[insert drum roll sound]

The newest addition to the Average Girl Chronicles (AGC) is the Average Girl's Guide. What will it be guiding you through, you ask? Well, anything and everything that could help your everyday be more pleasant. I was inspired by the Bravo scripted series, Girlfriend's Guide to Divorce, which is one of my new favs. It got me to thinking... what are things I do on a daily basis that makes my day go smoother? I will list key things/steps to make your life a little bit easier. Because if this shit works for me, it will most definitley work for you. And let's face it, couldn't everyone use a little bit more guidance in their lives? 

It may not be guidance either, just ways of living that have worked for me in every situation you could think of. 

A compilation of all the Average Girl's Guide will be conviently grouped together under the "Average Girls Bible" link that is listed on the navigation bar at the top of my blog. It will slowly but surely be a bible that you can reference whenever life happens. In a sense, you could worship it because I sure have and will. I hope it helps! 

So first, let's dicuss being sick because I am currently battling a horrendous cold. 

1.Stock up on soft tissues because papertowel will do a number on your nose. I keep a plastic bag for discarding purposes because if not, tissues will litter your apartment...and boyfriends/roomates don't typically like that.
2.Have Vick's VapoRub handy because it is the only thing that will somewhat help you breathe. There is nothing more I hate then being congested and not being able to sleep.
3. BE COMFORTABLE. I can't stress this enough. As soon as I feel a cold coming on, I slip on my plush Victoria Secret robe (that has a hood) and my L.L. Bean moccasins because if I am going to rot on the couch all day, best believe I will be doing it in my comfies.

*P.S. Victoria Secret, hands down, makes argueably the most comfortable lounge wear.

4. Invest in tea that you enjoy. This was hard for me because I am a devoted coffee drinker. There are those rare instances that tea is a must, like being sick. Sipping on a hot cup of herbal goodness is a perfect way to clear your sinuses and soothe your soul.

5. I found this nifty tea pot/cup doodad in my mom's cupboard that she has never used. It holds two cups of water and conveniently stacks atop the perfectly sized mug. Add honey, lemon, hot water and a tea bag and voila! The pomegranate, raspberry green flavor is my tea of choice at the moment. I feel that fruitier teas don't have the harsh tea flavor because I hate that. Something smooth and tasty works best for me.

(Excuse my Christmas decorations that I haven't taken down yet. I am to busy being sick)

6. NyQuil. This will get you through those brutal and restless nights of trying to breathe while sleeping. There is nothing more I hate then breathing through my mouth when trying to fall asleep. Ain't nobody got time for that.
7. Eat soup for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The hot broth will soothe your throat and warm you to your core. I always get the chills when I have a cold/flu. A good old chicken soup will do just fine, or try Nam Ya soup from any Thai restaurant near you because this place in Providence makes a killer take on the aromatic, spicy and sweet "medicine" soup. It's like one of the seven wonders of...Providence?
8. Utilize your loving boyfriend to tend to your complaining self because if you are like me, you will most likely be glued to the couch binge watching Netflix. Thanks Jake :)

All you can do is wait. Hopefully taking various over the counter medications, like Zicam, will help shorten the length of the cold so sit tight, it will be over soon enough...hopefully.

Rhode Island. The home of Mr. Potato Head, Brown University, Family Guy, Del's Lemonade, Awful Awful's, Taylor Swift, clam cakes and chowder, endless coast line, the smallest state in the land of the free and of course, names of things that non-Rhode Islanders can't pronounce. To celebrate the hilarious video of West Coasters trying to pronounce Rhode Island landmarks, I've decided to do a blog post dedicated to my home, the Ocean State, and my alma mater, the University of Rhode Island. But lets face it, even some Rhode Island born and Rhode Island bred individuals can't pronounce the names of some places, including myself. 

Kudos to West Coasters because I haven't even heard of Quonochontaug until this video but Narragansett....that is near and dear to my heart. Plus, who can't say nair-a-gan-sit ? Beats me. The beach infested town is the place that my twin sister and I lived in for three years while attending the University of Rhode Island. Even though I only graduated less than two years ago, and thanks to a post from Taylor Wolfe of thedailytay.com that inspired me, a tribute to the University of Rhode Island (URI) is in order because I am missing the balling-on-a-budget lifestyle my sister and I did so well. 

From the many struggles of the college life, the New England weather and landscape of the area made it difficult go to every class, especially when it's beach-permitting weather because the entire campus will be at Narragansett State Beach with spiked Del's Lemonade in hand. I forgot to mention, the amount of alcohol a student drinks (for those who do) is above average compared to other schools. Why? I have no idea. URI was once voted one of the top party schools of the country...go figure. 

Let's be clear, I am the farthest from the perfect student. I never get straight A's but I learned in a way I could understand....on a beach with a floppy hat, Banana Boat oil and a large iced coffee. Do whatever works for you because my way got me a diploma.

However, the booze shouldn't influence your judgment on the college because the education each student receives is among the best with many notable and successful URI alumni. Do you know that big boat that sank in the Atlantic in 1912, you may have heard of it... well Robert Ballard, one of the scientists who discovered the Titanic, teaches in the oceanography department of the college.

 Boom. 

Here are 50 things a University of Rhode Island alum might, or might not, miss: 

1. Doing your homework/studying on a beach

2. Getting away with wearing Ugg boots and yoga pants to class everyday

3. Having class on the quad

4. Graduating on the quad...(which my 2013 class wasn't able to do)

5. Waiting in the freezing cold in a dress to get into Bonvue, or Bonzoo as I like to call it

6. Seeing the underagers get rejected from Bonzoo because their fake ID is clearly not them. I have seen some serious persuading in my heyday 

7. Piling into Charlie O's because Bonzoo reached capacity

8. Being able to tailgate before a football game

9. Seeing the Rhody Ram teaching people how to dougie in front of the union

10. Bagelz coffee and lox cream cheese (it was the beez neez). Not to mention the cozy upstairs lounge area that you did your homework and listened to good tunes. They have always had a good choice of music, perfect for getting through a stressful school day, or year

11. Ticket (Reggae Night) Tuesday at the Ocean Mist and the amazing brunch

12. Being able to go to the farewell party of the Ocean Mist before Hurricane Sandy

13. Attending the re-grand opening of the Ocean Mist after Hurricane (bitch) Sandy 

14. Java Madness coffee

15. The parking wars on campus

16. Getting away with not paying at the $5 parking lot behind Dunkin Donuts and not getting towed

17. Seeing New Jersey license plates in all of the parking lots

18. Jogging on the boardwalk at Scarborough State Beach

19. Monday night at George's 

20. Crazy Burger

21. $20 per month unlimited tanning

22. BRICKLEY'S ICE CREAM  

23. Getting lost in the Bio-tech building

24. Seeing the random population of cats on campus

25. The 24-hour room in the library 

26. The huge party on the second floor of the library at the end of finals week

27. Finding a computer or printer to use in the library

28. The Wicked Willow at Island Deli

29. Animal Science class (aka never having to go to class)

30.Taco Tuesday at El Fuego 

31. A gun threat that cancelled school for a day

32. Not having to trek up the awful hill from the bottom of campus' parking lot or taking the loser cruiser to the top

33. Seeing famous acts at the Ryan Center and getting discount priced tickets (like seeing Snoop Dogg for $20)

35. Hanging a signed dollar bill on the Mews' wall

36. Watching journalism students shoot videos of them self on the quad for a broadcast class and dropping the tripod (or maybe that was just me)

37. iZone for breakfast, lunch and dinner

38. Greek Week (and if you're not in a fraternity or sorority it's really annoying. trust me)

39. The Humans vs. Zombies club that started shooting at eachother and got you caught in the cross fire of Nerf pellets while walking to class 

40. Walking to class in the rain because at URI when it rains, it pours 

41. Ocean Road

42. Kingston pizza and iZone delivery until 3am 

43. Senior Week

44. Attending Senior Week when you're not a senior

45. When Drake played in Edwards 

46. Cinco de Mayo at Caliente for the free tacos 

47. Parties at Eastward Look, new and old 

48. The feeling you get after passing your final exam of your school career that you stayed up all night studying for in the 24-hour room

49. "Nonnie" or Helen Plummer, the CVS 'have a excellent'-wishing-each-customer cashier who put a smile on every one she interacted with. (Her own take on the phrase "have an excellent day"). She has since passed away and will be dearly missed.

50. Being able to attend the University of Rhode Island Kingston Campus

I am forever grateful and proud for being a URI alum. Go Rhody Rams!
***Photo credit to URI

A lot has happened since my last blog post some months ago including Robin Williams dying, Teresa and Joe Giudice being sentenced for major jail time, the 2014 Victoria Secret Fashion Show, gasoline prices dipping below $3 dollars per gallon, a movie with Seth Rogen that caused crazy types of threats to the USA by North Korea (who would have thought?), a yellow lab named Louie that my twin sister got who slobbered and licked his way into my life and (saving the best for last) Ava Jean was born, my beautiful niece and soon-to-be god daughter. Although I haven't been posting on the Average Girl Chronicles (AGC) like a good blogger should, I have been very busy with my flourishing journalism career and tending to Ava who I can't seem to get enough of. In fact, take a gander at my Instagram...the last half dozen pictures are of either Ava or Louie. They are just so cute! Who doesn't like seeing a picture of a newborn or puppy? 

My resolution this year is to be more affectionate to my blog and put as much effort into it as possible because there is something about typing my thoughts and proclaiming them to invisible strangers that I find soothing and worth while. And if I can somehow make money off it, shit, I am an idiot for not making more time for it sooner.

This year, I plan to blog more and talk about it less. Now with the extra money I have from slaving away at both the local newspaper I report for and my waitressing gig, I plan to build my wardrobe to where I have always wanted it to be. Picture a way less expensive version of the very modern Olivia Palermo-style, add some boho-sheek influences and call it Anita's Closet! With the extra money, I have been able to solidify my style more than ever because I am not limited to the clearance rack in the back of H&M. Now, I can shop in the front of the H&M department store. 

With that said, I have many new styles I am rocking now in Rhode Island and would like to share with the rest of the blogosphere. My clothing, however, seems to be a bit of a paradox because of the lack-of-shaped garments I possess being a curvy woman. Traditionally, women like myself do not do well with shapeless garments but for me, it works (and I am still trying to figure out why).  I surprise myself of how nice it looks on my curvy, size-10 body. Lets just say, I have my winter weight on and I have no desire of losing it anytime soon. The Paleo diet haunts my dreams because I know I did well with it in the summer but this is what winter is for, right? Flowy dresses, big sweaters and tights...the most forgiving, somewhat put together outfit available to double-digit sized women.