The Journey to Summer

Hello everyone! Sorry I haven't blogged in a while - finals week got the best of me! But I am happy to tell you that I survived and it is now officially summer!

The last day of classes was last Wednesday, and finals went from Friday - Wednesday (yesterday).  Luckily, I managed to pack a lot of both studying and fun into my final days at SMC.  I finished up my last final yesterday morning and I think it went well!  Since yesterday was the last day of finals, most people had gone home or would be on their way shortly.  But because I am in the Liturgical Choir, I am lucky enough to get to spend a few extra days at SMC so I can sing at the Baccalaureate Mass on Saturday.  I'm really excited!

To celebrate a great year of both singing and academics, Jerome (the Lit Choir Director) took us out to lunch in downtown Burlington yesterday.  We went to Sweetwaters, which is one of my favorite spots.  It was a gorgeous day, so we were able to eat outside.  Then we headed over to Ben & Jerry's for some delicious ice cream! 

All smiles :)

Afterwards, we walked down to the waterfront to enjoy the view.
 

Beautiful sunshine!

We then returned to campus to gather our things, and headed to Jerome's house for a BBQ complete with burgers, dogs, pasta salad, beans, drinks, and of course s'mores!  We even rehearsed the songs we'll be singing for Baccalaureate.  It ended up raining, but overall it was an awesome night and a great way to kick off summer!

Today I was able to sleep in and then go out to lunch with my roommate Emma (who is also staying for Baccalaureate) and one of my best friends Cait (who is staying to work senior week).  We had a great time relaxing, especially because now we don't have to worry about schoolwork.  I've spent the rest of the day packing...I'm so sad to be leaving! But I have a great summer ahead of me, full of camp counseling, tutoring, babysitting, and of course, spending quality time with my friends and family!

I honestly can't believe I am now halfway done with my college career - the time went by way too quickly!  However, this realization is definitely helping me to enjoy every moment, even the more difficult ones.  There are definitely days where work or other issues can be stressful/overwhelming, but I know that I have made a home here at SMC and that I have many people looking out for me who I can truly call my SMC family.  I'm so thankful for them and I will miss them dearly over the summer!

For those of you who have officially decided to make SMC your home away from home in the fall, congratulations!  Enjoy the end of your senior year and make it one to remember!

Until next time, make sure to get out and enjoy the sunshine!  And as always, thanks for reading my blog!
Merrill

My Crazy Week (and Weekend)!

Hello everyone! Hope you had a great weekend! This past week has been jam-packed with various activities, so I wanted to take a minute to tell you about a few of them.
 
On Tuesday, we had our end-of-the-year banquet for Founders Society.  All tour guides, bloggers, day-visit hosts, etc. are part of Founders Society and play a very important role in spreading the word about how wonderful a school Saint Mike's is!  Some awards were given out for especially valuable members, but it was definitely emphasized how much the Admissions staff really appreciates all of us.  After the banquet was the last Knight Chat of the year.  We  had some great questions and it was a lot of fun!
 
As you may know, Thursday was a big day for everyone at SMC (or should I say SMU?).  We had Macklemore & Ryan Lewis come for our spring concert, and it was absolutely phenomenal!  About 3,000 people (a combination of students and people from the local area) packed into Ross Sports Center where members of the Student Association (SA) had been working hard all day setting up (special shout out to Caitlin & Eric for planning everything!).  Macklemore of course performed Thrift Shop as well as many other awesome songs!  There were two especially memorable moments for everyone who was there: 1) he called SMC SMU by accident (and then everyone corrected him...it was hilarious!) and 2) he told the audience about how he had visited an SMC student who was recently diagnosed with leukemia earlier that day.  The letter he wrote about the experience was especially touching and helped me to think of him as so much more than just a rapper.  Here are some pictures from the show:

The crowd is ready to rock!

 

Macklemore & Ryan pumping up the audience

 

Macklemore crowd surfing!

 

My attempt at a panoramic view!

 
 
Last semester, I was a TA for the first year seminar Horses & Healing (you may have read about it on my blog before).  On Friday afternoon, the TAs from last semester drove next semester's TAs to our professor Bridget's house for dinner.  The food was delicious and the conversation was wonderful.  I have never been to a professor's house before so that was an interesting and very memorable experience!  Once we got back to campus, many of TAs (old and new) went to the annual MLK Jr. Society Talent Show.  McCarthy Arts Center was completely packed with students eager to support their friends, and the show didn't disappoint!  There was a combination of comedy, singing, dancing, and everything in between.  Overall the show was great and I would definitely recommend it to students who decide they want to make SMC their home next year! :)
 
Saturday was the highly-anticipated P-Day, which stands for Preparation Day.  As I've talked about before, P-Day is basically a day filled with fun before finals start (this Wednesday is our last day of classes - I can't believe it!).  I signed up to be a P-Day worker, which means I made sure everyone stayed safe on the inflatables and then helped vendors in the food tent (there is a ton of different food available throughout the day - everything I had was delicious!).  The entertainment for the night was a mind reader/sword swallower, which was very cool.  He did some card tricks and actually made it look like he was reading people's minds which was crazy!  After his performance, there was a Late Night Breakfast in Alliot.  This is always a really popular P-Day event - I would say just about every SMC student was in Alliot at some point during the breakfast.  Overall, the day was a success and I'm so glad I was able to take that time to relax before finals!

The victorious Amelia!

 

Lindy and me enjoying some Ben & Jerry's :)

 

Mind reader/sword swallower!

 
As I mentioned, SMC students only have three more days of classes, and finals begin this coming Friday.  I can't believe my sophomore year is coming to an end so quickly!  Going home will definitely be bittersweet - I love my NH family and friends, but I will definitely miss being here in Vermont.
 
Thanks so much for reading my blog, and I will do my best to keep you updated throughout the last few weeks here at SMC!  Also, good luck to everyone making their final college decisions this week!  If you choose SMC, I look forward to meeting you in the fall! :)
~Merrill

A Little of Everything: Classes, Ice Cream, and Boston

Hello everyone and Happy Hump Day!  School has definitely been keeping me busy, but I wanted to share with you some tidbits that have stood out to me in the past week or so.

Class Registration Last week, rising juniors (that's me...can't believe it!) registered for classes for the fall.  Luckily, I got into everything I wanted!  Next semester I'll be taking:
Adolescent Development - an elective for my Psychology major and a nice complement to the Child Development class I'm currently taking
Abnormal Psychology - counts towards my Psych major
Sociological Theories - counts towards my recently declared Sociology minor!
Science and Religion (Honors) - fulfills my upper level "Study of Christian Traditions and Thought" Liberal Studies Requirement
All of my classes next semester will start at 9:45, which will be quite a nice change from this semester!  While it's nice to start early (8 or 8:30) and finish early everyday, there are some days when I would definitely prefer to sleep in.

As I mentioned in my last post, last Tuesday was Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's.  I am part of the SMC chapter of an online magazine called HerCampus, so I went down to Burlington with some of my fellow staff members.  I got a New York Super Fudge Chunk cone, which was absolutely delicious!

Me, Emma, Taylor, Alex, and Lauren all enjoying our cones :)

While waiting in line, we saw so many fellow SMC students.  After we got our ice cream, Alex and Lauren made some very cool SpinArt.  Then we headed back to SMC and had a nice dinner together in Alliot.


Last but certainly not least, I wanted to let everyone who was affected by the events in Boston on Monday know that my thoughts and prayers are with them.  As Alex mentioned in her latest post, many SMC students come from Massachusetts.  Times like these have a great power to bring people together, and I think that's exactly what's happening at Saint Mike's.  Although I considered us a family before Monday, I think our bond is even stronger now.  It is clear that everyone is willing to help anyone who might need it.  Yesterday students received a very nice note from the VP for Student Affairs, Dawn Ellinwood, reminding us that she, as well as other faculty, staff, and counselors, are always available for us, the students.

As I learned on my LEAP retreat, we must choose to love, not hate.  As difficult as that is, it's so important.  I like to say everything happens for a reason.  In times like these, I think it's best to focus on the positive.  Many people have already shared this Acts of Kindness article, but I thought it was worth passing on.

Hope everyone is outside enjoying the nice weather, and being thankful for all the blessings in their lives!  Again, my thoughts and prayers are with Boston and everyone affected.  Stay strong and God bless!

Let the Crazy Begin!

Hello everyone and Happy Monday!  Hope you all had a fantastic weekend, I know I did!

As I mentioned in my last post, I went on a retreat called Leap.  I can't say too much about it because I don't want to give away anything for those who might read this and go on the retreat in the future.  However, I can say that I returned to campus last night feeling rejuvenated and filled with love for all the wonderful people in my life, both at home and at SMC.  I now consider everyone who I went on the retreat with a part of my SMC family.  Today I was greeted with so many hugs from the people I met over the weekend.  Hugs are one of my favorite things so it was absolutely wonderful!  In addition to all the hugs, many of us who went on the retreat (Leapers, as we like to call ourselves) got together to have dinner in Alliot.  (Apparently we can't be apart for even a day!)  There were so many of us that we had to push together a few tables so we could all fit!

Dinner with my Leapers was definitely exciting, but the rest of my day was wonderful as well.  Before class (bright and early at 8:30), I headed over the Hoehl (the Admissions building) to meet an accepted student so he could shadow me for the day.  I brought him to my classes and then over to Ross/Tarrant (the gym) to meet with the Associate Director of Athletics, Zaf Bludevich.  I had never met Zaf before, but he was extremely nice and even showed us the ski equipment room.

After meeting with Zaf, a few of my friends and I had lunch with my shadow, and then I brought him back to Hoehl so he could have a tour.  I hope he loved Saint Mike's as much as I loved showing him around!

In other news, you may know that tomorrow Ben & Jerry's is hosting Free Cone Day.  My friend Alex and I went last year and we had so much fun, so we will definitely be going again this year!  I can't wait.  After all, who doesn't love free ice cream?!
 

So delicious!

How exciting!

Looking toward the rest of the week, I have two exams coming up and another one at the beginning of next week.  It's hard to believe SMC students only have three and a half more weeks of class before finals start!  I will do my best to keep you updated as much as possible.

Have a wonderful week and as always, thanks so much for reading my blog!  If you have any questions feel free to email me or contact me via Twitter!
~Merrill

Calm Before the Storm

Happy Saturday everyone!  Hope you all had a great week.  Mine was jam-packed but now I'm home for Easter break, so the hard work was definitely worth it!  This will be the last time I'm home before the end of the semester which is so crazy to think about.  SMC students have about a month left until finals start.  I have something going on every weekend from now until the end of the semester, so I know it'll fly by.  Here's a look of what's ahead for me:
 
LEAP Retreat - April 5-7
LEAP is one of the retreats offered through Edmundite Campus Ministry.  I don't know too much about it, but a few of my friends have been on LEAP before and I can't wait to go!  I will be sure let you know how it was when I get back :)
 
Class Registration - April 8
I am in Group 1 (of 2) for the sophomore class, so I'll be getting up bright and early to register for fall semester classes.  Crossing my fingers I get everything I want - I'll keep you posted!
 
Accepted Students Day - April 13
This will be one of two Accepted Students Days in April.  I'm very excited to be giving a tour in the morning and talk with students who are in the process of making their final decisions about where they want to spend the next four years.  Maybe I'll see you there! :)
 
Accepted Students Day/Symposium - April 20
In addition to giving a tour, I'll be participating in the Experiential Learning Showcase, which is part of the Symposium going on all day.  I chose an artifact and wrote a narrative about my experience as being a Teacher's Assistant for the first year seminar Horses & Healing last semester.  I had a wonderful time at the barn each week and learned a lot about my leadership abilities.  I'm excited to share this with everyone on the 20th!
 

Last day at the farm last semester!

 
Macklemore - April 25
As I'm sure you know, Macklmore & Ryan Lewis are coming to SMC for our spring concert, which will be an amazing way to start off my second-to-last weekend at school!
 

 

Got my ticket :)

Horses TA Dinner/MLK Talent Show - April 26

The professor who teaches the Horses & Healing first year seminar, Bridget Kerr, has invited last semester's TAs to her house for dinner.  Students who will be TAs next semester will also be there - it will be a great opportunity for past TAs to share any experiences and important advice they might have so as to make the experience for next year's freshmen even better.  Bridget was kind enough to schedule the dinner early enough so we could all make it back to campus for the annual MLK Talent Show.  I went last year and it was an absolute blast - SMC students definitely know how to entertain!

My wonderful fellow TAs - Lauren, Alex, me, Meaghan, and Devan

 

Last year's talent show - it's packed!

P-Day - April 27

P-Day stands for Preparation Day and is dedicated to having as much fun as possible before finals week begins.  Last year there were a variety of awesome activities as well as vendors like Ben & Jerry's, The Skinny Pancake, and other Vermont favorites.  I'm definitely looking forward to it!

Last year's shirts - Hunger Games theme!

As you can see, I'll be extremely busy over the next month, but I'm excited for what's to come.  I'll do my best to keep you updated on everything!
 
For those of you celebrating, have a wonderful Easter and a great rest of weekend!  And as always, thanks for reading my blog!
~Merrill

Spring Break (in Pictures)

Hello everyone!  So sorry I haven't posted in a while!  As you may know, SMC studnets just finished up our first week of classes after spring break.  I had an extremely busy week, but I'm so happy to be back at school.  Before I tell you about my week though, I want to update you on how awesome my break was!

I left SMC on Friday afternoon after class.  My dad usually works from home (in New Hampshire), but his office is in Vermont and he happened to be there on Friday.  I had never been to his office before, so I decided to take a slight detour and go visit him on my way home.  He showed me around the town of Waitsfield, VT (where his office is located) and took me out to lunch.  My dad has come to visit me at school a few times, so it was really nice to be able to return the favor and see where he works. 

After lunch, I headed home to New Hampshire and was welcomed with some beautiful fresh snow!  (My brothers had a snow day...I was jealous!)  I quickly unpacked and then headed over to a family friend's house to watch Pitch Perfect.  My friends make references to the movie all the time, so I figured it was about time I watch it.  It wasn't the best movie I've ever seen, but it was quite funny!

On Saturday I got to hang out with two of my best friends, Paige and Val.  We had a great time doing typical girl things - watching TV, making brownies and eating half the batter, and talking all night long.  I hadn't seen them since January so I really enjoyed getting to catch up on how their semesters were going.

Since my brothers have to get up early to catch the bus every morning, it is tradition for me to drive them to school at least once each time I come home.  I chose Tuesday since they had a late start (which means school started at 9:30 instead of 7:30).  After dropping them off, I stopped by my old guidance counselor Brian's office.  One of the reasons I decided to be a psych major is beacuse I want to be the next Brian.  I hope to be a school counselor someday, and Brian continues to inspire this dream because he was so helpful to me during high school, and whenever I go back to visit him he is extremely welcoming and interested in hearing about how my college life is going.

After visiting Brian, I also visited my old chemistry teacher Viet and my old Ethics teacher Chris.  My best friend Paige happened to be in Chris's room at the same time I was because she was observing his class (for her education class back at school), so I decided to stay and observe with her.  Being best friends, we of course ended up talking and passing notes for the majority of the class, which was a blast.  It was also really fun to talk to Chris about college and how the way he teaches Ethics prepared us for learning in college.

Later that night, I babysat for two of my favorite girls, Genevieve and Grace :)

On Wednesday I headed up to my family's house in Maine with my mom.  We were able to go for a walk on the beach, relax, as well as do some studying (she had some work to do for one of her massage classes!).  As many of you know, I have an extremely close relationship with my mom, so I always treasure the time I get to spend with her.

When my mom and I got home, my best friend Paige came over so we could hang out one last time before going back to school.  We of course had lots of fun!

I finished up the weekend by going to Mass with my family and then going out to dinner with some family friends to talk about our trip to Hawaii in December...is it bad that I'm already excited?! :)

I headed back to Vermont on Sunday (hard to believe that was almost a week ago already!).  I had a lot of work to do this week, but I was able to accomplish everything I needed to.  I have another crazy week ahead, but I'm looking forward to it because I'll be going home after class on Thursday for our Easter break.

I'm off to get some work done, but I just wanted to say congratulations to everyone who has officially decided to make Saint Mike's their home next year - couldn't be more excited for you! :)

As always, thanks for reading my blog and have a fantastic weekend!

Recent Happenings!

Hello everyone!  As you may know, tomorrow is the start of spring break for SMC students.  It couldn't come sooner!  I absolutely love my time here at SMC, but I'm definitely excited to get to spend a week at home relaxing.  These past few weeks have been crazy, with schoolwork as well as other fun activities. 

Last Wednesday I co-hosted Dessert & the Divine with the lovely Katelyn.  Since it was February, we wanted the theme to have something to do with love/loving yourself.  Katelyn told me about an awesome activity that she'd done in the past, where everyone gets in a circle and writes their name in the middle of a piece of construction paper, then gives it to the person next to them.  Then each person writes something nice about everyone (on their respective pieces of paper) and you end up with something like this:

Circle of Love!

I loved the activity and I think everyone else did too!  And to top it off, we feasted on some delicious apple pie, ice cream, and fruit.

This past Friday, my friend Cait and I decided to go skiing together.  We drove to Smuggs after our classes and had an absolutely wonderful time!  To top it all off, it was snowing lightly, which made everything that much prettier.  And of course we decided to take some goofy photos at the top of the mountain:

 

On Friday, my roommate Emma, my friend Cara, and I got up early to head to New York for the night for a Lee Brice, Dierks Bentley, and Miranda Lambert concert.  We're all huge country fans, so it was a total blast!  Emma's dad made us some delicious Thanksgiving dinner and then french toast for breakfast - it was awesome!

Cara, me, Emma

 

Our country night wouldn't be complete without boots!

Although we were all pretty tired when we got back on Sunday, it was totally worth it!

On Monday, I had class like usual and then gave my second ever Residence Hall Tour.  I had one family on my tour, so I was really able to personalize it and answer all their questions.  After I finished showing them the different housing options for SMC (click here for the awesome SMC Kribs housing video), I showed them around the rest of the campus, specifically Alliot, the library, and Ross/Tarrant (the gym).  They seemed genuinely interested in Saint Mike's and I had a wonderful time with them!

I spent the rest of my week doing normal homework as well as preparing for the end of the week.  I had two exams today (one midterm and one regular exam) and I have one more exam tomorrow.  Then I'll be heading to my dad's office (in Vermont) for a lunch date, then home to New Hampshire for break!  I am so excited to relax, catch up on some of my favorite TV shows, and spend time with my family and friends (thankfully, two of my best friends have the same break I do!).

For those of you who recently attended an SMC Academic Preview Day, I hope you enjoyed yourselves and are thinking about making SMC your new home in the fall - we would absolutely love to have you!

As always, thanks so much for reading my blog and feel free to ask me any questions you may have through email or Twitter.  Have a great weekend everyone!

~Merrill