Back to School

Since I've Been Gone...

It has been such a long time since I've posted! Spring semester is an entirely new setting and moves so much quicker than fall semester does. Everyone gets a whole lot busier and time disappears right before your eyes!

But I do my very best to still make time for fun outings and evenings with my friends, as we all should. We often fail to appreciate what time we do have to share with our loved ones and make the most of. So here's my call to action: Make the most of it--your senior year, your college search, and hopefully your time here at Georgia College!

First weekend back, the weather was beautiful and we went to the Oconee River Greenway!

The second weekend back was MLK day weekend, and my friends Alexia, Emilee, and I had a blast just enjoying each other's company. We went to see Alexia's family in Savannah on Friday night and came home to Milledgeville to relax on Saturday night. We met Emilee's family in Jackson (between Milly and Peachtree City) on Sunday evening for dinner. We ate at Fresh Air BBQ. YUM. Nuff said. We did a lot of driving that weekend!

Alexia driving, with Emilee playing DJ!

I had to go home our third weekend back, which I don't do often. Don't get me wrong--I love my family, but my Mom lives and works in Budapest, Hungary, so our house remains empty most of the time. That weekend, however, my mom, older brother Jon, future sister-in-law Marenda, and future mother-in-law Twanda came to Atlanta to go wedding dress shopping! OH the joys! It was wonderful to see family and be surrounded by such love.

Me and Marenda taking a lunch break with Mom and Mom between dress shops!

Fourth weekend back we chilled! We hammocked at the Greenway and enjoyed a peaceful weekend in Milledgeville!

Last weekend was my friend Alaina's twentieth birthday weekend! Seems like every weekend is a birthday weekend! On Friday night a few of us went to the Hawk's game in Atlanta with CAB-To-Go. Georgia College's Campus Activities Board does these events a few times a semester to Braves games and the like. It was so much fun! We ate at The Varsity before (it was my first time) and it was DELICIOUS!

The Hawks didn't win, but I got Dip N Dots, so it felt like a win to me!

Alexia, Emilee, Alaina, and Myself after the game. One last picture!

The whole crew: Alaina, Alex, Emilee, David, Me, Andrew, and Alexia.

The woman who took the picture of us all was...elderly... and it took ten minutes to explain which button she needed to press to make the "gosh darn camera" work. By that time we were all genuinely laughing at how silly the situation was!

We also had a surprise birthday party for Alaina on Sunday at our friend TJ's house--piñata included.

Kristin, Emilee, Alexia, me, and Alaina at her surprise party! There are some pinata leftovers in the bottom right corner.

Throughout the week, we enjoy big dinners at The Max, study dates at the library, and the occasional acoustic night at Blackbird Coffee. Here's the lesson: make time for fun! School work is important, but your life at Georgia College should be filled with joy and laughter as well!
 

Alexia went to Thailand over Christmas break, and brought us each back a pair of these wonderful pants. We wore them to acoustic night, and boy did we draw attention! Still the most comfortable pants ever invented. (:

How to avoid the Freshman 15

Hey again!

A word on health in college....

So, I've decided to do a bit of a series! Everyone dreads the awful Freshman 15, 20, 30, 45 etc...so why not document my journey in trying to fight that?

It happened like this....I woke up one morning and I had gained about 25 pounds since high school graduation. Well, great, right? Nope. It wasn't the weight that bothered me, it was that I was tired all of the time and not feeling at the top of my game.

So, I started with my diet....It will be so tempting to just eat one gigantic meal a day, due to time constraints and other preoccupations. I learned that this wasn't the best idea. I was basically starving my body! Sounds silly, right? Indeed. I began to stock my dorm room with small, healthful snacks that I could grab on-the-go. I bought bananas, apples, granola bars, yogurt, pretzel thins and fruit cups.

EXAMPLE DAY: Yogurt and cereal in the morning, pack a lunch (yes, pack...as in do it the night before!) of PB&J with pretzel thins, a fruit cup and a granola bar, then, for dinner, have a meal at the Max or wherever and pay attention to portions. Or if you eat in, a great soup or a pre-portioned packet of tuna with a little bit of mustard or mayonnaise always satisfies. Night time snack: an apple or if you've got a sweet tooth something fierce (story of my life) then a chocolate-coated granola bar. NOTICE I said night time snack, not midnight snack...eating at or after midnight, though tempting, not the best idea.

Well, that's the diet portion. I found it was easiest to take it step by step so, hopefully this will be of some help when you tackle your first year here at Georgia College!

My next post will be about EXERCISE!

Hope to see you soon!
Love,
Lexi :)

Religious Organizations

Hey again!

A word on Georgia College's Christian organizations....

A lot of people (me being one of them) worry that going away from home would bring a separation between my faith and me! Adding to my worry, I felt that I was in the midst of a "spiritual growth spurt" of sorts, and had no desire for that to be thrown off with the temptations of college. I struggled with how to deal with this for about a month, and then I began attending a local Sunday service. I felt like my faith was regaining strength, but the constant distractions of college life seemed to put a strain on my actual relationship with God.

Then I found House Church.

A wonderous experience. House Church is just as it sounds, a local house where at least 100 people congregate each week and praise. It is such a great avenue for personal exploration. This is a place that promotes community and individuality simultaneously. I absolutely ADORE it!

Of course, all of this based on personal eperience, but the general consensus is that our network of Christian organizations is the BEST! Each meeting once or twice a week in local or on-campus venues, any person seeking out the Word and a closer relationship with God, as I was, will have no trouble finding it!

We have The Wesley Foundation, Campus Outreach, Campus Catholics, Baptist Christian Ministries, House Church and many more! I am still exploring, and loving every minute of it!

Hope to see you soon!

Love,
Lexi :)

Study Tips

Hey guys! Hope everyone’s first week back was fabulous! I know it’s been one busy week for me (I can only imagine how this semester will be!), so I imagine it’s been the same for a lot of you. I’ve always been a pretty committed student, but this semester I’m taking it to a new level with some new tactics and I thought I’d share some handy study/organizational tips that I've come across.

Here's my syllabus folder.

1. Get a “syllabus folder.” Print off your syllabi, put them in this folder, and keep it with you at all times. Whether you’re studying, going to class, or doing homework, keep it with you. You'll always be able to reference it - you'll be able to check your homework, make sure you're doing assignments correctly, see what an assignment is worth, your teacher's specific policies, and so on.

2.  If you’re a techie armed with a smart phone or tablet, you can download a scheduling app to help you keep track of your classes, professors, homework, and exams. I have two different apps: one for my android tablet, and another for my iPhone. They’re both really functional and if it’s on your phone you’ll always have it with you!  If you don’t have a smart phone or tablet, it’s no biggie, but do buy a planner and keep organized that way.

3. One nifty thing I read online was to get one index card for each of your books. Write on the index card the due date and readings that you have in that book, then use it as the bookmark! I’m already using this this semester and it’s wonderful, really. So handy.

4. Switch up your studying place! Study in different parts of your room/building/campus and you’ll remember more! It’s scientifically proven! Here’s a list of study tips (including this one) that are very useful: http://greatist.com/happiness/better-study-tips-test/#

There's my favorite place to study! What's yours?

I hope you all have a wonderful semester! See ya!

-Ashley

Welcome Back!

We made some slight changes to our room this semester! 

Emily upgraded her phone:

Our owl obsession is still taking flight:

And Allison brought some classy mason jar goblets:

"They were a regift!" 

Happy Spring Semester!!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

This time of year is my absolute favorite the weather is getting colder; well at least some days with Georgia you never know what you will get. The candles are pumpkin flavored and everyone is starting to feel the happiness that comes with the season. I was blessed to be able to spend Thanksgiving with my family at my home. We have a tradition at my house to always watch the parade together while my mom and I start to prepare the meal for the day. Traditions are very important to my family and at the holidays we get to spend time sharing them. We eat the typical turkey day feast with a few twists of our own. We start our meal with fruit and sorbet; this is a tradition from my mom’s side of the family that we have continued to pass down. My favorite part of the meal is mashed potatoes, I make them every year and they are delicious. After the meal we all take collect naps in the living room. After we awake from our turkey induced comas we enjoy dessert. In our house the Christmas season starts after dinner when we watch Elf and begin to decorate for Christmas. We try to have everything up for as long as possible to enjoy it for the majority of the month December. When I returned to school for the final two weeks of school I saw the holiday spirit unfolding in Milledgeville. The town puts up lights and decorations as well as the school. It becomes a wonderful sight to see and inspires those stuck in the library that the relief is coming. There is nothing quite like this time of year. I’m excited to be heading home and catching up with friends and my family. Merry Christmas and happy holidays from me to you and your family.

My sweet boyfriend and I on Thanksgiving

My beautiful family, this is our Christmas card picture!

A Bittersweet Goodbye (for now)

By Kristin Lukich

Year two, Part one is officially over. It was time, and the academic side of me is glad to have some time to breathe. However, my social side is practically depressed about it. I love, love, love Georgia College and all the great people I interact with there. Dorm life really builds friendships, and it makes it very hard to say goodbye (even if it is only for a month).

However, technology makes it very easy to stay in touch with friends. Here are a few ways you can make sure your friendships stay strong throughout the month:

Use a Cellular Device 
This might seem obvious, but do text/call your friends! Me and My group of friends have a group text thread that we use daily, and it is a convenient way to stay in touch and share daily life experiences. While you're at it, download GC's Mobile App. It's awesome.


Skype
Skype is free and easy, so take advantage of it! Imagine that you're sitting across from each other at Blackbird Coffee and you'll be set. (coffee not included)



Pinterest
Pinterest is actually a great way to see what your friends are up to. You can even make a board that solely you and your friends can pin to. Some girls that I am living with next year made a "house" board, and we all can pin ideas for our house to the board.

Go Visit

 You may want a break from family at some point in the month, so use this time to make a trip to a friend's house.  Nothing beats seeing a friend away from college after a long time apart!

Have a great break! See you between the columns in January! 

-- Kristin