Confession #2: Life is too short. And expensive.

It has been an extremely sad and somewhat frustrating yet incredibly exciting past few days! I'll start off by explaining the events of this past Thursday, June 21. My high school had an alumnus pass early Thursday morning (or late Wednesday night), Alex Ford. She was coming home from her boyfriend's house and was hit by a car that was driving on the wrong side of the highway (full story can be found here). It was shocking to wake up that morning and see the numerous posts on Facebook as a mood of remorse plagued the entire site. I mean it was insane how many people were truly affected by her death...her family, closest friends, people who hadn't spoken to her in months, kids like me who went to school with her but didn't know her very well, and even current freshmen or sophomores who had never even met her. Everyone was in despair as such a randomly incidental event took the life of such a beautiful and talented girl. Alex cheered at Richland for years and was an amazing gymnast. It's still so surreal to know that she isn't here with us anymore, but I know that Heaven has been blessed by her presence. Rest in peace, sweet girl. Keep Jordan Harris company. You two will live on in our hearts forever.

On a more positive note, yesterday I spent nearly seven hours shopping with my mom. I went out after church at 11:00 just to look for bedding, but I ended up driving about 50 miles to about 10 stores, including 3 different Ross locations. I also managed to squeeze in my second interview at McAlister's and treated mama to lunch! It was a successful day that made me even more excited to move into Mizzou. I really tried to bargain shop and get good deals on everything, and I think I did rather well. As surprising as it may sound, I seriously got probably about 90% of my dorm stuff from Ross. I was shocked to find just about everything I needed there, but I knew I wouldn't be able to find better deals elsewhere.

As you can tell from the picture, I got a whole heck of a lot...and paid extremely reasonable prices for everything! I'm going to go into a bit of detail about all of it, sort of as a means of documentation for me, but if you don't care for the nitty gritty then you are more than welcome to skip to the bottom of this post for the awesome number breakdown.

Dorm supplies:

Silver Waste Basket
Cambridge Casuals 16 pc Silverware Set
Anchor 3 pc Food Storage Container Set
4 Frigoverre Glass Food Storage Containers
4 Rubbermaid Plastic Food Storage Containers
4 Preserve Mini Food Storage Containers
2 White Ceramic Mugs
4 Blue Plastic Glasses
4 Blue Plastic Bowls
4 Blue Plastic Plates
Set of 4 Magnetic Chip Clips
"Shoes Under" Under Bed Storage Aide
Kangaroom Grey Shower Caddy
Apt. 9 Grey Towel Set
Apt. 9 Purple Towel Set
Steve Madden Twin Comforter Set
Esprit Purple Twin XL Sheet Set
Allergy Defense Hypoallergenic Pillow
Grey Plush Throw

Ready for the total?

$190.91!!

I'm seriously so excited that I was able to get all of that for under $200...I can't even explain it to you. If you haven't begun to compare prices on stuff for your dorm, I would suggest you do it ASAP! Kohl's is having a huge sale on kitchenware and towels and such right now, and Ross is a really awesome place if you're willing to search for treasures.

And of course, as a teenage girl, I just HAD to spend a little more money on some non-essentials....

Everything else:

Jac & Annie Black Purse/Book Bag
Nine West Coral Satchel (not pictured)
Sonoma Brown Sandals
Sonoma Poppy Sandals (for my mama)
Merona Black Sandals
ISO Bouncy Curl Cream

But technically those things were somewhat essential. I ran out of hair cream a few days ago and had to use a travel size of product I had stashed...but now I've run out of that. The silver Nine West satchel I use every day is literally being torn apart at the seams and is no longer usable. My brown sandals that I bought from Target about two years ago are also tearing apart at the sole from being worn so often. I also have black sandals from Ross that don't fit me properly (they really never have...) and are extremely uncomfortable so I wanted to replace them. And lastly, I don't have a bag for next year and I didn't wanna buy a classic Jansport backpack... Oh and of course I wanted to bless my mama :)

So that added $97.70, bringing my weekend shopping spree to a grand total of...

$288.61!!

Despite the deals I found, it still pains me a little to know that I've dished out almost $300 over the past two days. But I know that I did dang good considering how big the ticket could have been for that much stuff.

So stoked for the changes to come. Not so stoked to pack all of this in our roomy yet space-lacking Lexus come August 12....yikes.

Here are a few close-ups of the dorm stash in case you couldn't depict items from the general picture...

If you have any questions as to where I got anything or what to buy when, feel free to ask. I'm no expert, but I feel rather "experienced" in the dorm shopping department after yesterday.

I hope everyone has a blessed week!

Confession #1: You don't know what you've got until it's gone -- but you won't mind at all.

I attended summer welcome for the University of Missouri over the weekend. Orientation began on Sunday, June 10, and I met TONS of new people. We were separated into small groups and continually moved from session to session with the same kids in an effort to avoid any sort of crippling awkwardness. It was so much fun and I wish I could relive it again and again! (Of course, that's what college is...) The group leaders were older students at Mizzou who made us feel welcomed and answered any questions we had. They even held a Summer Welcome Revue on Sunday night where the leaders did lip syncs and skits to entertain us. It was really great! I laughed seriously the entire time and everyone did fantastic!! Overall, every single person that helped with any part of the weekend did an amazing job and I couldn't have asked for a better first experience as a Missouri Tiger.

I went into the trip imagining that I wouldn't be able to find myself in the crowd -- that I would miss all of my best friends to an extent that would keep me from opening up to others. But that wasn't the case at all. I mean obviously it was awkward at first to just walk up to random people and be myself, but it got easier throughout the day, and by the last session I had a little group of friends that I hung out and laughed with until about 2 AM. I wasn't struck with coyness and lonely all day. I opened up in a way I didn't expect myself to and made friends - friends that I hope to keep over the next four years. The majority of the kids I met are actually in the same res hall I'm in, which will make it easier to stay connected. I was surprised to find myself not missing my best friends every second of every minute of every hour. I actually didn't think about anyone from back home for the majority of the day. That in itself just showed me how ready I am to move on and get to Mizzou. Don't get me wrong, I am overwhelmingly blessed by the group of friends I have here. I love everyone in Texas and they have helped me to become the person that I am today. Every fight or happiness that I have ever had with my best friends is something that I would never take back -- but at the same time, I am so incredibly ready for my future. To move to a new state and start a new life. To be a Missouri Tiger until 2016 and beyond.

The phrase "you don't know what you've got until it's gone" is full of truth. But, then again, I don't mind saying goodbye. It just gives me room for the future.

And maybe I'm a little bit wrong. Maybe I'm still blinded by excitement and I don't fully understand the hardship that's going to come in August when I move over 500 miles away and see all of my best friends maybe 3 times a year. But for right now, I'm content with this excitement. It keeps me focused and moving forward.

I will always appreciate the old. But I am ready to get on with my new.

Welcome.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog! I decided to go out on a whim and start a page to document the experiences of my collegiate future. The next four years will be full of new experiences for me and I'm sure that I will discover numerous confessions that no one else has the courage to publicize. I'm excited for the fall and I can't wait to share the ups and downs of my journey at Mizzou with you!