This is It: Freshman Year Ends

Well, friends, this is it.  I'm leaving Sioux City for the summer in just a couple hours.  I'm not going to make this a long post, because I think the last one was sufficient.
First of all, I would just like to thank those of you who have been reading my blog faithfully all year.  Your enthusiasm and encouragement is what makes blogging fun.  I would also like to thank everyone who made this year a crazy awesome adventure for me--my roommate, my best friend, my boyfriend, neighbors, professors, lunch ladies, and everyone else who has been there for me every single day here in Sioux City.  It's been a wild ride, and I know that this year was just the beginning.
Lastly, I would like to thank my friends and family back home, who have been cheering me on long distance since the day I decided I was going to school in Sioux City.  I'm absolutely sure that none of this would have been possible without you.  And know that, even though I love life here, my heart will always be right back home with you.  I'll always come home to the 651.

So this concludes my freshman year of college!  Woohoo!  Didn't it fly by?!  I have to say that this was a million times better than my freshman year of high school, so I'd say I'm off to a great start for college.  I'm sure the adventures will only get bigger and better next year.
Speaking of next year, I will be continuing to document my time in Sioux City on a different blog starting in August.  I've got big plans for this blog, so let's hope that I actually follow through.  The reason that I'm moving my blog is because WordPress will allow you to follow my posts via email, so you'll know right away when I put something new up.  So go ahead and sign up to follow it now, but know that I obviously won't be posting anything until I come back to school in the fall.

Until next year...stay shiny, Sioux City.  :)

[To God be the glory.]

A Lot to Learn

As of right now, I have one final and less than a week left here in Sioux City.  Can you believe it?!  I'm a day away from being done with my first year of college.  That's crazy!!!  Part of me still can't believe I already graduated from high school, so this is kind of a big deal.  Anyway, I suppose now would be a good time to reflect on the past nine months that I've spent here.  As I'm sure you know by now, I've had some pretty fun times here in Sioux City this year.  But you can read all about those in my previous posts. So let me make you a bullet-pointed list of the things that aren't quite so obvious, but still super important.

What I've Learned in my Freshman Year of College

• I have an accent.  I won't even try to deny it anymore.  Yes, I am that person who says "ohhh ya" and "you betcha" on a regular basis.  Iowans will always make fun of me for it, but I suppose that comes with the territory.
• Sleep is for old people.  No offense, Granny.  I love you a lot.  But I also recognize that sleep is extremely inconvenient in college!  Last semester, I tried to go to bed at 10:00 every night.  Naturally, that did not work out so well.  All the action happens in the middle of the night!  Someday, when I'm settled into a nice little house in suburbia with my husband and 2.5 children, I'll sleep eight hours a night.  Just not today.  :)
• I do not need pop to survive.  Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to publicly announce that I have been pop-free since July of 2011.  Don't get me wrong: I love pop.  Pepsi, Coke, just about anything.  But there got to be a point over the summer when I realized that the amount of pop (leftover from my grad party) I was drinking probably wasn't healthy.  And so I spontaneously quit cold turkey.  Now, knowing that pop was going to be available to me every single day in the cafeteria here in Sioux City, I didn't think I would be able to keep this up in college.  But guess what?  I DID!!!  And guess what else?  I feel awesome.  I really don't even miss it that much anymore.  I'm also a big fan of flavored water now.
• Location doesn't matter.  What I mean is this: wherever you go, your experience isn't based on the place you're at.  It's all about the people you meet.  I've met some amazing people in Sioux City this year that I know I'll be lifelong friends with.  Sure, this isn't the most glamourous town in the world.  But the people here are absolutely spectacular.  And that, my friends, is awesome.

I'm sure I've learned a lot of other things this year, but those are probably the most important.  So that's it for today!  Stay tuned for my final post of freshman year.  Until then, shine on.  :)