A Clemson Memoir

 
 "There is something in these hills." 

-Thomas Green Clemson

That's right, I am 100% a Clemson tiger and I'm headed up that way this weekend!  I miss that place, so much.

I truly had an amazing experience there; from academics, to friendships, Clemson shaped who I am today.  I was one of those "over achievers" and most people that knew me in college can attest to that.  Was anybody else that way in college?  I remember sleepless nights and not even from school work, from organizing a meeting or doing a project for one of the many clubs I was in.  I did almost EVERY type of society including:

• Senate (goodness, what was I doing dabbling in politics)
• President of Clemson Philanthropy Club
• Delta Zeta Sorority (Dance Chair, Parliamentarian, Colonnade)
• Lots of honors societies-won't bore you here
• Clemson LiVE, an event planning society
• Public Relations Student Society of America

As everyone starts to go back to school, I want to continue to relive those days so here's to some of my favorite memories at Clemson:

From freshman move in day with Eclectically E... (check out our bare dorm!)

To some CRAZY (and you know exactly what I'm talking about) frat parties...

While pledging a sorority...

And making life long friends from your freshman hall... (picture taken on last night of freshman year) Still talk to each of them.

Then moving onto the hall with my new roommate (soon to be best friend)...

And some unexpected surprises and blessings....

To serving my school...

between sorority functions with new roommates...

And of course turning twenty one....

and making life long friendships....

Then meeting my new boyfriend and cheering on the tigers together...

And riding on the Homecoming float at half time...

And finally graduation day....

It was an amazing purple and orange ride I will never forget!  

GO TIGERS!!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I'm loving... that one of my best friends, Christina, is graduating this weekend in Clemson which gives me a great excuse to take a road trip back to Clemson and see my college BFFs!  It's been about a month since I moved to ATL so I'm ready to get some girl time in :)

Christina and I going dt Clemson!

Going out in ATL before I knew I was moving here!

I'm loving...getting great ideas for my [very far away, not even determined yet] wedding.  I'm no where closed to even being engaged, I'm just a huge planner and appreciate the little, creative things in life a little too much :)

The Groom typed twenty things he loved about his Bride. She typed 20 things she loved about him and they displayed them at the reception...

Have guests sign corks as your guest book to use in your home as decoration.

Sign for reception & wedding.

Display bios on the wedding party.

I'm loving...this cheesy card I made for my boyfriend on our one year anniversary.  Complete with backrub and home cooked meal coupons. (don't laugh!)

I'm loving...that my apartment is FINALLY ant-free.  It took the exterminator 3 tries but I think he finally got it right!  (By the way--did you know that Windex works just as well as bug spray to kill them, without the toxic spray? It does!)

I'm loving....this new destination -Villingili Resort & Spa, in Maldives - I discovered!  It gives me a whole new perspective for "dream honeymoon."

Ocean villa: Can you imagine sitting where she is?

Oh. My. Goodness.

Hope everyone is having a great hump day so far!

The 5 Love Languages

Warning:  This post may get a little deep.  I in no way am meaning for it to!  I just honestly discovered a great lens to look at relationships and feelings!  Learning about this, I believe, could really save ya some time and frustration!  Here goes..

In my second life I think I'd be a great therapist.  Well, not really a therapist, an analyst.  I want to analyze why people are happy, how different personalities do well with this situation but other personalities don't.  I want to dig deep and put a label on everyone (OMG did I just say type that out loud) and figure out what makes them tick and what frustrates them.  I'm not talking about scientificly, just the fun stuff...which leads me to my newest discovery of the concept of:

The 5 Love Languages
Before you go on thinking this is just a made up concept to get people to buy a book, believe me, I am the biggest skeptic and I actually went LOOKING for this concept in writing. 

This secret will rock your relationship - in a good way.

The thing is, I realized a while ago that my boyfriend and I, although we care immensely for each other, we show each other love in different ways.  I started noticing that I always thought about how I could help him in his day-to-day activities, how to make his life easier.  When I went to the store: is there anything I can get for him?  Or, on a busy week: make him lunch or drive to his house instead of him coming to mine.  Wait a minute.  Just wait one second.  [enter bad feelings]  Well, why doesn't he do these things for me?  That's not fair!  I go "above and beyond" allllll of the time and when he is just so dang practical and takes care of himself.  We have an incredibly open relationship so of course I confronted him and I quickly realized I was so in the wrong for accusing him of not loving me as much as I loved him (I mean, come on, this isn't 10th grade anymore you just can't throw accusations around like that anyways)  I quickly remembered all those sweet emails, texts, phone calls, times he wanted to do nothing else but be in my presence.  Oh yeah.  That's right.  You do love me and you do show it.  Just in different ways!  GENIUS. All of my frustration went out the window.  See, just because my brain and my emotions want to give by doing favors and helping, doesn't mean that he gives love all the time that way.  

So, after this conversation, I started thinking, found this online  "love language profile" test and did it.  Sure enough, my love language is "acts of service":

which means...

The book suggests that you use your profile to understand not only how you give your love but how you want to receive your love, and to tell your significant other so they can be aware of this as well-not necessarily change but just to be aware.  It's all about understanding how each person communicates!  

This "discovery" may not help you as much, but man it really made me have a great perception on how my brain and feelings work.  See, I have an enormous need to be needed and loved and, even moreso, I have a need to GIVE love to the people who mean so much to me.  However, I've recently started to see that everyone wants to be loved and most people actually want to give love, BUT how each individual receives and shows their feelings are completely different.

Moral of the story, different individuals function in the way they prefer to give and receive love and identifying your "style" of love language can really help you understand how to become closer!

"The payoff of speaking each other’s love language is more of a feeling of “this person understands me and cares for me.” This translates into better communication, increased understanding, and, ultimately, improved relationship."

Me from A-Z

Before I start my weekend wrap-up, I wanted to link up with Eclectically E for her new "Getting to Know me from A-Z."  Yay, so fun!

A - Age: 22
B - Bedtime: Psh, it NEEDS to be 11:30 but it is about 12:30.  I'm in the process of trying to get into a better mindset about that.
C - College: C-L-E-M-S-O-N!
D - Dogs: I  had a puppy (haha he will always be a "puppy" to me) named Shadow for 16 years.  I refuse to get a dog until I have a yard-which will be a while-but he will be a black lab for sure, just like Shadow.
E - Everyday necessity: To-do list, Twitter, checking up on loved ones
F - From: "The Armpit of the South"--Columbia, SC
G - Gold or Silver?: Silver all the way.  I don't own any gold.  I'm convinced I can't pull it off!
H - Holiday: Christmas is the holiday of all holidays.  All others can't even compete!  What other holiday do you get presents and get the most time off work/school?!
I - Ice Cream: The ice cream flavor isn't important.  It's about the toppings in it!  Oreos, brownies and m&ms.  *Salivating*
J - Job title: Associate Project Manager
K - Karaoke go-to song: Friends in Low Places. Right, Eclectically E?
L - Live: Atlanta, Georgia
M - Movie:  People often make fun of me for this, but  I rarely sit through a movie and if I do, I definitely can't shutup during one.  My favorite movies though (when people tie me up to watch one) are: Derailed,

N - Night or Morning person?:  Neither!  It totally depends on what's happening.
O - Outside lover?: YES! Any chance to eat on a patio, I'm on it!
P - Pet peeve: When people take too long.  I have no patience, I'm workin' on it :/
Q - Quirk: There are many!  In fact, this weekend the boyfriend decided to list all of them on our four hour road trip (yikes).  The main one is that I cannot sleep without white noise.  I have two fans on each side of my bed.
R - Restaurant: Cheesecake Factory.  I know it's a chain but I don't care.  Have you had the avocado egg rolls?  YOU NEED TO!
S - Sports: Well, I have the height for basketball so I played my last year of highschool but ALWAYS wish I had played more..I loved it.  I've been dancing all my life and that's what I love.  Eclectically E & I will be starting tennis soon :)
T - Team: Clemson tiger fan!  I don't really have any other teams but I do like the Braves.  Guess I have to, since I live in ATL!
U - Urban or Rural areas?: City but boy do I love to drive through the country!

V - Vacation: Anywhere hot and tropical.  My favorite place so far was about an hour south of Cancun in Playa Del Carmen.  I've also been lucky enough to be on my share of cruises!
W - Weather: If I'm inside, I want it to be storming so I don't feel like I'm missing out.  If I'm driving or laying out/hanging out outside, I want it to be sunny and HOT!  Selfish, right? hehe
X - Xtra special fact about you: I was Miss Clemson University 2009!
Y: Yogurt (froyo) Toppings - Oreos and M&Ms, ya know...the healthy stuff.
Z - Zoo Animal: Zebras!! I have many accessories/blankets/furniture with this print.  Background on my computer, too!

Now it's time for my weekend update!!

This weekend was so fun because I got to go to Columbia with the boyfriend to see his family and my family!  Yes, I totally realized I have no pictures of my sister, parents or boyfriend :/  Also, I really ned to learn that awesome digital camera I have, instead of my crappy phone camera. What can I say? convenience!

On my way out of Atlanta, I learned that these two buildings are called the "King and Queen" buildings...can you guess why? How cool!

 Lake time.

Everyone needs a Margaritaville Margarita maker!

Beautiful Lake Murray.  With this hot weather, it is almost NECESSARY to either be in a boat moving or in the water.

 Home sweet home.

Mom and dad did nice on their new purchase for our rec room.  Every seat reclines!  We looked like a bunch of dorks during movie night ;)

My favorite oldest younger brother, Tanner.

Reese as a pirate.  He wore that outfit all weekend.  The lil' hoodlum.

 Sunday funday.

Brunch with the fam, and my cute 'lil gma at...Cracker Barrel!  Am I the only one that gets breakfast PLUS fried okra (it is my absolute favorite food!)

Went to go visit my high school friends.  They got a brand new rottweiler puppy, "Sidney" (after Sidney Rice, wow).

Hope everyone had just as fun of a weekend as I did!

Organization makes me happy.

I came across an older blog entry from A Bowl Full of Lemons that really made me think about how much organization plays into my life. [And how much I love it!]

I organize my thoughts.

My plans.

My people.

My budget.

My toiletries.

My to-do list.

My to-buy list.

My emails.

Oh yes, I have an ongoing list at all times for "what to buy" and for "what to do."  

Just a small segment of my email folders.

If you must ask...

I also have an ongoing list of present ideas for the loved ones in my life as well.   Let's face it--how many times have you seen something totally perfect for your mom/dad/uncle/sister-in-law but, then their birthday or Christmas comes around 6 months later and you can't think of what to get your mom/dad/uncle/sister-in-law .  Awful feeling!

Making lists and obsessing about organization is the lifestyle that I love love love.  There is nothing better than putting entries into my agenda or that feeling of crossing items off my "to do" list.  Every night I re-write it and think of how much I accomplished.  Does anyone think this is sad?  I can definitely understand why you would :)

A Bowl Full of Lemon's challenge was to record my schedule each week and to take time each day to figure out what I want to get accomplished.  I believe in this 100% and will continue to do this for a sane lifestyle!

My agenda for this week

Aug 1 - Aug 7

1. Monday - Work, Grocery shop, Bachelorette with Eclectically E
2. Tuesday - Work, Gym, Cook fajitas for the boyfriend
3. Wednesday - Work, Gym, Walmart trip (yikes)
4. Thursday - Work, Pack & pay bills, get to bed early
5. Friday - Work, leave and drive straight to Columbia (boyfriend's parents' house)
6. Saturday- Lake Murray!  Around 9 p.m., go to my house
7. Sunday - Church, family time, drive back to Atlanta, celebrate 1 year anniversary!

GENIUS:
I came across this amazing idea from eighteen25 blog to turn you boring to-do list (specifically your around-the-house to-do list since it can't go with ya!) into a decorative piece of art! Just take a regular frame and  print out your own, customized to-do list sheet with lines and insert inside the glass (or go to the link and download theirs).  Then, write on the glass with a dry erase marker and erase when you want to start over!  Stay tuned for my rendition of the at-home to-do list!

I could go on forever about organization.  What fun tips do you have for organizing?