Family Weekend in the Big Apple

This summer my family and I took a weekend vacation to New York City with my aunt and uncle and cousin and another family who are family friends. I was really excited to be going somewhere, even if it was just for a weekend, because each year my family always took a family vacation. That was always a special time for me and created memories that I will always look back on. This year, we stayed in Jersey City at a marina and campground (which was more like a parking lot for campers). What's even more amusing is that there is a nightclub right on the property! It's called The Sand Bar USA. But we did have full hook-ups for water and power, and even a couple TV stations! From where we were we could see the Statue of Liberty and also the financial district across the Hudon in NYC. This picture is the view of the city from the marina.

My favorite part of staying there though was that since we were at a marina, Friday and Saturday nights we just hung out by the dock and watched the people. We watched the nightclub, which on Saturday night was pretty happening! The place can fit 2,000 people, which we found out from some firefighters who swung by on their drive to check it all out. My father and uncle used to be/still are firemen, so they chatted with those from Jersey City. Saturday night there was also a boat party going on on the really nice yacht parked closest to "our" dock, so we also met some cute Coast Guard men who swung by to check out where the noise was coming from. They couldn't give us a lift to the party though because we didn't have life jackets.

:( Next time I'll go prepared!

I had a fabulous time in the city. We only went in for the full day on Saturday (since I needed to go home to work on Sunday night), but it was worth it. Unforunately, the day had a dreary start...literally, because it rained! We began our morning in Times Square, and got a quick Naked Cowboy siting! We decided to take a double decker bus tour for Uptown, and the plan was to hopefully get off at Central Park and spend a lot of time there because they were celebrating the 150th anniversary of Central Park. But just as we were beginning our trip we saw the dark clouds rolling in, and the tour guide quickly passed out cheap-o ponchos, but it was better than nothing! The next thing we know it was downpouring, and even with the ponchos we got soaked! I had water dripping now inside my poncho because my string fell out, and I was sitting next to my uncle whose poncho ripped! Then, by the end of the storm, we had a pond on the floor of the bus, so every time we stopped or accelerated there was a flood of water washing over your feet! It was best to just keep our feet up at all times! But somehow with the water running down my legs, my socks still got soaked! This picture is of my sister and my cousin on the double decker before the rain hit!

By the time we deemed it safe to get off the bus, because we could at least get under cover on the first level of the bus, we had made the complete loop and were back in Times Square. We split up a little, and my family and I headed over to Rockefeller Plaza. Then we all met up again in Hell's Kitchen (yes, the neighborhood of my fellow blogger Kevin!) and had an early dinner at an Italian restaurant. I was exhausted at this point, but I had finally pretty much dried off.

After that we hopped back on the bus, which I must say was much more enjoyable in the sun than in the rain! This time we got off at Central Park and walked around, and I loved it! It was more than I had ever been into Central Park before in my couple trips to the city. It was very classic New York I feel! Lastly, we headed to ground zero before heading back to Jersey City. This is where I haggled for a new, fake Coach purse! I had been to ground zero a couple years after 9/11, but it was pretty incredible to see the slow rebuilding process. They are planning to open the Freedom Towers in 2012, the year the incoming class will be graduating!

Speaking of Stonehill...each fall the Trip Committee of Student Government Association plans a trip to NYC, and I'd definitely recommend taking advantage of the trip, especially if you've never been before!

For me, it's now way past my bedtime, because tomorrow I am moving back in at Stonehill for a week for Fall Orientation. I will be filling you in soon on move in and such! Can't wait to see all my Stonehill loves this weekend!

How to Pack Your Life into a Dorm Room

So a lot of Orientation kids, members of this year's incoming class at Stonehill, have been asking me questions about what to bring to campus when they move in. I remember how daunting this task was when I moved away from home from the first time, so this blog is meant to help you out! I only hope this isn't coming too late, since move-in is less than two weeks away! (And, let me tell you, the Orientation Team is so excited to be going back and seeing you all again so soon!) Here's a look at all of my things packed and ready to go the night before I moved into Stonehill two years ago:

I was a mess the day I moved into college. I was a bundle of nerves, excitement, sadness, and happiness...so it kind of led me to be a little stressed that day. Parents...be patient with your kids as they decide how everything is going to be set up. And collegiates...don't worry, you can always move things around throughout the year! Here are a couple pictures of the mess in my room in O'Hara freshman year when I moved in:

Ok, so let's get started. I feel like there's always lots to bring, plus I always overpack ;), and I'm a girl, so I also bring things like lots of clothes, shoes, jewelry, make-up, etc. etc. But here's what you may want to keep in mind:

You definitely need linens, get the extra long linens, all the Residence Halls have those extra long dorm beds. You'll need a blanket and a comforter of course, and I've found one with a surface that's easy to clean is nice, cause you kind of end up living on your bed. An important investment is a comfortable mattress pad. With a comfortable mattress covering, dorm mattresses are pretty comfortable! Also, a husband pillow, or something like that, is great for reading and doing work on your bed, because sometimes there's just not enough extra room in a dorm room for a comfy chair. Bed risers are also really helpful, because then you can create more storage room under your bed. Here's a look at my room in O'Hara, plus my roommate Katrina and friend Emma (who lived across the hall).

Under the bed, and above the closets are two great storage spaces, so I would say to bring good storage cases for those spots. Having shelving and storage space in general is helpful. Having a hanging shoe rack for the closet is great. Think about storage for food, extra clothes, especially winter clothes before it gets cold, and extra whatevers (movies, books, extra notebooks and paper, all those whatnots - and I know from experience that girls tend to bring those to college more than guys do!) Depending on the dorm you are in you may want shelving for the books you have for classes. I know that Boland has lots of shelving space (and also the second floor of O'Hara for girls), but I'm not so sure that the rooms in any of the other freshman dorms do have that built in space. Shelving units that sit on a desk and go up are usually really great. In terms of garments, a pair of rain boots and an umbrella are important to remember too. When it rains on Stonehill the Quad tends to get pretty wet, so boots are great. I got a cute and cheap pair from Target!

Also, I'm not sure if guys would want this or not but I'm pretty sure girls will...if you like having a full length mirror, O'Hara and Boland do not have those (the other dorms do have them in the closets.) Curtains are also something to consider, but for extra things that aren't a necessity, you can always wait on those things and decide after you move in. That way you can check measurements for curtains too! It's always good just to have lots of sticky stuff to put up posters, pictures of family and friends from home, and things in general on the walls. Just make sure it's not duct tape, that's not allowed. Masking tape is fine, but it doesn't last long, so the special sticky stuff made just for walls is best. And those plastic hooks that have the sticky stuff built in are great for hanging things like towels and coats. I think it's the 3M brand that is really good and has those hooks. A hanger that goes over the door is also really convenient for those same things. Mostly everyone also gets those little whiteboards to put on their doors so friends can leave messages when they stop by and you're not around.

You'll probably want a desk lamp, especially if you think you'll be the kind of person doing a lot of work in your room rather than the library. It's also nice to have a standing lamp or something like that so you don't have to have your big overhead lights on all the time. All of the dorms have carpets, so you don't need to worry about bringing a carpet for a tile floor or anything like that. I'd say definitely bring a fan. A small, compact one is fine. I really liked having a fan, and I actually put it on every night, even in the winter! I actually just really liked the fan for it's sound factor. It was perfect for blocking out noisy hallways on weekend nights. Here's a picture of Katrina (yup, the same one from freshman year!) and I moving into our triple one year ago. Last year I lived in Villa Theresa. The rooms there are big enough to accomodate even a voluntary triple like us! The last couple pictures here are more pictures of my room in Villa, so you can get an idea of one of those rooms.

Think about the little things, like a trash can, and clothes hangers. Something to carry your soap, shampoo, toothpaste, etc. in that you can carry to the bathroom and shower is very important. You also NEED flip flops or something for the shower...you don't want any foot fungus. :) Remember, you are going to Stonehill for classes, so you still need notebooks, pens, pencils, highlighters, sticky notes, stapler, etc. - whatever you like using. Also, a planner is key! Also, a calendar is nice, but what I've been doing is just printing free monthly calendars from online and using that to keep track of long term assignments and events. But I really like having an agenda to go by day to day.

An alarm clock is key! Don't want to miss those 8:30s! I have my iHome, which is nice to wake me up in the morning, but we also listen to music on it at night. A computer is very important - the key to modern college life! This is something that I wish I had known before...the internet cable I got with my laptop didn't work! I need an ethernet cord in order to get on the internet, and on the day of move-in the bookstore was selling them, but it was packed there because everyone was there buying ethernet cords! It is also important to have extension cords, and one of those power strips, we are a world of electricity! Mostly everyone brings a laptop rather than a desktop. I would also suggest having a printer. I just like the convenience of it, but printing is free on campus, so you don't really NEED it if you don't want it. (I just wanted it.) I'd say bring a TV too, that way you can watch the shows you like without having to bum off your friends, but it's been done. A DVD player and movies are great for quiet nights in. I'd say my friends and I used it a lot more for gatherings my freshman year than we did this past year. You can have a fridge as well. You can have as many fridges in a room as there are roommates. But one fridge is plenty for two people. This past year I was in a triple and we had two, and that was pretty nice for us. I'd suggest getting a Brita filter to keep filled with water in your fridge. The past two years I kept stocking up on water bottles for my room, but I finally got a Brita, and in the long run it will save you a lot of money! And it helps the environment!

The things you can't have are a microwave, but there's a kitchen (or two or three) in every Res Hall with one that you can use. You can't bring pets...but you can bring fish! You also need to make sure that heating things, if you choose to bring them (and this is more so with girls with curling irons and straighteners), are automatic shut off! Some RAs will check to make sure that they are, to keep everyone safe.

I'd say don't bother with things like a vacuum cleaner or an iron. I have a dust buster that I sometimes use, if you want to get anything like that I'd say that a dust buster is plenty. But I know my hallway this past year had a common vacuum cleaner that we all shared. And invest in perhaps some of that Febreeze anti-wrinkle spray, I haven't tried it...but I kind of want to, rather than an iron. Which reminds me...having Lysol is great, especially for cold and flu season. And keep some Purell on your desk too! Febreeze freshener spray is nice, but it doesn't have antibacterial power. As for dishes, it's good to have a couple knives, forks, and spoons, and a bowl and a plate. Having maybe two cups and a mug for hot chocolate and tea is good too. In that case, dish soap and a sponge are needed to clean that. But plastic cups and paper plates work too. Paper towels are important, we do still spill in college! A hamper for laundry you need of course...and I'd say get one that you can carry up and down stairs easily in case you aren't on the same floor as your laundry room. For laundry detergent, I like the ALL Small and Mighty ones, cause they are smaller, which means less weight and less space. One thing that I didn't think about until the first time I did laundry is a drying rack. I have certain shirts and sweaters that I don't like to put in the dryer, so that's helpful.

One more piece of advice...contact your roommate and then you can split up the big ticket items, like TV and fridge and then you can share.

Whew! That may have been more than you thought you would get from reading this blog, but once I get started I tend to not be able to stop! I hope this helped! But if you have any questions still, or any specific question about a dorm in particular, feel free to ask me!