How to Be Sick in College

Hi everyone!

I had such a lovely, relaxing weekend at home, I was almost able to forget I have a cold. Yes, me, who never gets sick...a month into college and I already have a cold. And, what's worse, it's my first time being sick without Mamma to take care of me! So, here's my tips to make a speedy recovery to everybody who can't imagine being alone with nobody to take care of you, and a few tips to avoid getting sick in the first place.

When you're already sick:
1. NyQuil -- learn to love it. You're so active during the day that most of your recovery time is while you're asleep. DayQuil for some reason also makes me sleepy, so I only take it after I'm done with class for the day; NyQuil at least makes it so that I can actually sleep when I have a cold, and sleep is a valued resource. Cough medicine (I personally like Delsym) also keeps your roommate happy because you're not keeping him/her up all night!
2. Take it easy -- I'm not saying you have to sit at home all day when you're not in class, but at least try to remember that the more you push your body, the less effectively it can recover from what it's already dealing with. I don't become completely antisocial unless I'm really sick, at which point I'm not much fun to be around anyways.
3. Don't be afraid of the health center -- I personally didn't go this time because I knew I only have a cold and it will go away, but there are girls on my hall who have already had much more serious issues (think infected cuts, etc.) and have not hesitated to go to the doctor. You're paying for them to be there, so go see them!

When everybody else is sick:
1. Hand sanitizer -- in college, you touch everything, and so does everybody else. We touch doors to buildings, and the hand scanners that let us in to eat, and computers, and chairs...you get the idea. You are now indirectly touching at least fifty different strangers on any given day -- hand sanitizer will be your best friend.
2. Don't touch your face -- remember those fifty strangers you share things with every day? Now their germs are on your face...ew.
3. Don't eat or drink after anybody -- I used to really not care about this one, but now I'm super protective of my food. People tend to understand if you don't want to share fries -- protect yourself!

I used to not be a germophobe, and I still don't think I am, but when you're sharing the same air with 975 other first-years all living in your building, certain measures have to be taken.

What else can I do?? I will not get sick again...this has been miserable!

Have a lovely day!
XO,
Carson

Packing for College: Part 2

Hi everybody!

I wanted to wait to do part 2 of my Packing for College series until I figured out what I was actually using here at school! My original packing list was kind of extensive:

I have actually found that I'm using just about everything I packed, so that's good! I wasn't sure I would actually wear my sundresses and skirts all that often, but I have gotten a lot of use out of them so far, just not to class. I thought I would try to look cute for school, but that quickly turned into nike shorts and a t-shirt. On that note, don't feel the need to pack a ton of t-shirts, because I've only been here a month, and I've already gained at least 10.

At some point next week, I'll do a series of posts on how my dorm is organized, and I'll show y'all how OCD I went on my drawers and closet!

Have a lovely day!
XO,
Carson

What's In My Bag: College Edition

Hi everyone!

I've made it through about a week and a half of classes, and I feel like I've settled into a routine pretty easily. I wake up, go to class until one o'clock, eat lunch and go to the gym, do my homework, then go to dinner with my friends or to a Greek function. One thing I carried over from high school, though, is that I pack my school bag the night before! I still wake up kind of early most days (I didn't think 7:45 would feel early but it definitely does!), so I don't want to have to worry about making sure I grab everything before running out the door in the morning. Here's what I usually have in my backpack now that I'm in college!

Clockwise from top:

I love my North Face backpack! I used the same one all four years of high school, and I had to get a new one this year because my old one finally fell apart! They're super durable, have tons of room to fit everything, and my new one has my monogram on it!

I'm still a big believer in using a binder for each class (I promise I'll do a post on my college study skills once I've got those all the way figured out!). This year, all my binders are white, but they each have a super cute Lilly Pulitzer binder cover!

iPhone and keys: duh, but they did give us baby turtles a super cute DZ wallet that's now attached to my keys!

Y'all know how I live out of my planner, and I literally don't go anywhere without it! It's already filled with a semester's worth of school and sorority dates!

A lot of people don't, but I usually carry my laptop. Most of my homework is online now, so it's nice to be able to get some of it done during my break between classes.

My mom and sister sent me up a whole collection of Delta Zeta goodies, and I've been using the make-up bag as a pencil pouch. It's stocked with all my favorite mechanical pencils, pens, and some colorful markers to decorate my planner!

I don't think I'm forgetting anything, but if y'all can think of something let me know!

Have a lovely day!
XO,
Carson

Lilly Goodies!

Hi everyone!!

So I already told y'all that, after a crazy week of Sorority recruitment, I have pledged Delta Zeta! I am so happy to be a baby turtle -- I already love my pledge class and all of the older sisters!

One of the best perks (at least for me) of pledging DZ is that our Lilly print is adorable. As soon as I told my mom and sister that I received a bid, they ran to Lilly to pick up some goodies!

via

This is the entire collection, and Mama and Mary Reeves sent me the tote bag, the cup, the makeup bag, the scarf, and the bangle! I always pack my tote bag when I take clothes to the house to get ready with my sisters, and I'm using the makeup bag as a pencil pouch! The bangle has gotten tons of wear, and lots of compliments, but I need it to cool off some so I can wear the scarf.

I also found out that Lilly Pulitzer herself was a Delta Zeta, which explains why we have the cutest Lilly pattern!

Have a lovely day!

XO,

Carson

Our Room!!

Hi everyone!

I've been so so so busy with Rush and Bid Night that I haven't had any time to write! I'm so sorry! But I thought, since I've been talking about getting things for my dorm room for months that I'd show y'all how it finally turned out!

Pretty cute, right!

I would also like to announce that I pledged Delta Zeta!!! I'm a Baby Turtle!

Have a lovely day!

XO,

Carson

I'm Gonna Miss This

Hi everyone!

I can't believe that I am going to Athens on Monday. My parents have an apartment in Athens, so we're going to spend the night there to try to beat everyone to the front of the line on move-in day. That's a good plan and all, since patience is not a virtue that runs deep in my family, but that also means that I have today and tomorrow to say goodbye to everyone and everything I'm going to miss while I'm at school.

My friends

My family

My horses, Katy (right) and Zeus (left)

My dog, Dixie

It's definitely bittersweet to leave, but I'm so excited to be heading off to UGA!

Have a lovely day!

XO,

Carson

Happy Lilly New Year!

Hi everyone!

The first day of the Lilly Pulitzer 2013-2014 agenda is today, which makes it the Lilly New Year! I'm super excited to use my new agenda for my first year of college!

I got mine in the Lulu print!

Lilly also made one major change to the agenda from last year: laminated tabs! This makes me soo happy, since the tabs got so bent and ripped in my bag last year!

Have a lovely day!

XO,

Carson