You say goodbye, and I say hello...

So here it is.



I'm home. The semester is done. I know I've been awful short with the blogs the past month. But I'll try to update as best I can on the craziness that's occurred.


The semester came to a quick close. With two articles, a photojournalism picture story, a paper, a test, and a portfolio that was it. It was a crazy month of running around, finishing up, and then finally the dreaded goodbyes :( I'm off to Ireland in three weeks exactly from today. It's crazy how fast this semester went. It was such a learning semester for me. I learnt how to live up on North Campus and never miss the bus when it mattered...(some days a little dilly dallying lead to be a little late, nothing major), I learnt how to successfully write for The Defender, wrote some poetry, and took over 2,000 pictures for my photojournalism class. I learnt how to live in apartment with three of my best friends, cook and sometimes clean and make some delicious chicken parmesan (right, Ellen?) I had to be dedicated to my swimming and I learnt to be an upperclassmen, which in itself required some major growing up.


This week it hit me. I'd have to miss my professors that knew me by name not number and my friends I'd had since the very first day for a semester. I'd be missing the seniors who's leadership inspired me, a coach that helped me grow into not just a better swimmer but a better person, and most importantly the school that made me who I am today. I know I'll only be gone for six months and even in Ireland, I'll still be part of St. Mike's. It's still so weird to think that I'm going to leave the school I feel literally HOME at. I know it will be even more of a learning process and I'm so excited (and nervous) to see what this will all bring me.

I'm also excited that my abroad-er friends are returning home! My roommate Catie, studying in Denmark, made it home today!! I'll be seeing her hopefully this weekend. Just hearing her stories and seeing her pictures gets me excited. At St. Mike's we have such a great opportunity to study abroad. More than 30% of our students do it, and I've never heard any with regret. I'm hoping to take lots of pictures and enter some in the Global Eyes photo contest where students submit their pictures from abroad and the winners are hung in the library all year long.

The last few weeks I've been finishing up schoolwork and swimming but making the most of my last days for sure. We've had some cold and some snow but that's definitely something us Vermonters are not afraid of. :) Here's a picture of my roommates and I: Cassy, Sam, Me and Ellen. Clearly we're excited for the holidays! I was kicking myself though yesterday cleaning all the fake snow off the floor from our apartment. But, the decoration aftermath is a small price to pay for some Christmas cheer :)

I'm ridiculously excited for Christmas this year. Although, I am missing the swim team training trip to Puerto Rico. I've heard the weather will be 80 degrees, sunny and warm. So jealous. I'm so excited for them though. The training trip brings everyone closer as a team and every single person improves so much. I've been doing some Christmas shopping, too. Today, while walking by Lowe's in a shopping center there were fireworks?! It seems everyone's getting excited for the holidays, even Lowes. :)

Anyway, I hope everyone has a lovely holiday. I'll be updating in the next week on packing, nerves, and whatever else may be on my mind. Congratulations to all of the seniors getting their acceptance letters to SMC! As always please comment, ask questions, or just say hi! Talk to everyone soon!

When did it become November?

Hello again everyone!

The weather has been so weird lately. Last week it was about 50 degrees and today I'm quite chilly. Gotta love Vermont. So after a slight break in posts there's lots to catch everyone up on!

Swimming season is in full swing. We had our second home meet of the season this weekend and the girls won by ONE point. yes. one. It was amazing! We had some great competition against Skidmore and I had a lot of friends come support! Athletics are a pretty big deal here. The men's hockey team also had I believe there season home opener this weekend as well. Basketball has three games in four days coming up...wowww. Here are some pictures I took of the swim meet on Sunday :) I checked out a telephoto close up lens and used one of the pictures for my photojournalism assignment!

Yesterday we had another swim meet vs. Norwich. It was also a Founders Society meeting, so I had to miss the meeting which I wasn't too excited about because they had cupcakes. :(

Founders Society is the club on campus that works with prospective students and admissions. If you're applying to St. Mike's you've probably already come into contact with one or several Founders members. They're always outgoing, friendly, and love to talk about SMC! I've been giving a few tours lately and I have to say this years prospective students are smart, athletic, personable and great all around kids. I'm excited too see what next years incoming freshman will bring. Which reminds me I'm applying to be an orientation leader for next fall! Orientation for St. Mike's happens the week before classes start in August. Orientation leaders organize orientation groups and activities for first years to get to know one another. Some events include the freshman dance (always a HUGE turnout!), hypnotists, ice breakers, and some informational things like library tours etc. They also help you move in alll of your stuff on the first day!(something I wish I had for the rest of my years here!) I'm excited to hopefully be a part of it.

This week is Hunger and Homelessness awareness week which is sponsored by M.O.V.E (Mobilization Of Volunteer Efforts). This week there are a bunch of food drives, speeches, and even a "shack" in the middle of the quad that students can stay in for an hour/day and even overnight! I stayed in the shack last year but this year I'll be attending one of the talks for my Writing for Media class. I've had to do a lot more out of class assignments this semester but I've found I learn a lot more from going and experiencing something myself rather than just sitting and hearing about it. It's something I've definitely had to learn how to manage my time this semester but looking back I've also learnt so much!

So anyway, this semester is flying by for me. I can't even fathom that I'm going to be in a completely different country and culture this time next semester. It's funny where life takes you. I've been keeping in touch with my friends from Ireland and I'm excited to see them over there.

I promise to keep you all posted on how the last few weeks of my semester go! Things are going to start picking up work wise but hopefully I'll be able to get everything done for finals, move out, pack, and somehow find my way to Ireland all in one piece. It's going to be quite interesting :) I hope everyone has a lovely restful Thanksgiving and talk to you soon!

Rainy Friday....

Hi all!

Today's another rainy Friday :( I feel like we've been having lots of those lately. Last night was our first Blogger Chat of the year. It went really well! We had a lot of good questions and talked to a bunch of interesting students...Blogger Chats are fun and great ways to meet current students.
This week has been busy as always. I'm kind of working backwards but oh well. Yesterday I had religion class, writing for media where we were assigned to cover one interesting aspect of halloween and write a narrative story on it. I think I'm going to write about either how costume stores prepare for the halloween season or how maintenance and public works departments handle the halloween after-math clean up. Haven't decided yet. Then I went to poetry class, swim practice, a Defender meeting where I picked up my story for next weeks paper, and then to the blogger chat. Wednesday we had our Founders Society meeting. I got to decorate with candy...favorite activity...drink apple cider and eat cupcakes :). Monday and Tuesday were busy days as well taking pictures for my Photojournalism "Classmate" assignment. Our teacher assigned us a classmate to use pictures to tell their story. It was really hard trying to capture good moments and a lot of work but I think mine came out okay...hopefully.
Today I'm just doing some laundry and then I'm going to Montreal tonight for the Jay-Z concert! I'm so excited! And tomorrow is the Halloween Dance which everyone on campus gets excited for. I'll be sure to update everyone and post lots of pictures in my next post! Until then I hope everyone has a safe and fun halloween weekend! Talk to you soon!

Almost Halloween!!

Hi all!

It's that fabulous time of year again...almost Halloween! And I couldn't be more excited! I just got back from going costume shopping with my roommate and the stores were crazy to say the least. I'm going to be Alice in Wonderland this year but I have yet to find a good costume. I'm thinking a home-made one might have to do the trick....
But anyway it was very busy past couple of days for me :) I'll start with my most exciting events first...
Thursday I went to A Taste Of Ghana, a dinner and fundraiser for SMC students traveling to Ghana, West Africa for their West African drumming class. (yes, you can get college credit for doing awesome things such as African drumming...) We ate some Ghanan food, very spicy but delish, and learned a dance to the drumming beats. I have a new found love for African drumming, seriously YouTube it, it's great.
Things have been busy with swimming of course! On Monday we have our inter-team meet. We practice everyday from 4-6 and we've added some lifting and dryland to our workouts. I've also been getting into photography club along with my photojournalism class and finding that I love taking pictures. I've written two stories for The Defender, our college newspaper, and writing some interesting (not the best) poetry in my Poetry Writing Workshop class. Mid-terms are approaching for most of my classes, I had one last week, so I've definitely been spending lots of time in the library!
Last weekend, I was a tour guide at our Academic Preview Day. The day is like an open house, with a tour, and admission counselors available to talk about the school but also they've added a new aspect to the program with students being able to learn more about academic subjects and specific majors. The day went off perfectly and I was able to meet a lot of perspective students.
We're also having a blogger chat THIS THURSDAY!!!! Blogger chats are a GREAT way to have your questions answered and just to chat with some of the bloggers, and me of course. (They're not creepy either, I sware.)
So next weekend I have some big news as well, I'm going to MONTREAL on Friday to see Jay-Z perform at the Belle Centre! I've never been to Montreal but it's only about an hour and a half away maybe closer from campus and a bunch of students go to Montreal for a little vacation away from VT. I'm soooooo excited. Then when I come back on Saturday it's the Halloween dance!!! Usually, the swim team has a meet that weekend so I'm so excited we'll be able to go this year. I'm sure I'll have many pictures and stories for you all to share :)
This morning I was able to Skype with my friend Catie studying abroad in Denmark. I miss her loads but I can tell she's having an awesome time! As for my Ireland update, I'm starting to get my things together for going in just a few months. Scary that I'll be in a completely new place for so long, but I'm excited to be able to try new things and see some of my family over there.
I know most of the college seniors are starting to narrow down their applications. Please let me know if you have any questions at all, I love getting facebook messages, IM's or e-mails!!! Hope everyone has a great week and talk to you all soon!!

October break!

Hello again,


Sorry for the slight break in posts! Things have been crazy leading up to the break! I've been doing lots of work for my journalism classes; Photojournalism and Writing for Media I. Last week, my story on the admissions program "Coffee With a Counselor" was in our school's newspaper "The Defender" you can check it out here!

So let's recap a bit...


Fall is in full bloom here in Vermont! The leaves look beautiful and this time of year is one of my favorites at SMC. There are so many things to do like apple picking (I'm going next weekend!), hiking, pumpkin picking...etc. Vermont is a prime area for all sorts of fun fall activities! A weekend or two ago, I went on a swim team trip to Stowe, Vermont. The team stayed in a precious ski-dorm and we did some team bonding activities like develop our social and team contracts. The next morning we woke up early and hiked to the top of Stowe. It was definitely a challenge for a clumsy person like myself...but I actually only fell once! (My coach was incredibly surprised...) Here's a picture of my friend Kaytlyn and I on the top of the mountain!




Right now, I'm enjoying a semi-relaxing break at home. Although I absolutely love weekends and life at SMC the October break couldn't come at a better time. It's good to get away and have home-cooked food and be able to sleep in my own bed :) I was able to get a ride with my next door neighbor and my friend. It's usually really easy to find rides back and forth from SMC. Leading up to the October break there are usually a ton of e-mails and ad's on our classified website KnightsList for people needing/giving rides to MA, NH, VT, NY etc. St. Mike's students are always friendly and willing to give rides in exchange for gas money or just some company! :)

So that's it for now! I'll be sure to update you on all the craziness to follow in the next coming weeks! Also, I'm starting to get things all ready for going to Ireland next semester...I was accepted to my program in Galway, Ireland and sent in my intent to enroll form this week...So I guess I'm really going haha!! Hope everyone has a nice relaxing Columbus Day and talk to you all soon!

Last day of summer :(

Hi again everyone!

It's Sunday night and I'm procrastinating on my work...good thing I have a blog to distract me :) This weekend was absolutley amazing. Yesterday, I spent the day going to the rugby game and then downtown with my roommate and her sisters who were here to visit. It was family and alumni weekend so there was a bunch to do on campus and tons of familiar faces downtown.

Today was the last day of summer...sadly.... so a few friends and I went down to North Beach on Lake Champlain and I took a few pictures for my photojournalism class and the weather was absolutley gorgeous. It was such an awesome day and surprisingly warm after the past few nights being verryyy chilly. Here a few artsy pics to enjoy :)

The past week has been busy as usual for classes and such. I actually love my classes this semester. My photojournalism class has been a lot of work but definitely one of my favorites so far at SMC. I went down to Battery Park around the waterfront last week to take 7 pictures of 10 total strangers. I was first really intimidated and nervous but I actually did pretty well with the assignment and met some really nice people. I felt kind of creepy but everything worked out in the end haha.

Last Monday I went downtown with some of my friends to Nectars to see Tom Cadrin and Fink, two really popular SMC musicians. We're really lucky to have so many talented bands and artists here on campus and they are able to play at Turtle Underground, a live concert or night of music in Purtill Hall's basement on saturday nights. A few bands also play at Townhouses some nights and give concerts at Higherground, Nectars and other fun places in the area. You should check them out if you haven't already!

Tomorrow starts the first day of swimming...eeeek. I'm really nervous but excited for this year. We have some really good first years and a few transfers as well. Our captains are also really awesome this year so I'm looking forward to see how well our season will turn out.

I'm also starting to get things all ready for going abroad next semester. I'm having so much fun here this semester already I think I'm going to be a little sad to leave come December. But, I know it will be an amazing experience that will be worth it all. Alot of my friends are abroad this semester including my blogger/teammate/friend Christine and my roommate from last year Catie. Christine has an awesome blog going on right now, if you haven't checked it out you should! She's studying in Italy and Catie is in Denmark. I miss them very much :( I've been having so much fun looking at their pictures and talking to them about all their exciting stories and I can't wait to have my own in Ireland next spring!

So ack to homework.... but lots to look forward to in the next few posts! Hope everyone has a great week and talk to you soon! :)

Aaaand we're back...

Hi everyone!

After quite the blogging hiatus I'm back and in full swing of my junior year at SMC. I moved in last Saturday into my apartment and started classes last Monday. I must say I was so sad to see this summer end but this year has already started nothing short of amazing.

In my last post I was just starting my summer on Martha's Vineyard. I had the time of my life working at The Boathouse in Edgartown as a swimming instructor and met some awesome people. The Vineyard was definitely crazy packed at times but I actually do love everything about the island. I was super lucky to score such an awesome job and I definitely think I made friends over there for a lifetime. I was very anxious though for move in day to arrive and its been absolutely crazy trying to get everything settled in my apartment :) and I've also been super busy with classes, meetings and getting everything ready for this crazy semester ahead of me.

So as I've probably mentioned about 3,000 times, I live on North Campus (best place on earth) in the Ethan Allen apartments. It's been so funny/scary trying to grocery shop, cook my own food, and do other grown up things. We've been decorating like crazy and I think our place is coming along quite nicely to say the least. Here's a picture of our living room, its kinda bad quality because I took it off my phone but I'll definitely be posting way more of these as the year goes on...

In other news, I've been meeting a lot with the Founders Society and the Admissions staff in trying to make our blogs, Facebook page, and Youtube even better for the prospective students this year. If you have a chance check out our new YouTube page there are some awesome videos from move in day, orientation, and some pretty funny ones as well.

So that's just an update on how things are going so far. I'm so excited to be able to blog again this year and share all of my experiences. It;s definitely going to be an interesting semester with classes getting harder, preparing to go abroad in the spring, living up north and everything else that just comes with being a SMC student so I'll be sure to keep everyone posted. Hope you all have a great week and talk to you soon!