When you live in a small space, and perhaps with one or more people, you want to make the most of it. I want to provide you with some tips and tricks that I’ve used and find to be helpful!

You can never have enough storage. At the beginning of the semester, my roommate and I found that we had too much storage. It’s hard to believe. But now, nearly three months of living in a dorm room, we need more! My tip is to utilize every nook and cranny: 

Purchase a long container for underneath your futon or bed, so it can just slide out.

Buy some cheap storage bins for your closet or maybe for cube storage.

Use your window sill (if possible) as a shelf until you have to turn the heat on. Before we turned our heat on yesterday, we had plants sitting on the window sill, decorations, and would place our phones on the sill when charging (pro tip: DON’T do this when you turn the heat on…).

If your sink and mirror are magnetic, invest in some storage cases (old locker decorations, hello!) to put your tooth brush and tooth paste in.

Put up some command hooks to hang towels, robes, coats, whatever it may be.

Attach a door hanger for the above things, too!

Hanging shoe storage for closet

Using the space underneath the sink and every inch of the dresser and desk drawers

Storing things out of sight e.g. currently rambled behind our futon is a tissue box, paper towels, hanging lights, and a spike ball game. No one can see it so it doesn’t matter what it looks like!

Invest in storage carts for toiletries and a separate one for food.

GO TO IKEA! Just walking around, I ended up buying thing I didn’t think I would need, but use all the time. Plus, their items are cheap! I purchased a doormat, microwaveable cover, a small light for my bed, and a side table that has see-through storage on the bottom. And, bonus, trips to Ikea are always a blast and they have pretty good soft-serve ice cream.

 

After not being home for two months and not having a free weekend until Thanksgiving break to do so, I surprised my family this past weekend with a trip back home. I needed it more than I thought.

I decided I would go home five days before I did (10/14). I wanted it to be a surprise for everyone, but of course, at least one person needed to know, and I needed to know if this weekend would work out for my family back home.

I texted my step-dad, John, on Monday. He said that him and my mom weren’t doing anything that weekend, and that my brother had a home game. The perfect weekend!

I confirmed everything with my step-dad and told my roommate I’d be gone for the weekend.

Friday couldn’t come soon enough. I hadn’t been home for two months–the longest I’ve ever gone. I missed showering without shoes on, eating home-cooked food, seeing my dogs, and just walking around the house and doing anything and everything I couldn’t do. I missed all of it.

I packed everything I needed to bring home, I made a ‘groceries’ list, a list of what I wanted to do, and a list of what I needed to bring home (winter stuff, woo).

Friday came and that morning I went to get my car in the Hawk Lot, parked it in front of my dorm, and packed everything in before my last class of the day. When I made my schedule over the summer, I made sure that my last class on Friday ended early–2:20 isn’t as early as I’d like, but I get home before dark so I can’t complain.

I sprinted from AJB to Daum and was off. I texted John that I’d be home around 6:30, and I was expecting meatloaf (my first home-cooked meal request).

Turns out, four hours is a lot longer of a drive than you think, especially when you’re alone. It was a struggle, but I listened to Old Disney and Old Miley Cyrus–a good way to past time.

When I was 20 minutes away and passing through Fulton–the town my brother’s school is in–I decided on a whim that I’d track my brother’s location and surprise him. He was at the soccer field about to start practice. He was on the field with two other guys passing the ball, so I decided it was appropriate if I surprised him then (had he been in the middle of practice, of course I wouldn’t have).

I parked my car, got out, and yelled “Hey Rich!” (his name is Sam but we call each other “Rich”). Heres how the conversation went with one of the guys he was passing with:

Who’s that?

My sister.

Why is she here?

I don’t know?

He ran over and we hugged and what a surprise it was… we briefly talked and then I left. He’d be home after practice at eight.

I continued on my way.

You don’t think you’re homesick until you’re driving down roads you used to everyday. Until you drive past the road you used to take to get to school everyday. I crossed the bridge over the river and felt happiness. It was a weird feeling. I started to feel so happy.

Side story:

My mom surprised me with a much-needed visit on October 7th. I was having a rough week and she was what I needed. She texted me a photo of my dog, Tinkerbell, in front of my dorm. I sprinted out my room to her.

I wanted to surprise her in the same way, so I called John and told him that I was about three minutes from home and to be sure she had her phone with her.

I drove up the big hill to get into my neighborhood and turned left onto my street. Gosh, it felt so good to be back.

I pulled into my driveway and laughed to myself at the sight of the skeleton decoration in our front yard.

“Here,” I texted John.

Then I sent a picture of our house in a group chat with my mom, John, and Sam.

Two minutes passed and I sent another.

Then John came out and told me to just come in HA! So it didn’t go as planned… but… her reaction was golden:

insert video here i tried to do it but it wouldn’t work … suggestions?

We ate meatloaf at the table, together as a family again.

I snuggled with my dogs every chance I got.

I surprised my neighbors.

We watched a movie together two nights in a row like we used to.

I deep-cleaned the house.

We made pumpkin bread.

My brother and I carved pumpkins and set out decorations like we have every year.

We went on a walk at night around the neighborhood.

I ate breakfast with my grandparents and we talked each other’s ears off.

I visited with my Aunt and Uncle.

I showered without shoes on.

I ate home-cooked food.

I did all the things I wanted to do while at home.

And I did anything and everything I could.

Needless to say, my short trip back home was much needed. Two months went by two slow, and those three days went by too quick.

Now, the countdown to Thanksgiving break begins.

That’s it. That’s the title. 

Let me elaborate. 

I’ve been at Iowa since Sunday, August 18th. It’s been overwhelming. It’s been exciting. It’s been different, uncomfortable, and new. 

Let me elaborate. 

My entire life I’ve been surrounded with familiarity. Nothing has ever been “new” to me. I attended a small Catholic school in the same town and went to the same school for 11 years– three year old preschool to eighth grade. The only thing that’s been “different” to me was transitioning to a small Catholic high school.  Sure, that was crazy, and being a freshman just kind of sucks because nobody likes you. It’s a common theme everywhere.

Familiarity has been very nice. In no way am I complaining. We all love knowing everything about everything. It gives us a secure feeling, in a way that gives us really nothing to worry about. We don’t realize we’ve been surrounded with that until we aren’t.  That familiarity, albeit safe, is also what inspired me to go somewhere new. And, yes, that feeling of not knowing anything, which has given me an overwhelming amount of different emotions, is what I have felt since moving four hours away from Missouri to Iowa for college.  

So for most people, that’s what college is. We go from knowing everything and everyone, to a place we aren’t familiar with. We ask ourselves if it’s socially acceptable to wear a Velcro towel after we shower in a non gender specific hall… We question if an underground tunnel connecting dorms was a scene from a horror film… We find ourselves stuck on the Cambus for 30 minutes–no explanation needed. Suddenly we’re “broke college students.” The student loans, the academically challenging classes, the culture shock (how does one Cambus?), the whole shabang. 

But I’m glad that everything is new and difficult, because “life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” I don’t know who said that, but they were right. Iowa is my new life. I chose it because of that reason. I didn’t want to go to Mizzou with the people I’ve known my entire life at a place only 30 minutes away from home. It is a challenge that builds character and gives you new experiences. It forces you to make new friends and become accustomed to your surroundings. I have so much to learn. 

A change has been long overdue in my life. 

I’m so ready for it.