Having been home for about two months, I definitely miss things about being at school (most importantly my friends!), but I'm also appreciating all the time I've been able to spend with my family. My mom and I have always been close, so I think she really likes having me home and I love being home with her! Also, my youngest brother Connell graduated from 6th grade, so he will be moving onto the middle school in the fall. So crazy to think that it's been seven years since I was in that position!
In other news, I've been babysitting a lot and having lots of fun with that. Here are some cute picture I've taken with the two girls I babysit for most often:
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| Gracie wearing my glasses :) |
One thing I learned from my freshman year is that especially in Burlington, there are many opportunities to spend, so I'm definitely trying to keep my shopping here in New Hampshire under control! When I'm not babysitting, I've also been trying to read a lot. Since I've been home, I've read Catching Fire (the third Hunger Games book...this was my first time reading it), The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks (yes, it was better than the movie, although the movie was fantastic!), Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult, The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks, and now I'm working on The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult. As you can see, I like girly romance novels! :) Next on the list is The Shallows by Nicholas Carr, which any Class of 2016 readers should be aware of!
At the end of June, my family went on our annual vacation to our timeshare in Rockland, ME. Although it rained a lot, it was still nice to get away and enjoy lounging by the pool. Here's a picture of Marshall Point Lighthouse, across from where we were staying:
I spent my 4th of July at home, but this past weekend I went to my best friend Paige's grandfather's house in Pennsylvania. He lives right on the Delaware River, so we definitely took advantage of that by tubing, jet skiing, motor boating, and swimming. I had never been to Pennsylvania before, so it was fun to see a new state and get to bond with Paige's family.
Lastly, here are a few nice things about Saint Mike's!
-A few weeks ago, I was looking at the list of books required for the classes I'm taking next semester and I was a little confused about the listing for my Gen Chem class, so I emailed my professor. She responded very quickly with a really nice note and made sure I knew that she was happy to answer any other questions I might have.
-The other day, I emailed another one of my professors that I'll have in the fall because the book requirement for the class wasn't listed online. Again, I got a very nice, prompt response from my professor answering my question and encouraging me to speak up if I had any more.
-I have been thinking a lot about having my car on campus next semester and I finally called the Office of Public Safety today to see how the process works. (I'm glad I did because even though there are instructions online, the person I talked to told me that the system is changing!) The woman who answered the phone was so incredibly nice and reminded me of previous times when I've called Stephanie, the receptionist who works in the Hoehl Welcome Center.
All these things make me so excited to return to campus next month!
That's all for now, hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the summer!
~Merrill
