10 Things I Did in 2010

2010 was a pretty busy year for me. Of course, I did wayyyyy more than just 10 things, but I handpicked the best (or weirdest/most unusual) to round out my list of 10 Things I Did in 2010. Here they are!

10. I tried a Starbucks Frappuccino for the first time and I loved it. Yeah, I know I'm out fo the loop but I didn't realize you could order one without whipped cream and with skim milk instead of 2% (it's called a Light Frap). I fell in love with the Tall Mocha Light Frap back in September and since then I've come up with my own combos, including the very delicious Caramel Light Frap with 1 pump gingerbread syrup!
9. I survived my first college finals. The first ones are always the hardest, right? I hope that's true, because mine were much easier than I expected. And I ended up with two B's and three A's for my final grades!
8. I bought my own dinner at a restaurant. Sure, it was probably my parents money, but I was 2 1/2 hours away at Qdoba with a friend from my hall. So it still counts.
7. I returned something to a store only 10 minutes after I bought it. A little over a week ago, my sister and I went shopping and on a whim, I bought a pair of khaki pants that were 30% off. When we went to the next store, I found a few things I wanted way more, and since I didn't want to spend tons of money, I returned the pants after I bought the other stuff. 
6. My debit card was denied at a store. Actually, the exact same store I returned my pants to, but a few months earlier. Apparently, the store wouldn't charge part of the purchase to my card and the remainder to another one so my mom had to pay for the entire thing!
5. I got my first manicure on my 18th birthday. I've always wanted a mani more than a pedi so my mom surprised me by driving all over town on my birthday and then finally stopping at a day spa where I got my mani. Of course, I got it in hot pink.
4. First time voting. I missed the big presidential election by two years but I still got to vote on important state issues. It made me feel like I was really making my voice heard.
3. I went to Phoenix over spring break. I loved every second of the trip back to my birth place, especially the fact that it was in the 70s and 80s there and snowing back home! The resort we stayed at was amazing, I loved the food and all the sights. The only disappointment was that the airport was much lamer than Denver International.
2. I graduated high school. OMG, was that a milestone or what? I felt like I would never graduate, but the moment came much sooner than I expected. I felt overwhelmed and proud at the same time.
1. I started college. This is probably an even bigger milestone than HS graduation. It's been quite a ride: exciting, annoying, boring, confusing...believe me, I've shed quite a few tears over the last few months but I wouldn't trade the experience for the world. I hope I'll be more prepared for what lies ahead next semester.

There you have it, my "top 10" achievements of this past year. Here's hoping that 2011 is full of even more memories and accomplishments.

The Best Things About Break (So Far)

Christmas break in college is way different than Christmas break in high school. Sure, both come after a hellish week of finals (trust me, the stress level is wayyyyy higher in college, though in many cases it shouldn't be--my exams this year were actually pretty easy) but college Christmas break lasts for about a month, while the high school version is typically about 2 or so weeks. But there are many more differences that I've already realized only 6 days into break.

• You actually want to do chores. A year ago, I complained about having to load and unload the dishwasher, fold towels and clean my bathroom. Now I'm more than happy to do them, because it means that I'm home, in a place where I actually have my own bathroom (that's about the same size as my side of my dorm, sadly) and real dishes.
• I appreciate family time a lot more. I've always been close with my family, which I'm extremely grateful for. But now that I only see them once or twice a month on weekends, I'm really thankful to have an entire month to spend with them!
• Real food. Sure, the dining hall can be okay, but day after day, not so much. At home, you mostly get something different every single day (or not, if you're a creature of habit). Either way, it's much better than college food.
• You can actually cook if you want to. I absolutely love to cook, and I've missed using the stove and the oven while I've been away. Microwaves are convenient and time-saving but nothing beats cooking actual food. Today I made chocolate-peppermint pancakes for my family and I've made some baked goods, too. It makes me feel good to see my family enjoy the things I've cooked.
• A much bigger closet. I don't know about you, but I've got a lot of clothes. My dorm closet is usually packed to the gills, while my walk-in-closet at home is very spacious, not to mention a good place to get dressed if I want to. I know most people don't necessarily have such a huge closet, but it's probably bigger than the one in your dorm or apartment.
• Being far away from school. The weekends I spend on campus are typically very boring. A lot of people leave on the weekends (myself included, sometimes) and there isn't much to do when you don't have a car. Even if I have no homework, I can't get away from the school atmosphere, because being in college basically means you live at school. At home, I'm over 100 miles away from school, and I haven't thought about it much (except for grades, of course). A boring weekend here is much better than a boring weekend on campus.

What are your favorite things about Christmas break?

A Feeling of Accomplishment

I feel very accomplished--I'm 80% done with my finals, with one more tomorrow. But the biggest news is that I'm finally over the hurdle of today: three finals in a row! Everyone I told thought it was crazy (so did I) but I did a lot of studying, a lot of praying and I got through it.
All three tests were timed for 2 hours...more than enough time to finish them. The first one (wildlife ecology, the one I was freaking out about the most) I finished in 45 minutes, the next one (20th century fiction) I finished in 55 minutes and the last one (math) I finished in an hour.
In between tests, you'd find me at the library, feverishly studying up for the next test. Not that I hadn't studied earlier, I just needed a refresher right before the test. I'm hoping it paid off. The tests didn't seem ridiculously hard like I thought they'd be, so that was a nice surprise.
Now I've got one left--and it's at 9 am! Yep, that means I gotta haul my butt out of bed at 7 in the morning...yikes! Luckily, it's just one test, one I'm hoping (and thinking) I'll do well on. It's my media in society final, and since it's a requirement for my major, I really hope I can pull it off. I like the material and the class, so that should be a good sign for my future success. But I'm not gonna expect anything, because my finals today sure did surprise me (in a good way, though).
Once that's over...I'm going home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For a month! There are so many things I want to do, including just spending time with my family and I hope Christmas break will be full of good memories.
Wish me luck on my last exam...and packing!

20% Done with Finals Week

I'm trying to look at this situation with the "glass-half-full" mindset. Yes, I still have 4 more finals to go until I'm done. Yes, I did take the easiest one today, leaving all the hard ones for Thursday. But I have officially finished one college final. So I'm proud of myself, even though most of my friends on my floor have already taken at least 2 and are leaving on Wednesday or early Thursday. Meanwhile, I'm stuck here til Friday morning, because of one exam that has a common time. There are two large sections of the class, and to make things easier, the professors decided to hold them both at a special time, which happens to be Friday, the day that most people have no exams onand get to be home or are on their way there. Lucky me!
I'm trying to do as much as possible before then so I can leave ASAP. Who wouldn't want to, anyway? I've packed up as much as I can (mostly food, pjs, socks and camis) and I'm just anxious for Thursday to get here. Of course, I'm dreading it because I have 3 finals in a row, but I think I'm (almost) ready for them. Plus, that way, the day should just fly by and then I'll have one last exam bright-and-early Friday and then...I'm home! Of course, that's after a 2 1/2 hour drive, but at least I'll be spending it with my mom and looking forward to everything that Christmas break will bring. I. CAN'T. WAIT!
Tomorrow's a study-my-butt-off day, one last chance to make sure I'm totally prepped for my math, wildlife ecology and 20th century fiction finals. It'll hopefully be a productive day.
I'm more than ready to go home...just gotta get through these last 4 finals!

The End (well, almost)

5 days. Yep, 5 days left before I'm outta here! I can't believe the moment I've been waiting for pretty much all semester is (almost) here. In a way, it's bittersweet, but it's more like "OMG, I can't WAIT!" Can you tell I'm excited?
Of course, all my dreaded finals are ahead of me. Two should be no problem (but I really shouldn't expect that I'll get A's or I probably won't), one could go either way depending on the questions (the format on this one is the same as the midterm, and I got a 92% on that, but the questions on the final could be harder) and two are...well, let's just say I'm not looking forward to them. At all. But hey, in five days, they'll all be over and I'll have a month of break to look forward to! I'm trying to look to the near future and avoid freaking out because I'm not totally prepared yet.
I've got one study guide totally written up. It's taken me several chunks of time since Thursday, but it's totally done. I've got study sessions planned for Monday and Wednesday in the library, which should be a productive time, considering I'm not lugging my laptop with me (I get a little distracted by the internet, namely Facebook and, of course, blogging). I've only got three days where I have finals, one that's jam-packed with three in a row (!) but at least I'll get them out of the way. And that means I have two study days during the week to let off some stress. I'm gonna grab lunch at the student center on those days so I can avoid the dorm (mostly because my roomie will probably be in there all day...vent time: I really hate how she's in there during the day when I want a little privacy and 'me time' but then heads out late at night and doesn't come back til after I'm asleep, messing up my sleep schedule :\) for most of the day. Thursday, I'll be gone from like 12:30 til 8 so that should be good, even though most of that time will be spent taking finals. And Friday, I'm not really counting as a day because I have one final at 9 am (yikes!) but it'll be over by 11, so I can leave soon after, once I'm done with check-out. Which will be another long, boring process. Why can't this week just be over?
Well, I'll update you throughout the week (if I have time, of course) to tell you about how my first college finals week is going. Until then, I'll be studying my tail off!

Some Things I've Learned

Most people go to college to "get more knowledge", right? Well, that knowledge isn't just found in the classroom--spend a decent amount of time on campus and you'll learn a lot of things you probably didn't expect to. Here are a few of the suprising life lessons I've come to realize in my first semester as a college student.

1. If at all possible, try to schedule your classes later in the day. Of course, if you are a morning person (who is?) then it's fine to take that 8 am lecture on organic chemistry. But most of us, whether we stay up super-late or not, would prefer classes more centered in the afternoon. This semester, I was lucky enough to not have any class before 11. And even though that pushed some of my classes a little past 5 pm, I didn't really mind. Oh, except when it started getting really dark after daylight savings time. But it still wasn't a big deal for me. You'll probably concentrate better later, anyways.
2. Make friends with people who have cars (if you don't). This year, I don't have a car on campus. Why? Because at all the orientations I went to before starting here, they said cars aren't needed unless you live off-campus. Not needed, no, but very very convenient. Like, say, you want to grab some Starbucks on your way to class, or hit up Chipotle on the weekend or drive home whenever you want to (if you live in-state like I do). So be nice to the people who have cars and they'll probably be willing to drive you around, especially if you reimburse them for gas. But don't just be nice to get a free ride!
3. Earplugs, fans, iPods and sleep masks work wonders. An iPod of some sort is kind of a college essential, but aside from pumping you up before a night out or keep you awake on your early morning walk to class (see #1), it also helps when you want to block out noise if you're trying to sleep. People out in the hall can get kinda loud, not to mention your roomie might not keep the same sleep schedule as you. That's why the other three items also help you fall asleep faster.
4. Take a break every once in a while. Especially with finals coming up (my first one's in 4 days...yikes!) you deserve a refresher with all that studying. So grab dinner with a friend some place you've never been (or an old favorite), catch up on missed episodes of your fave TV show and just take some time to chill. Even using this time to sleep will help your stress level stay down.
5. Go to every class. Really. It's not that hard, actually. And really, if you don't go to class, what are you going to do? Probably not study. So just make a little effort and go to class--you'll get all the notes first-hand, not to mention the professor's side comments (which are usually pretty important) and you can catch up on the gossip of the day. If you're sure the class will be boring and pointless, bring along some homework, a magazine or your iPod. But most of the time, class is worth it.
6. Getting dressed for class is always good. Yeah, I know that I haven't had to wake up before 9 this entire semester, but I've always taken the time to dress nice, put on makeup and do my hair. Showing up every day in sweats and a ponytail may be easy, but it shows everyone you don't care. Oh, and just think of the possible compliments you may get on your amazing sense of style if you take a few minutes to pick out a cute outfit. It'll really help you feel motivated in class.
7. Communicate. With your professors if you're falling behind in class. With your RA if you're feeling homesick. With your roommate if any issues come up. For much of the semester, I struggled with voicing my opinions and it ended up not so good. Once the lines of communication were open, everything just felt better. So do it before it's too late.
8. Be responsible. Yes, you're on your own, with no one to really tell you what to do. Does that mean you should party every night or never do your laundry or skip class or pig out every day in the dining hall. NO! It means that you have to start acting like the adult you are: taking out the trash when it gets full, doing the laundry occasionally, cleaning up after yourself, going to class and doing the assignments, having fun but not letting it mess up your future career plans.

So there's the list! Of course, there's tons more things I have learned, and will learn in future semesters, but these seemed the most important. If you've been in college (or are in college), what important life lessons have you learned outside the classroom?

Homesick and All-Around Just Sick & Tired

I'm homesick. There, I said it. Not that I'm ashamed of it or anything. Yes, my family is only 2 1/2 hours away (on a day with good traffic, which is rare through the Denver area), so it's not like I'm across the country from them, but sometimes it sure seems like it.
The stress around here is building, just like that annoying zit that pops up when you've got a first date with a hot guy that night and no time to make it disappear. It's mostly due to finals, which for me start in exactly a week. Gulp! Oh, and it also has to do with the tension that just seems to be increasing between me and my roommate. It only seems to be me that's annoyed, though, which is just so convenient. Of course, I'm not the one bursting into the room not even ten minutes after she's gone to sleep or the one who spends many waking hours completely plugged into the computer, ignoring the rest of the world. Or the one that refuses to wash my sheets. I know, I've mentioned these problems before but it doesn't look like they're going away any time soon, at least not for 9 or 10 days when I get to (finally!) go home. I don't care how bored I get during the month I have off, I'm not taking it for granted because I know that if I weren't there, I'd be somewhere much, much worse (such as my dorm room).
So hopefully you can understand why I'm homesick. Not to mention, I've always been close to my family (not much teenage rebellion around here) so being this far away for this long (a little over two weeks, but I've made it through three weeks before, so I can do this) makes me miss them. Oh, and with Christmas in a little more than 2 weeks (!), I'm not really feeling too much in the holiday spirit, since I'm not enjoying the season with my family. I'm planning on making up for it in the week I have at home before Christmas, though. So it's been hard, and end-of-the-semester stressage hasn't been helping.
I'm trying not to wallow in it, though. I've been doing some things to get my mind off my anger, stress and little bits of sadness. Like tonight, me and a few of the other girls from my floor went to a hall program, where we made Christmas cards for kids in the hospital and watched The Santa Clause. Oh, and all the glitter was just an added bonus! I'm not sure I'll ever get it all out of my clothes! On Thursday, me and a close friend from just down the hall are planning on going out to eat. We do this a lot on Thursdays and it just really helps to get away from the dorms for an hour or so and enjoy some good food for a change (not that microwaved meals and cereal aren't good, they just aren't doable every day). Yesterday, I stopped by my campus's student center after my first class and picked up lunch: vegetarian bean chili with a side of foccaccia bread. It was really good and a nice change from my usual lunches, which are pretty much whatever I can scrounge up from stuff in my room, since the dining halls have weird hours and long lines. I'm planning on getting dinner tomorrow from the same place--it's convenient that I can get fast casual food only a few minutes away from my classes and it's a nice treat.
So I'm gonna try my best to make it through this week, do something a little special every day and continue to count down the days til I can go home again!

Let the Torture (erm, finals) Begin!

1 week left of classes. 5 days left of my first semester of college. And then finals. How final is that?!
I've gotta tell you, this semester has gone by pretty fast. Of course, I say that now, looking back. I'm pretty sure back in August, I was both dreading and looking forward to school starting. On the one hand, who wants to go back to a schedule, to having to actually do something, after summer? But I was pretty ready to start college, to start a new experience. Boy, it's been an experience. Now I'm eagerly anticipating the end of this semester, so I can go back home (to a new house, no less), spend some much-needed time with my family (I've been missing them so much, especially since Christmas is right around the corner) and just chill. I haven't had tons of time to just relax, take it all in, and forget about all the worries that school brings. It doesn't help that the weekends, when I don't have much to do, have recently been spent on campus, so I can't really escape it. My Christmas break is a month long (a month--that's like twice as long as in high school!) so it really should give me the mind-clearing time I need. Only 11 days left, and I can finally leave!
But before I can do that, I've got to get through this last week of classes and of course, the hated final exams. I can already feel the stress building! Maybe it's because none of my professors have posted their finals study guide (um, get on that!) or maybe it's finally hitting me that it's not Thanksgiving break anymore and if I want to get out of here in one piece, I've gotta haul my way through five final exams, two of which are cumulative. Gulp!
So what's a stressed out girl to do? Well, caffeinate, for starters. Since Thursday, I have not gone a day without a coffee drink, be it a frappuccino from Starbucks (the caramel light frap with 1 pump gingerbread syrup--yep, I invented it and it's delish) or mixing up a cup of instant Starbucks Via in my room. I've gotta tell you, though, a Vanilla Via mixed with half a cup of chocolate peppermint soymilk really helps me push through my day. So am I addicted? Talk to me in a week! No, seriously, though, a lot of college students rely on coffee to help them get through finals and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna be one of them.
Also, I'm trying to celebrate the season as much as I possibly can. I have a mini Christmas tree, a cute holiday tee my mom bought me from Hollister and I created a playlist of great Christmas songs on Pandora (one of my new addictions). Is it the same as coming home after school to see the big tree all lit up in the living room and watching cheesy holiday specials with my family? No, definitely not, but I had to compromise. It's not all bad, really, and it just makes me that much more excited to get home in less than 2 weeks and actually start celebrating.
I'm hoping all these little things help me survive this boring week of classes and the tough week of finals ahead of me. Oh, not to mention, actually studying :)

Single Room vs. A Car...Hmmmm?

I'm really looking forward to next school year, because I'll finally be out of this difficult living situation I'm in now (see previous post) and I'll be one year closer to graduating. And my parents said that hopefully they will either get me a car or pay for me to live in a single dorm room. Hmmm, that's a really hard decision!
Upsides to having a car: I can drive home any weekend I want to without having to make my mom drive up and get me (definitely going to take advantage of that); I can go out to eat more often (believe me, the dining hall gets old); I can get to off-campus events more easily/safely (especially in the winter); I can escape the dorms if I want to (which I probably will).
Upsides to having a single room: no annoying or rude roommate to deal with (like I am now); more like a home-away-from-home; won't smell (another roommate issue); can go to bed whenever I want (there are a lot of upsides to not having a roommate).
This is such a difficult decision that I'm glad I have a couple of months to decide. Well, I have at least til February, when next year's housing applications are due. Both options have their upsides (and pretty much no downsides, as far as I can tell) so it's a really tough thing to decide on. If I had a car, and ended up with an annoying roommate, I could go home every weekend or just spend most of my time elsewhere (Starbucks and the mall, maybe?). If I had a single room, the roommate thing would never be an issue but if I still missed my family, I couldn't go home whenever I wanted to. So I'm still not sure. Help!

Dorm Room Issues

I've put off writing about the roommate for so long, but I figured it's time to get it out there: I'm not best friends with my roomie. Many college articles in magazines and online will try to convince you that you'll become besties and want to hang out together all the time and what not, but the sad truth is that you probably won't. I sure didn't.
Let's just say that me and my R (short for roommate, of course) have a lot of differences. Among the most major of them are 1) I like to turn in around 11 pm on school nights, so I can get at least 9 hours of sleep; R prefers going to bed at the ripe time of 1. I'm talking a.m. So many nights I don't get to go to sleep until she finally shuts off her computer and crawls into bed. 2) In addition to staying up way too late watching stupid YouTube videos (umm, yeah, and that includes weird awkward under-the-breath laughing that I can still hear!), there are always a few nights a week where instead of returning from dinner, she goes off and does who-knows-what and doesn't return to the room until about 15 minutes after I've tried to go to sleep. So I wake up again, pissed off, and of course, then she has to go and take her 40 minute shower. So I don't get to sleep until at least 1. Thanks. 3) She is in the room a lot. Especially on weekends. Now that Christmas break is in a little less than 2 weeks (!), I'm forced to stay on campus, so I have to deal with her. If I want to spend any time in the room, I feel all awkward if I try to play music or watch TV. Oh, and she doesn't wake up til noon, so I try my best to stay quiet and put on my makeup in the dark (and it's not like I wake up ridiculously early--I usually get up around 9:30 or 10 on weekends). Can you say, unfair?
Basically, I'm getting more and more stressed out as finals loom (who wouldn't?) and this whole roommate issue is just making it worse. And these aren't the only problems I'm experiencing with the R--a weird smell coming from her side of the room, the fact that she won't talk to me unless I address her first (and even then she isn't really responsive or considerate) and more. Really, it's safe to say that my R and I just tolerate each other.
I do wish I had a good relationship with my R. Some of my friends from my hall have much better relationships with theirs, and I'm definitely jealous. I'd just love to have someone close by to confide in (my parents don't count, since they're too far away, but they are truly amazing), to trade fashion advice (since her sense of style is nonexistent, it would kinda be a one-way street) and just have a place I wouldn't mind coming back to. Because your dorm is kind of your home-away-from-home, but right now mine's a slowly crumbling dysfunctional family.
I'm not someone who could never get used to living in a small room, or being with someone I'm not related to for a long, long time--I really could, but in this situation, I can't. If I had a single room, or shared with a good friend, I really think I could stand the whole dorm room experience. Right now, I'm just trying to find the good things in every day, and even if they're small, I try to appreciate them. Because I need all the little things I can get.

A Note to School

Dear School,

Oh, school. You aren't usually my friend, especially not this close to Christmas. I have exactly a week left of you this semester, and I'm not sure I can make it. Not to mention the finals that always seem to arrive when you go away. So maybe I should be more friendly to you. But I can't help wanting it to be break already. Coming back to you after 9 days off is rough. Don't blame me for being annoyed with you; you have to admit you like time off, too. This is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but it's usually more like the most stressful time of the year. I remember being a little elementary-schooler and the last few weeks before Christmas break were always fun--holiday parties, making cute but cheesy crafts that our parents would hang on the Christmas tree, playing outside in the snow during recess. Now the last three weeks revolve around professors jamming the last bits of information they can down our throats and then major stressage over final exams. So, school, I hope you can see where I'm coming from when I say I don't like you very much right now. I almost wish the week after Thanksgiving break would just be finals so we could skip over the two weeks of classes and just get right to the point and then have a break. But nooooooo!
All I'm asking for, really, is that you give us a break. We have another whole semester with you after Christmas, so cut us some slack right now. I don't know one person who wants to go back to school after Thanksgiving--they should just start Christmas break then. I know, I know--finals are important...or so they say. Just give all of us stressed-out college students out there a break and not make our lives too hard between now and Christmas break. We'll thank you for it later, I promise.

Sincerely,

Back to School Blues

One of the hardest days to go back to school is the day after Thanksgiving break. Of course, it's harder after Christmas break and also after summer vacation, but coming back after Thanksgiving is pretty difficult.
For me, the break was the first time since summer that I have been home for more than a weekend. I have been grateful for all the weekends I got to go home or see my family but having nine days with them was a true blessing. Among the many things I did over the break, here are just a few: going to an organic all-peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich place (they have all kinds of different nut butters and jellies so it's never boring), getting my Starbucks fix twice, running some errands, watching Fantasia 2000, baking all kinds of Thanksgiving treats, game nights, getting yummy gelato and enjoying a Pei Wei dinner on my last night at home. Pretty much everything I did involved my family, and I'm so thankful to have such a great one.
Of course, that just makes it that much harder to go back to Fort Collins (2 1/2 hours away) and face school again. Really, who wants to go back to school when it already feels like the holiday season is in full swing? I'm refusing to listen to any music but Christmas music (on my iPod and streaming a station from back in the Springs that's been playing the stuff since Halloween!). I brought a mini Christmas tree back to my dorm that's all decked-out in ornaments that match my bedding. I have quite a few food items that are holiday-related, from the chocolate peppermint soy milk to an Iced Gingerbread Clif bar. There's a chill in the air, and despite the lack of snow on the ground, it still feels like winter. Basically, I'm just ready for it to be December 18, the first full day of my Christmas break. The best part is, it lasts exactly a month! So I'm extremely anxious for that, I'm ready for classes to be over and to finish my final exams. After my last two classes today, there are only 9 more school days, which doesn't seem like a lot, but if you've ever lived through those last few weeks before Christmas, you'll know the feeling.
So I'm counting down the days (and maybe the hours, too) until I can get out of the dorms, away from my roommate and go home. Because to me, it doesn't seem like the Christmas season til I'm spending it with my family.

Black Friday Madness?

I'm not one of those insane people who wakes up at 3 am to hit the malls for Black Friday shopping. In fact, I've never done any Christmas shopping the day after Thanksgiving, not once in the 18 years I've been alive. But today I did go out with my dad to run some basic errands. So I felt like I was kind of a part of the Black Friday madness.
I've been feeling kinda sick since Wednesday. I've had some minor sinus headaches, a sore throat, a stuffed up nose and just achiness on and off, which hasn't been fun. I guess being around so many sick people in college finally caught up with me :( This morning, I woke up with another headache, I was sneezing a lot and couldn't seem to clear my nose. Around noon, my dad invited me to go run errands with him and he said I could pick out some stuff at Whole Foods to take back with me on Sunday. Well, how could I turn down a Whole Foods trip, even if it meant I had to go other, more boring stores? I tagged along, and I wasn't diasppointed.
First we went to Walmart, so my dad could pick up some Fresca (his favorite soda) and look for packing papers, since we're moving in a couple of weeks. I was surprised that the store was much less busy than it was on Tuesday when my mom took me and my sister to get Thanksgiving stuff. I guess all those insane people had already gone home after their early-morning buying frenzy. So we got in and out of there pretty quick, though we didn't find the packing papers and had to go to Lowe's to buy those. After Lowe's, my dad surprised me by taking me to Starbucks. I got the mocha light frappuccino with a pump of peppermint (just like I got on Tuesday, in my last post). And as soon as I started sipping the delicious drink, I felt better. My headache disappeared and I felt less congested. We went to Whole Foods next and their free samples, along with my Starbucks, helped keep my hunger at bay til we got home (I didn't have lunch until after 2, so I would have been pretty hungry without them). I picked out all the stuff I needed (including the delicious new Silk soymilk flavor, mint chocolate, which is a seasonal drink--I'm such a sucker for all things seasonal) and we left. I loved having the time to just talk with my dad about stuff while we made our way home.

So my Black Friday wasn't hectic like some people's, but it was just the way I like it--quality time with my family, getting out of the house for a couple of hours and Starbucks!

Sister Time



Goofing around in the CSU bookstore



Me and my almost-15-year-old sister are close. Really close. Despite the miles between us most of the time (since I'm away at college, of course), we manage to stay almost as connected as before I moved out. We get along a little better, too, because when we're around each other, we know we have a limited time to spend together, so we try to make the most of it. I'm really enjoying Thanksgiving break--we've had 4 days together already and we have 5 more ahead of us. And Christmas break will be even better, since I have a whole month at home! I'm really excited for that, but I'm also having a good time right now.

This afternoon was the first time that it was just the two of us hanging out. Our mom dropped us off at a Starbucks so she could run a few errands and we were pumped to get our Starbucks fix. We only go once a month at most so it's a real treat for us (there aren't any within walking distance of CSU and I don't have a car up there). My sister's not a fan of coffee, and I only like it if it's in latte form, but we both LOVE Starbucks. We were especially excited about the holiday drinks that are now available. My sister loves the Frappuccinos (she usually gets the strawberries and creme one) so she got the peppermint mocha frapp. I really don't like whipped cream, so when I get a frapp I always get the light version. I ordered the mocha light frapp with a pump of peppermint. I really like the combination of chocolate and mint, but I don't like too much sweetness so I just got one pump of the peppermint so it wouldn't be overwhelming.
It was a really, really good drink! Even though it was in the 40s outside (and people kept opening the door near our table so we couldn't take our jackets off), I thought my drink was even better because it was cold. Peppermint is such a refreshing flavor, and it's so much better cold. I was a little surprised by how much I liked my drink, and I'm definitely going to order it again soon. My sis loved her drink too; we exchanged sips and we both liked each other's drinks. But the best part wasn't the drinks, it was talking and laughing together, complaining about the cold in a joking way and just catching up. Not really talking about school, but just bonding. It was one of the best afternoons I've had in a while.
I know the next few days will be busy with prepping for the big day (Thanksgiving, of course), but I hope to continue to spend some quality time with my little sister. We're best friends, and I hope our close relationship lasts the rest of our lives. After all, sisters are the closest friends and the worst enemies...I hope there aren't too many 'enemy' moments!

Me (left) and my sister in Rocky Mtn. Nat'l Park
over the summer

3 New Thanksgiving Desserts

Sick of the typical pumpkin or pecan pie on Turkey Day? I know I am, which is why I went on a baking frenzy (well, not really) this afternoon and made some desserts that will hopefully be refreshing after years of pie.

Up first are pumpkin scones. These will also work at breakfast, but will be good for a simple dessert. I adapted the recipe from the Stonyfield Farm website--I changed the plain low-fat yogurt to plain nonfat Greek yogurt (it adds some protein and more thickness than regular yogurt), lowered the sugar content a little and substituted apple pie spice for the nutmeg since there wasn't any on hand. I also nixed the glaze since I thought they'd be better on their own.  Here's the recipe: 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, 2/3 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp apple pie spice, 2 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp baking soda, 1 cup plain Oikos brand Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree, 1/2 cup Eggbeaters...Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder and salt, spices and sugar in a large bowl, stirring with a fork. Add yogurt, Eggbeaters and pumpkin and continue to stir with a fork until the dough is very sticky. Scoop the batter into an ice cream scooper and place each scone on a nonstick cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with real maple syrup, if desired.

Next are pumpkin "cheesecake" brownies. Cheesecake is in quotation marks because the cream cheese-like topping is actually made from yogurt cheese, which is similar in texture to cream cheese but is much much healthier (lower in fat and higher in protein). Yogurt cheese is pretty simple to make, just strain 6-8 oz. of nonfat Greek yogurt (in this case, vanilla flavored) in a colander lined with cheesecloth for 3 hours--the end result is yogurt without the whey, so it's very thick and creamy, like cream cheese. The brownie base is made from scratch, so you control what you put in. Here's the recipe: 1 cup pumpkin puree (divided), 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 cup Eggbeaters, 1 cup sugar (divided), 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 cup Oikos vanilla Greek yogurt (made into yogurt cheese), 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice...Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Mix 1/2 cup of the pumpkin, vanilla, Eggbeaters and 2/3 cup of the sugar until well combined in a medium bowl. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt; stir until no lumps remain. Pour into pan. In a small bowl, beat yogurt cheese, the remaining pumpkin and sugar and pumpkin pie spice until smooth and creamy. Pour yogurt cheese mixture over brownie batter and swirl with a knife. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Finally, pumpkin apple pie. I got this recipe from Whole Foods, which always has delicious, healthful recipes and interesting ideas. I thought this sounded pretty good, since it's a combination between the classic apple and pumpkin pies, but it sounded unique too. Here's the recipe: 1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar, 1 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tsp cinnamon (divided), 1/2 tsp salt (divided), 1/3 cup water, 2 Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored and thinly sliced), 1 egg, 1/3 cup white sugar, 1 1/2 cans pumpkin puree, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 cup skim milk or original Silk soymilk, 1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers, 3/4 tsp salt, 1 tbsp organic maple syrup, 5 tbsp canola oil, 3 tbsp Silk Nog (their version of eggnog)...Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put brown sugar, cornstarch, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp salt and water into a medium pot and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Add apples and cook, tossing to coat in sugar mixture, for 3-4 minutes more. Remove from heat and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk egg, white sugar, pumpkin, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, cloves, ginger and milk until well combined. Set aside. Add crushed grahams and 3/4 tsp salt to mixer set on low. Add syrup and canola oil to mixing bowl and beat on low speed until the mixture looks blended and crumbly. Pour in the Nog and continue mixing on low speed until the dough is moist and holds together (about 15 seconds). Add in a teaspoon or two more Nog if the dough seems too dry. Using your hands, press dough evenly into a nonstick pie plate and pour apple mixture in. Spoon pumpkin mixture evenly over the apple mixture. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 375 and bake until filling is just set in the middle, about 40 more minutes. Set aside to cool completely before cutting into slices. Garnish with apple slices or pecans, as desired, or with a drizzle of organic maple syrup.

Try one (or all!) of these unique dessert recipes this Thanksgiving--who knows?--maybe it'll become a new tradition!

Being Thankful

Oh, yes, Thanksgiving--the time of the year when it's okay to eat a little too much turkey, when you don't mind waking up early to watch the Macy's parade or get a jumpstart on holiday shopping and when you get to spend some quality time with favorite (or maybe not-so-favorite) relatives. But it's also a great time to reflect on the year and consider what you're most thankful for.
In late August, I started my freshman year of college. I was soooooo nervous to be on my own but my parents really have helped me so much with that by welcoming me back home a couple weekends each month and texting me daily. Without them, I wouldn't have made it this far. They are also so great about driving back and forth between home and my dorm and believe me, it's not a short trip. And they provide me with plenty of supplies, from makeup to money to food. I am so so thankful for them. I am also very thankful for the great education I'm getting at CSU.
I am thankful to have a loving home environment. I love the house itself and even though we're moving into a new house soon, I know the love and support will always be there. I will always have a place to call home, which is very comforting.
My sister and I have a great relationship. Sure, we get into a few fights but so do most siblings. Being three-and-a-half years apart, we are more like BFFs than just sisters. Our bond is really strong, and I think being away from each other has only made it stronger. We text and email regularly as well as using Facebook to stay connected. And I just love spending time with her when I come home; I am so thankful for my nine-day vacation from school because it means nine days with my little sister.
I am thankful for the friends I have found at CSU. Even though my roomie and I have a somewhat rocky relationship, I have found companionship with a few girls on my floor and just going out to dinner with them is so much fun, not to mention a great break from the dining hall!
My life, like pretty much everyone's life, has its ups and downs. Not every day goes the way I might have wanted it to, or maybe there were just a few really bad moments in an otherwise fun day but I am just thankful to be alive and have the life I have. I am thankful every day to be able to wake up and go about my day and even if it's not the best day ever, I'm just glad to be alive.
Thanksgiving is the perfect time to say thanks to someone that you're thankful for, but try to make the thankfulness last all year long, even on Black Friday when that last iPad is sold and you're left empty-handed!

The Final Countdown

Thanksgiving break is less than 24 hours away...can you believe I'm super-excited? Tonight was more fun than usual since I went out for dinner at Panera with one of my friends from my floor and afterwards we got frozen yogurt even though it's freezing outside! So I had a fun night and now I'm back in my room trying to pack (I only have a duffel for now but my mom's bringing up a huge suitcase when she picks me up tomorrow so hopefully that'll fit all the clothes I need for the next 9 days).
I'm more tired than I thought I'd be, considering how excited I am to go home. It might seem like not such a big deal, but when you've been miles away from your family for nearly 3 weeks, it feels so good to be back home. For one thing, I'll have my own bathroom and I won't have to wear flip-flops to take a shower. The food will be so much better (and not just on Thanksgiving either), my bed will feel so good and I won't have to worry about someone keeping me up when I want to go to sleep. And of course, there's the whole no school thing. That will be amazing! I really just can't wait to be back with my family again, and spend as much time with them as possible. I can't wait to get back in the kitchen and start cooking again--that's something I really miss at college. I can't wait to play board games, to watch the Macy's parade with my fam, to just spend time with them and appreciate the comforts of home.
It's gonna feel so good to get out of the dorms. Now all I've gotta do is figure out how to stuff my clothes into this tiny bag!

The Home Stretch

Ever notice how the days drag on right before a big break? Like those last few days before summer vacation begins, every hour seems to last a day. That's how I feel right now, just a couple of days before Thanksgiving break officially begins. It feels even slower now than it ever has, since I'm also eagerly anticipating seeing my family and going home, which I haven't seen in almost 3 weeks.
The school days themselves seem to go by as usual. It was the past two weekends here that really dragged. I know, I know, the weekends usually fly by. Not when you don't have anything fun to do.
Now it just seems like I'll never get a break from school, never get to sleep in my own bed and have my own bathroom, never get to play board games with my family and go out to eat with them. I know that Friday afternoon will come but I can't help wishing it was Thursday. Since my classes are on a block schedule (I have three of the same classes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday--minus one of those on Friday--and two other classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays) and today's a Tuesday, I just want it to be Thursday. Not that Wednesdays are bad, it's just one more obstacle in my dash to the finish line. Of course, it's not the 'actual' finish line--that comes in about a month when finals are over and Christmas break begins (and I'm really looking forward to that, a whole month of no school--college is way better than HS!) But it is a 9-day break from school and I am definitely thankful for that.
In the meantime, I will try to keep busy doing homework that's due after break (so I don't have to waste my break doing HW), planning out the recipes I want to make when I go home (I haven't actually cooked in over a month, how sad) and packing. I know it doesn't take three days to pack but it will help me get in the Thanksgiving break spirit :)
How are you spending your last few days before break?

One Registration Down...Many More to Go!

I successfully completed my first college registration today, with some guidance by my parents. So I can't exactly claim that I did it all by myself, but there were some issues and they were glad to help me over the phone. Plus I think I experienced my first phone call that lasted over an hour!
Unlike most high school class registration, this took place completely online and I only had to register for one semester at a time, instead of the whole year. That's because pretty much all college courses only last for one semester, which is kinda nice.
I had planned out all the classes I wanted to take beforehand, including my preferred times and locations. In a few cases, this actually worked perfectly. But as with most things in life, there were a few glitches.
I really wanted to take a class in fashion, since that is definitely one of my passions (read my other blog, Apparel Addiction, and you'll see) but when I tried to register for one of the basic fashion classes, it told me that I couldn't add it to my schedule because it was restricted for my major (journalism, or more specifically, the television news and video communication concentration). I guess it's because they only wanted apparel & merchandising majors in the class because of its relatively small size. Well, that was a definite disappointment. The other class I was blocked from enrolling in was a communication and popular culture course, which I thought would work well with my major. Well, it was also restricted due to my major, which didn't make much sense, but I wasn't too upset about it. Instead, I enrolled in a philosophy class called Moral & Social Problems which should be pretty interesting. And I also registered for a science class that deals with climate change--not because I'm an Al Gore follower, but because I'm considering meteorology as part of my broadcast journalism studies and this is a great stepping-stone class to more advanced ones that I'll be able to take in a year or two. Also on my plate for next semester are college comp (not really looking forward to that, but oh well), advertising (another journalism class that should be really fun) and human origins & variation (I'm required to take two science courses as a freshman; I'm already in wildlife ecology and the one I'm taking next has the required lab component, plus it sounded the most interesting of the science lab classes). So next semester should hopefully go well. None of my classes start before 11 am (yay!) and on Tuesdays and Thursdays I only have one class (and lab on Thursdays) and it starts at 2. So I could technically sleep in til noon, but since I can't really sleep in past 9:30 unless I stayed up til 5 am, I'll still be getting up around 9 or so. Really, for me, it's definitely enough sleep. I usually get to bed on school nights at 11 (well, that's when I get in bed--I probably don't fall asleep until midnight because of certain circumstances...ahem, my roomie getting back really late on school nights!) so I probably get about 9-10 hours of sleep, which is way more than some college students.
This is why I like to be able to choose my own schedule, though I hope next time things go more smoothly!

Everything (well, almost) You Need for College

After having spent 4 months in college, I consider myself an expert on stuff you'll need to be successful and just all-around happy in college. Okay, I'm kidding about the expert part, but I do know a thing or two about things I've found to be very useful in college.

1. A desk fan. The beginning of the school year was very, very hot so it came in handy when I was doing HW and even just trying to sleep through the hot nights. Now it's much cooler (well, at least outside) and I use the fan at night as white noise. It works wonders at blocking out all the noise going on in the hall.
2. An ethernet cord. I still haven't figured out how to get my laptop to work on the wireless network, so I always make sure my ethernet cord is plugged in so I can get on the net. Even if you have wireless, make sure you stash one of these cords in case something happens to your connection. Otherwise, what will you do without all those dumb YouTube videos?
3. Gum. Yeah, it sounds kinda weird, but it's great to keep you awake in class or just to freshen your breath if you're planning on meeting a hot guy later. Stick with mint or cinnamon flavors--my favorite is 5 Gum in cobalt (peppermint) or flare (cinnamon).
4. Instant coffee. Starbucks makes some great instant stuff, Via, and it tastes pretty much the same as the coffee they make on-location. They even have flavored and iced versions. It's a great pick-me-up on a long afternoon or it you've gotta pull an all-nighter studying for finals. Plus, you don't have to have a coffee maker--just heat up some water in the microwave, pour in a cup and stir. It's perfect for dorms that don't have much room or if you're not close to a Starbucks (which, sadly, I'm not).
5. Gloves, hat and scarf. Of course, this only applies if you live somewhere that gets cold during the winter, but most of the U.S. does so if you don't, consider yourself lucky. Stash them in your purse if you're planning on being out all day; you never know how cold it might get later on and it's always better to be overprepared.
6. Microwave. Okay, this might be obvious to some of you, but it really is an essential. Maybe you don't want to get up early to grab breakfast in the dining hall (this is me) and you want to be able to heat up water for oatmeal or coffee. Or it's cold outside or you've had a long day and you'd rather make something quick in your room. You can make SO many things in a microwave it's not even funny. I use my micro on a daily basis, from making veggie sausages in the morning or heating up a noodle bowl for lunch or cooking a frozen burrito from the dining hall's express store for dinner.
7. Food. Back to the whole convenience thing. Sometimes, you just don't feel like trekking to the dining hall or you're just sick of the food. This is when having a stocked 'pantry' really comes in handy. Stock up on basics and snacks so you know you'll be covered no matter what. I have so much food in my room but it definitely does not go to waste. This is where a mini fridge/freezer also helps; you can keep water cold, have milk for your cereal, store snack dips and maybe even some room for frozen stuff.
8. Flats. I mean the shoes, of course. Unless you're a pro at walking in 5-inch stilettos, save those for parties. Ballet flats, flip-flops, moccasins and Ugg-style boots are all perfect for walking around campus, even if you've got a lot of places to go. And flats can be just as cute as heels :)
9. Lighted mirror. Okay, in case you can't tell, this post is really aimed toward girls. Sorry, guys, but I know way more about girl stuff since I am one. This comes in handy if your roomie sleeps in late and you've gotta get ready for class in the dark. At least you'll be able to see exactly what color eyeshadow you're putting on!
10. iPod. Or some kind of mp3 player. It's great for focusing on HW or studying because you can block out the sounds in the next room. If you walk to class alone, you won't be bored. Play it in your dorm using some kind of dock to liven up a boring night in your room (dance party, anyone?) Oh, and it can help you fall asleep on those loud nights. If you get one where you can play games, even better!

Of course, there's plenty more things I could list that are 'essential' to college life, but I wanted to keep it short and sweet so you're not overwhelmed. If you're headed to college next year or are already experiencing it, take note! Not everything on the list may be important to you, but just pick and choose what you think will be best for your lifestyle.

Yay for Cold Weekends?

So this weekend's my last before I head home for Thanksgiving break! I can NOT tell you how excited I am for 9 days of my own bed, bathroom, delicious food (and not just on Turkey Day), free time and getting to be with my amazing family. Some days, the 132 miles (yes, I looked it up, thank you Mapquest!) between us just seems like so many more, especially when I'm counting down to a weekend at home. For some reason, they always go by way too fast though, since I'm usually going-going-going. Plus it probably has to do with the whole "time flies when you're having fun" thing.
Not that weekends on campus aren't fun, they just aren't nearly as fun. And they seem to drag. Last weekend was pretty long and dull, because I had a lot of homework to do and other stuff like laundry. Plus my friends from the hall went back to the Springs, so I was kinda lonely. Oh, except my roommate was there (as usual...she lives only about 30 miles away, and hasn't been home once except for one night!) but that's not really thrilling, since we're not friends. We talk occasionally, but she pretty much is hooked to her computer or leaves way late at night, interrupting my sleep. So yeah, we're not that close.
This weekend should be a little better...maybe. It's only supposed to be in the upper 30s and possibly snow tomorrow, so there's not much of a chance I'm gonna go outside to get away from my room. I might get to go out for dinner, but otherwise I'm going to the study lounge just down the hall so I can escape my room which is plagued with germs (yes, my roomie is sick with a cold, constantly coughs and spends most weekends completely in the room besides meals and bathroom breaks...so I'm not going to get much of a break from her this weekend, especially since she's sick :[ ). Maybe I'll brave a short walk, but only with coat and gloves.
And I do have more homework to do, not to mention laundry, just so I can give my mom a little break when I do go home. I have a math paper to write (really, a paper in math?), an essay to start (it's due the day after break, so if I don't want to be a slave to my laptop during break, I need to start it soon) and possibly study for a wildlife ecology test right after break. What is up with these teachers scheduling tests/papers for right after break? Couldn't they push it back a week to give us a chance to actually enjoy our free time? Oh, and spring registration officially begins for me at 3:20 p.m. on Sunday, so I'll frantically be trying to get into the classes of my choice at that time.
Another 'must-do' is watch SNL on Saturday. It's one of my favorite shows, and it really helps me unwind after a long week. It's new this week, too, so it's going on my weekend checklist.
Other than that, not much. I really hope I can do something with my friends, though, even if we just grab a frozen yogurt (crazy in this cold weather, I know, but there's a really good place that's only a ten minute walk from our dorm). I hope your weekend goes well too and is more exciting than mine. But I'm not complaining too much...less than a week til I go home :)

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

After my rant yesterday about how I really don't like rain in November and how it was definitely time for snow, it finally did snow. Just a few inches on the ground--the streets were clear and by the time I went to class, the sidewalks were, too. But it really put me in a holiday mood and now I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas even more.
The first snow always feel so refreshing. Like, even though it's below freezing outside, you want to be out there just to feel the chill. It made me feel so alive. I had a lot of walking around to do today, from coming & going between classes to visiting my advisor so I could get all squared away for registering for spring classes. Once I got that out of the way (not to mention my math exam), I felt like this huge weight was lifted off of me. The cold air and snowy ground also helped me feel much, much better.
Of course, I know that come January or February, when it snows at least once a week, I'll be sick of it but I'm going to enjoy the remaining snowfalls of 2010!

Rain+November+Colorado?

According to my Facebook news feed last night, it seemed like it snowed everywhere. Everyone's status was about how much they love snow, how it was so great that it finally snowed, blah, blah, blah.
Why was I mad? Do I hate snow? No, actually, I've been looking forward to snow since October, the first month when in usually snows in Colorado. No, I was mad because in Fort Collins (where my college is), it decided to rain. HARD! And of course, I wasn't expecting this so when I get out of my wildlife ecology class and see that it's pouring, I get a little upset. Because I have to walk halfway across campus to take a math quiz and then walk all the way back to my dorm. Did I mention I was wearing just a button-down shirt with a bandeau top underneath, jeans and leather platform shoes?
So basically, I got soaked. All in the name of math.
Later that afternoon, when I had to go to my math class, I was smart enough to actually put on a jacket. Suprisingly, it stopped raining but it was still freezing. (Here's my question, though: since it was below 40 degrees all day, how could it have possibly been raining, instead of snowing? Just asking.) By the time my math class got done at a quarter to 5, it was nearly dark and colder than ever. This is why I hate daylight savings time.
When I logged onto my Facebook page back at my cozy dorm, I was shocked at how many people's statuses involved snow. Most of my FB friends live somewhere in Colorado, and from Denver to the Springs to Boulder there was snow. But not in good old FoCo. In fact, most of my FB friends who also attend CSU has posts complaining about the lack of snow. So I wasn't alone.
Basically, I want it to snow. Really, really bad. I'm hoping that when I go back home to the Springs for Thanksgiving break that it actually snows. Which it probably will, since my house is in an area of Colorado Springs where it snows pretty much twice as much as anywhere else. I think I've got a pretty good chance of a white Thanksgiving.

Clif Bar Reviews!

I really love Clif Bar & Company--almost every product of theirs that I've tried I love. If you don't know much about them, they're a nutrition bar company that makes several different products, from their original protein bar to fruit ropes for kids to energy gels for athletes. They've got you covered for almost anything, and with their all-natural and at least 70% organic ingredients, you'll feel good eating their stuff. Here are my takes on a few of their products I've recently tried! For each one, I'll give a rating out of 5 stars.

• Clif Bar Cool Mint Chocolate (5/5): This may be my favorite Clif bar flavor of all time! The combination of peppermint and chocolate is so delicious and this bar nails it perfectly, without being too minty or too chocolaty. This is one of their 'iced' flavors (it has a drizzle of mint-flavored icing made from evaporated cane juice and cocoa butter), which I didn't think I'd be a fan of, but it really adds to the bar. The first time I ate this, I was pleasantly surprised to find small bits of chocolate cookie mixed in throughout, which added some needed texture. This is their only flavor with caffeine in it (from green tea extract), but it's only 50 mg so you probably won't notice it.
• Clif Mojo Mountain Mix (4/5): I picked this one out of the lineup of Clif's trail mix-like bars because the combo of almonds (my favorite nut), raisins, pretzels and chocolate chips sounded delicious. And it was, except it was a little saltier than I expected. But I did like the addition of the chocolate chips, which were dark chocolate (much better than milk chocolate, in my opinion). The pretzel pieces were also a nice touch.
• Clif Kid ZBar S'mores (2.5/5): All the Clif ZBars (supposedly for kids, but adults love 'em too!) I've tried have been good--Blueberry is my favorite, Apple Cinnamon (now sadly discontinued) was like apple pie in a bar and Chocolate Brownie was also very delicious. So when I saw the S'mores flavor at Whole Foods, I just had to try it. (Note: These used to be called Spooky S'mores and were only available around Halloween; now they've dropped the 'spooky' part so they're available year-round) However, I almost forgot about it until one day when I was packing a snack for class, saw it in a drawer and decided to finally try it. Let's just say I was disappointed. The outside looks sort of like a s'more--the bar was the color of a graham cracker with a dark brown drizzle on top. But it smelled very, very sweet and I shouldn't have been too surprised that it tasted very, very sweet, too. And not in a good way. It was very cloying, and didn't taste like s'mores at all. There weren't even any marshmallow bits, which were what I was looking forward too. Sorry, Clif Bar, but these bars aren't your best.
• Clif C Apple (4/5): I've actually tried all four flavors of the new Clif C bars and it's hard to pick a favorite, but I think the apple one was the best. It tasted the most like its name...in fact, it was very much like a homemade apple pie! These new bars are very different from most of their other varieties, because they're made with only 9 ingredients and they have two layers: a soft crust made of almonds and macadamia nuts and a sticky fruit layer topped with almond bits. So Clif C bars won't crumble in your hand, but like I said, they're very sticky so try to eat them directly from the wrapper. The wrapper itself is very cool--it's designed with a "window" so you can see the bar before you eat it! Also, each bar is equal to one serving of fruit so it's great if you're on-the-go and can't bring along a piece of fruit. Overall, just a great, unique bar.
• Clif Bar Minis Variety Pack (5/5): I love these little things! Unlike the full-size Clif bars, which are great for bike rides and hikes, the minis are the perfect size for a snack when paired with a piece of fruit, yogurt or a Clif Kids Twisted Fruit rope. For their small size, they pack a lot of nutrition: 4-5 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber and 10% DV of calcium, along with a host of other vitamins. Each variety pack has 18 bars in 3 flavors: Chocolate Brownie, Chocolate Chip and Crunchy Peanut Butter in the original; Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch, Blueberry Crisp and Oatmeal Raisin Walnut in the newer one. It's a great deal because for $10-12 you get 18 snack-sized bars and a choice of flavors. Here’s my low-down on each one. The Chocolate Brownie tastes like a brownie…no, actually, it tastes better. I love how dense and chewy it is, and the chocolate flavor is so intense. The oats add interesting texture, and the chocolate chips are great, too. Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch has big chunks of peanuts in it, which are yummy, not to mention chocolate chips, which are delicious paired with peanuts. The Chocolate Chip bar is like a square-shaped chocolate chip oatmeal cookie. The chunks of chocolate are huge! Blueberry Crisp is much lighter than the other flavors, but still really good. There are actual dried blueberries in here, as well as almonds. It’s pretty sweet, but not overwhelming. The Crunchy Peanut Butter is like peanut overload—it has organic PB in it, as well as peanut pieces. If you love PB, you must try this bar! Finally, the Oatmeal Raisin Walnut bar is kind of an acquired taste (it was for me), possibly because of how cinnamon-y it is but once you learn to like it, you’ll be surprised how good it is. The raisins are plump and juicy and the walnuts add texture.

What are your favorite Clif Bar products?

So It Begins...

So this is my first day writing this blog. I've been wanting to start it for a long time, but I've been kinda nervous. I mean, I do have two other blogs but they’re both fashion-related so they are easier to be detached from, I guess. This one is a bit more personal, since it’s about my life as a college student. That's why I'm going by the name College Girl, instead of my real name, because I want to share my opinions but stay anonymous. But I’m excited to be doing this. I really want to share my opinions on all things college-related. I'll share my opinions on some of the new foods I've tried--not from the dining hall, but just the stuff I keep around my room. I'll talk about roommate issues and everything that goes along with dorm life. I'll of course talk about the changes I'm experiencing school-wise. And there'll also be unexpected things, like restaurant reviews (I have gone off campus for dinner a few times with some friends, and believe me, it's soooooo great!) and fashion advice (I am obsessed with fashion, as evidenced by my two blogs about fashion).  Oh and there will also be just random ramblings about my day to day life. That’s partly where I got the name for my blog, but also because I am a Colorado State University Ram! So be ready for my tales of college life, from exam stressing to funny things that happen on my way to class or my weekends spent at home (believe me, they’re always way more interesting than the weekends I spend on campus…laundry and studying, anyone?) So if you’re a college student, former college student or just want to hear some weird random stuff that happens to one, then keep reading! Hopefully it will speak to you in some way.