This semester is a lot busier than the last. Last semester, I had a very light class load and I found myself bored during the day between classes. This semester, I get why college students run around like crazy people. I like it, though. I am much a happier person when I'm crazy busy than when I'm completely bored.

And although my schedule is crazy this semester, it works for me. I'm up at a decent hour every day. I work out on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays during the two hour gap between my first class and my second. My days go by quickly and I have enough time in the afternoon and evenings to do extra work, take a yoga class, or relax and get dinner with my boyfriend.

I think the main good thing about this semester being crazy, especially this time of year, is that I am moving. And the important thing is that I am moving forward. Staying active is one of the best pieces of advice I've been given when it comes to dealing with winter in the mountains.

Other ways that I have been coping with the below freezing temperatures include crocheting scarves(my roommate knits!), painting my toenails a sparkly silver, and bringing some green life in with one of the ferns that the Environmental Club was giving out in the Student Union.

settled back in.

I am back in Asheville after a long, wonderful, and much needed Winter Break. I don't have much to show except for some bits and pieces from my dorm room because it's been raining nonstop since the day I got back. I love the rain. I love rainy days. I love sitting in my room and not having to put any music on because the pitter patter of the rain drops is enough. However, I think the lack of sun is starting to wear everyone on campus (including myself) down more and more every day.

Luckily, all of this rain is supposed to turn into snow tonight, but I guess we'll see. Apparently higher elevations take all the snow from Asheville, so no one is expecting us to actually get any. As a North Carolina native, I'm pretty used to the rumor of snow and the disappointment of not getting any. Despite that, there's still this energy in the air as everyone on campus hopes deep down inside that classes are cancelled tomorrow.

Other than the weather, I am all settled into my room. My Health and Wellness professor was talking about "Environmental Health" and how we should take into consideration the space in which we live and whether or not it works for us as students. I'd like to think that my room really works for me and is a space that makes me feel good. It's something I really strive to create and take care of. I'm happy that I can be living in two different locations and have both feel equally like home.

Other than that:

1. With unpacking, I have realized that my collection of jars is getting a little excessive.

2. My tea collection is also getting a bit excessive. Guess this means I'll have to drink plenty of it this winter!

3. I am aware that I do have a wonderful view of the parking lot. It comes along with living on the first floor.

4. I am on such a creative high right now and I don't want it to go away. The first day of classes is a great time to realize that there is so much I don't know and so much I want to learn. I want to get my hands on everything right now. I've been journaling and sketching and aching for some projects. We'll see if this lasts.

everything in its place.

I've been busy updating my old bedroom at home. For the past couple of years, I've made a few changes with the help of my parents. I got rid of my old furniture I had when I was a kid and my dad got ahold of both a new desk and dresser and repainted them. I also got a new bed and new bedding.

However, after coming home from college and seeing all my childhood things in one place I was inspired to start decluttering. I have so many things. If you know me at all, you know that I keep everything. I put trash in notebooks and hold on to every gift I've ever received. And obviously, I can't take everything I own with me to college. By leaving behind a great deal of stuff I own, I've learned that if I don't really need it, want it, or use it, it's just a waste of space and needs to be gotten rid of.

Over this Winter Break, I really made an effort to declutter and make the final changes to my new "adult" bedroom. I got new curtains, a new lamp, a new trashcan, and I repainted my mom's old bookshelf. I got rid of about 2 trashbags full of junk. I've also rearranged most of the stuff that I decided to keep, putting everything in its place and finding new homes for the objects I left at school.

As far as other updates go, I have been fighting a cold and this tissue box my mom bought is making me smile as I carry it wherever I go.

Also I have been keeping busy finding other ways to smile with my new Twitter: https://twitter.com/goodthingsbyliz
I am so much happier now that I've gotten rid of my old Twitter and made a new one dedicated to positive thinking only. With my old Twitter, I found that I was searching for things to put and trying too hard to come up with something witty or thought-provoking in less than 140 characters. I resented it. And I've found that with this new Twitter, I don't have to try. I just have to take stock of my life and realize that something good happens every day. It's a wonderful realization and it's definitely something I want to practice for the rest of 2013.

new year.

2013 is crazy to me because I never really thought about it until it was here. This time last year, I had no idea what 2013 would have in store for me. I kinda knew what school I'd be at, but I really had no idea who I'd be rooming with in college or who my friends would be or whether or not I'd be with my boyfriend.

2013 was, and still is, a complete blank page. And for a while, it scared the shit out of me. I'm still not sure what the year will hold, but I guess you can never really be sure. I spent way too much of 2012 looking back and looking forward and never really looking at what was in front of me. I know I've said it before, but 2012 was a year full of change, and looking back, it's easy to feel like I lost more than I gained. But when I really stop to think about it, I've gained a lot and I'm so much better off as a person coming out of 2012 than I was going into it.

I'm now welcoming the blank page that is 2013 with open arms. The idea of having a year that I can do whatever I want with is now so much more exciting to me than it is scary.

I plan to:

• keep up with this blog like I have been
• take more pictures and make sure to print them out (!!!)
• treat my body right by eating less crap and coming up with a solid workout routine (of course)
• keep up good relationships with my family and always appreciate home
• love with all my heart or not at all, none of that half-assed shit
• explore Asheville and exit my comfort zone
• make friends by doing "me" and doing the things I love and allowing things to just fall into place rather than forcing anything
• keep track of good things and eliminate negativity
• make "5 Goals for the Week, 3 Goals for the Day" lists every Monday and "10 Things I'm Thankful For" lists every Friday
• clean out my old bedroom by eliminating clutter and redecorating according to my life now

I also hope that this year, I can keep in mind that opportunities to change, reevaluate my life, and make resolutions are available throughout the year and not just on one single day.