The End of Freshman Year: A Reflection

I usually don't do two posts in one night but I've had all of this on my chest for a while.

As this year comes to an end, I have a lot to reflect on.

My relationship with Trevor is the strongest it has ever been. The distance placed between us by my schooling and his work has made us a million times stronger and shown us both that this relationship is where we want to stay. I was very nervous when first coming to college because I didn't know how it was gonna be being away from him more than one week but his frequent visits and our trust in each other has helped us grow as a couple. Some of my best times at JMU have been when he was here and I am so happy that he was able to meet and laugh with all of my friends. Trevor truly is my other half and I miss him constantly but I know that this is a learning experience for both of us and we have both been shown but also taught what love is.

Making friends is always something to worry about when coming to college, especially since you are placed in a dorm with people you have only ever met online if at all. I am so incredibly lucky to live in a suite where there is non-stop laughing and music playing. I am so thankful that I got stuck in a dorm with these girls that, although we don't always get along, are there when it is most important. We have been faced with troubles that have bonded us together including hospital visits and late night food deliveries but they have made JMU my home and really shaped my life in a positive way. And those are just the girls I live with. I have so many other beautiful people that have become a part of my life including my future roomies but also the people I have shared classes with and met through other mutual friends that have made me the person I am today. Some people don't know how much I cherish them and others do but they are all a part of my JMU experience.

Another thing many incoming students worry about is keeping old friendships alive. I am lucky enough to have my best friend at the same school with me and I'm so thankful that this year has resulted in our friendship growing to a new level. I love how I can go out with her or go over and play with her cat and laugh til I cry either way. She's literally the strongest girl ever and has had to go through some major things this year but still manages to keep a smile on my face and brighten my day. I am so happy to call her my future roomie and I'm sure there will be a million more events to blog about when we live under the same roof.

If you know me, you can see me in a sorority. From the first step in the door, I knew Phi Mu was for me. Although it isn't always perfect and happy, I can look around Phi Mu and see girls with values and traits like myself and I can look around at every one of them, even the ones I don't know well, and be proud to call her my sister. You become a part of it and then it becomes a part of you.

So I'm gonna start with my goodbyes. I want to start with my G-Big Brie and my GG-Big Jenna. I am so thankful that you have decided to keep the fam going with me and thank you for being there when I need you and showing me the ropes of Phi Mu. Y'all inspire me everyday and I thank you for that.
All of you please come back and visit. Former Prez Jen, you're such a role model to me and you're humor and love of those around you make me so proud to be your sister. I love that from the start I could talk to you like I've known you forever and that's made such an impact on my first year in Phi Mu. Ashton, I love that you have made me proud to rock a RBF. I love that you do whatever you want and don't care what others think but you're also one of the best people I know. I wish we had gotten closer sooner in the year but I know I'll see ya again in the future. Carleigh, I couldn't have asked for a Phi director better than you. You are such an amazing representation of Phi Mu and I literally want to be you cause you're perfect. I can't wait to see you and Conner's wedding pictures because y'all are perfect. Thank you for literally everything and making me fall in love with Phi Mu. Okay I hate goodbyes so I'm done. But it's not goodbye, it's see ya later, right?

My big Laura picked me up at the door the first day I walked into Phi Mu and then was with me from there on. I can't think of anyone else that looks so much like me and is as sassy as me. You constantly crack me up and I know that we know each other so well and can be straight up with each other. You really are like my real sister and I love that. I'm so sad that you're spending next semester in DC but I'm also extremely proud cause you're gonna rule the world one day and this gives you an opportunity to start making those connections. You're the best and I'm so proud to call you my big. Stay classy bae.

Phi Mu has brought me 210 sisters which is awesome because I've always wanted at least one. I love that I am so close with my girls Kayla and Caroline and I know that us extended fam will have so much fun together next year. I am also so thankful for one of my best friends Little Laura and how you are so funny and I feel like I can talk to you about anything. You live in Hanson with me so you're automatically awesome but I'm grateful that we've gotten so close and I can count on your for anything.

I guess this comes from being a Southern gal but family is extremely important to me. Although I was beyond ready for a break from the small town gossip, I am so close with my family that it was difficult to leave them. I have never been homesick at JMU but I have missed my family incredibly bad and my parents tell me that's a good way to be. I have grown so much as a person by being away from my family but it has also taught me so much about how important they are to me. My mom is the most vocal about missing me, one because she is the only girl, and two because she is a lot like me. She's the one I talk to on the phone and text everyday and she even still helps me attempt to be an adult. My dad is less vocal over technology in general but he makes it clear to me how proud he is and how much he misses me. My favorite is how I can see that my 14 year old brother misses me but he's too cool to say it. I can tell by his actions and the joy on his face when I come home. One of my best memories of this year is surprising my dad on his birthday because it is so difficult to surprise him. I wish I could pack into this paragraph how much my family means to me but there aren't enough words. I also wish I could list every one of my family members and the reasons I miss them but I don't have the space. I just know that this year has taught me that time is short and family is everything and those are the two things to live by.

JMU is an atmosphere like no other. Everyone is so friendly that I'm sure it freaks many people out. I have never been so trusting to strangers than I am at JMU and I love how welcoming everyone is. People at JMU don't understand how others don't like JMU because it is literally a home away from home that us students dread leaving every Spring.

I am thankful that I am blessed with JMU and I want to thank each and every one of you for your support and love in my life.

Love ya mean it,
Bailey
xoxo

Two Years Down, Many More To Come

Today marks two years with my boyfriend, Trevor. He is my other half and I'm so thankful to have him in my life. It hasn't always been easy during the past two years but as I said to Trevor before we started dating, "Perfect is boring." I'm so blessed to have someone who constantly keeps me laughing but to also share my love of so many things. I can't wait for the future with Trevor because I know for sure he'll be a part of my future.

So this post is a HUGE THANK YOU to Trevor Payne, my other half, best friend, and biggest supporter. Thank you for being you!

Love ya mean it,
Bailey
xoxo

My Fab Weekend

My absolute favorite thing to do is to start out a day not really knowing what the plan is and then end up being gone for hours and just wandering. My boyfriend Trevor has been living in my dorm room with me for the past 5ish days because he came up for a concert and that's exactly what we've done. Here's some stuff we tackled.

(everyone knows my love of selfies)

Over 5 days, Trevor and I ate at Texas Roadhouse, Bruster's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Jack Brown's, Klein's, Bob Evans, and the dining halls more times than I can count.

We shopped at Bluetique (one of my personal favorites PLEASE CHECK IT OUT), Ross, and Home Depot while also stopping in a pawn shop. Trevor introduced me to Rugged Wearhouse which is one of those places that if you search hard enough you can find treasure. I found a Nike USA soccer shirt that was originally around $20 and I got it for $10 which is perfect because it's almost World Cup time and I also found the cutest Reebok pullover priced at $68 and I got it for $20! I absolutely love bargain shopping.

We also went to the Juicy J concert at JMU which was the whole reason for Trevor's visit. It was fun although very short. I spent the concert with my favorite people and I'm so thankful that I have my future roomies, my boyfriend, and my friends in my life.

As this school year ends, I'm sad to say that my freshman year is almost gone but it's times like this past weekend that make me so appreciative of all that I have and all of the opportunities I am granted with.

Love ya mean it,
Bailey
xoxo

A Jumble of Morning (and Spring!) Thoughts

It's extremely rare for me to being awake and much less doing school work in the gym at this hour but because I finished all my work, I thought I'd take time to share some thoughts.

First off, I'm sick of cold weather and all I really want is for it to be pretty and spring outside. But the good news is, it's supposed to be 68 degrees on Easter where I live and I can take that. Spring is the season of Lilly and so of course my Easter Dress is Lilly. My dress is from last year but if I bought one from the Spring Collection, it'd definitely be this one.

Another thing great about Spring is all of the Easter candy and even though that doesn't quite qualify for a diet, it only comes once a year. I'm not personally a fan of Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs but I know that they're what many people wait all year for and why buy them when you can make them yourself and they're extremely easy! I plan on making them this weekend for my family and Trevor because I'm sure they taste better homemade and I'm down with making anything myself that doesn't cause too much effort because I'm not the most experienced cook in the world.

Want the recipe? Look here! http://thewhimsicalprincess.blogspot.com/2011/03/diy-reese-peanut-butter-egg.html

My mom already gave me part of my Easter basket early cause I ran out and I can't complain cause she put $50 on my Starbucks card (this is where I would enter in the emoji with heart eyes if I had that on my computer). My goal is to reach a gold card which is not so easy when you're on a college budget of barely any money. I haven't ventured out of my Starbucks comfort zone but I plan to soon, but with that being said, I'll share my two favorites so far!

For my cold drink, I'm basically obsessed with their Valencia Orange Refresher (funny that Valencia is my favorite Instagram filter as well). I'm not a big fan of orange juice but I'm obsessed with this. It's just the kick I need in the morning to wake me up but without the caffeine. And oranges are one of my favorite fruits so it's nice to have that squeezed into a cup for me.

My favorite hot Starbucks drink is the Peppermint Hot Chocolate because I'm not much of a coffee person and this still feels like Christmas in a cup. It's the perfect combo of peppermint which adds the perfect kick to the already delicious hot chocolate. I'm accustomed to getting a venti because I'm that obsessed so I definitely believe everyone should try it.

I found recipes for my favorite Starbucks drinks that I'm dying to try! Want to check them out? Look here!
http://breweddaily.com/2013/07/homemade-valencia-orange-refresher-recipe/
http://www.recipe4living.com/recipes/copycat_starbucks_peppermint_hot_chocolate.htm

Really the most important thing about Spring and Easter is that I get to go home for Easter weekend and then for the summer in May. As obsessed I am with JMU and scared that I'm 1/4 of the way done with college, I'm ready for a break from the schoolwork. I'm excited to get to spend time with my family and see the people I never get to see.

Happy Spring!

Love ya mean it,
Bailey
xoxo

11 Songs For When It's Raining

I was riding the bus back from my first class this morning and while I was thinking about how much I hate the rain, I realized that when it rains I automatically think of the same songs in my head. So here's to my rainy day songs.

1. Sad, Beautiful Tragic by Taylor Swift
Okay so this song is extremely sad and I'm in a great mood today so that's not why I thought of it. This song flows so smoothly and for some reason I just think it sounds like rain.

2. King and Lionheart by Of Monsters and Men
One of my all time favorite songs. It sounds like it should play in a movie while you're riding in the car and staring out the window at the rain. Pretty self explanatory why it's a rainy day song.

3. Raining on Sunday by Keith Urban
I feel really cliche for putting this on the list cause if everyone made a list this would be number one but it's clearly an awesome song so I don't really mind. The music, the words, everything says rainy day.

4. The Question by Mac Miller
Compared to the last song, this one is a very far stretch. The music to this song (even though it's a little fast) doesn't exactly scream rainy day, but it holds a place on my list.

5. Wonderwall by Oasis
The music of this song is sweet but sad/happy. Aka a perfect rainy day song. This song makes you wanna hug someone and cry. It's that what rain feels like?

6. Rubber Ball by Cage the Elephant
This is one of my all time favorite songs. Rainy day or not, listen to this song but I think you'll agree that it works for a rainy day.

7. California King Bed by Rihanna
This song makes me wanna lay in bed all day as does rain so that makes it a rainy day song.

8. The Way I Am by Ingrid Michaelson
This song has a great beat and it's an actual happy song on this list. Defying the odds with a happy message? Sounds perfect to me.

9. She Is Love by Parachute
Yay another happy, sweet song! Parachute is from an hour away from me which makes them super cool and this song is awesome and adorable. Makes this ugly, rainy day a little better.

10. Not Over You by Gavin DeGraw
If this music video didn't involve rain, they did something wrong. Even though the beat is fast, the message sounds like rain.

11. It Will Rain by Bruno Mars
So the happy songs are done and this song has the word rain in the title so it has to be on the list. Makes you wanna cry and you're already curled up in bed so why not cry?

Love ya mean it,
Bailey
xoxo

All of the pictures included were taken from Google Images.

19 Things I'm Loving Today

Now that it feels like spring outside, I'm just loving everything around me. Here's 19 of the many things I love.

1. Beautiful spring weather.
2. How warm and cozy my bed it when I get into it at night.
3. Burts Bees Lip Balm.
4. The way Chuck Bass looks at Blair Waldorf.
5. Nylon magazine.
6. Crafting.
7. Essie fingernail polish.
8. Sweet Tea.
9. Jack Rogers.
10. Sweet texts from Trevor.
11. Brunch.
12. Naps.
13. Taking pictures.
14. My little brother.
15. Hot Chamomile Tea.
16. Puppies.
17. My fluffy, white, monogrammed bath robe.
18. Birthdays.
19. Daisies.

Love ya mean it,

Bailey 

xoxo