Stylish.Classy.Creative: The Beginning of a New Journey

On Monday afternoon, my parents and I packed the car with four white plastic bins, green and pink bedding, a mountain of clothes, my bike, and of course, a box of tissues.

It was time for me to leave for college.

It was heartbreaking to say goodbye to my two triplet sisters, my 12-year old brother, and my dog. Tears were shed, and lots of hugs followed.

We pulled out of the driveway and made the four hour drive to The University of Missouri in Columbia, MO.

I was sad, I was scared, I was nervous, I was excited.

Move-in wasn't until Tuesday, but we spent the night in Columbia so we could get an early start. I had found my roommate over Facebook, but we hadn't met in person yet. We decided to meet for dinner with our parents. It was a marvelous meal! It was so great to finally meet her! She and her parents are so nice and we share the same values. I'm so excited to get to know her even better and spend this year with her. Meeting my roommate Erin calmed some of my nervousness, and made me more excited for the road ahead.

Since I'm a member of a journalism FIG (freshman interest group) in an honors dorm, I was able to move in a day earlier than the rest of campus freshmen. This was a blessing! Moving in was not at all like I had imagined. There were no crazy line of cars, no crazy lines for the elevators, and overall everything ran very smoothly. We were able to get all of my things from the parking lot to my dorm room in about 25 minutes. Thanks for helping me with the heavy lifting, Dad!

My dad helped my mom and I raise the bed. We can't loft our beds (as in put a desk under them) but we can raise them to about three feet off the ground so we can store items underneath. I had sewn longer bedskirts for both my roommate and I, so they conceal the clutter underneath the bed. My dad sat in the floor lounge while my Mom and I organized my closet, made my bed, and put everything in its place. The room looks so good, and I look forward to calling it my new home!

I'm in a traditional style dorm, so it's two residents to a room and there is a shared bathroom on the floor. Some people might dread sharing a bathroom, but I think it's all part of the freshman year of college experience. The community nature of my dorm, plus the fact that I am a member of a FIG is going to help me meet tons of great people and I am so so excited!

After we unpacked my room, we went to lunch at Shakespeare's, which is a famous pizza place on campus. Very good pizza and a nice campus vibe. After that we made a quick run to Target to stock up on some last minute things for my room.

Saying goodbye to my parents was hard. Tears were shed, but they let me know that they were proud of me. I can't wait to see them on parents' weekend. I am four hours away from home, so I am not incredibly close, but I am not incredibly far. I was the first of the three girls to leave, so this was an entirely new experience for my parents as well.

I start classes on Monday, so in the meantime the University has so many fun activities planned for Welcome Week, I can't wait to participate in these events and meet new people!

I can't wait to feature a blog post or two each week about my new college adventures.

In the meantime, wish me luck as I embark on these new journey in my life.

Are you a college freshman? Have you moved in yet? What are you looking forward to? Current college students or graduates, what tips do you have to offer? Let me know in the comments!

My awesome roomie Erin and I

My closet. Kind of small but I was actually able to fit a lot in it! I used a curtain to cover the opening to conceal the clothing

Naturally, there's Diet Coke in the bottom of the closet

My Bed. My roommate and I coordinated our bedding and did pink as our accent color. The bedding is the Peyton Collection from PBTeen. The pink accent pillow is from Target, and the backrest is from Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

I have a small dry erase board with a picture of my dog and little brother next to me bed.

The bed is surprisingly comfortable!

My desk! I adore all the storage space it gives me! And the chest of drawers underneath rolls out if I need more space.

I got the set of green frames from Target, and the scalloped one from TJ Maxx.

Bookshelves! I keep my makeup and mirror on this shelf so I can do my makeup and straighten my hair at my desk and not have to deal with the bathroom.