P-Day Weekend!

     This weekend was one of the best times I have had at Saint Mike's this whole year. Since I started in August, I have been hearing a ton about P-Day and how much fun it was, but I still did not really know what to expect. P-Day weekend all started on Thursday night. 

     On Thursday, Saint Mike's campus was graced by the presence of Macklemore. Amazing. Over 3,000 people packed into the gym to watch him perform and let me tell you, it was FANTASTIC. He not only was great live, but he took the time to express his love for our community here on campus. One of our own SMC family members was diagnosed with leukemia and was unable to make it to the concert. Macklemore took time out of his day to go visit him at the hospital which tells a lot about his character. Then at the concert he told everyone that he went to the hospital and let me tell you, I was on the verge of tears. Between the jumping, dancing and singing (badly), I don't think I will forget this concert.

MACKLEMORE!

Macklemore sitting on the crowd

ladies ready for the concert!

     Friday was a pretty normal day. I don't have class on Friday's so for the most part it was like every other Friday. At around 12:30, all of the dance classes had their recital on the lawn between the library and Tarrant/ Ross. It was so funny to see some of my friends preform dances that they have been learning all semester. Later that day, both of the rugby teams on campus had their last games of the season. It was really sad to know that I won't be back out on the pitch for a couple months. I will really miss all of our graduating seniors. They have taught me so much over this past year and have become some of my close friends. It was also really nice to see a lot of Saint Mike's students come out to the games (it could have been because Alliot dinner was moved out there, but they still got to witness two awesome games of rugby!).

one of the dance classes. I believe they were pretending to be monkeys but I am not entirely sure.

The ever fabulous Gabbi Hall doing ballet!

My lovely RA Bizzy dancing her little heart out!

All of the dancers preforming Beat It!

     Saturday was the day that we have been waiting for all year. Saturday was P-DAY. WOOOOOO! That morning I woke up early because the rugby teams were signed up to do a three mile walk for Multiple Sclerosis. There were about 50 of us and it was a great time! We raised a ton of money for research and got to enjoy the beautiful morning! After that we all headed back to campus to celebrate the biggest campus holiday. P-Day is sort of what other colleges would call "Spring Fest", only ours is way better. We have a trike race, inflatables, live music, and free food! A lot of people make shirts with all their friends and just lay out and have a blast. Later in the night there was a mind reader/sword swallower and he was insanely amazing. Some of the things he did I was like "how the heck is that even possible." After that performance everyone found their way to Alliot for Late Night Breakfast. All I can say about it is that 1.) I wish it happened every weekend and 2.) it was so entertaining. 

The beautiful view from the MS walk!

The girls!

You can clearly tell that I adore Kallie!

     Sunday the campus was pretty quiet. As the hours passed the weather became amazing and a ton of people flooded the library lawn to do homework, play music or throw frisbees. Yesterday was the perfect end to an amazing weekend!

Sunday evening: sitting on the library lawn with Keri as she blows bubbles. 

Love and sunshine,
Susanna


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Almost the End

     Well, this is weird. We currently have less than 2 weeks left of this school year and I have entered into freak out mode. This week has gone by incredibly fast and it is only going to speed up after today. Tonight is a very busy day for me. I woke up at 7 am this morning to be in Ross Sports Center to help set up the stage for the Macklemore Concert that is occurring tonight on campus. I am BEYOND excited to say the least. It is going to be a blast. Right now, I am sitting in financial accounting. From here, I go to Catholic Christianity and then I have to Media Revolutions and give a presentation. Then I head over to practice and then it is the concert! Crazy day right? Yeah, well its not over after the concert. After the concert, both rugby teams on campus are helping to take down the stage. Then I can finally go to bed after that! 
     Friday's are normally my day off. I don't have any classes on Friday so thankfully I can sleep in. Both rugby teams have games on Friday (Women's at 4 and Men's at 6). From there we will all be heading to the MLK Talent Show which I am really excited to see. I have heard a lot about it and have seen a ton of videos of it on Youtube. Here are some!

The ever fabulous Gabbi singing!

This was the winner last year!

     Saturday, both of the rugby teams are walking in an MS walk before P-DAY. When we get back it is officially P-DAY! P-Day stands for preparation day. Everyone makes tshirts with their friends, sits outside, and takes advantage of the bouncy houses and free food that is placed on the 300's field. There are also musical acts and a sword swallower! I am so excited! This weekend is going to be a blast! 

Some video footage of P-Day 2011! It looks like so much fun!

     It is just crazy to think that my first year here at Saint Mike's is almost over. It feels like just yesterday I was pulling into the parking lot behind Tarrant to pick up my keys to move in. Saint Mike's has honestly become my second home and I could not see myself any place else. I get so excited each day when I look at the Class of 2017 page and see all new SMC family members as excited as I was to come here. I will say to them that the excitement never goes away. I am always excited when I am here at Saint Mike's. 
     One last thing before I go. I wanted to thank all of my readers, without you this blog would mean nothing. Earlier this week I was awarded with one of the SMC Bloggers of the year along with fellow blogger Alex! It was truly an honor, but I would not have received it without all of your support! So thank you thank you thank you thank you THANK YOU!

Love and the final stretch,
Susanna

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Backpack Backpack Yeah!

Hello all! Tech Fast 2013 is now over! HOORAH! Anyway, I have been meaning to address this in a post and just haven't gotten around to it, so I am now!
     
     A couple of weeks ago I was asked a lovely question by a student on the class of 2017 Facebook Page. (I encourage all Class of 2017 people to go join!) The question was about backpacks on campus. The question was....

     "Do most students on campus use backpacks or do they just use small bags?"

So here are my backpack tips and how I organize/what I have in my backpack!

While some people on campus use tote bags, the majority of people on campus use backpacks. It seems to just be easier when you have 2 textbooks, 3 note books, your laptop and a bunch of other stuff in your bag. It is just a lot easier to carry everything without getting really weighed down on one side!
    Here are some tips!

• Get a sturdy backpack: backpacks can get pricey. But for me, I think it is worth it. My backpack is my life and can be used for many things. While you would normally just take it to class, it can be used for day hikes, bike ride trips, overnight trips or a gym bag. They always come in handy. Also, getting a waterproof backpack is a good idea. It does rain, snow and hail and your backpack tends to be exposed to those elements. So getting a waterproof backpack protects all of your precious cargo on the inside. While at the moment dropping a good $40-$100 on a backpack might not seem like a smart idea, it is. That backpack will last you all four years in college plus more years. A good backpack is everything. 

• Try to get one with a laptop compartment: while not necessary, it is nice to have a designated place to hold your beloved laptop. It just prevents it from being damaged and the laptop specific pockets tend to have a little more padding to cushion it. 

• Be unique: As you may or may not know, no backpacks are allowed in the Green Mountain Dining Hall (Alliot) so we all just leave them outside. In coming to school, I really just wanted a plain, black, North Face backpack. When I came for one of my tours, I noticed that half of the bags outside of Alliot are black North Face backpacks. I would suggest getting a funky colored backpack or, if you really want that black North Face backpack, add some pizazz with ribbons or pins so you can separate yours from all the others!

• Get one with water bottle holders: Everyone on the SMC campus carries a water bottle to help the campus go green. It is always nice to have some water or something to drink if you are thirsty without having to spend money at a vending machine to grab a water bottle. Also, there are water bottle filling stations all over campus which really comes in handy!

What is in my backpack you ask? Well, why don't we take a look!?

My backpack is the Burton Treble Yell backpack. It is black and white checkered and I am in love with it. It is easy to spot in Alliot while also being neutral colors (it matches with all my outfits. haha)

My backpack!

What is in my backpack?

• Bottom pocket: graphing calculator (TI-84), lotion, body spray, 2 hand sanitizers (don't ask me why I have 2 because I have no idea), and sunglasses.

• Top little pocket: a slew of pens, pencils and highlighters. (I cannot just carry around one pencil, one pen and one highlighter. It gives me major anxiety to not have options), post-it-notes, gum, chapstick and normally a granola bar (just in case I don't have time to run to Alliot to eat!).

• Big main pocket: as of now, I have 3 notebooks (Media Rev, Financial Accounting and Catholic Christianity) I also have my planner, my Financial Accounting Book and my Media Revolutions book. On Tuesdays and Thursdays my laptop is normally occupying the laptop pocket. 

• Side mesh pockets: my water bottle normally occupies one of those, the other is almost always empty.

I hope that you found this post helpful! If you have any questions feel free to ask away!

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Love and backpacks,

Susanna

Easter Weekend and Bye Bye iPhone

Hi all! This week/ weekend have been pretty crazy around here! Luckily, last week we had wonderful weather, meaning all the snow was finally melted off of the 300's field! YIPPIE for spring rugby! We had a great week of practices and I cannot wait for this week. We have 2 games this weekend, one on Friday at 5 against UVM. This will be a B side game, I believe so I will get to play. Also it is really nice to be playing on our home turf. On Saturday we have a MASSIVE game. This is the first time in school history that a National Playoff game has been held here. Big deal right?! I am so excited to see my lovely teammates play. We have all worked so hard for this. (Hey you reading this. Yeah you. If you are by Saint Michael's College Saturday morning, you better be there. I mean it.) 
      This past weekend was Easter weekend. One of the perks of being at a Catholic school is that we get a lovely 4 day weekend for this lovely holiday. This was the first time that I wasn't in Massachusetts with my entire family for Easter. Since my brother did not have the weekend off, my parents came up here to spend a little time with us. Thursday afternoon I went with my friend Keri, my roommate Mar and our next door neighbor Candice to Keri's house to get a little taste of a very Vermont Easter! Even though I was only there for a little over 24 hours, I had so much fun! On Thursday when we got there, her family was a little ways down the road at their sugar house making maple syrup. I grew up only eating Vermont maple syrup so I was really excited to see how it was made. The sugar house was the cutest thing and her family was the sweetest. Plus, we got to try some freshly made maple syrup and holy goodness it was amazing. I could drink it all day! We then went back to Keri's house and passed out we were all so tired. The next morning we woke up and made a massive breakfast of waffles (with maple syrup of course) and a yummy smoothie. We lounged around for a while then went for a walk around Keri's house. Even though it was a little rainy it was so beautiful. After the walk, we played a couple card games for a little bit while we waited for her mom to get home so we could take the car and venture down to Montpelier. On the way, we picked up our other friend, Anne Marie. We had a blast walking around the cute town. The shops are adorable there. After that we just drove around a little bit and Anne Marie and Keri kind of gave us the low-down on the area. At around 6 my parents picked me up and we started back to Burlington to go to my Aunt and Uncle's house.

Keri's house is the cutest house ever!

Dirt roads for days.

Montpelier!

     Friday night we just stayed in, talked, and ate some yummy pizza from Leonardo's. I found myself asleep by around 10. I was so tired. The next day was also a pretty lazy day. I played with the three dogs for a while, took a walk with my mom and slept a little more. Later that night, my cousin Kevin, my brother Nick, my uncle Emmett, my cousin Finch and her friend and my cousin Ryan and his fiance came over for Easter dinner. My mom made a lovely meal and we were all happy to see each other again. It is always funny to be around my Uncle Ted and Uncle Emmett because they both went to Saint Mike's. They always end up telling me stories about it and it is just hilarious. Saturday night I spent in my dorm room, pretty boring as no one was here. Sunday morning my family and I went to 11 o'clock mass, I said my goodbyes and they were off.

Tupelo the terror. We were all surprised that he stopped playing for once.

The cousins!
(l to r: Maryse, Ryan, Me, Finch, Nick, Kevin, Ayla)

    Then I guess that brings me to today. I woke up pretty late, around 10. Had some cereal and started taking in all the technology that I could. Tomorrow I start my one week technology fast for Media Rev. I have to admit. I am pretty freaking nervous. I do admit, I am addicted to technology and the thought of giving my teacher my phone and her locking it up for a week gives me nightmares. The only thing I can compare it too is me having to sacrifice my first born child. Yeah, I am that addicted. We will see how this goes.

Love and anxiety attacks because I don't have my iPhone,
Susanna

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Sunsets

     So here I am, on a Sunday night, just kind of hanging out in my room. My homework is done, my room is clean (for once) and I have done all that I needed to get done today. But looking around I can't help but notice out the window. If you look out my window past the construction, over Tarrant and over the tree line you can see a beautiful sight, a sight that Saint Mike's holds very dearly. I have to say, out of my 19 years, I have never seen a sunset quite like the ones here at Saint Mike's. Don't know what I'm talking about? Take a look.

See? Isn't it pretty? I guess that is another reason as to why to come to SMC!

Love and sunsets,

Susanna

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What am I listening to?

I Can't Think of an Interesting Title.

     Here I am, sitting at my lovely kitchen table listening to my dad speak about the tires on school buses or something like that. This week has been great. Spring break has been really good to me. While I love school, there is just something about being home that just always makes you happy. Home is a place that well, will forever be home. It consists of my dog taking my seat on the couch constantly, my dad chatting me up at the kitchen table, my brother in his basement cave playing video games and my mom cooking the most delicious meals for dinner. I love home. 

     I guess what I am trying to say is that going to college teaches you a lot of things. I see everyone on the Class of 2017 page and they are all so excited to come to school. That's amazing. I am so excited to see all this love for the school. But, there are somethings this summer that you must do, no matter where you chose to go to school. I got the idea to write this blog from Gracie. I stumbled upon her SMC blog while looking at some other ones. I have to say that I am so bummed that I didn't read her blog sooner. It is amazing and her writing style is something that I strive to achieve someday. Her posts have reaffirmed why I love SMC so much. If I tell you to do anything on my blog, this is one of the things that you should actually really do. I highly suggest reading her blog. She always writes about finding out who she was through her college experience. It is something that I have thought about a little, but her blog helped me to go more in depth with it. In high school, I never really knew where I fit in. Through my four years at high school, I played 4 sports, was in 2 drama club productions, took a ton of classes, and belonged to a bunch of clubs. I had friends in every side of the school. It was a good thing. I liked being able to walk down the hallway and from every which direction there would be a "Hey Suze!" or a "hey are you going to practice after school?" or "see ya at rehearsal tonight". That was cool and all, but I guess I never found a place that was me. I never belonged to one certain group, so, in coming to college I made it my mission to rediscover myself and who I am. So before you take the biggest step into adulthood and make that transition from high school senior to college freshman, here are are somethings that you should most likely....probably....really do. 

• Love yourself: I know. This one can be hard sometimes. Some time you wake up and your hair looks horrible, you feel awful, and no matter what you put on, you just feel like you look horrendous. I promise you, I have had too many of those days. There comes a point where you just have to be like, I'm me. I'm not changing anything. This is who I am. Going into college with this mindset will do wonders for you. I pinky promise. 
• Know Yourself: This one was the hardest one for me. Like I said before, in high school, I didn't really know where I fit in. Before you go to college establish who you want to be. Establish the morals you believe in and the things that you want to accomplish. Don't want to drink in college? Then don't. Stay firm to what you believe so that not only you understand what you want, but also the people around you.
• It is OK not to like everyone: Growing up they teach you to love each other and to sit in a nice big circle of love and sing kumbaya. While that is all fine and dandy, it is not totally realistic. You aren't going to love everyone you come across. Granted, there is a large difference between being civil and loving. But still, if you don't like someone, no one is going to force you to be friends with that person. It is college. You make your own decisions. Just don't make stupid ones.
• Love your parents: They are the ones that got you to where you are. Sometimes they can get a little annoying, but hey, that's their job. They love you. Realize that and you will be all set.
• Figure out who your friends are: I had a lot of friends in high school. Actually, I should probably change that up a little. I had a lot of school friends, you know, the people you are in classes with all the time and talk to in school but would never see them outside of school, yeah, I had a lot of those. But then I have my best friends. People that I have known for a really long time and can count on them for anything. People that I want to stay in touch with. There is always that common thing that people write in the back of year books like "stay in touch" or "I hope to see you next year" or "come visit me in college". Sorry to burst all of your bubbles but about 98% of those are complete piles of horse poo. Find out who your true friends are. You will thank me later. 
• Live a little: Put that extra butter on your popcorn. Eat that piece of chocolate cake. Yeah, it might hurt you a little, but it was so dang good while it lasted.

Love and I'm not really sure of something to go along with this so I will just say sloths.

Love and Sloths,

Susanna

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Spring Break!

Good morning all. How was your week? Mine went really well. I had a ton of assignments due last week, but other than that it was great! On Monday, it was my birthday and my amazing floor mates decorated my door for me. The rest of the week went by very quickly and soon enough I found myself sitting in a seat on the MegaBus to Hartford. It was really nice to be able to take a break from school and head home for a little bit! I was so excited to see my parents and my puppy, Zoey! I got home around 1 pm on Friday and later that night my aunt and uncle came over for dinner. Saturday also went by really fast. I did a little shopping with my mom then went to my friend's house for a little birthday party for him. Yesterday, I was on a train bright and early to NYC and that is where I currently am now! There will be another post (probably on Wednesday) about my adventures in NYC!

Zoey was so excited that I was home!

Hope this week is amazing for everyone! I will write more soon!
Love and spring break,
Susanna

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