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goodbye 2014. you won't really be missed... 

hello :) It's weird how every year I can't fathom how another year has gone by. 2014 was a huge year for me: graduation, college, moving, death in the family. So to celebrate and anticipate 2015, here are 14 important factoids, events, and memos that I learned this year.

1. College is a wonderland. Really, I love it so much. It can be tough sometimes to be by yourself in this place you just moved to. I think I was lucky in that Smith is so wonderful, caring, and accommodating. It really feels like I've found a second family within my house community. It's nice to have the freedom to choose your own courses and decide when to do things.

2. Do not mix lights and darks when it comes to alcohol. I learned that quite the hard way. Learn how to hold your drink (I'm still learning that bitter lesson).

3. Be courageous and bold, it might surprise you. Some of my most memorable experiences have happened per chance. At 2am a couple of my housemates went to a local burger place (unironically called Local Burger) and it was a really fun time, laughing at the outside world and some of the ridiculous things guys do.

4. Visit art museums. Really, they're SO COOL. I love being there even for an hour, two hours. There's so much to explore and so much historical culture to take in. I'm definitely going to start visiting the Smith art museum more too. I recently started to going to musical events too and oh my gosh. I used to think it was silly to go to concerts but the energy is so alive!

5. Be silly! I've become familiar with a few new faces by just simply being silly. I bonded with this girl over how excited plants make me in the botanic garden. Some girl and I had a great conversation about hot chocolate in the dining hall. I was sticking my tongue to catch snowflakes and this girl passing by smiled and stuck her tongue out saying, 'me too'. It's funny how these are the things I immediately remember instead of the grades I got or how much time I spent studying for an exam (studying is way important too though, I'm not saying it's not).

6. Everything tastes better late at night. Fact. Ramen parties at 11 should always happen.

7. Keep in touch with people you care about. It might seem intuitive and dumb of me to mention this but really.. it's harder than you think. Sometimes I have to keep reminding myself to call my parents or a skype a friend but it always makes me feel better. I use my computer's calendar a lotttt. Those reminders are pretty great.

8. Do not forget to do laundry. . . laundry buddies (like gym buddies) are a necessity. Laundry nights usually turn into mini dance parties blasting Taylor Swift to drama time complete with face masks so now they're a much more enjoyable thing.

9. Swiffering is really enjoyable. I'm trying to find my own style/refine what I like and what looks good and my room is always undergoing a changing process. I'm getting really into interior decorating and making zines.

10. Short hair should be tried out at least once. Maybe I'm biased because I like short hair. Embrace who you are! I realize I'll never be that girl people always say "whoaa you're like a supermodel! whoaaa" (I've sat next to those girls one too many times). But you know what, I'm okay being a super intelligent (okay maybe that's my ego speaking), hipster, geeky girl who can wear shirts with cats, rainbow zebras, pineapples, etc.

11. Dreams change, and that's okay. For my entire life almost I wanted to go into journalism. Senior year I suddenly wanted to do policy related things. And now I definitely want to do something related to biology, genetic technology, food policy, environmental policy. I'm unsure of the exact path I want for my next four years and that's scary, exciting, liberating all at once.

12. Only buy clothes that you love. It saves you the pain of running out of closet space and a bankruptcy. There are so manyy cool people at Smith. Not that kind of cool you see in stereotypical teen movies but a real kind of cool. They don't care about what the world thinks at all. They're so focused on what they're doing in their own life and their dream. They have their own style and you just take in their cool vibes when they pass by. Hopefully one day some first year will see me pass by the sidewalk and just say "whoaa that girl is too cool."

13. There are very few moments in life where you can dress up, spend hours doing hair and makeup, wear heels that are clearly too tall for you. Cherish them. I really miss getting all dressed up for senior ball. I wish there were more formal parties in college... or even opportunities to wear a nice suit (I miss my short lived debate career).

14. CHERISH 2015!!!! Okay maybe I didn't learn that this year but I know how precious time is. I don't know where half this year went. College really went by like a blur. I'm gonna start writing one thing a day that I appreciated/enjoyed/remembered about each day. Maybe I'll post them here too to keep myself on track. 2014 was kind of a lousy year. . . but I know 2015 can be better. WOOOOOOOOOOOOO.