One Year Later...

It's crazy to think that a year ago I was agonizing over college applications, staying up until midnight on deadline days and driving my parents insane with my procrastination. It's crazy to think that just a year ago I sat crying in their bedroom because I didn't know what school was right for me. It's crazy to think that this exact day one year ago I had just put down my deposit at the university I now call home. 

If you had told me a year ago that in 365 days time I would have committed to Villanova, survived the tedious days of orientation (awkward luau, anyone?), met some of my best friends, come to love Sunday morning recaps over French toast in the spit (after a wild night in conshy), cheered on my team from the student section in the Pavilion, joined an intramural volleyball team, survived late nights in Falvey followed by snack time in Good Counsel 225, and fall in love with a place I had known pretty much forever I would have called you crazy. During those four short, incredible months better known as my first semester of college, I laughed, cried, made mistakes and memories, and grew as a person for the better.

ready for hoops mania!

If you had told me a year ago that in 365 days time I would have moved 4,000 miles from home, seen Big Ben and taken countless rides on double decker buses, ate croissants under the Eiffel Tower, cheered on Scotland's rugby team at a pub in Scotland, drank wine at the top of a mountain in Spain, taken a trip to Ireland with my entire family, and have a real job in London I would definitely not have believed you. My life is an absolute dream right now and I am so so so blessed to be here. I've been in London for 3 months and I'm honestly still pinching myself!! If it wasn't for Villanova (and my parents, of course) I would never have been able to go on such an amazing adventure - and it's not even over yet!

always repping...even across the pond

Watching the Wildcats win the national championship for the first time since my dad was a freshman at Villanova in 1985 was absolutely unreal. Never have I been so proud to be a Villanovan and never have I been so certain that I made the right decision just a year ago. And although we didn't quite have a riot the size of the ones on Lancaster Avenue these past few days, you can bet that we celebrated in the empty streets of London at 5 in the morning when that winning shot went in at the buzzer. That's what I have come to realize is so amazing about the Nova Nation - no matter how far away you are, you will always be a part of it. You will always have a second home and a second family to come back to.

live reaction to the big win from London 

It's hard to put into words how much I have loved this past year. All I can say is that I cannot wait for the next three.


Go cats \V/

Mini Dorm Tour!

Over the summer I loved getting dorm inspiration from Pinterest, YouTube videos, and other bloggers. Since I will be moving out of my dorm room tomorrow I wanted to take some pictures (for the #mems) and I thought it would be fun to share them here! So this is just a little peek into my home for the past 4 months...

I picked out this grey and white striped bedding from Bed Bath and Beyond's Kate Spade Home Collection. I was very picky about what bedding I wanted for college and after looking at probably one hundred comforter sets this was the only one I really loved! The colors are so versatile and the scalloped edge on the pillow sham is such a cute touch.

I decided to accessorize my room with pops of color so I picked up some cute throw pillows (the London one was actually a birthday present from my bestie Jess) and made some DIY prints for my wall using picture frames and greeting cards. The mini lanterns gave the room a nice ambiance during late night hangouts. 

Besides just holding all of my clothes, my dresser doubled as a place for me to get ready in the mornings. I wanted to make sure everything on top stayed organized, so I picked up some mini drawers to stow all of my makeup and other accessories. The set of drawers in the middle held all of my hair things and jewelry - I used pages from an old Lilly Pulitzer agenda to give it some color!

To be completely honest, I didn't actually use my desk all year. I preferred to study in one of the lounges in my residence hall, at the library, or at various different places around campus. More often than not it was covered in clothes or other random stuff I just didn't feel like putting away. But for the sake of this post we can pretend it served its actual purpose :) My favorite part about my desk was probably the bulletin board that slowly became filled with photos and mementos from throughout the semester. And since it's almost Christmas, I had to bring my mini tree to the dorm for a cute holiday touch! 

It's so bittersweet to be leaving this room because it feels like just yesterday that I moved in! Living in a dorm was a huge adjustment but I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to live with. I'll miss you GC, but it's time for a new adventure to begin!