Family - in New Hampshire and at SMC

Hello everyone! I hope all my fellow SMCers are having a wonderful summer so far - I know I am!  I've been able to see some of my friends from home, spend some quality time with my family, and catch up on TV, sleep, and reading.  And of course, I've been hanging out with my pet goats :) I officially start work in a few weeks so I'm enjoying the time off for now!

My best friend Paige and me :)

King Jack!

As crazy as it may seem, I missed being at Saint Mike's almost as soon as I arrived home to New Hampshire.  I have been thinking a lot lately about how far I've come in terms of my comfort in being away from home.  Before going to college, I was a nervous wreck and honestly didn't really want to leave everything I knew and loved in New Hampshire.  But I'm so happy to be able to say that I couldn't have made a better decision about where I wanted to go to college and, as I mentioned in my last post, I'm so thankful for the wonderful people that are part of my SMC family.
 
Luckily for me, I started to form my SMC family before arriving on campus the fall of my freshman year.  The reason I was able to do this is because I decided to go on POW, which stands for Pre-Orientation Weekend and is one of five summer programs for new students.  I'm sure you've read about it in the New Student Guide you received in the mail.  I met my friend and fellow blogger Alex on POW.  Seeing some familiar faces (which included new students as well as my POW leaders) when I arrived on campus in the fall definitely helped ease some of my anxiety about being in a new place.  Speaking of the leaders, I wanted to give a special shout-out to someone you've probably read about before on my blog: one of my best friends Cait.  She is going to be a POW leader this summer and I'm so excited for her and all the students she will get to meet!  (On a side note, Cait is a biology major and just started her own blog about her internship at an aquarium this summer, so be sure to check it out!)
 
So, the moral of the story is that I highly encourage you to sign up for one of the summer programs SMC offers if you haven't done so already - you definitely won't regret it!  It is a great way to meet new people and get even more excited about living in Vermont. :)  Also, if you are in the position to sign up for a summer program, that means you've committed to SMC, so a huge congratulations are in order!  I hope every member of the Class of 2017 comes to love Saint Mike's as much as I do.

I will keep you posted about anything exciting that happens here in good old New Hampshire over the summer!  As always, thanks for reading my blog!
Merrill

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