Going into college I thought I knew a lot. I mean I knew I had a lot to learn, but for the most part I thought I was pretty set in my ways--I thought I was pretty grounded. This isn't the part where I say I'm not or where I say "boy, was I wrong," but college definitely changed my outlook on some things. Going to college just kind of changed my perspective a little--or a whole lot. It's like I couldn't quite see the bigger picture of, um life, until I'd left my parents, was thrown into a new world, and was told, "go." It's like when an artist is just painting and painting and doesn't see that he needs to add a little more red. But after he steps back and looks at the painting as a whole he is able to see for himself that a little red wouldn't look so bad. I stepped back and this is what I realized...

1) My sister is an incredible person

My sister and I have always been friends. "Sisters by chance, friends by choice." We fought like cats and dogs, but we were good friends. She was always the person I could go to when I needed a good laugh or just needed someone to talk to. Often times, she was the person who gave me what I needed when I didn't even know what I needed. She was always 25 feet from me, just down the hallway. I could shout from my bed "Abbey! Come in here!" and she'd be there within 10 seconds. Now that she's not that close and I just can't shout when I need her, I miss her more than ever. In my last few months at home, I don't think I fully appreciated my sister. I used a few choice words more often than I should have and I didn't tell her as much as I should have how much she meant to me. If I could go back and change one thing about this summer, I would change how I treated her. She is an incredible and beautiful person and should be treated as such. She used to read me these stupid Pinterest quotes and it annoyed me so much, but at least she was there. My biggest piece of advice to anyone with a sibling, enjoy and cherish them while you can, because one day you're not just going to be able to walk into their room and hug. I'd give anything to hug my sister right now.

2) Your parents' cooking will always be the best

The dining hall in college is umm let's just say not quite my mom and dad's good cooking.There were some nights at home when I didn't want to eat rotisserie chicken and corn on the cob or I just wasn't quite feeling tacos. Now that I'm in college and don't really get to ask for specific things for dinner, I miss my mom's veggie burritos and my dad's twice baked potatoes more than anything. There's just something about sitting in the dining hall looking at stale burger buns and questionable lasagna that makes you really miss a good homemade meal.

3) Making friends is harder than you think

Thanks to the small town of Garner I've lived in for the past 10 years I've grown up with the same people and have never really had to make new friends. Sure, I went to camp every summer and met knew people, but never was I put in a place with 27,000 other people and been able to count the only people I knew on my fingers and toes. The first couple days when I didn't make friends right off the bat I told myself that it was fine and that it would get better when classes started. This is definitely true and even though I didn't sit next to the same person twice the first week of classes, faces started to become familiar and quick "hey"'s in the hallway or dorm bathroom began to evolve into full conversations. Now I'm sitting on my bed with two of my new friends and we're about to go meet some of our other new friends for dinner. No matter what happens that first week, just know, making friends is eventually going to be the least of your worries.

4) It's okay to eat by yourself

The thought of eating lunch by myself used to terrify me. In high school, if I was going to eat lunch by myself I thought I was going to be like Cady Herron and have to eat in a bathroom stall. I thought I was going to look like such a loser and everybody was going to look at me and make fun of me. I. Was. Wrong. There is no shame in enjoying a nice meal by yourself no matter if you're in the dining hall, Starbucks, or an actual restaurant. It was kind of weird to eat by myself at first, but now I look forward to sitting down by myself, pulling out my computer, and just enjoying a little "me time."

5) I'm that annoying child that calls their parents every day

I told myself I wasn't going to call my parents every day. I also told myself that I wasn't going to go home for the first time for at least a month, but in the end I was home a week after moving in. It's not that I didn't want to talk to my parents every day, but I knew that the more I called and talked to them the more I would miss them. I was wrong. My mom and I have talked more than ever since I've been gone. In the past two weeks we've become friends, not just mother and daughter. There's nothing I love more than calling her at the end of the day and telling her about what's been going on in my life and listening to her talk about the things going on in hers. There's also something about calling my dad and knowing that he and I don't always need to say a lot to each other, but we know exactly what the other one means. There are some phone calls that don't last longer than five minutes with him, but those five minutes are the best five minutes of my day. Since I've come to college, my parents have turned from just being my parents into actual people. With this realization, I've also realized that...

6) My parents are the most amazing people I've ever met

For the longest time I have looked at my parents as "Mom and Dad." It wasn't until I was in college and away from them that I started looking at them as "Jennifer and David." As I am slowly thrown into the world--not even the "real world" yet--I am starting to realize all the sacrifices they made to raise me the way they did and to give me the best experiences and opportunities. I've realized that all those nights my dad stayed up with me while I was sick he was sacrificing his own sleep which I know he felt the next day at work. I recently learned what it was like to stay up with someone who was sick all night and I know I was feeling it the next day. I've also realized that my mom didn't have to listen to me vent about all the pointless stuff going on in my life, but because she knew it was important to me she listened and comforted me when I needed it the most. I've listened to so many friends talk about things that I know they'll look back on and realize it was stupid, but because I know it's important to them at the moment, I sit and listen and comfort them the best I can. My parents have taught me so much, not just about how to be a decent person, but how to treat others and how to really get they most out of life.

7) There are only 24 hours in the day

In high school, I was able to study (haha "study"), be an active member in my school's drama department, and have a job. I was senior class president as well as a Senior Leader which meant dedicating every Monday and Thursday night to YoungLife. I was able to do all of this and still manage to be an A/B student while taking eight classes and be in bed most nights before 11. I have no idea how I did this. Now, I am taking five classes, I don't have a job, I dedicate only Tuesday and Wednesday nights to YoungLife, I am not in any clubs and do not play any sports. I am literally going to class, going to the gym, going to the dining hall and I am busier than I have ever been. The list of things I am involved in in college is dramatically shorter than what I was involved in in high school and I think knowing this is what halted my productivity. I thought I had all this time and all this freedom when in reality I have less time and the time I do have is more precious than ever before. I've really learned how to manage my time and how to rank things in order of priority. I've also had to learn how to delegate--ask anyone close to me, this is not something I like to do, but I know in the long run I'll be thankful.

8) The only difference between high school senior boys and college freshman boys is three months

I'm just going to leave it at that.

9) Who cares!? No one!!!!

If you want to wear slippers to the dining hall, wear slippers to the dining hall! If you want to wear pajamas to class, wear pajamas to class! If you want a second slice of cake, eat a second slice of cake! If you don't want to do laundry, just Febreze em! If you want to binge watch "Friends," binge watch "Friends!" If you want to eat cereal for every meal, eat cereal for every meal! If you don't want to shave your legs for a month, don't shave your legs for a month! If you want to drink three cups of coffee a day, drink three cups of coffee a day! If you want to jam out to rap music in your dorm all by yourself, jam out to rap music in your dorm all by yourself! #nojudgement

10) ALWAYS say "thank you"

Please note that I bolded, capitalized, and italicized "always." I would've underlined it if I could've, but I couldn't find that option... I didn't realize until college how often I didn't say "thank you" when I should've. I've realized that I don't thank my parents enough for all they do for me or my friends for always being there for me. I've also realized that I don't say "thank you" enough just to the people around me. For example, there is a sweet little, old lady that cleans the hall bathroom in my dorm building. She cleans our toilets, our countertops, our sinks, our showers, and the floor. It never crossed my mind to thank her before because that's her job, that's just what she is supposed to do. Then I realized that there are 44 people on my floor and 10 floors in my building. That is roughly about 440 college students she and her coworkers are cleaning for and if all of them have the same mind set that I had they are never being thanked for the work they are doing just to make our lives easier. Last week I thanked her and learned her name and now every morning Mrs. B and I say good morning to each other.