PAYING FOR COLLEGE: 5 TIPS

My road to college has not been the straightest of paths.

In fact, if it were a physical path it would probably include a slough of safety risks. Years ago when I took some time off, after breaking my foot, I wrote a post about paying for college. Having since added some laugh lines to my face, moving across the country, and starting a new college I decided it was time to add to that post.

FastWeb is my current favorite scholarship hub.

Like a dating website for free tuition money, if you will.

You create a profile, fill in your stats (but get to skip the cheesy about me blurb) and they match you to scholarships. From there you can see all the details including the due date, how much the scholarship is for and any requirements or rules. Love!

I have used CampusBookRentals since my first semester of college in Washington.

And I love them!

Their site is super simple to use and all books come with a prepaid envelope for when it is time to send the books back. Most classes do not have books that you find yourself wanting to use again, so renting them works out budget-wise and for your own sanity.

If you use my referral link you will automatically get 10% off your order, double score!

When I wrote the original post, I had no idea what I was talking about. I had either lived in a dorm room, paid for by my parents, or with my family while I was going to classes. Today, I have a little more experience here. I live in a two-bedroom apartment with a friend from home and we split living costs down the middle. Originally, we shared a grocery bill as well but have since gone to our own groceries to better fit our ways of eating and individual schedules. 

Sharing a place to live is a huge saver in the long run.

Having a job in college is not the best thing ever. In fact, most of the time it is exhausting. However, if you can find a job to fit with your needs and schedule you will have one less thing to worry about. For me this has always been possible through nannying and sites like Care.com. Jobs on campus are also readily available, and attending college job fairs or poking around the internet for openings are also great places to start. If all else fails, or if you love caffeinating the student population, find the closest coffee shop and apply there. I would recommend going local as I know larger coffee chains often require students to stay at one location for a year or more, which may not be possible if you attend college in a different state.

Most college campuses have things going on almost every night of the week. Many times these include free movie screenings, concerts and interesting talks. Find out where these events are posted, for me it is on my student page, get a group of friends together and go. Haven't made friends yet? Fly solo or ask someone from one of your classes - you never know how you will meet your best friends!

Leave them in the comments below! Share and help us save even more money!

DO NOT BE AFRAID

Tomorrow.

I am going home for the first time in six months.

I am so excited.

I am so nervous for the flight.

I am filled with this odd feeling. 

Doubt? Fear? Reality?

Since I have been in Nashville, it is almost as though life in the Pacific Northwet has stopped. Rationally, I know this is not true but some funny piece of my mind thinks that maybe this can be true. That, if, I pray hard enough I will find my world frozen in time like one of those ceramic Christmas villages. Of course, I know this is not true. 

What I fear so much of the time is that my life there will no longer continue to be.

I am so afraid that I am walking this path miles away from home and the things I love and hold so dear will all begin to cave under the distance. I am afraid that my Nashville adventure will have been a selfish and rash decision that I come to regret. 

As I pack my bags to spend a few days nestled in the safety of the evergreen mountains, I realize that all of these fears are in vain. As Deuteronomy 31:8 says:

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged.

{Dawn Klinge}

And how blessed are we for this fact.

If we can just remember throughout the fear and uncertainty in our daily journey that we do not walk through life alone, than that is comfort enough.

For me, this means trusting that God did not lead me to Nashville for nothing.

In fact, He has already shown me so many wonderful reasons He has lead me here.

The first time I really saw it was driving home from volunteering this summer. Things were a little unsettled, I had spent my birthday alone for the first time and I was hurting. On this particular hill coming home, you can sometimes see the iconic "Batman Building," and although I had always squealed in delight seeing it, on this day it struck me.  The child I had volunteered with was pure joy and my favorite song was on the radio.  And there, in all its glory, was that funny batman building. The last few moments of sun were reflecting brightly upon its surface as if to say, "its okay." 

I remembered that I was not walking alone in this crazy journey.

It is this fact that I must remind myself of again as I sit half packed, tears rolling down my face.

The stark reality is, things have changed.

I do not have the power to control what happens at home, no matter how I try.

But I do have the power to let God lead me to where I need to be. And, above all else, isn't the greatest of all these things love?

The love I have for my favorite #littlebesties, the love for my family, for my friends.

The love for the familiarity of the pitter patter of a grey day spent indoors.

The love for the cold, crisp air.

That love is far greater than any fear I could think up.

That love is the love of God. 

It will never leave, nor forsake me.

{she reads truth}

The very warmth of love allows me to clear the pathetic snot from my nose and pack one last pair of boots. I am so looking forward to that fall feeling in the pacificnorthwet. I am so looking forward to taking inventory of all the changes without any fear. I am so overjoyed with it all.

I wish you all safe travels wherever life takes you in the coming weeks.

Take comfort in the fact that you do not walk alone through it all.

THE BIGGEST ADVENTURE

Today was an off day.

When I told my roommate this she asked me "how so?" as most people ask when you tell them you've had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Clearly, we're not the least bit dramatic around these parts. But when I really thought about it, I couldn't put my finger on it. So, being the rational person I am I blamed it on the weather, because today it felt as though the wind was blowing in the wrong direction.

Nothing concrete went wrong.

I did not trip and fall down a flight of stairs to break my foot. Nor did I forget my entire speech while presenting and told the whole class about my one true Kindergarten love. Both of these things have, of course, happened to me, but neither caused my mood today.

At about 7 tonight I lay down in bed, thinking of how off I had been all day and vowing to take a quick nap. Upon waking, something tugged at the back of my mind as if to say, I know why you're funked.

Today, September 17th, 2015 makes 6 full months I have been living in Nashville, Tennessee.

And I have no idea how to feel about it all.

The best way I can describe it is to relate it to a profound piece of television work, Gilmore Girls. In this instance, I am Luke Danes and 17th of every month is my 'dark day.' Of course, you will not find me off fishing in solitude and I am lucky in that no one had to die to bring about my dark day. Instead, something inside of me goes all out of whack and everything just feels off without reason.

The best way to start is to take you back 6 months with me.

6 months ago I woke up far too early and shuffled my 4 suitcases down to my grandparent's mini-van.

6 months ago I sobbed into my mother's arms and told her how terrified I was of it all.

6 months ago my Nonnie made me promise I would come back.

6 months ago I embarked on the biggest faith journey of my life.

6 months ago I wrote this:

"If you ask me right this second, the night before I leave for my new life in my new city I would tell you 100% that I will be back home after my 6 months are up. Yet, a part of me knows that in 6 months I may feel completely opposite. Someone check back in then and we will see what happens."

So, how do I feel now?

I feel proud and terrified.

I feel empowered and so lost.

I feel as though I am one strong person but I also feel so utterly alone.

Six months ago, I was lost.

I chose to come to Nashville in an attempt to run away from a world that I felt was crumbling around me in Washington. All I wanted was a soft place to land. In my crazy mind that place was half way across the country with no one familiar to me in sight.

Since then, I have tearfully moved out of my first apartment and into a place that I am still not sure I deserve. I have finally started at the school I have been accepted into three times and watch a handful of children on a regular basis.

Nothing about this has been simple though.

Above all else, for me, it has been a huge journey of faith.

Every single time I sat down to carefully plan things out, there was God, knocking on a different door leading in a direction He intended me to go. 

Take the move itself as an example.

I had been tossing around the idea of moving for months before it all happened. In my mind, I would have a few months to move, find an apartment and settle in. I began the search and created endless lists regarding packing and shipping things when God knocked. He had found me the best place to live. Close to school, safe and with a landlord who He called to watch over me in my time of transition. The only catch? I had two weeks. From the time I closed my eyes and followed His lead with a "yes" I was to be packed, moved, and in an airplane within two weeks.

And so I followed.

He continued to provide for me upon my arrival in Nashville. Finding me several good jobs and a place to call my own through volunteering. However, I continued to wrestle with the logistics of school. I had my eye set on a certain school and even though I had been accepted twice before the whole thing never fit into my carefully laid plans. It was only when some logistical paperwork type things went wrong, and I vowed to finally enter school in the Spring of 2016 that God laughed and made me different plans. I was, once again, accepted and was to start in the Fall of 2015.

Once again, I went against my stubborn nature and followed.

I should let you know, that if you're reading this thinking "she's got it all together, good for her." You're so wrong.

I am still terrified.

Every night my prayers center around taking away my worry and anxiety.

I question my decision on the regular and I miss my family something awful.

Tears are as normal for me as getting dressed in the morning.

Nightmares are awful and are never made better by just a phone call.

But I know God has called me here.

Why? Only He knows for now.

But, in time, I know I will too know and my greater purpose will be revealed.

I do know that I am in His hands and He will lead me to where I need to go when I plan for something else.

Even on this dark and twisty day I have faith.

Happy six months Nashville.

Thank you for being my greatest adventure yet.

DEAR AMESY & LITTLE: FIND YOUR TRIBE

Dear Amesy and Little,

It has been 6 months since this adventure began. 

184 sleeps.

24 flips through my agenda.

And countless silly weekends spent on FaceTime. 

We have celebrated two out of our three birthdays and each started new adventures in school.

I still find you in my weekly trips to Target, Little, and tell everyone I can about how brilliant you are, Amesy. I never could have imagined that even though 2,490 miles separate us, we remain a constant in each other's lives. 

But then I remember, of course, that you are a part of my tribe.

So, what makes up a tribe?

Should we think about our tribe in a historical sense?

A tribe is traditionally defined as a "distinct people, dependent on their land for their livelihood, who are largely self sufficient and not integrated into the national society." I think the closest we ever got to depending on our land was picking blackberries on the way to the bus stop, so maybe this does not fit for us. 

But I do find the self sufficiency piece valid. 

You see, picking your tribe is an ongoing process. Like the Cumberland River in Nashville, things ebb and flow as they are meant to.

Coming to college I find myself once again searching for those to slip into my tribe. Some days, I feel like I am merely treading the water around me, overwhelmed by the rush of it all. Like my favorite Kindergartner I find myself thinking "what if I don't make any new friends?!" It is on these days that I have to hop out of the water, and re-evaluate what it means to be a part of my world.

I often do that by thinking of the two of you.

I find comfort in people like you Amesy.

I see you when I meet people who are kind beyond measure, and I wonder how they got to be so good. A heart of gold in your river is always welcome. Those who can offer a different perspective or stand strong in their faith will make you a better person. Their advice may not always be comfortable, but their endless quest for truth will guide you through the roughest rapids.

I also find you in those who are willing to spend the day just being with me. As you know that is often around the table, with snacks and craft supplies for all. I suppose not everyone needs a craft-obsessed friend in their tribe, although if anyone needs one I'm your girl. Instead, I urge you to find those who you share common interests with. Who will talk about silly shows with you, or share their prized sequin collection, or even take a long hike with you to revel in God's creation. These people will never need explaining, as there is an unspoken bond in the things you share.

The people in the world like you, Little, stretch me.

They are outgoing and bring unapologetic joy to those who surround them. Swimming alongside opposites will keep you forever changing and growing along your journey. They encourage you to try new things, but never leave you struggling alone. These people have a knack for making you feel included even when you stick out like a log in the current.

The head member of my tribe operates in this same way. 

She meets no stranger and manages to keep me bold from miles away. I look for more adventurers like the two of you, to inspire me to say "yes" even when I do not feel like it and to make the effort without knowing the outcome.

If I could build a tribe of a million Amesy & Littles I would be blessed beyond measure. We would surely be self sufficient, like the dictionary definition of tribe proclaims, because you two make me complete. I find this idea sometimes hard to grasp, but I have seen it at work.

Your tribe should be there for you in all seasons and weather.

My tribe shows up for me whether I specifically call or even just by knowing me as a person.

Months ago, I was feeling homesick and a little unsure of it all.

I checked my email as I did everyday and found that a member of my tribe had done just that.

Your mama, yes your mom is a core member of my tribe too, had made it possible for me to come home and love on you in a time when I needed that familiarness more than ever. Not once did I call and beg her to come home, instead she was answer to my silent prayers without even knowing it.

Sometimes, your tribe shows up for you in your current state.

For me, this has been unexpected mail from home and from Nashville friends that reminds me why I am on this journey. Although nothing they give says "I believe in you," or lays it out in a stock photo motivational poster, their thought alone brings you peace. It is these gestures from your tribe that come like miracles, giving you a "yes, you are loved and right where you are meant to be" above the rest of it all.

More than anything, your tribe should forever grow and be there for you.

I look for those who will get coffee with me, even if it is almost $5 and we should be studying. Who will allow me to chat for hours, as we all know I can do, but will also add in their opinions and life stories while calling me out when I need it.

I look for those who will hug me, cry with me and support me even when I am completely unlovable. This does not just meaning loving grumpy, mean morning Ali, but the Ali who is running on no sleep, has 3 assignments due and is beyond reasoning with. In those moments my tribe does not have to like me, and bless those who still do, but they just have to love me and bear witness to it all without wavering.

Most importantly, I look for those who will make me better. Who will challenge my beliefs and actions and keep me accountable. If a tribe is to be self sufficient, they must keep each other in check. Just like a river rises and falls with the rain, my tribe must be able to stand up for what is right and challenge the injustices around us.

So that is it.

Simple right?

If only!

Although I am still searching for a tribe who is crazy enough to spend nights with me crafting and discussing our journeys, I can tell you that the tribe always comes. The people who are meant to be in your life will be put there when you need them most. Like the two of you.

Thank you for being in my tribe.

Thank you for letting me into yours.

Keep your hearts forever open to those who are searching for a tribe like yours, and know that you are loved beyond measure.

xo,

A

PLANNER FREEBIES

As a Type A my planner has always been my one true love interest. 

I loved writing down all my assignments in middle school and checking them off one by one. More recently, I have discovered the "planner community" and become completely enthralled by the whole thing. I was already planning in my Lilly Pulitzer agenda and thought a few custom stickers would enhance the whole experience. After adding my first shot of my planner to instagram, follow me @OhLaLaAli, the positive response was overwhelming. Wonderful people kept asking me to start selling the stickers, which was beyond any response I could have imagined. 

Week after week I find my few spare moments wrapped up in planning the next week's spread theme and designing little details to go along with. The first week I uploaded included many Lilly prints and designs that were not my own, so I could not in good conscience profit from the design. Instead, I thought I would throw it out there as a free download for all to use in their planning needs.

The amazing pink tassel banner is a free download on Holly Creative, go download it there from her lovely site.

As for the future themes and stickers, although I may not have time to physically create planner stickers to ship out to all of you lovely fellow planner lovers I am dabbling in the idea of sellign them as digital downloads on etsy, that way you all can print them at your leisure and as many times as you need. Let me know your thoughts below! 

Please tag me @OhLaLaAli in any photos you get of your planner with my stickers, I would love to see them all!