So uh, I'm in college...

That's my dorm room and I'm IN LOVE WITH IT!
I seriously love being in here. I love that I got to design this little space of mine and I just love it. AH. It's all I dreamed it would be.
The room is actually a lot bigger than I expected, also! I was so happy to walk in here and not feel crowded! The closet is PERFECT. I love my clothes and I brought a ton of them... and I was worried I wasn't going to have room, but it wasn't a problem at all!
I actually have more room in there than I need!
My Resident Assistant is so nice. I know if I ever need anything, I'm set.
I seriously haven't met one mean staff member since I've been here. Everyone is so welcoming and helpful.

I've been here since August 19th, so that's 13 days now. I am in love with this campus. It's so beautiful and it just has everything I could ever want it to have.

I'm genuinely happy here.
I finally found the happiness I've been looking for for years.
I've made some awesome friends already, and three of my best friends are here with me. It's a blast.
I love all of my classes. Except for Spanish 3, that is. My math class is so easy that I sit in the back of the room and laugh.
Seriously.
My Creative Writing class is everything I imagined it to be. It's perfect. I actually just wrote my first short story, and I'm going to post it on here.
I'm already involved with the student newspaper. It's a pretty serious deal. I was told I could get sued if I write something I shouldn't.
I wrote two articles for the first issue that was published on the 27th of August. One of my articles was the leading front page story! I was in shock!
The staff loved my writing, thank God. They said, direct quote, "We gotta keep this Paige girl around."
I almost died of happiness.
I may become an editor soon.
I'm trying out for the dance team.
I made the choir.
It's all going good. Really good. I don't miss home one bit.
My best friend and some of my family, maybe, but that's it.

I'll post more on the change you have to put yourself through later. It's lengthy.
But, I love college. It's all I ever wanted it to be and more.

Hope you all are doing well and best of luck with your first few weeks of school!

A look from the outside

After four years, I'm finally out.
I graduated high school on June 6th, 2013.

My best friend Sara and I on graduation night

I remember the first day of freshman year, specifically. I remember the shirt I wore. I remember how scared I was on the first day. 

I remember a boy a year older than me sat down next to me on the bus, a kid I now work in the same place with today, who kindly teased me all through high school and still does today. 

"Could you get any farther away from me?" he laughed as I practically attached myself to the wall of the bus in the seat I was in. 

"I'm not trying to be," I stuttered, "I-I'm just nervous. First day and everything, ya know."

He chuckled lightly at me, "Don't be." 

The truth was, the reasons why I was nervous, he was right, I shouldn't have been at all. 

The fact is, with high school, you don't know what's coming to you so you can't really be nervous about it. 

High school, for me, was something that I never expected. It changed me in ways that I cannot even fathom. I've had experiences that have molded me into the person that I am today. I'm still working on accepting myself for who I am, but I think I'm on the right track. 

I'm going to tell you all this from experience-

Freshman year always sucks. 

My freshman year was a year in hell for multiple reasons. And everyone I've talked to about their freshman years, theirs sucked too. 

So, if you are about to be a freshman, expect it to suck. I'm not saying this to discourage you at all. If you have a great freshman year, kudos to you. But I'm saying, don't expect it to be all rainbows and sunshine, because it won't be.  Freshman year is a huge transition in your life, academically and socially. You're going to meet so many new people you can't even imagine. Some will be good to you and some will be not so good to you. You just have to decide which ones you let effect you. 

If you just finished your freshman year of high school and it did suck, congratulations. You've passed the test. 
Blogging has helped me pass the test. The summer between freshman and sophomore year was when I found this wonderful community and I haven't left since. Taken breaks, yes, but I always come back.

Sophomore year for me was nothing exciting, but it wasn't nearly as bad as freshman year. I did lose my best friend that year, but that's just what happens. You drift from people you thought you'd be close with your whole life.
Sophomore year was the easiest year for me academically, but that's just me. I became the editor of the school newspaper that year and did some professional journalism work around my town and city. That was exciting but the school year itself was just, eh. I was a bit of a loner.

Well, I hope you enjoyed sophomore year because junior year,  buckle your seat belt.  
Junior year, for most everyone that I've heard from, is the most academically challenging year. This happens because this is the year you need to specifically care about your grades so they look good for college applications (SO ANNOYING.) My advice to all people going to junior year, DO. NOT. PROCRASTINATE. YOU WILL REGRET IT AND IT WILL SUCK. MAYBE EVEN MORE THAN YOUR FRESHMAN YEAR DID. 
My junior year was tough academically and socially. It was a very life changing year in many aspects and I am thankful for it in the end. I posted a lot junior year and if you've been an active reader of mine, you may know why.

Now, the icing on the cake-

S E N I O R  Y E A R

Everyone always brags about how senior year is like the slack year. You don't have to care, the grades don't matter, it's your last year in that hell hole of a school... blah blah blah. 

I'm here to tell you, with my personal senior year, that is the biggest lie in the history of the world. 

My senior year was so hard academically, it smashed junior year into a hole and buried it. 

My problem is, I'm a nerd and I care way too much. I challenged myself with difficult classes while having a job and participating in multiple extracurricular activities, and my social life began to flourish like it never had before.
All of this together with my difficult classes just didn't clash well, and I suffered. Major time.
I had to stop blogging. (January to July)
I had to stop reading for pleasure, all together.
That was what killed me the most.

It's hard to decide what to keep and what to cut when you have a lot going on, and unfortunately I chose those two things, and I really shouldn't have.
I'll post about the flourishing social life eventually, because that's a novel in itself.  But, for later.

If you care too much about your grades like me, be careful your senior year. If you're involved in a lot and have a flourishing social life, do not challenge yourself to the extremes with your classes because you will not choose school first. 
People always talk about this little thing called Senioritis. 
Let me tell you.
IT. IS. SO. REAL.
After you get that acceptance letter from college and commit to a college, YOU'RE DONE FOR IT.
Well, that's a little lie.
I committed to Penn State in October 2012. My Senioritis didn't hit me full blast until March/ April 2013.
So, I had a little time. But, I'm an extraordinary case. Most people, it comes way earlier.
So please, all upcoming seniors, be careful. You think you won't catch Senioritis?
Yeah, think again, neither did I.

Because of the extracurriculars and the social life I had my senior year, it was my favorite year of high school.
It changed me in ways that I never expected, and I'll be posting about that eventually.

But then, you graduate. 

And

nothing

matters. 

Except what you let matter. 

All those stupid people I went to school with? Haven't seen them since June 6th. Don't ever plan to again. 

Those grades I was so worried about? That's over with. I did fine. I was accepted to college the whole time, I don't even know why I stressed so much.

Those people I worried about impressing? Gone.

All that drama? Gone.  

My point in all this is, high school is a huge learning experience. It will tear you apart and break you down at times, but it will also fix you again. 

High school is something that everyone needs to experience because it makes you who you are. 

High school is not constant rainbows and sunshine, but a long, raging storm that sometimes lets the sun shine through, and then, it ends. 

Take me back, please.

Hi. I don't know if anyone on the blogosphere remembers me. 

I'm Paige, that crazy girl who runs The 828. 

I haven't posted since January of this year, and that makes me really sad. 

I used to come on here so much. This was one of my favorite things to do. 

Summer of 9th, 10th, and some of 11th grade, I'd be on here and on Inkpop non-stop.

Oh, Inkpop, I miss you so so much. 

I miss this blog and all of the nice people I knew on here. I miss this part of my life.

A lot has happened to me from January to July of this year and honestly, I want to come back here in this safe haven of mine. A safe haven where you are all so nice and not judgmental and understanding. 

I'm going to college this August. What the heck. 

Even though I've went very astray, I miss you guys. Take me back, please. 

Terminally Happy

Hello lovelies.
How are we all today?
It's November... what the heck?
Time is doing that thing where it's flying by again.
The future is going to come a lot faster than I think it will.

If you follow me on my regular Twitter, are friends with me on Facebook, or follow my Instagram, you probably already know about this because it was literally all I talked about for 48 hours when it happened.

But for those who do not know, I am going to tell you.
Back in early September, I applied to my dream college, a branch of Penn State University.
I know what you're thinking-
"OMG ISN'T THAT WHERE THE JERRY SANDUSKY DUDE LIKE RAPED THE KIDS AND IT'S THIS WHOLE BIG SCANDAL? OMG PAIGE MUST BE PRETTY LAME IF THAT'S HER DREAM SCHOOL. I THINK I'LL JUST UNFOLLOW HER NOW."

You guys should hear the voice I had in my head as I typed that.
But, no.
It's a branch campus, not the main one. And that whole scandal does not define the entire school system.
Just wanted to make that clear.

But anyways, I applied early September. I started that application like a year ago. I'm not even kidding. I couldn't complete it for my grade level until after September 1st, 2012 though.
Then after waiting, I finally did.
And I waited some more. About a month actually.
And on October 18th, I found this on the website-

I started crying. 

Tears of happiness. I don't know if that ever happened to me before. It was the best feeling in the entire world, and it still is. To know that next year I am going to my dream school is just amazing. I've been to the campus twice and it is BEAUTIFUL. I just got that feeling where you go on campus and you're like, "This is where I belong."

I just simply radiated happiness the next day. I wore my Penn State gear and was just overly happy. Everyone congratulated me and it just felt wonderful. I'm pretty sure I annoyed everyone with my happiness, but oh well.

As of right now, I am majoring in English. I'm so excited. 

So glad that now I am a Nittany Lion, and can proudly chant, "We are.. Penn State!" 

That's one amazing thing that happened to me this month. I'm still so happy about it. It helps me want to get through senior year more. 

The second amazing thing that happened to me this month was very unexpected. 

My high school has a Fall Play each year, which is just all acting and no singing or dancing. 

I got into acting my sophomore year of high school when I took my first Musical Theater class. 

This is my third year taking the class, and I take acting a lot more seriously now and I love it dearly. 

I decided to try out for the play on a whim. I figured, "Hey, it's my senior year, might as well!" 

I was in the musical, "Carousel" with the school last year. So the director actually knows my name and face. I still didn't think that would help me at all though.
Because, he has his favorites, and I wasn't one of them.

So I tried out, not really thinking anything would come out of it. I honestly just wanted a callback. Because a callback meant I actually had a little bit of talent and was such an honor.

I cared more about the callback than getting an actual part, you know what I mean?
And then, I found out I did actually make the callback list.
This was another time where I cried tears of happiness. Less than for Penn State, but I was still teary eyed.

I was so honored to have gotten a callback, but the next worry on my mind was actually getting in. Now I knew I had the talent, and I needed to use it.

So for the callback audition we had to do two monologues. Both of them related to my life, one a lot more than the other. I have learned that when I tap into my inner emotions while acting, I can do a way better job.
So, that's what I did.

I pretended he was right there and I was talking to him. The monologue was words I wish I could say to him more than anything.
I actually scared myself with how emotional I got.
"You. You are the things I need to get away from in this town."
That's when my voice cracked and tears filled my eyes.

It caught me off guard that I almost started crying while performing, but I held it together.
And apparently, they liked it.
Because I'm in the Fall Play.

Almost, Maine is a romantic comedy set in the imaginary town on Almost, Maine. It's nine one act plays put into a big play. It's hilarious, adorable, and I love it dearly. 

I still don't know what part I have yet, I just know I'm in the cast. I'm hoping I don't get a lousy part, but hey, at least I was good enough to get in at all.

This was literally a dream come true, and proof that I can do what I set my mind to. 

My freshman and sophomore year, I was rejected from the drama/ musical program. That crushed my confidence so much. 

I can't even describe how that hurt me. 

But, junior year, I somehow managed to get into the musical. 

And now, I'm in the play. 

It just goes to show that you can't always believe what people tell you, or the things that you tell yourself. 

"Oh, you're not good enough." "I'll never have a shot at this." "Why am I even trying?" "Why don't I just give up now?" 

Trust me, I've said every single one of those things to myself within the last three years of my life.

But, look where I am now?

The girl who was rejected, is now welcomed. 

October 2012 was one of the best months of my life, probably the best ever. I hope yours was just was great, and your November is too.

Two years of the madness

Hello beautiful people!
So, I posted about this on the 11th, but it was very brief because I had no time.
But,  10-11-12, The 828 turned two.

It's really hard to believe that I've had this blog for two years now. Time goes so quickly. 

I started this blog when I had just started my sophomore year of high school, and I'm a senior now. 

It blows my mind. 

I'm not anywhere near the same person I was when I typed my first post ever. Thinking back, I honestly can't remember what I was like. 

So much has happened in the past two years that has altered my identity for the better, I think. 

The other day I was talking to my teacher that I had in Freshman year and now I have again this year as a senior. 

He said that seeing me freshman year and seeing me again now... I'm not the same person I was at all. I'm completely different. 

I think having this blog and getting to know all of my blogger friends have had a huge effect on who I am as a person today.

You don't how how much I appreciate you guys. 

I've made some amazing friends through this website, you girls know who you are, and I love you girls!

Thank you to every single person who has ever read this blog, whether you've read it once or twenty times, I thank you for taking the time to read my random ramblings and emotional rants. 

I hope I've inspired you in some way, shape or form. Or made you sit back and think about something. Or laugh. Or anything really.

I hope I've had the effect on you that you have all had on me. 

I know I don't blog as much as I used to, and I feel so bad about that. I simply just don't have the time. Senior year is pretty tough, and dance and a job on top of that don't help my case.

Yeah guys, I actually got a job! I'm a hostess at Outback Steakhouse in my town! Woo!

I actually like it. 

I think I'm going to post again tomorrow about other great things. 

Happy birthday to my blog, and thanks all of you guys <3