There's No Place Like Home

This past week I was privileged to return home to celebrate my birthday. Choosing to work away from home the summer after my first year was a choice that I was not sure I was going to like. After going home for the week after finals, I was eager to return to school to start my summer job. Once June started, I was counting down the days until I would return home and spend time with the family and friends I had begun to miss quite terribly.

Driving home on a Friday night meant I could be home sooner and be with my family. My first weekend home I got a surprise visit from my friend Brittany and got to go to Boston with my friend Jackie and see the Bruins Parade, ending in one of the most painful sunburns I have had...complete with the awkward burn lines.

While I was home:

I saw this at my local library and spawned
me to reread the 7th HP!

Got to delve into my creative side and paint!

Wait for my birthday to arrive...Go to a concert with my friends...To see Taylor Swift!Complete with glowstick heartsand 13s written on the back of our hands!

I capped off the week at home with a day with my fabulous godmother, a trip to the beach and boardwalk with a few friends, a fire complete with s'mores and sparklers, and being with my family.

At the beginning of my time home I thought that a week home would be just fine, but as I left today I realized that there is so much more I wanted to do! I have appreciated my time home and I cherish all the wonderful adventures I have there :)

A Major Change

On the road of being a college student, one huge factor is your major. Don't know what you want to major in? No problem. Many colleges offer Undecided or Exploratory tracks. At any liberal arts college, most of the Liberal Studies courses take place during your first and second years that allow you to delve into many areas where you can discover your interests. At Saint Michael's, you can check out any of these majors or minors that you might be interested in.

Typically one declares their major at the end of their second year or beginning of the third. Only a few students come in freshman year with a declared major. I entered SMC as a Classical Civilizations/Anthropology double major. After taking a few summer courses to get some LSRs under my belt, I was able to take courses that would advance me in my majors. After first semester, I realized I had other interests and changed my double major to Elementary Education and Theatre. Halfway through the semester I changed it yet again to Secondary Education.

Recently I had pondered many of my other interests...and mapped them out on all these papers! My Faith Mom and I had a huge bonding sesh to figure out what I wanted. It came with hard questions and tears, but in the end I was feeling content and I was thoroughly excited about my decisions. I think it's really good to physically see what you want to accomplish and what you are interested in. I recommend writing down a list of these things:

• Any high school classes that you really enjoyed
• How you want to make a difference
• What your interests are outside of the classroom
• What you know you DON'T want to take
• A suitable environment/schedule you see yourself pursuing in a job
• Any jobs that you are interested in

Once you figure that out, start focusing on what courses you're gonna take. Make sure you take ones that interest you! I cannot stress that enough. Granted some LSR courses may seem tedious, but especially at Saint Michael's, the curriculum offered is so vast and expansive that you can most likely find something that pertains to your interests.

I also recommend creating a folder with each of your semesters marked off. Put sticky notes with the courses you want to take and put them where you think you want to take them/when they'll be offered. After numerous revisions, I have set up my schedule to include courses I am interested in as well as fulfilling my potential double major in History and Theatre with a minor in Classics. Sounds crazy right? For the average college student, one might change their major 2/3 times before picking one they truly enjoy. No worries though; there is enough time to develop your interests and pursue your major.

Granted I am loving the summer, but I can't wait for the semester to start! I can't wait to see my SMC friends again and enjoy all the fun times that are sure to be had.

Summertime and the Livin's Easy

Some things I enjoy about my summer so far:

Being outside! Complete with books, sunglasses, music,
water bottle, and most importantly: SUNSCREEN!

Dunks runs at work. I love me some Caramel Iced Coffee!

Graduations! Where I get to listen to my friend Aaron
and his friend Pat play some cool tunes.

Being around my most wonderful godmother who
lets me drink tea in fine china! I feel fancy :)

BONFIRES! With marshmallow roasting of course!
Smores are so delicious.

Exploring our towns with my friends...of course
stopping for some homemade ice cream at Sweet Claude's!

And of course, hanging out with my friends.
We have so much fun I can BEARLY handle it. Pun intended.

Why Wandering Nomad?

I recently had this discussion with a friend about how the college years us students are nomads.

As defined by Dictionary.com, a nomad is a member of a people or tribe that has no permanent abode but moves about from place to place, usually seasonally and often following a traditional route or circuit according to the state of the pasturage or food supply; any wanderer or itinerant.

College students aren't nomads for these particular reasons, but rather for education. On the quest for knowledge for higher education, one travels to colleges they are interested in a "College Road Trip". This trip could range anywhere from 20 minutes from home, out-of-state, or even coast to coast. For me this trip ranged from Maine down to Maryland, usually hitting 3 or 4 colleges in a short period of time. If I liked the school, then we spent more time exploring the area around it to get a feel for the town.

Check out the map of where my high school friends and I are spread out.
It would take around 19 hours one way with direct stops. Crazy!

This is the first step on the nomadic journey for most; Going to college is usually the first time many leave home. We pack up our lives into boxes, crates, bags, and/or suitcases, grab appliances, and try to squeeze it into the family car and make the trek to our new home.

Once we get to our destination and unpack the boxes, make the bed, plug in the clock and fridge, decorate to make the walls of a college dorm room a little less white, it's time to say goodbye to the parents and start acclimating to the college life.

Thinking about it: during the time we're at college, we move about 10 times in four years, if you include a study abroad experience. That's quite a lot.

Luckily, we don't have to do this alone. A crucial part to a nomad's journey is a guide. There are loads of people who we can turn to who can offer us support and help as we climb through the mountains and valleys that college has to offer.

For me, I am lucky to have an support system involving my parents, brother, friends from home and from school, my faith family, and members of the faculty and staff at Saint Michael's. Being able to rely on a good support system during my first year of independence was crucial. Knowing that I have so many wonderful people to count on is really a blessing in difficult times.

As I continue on my nomadic journey for education, I can't wait to see where this will take me. I'll keep you posted!

19 Reasons Why I Love Christina

1. She was born today!

2. We have similar tastes in music. Like this.

3. Same with our addiction to Disney Channel shows.

4. Our obsession with our boys.

5. And volleyball.

6. She's my Asian.

7. Her fascination with blue and white.

8. Her amazing fashion sense!

9. Her creativity.

10. The passion she demonstrates in whatever she does

11. Her ability to love

12. The way we crack each other up.

13. "The look" with one eyebrow raised.

14. BIEBER BLAST HA!

15. All of our fantastical trips together: Appalachia, Disney, Clelian.

16. Our adventures with Burt.

17. BABY DEER.

18. NEEEEEEEEEEEDS.

19. She's my third.

Love you dollface. Less than three. Less than three.

Reliving My Childhood

The past few days I've been reliving my childhood. Once we get older, many of us get nostalgic and try to capture something that made our childhood so fun and exciting. To the tune of "Dance of the Cucumber" I realized how much I had missed being a kid. I know for myself during the academic year I try to watch Disney movies with my friend Allyson to take a break from the monotony that is college life.

Another part of my college life is with my faith family, a program with Campus Ministry . From the website:

"This program provides a chance for students and permanent community members to get to know one another, share a meal or activity, and build relationships. We hope that this program will strengthen our connection between our permanent community members that worship at Saint Michael's Chapel and students. We also want to offer students the opportunity to enjoy a home environment while they are away from their families."

I have been so lucky to my paired with my faith family! They welcomed me into their lives with open arms. It really is wonderful to have a place to get off campus for a while and have a home-cooked meal!

This past weekend YaYa moved to Vermont from Illinois! I helped set up her apartment a little bit; This mainly consisted of my IT abilities setting up the phone and internet. Just call me part of the Nerd Herd!

I also helped tape up pieces of artwork done by the kids including this welcome sign. Seeing all the handprints and footprints made me reminisce about my own finger-painting experiences and how I would love to do that again! I live vicarously through these girls.

It was also Bridget's birthday! I offered another pair of hands to help wrangle kids during the day as well as prepping cupcakes using my baking skills. I love love LOVE to bake and these cupcakes came out perfectly!

Pouring the batter:

Such a nice golden brown!

Finally frosted!

Sleeping over also meant helping out at the party! Of course gotta check out the presents. My 2-year-old self would have been ECSTATIC to get this cool racer ramp! I helped pick this out and going through Toys "R" Us made me realize how much fun I'm going to have picking out gifts for future kids - clearly I'm just going to pick out the toys that I think are cool and want to play with!

Also part of the birthday girl swag was this cool Calico Critter playhouse. It brings me back to my Barbie-playing days and how I loved all the furniture, clothes, and accessories that Barbie had. I wished they were life-size most of the time!

I simply adore this picture! Capturing the two sisters playing with the house is just too cute. I remember playing with my brother and how much fun we had. Granted we still have fun but in different ways. I love that kid to death.

As the party continued, there was a range of kids from 1 to 7. It's been a while since I was around so many kids but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was given books to read, bubbles to blow, swings to push, and even used my old soccer skills to do a one-on-one pick-up game. I'm lucky because I get to play with the kids when they're fun but not deal with any of the hard stuff.

I was so tired from running around that I took a nap - only to be woken up by the girls an hour later. This was for going hiking in the woods. I was so impressed by girls trekking through the underbush - and in dresses no less! After that a trip to the playground was in order - and boy this playground was top notch. I loved getting to play on it myself... and also helping the girls climb, slide, and swing everywhere.

This fun-filled weekend got my fix for kids and helped me cherish all the childhood memories I have with my family. Especially trips to Disney - where I will be traveling later this summer! It's the happiest place on earth where you can be a kid at any age! I'm so excited it's not even funny. Forever on the quest for reliving my childhood!

Memorial Day: Time for Remembering

The past few Memorial Days I have spent walking in a Memorial Day Parade with the Edson Division of the Naval Sea Cadet Corps based out of New Haven, CT. I had volunteered there since my junior year of high school where I have encountered many different branches of the military. From the Seals, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Navy, I have been privileged to meet many of those who serve our nation. They love what they do and wouldn't want to do anything else. My experience with the military has been a roller coaster, regardless I support them in what they stand for and protect.

Out of these many, I am lucky to call some of them my friends. Much like the families and friends of those who currently serve and those who have lost someone while deployed, I will worry should they be called upon to serve. Each Memorial Day means something different to all of these people. Perhaps remembering family members, friends, co-workers, who have given their lives for their country or celebrating the successful return of a parent, spouse, or friend.

I took this candid shot on a trip with the division to Washington, D.C. in 2009 for the 4th of July holiday. We made the visit to Arlington National Cemetery where we saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and visited the graves of the Kennedys. This is one of my favorite pictures I have ever taken. It combines what we celebrate and how remember those who serve and have served.

"When you go home, tell them of us and say, for their tomorrow, we gave our today." The Kohima Epitaph

Thank you.