Well guys, it's halfway through the week. I finally made it and I'm settled in to my dorm room for my third year of college. It feels surreal that I'm back at UNCA for another wonderful year, and I believe that this one is going to be the best yet. Things are already so, so crazy, but I am finding joy in:

These colorful latte bowls.

Getting more active on campus with student orgs.

My ridiculously vulgar and delightfully glittery pimp cup from my bestie, placed appropriately next to my party shoes.

Sisterly love.

My guy friends taking on the ice bucket challenge.

And of course, mountain sunsets.

september so far.

A sun-soaked feel-good, smell-good reminder on my windowsill.

Leftovers which were just as yummy the second time around. Lonnie and I went to this tiny place called Bandidos and it was the best Latin American food I've ever had.

My little orange moose I bought at Ikea tucked in a happy corner. Both my favorite color and my favorite animal. 

Drinking coffee in between classes to get through the day. Whether it be a couple cups of dark roast I brew in the maker I have in my room, or an iced cup from Starbucks, this is an almost daily ritual.

Finding a little section in my planner where I can list goals for every month. Keeping resolutions up year-round sounds like a wonderful thing to me.

Eating too much dark chocolate and being reminded that it's alright.

Just a quick update to say I'm settling in. My classes are proving to be more work than I thought, but after surviving last year's crazy schedule, I know I can handle it. I love where I live on campus and with that said, the girls I share my suite with. Sophomore year is all about doing my own thing, and I'm finding comfort in that. I'm super excited to be diving into my major, which is New Media. I'm really starting to feel like I'm learning the ropes to becoming a real designer.

college essentials.

As a Sophomore, I have learned a lot from my Freshman year and have figured out a great deal of the things that work for me alongside the things that don't. Some things just make college life so much easier, and sometimes it may take a while to really find the best of those things. So I'm sharing my favorite things which I couldn't imagine living without during my second year of college:

this tumbler. I know this may seem like an odd thing, but I am a huge believer in drinking a TON of water every day. I also am a huge believer in not wasting a disposable water bottle every day. Last year, I used a Camelbak water bottle with a filter as my everyday water bottle. It worked for last year, but I wanted something that felt more like drinking out of a cup rather than something you use to hydrate at the gym. Along came this beautiful, wonderful, glass tumbler from The Mason Bar Company. I splurged on the one with the glass straw and drinking out of it is basically just like drinking out of a glass cup when I'm sitting in my dorm room. And when it's time to go to class, I just grab and go. Easy enough.

these jeans. Okay, so this isn't really specific to college, but I have found the one golden pair of jeans that fit right, go with everything, AND are super comfy, and I need to talk about it. I firmly believe that a good pair of jeans is the key to true happiness. I was going to use this space to talk about the importance of a cute pair of lounge pants to wear in front of classmates in the dorms, but I already touched on that here. Basically the point here is, in college, it is an essential to both look good and be comfortable.

this laundry bag. Living in a dorm means dragging laundry down flights of stairs. Living in an apartment also sometimes means going to the laundromat...or to your parents' house. Laundry has to be able to be mobile in college, and it's important to have a laundry bag on hand. I bought a colorful, trendy, cheap one last year from Target for like 6 bucks and it tore up after wear and tear by the end of the year. So this year, I bought the one pictured above from West Elm, and I am in love with it. The quality is so perfect, it fits my current style way better, and the look is simply neutral and timeless.

this ID case. Not having to carry a purse to class and still having my money, Student ID, and keys all in one place is huge to me. I even throw my lip balm and a thumb drive in the case. I don't own anything else from Vera Bradley, but I'm impressed by the quality of this case. I bought it last summer, and it's still holding up pretty well.

these command photo hanging strips. I hung a large framed and signed Jack's Mannequin poster as well as a full-sized bulletin board with these. You can see both in my last post. So far, they have both been sticking up without any sort of issue. Having framed photos and boards on the walls makes my dorm room feel so much more home-y, and there's really no better product out there that will do the job without damage to the walls. I plan to do some kind of photo gallery wall and I am now seriously considering using framed prints and Command strips.

this space saver brita filter. Going back to my rant about drinking water and how I am no longer using my filtered Camelbak every day, I needed a way to keep filtered water in my room and this filter is perfect for my dorm. It's small enough to fit in the door of my mini fridge, yet it holds enough water for just me. I am so thankful I bought this filter this year too, because unlike having a water fountain right outside my door like last year, the only water fountain near my hall is in the lounge downstairs.

dorm sweet dorm.

This post is on the more personal side, but I wanted a chance to show my family and friends back home where I'm living right now. I moved into my single dorm room yesterday, and managed to get everything settled in fairly quickly. Things are far from perfect, but I'll be tweaking everything until it feels like home. I took these snapshots before decorating my bulletin board above my bed. I also have plans to turn the space above my bed into a gallery wall for photos and art. To say the space is small is an understatement, but it's all mine and it works for me.

craziness.

I spent the entire day packing and cleaning.
I leave the first thing tomorrow morning. (But before we head home, I'm spending the day at The Biltmore with my parents. Look forward to a post on that later this week.)

My emotions have been completely out of whack these last few days. I have been crying over minuscule events and getting over them just as quickly as they happen. I felt like I was going crazy until my RA came into my room after hearing me cry, showing me her puffy red eyes as well. I guess it's just this time of year. The stress of exams have taken their toll, and the swift moving changes happening around every corner don't help anything.

I didn't think the end of the year would be a big deal, but it just hit me that my routine, my friends, and my living situation will be completely shaken up for almost four entire months. I'm still not quite used to the back and forth of going to school away from home, I guess.
And after my minor slump last summer, I'm slightly apprehensive to see how this one pans out. All I can do is try my best to make it a good one, and I intend to do exactly that.

Looking back, I have truly developed a second home here in Asheville. My hall-mates have grown to be like a second family to me. Leaving, my heart feels twice as big, and I feel like I've grown twice as much. I already crave more experiences and more growth as I look forward to next year. It feels so good to call myself a college sophomore at UNC Asheville. A year after being so unsure about almost everything in my life, I now feel secure and happy where I am. I absolutely love my school, and I couldn't imagine my life any differently.

pinterest favorites: exam week.

these snacks, because they are the top 5 things you can eat to help relieve stress.

this pillow, because it's both a motivator and something to rest your head on after a long day.

this makeup tutorial, because it's quick, easy, and will hide those dark circles from late night study sessions.

this mug, because I think we can all use both the coffee and the nice little reminder. ;)

these pants to lounge around the dorm in, because they are cute AND comfy.

this nail color, because it lives by its name, "Power Clutch." It does not mess around. It's powerful and super chic.
these highlighter pencils, because they work better than regular ol' highlighters, are eco-friendly, and look way cuter in a pencil cup.
this reminder, because although it's been said many times, it can't be said enough.
these yoga poses, because they relieve headaches and tension in the shoulders and neck, which can be caused by staring at textbook for too long.

Nine instead of six this week, because with exam week, I know I could use all the help I can get.
Personally, I'm almost done with exams (only one left on Monday then I am outta here!), but I know of a few schools and students who just ended classes and haven't quite jumped into exams yet. Either way, these are not only good tricks to use in the coming week(s), but they also serve as a good reflection of tricks and tips that have helped me during my Freshman year. I've definitely learned a lot of good study/survival habits that I can take with me the next three years.

my Pinterest.

dorm room snacking essentials.

This may be a silly post, but I am in love with the idea of "essentials" or "must haves."
In an attempt to de-clutter my life, I like finding my absolute favorite things and sticking with them. My mom texted me this morning and asked if there was anything I wanted my dad to bring up that would help get me through exam week when he comes to visit on Tuesday, and without hesitation I told her "Whole Grain Cheez-Its and Nature Valley Oats 'n Honey Granola Bars." (I already have 1 and a half Dove Dark Chocolate bars stashed away under my desk, shh.)

And I thought about it, and I decided that if I was stuck on a deserted island and had to live off 3 things, these three would be it (not exactly the healthiest choice, but you know.)
Deciding what kind of snacks to keep in your dorm room is kinda like decided what minimal things to take with you on a deserted island. Or at least it is if you have as much other stuff taking up precious space as I do.
It's kinda the same thing.
Kinda.

I know I don't normally ask for follower participation, but if you're actually reading this: What are your go-to snacking essentials? I'd love to hear.

As a side note, I'll probably do a couple more posts like these. I definitely want to do a "Makeup Essentials" one later.

dorm light.

....which I don't completely hate.

(as opposed to what I mentioned here.) 

1. Brandon and Corey's room is the go-to hangout spot on our hall. This is Brandon tumbl'ing on his bed as the first storm of the season rolled in. Everyone gathered in their room and ate McDonalds(but we won't talk about how I cut McDonalds out of my diet. shh.) and talked late into the evening. It was a simple but nice night.

2. Some rainbows playing on my lamp and bulletin board in the afternoon light. So dreamy. (my Springtime list is making an appearance on the left there.)

this is not my life, or maybe it is.

Things I have learned in my first week on campus:
Food is life. Food is essential. Make it good. Make it local. Make it fresh. Asheville gets this.
Shoes are always optional.
Spending time outside is just as essential as food. Do it.
People like making friends and Asheville is the best place in the world to talk with, share ideas with, and meet someone new every day.
Do the things you love to do. This is along the same lines as eating and spending time outside. Important things.
Do things that scare you. Like taking the bus into the city.
The smell of freshly done laundry is one of the keys to happiness.
College is the most fun, sad, exciting, homesick, freeing, lonely, comforting, uncomfortable, crazy things in the world.

I made this list because I need to keep these things in mind. I live in the most beautiful city in the world. I live in a city where the people are friendly, anything goes, normal is weird, weird is normal, and the pizza is always topnotch. My senses are constantly being overloaded with all that there is to take in. It's overwhelming, I can't explore all the things this city is willing to show me in the mere week that I've been here. I need to have more patience with myself as I adjust. My biggest issue I'm having is that I want to feel at home now. I want a billion new best friends now. I want to know the city by heart now. Nothing works that way. I've got a decent amount of time to be here and to figure all that shit out. The most important thing right now is to remember to breathe and enjoy everything, one thing at a time.

Lonnie made a new best friend named Tyler who is really cool and drives a Mini Cooper. And by that I mean he drives us around in his Mini Cooper. Anyway, we went to Walmart and bought a 1000 piece puzzle and spent the majority of 2 days completing it.

College.

And then after we completed the puzzle we got bored and our brains were a little fried. So this happened.

This very informative sign has been relocated to our hall's bulletin board after one of the 6 baseball players who live on our hall got offended and decided he didn't want it on his door anymore.

The Hop is a local homemade ice cream place that sells cartons of its ice cream on campus. It's basically the best thing that has ever happened to anyone ever. It's also Samm and I's Freshman Fifteen all wrapped up in a little innocent-looking container.

And to wrap up this crazy, scattered, all over the place update, here are some super cool gifs I made of me on the phone with my grandma and Lonnie taking down a sticky note.

made it.

I am officially a resident of Asheville, North Carolina. Adjusting to college life has been exhausting but wonderful. In the midst of all my attempts to feel at home, I sometimes forget that I'm in a completely new city. Samm and I have managed to make our dorm room our own, as imperfect as some of the details may be. I bought my books today(minus my spanish book that I had to order online) and the next thing I have to get done is buy art supplies. It seems as though my to-do list has been never-ending since the moment I graduated high school.

The first time I felt at home is after hanging out with Lonnie. We got pizza and went to Walmart and watched Netflix and then got Bojangles. We did the things we normally do and it was nice to get away from the campus for a bit.  I guess it's true when they say that home is a person, not a place. I miss my family, but my brother is teaching them the ropes of Skype, a process that is pretty hilarious to see when your mom shouts unnecessarily and your dad can't look happier.

As far as colleges go, I could not have picked a better college to go to. I haven't gotten lost yet on the campus due to it's small size and the campus is gorgeous. There are trees and flowers and mountains in the distance. Everything is beautiful and alive. I can't wait to spend nice day walking around and taking pictures. The people here are also friendly. Angry people don't live in Asheville. I'm pretty sure there's a law against it.

Classes start tomorrow and I'm hoping that I'll get into the swing of everything soon enough. I'm normally not a fan of routine, but not knowing what the next day brings can be scary and uncomfortable and I'm ready for some kind of stability. At the same time, I'm making sure to enjoy this exciting place filled with new things to explore and discover.