Adulting

As I am beginning my journey in adulthood, I am realizing that it is a lot harder than everyone says it is! I know, I know, that's really stereotypical for a new adult to say, but seriously, there is so much no one warned me about. I decided to compile a list of some things I have already learned as an adult, and some ways I have learned to go about this process of being an adult.

1. Toilet paper is really expensive for what you use it for.
2. No matter how much toilet paper you buy, you will never actually have any.
3. A job with stable hours and a predictable paycheck is a god-sent blessing
4. You will get a lot of money with every paycheck but will always be broke.
5. Gas that is 2 cents cheaper but is a few miles out of the way sounds reasonable.
6. You drink strong coffee out of necessity, not actual enjoyment.
7. Working out isn't just for fun anymore, if you don't work out you seriously feel like crap the next day.
8. You don't need as much sleep to function as you did growing up.
9. You can't bounce back as quickly after sleeping wrong and messing up your neck.
10. For you adult women, a really good waterproof mascara and eyeliner are essential.
11. Reading time is sacred.
12. Peanut butter is even better with age.
13. You will never fully learn what all the buttons on the stove do.
14. No matter how often you clean and organize everything, it will be messy the next day.
15. THERE IS ALWAYS LAUNDRY.
16. Your trash fills up faster than you ever thought possible.
17. You choose taking the stairs over the elevator.
18. You choose water over any other drink because you are now aware of your body's own hydration.
19. Goodwill and Dollar Tree are the best places to find items you want and can't quite afford, or need and REALLY can't afford.
20. Bulk trash days are like Christmas.
21. Living on your own sounds all fun and games until you realize how much of your time will be spent cleaning your living space, even if you live by yourself.
22. Your clothing preferences become more sophisticated and you don't understand when that happened.
23. You organize things just for fun
24. Being an adult means not living in a dorm or with your parents, which means you can burn candles in your room and you can stay up late watching Netflix with no complaints.
25. You know you don't have to keep EVERYTHING clean, but you still try to.
26. The dishes pile up, you convince yourself to do them, decide to make mac and cheese instead.
27. Mac and cheese will never not be good. I'm convinced I'm always going to love mac and cheese until the day I die.
28. One day you just started enjoying eating vegetables and have no idea why or how this happened. You just ordered a side salad at a restaurant instead of fries, what's gotten into you?
29. To-Do lists aren't just a necessity now, they are a past-time and are actually really fun to make and go through.
30. The news is more interesting than day-time drama shows.
31. You really want to whine and throw a tantrum when you get bills (or tickets) in the mail but can't because you are supposed to be an 'adult'.
32. You will buy more mugs than you will ever use because mugs are awesome
33. Going out is not as fun as staying in and watching a great movie or reading a great book.

Those are just a few things I have realized as I have gotten older and entered into adulthood. I am also realizing how little time I have for a job since I am in school, and also how much I need one. I am fortunate enough to have parents willing to fill my car up with fuel and buy me any necessities I cannot supply for myself, but I really wish I could buy them on my own. It would be nice to have a job and be able to pay for things like my phone, since I would really like to buy a new one in the next couple of months. I am currently trying to get a part time job close to campus that will work with my odd and few hours of availability. There are a few places I am considering applying to, but I need to weigh my options and figure out which one is going to be the most flexible with my hours as a student.

Overall, I have been enjoying my slight increase in independence, and look forward to whatever God has planned for my life in the next year. I have some wonderful people by my side encouraging me and loving on me, and I have never been happier than I am right now, even with all the stress that school brings.

Becoming an adult is kind of terrifying, but if I can do it, anyone can. It's all a matter of mindset.

Thanks for putting up with me

Jaina

Settling In

As I am settling into college life, I am realizing more and more who I am and what I want to do. I also realize how relaxed my schedule is compared to other students'. For instance, I have several hours every night where I have nothing to do, simply because my classes do not have a ton of homework and the homework that I do have, I complete rather quickly. This is a huge relief for me, because it means I have more time to spend with the people that matter most. I realize how close I am to my mom in particular, because it seems I cannot go a day without giving her an update or shooting her a message in Gmail telling her about my day or some mildly frustrating situation.

I wrote my first college essay in three separate sittings; one of which was in the class that it was for as we discussed the criteria for it, once was at home in my spare time just to finish the body paragraphs, and the last was the afternoon of the day that it was due to write the introduction and conclusion (writing comes easily to me, so banging out an essay and having my first draft be my final is not unusual for me). This made me realize how much time I am going to have even when papers start being assigned. Since the average college student spends hours upon hours agonizing over the intricacies of their paper, and I can get it done in an hour or two if it is a particularly difficult or lengthy paper, I have a lot of extra time on my hands. This is a welcomed nuisance for me, because it means I will have more time to spend with Joel, or more time to binge watch Netflix or read a book.

I have also been working on re-building my closet after my intense clean out. I have yet to get it back to its former glory, but I am really happy with the pieces that I am purchasing and adding to it. I see myself gravitating more towards jeans, plain shirts or really comfy patterned shirts, and dresses. Oh man, can I do some damage in the dress section of a store! I absolutely love dresses right now, any kind really, but mainly casual ones that I can dress up or down. Plus, they are fantastic for date nights, and look great with the new boots I bought! I have noticed that my chosen style has gotten more modest as well. I do not like shorts that are higher than mid-thigh; I'm just not comfortable in them anymore and they do not make me feel like a fierce goddess or a beautiful princess. I do not feel as pretty in them, so I end up not looking as pretty in them. I am just happy to be figuring out what I enjoy wearing, and what makes me look best.

I am so much more confident lately, and I do believe it is connected to my decision to not let other people's opinions define who I am, and to start looking at myself in a more positive light. I also have been focusing on what I think of myself, and working to loving who I am whenever I look in the mirror or do a moment of soul searching. I am truly happy with where I am in my life right now, and quite frankly I feel unstoppable.

This post is more self-absorbed than mine usually are, and I apologize for that, but maybe someone out there will read this and take something from it. If not, oh well; you at least get a little glimpse into my life thus far.

I am very excited for this week to be over, which sounds really negative, but Joel is returning from his 2 week long missions trip to Nepal and I am so excited to see him again. I have missed him dearly, but I am also really pumped to see his pictures and hear what God did through him in Nepal. He is truly amazing and I am so proud of the man that he is.

I have class tomorrow morning, not too early, but early enough that I have to watch what time I go to bed, so I am going to end this post with this thought: loving yourself and being happy with who you are is so much more important than what someone thinks of you, because people are only in part of your life, but you have to live with yourself forever.

Thanks for putting up with me,

Jaina