Appreciating the Scenery

Hello everyone!  It's now arguably the most beautiful season in Vermont - fall.  Personally I think the Saint Mike's campus is gorgeous all year round, but there's something about fall that stands out.  I have been extremely busy with classes (we just had midterms), but it's so refreshing to be able to see the beauty of nature right as I walk out of my dorm or my classrooms.  I wanted to share some pictures I have been collecting over the past few weeks:
 

A gorgeous tree up on North Campus, where I live this year.
Red is my favorite fall leaf color!

A view of Camel's Hump from the field across the street from SMC.

I love these clouds! On the highway right near SMC :)

Some more cool clouds across from SMC.  I also like this photo because to me, the biker is
so "Vermont" - many students (including me) ride their bikes around campus all the time.

Lake Champlain is just beyond this photo, taken in
South Burlington where I babysit.  I love the sun shining through the trees!

We've had some fantastic sunsets as well, but my camera never seems to do them justice!

Anyway, in addition to the scenery, I think it's extremely important to take time out of our busy days to appreciate what's important to us - especially the little things.  This year has been particularly busy for me (hence my lack of frequent posts, my apologies for that!), so whenever I get the chance to spend some time relaxing or hanging out with my friends, I am very grateful.  SMC students had this past Monday and Tuesday off, so I was able to go home for the weekend.  It was great to see my family and some friends and take a bit of time off from homework.  However when I returned, I was reminded that while I love being home, I love Saint Mike's and the people here just as much.  I've said this before, but I really am so happy to have found a place like Saint Mike's which is truly beautiful from the inside out. 

I hope you can find time to come visit us - I promise you won't regret it!  In the meantime, feel free to email me with any questions you might have or find me on Twitter to get some little tidbits about my life here at SMC.

Thanks for reading and have a great night!
~Merrill

Turning the Ordinary into the Extraordinary

Hello everyone! Hopefully this post finds you settled back into the school routine.  These first few weeks of the semester have been pretty busy for me, but I'm doing my best to enjoy every minute.  This past weekend I was able to get away from all the craziness and go on a retreat with the Liturgical Choir.

As some of you may know, I have been a singing with the Lit Choir here at SMC since my freshman year.  It is my absolute favorite activity on campus, not just because it got me to sing (something I never did much of before college), but because the group has truly become like a family to me.  Saint Mike's is known for its community atmosphere, and I consider Lit Choir to be its own community within SMC.

Last spring, Jerome (the Lit Choir director) began to think about having a retreat for the choir and he asked me if I would help him plan it and give a "talk" during the weekend about prayer.  (As you may remember from my last post, I returned to SMC a few days early to have a "team retreat" for the core group of students working on the retreat for the whole group).  After lots of hard work throughout the summer, everything finally came together.  The retreat was held at Saint Anne's Shrine in Isle La Motte, Vermont.  It was an absolutely beautiful location for the retreat.  Our group (along with the men's basketball team) was actually the first to stay at the Shrine.  All of the staff were extremely friendly and provided us with delicious food!  Here are some of the beautiful views from right outside the cafe:

 

As I mentioned, Jerome asked me to give the prayer talk on the retreat.  I honestly feel so blessed to have had this opportunity, especially because I never would've expected anything like this to come about from simply deciding to sing in the choir.  Being a part of the choir has shown me that something that seems so small can really have a big impact.  I look forward to Mass each Sunday because I know that I will see many familiar faces who all share my love of prayer and worship through music.  The choir is a place that makes me feel comfortable and confident expressing myself, through faith and through the silly jokes that I bring to the group each week (which usually involve pirates).

One of the things I loved the most about the retreat was that it brought old and new members together.  Some of the people in the group have been singing with Jerome for many years, and it's awesome to hear about their past SMC experiences as well as to know that even after I graduate, I will still be welcomed back into this SMC community.  The fact that a 2013 graduate returned tonight to play violin with us goes to show that once you are a part of the SMC (and Lit Choir, in this case) community, you never really leave it.  It comforts me to know that the place I've come to call my second home will always be there to welcome me back.

I hope that the Class fo 2017 is starting to feel like SMC is a second home and that those in the midst of the college search will come see what SMC is all about :)

Until next time, I'll leave you with some more pictures from the retreat.  Thanks for taking the time to hear what I have to say and have a fantastic week!
~Merrill 

Marianne (one of Jerome's friends who helped us plan the retreat),
myself, and Jerome

My lovely roommate Emma, enjoying the sunset on the beach!

Group photo!

SMC...No Place I'd Rather Be

Hello everyone!  I hope you all had a fantastic summer.  Mine was jam packed with camp counseling, babysitting, math tutoring, vacationing, hanging out with friends, and of course getting ready to come back to Saint Mike's.  I absolutely loved being at home in New Hampshire, but I couldn't be happier to be back at school.

I was able to come back to Vermont a few days early because I'm participating in a retreat for the Liturgical Choir, so I've been here almost two weeks.  This past week was the first week of classes.  I have a lot of work to do, but I really like what I'm taking and I'm starting to get back into the groove of balancing studying with relaxation and time with friends who I haven't seen all summer.  Here are the classes I'm taking:

Religion and Science, which meets every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9:45 - 10:50.  It is an honors course which also fulfills my upper level Study of Christian Tradition and Thought Liberal Studies Requirement (LSR).  I have always been interested in learning about how religion and science interact (or don't), and this class seems like it will be the perfect fit for me.  I have an Irish professor, which is perfect because I'll be studying abroad in Ireland next semester.  More on that later!

Adolescent Development, which meets every MWF from 11 - 12:05.  If everything goes as planned, I want to be a high school counselor.  The three class periods I've had so far are already confirming my plan to work with adolescents, which I'm really happy about!  Professor Susan Kuntz teaches the class, and while I've never taken a class with her before, she seems like a great professor who I look forward to working with.

Sociological Theories, which meets every Tuesday and Thursday from 9:45 - 11:20.  Last semester I decided to add a sociology minor to my psychology major.  This is the second sociology class I've taken so far.  We have been reading philosophy which is challenging for me, but the discussions we have in class have helped me to better grasp the material.

Abnormal Psychology, which meets every T/TH from 11:30 - 1:05.  I'm really enjoying this class so far.  We have been working on distinguishing between disease, illness, and sickness and applying these terms to mental disorders we are familiar with through everyday life.  From what I can tell, this class is really going to help me in thinking critically about how I as well as the general public view mental disorders and people with them, which I think is very important.

I love my schedule because I'm interested in what I'm taking, but also because I don't have class earlier than 9:45 every day.  Also, having my classes back to back works really well for me.  That's one of the many things I love about college - you are able to create a schedule that works for you.

As I've written about before, I believe that attending a residential college means so much more than just taking classes and getting a degree.  There is something unique and special about living with your friends around you and being able to participate in so many different activities.  I mentioned above that I will be participating in a retreat for the Liturgical Choir, which is why I came to VT early this year.  I couldn't have asked for a better start to the year than having the opportunity to come up early and spend time with other people (students as well as adults) who will be on the retreat.  I don't know how else to describe it other than to say I could feel myself growing (intellectually, that is) the moment I arrived back on campus.  I didn't realize how content I had become at home and how much being at Saint Mike's allows me to develop as a person.  I have met so many amazing people during my time here and look forward to meeting more throughout the next two years.  I can't believe I'm a junior already - it feels like just yesterday that I was moving into Lyons, my freshmen dorm.

Okay, enough with the reminiscing.  I would like to end by extending a huge warm welcome to the Class of 2017.  I have loved meeting some of you and can't wait to meet more of you as the year goes on.  Cherish your time here at SMC because it goes by way too quickly!  And for those of you who might be just starting to look at colleges, best of luck in your search!  I'm glad Saint Mike's has caught your eye...it really is a spectacular place.

I'm off to do a little more homework before getting ready for another week of class.  Thanks for reading my blog and have a great week everyone!

-Merrill

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

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!