We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.

"It will all work out in the end."

This, I think, is my life motto. While I love reading and finding quotes and pinning beautiful words on Pinterest, I think these words may be some of the most important to me. Whenever I'm worried about something, I whisper these words to myself. Whenever something doesn't go quite right, I say these words in my head.

And I think they're absolutely true! We may have to go through some rough and perhaps unpleasant experiences, but things will always turn out the way they are supposed to. They may not end up how we want or expect them to, but they'll always work out and work out for the best. You know I believe in fate and destiny and serendipity (sarahndipity), so I truly believe that everything happens for a reason, which means that everything happens and turns out exactly as it's supposed to. Truly, it will all work out in the end, and it will be amazing.

We all get the exact same 365 days. The only difference is what we do with them.

My first blog post here on sarahndipity was January 6, 2016, and it was all about my resolutions for 2016. It was a great way to start off my blog, and it's been so fun to write my way through the year. Now, however, it's a brand new year! New resolutions are in order.

Everyone has a different take on resolutions. Some swear by them and make them every year while others don't even like the idea. When I was younger, I always made resolutions, simply because I thought that's what you were supposed to do for the New Year. However, I never really took the time to understand what resolutions really were or why people were making them.

I've decided that I love the idea of resolutions. Some people say they don't like resolutions because we should work on bettering ourselves throughout the year. I totally agree! However, I think there's something so magical about the New Year, a time when we feel fresh and new and as though we have a chance at a fresh start. Resolutions are things we can work on throughout the year. If you think of a new resolution in June, there's no reason to start working on that right then in June! We don't have to wait until December 31 and January 1 to think of resolutions and begin them, but this is the prime time to make these changes!

She was blindly following whatever impulse moved her, as if she had placed herself in alien hands for direction, and freed her soul of responsibility.

It is a time to refresh! There are many reasons to let go and relax a little bit right now, which always helps me to feel refreshed. While I'm not the biggest fan of change, as you know, endings and beginnings can be good and exciting. I've got three exciting and refreshing changes happening right now, so I wanted to share a little bit about them with you.

The semester is over

Another semester at the University of Iowa has come to an end. It's hard to believe that I've finished five semesters at Iowa and only have two left. Having only two semesters left technically makes me a senior, and I've got many mixed emotions about that.

This semester went by so fast, and it may have been my busiest semester yet. While I took fewer semester hours, I also had an internship this semester. Logging on and working during those set hours during the week meant there was less time during the day to do homework, which meant I was doing more of it at night. Overall, my internship was an amazing experience, and I'm so happy that I did it. It's hard to find internships to do during school, so being able to do it remotely worked out perfectly. I didn't post much of my work throughout the semester, so if you want to check out everything I wrote for Her Campus (nationals) during the semester, you can check out my author page.

Explore your interests and major to pinpoint what your aspirations are.

Her Campus is one of my absolute favorite things on the planet. It's a publication that has helped me grow as a writer and editor. It's an organization that has helped me develop my leadership skills. It's a brand that promotes just good old girl power. I absolutely love Her Campus.

Last week my relationship with Her Campus developed even further, so I decided that for the blog this week, I'm going to look at the evolution of my relationship with Her Campus.

In a previous post, I reflected on my experiences as a contributor who first joined Her Campus Iowa and my first semester as Campus Correspondent: Editor-in-Chief of Her Campus Iowa. I wrote that post in February, which was a little into my second semester in this position. I'm going to pick up my story where that post left off...

Paying it forward: a look at random acts of kindness and chain reactions

IOWA CITY, IA – It was the most expensive chai latte I had ever purchased. On Wednesday, April 27, I spent $10 on a drink at Starbucks that normally would have cost me $4.19. As I handed over the bill, I said to the barista working the register, “Just put the rest toward the next order.”

“Oh! So nice! Thank you!” he responded with a smile on his face that hadn’t been there just five seconds earlier.

It was a dreary day in Iowa City. I figured a lot of people would duck into coffee shops for a warm drink for relief from the cold rain outside, so I chose that day to perform a random act of kindness.

Home wasn't a set house, or a single town on a map. It was wherever the people who loved you were, whenever you were together.

I've always loved being at home. I love hanging out with my family and just being together.

Coming to school last year was really hard. I remember the day I moved in, and honestly, it was probably one of the worst days of my life. To me moving away to school meant that I was leaving home for good, that I would never live at home again. To some this probably sounds amazing, but to me, it was devastating.

After a few days, especially once classes started, I got into a schedule and started to feel better. But I still longed to be at home and with my family.

I still get homesick sometimes. This week, even, I've been missing home a little more than usual.

After almost two years of school under my belt, I've come up with a few things that help me when I'm missing home a little extra.

Call home
Whenever I'm feeling homesick, I make a phonemail home. I usually talk to my mom a lot throughout the week, but when I'm missing home, I give her an extra call. And she always knows just what to say. After talking things through with Mom, I always seem to feel a little better.

Do something familiar
I find that when I'm missing home, doing something that reminds me of home helps. Whether it's watching one of my family's favorite shows on Netflix or reading one of my favorite books, doing something that brings back those homey feelings helps me work my way out of my funk.

Stay busy
Like I said before, once I got into a schedule with classes and student orgs, I didn't really have time to dwell on my feelings of homesickness. By getting involved, you also open yourself up to meet more people and make more friends. Plus, getting involved helps you to get excited about something, so that excitement helps take the focus off of sad feelings.