega. Squeal, as the guys on campus prefer to call it, is tomorrow night. Our chapter has a tradition to eat at Daves' Pizza in Homewood every year after squeal, pictures and presents in our house. I love this too because we rent out all of Daves' and have the place to ourselves to eat a ton of really good pizza.

I am pumped to have my life back. Stressful week ahead. Lots of work and work work to do. Excited to have more time to do it all though!

I will write about how SQUEAL goes tomorrow :)

There is a reason it is called RUSH

Rush FINALLY begins tonight! Philanthropy night today and tomorrow, Theme night Saturday, Pref Night Sunday and BID DAY ON MONDAY! I can't believe it is here. OMG! I am so excited that it is my last one. Rush has never really been my season. It will be so much fun and I am going to be so nostalgic this weekend; but, I am really glad rush is almost over, forever. Weird.

If you are going through delayed rush this weekend, or anytime in the near future...goodluck! Be yourself. Ask questions. Try and place yourself in the house and see if it is right for you. All the pretty decorations will come down after rush, so think about the girls you talk to, the relationships you make/made. Have fun. Smile. Put yourself out there.

Hootie Hoo

You snooz...maybe you won't lose?

Everyone has those professors that just talk and talk and talk and you have NO IDEA what they are talking about nor do you really want to know what they are talking about. Or they talk until they just put you to sleep. One of my classes today felt like that. I wanted to be everywhere else but listening to my professor basically talk to himself. I almost felt like I was interrupting a conversation. ha. Talent, skill, knowledge, intelligence. My professor is lacking none of these. It is the excitement, attention-getting (and keeping) lectures that so many professors lack. Anyways, I got through it. Though I don't have too much of a clue what we discussed.

This is so frustrating because we (and I really mean my Moma and Daddy when I say we) are paying a lot of money for education, and giving up a lot of time (that we could make money) to receive an education. And when my professor puts me to sleep, I feel like all of the money and time are going to waste. I suppose we can all learn something from even a boring professor; however, it is unlikely that he/she will keep a college students' attention long enough to achieve such.

We all have to do things we don't want to do...I know that....but I guess it doesn't always have to be fun :) Keep those eyes open during class...maybe you will catch something good!!!

The Intensity of College Intramurals

College intramurals can get INTENSE, ok! Chi Omega, TEAM A, had our second game tonight at 10:30pm! We played independent women (very good independent women). But, we actually scored a touchdown and only lost 6-13. haha. That is GOOD for us! One of my good friends and sisters got elbowed in the mouth and chipped 2 of her teeth. She is a little upset (that is an understatement) because she is getting married right after graduation in May. yikes! It took two of my best friends and I to block this one girl from getting to our QB. Insane rushing going on here. Another good friend and sister of mine, bumped the, shall we call her, wide receiver and/or running back of the opposing team out of bounds and knocked her down, to the ground. It was so hilarious because my sister then proceeded to run to her side to make sure she was ok. I was shocked the refs didn't call intentional penalty or something, to be honest. haha. We are very amusing to watch. I wish we could pad up, but we have to stick to flags. Can you imagine? A bunch of girls playing tackle football. lol.

So I am pretty positive that every college/university has a trillion intramurals like we do here at Samford. flag football, soccer, softball, basketball, dodgeball, ultimate frisbee, bowling, the list goes on. PARTICIPATE in at least one of these. It is such a good way to meet people/bond with your already-close friends. You stay active. And it is so much fun! Just think, intramurals aren't really offered after you leave college so soak up the time to play organized sports while you still can. Plus, you will get some GOOD laughs out of it all. (i.e. rumor has it a girl was pantsed at our game last week, that I couldn't make because of the flu...crazy)!!

Work hard. Play hard! :)

College Scheduling

Today I had my afternoon class. For 3 years, I have avoided afternoon classes and gotten finished with class by 1:00pm. If you can do this...I would HIGHLY suggest!! You get the ENTIRE afternoon to do whatever you want (work, sleep, homewok...etc.) My afternoon class is from 2:15-3:20 and it's so aggravating. It breaks up my afternoon..but, as my Moma says, "Oh well, you gota do what you gota do!" ha

When I think about it, I can't even complain though. The accounting majors have a class on Wednesday NIGHTS from 5:15-7:30pm. EW! I feel so bad for them. Why can't they teach Tax 2 at a more decent hour? Anyone have any good explanations why not??

Anyways, all I am saying is, get your classes over with as early as possible if I were you.

So, AFTER my late, aggravating afternoon class, I went to a Welcome BAck Event with the Brock School of Business. It was fun. I got to see some Professors and peers I had yet to see since being back. One of the Business Faculty members reminded me of the awfulness of the "real world." Ha. She definitely reminded me, no summers, no spring breaks and no long Christmas vacations. Just throwing it out there, maybe I should fail a few classes so I can stay an undergrad a little longer...?? Who in the heck would want to leave this for THAT! haha

Ok, sorry this was a bit of venting and a very random tonight!

Peace out

The Directionally Challenged

Ok, so today I had a working lunch with my boss at Dorm Suite Dorm (Sheri) and her sister (my previous boss, Vikki. Funny I know). We ate in downtown Birmingham at Urban Standard. (So good. Eclectic atmosphere. Cool vibe. Great food. Totally recommend it if you are in the Ham.) Anyways, I got completely LOST! What else is new in my life?? A simple, "It is on 2nd Ave N between 23rd and 24th Streets" did nothing for me. NOTHING! I walked around looking like a tourist in the city I have lived in for the past 3 years and, not to mention, an idiot. And... I have a GPS on my phone.

Directionally challenged is what I like to call it. It just sounds so much better than "No Sense of Direction" or "Bad with Directions" or just plain "Dumb." ha! May I HIGHLY encourage everyone who is driving and moving to a new (and unknown) city to invest in a GPS. Whether that be on your phone or in your car or mobile (can be put in your car or in other peoples' cars), get one! They prove to be fabulous Christmas presents parents.

My freshman year of college, I moved to a NEW city (Birmingham, AL) without having any knowledge of the town and no GPS. Talk about mistake! I got so so so lost and ended up in really sketchy areas of town (or other towns when I went out of town) a LOT! It happened so much that my parents got me a GPS for Christmas. Well the following Spring Break, my roommate, good friend and I decided to go to Atlanta, GA, Clearwater, FL, Orlando, FL, and then back to Birmingham. I am not proud to admit, but we did not listen to Genie (my GPS) because I was one of the first students to have one and we didn't know better. THUS, we ended up driving 20 minutes from Chattanooga, TN instead of Atlanta, GA. Don't even ask me how. I think we missed a turn or a merge or something. But we got penalized for not listening to Genie and NEVER AGAIN have I not listened to her. Whew! Talk about wasting time and gas!

All that being said, get yourself a GPS and listen to it! haha! They are worth every penny and will save you a lot of heartache, stress, time, gas, frustration and keep you safe.

Happy Travels College Kids

Yes, I am going to talk about it too,The Swine Flu

Everybody in your moma is talking about the swine flu (and I would really encourage you to go to the CDC website http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1FLU/ and read up on this crazy virus). But can I just say, that being sick at college is awful. It's "home" but Moma and Daddy aren't there to help take care of you, nor any other family most likely. Two out of three of my roommates got the flu at the end of last week and I started suffering from early symptoms. So we were all three put on house arrest for the weekend! Let me tell you, that was interesting. One of my roomies went home to Montgomery for the weekend while the other roomy and I stayed here in Birmingham. OMG! We watched Two Weeks Notice, What Happens in Vegas, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkeban, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Just Married, Twilight and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. On top of that we watched a bunch of Friends, King of the Hill and CSI epsiodes. I think I slept a total of 38 hours in 3 days! Let's just say we bonded! Missing some parties and a wedding sucked, but I didn't want to get worse or spread the dang flu. That is one thing that you need to be careful of (I did this freshman year): RELAPSING! Take it EASY after you get sick and start feeling better. Your body still needs some recovery time....even if you are feeling better! Also, if you feel THAT bad, GO HOME. Or let your mom or daddy come pick you up. It is worth being sick at home and having them to help take care of you. Luckily, Holly, my roommate, and I have amazing friends and her family in town that brought us some soup and food but not everyone is so lucky! Go home. Wash your hands!! Don't drink after other people. Don't love too much on other people right now. (I know, I know, hard to do). Be cautious and aware of this dumb virus that seems to be overtaking college campuses! We are just in such close proximity of each other I suppose it is easy. Hopefully the epidemic will be over soon and people can stop obsessing over this thing! Until such time...stay healthy!! Anybody else gotten sick yet? Share the crazy house arrest stories....

J

Short but Sweet

I have been sick for the past 2 days so I thought I would share another quote. I just love quotes. Next blog to come...being sick at college! It sux!

"Practice isn't the thing to do once you are good. It's the thing you do that makes you good."

Malcolm Gladwell (Canadian Journalist)

Quote du jour

Just wanted to share. :)

"The gem cannot be polished without friction nor man without trials." -Chinese proverb.

What are ya'll's thoughts???

The rich get richer and the poor get poorer

With school starting comes the adventurous and bank breaking quest of buying textbooks. May I suggest from personal experience, DO NOT BUY FROM YOU BOOKSTORE! College bookstores all over probably want to throw rocks at me for saying that but they mark the books up SO MUCH! Amazon.com, half.com, freetextbooks.com, any other used book (which is JUST as effective as a new book) is cheaper than your bookstore. Granted, you have to wait a bit longer when you purchase textbooks outside of your bookstore, but it is SO worth the wait to save some money!!

We started rush practice last night...hello rush season! If you think being a rushee is intense, just wait until you get on the other side. For those of you finished with rush, CONGRATUALTIONS. Way to make it through the monster. For those of you awaiting the beloved parties, no worries. Delayed rush is great and well worth the wait.

This year swine flu is all the talk. Everyone is hoping that all our rush practices won't go in vain. People are scared rush will be canceled because of the swine flu. Man people can talk. I pray the swine flu won't take over Birmingham, AL!

Stay healthy. Wash those hands. And goodluck with finishing your first week of class!

J

The Girl Next Door

Today was my last, first day of undergraduate classes. Talk about nostalgia. I never ever in my wildest dreams realized how different being a freshman in college is from being a senior in college. The day took on very typical Joie events...I will explain: First, I actually left my house with PLENTY of time (I am usually late). Well, today was no different, even though I left in time. I got to campus and could find no parking spots within a close distance from the Brock School of Business. I ended up parking at the bottom of the BIG hill with only 5 minutes to speed walk up to class. Needless to say, I didn't make it. I was late (by like 3 minutes) to my VALUES class. Oh the irony. My professor is awesome though, so no big. Then I totally got lost in the art building looking for my art apprec classroom. Yeah, have never been in there so definitely went everywhere BUT the right place. Made a friend in the process and didn't find the correct room until I swallowed my senior pride and asked for directions from a professor. haha. Oh the shame. At least my life stays interesting, to say the least. And I meet nice people in the process.

I also researched classes at gyms today within the Birmingham area. Turns out, it is way better to stick to the "free" school gym. My girlfriends and I really wanted to take a spin class and maybe some pilates or yoga or kickboxing. All of which Samford's gym does not offer. We took a few jazzercise classes at Samford last semester but haven't heard anything about it continuing this year. Classes are so so fun. A great way to work out with your friends. I would highly recommend if you, unlike me, can afford them, to participate in the phenomenon. We found membership ONLY at the Y ($50 registration fee and $41 a month fyi) and then an opportunity to pay per class at Golds Gym ($15 per class fyi). So anyways, that got turned down quick, fast and in a hurry.

We start rush practice tomorrow night. HELP! The insane, chaotic, craziness is about to begin on Samford's campus. For those of you that have completed rush for the year, I would love to hear how it went (maybe that will motivate me for the 3 weeks of practices and 1 week of parties I have coming up). PLease share! Rushees, don't panic. Go shopping and get excited. It's not called rush for no reason :)

J

Back to School

I can't believe this summer is over. Thankfully, it was long, but still....class starts next week! EW! This is my last year and everything is stranger than ever. I am ready to be done undergraduate but at the same time I don't want to go to class! Guess I am going to have to get over that if I plan on graduating in May!

Back to school is full of moving: errands, Target, Wal Mart, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Home Depot, Office Max, Hobby LObby, KIrklands, Pier 1 runs. I would suggest allowing yourself plenty of time to get your dorm/house/apartment exactly how you want it! It has taken me waaaaayyy longer than I ever thought! I think I may have burned as much money on gas as I have on supplies! Crazy right!? Just a note, I have found the best lamps at Kirklands! Awesome prices and so cute!

Pillows are another way to decorate and at Dorm Suite Dorm, you can custom design as many pillows as you want. Feather, cotton or polyester? Monogrammed, not monogrammed? Bows, ribbons, solid, multi-colored? Square, rectangle, cyclinder? You decide! They come out fabulous! I just saw one today in the office for a Bama student. It is maroon and grey with "hotty toddy" monogrammed on the front. SO CUTE! I kind of want it haha That happens a lot in the office!!

Goodluck with the moving!!

J

Living the sweet life

As I have mentioned before, college is the sweet life! You get your social independence without having to pay for everything. Plus, being 18, 19, and 20 something is so much fun. All this talk of the good life comes with a warning label....oftentimes, the first, and sometimes, second semesters of college are a difficult transition. Though new everything sounds exciting, and eventually is, transitioning to new everything is hard. Making new friends can be really stressful for a lot of people. Being away from your comfort zone, your family and all you have known for your whole life can be shocking. Managing your entire life is kind of a big deal and many people need a little time to get used to it. Just don't cave in. Go for it. Jump in head first actually. Be persistent and committed to making it work. I personally think if after a year you are still miserable then a change is needed. The good thing about this warning label is to know that time is your best friend. You will get used to it. Your life will come together. It will all be ok. Just give yourself some time.

Bon chance


J

That thing called class...

College is so fun! They are the best years of your life....that is why they fly by so darn fast!! Stay there as long as you can. There is independence, FUN, parties, friends.....and, that thing called class. Amongst all of the amazingness of college are these things called class (and you have to study)! Though this completely blows, it is afterall the reason you are there. ha (I tend to forget that a lot.) The best way to capitalize on the these things you have to do is to know yourself and your strengths. If you are a morning person, schedule all 8:00am classes and get them over with early. You will have free afternoons to do whatever you want. If you are not a morning person, do NOT schedule 8:00am classes. Schedule 9:15am or even 11:00am classes. You will finish a little later in the afternoon, but it would be worth it since you hate the mornings. Right?! :) Also, make sure to be organized. Time management is so so important in college. You have all this free time with no one making you do your homework, study or read your textbooks. But, you still have to in order to succeed in school. You will quickly learn when good times are to take care of this business. And trust me, it is better to take care of it than not to. Also, if you know procrastinating is your thing and you still produce quality work, don't let anybody tell you it's bad or harass you about not preparing more in advance. It has served me well for years and has never held me back!! :) Classes and class work aren't ALL that bad. No worries. They pass and you can still have some fun in between!

Caio

J

You know you are ready for college if you.....

1. Talk, think, eat, sleep and dream about your upcoming adventure.
2. Buy everything in anticipation for college (dorm room, class, and life)
3. are getting tired of living under your parents' rules.
4. are ready to be on your own, doing what you want, when you want, how you want.
5. are ready for something new, different, challenging and exciting.
6. don't know what you want to do with your life.
7. want to figure out what to do with your life.
8. want to play around!

Caio

J

Quote du jour

I thought I would leave ya'll with another quote tonight. What do ya'll think?!!!

"Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says"Make me feel important." - Mary Kay Ash, American Businesswoman.



Caio

J

Customize

I just wanted to let everybody know that Sheri, owner of Dorm Suite Dorm, has been really flexible this summer when it comes to customizing your dorm room. She wants everyone to create EXACTLY what they want for their dorm room. So, brainstorm ideas and give her a call because she can make it happen!!

She is very talented and has a great group of women that work with her to ensure that each girl gets her dream bedding or dorm room decor. Sheri, a resident of Birmingham, AL, loves getting to know YOU! She has two wonderful boys, but also loves the opportunity to hear YOUR story and see what your dreams are. Being a nurse by trade, Sheri's caring nature is all but too large and she is a joy to do business with! Check out her site, www.dormsuitedorm.com or call her at 205-879-8278! You won't regret it!

Caio

J

Holiday Decor

Happy belated Fourth of July beauties! I hope everyone had a restful and fun fourth weekend. It was quiet down here in Louisiana (at least at my house) but it was good! We threw my cousin an engagement party last night so it took all weekend to set up and get things ready for him and his wonderful fiancee! Anyways, with the Fourth of July just passing through, I thought I would write on holiday decorations in your future dorm room. I would really encourage you to participate in this phenomenon. It is so fun and keeps things changing throughout the year. It also gets everyone in a festive mood :) Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break, and Easter are all big holidays so decorations can easily be found at Target, WalMart, KMart, Michaels, Gordons, or Hobby Lobby. Sometimes just a simple door decoration is all that is needed while other times a Christmas tree, lights, ornaments and ceiling decorations are a must. It depends on you. How big do you want to do it? My motto is "Go big or go home." But, if you prefer smaller risks, be my guest!!

Something else that is really fun to do is to decorate your girlfriends' (or guy friends) doors for their birthday. You can wrap it in birthday wrapping paper and put a huge bow. Or, make a really big card for everyone to sign on his/her door. You can always buy those crazy signs like "It's my birthday...." to put on his/her door too. I have even rolled someone's dorm room with toilet paper for her birthday. We snuck in while she wasn't there :) Get creative. Afterall, your birthday is another holiday and just another excuse to have some fun and decorate!!

Caio

J

My life is comprised of quotes!

I love quotes. I feel like other people can put my philosophies into words so much better than I can! So, tonight I want to leave you with a quote that I feel like college has taught me a lot about!! Tell me your thoughts! Enjoy-Caio!

"To play it safe is not to play." (Robert Altman)

Freshman 15 or 20 or 30...

The "freshman 15" is a pain in the butt; but, it is true. Logically, this doesn't make much sense because the typical college experience includes a lot of walking; however, because your diet changes to fattier foods (cafeteria and fast food) and alcohol calories usually increase, most college students gain weight their freshman year. This can be easily avoided, especially if you are aware of the trend. Watch what you eat. Try not to eat fast food ALL the time. Still eat all food groups on the pyramid, not just fried, desserts or junk. Do some sort of higher intensity physical activity 3-4 days a week for at least 20 minutes (60 minutes is ideal). You can find something fun to do. Intramurals are awesome. Flag football, ultimate frisbee, basketball, soccer, softball, bowling, volleyball, you name it, there is an intramural team for you! Stand instead of sit (if given the option). Walk instead of drive. Keep healthier foods/snacks in your room so you won't even be tempted to snack on bad food. Grab a workout/health/diet partner. Help each other stay accountable. Give each other guidance, advice and motivation! This is key. I have my best friend to thank for losing weight and then maintaining my weight. Every time I go home and I don't have her around, things go down hill!! Find someone you can trust and are comfortable talking about your body with. Ask her/him and other random people to work out with you. Working out is ALWAYS more fun with someone else AND, it could be a great way to meet new people :) Don't freak out if you DO gain weight your freshman year. You can always lose it. Plus, it is your first year of college. A lot of things change and you need to have fun. Gaining a little weight won't kill you.

Pre-Rush 101

Now that orientation is probably finished, you are starting to think about moving, and bedding, and decorations and RUSH!! Omg! First things first, you need to get those rec letters. Call your high school to see if there are any alumni that could help you, mom/dad's friends, your friends' older sisters, aunts, grandmothers, cousins, whatever. The more rec letters you get the better. Send them in with a picture (if asked) and your resume (again if asked). Usually putting it on nicer paper looks good. And, BE ON TIME!! Don't miss the deadline!!! Also, don't freak out if you can't find any, you will still be fine. But they definitely can't hurt. Next, get as much info as you can about your respective school's rush (you may have to wait until a specific meeting). Usually, detailed information about schedules, parties, attire, etc is handed out to you. So, you are never in the dark. When you get all this information, start looking for dresses ASAP! You don't want to be stressed because you don't have anything to wear. Consult older siblings/alumni! We love to help! Cover up ALL and ANY questionable facebook material. Delete it. Untag yourself. Whatever it takes. We stalk ya'll on facebook. Don't let us think something is wrong about you by the way your facebook APPEARS. Ask to be friends with current sisters. We may not be able to friend request YOU, but usually, if you find US, we can accept! Remain OPEN MINDED!! Each chapter of a sorority is very different and each individual will fit in with different people. Just because your biological sis went XYZ doesn't mean you will fit perfectly there too (even though that CAN happen)! Lastly, DON'T start freaking out. You have a while to get everything together and prepare. Just ask lots of questions. The more you know, the less stressed you will be. And then, you can help all the other freshmen girls who are rushing! :)

Caio

Stay posted for more tips on rush, especially the closer it gets!

J

Joie's Life Lessons

As I was digging deep in my memory bank to remember the life lessons I tried to teach Nick and Trey on our train ride from Paris to Rome earlier in the summer, I realized that they would be great to share (at least I think so). So, here are "Joie's 10 Life Lessons:"

1. You can't always get what you want.
2. Always be ready for a curve ball.
3. Life is tough and messy; Get a helmet and an apron.
4. Go big or go home.
5. Planning is essential but spontaneity is imperative.
6. Trust sincerely, laugh often and love deeply.
7. Be cautious but take risks-get crazy.
8. Have no regrets; Instead, focus on the things you can change.
9. Give 150% all the time.
10. You can't always be right.

That's what I have learned from life in the past 21 years. I wonder if my lessons will change in a year, 5 years or 10 years???....Probably. But, nonetheless, this is what I have for the college chapter of your book.

Caio

J

Dorm Style Tips

There are some decorations, no matter where you go to college, that can always enhance the dingy dorm room. Buying a big, soft and colorful rug adds something soft for your feet to walk on and covers the boring, ugly and cold floors. Lighting is never ideal; so, investing in a cute, bright lamp can really help liven up the room, literally and figuratively :) Most dorm rooms are only furnished with a desk, bed and dresser drawers. Finding a tall and thin nightstand or shelf can add more top space for pictures, clock/iHome, jewelry box, etc. I am thinking of a specific one found at Target last August. It was white and so cute! Some rooms are just big enough to add a chair. This is great to have for visitors if you have the luxury of this extra space. Framed pictures, posters, whatever your preference, make sure to add something to the walls! A luxury I never got to have because Dorm Suite Dorm products were unavailable to me when I entered college is the desk chair cover. If I could go back and add one thing to my decorations, it would be this. The desk chairs are hideous and Sheri, Dorm Suite Dorm designer and owner, makes them look PRECIOUS while matching the rest of your room, and with a monogramming option. (See above picture)



I would also highly suggest investing in a feather mattress pad. This was the best $50 I spent the summer before leaving for college. It has lasted me years and has made my very hard and uncomfortable dorm mattresses SO COMFORTABLE! Make sure to buy a mattress cover as well. Most college beds are twin XL. I would get 2-3 sets of sheets and tons of pillows to decorate with and to put against the ugly, hard wall. And, don't forget a good blanket and duvet/comforter/coverlet.

There is so much to remember to bring to college. I hope this helps a little bit. (This is just some of it....there is so much more you need to bring too. I will do a blog, closer to August, of a "To Bring to College Checklist."

caio

J

Organization is Key

As you are probably all well aware, typical college dorm rooms are pretty small. In order to maximize every square inch of your dorm room, you should plan to keep all of your clothes, shoes, purses, and personal belongings as organized as possible. From living on campus for three years, I have some organizational suggestions:

*Raise the bed, just enough to store plastic bins underneath. (You can buy risers from Target, Wal-Mart and online) I would not suggest lofting it (this makes it SUPER high). It gets really aggravating having to climb a latter in and out of bed EVERYDAY (even though you get more room space).

*Portable storage drawers and plastic bins. (Target, Wal-Mart, Office Depot, Office Max) These are great to store under your bed, in your closet (if you have the room), or in your bathroom (if not community). Clothes, shoes, hair products, make-up, anything can go in here. The drawers are great for office supplies and the big bins are great for blankets, purses or seasonal clothing, if you are far away from home.

*Shoe rack/shelves. (Target, Wal-Mart, Bed Bath and Beyond) If you are anything like me, you have a ton of shoes! I love shoes! The easiest and best way to bring them all to college is to have either a hanging shoe rack to put in your closet or a shoe shelf to hide somewhere.

*Shelving! (Target, Wal-Mart, Bed Bath and Beyond, maybe Michaels/Hobby Lobby) This is great for books, binders, notebooks or decorations. It adds something to the, usually, ugly wall and gives you more floor space.

*Second bar for your closet. (Target, Wal-Mart) This will allow you to hang your clothes on two bars instead of one.

*Labels. (Target, Wal-Mart, Michaels/Hobby Lobby) Label all of your bins, manila folders, binders, notebooks, etc. You will thank yourself later.

*Laundry bag/basket. (Target, Wal-Mart) This may be a little obvious, but you never know, some people forget this and it is so important!

*Jewelry box/other smaller bins that serve a specific purpose. Definitely have one jewelry box so you always know where your jewels are. You never know with random people around these residence halls. Other bins, (i.e. I have a basket for paychecks and day-to-day paperwork and then another basket for snacks) are important to classify together and to use efficiently.

*Food storage. Baskets/storage bins are good for fruit or other small snacks. One big shelf devoted to food also works well. You have to play around with this a little bit to make it work for your situation. (While on the topic of food, I would definitely suggest bringing a refrigerator and a microwave!!)

Please don't hesitate to email me with questions or concerns at joie@dormsuitedorm.com

Caio

J

Visual Help

Bailey Westcott, a recent high school graduate and customer of Dorm Suite Dorm, reminded me tonight of the importance of visual aids. It is important, especially in design, to create a mock-up or an example of your thoughts, ideas, and desires before ordering or explaining what you want to someone else. It is really hard to portray all design ideas in words; so, a picture could be very useful. After all, a picture speaks a thousand words, right?

Bailey decided to use Microsoft Power Point to create a picture of her bedding ideas. She sent these to Sheri, designer and owner of Dorm Suite Dorm, so that her order would turn out exactly how she wanted. (Her picture is to the right).

This is a great strategy to use, not only in dorm room bedding. I find pictures help with new hair cuts, drapery, custom-made clothing, or as an aid in explaining your ideas.

J

Roommate Drama

Tons of people, including many of my high school friends, are so anxious to be independent that they decide to live in an apartment, condo or house starting their freshman year of college. Though I am biased to the alternative, I have many legitimate reasons:

1. To meet new people and make new friends. All the action is on campus. If you aren’t living on campus, you will miss it. You may have action of your own, but the opportunity to meet new, random people decreases when living in an apartment complex, house or condo. In comparison, living in a dorm residency with 600 other freshman creates many opportunities for craziness.

2. Convenience. Typical colleges place their freshmen in the dead center of campus (because they are freshmen). Thus, your walk to class could take 5-15 minutes instead of 20-45 minutes! This alone is a big enough reason to heavily weigh living on campus!

3. The “college experience.” There is something called the “college experience.” This is really hard to explain, but without living on campus, you miss out on this part of college. A typical college student goes through living in an old, dusty, dirty dorm room. The typical college student shares a bathroom with 12 other people. The typical college student has a room only big enough for 2 beds, 2 desks, 2 chairs and 2 sets of drawers. This all makes your freshman year….trust me.

4. Closer to the food. Since you’re most likely to be in the middle of campus, you are also most likely right by the cafeteria or food court or source of food that you are probably also, most likely, having to pay for with your tuition. Living on campus makes eating easy J During late night paper writing, finals or party, this comes in REAL handy! You get hungry ya know?!

5. Don’t have to pay bills. This is something most college freshmen don’t even know exist; HOWEVER, when you are in an apartment, house or condo, you will have to pay for gas, electric, water, cable, internet and phone. This can make life somewhat more complicated. Why deal with this your freshman year? Your first year is strictly for adjustment and fun! Leave the bills to sophomore, junior or even senior year.

Don’t get me wrong. You should DEFINITELY live off campus before you graduate. I like to think it is suppose to all be baby steps into the “real world.” Live on campus, no bills or financial responsibility. Live off campus, no financial responsibility but a little more conscientiousness about life. Graduate. Be prepared for what is to come! Don’t make yourself grow up toooooooo fast J And enjoy participating in the typical “college experience.”

J

Why should you live on campus your freshman year of college?

Tons of people, including many of my high school friends, are so anxious to be
independent that they decide to live in an apartment, condo or house starting
their freshman year of college. Though I am biased to the alternative, I have
many legitimate reasons:

1. To meet new people and make new friends. All the action is on campus. If you aren’t living on campus, you will miss it. You may have action of your own, but the opportunity to meet new,
random people decreases when living in an apartment complex, house or condo. In comparison, living in a dorm residency with 600 other freshman creates many opportunities for craziness.

2. Convenience. Typical colleges place their freshmen in the dead center of campus (because they are freshmen). Thus, your walk to class could take 5-15 minutes instead of 20-45 minutes! This alone is a big enough reason to heavily weigh living on campus!

3. The “college experience.” There is something called the “college experience.” This is really hard to explain, but without living on campus, you miss out on this part of college. A typical
college student goes through living in an old, dusty, dirty dorm room. The typical college student shares a bathroom with 12 other people. The typical college student has a room only big enough for 2 beds, 2 desks, 2 chairs and 2 sets of drawers. This all makes your freshman year….trust me.

4. Closer to the food. Since you’re most likely to be in the middle of campus, you are also most likely right by the cafeteria or food court or source of food that you are probably also, most
likely, having to pay for with your tuition. Living on campus makes eating easy During late night paper writing, finals or party, this comes in REAL handy! You get hungry ya know?!

5. Don’t have to pay bills. This is something most college freshmen don’t even know exist; HOWEVER, when you are in an apartment, house or condo, you will have to pay for gas, electric, water, cable, internet and phone. This can make life somewhat more complicated. Why
deal with this your freshman year? Your first year is strictly for adjustment and fun! Leave the bills to sophomore, junior or even senior year.

Don’t get me wrong. You should DEFINITELY live off campus before you graduate. I like to
think it is suppose to all be baby steps into the “real world.” Live on campus,
no bills or financial responsibility. Live off campus, no financial responsibility but a little more conscientiousness about life. Graduate. Be prepared for what is to come! Don’t make yourself grow up toooooooo fast and enjoy participating in the typical “college experience.”

J

10 Ways to Design Your College Career

I am fully aware that no one thinks about DESIGNING their college career.....they just GO to college-I was one of those people. But hindsight is a beautiful thing. If I could do it over again, here is how I would design:

1. Believe everyone when they tell you college will FLY by. Why will it fly by? Because these 4, or 5 or 6, years will be the absolute best years of your life. Why should I believe them? So that you don't waste ANY of your precious college time doing something you don't want to be doing. Realizing the truth to this statement also helps you to appreciate each moment, even more!

2. Figure out what you like and what you don't like so that you don't have to waste a bunch of time taking classes that may not transfer to a different department. Take a personality test and a career assessment test. (all available online). Starting college somewhat knowing what you want also allows you to take lighter loads each semester. Which leads me to...

3. Don't take more than 5 classes in one semester. Just don't do it, unless of course you don't want to have a social life and you really REALLY don't want to sleep. So take an extra semester to graduate. You won't regret it. (tell the rents you want to focus on the classes so you can keep up or improve your GPA...but then you kinda have to follow through).

4. Seek and listen to advice, help, guidance from career counselors, departmental advisers, professors, current students (upperclassmen) or the admissions recruiters. All of these people know the happenings of your respective college and they can guide you better than ANYBODY else on how to schedule, socialize, study (basically, how to get the most out of your college experience)! It is amazing how people enjoy helping other people...they would be thrilled to help you (so don't think you would be bothering them)

5. Be ready for a serious lesson in time management. Working (academics and financial) and playing both require time. It is going to be up to YOU to manage everything you want to do. Going to school, working, interning AND still having a social life is possible (I did it); but just know, something will take a toll (your health, sleep, your friends, your family, quality of your work or classwork).

6. Choose to customize and design your dorm room. Though you will most likely only be in your room to sleep, it is still your home for 2 full semesters (maybe more if you do interim or summer). So, put some time into making it feel like your home.

7. Research fun things to do in your respective town. MANY things will come up once you get there. But, in case no one else knows what's up around town, you will have the low down so y'all don't get bored!

8. Invest in storage bins. Because you are probably bringing your entire closet, 1-2 seasons at a time, AND you have all the other important parts of your room from home, you WILL need places to store clothes, shoes, purses, blankets, sheets, towels, office supplies, etc. I would also highly suggest labeling these plastic storage bins. It helps speed up the process of retrieving something from within it.

9. Don't mess around so much freshman year that your grades suffer. I have several friends who didn't care about their grades freshman year and suffered the remaining 3 years of college trying to boost their GPA. One year can really hurt your GPA. Though GPA's have become less important post-undergraduate school, they ARE important for the following reasons: graduate school admission, specific careers (i.e. accounting, finance, etc.) and differentiation on a job interview. Thus, a high GPA can aid is succeeding your goals in numerous ways. A good GPA can never be bad. But, on the flip side, a bad GPA can never be good!

10. Lastly, make a conscious effort to remain in touch with the people you care about back at home. Whether that be your family, high school friends, best friend, whoever. College has a funny way of removing you from home. It becomes REALLY easy to loose touch. Worst part about it is, you don't even realize it is happening until it may be too late (or until you return home).

Hope these make sense and end up helping you!

caio

J

THE Accent Color

Ok, so tonight I thought I would share my thoughts on the importance of an accent color, especially when choosing any pattern: animal, checkers, polka dots, stripes, etc. Accent colors bring the entire room together. All picture frames, bulletin boards, rugs, curtains, etc should match the accent color so that you can present a classy, consistent and clean dorm room. This works even better if you are fortunate enough to live with a roommate that you can compromise with; however, even if it is just your half that flows, that is better than none at all. Make sure accent colors are appropriate: solids, not too bright and complimentary of the pattern. If you ever have a question about style or fabrics, give us a call at 205-879-8278. We would love to help you make these important decisions or design your new home for your college experience.

J

No One Warned Me about Sleep Deprivation

As I sit here writing this blog, my eyes are being FORCED to stay open. This makes me remember how no one ever warned me that an integral part of being in college is NOT SLEEPING. This applies throughout the entirety of both semesters, every year, (but ESPECIALLY Freshman year of college). Obviously, it applies even more so during finals week; but even mid-semester, there is always something going on that you aren't going to want to miss out on....THUS, you forgo your sleep.

Quite honestly, I would encourage each of you to participate in this madness! College happens once, and you shouldn't miss some of the best memories you will make because it is 2 in the morning and you have a test the next day. I do not regreat any of my late college nights as a consequence of participating in events and being social. I am NOT NOT saying to set classwork aside. Bad grades will come back and haunt you one day before you graduate...promise! So, get your work done and then, don't miss out on anythng just because you are tired! Delirium proves to be very entertaining. So be prepared for sleep to go out the window. Besides, you can always sleep when you are dead...

J

Freshman Orientation Season

Ladies-

I am back from a long, but very fun, trip to Europe and realized that Orientation Season has officially begun since it is now June. Just 3 years ago, I remember traveling 5 hours from my home in New Orleans, LA to Birmingham, AL to go to my freshman orientation. I was so pumped and so scared at the same time.

I remember hating the dorm rooms. They were so ugly. I got so many ideas on how to decorate on this weekend because I knew exactly how I did NOT want my dorm room to look. I wish Dorm Suite Dorm had been around at that time!!

With heinsight bias and 3 years of undergraduate college under my belt, I would advise:

-Meet as MANY people as you can at orientation! Get phone #'s. Hook up on Facebook. Start getting to know people here so that when you return to school in the Fall you have some friends.
-LISTEN. All the orientation leaders really do know what they are talking about and want what is best for you. Their advice for your respective school is so valuable and should be listened to.
-Don't skip out because it sounds dumb. There are so many crazy, juvenile ice breaker games during freshman orientations, and though they sound so dumb, they are so fun and can help you meet a ton of people.
-Make sure you bring sheets (XL Twin), pillow, towel, bathroom caddy, shampoo, soap, slippers, blanket, pad, and pen.
-Be open and flexible to all the change and new people/environment you have entered into.
-You can't be instant best friends with someone. It takes time to get to know people again and build meaningful relationships. Give yourself time...it WILL happen.
-If you want to Rush, be on your ABSOLUTE BEST BEHAVIOR and clean up Facebook. We stalk yall, for serious. Don't let us think you are sketchy in ANY WAY! And be outgoing and friendly towards girls that are clearly Greek. Yall can approach us but we cannot approach yall!

Hope this helps with Orientation. Have fun. Be safe. Bon Chance!

Til next time,

J

"Director of Hip and Cool"
Dorm Suite Dorm
www.dormsuitedorm.com

Unique Dorm Decor

You know at Dorm Suite Dorm you will find the most unique dorm room bedding! Why? Because you get to design it! We have seen some great combinations and hope to get more pictures out there for you to see. The custom duvet is more popular than the other two options. This type of duvet you get to pick the 2 fabrics, one for the front and one for the back. It is  a little more calm than the others. Most of the girls are choosing to get the extra long duvet insert from us. We make sure these fit perfectly and they are snapped in so they don't slide around.

This week we are getting ready for the Ole Miss model rooms. These should be great! We will also show a guys dorm bedding set. We also did this at College of Charleston, (you can see those on our facebook photo album). We will get more of these pictures on the website as soon as the site gets corrected.

Girls remember to DREAM BIG!

-Sheri

Designer & Owner

Dorm Suite Dorm

www.dormsuitedorm.com

Working on a Saturday

Thank you girls for making it possible for me to have to work on Saturday! We have been going non stop and it has only just begun! We are also busy getting the model rooms ready for Ole Miss and Bama! We can't wait to show you what we have planned for you! 

Our favorite set so far has been the girraffe print with green accent color. We like it so much that we might be adding some more colors of this print. Our dorm bedding, made for the extra long twin beds, is better than anything you will find out there! We know this because we make every stitch and look over each piece before it goes out! Our duvet covers can have the inserts in them and we snap those in so they won't slide.

-Sheri

Designer & Owner

Extreme Dorm Room Makeover

So Mrs. Sheri returned from the College of Charleston this afternoon and posted her pictures of BEFORE and AFTER for both the girls' dorm room and the boys' dorm room that she decorated. (Go to http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2023062&id=1100965319  to see pics)

 It is unbelievable. Only someone with true talent and a gift from God can transform an ugly, old, and dirty dorm room to look as good as these dorms that Mrs. Sheri fixed! I am even more impressed with the boys' decor. Now, I have a 19 year old brother (a very manly guy...baseball player), and he didn't want anything to put in his dorm room for his freshman year of college, but Mrs. Sheri's designs are something he would use! Very basic, simple and masculine for these guys. They need bedding tooooo! :) I knew nothing about the design industry before the beginning of this year but Mrs. Sheri's expertise, passion and talent shines through her work....check out her focus on college bedding and decor at http://dormsuitedorm.com/!!

Til next time,

  

Joie

"Director of Hip and Cool"

“The future will depend on what we do in the present.” -Mahatma Gandhi

These Extreme Dorm Room Makeovers will continue to Ole Miss (next week) and the University of Alabama later in the summer. Stay posted for details and pictures.

Trunk show

How do I even begin to say what a great trunk show we had for Dorm Suite Dorm? The girls that showed up were enthusiastic and ready to furnish their dorms! I loved seeing some new combinations and I can't wait to show you those as well! We had one girl show up and she was the most creative and we can't wait to work on it! This really affirmed that we are on the right track with Dorm Suite Dorm and what you girls are wanting. Do you have any different ideas? Then call us and we can help you with your choices ... 1-866-419-7005! We are waiting for you call!

How to make a dreamy dorm room!

How do you make those dingy cinder block walls dreamy? At Dorm Suite Dorm we have plenty of ideas! When you are moving in you have a blank slate so start at the bottom and move upwards. First, put a rug on the floor. Some colleges have companies to supply these for you before you move in, check with your housing department. Also available through some housing departments are risers to raise the bed up higher. Raise it up as high as you can and gain some very valuable space. If you raise it up high enough you can sometimes put your desk under there or extra seating. At Dorm Suite Dorm we can also make curtain panels for the lower half of this to make it like a small cozy living area. Next pick the most fabulous bedding from Dorm Suite Dorm to brighten up your very white walls. You can pick some pieces from last years groups or even better customize your own from our 50 fabrics! You will want at least 3 pillows for added comfort. The one area that is forgotten is the window because there are blinds usually there. At our model room we took those down and stored them in the back of the closet. We then used our tension rod and put some grommet curtain panels up. These have black out liners in them so you get great coverage from the sun! Now add your accessories to make your dorm feel like home. Add pictures of family and friends to your walls (the more wall you hide the better). You will also want a lamp on your bedside table or desk for studying by late at night. Your room mate will be glad you did so she can sleep!
We hope these ideas have helped you think of creating a very dreamy home away from home!

A great week!

What a great week we had at Dorm Suite Dorm. It wasn't just for the sales but also for the time spent with moms and their girls! I love the part of talking with the other moms out there and the way they are anxious about sending their girls off to school. I can partially appreciate this since my child will be going to school next year. The only difference is that my child is a boy. I also remember being the girl heading off to college and being so nieve. Bless you moms of the daughters.
We had a fun time designing several rooms for girls and their room mates. The pink and brown fabrics definetly won out this week. We have so many other options, please give them all a chance!
This week coming up we have another trunk show that we are very excited about! We will let you know how this goes and put some pictures out there.