Make Time to Make Memories

As a student who is very dedicated to my school work and grades I know that life in school can seem overwhelming. There are so many days when I feel like finishing all of my assignments, studying for exams, and working on group projects just won’t get done because there’s too much. It can be very stressful and feels like all you can focus on. But what I have to sometimes remind myself is that years from now I’m not going to remember all the nights that I avoided friends, going out, or laughing historically in the living room. I’m going to remember working hard at my grades but I’m not going to remember individual times, it’s just going to be one big blur of studying.

When I force myself to take a break and do something random on a weekday night like staying up till 3 a.m. live tweeting a High School Musical marathon with my sisters, or seeing a play, or celebrating a friends 21st birthday, I know that I will always remember. I know that when I look back on college, those are the nights that I’m going to remember and look fondly on. Tonight I went to an event with my sorority sisters where we paired with a fraternity and learned different ballroom dancing styles. We all dressed up, gathered in the big ball room, had little appetizers, and had a blast learning dances and getting to know each other.

Moral of the story, keep your grades up. Don’t fall too behind in classes and neglect what you are responsible to finish. However with that being said, don’t neglect your friends. Don’t be afraid to put your homework aside to have a fun time because if you’re a good student, you will always find time to get it done. Make time to make memories.

Tough Choices

If there’s one thing you can count on in life, it is that you will be sent plenty of curveballs. There are so many choices in life that we are asked to make and some of them are huge decisions that can affect the rest of your life. This is one thing that I struggle with, seeing as I can barely decide what movie I should watch. When you’re 18 you are asked to decide if you want to continue schooling and if you do, where you want to spend the next four years of your life. Not only that but you have to choose what you want to do for the rest of your life for your career. Who at 18 can possibly know that? I thought that I did, but because of the twists and turns I’ve gone through in life, I am now on a completely different path.

Choices in relationships happen all the time and can be hard to think about. Do I want to put in the effort to continue my relationships with friends from high school? Do I want to focus on my future and let go of the past? Am I truly happy in my relationship, or am I just comfortable? These questions can be really hard to answer and can sometimes leave you feeling overwhelmed and empty of answers. However in times like these, it is important to think about what will make you happiest. You’re happiness is what should drive your decisions in life especially in tough decisions.

Last year I was faced with choosing between transferring schools and continuing to pursue my dream of theater, or staying at my current school, figuring out something else to study, and still being surrounded by my friends. I couldn’t possibly imagine my life without my friends in it but at the same time I couldn’t imagine loving something as much as theater. In the end I knew I would be unhappy without my friends and my support system so I stayed at Ball State and began exploring new career options. I now am studying advertising and absolutely have fallen in love with it.

An anonymous quote that I remind myself of when things in my life are changing and I worry about how they will end up is

“Don’t be afraid of change. You may end up losing something good, but you’ll probably end up gaining something so much better.”

Change is inevitable but keep a positive calm outlook and trust that things will work out for the better.

It can be scary when change in your life is happening. But it can be even scarier when it comes down to you to make a decision that lays out how the change will go. I’ve been struggling with some decisions in my life and find myself thinking about them all the time and trying to figure out what will make me happiest, but the honest truth is that I don’t know. I’m unsure of the best thing to do and don’t really know what I want. I stumbled across this quote the other day and it really put things into perspective for me and is helping me work through this change in my life and hopefully can work for you, when you find yourself in a similar position.

“When faced with two choices, simply toss a coin. It works not because it settles the question for you. But because in that brief moment when the coin is in the air, you suddenly know what you are hoping for.”

“Friends”

My favorite TV show of all time is “Friends” because I love the characters. Watching the show you feel like you’re part of the gang and whenever I watch, I always have a warm fuzzy feeling. If I’m having a bad day, I will instantly turn to “Friends” and watch as many episodes as it takes to make me feel better. I own 4 seasons and have watched all 10 seasons all the way through probably 4 or 5 times. The show also somewhat brought me to one of my very best friends, it was one of the first things we talked about when we met each other and I made her watch all the episodes and we’d talk about the characters and their lives. Each character has their quirks and makes them seem like real people, not just made up characters.

Luckily, I have friends in my life that are similar to the characters in the show. They all would be there for me no matter what and have characteristics that fit those in the show.

Meet Ashely, she’s the girl I mentioned above and is one of my best friends. She is my Monica. She’s extremely organized and everything has to be clean and perfect or it stresses her out. However she still loves me even though I am not the world’s tidiest person. She’s also pretty competitive, and if we are going to do something we are going to do it all out and be the best at it. Monica also is very family oriented and values serious relationships. She is loyal to her friends and boyfriend and Ashely is the same way. I know I can turn to her for anything just like Rachel (Green) can turn to Monica. She listens to me, gives me really good advice, makes me laugh, and is my partner in crime.

Next comes (my) Joey… Caleb. Caleb and I have known each other since kindergarten and decided we should probably be friends in middle school and have been best friends ever since. Like Joey, Caleb is very handsome and has no trouble with the ladies. Both of them are funny and always have a comment on whats going on. Caleb’s very smooth like Joey and even if he doesn’t know what’s going on or what to say, he’ll come up with some smooth comment that makes you question what you’re saying and usually makes you laugh. Joey has a heart of gold and hates to see his friends upset. Caleb has been there for me in the good times and bad and always knows exactly what to say to make me feel better. Now we live seven hours apart but he still manages to make me laugh everyday and I know that he will always have my back.

Moving on to Phoebe… Phoebe is one of the goofiest characters on the show because of her out there comments and quirky personality. My Phoebe is Liz. Liz is one of the craziest people I know: she always has something to say and jokes around all the time. Phoebe is sometimes considered childlike, innocent, and the “weird” one of the group. At the same time, “street Phoebe” is one of the toughest chicks around. Liz is very sweet and innocent with a goofy personality that will always keep you smiling. Though she holds onto that innocence, she definitely has a tough side also and is very protective of the people she loves. Phoebe always comes up with funny simple ways to make people feel better like making a mess so that Monica can clean it up to make her feel better when she’s sad. Liz is the same way and while she might not have super deep advice to give like Monica, I love that she’ll just say… “let’s go to taco bell” or “wana eat a whole roll of cookie dough?” She is a bundle of joy and I don’t know what I would do without her in my life.

Chandler is one of my favorite characters in the show because he has clever jokes and often you have to be paying attention to catch them. Chandler is my friend Grant. Grant is another middle school turned lifetime bestie and if you pay attention is hilarious. He doesn’t make super obvious jokes, and takes time and pride in his comments and jokes about things. He can be awkward in situations just like Chandler and can usually be convinced to do things. He tries to put on a tough guy persona, but anyone that knows him well, knows that he is a teddy bear. He can always be counted on and is extremely loyal, just like Chandler. I love him dearly and am so thankful that I’m lucky enough to have him in my life.

And finally we have Ross. Ross is my boyfriend Wesley, who shares many similar traits as Ross. Both are very into knowledge and learning as much as they can– and sharing it with the rest of the group. Often Ross annoys the rest of the gang because he knows the scientific names, history, and everything about everything. I can always find Wes looking up information on things that he doesn’t know and then stores that knowledge and can recall it on the drop of a hat. Both are nerdy and but that’s what makes them so cute. Both are also extremely stubborn and competitive. Ross never ever wants to admit that he is wrong and will go to extreme lengths to prove his point. Wes is the same way and will never give up if he think’s that his view of something is right… even if it is as minuscule  as an opinion on Harry Potter. Although they have that side to them, they also have a very gentle sweet side that wants to protect the people they love and make sure that they are happy. If something is bothering me, Wes will do whatever he has to to make it better and will help me through anything. Just like Ross and Rachel, Wes and I are in a relationship, and have deep feelings for each other.

And that makes me Rachel. I identify with her on many levels, including that we share our name. She is very into fashion, and decorating, and is a social butterfly. She also wants to make it on her own, she is very independent and takes pride in what she accomplishes. She cares for everyone very deeply and wants what is best for them. She also sometimes makes bad decisions and relies on her friends to pick her back up. Luckily for me, and for her, our friends are always there for us.