Halloweekend!! Part 3- Sunday

     Hi everyone! Happy Halloween!!! Wahoo it's finally here!  Yesterday was Halloween eve and it definitely was very low key for me.  I slept in (until 9:00), I did some laundry, and then my suite-mates and I went to brunch.  I was lucky not to have any homework to do, since I finished it all on Friday and Saturday, so I had the rest of the day to look forward to. 

The view outside of Megan's window!

     I held a Knitting club meeting in Eddie's at 3:00, where we watching Nightmare Before Christmas- a classic!! I was there with my friends Megan and Allyson and some other Knitting club members.  I'm knitting mittens and so far the first one hasn't come out so well, so it's going to be a hat.....After that, I went to dinner, Liturgical Choir, and then I played in Mass with Marci! 

my defense is that it was my first mitten...

     After a very long night I got back to my room at 8:00.  My suite-mates (Taylor, Megan and Allyson) and I decided to watch the movie Taken at 9:00 and it turned out to be a great movie.  It was such a fun weekend and I'm so happy I got to spend it with my friends.   

Here are some other Halloween Weekend Blog Posts!

• Marci's blog- http://marcismcbloggers.blogspot.com/2011/10/happy-halloween-and-smc-celebrations.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
• Alex's blog- http://alexandrasmcbloggers.blogspot.com/2011/10/smc-halloweekend-2011.html
• http://alexandrasmcbloggers.blogspot.com/2011/10/who-doesnt-like-pumpkins-smc-pumpkin.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter 
• Gabbi's blog- http://gabbi.smcbloggers.com/2011/10/most-wonderful-time-of-year-at-smcvt.html
• Juliana's blog- http://julianasmcbloggers.blogspot.com/2011/10/happy-halloween.html?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

I hope you have had a fantastic weekend and Happy Halloween! As always, feel free to tweet me, or ask me any questions on my formspring or contact page. 

Kayley

Halloweekend!! Part 2- Saturday

     Yesterday the Halloween fun continued with brunch and a delicious omelet.  Actually, this is not very Halloween-y, but the omelets are just so yummy.  I did homework in the library for a while and then the preparations for the dance began after dinner.  My friends Kate and Kaitlyn came over to our suite to do their hair and makeup for the dance! Here is a great picture of the two of them!  Kate is Princess Kate Middleton and Kaitlyn is Dorothy! 

     After they left, my friends and I started preparing for our own costumes.  Makeup, hair, the whole shebang!  I was going as a cave woman/ prehistoric lady/ Wilma Flintstone.  My friend Megan dressed up as D.W. Read from Arthur, Katie was Black Swan, Alex was Princess Alex, Taylor was a Girl Scout, Mary was a lax bro, and Marci and Allyson were snow flakes!  It was very exciting to see everyone in their beautiful costumes! 

     I had such a great time at the dance and I am so happy I got to spend it with my friends!  The dance was held in Ross and it is a huge event on campus.  Many students go and it is a great way to dance and just have fun.  I hope everyone has had a nice weekend so far!  Check out my next blog post on Halloweekend Part 3- Sunday.

Kayley

Halloweekend!! Part 1- Friday

     Halloween Weekend is a very exciting and celebrated time on campus!  Personally, Halloween has always been a favorite holiday, second only to Thanksgiving.  My celebrating all started on Friday afternoon with the Vita Pumpkin Carving.  I went with my friends Alex, Megan, Kate, Mike, and Kaitlyn.  Here are some pictures of us!

Me and my little piggy!

Megan's cat pumpkin, Alex's little trick-or-treater, and my dog pumpkin!

There's me and Megan!

All of us and our creations!

     It was so much fun carving pumpkins and I'm so happy all our beautiful pumpkins are on display in our common room!  Later that night, all my suite-mates stayed in and we watched a bunch of Halloween movies.  We all enjoy spending time together and the movies really got us into the Halloween spirit.  Hope you all had a great weekend and see my next blog post about the Halloween Dance!

Kayley

Senior Citizen Prom

     This past Saturday I attended the annual Senior Citizen Prom.  It is a MOVE program that brings local senior citizens together with Saint Michael students.  We eat, talk, get to know one another, and dance!  It is so nice to be able to meet some seniors as well as listen to some great music.  Here are some pictures of us students 
mingling with our guests!

There's Alex!

     I'm so happy I was able to meet so many wonderful seniors and hopefully make their day a little brighter!

Kayley 

MidKnight Madness!

     This weekend has been very busy! Between hosting an event at Friday Knight Dry to attending MidKnight Madness, I'm surprised I survived it all!

     The night started off at 7:00 and I was set up in the Colchester Room in Alliot.  I held a craft- wrapping pens in yarn- which went very well! I had about 40 people come to my activity.  When you completed the activity I handed out tickets which were used at the end of the night to bid on raffles.  Around 10:00 we went to Alliot to eat some food, listen to the acapella groups, and bid on raffles.  It was a really great night.

     At 11:00 MidKnight Madness began.  This signals the start of the men and women's basketball season. It is so much fun watching the players practice their shots and also have audience participation.  Here are some videos of the different activities and games that took place!

Here is just some of the basketball players practicing

Here is another video of the players practicing

Here is a relay race involving both players and students

This is a great game involving some students and some volleyball players!

The Dance Team!!!

     Feel free to ask me any questions about life at Saint Michael's College, or college life in general. 

Kayley

"Lord, what fools these mortals be!"

     Today the American Shakespeare Center of Traveling Players came to Saint Michael's to put on a production of a Midsummer Night's Dream. The show was put on in McCarthy at 4:00.  I was required to go for my British Literature class, but I'm really happy that I was! Most of us have read some Shakespeare in high school, but it was really great to read the play and then see it live right here at school!
     The doors opened at 3:45 and the show started at 4:30, but at 4:00 there was a pre-show performance, which I was lucky to get some video of!

     Sorry the video is not great quality....but it does show the types of costumes the actors were wearing and towards the end you can really hear them singing!

     Here is an image of the Queen Titania and Nick Bottom!

     This is just one great example of performances we are fortunate enough to be able to see here at Saint Mike's.  Feel free to ask me anything about college life!

Kayley

Gulliver's Travels

     Hello everybody, this past weekend we were lucky enough to have Monday and Tuesday off! Wahooo!!! Since I live so far away from campus, flying home is the easiest, fastest, and best way for me to make it back home!  There are so many different ways to make it home, but I find the best way to figure out your best mode of transportation is by knowing how you are most comfortable.  

Alex and me at JFK airport!
• MegaBus is a bus service that is extremely affordable (sometimes as low as $1) that travels all over New England.  It is a great option for inexpensive travel.  It even offers certain amenities such as free Wifi, panoramic windows, and lots of leg room.  The bus leaves from UVM which is a stop on the CCTA bus route. 
• Amtrak is a train service that is another affordable option.  It has service all over the country and the train station is right in Essex Junction.  Also, the bus goes right to the train station so you don't need to look for a ride!
• Knightslist is a fantastic site to connect with other SMC students who are going to be driving home over the breaks.  You can offer a ride, for instance- I am going to be driving to Long Island, anyone need a ride?, or you can ask for a ride.  This is a great opportunity to meet new people, make new friends, and have a fun drive home with other students.

Alex and me waiting in JFK
• Burlington Airport is located about 10 minutes from SMC and is just a bus ride away.  Flying is my favorite mode of transportation and I LOVE JetBlue.  Delta, Continental, United, and US airways are also located in the Burlington Airport. 

    

Alex and me in Burlington Airport...you can tell we're a little tired because

our plane was delayed for two hours...oh well!

     Just as a side note, I would like to point out that my friends Alex, Angelica, Amy, and I are all famous as we made an impromptu appearance in the Burlington Free Press! It was an article written about the airport needing fees for certain services. 

That's me in the green coat, Alex in the purple coat, and Angelica and Amy in black coats!

     Going home on breaks can be an issue, but I hope my little bit of experience can help you when you need to plan out your mode of transportation.  One last piece of advice- throughout the semester I find it's a great idea to keep a list of the items you'll need at home.  It's much harder to try to remember them later than if you think of them and write them down right away.  As always feel free to send me any questions you have!

Kayley

LIVE WOLVES- Room at the Top

     Last night there was an amazing presentation on wolves in Ross.  We had Susan Morse, a renowned naturalist, present to us on the importance of wolves and other predators in the ecosystem. 

     I was surprised to learn just how important they are and what they contribute to our environment.  Susan used a PowerPoint presentation to showcase some of the astounding pictures she has taken of wolves, bears, and cougars over time through her research. 

     Wolves, she believes, will inhabit Vermont very soon because they are starting to find suitable habitats all over the country! 

     After her presentation (as you have already seen) we were able to meet three wolves.  These wolves have been raised in a sanctuary called Mission: Wolf because they were born in captivity and can't be released into the wild.  Some lucky students and children were even able to meet some of them!

     Here are some other videos I was able to take! Enjoy!!!



     This program was so amazing and I am happy I was able to take part in it.  I really enjoyed seeing the wolves and the faces of the children as the wolves licked them.  This was just one example of the great programs that Saint Michael's brings to us and the community.  I can't wait for the next one! 

     As always, feel free to ask me anything and tonight there is a KNIGHTCHAT!  This is a great opportunity to ask some of the bloggers questions and get answers instantly!  It's from 7:30-9:00 tonight!!

Kayley

Language Learning Resource Center

     The LLRC is located in St. Edmund's Hall in room 215.  The LLRC is a very important part of education here at Saint Michael's for those who want to learn another language, especially for our international students. 

     The LLRC has MANY technology systems available for student use.  There is a Smart Board, Flip cams, Amazon Kindles, Clickers, MP3 Players, webcams, Sony cams, digital cameras, VCR/DVD player, laptops, desktop computers, books, DVDs, and software for learning new languages. 

     There is Rosetta Stone available in Arabic, French, English, German, Japanese, Italian, Korean, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, and Russian.  Also, there is Powerspeak which is used for those who speak French, Spanish, English for Spanish speakers, German, and Mandarin Chinese.  Mango language program is also available, as well as Skritter, which is used for learning to write in Chinese or Japanese. 



Here is some additional information-    

• 802-654-2381
• www2.smcvt.edu/llrc
• hours:

      Monday-Thursday 8am-8pm

      Friday 8am-5pm

     The LLRC is a great resource and you should definitely take advantage of it! Have a great week and feel free to ask me anything about life at SMC!

Kayley

Organic Garden

     Here at Saint Michael's we are fortunate to have our own organic garden! The organic garden is located past the rotunda down the road and right over the railroad tracks.  The organic garden is part of the sustainability effort on campus. 

Hey Taylor!

     Every Tuesday while the weather is nice, the organic garden has a farm stand from 11:00-1:00 in front of the chapel.  The garden usually sells- 

What's for Sale ($ funds the Summer Garden Intern Position):

-Pumpkins (New England Pie -- grown specifically for cooking; Howden – for fall decorating)

-Mesclun Mix

-Kale (Siberian)

-Winter Squash (Sugar Dumpling and Delicata)

-Onions (Red Wing F1 Hybrid, Siskiyou Sweet Walla Walla, and Calibra)

-Garlic   (Hungarian Purple Stripe & German Porcelain)

-Potatoes (Prairie Blush)

-Cherry Tomatoes (Matt’s Wild)

-Eggplant (Listada di Gandia)

-Cucumbers   (Green Finger)

-Green Bell Peppers  (California Wonder)

-Summer Squash  (Straightneck, Yellow Crookneck)

-Swiss Chard (Golden & Ruby Red)

-HERBS:
        -Basil (Dark Opal, Lemon)

        -Lemon Balm

-Cut Flowers:

         -Zinnias

       -Cosmos

     This year I bought a pumpkin for my dorm!  I was so excited to bring it back to the common room and help to decorate our dorm for Halloween!  I hope you take advantage of the different things at the sale and check it out this coming Tuesday!

Kayley

Cause for Paws- Animal Blessing Service

    

     Today at the Chapel of Saint Michael there was an animal blessing.  It was for both the students and the local community.  Even though students don't have their pets here, we were able to bring pictures of our pets to have them blessed.  The Blessing was held by the MOVE Cause for Paws. 

It started at 5:30 and would have been held outside, but it was sort of drizzly outside, so we took the ceremony inside the actual chapel!

     The ceremony was really nice and it was really funny because all the dogs were yapping at each other while some of the speakers were trying to speak.  It was all in good fun though, and for my friends and I who love dogs, it was so great to see so many.  The problem is that now we all really want to see our own dogs EVEN more!  After the prayers, we were able to take the pet or picture up to the front where they were blessed with Holy water. 

 Here are my suite-mates and best friends Taylor and Megan holding pictures of their doggies on their phones!

Here I am getting a picture of my dog Olive blessed!

Here is Taylor getting a picture of her dog Mikko blessed!

Here is my other suite-mate and best friend Alex!!  She read the responsorial and second reading (and did an excellent job!)

     The Animal Blessing Service was a great experience and I can't wait until the next one.  Feel free to ask me anything about life at SMC or about college life in general.

Kayley

Post Grad

  Graduation is a ways away for most of us, however, the future is fast approaching and it's important to try to think ahead.  Graduate schools are a great way to pave the way for a future career in something and are extremely important and necessary for some types of work.  The Career Department makes a great effort to get representatives from different schools to come present their credentials to us.  In the Alliot lobby the different schools set up tables with eager representatives ready to talk about the different programs available at their schools.  It's a great opportunity to start exploring possible grad schools and it's so incredibly convenient!  The fairs generally are from 11:00-1:00 in Alliot- right in time for lunch!
     The Career Department also sends out some emails before the fair which include what schools will be present and what their programs are.  Here is a picture of the email we got and some of the programs available at the different schools!

Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Antioch University New England

Clarkson University

The College of Saint Rose

Goddard College

Kaplan Testing Services

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

New England College

Northeastern University Graduate School of Accounting and Business

Pace Law School

Peace Corps Masters International

Prescott College

Ross University

Saint Michael’s College

Simmons College

SIT Graduate Institute

Suffolk University

SUNY Plattsburgh

Syracuse University – The Whitman School of Management

Union Graduate College

Union Institute and University

University of New Haven

Utica College

The University of Vermont

University of Vermont Masters in Social Work

Vermont Law School

    Here is a somewhat blurry (sorry about that) version of the attachment we get in our emails.  It lists the different programs offered at each school and it's a great resource.  Unfortunately for me in this bunch of schools there weren't any that really fit the bill for my majors- Spanish and French- however, I hope that in the future I'll get the opportunity to go to other Graduate School Fairs that will offer schools that I am interested in.

Kayley