Sea Shells and Wedding Bells

This past week was vacation week! My family and I spent a week on Cape Cod, and then came home for my cousin's wedding. It was a week filled with family and fun.

My family and I went camping in North Truro for five days. Each day we spent some time on the beach (even when the weather was cloudy and cool at the end of the week we still went to the beach for a little while)! Maybe that was partly due to the fact that we were staying at a campground where the beach was only about a 15 minute walk through the woods. Plus, the beach we went to was beautiful with its really impressive dunes. Here are some pictures from the beach:

While we were on the Cape, we also did some sightseeing. We went into town in Provincetown, Wellfleet, and Chatham. We went to the harbors and walked around all the little shops. We had a great dinner on the water in Provincetown, and got some yummy seafood at a popular place called Moby Dick's in Wellfleet. We went to the lighthouse in North Truro, and climbed up to the top. Here are a couple pictures of the lighthouse and the view from the top:

My favorite part of our sightseeing however was our tour of the Truro Vineyard. I thought it was really neat to get to walk out through the grape vines, learn about the process of growing grapes and making wine, and see where the wine is fermented and bottled. Of course, we also bought a bottle of Chardonnay to go with dinner! It's really neat that the grapes were grown and the wine was fermented all at the winery that we visited.
Unlike with most vacations, I was actually excited to come home at the end of the week...because I knew that on Saturday it was my cousin's wedding! My cousin Jason married Monica at her church in Worcester. The reception was held at the Wachusett Village Inn. It was a VERY hot day! But we all survived the sweltering wedding service, and made it to the air conditioned, and brand new, reception room in one piece! And the day was well worth the heat, everything was so beautiful! The food was delicious, and I was so hungry, I felt like I ate so much! We had cheese and crackers, hot appetizers, a fruit appetizer before dinner, salad, fillet and lobster or chicken for an entree, and a delicious chocolate and raspberry cake and ice cream. I had a lot of fun dancing with my cousins, aunts and uncles, and parents. My family also stayed at the Inn, so at the end of the night we could go to the after party in the bar rather than having to drive home. Here are some pictures of the beautiful bride and groom and their wonderful wedding:

My sister and I with our cousin Amanda (bridesmaid and sister of the groom) and the newest addition to the Charest family, Cameron (the groom's nephew). Isn't he cute?!

The whole fam.

Now I have one week left of summer!! I can't believe it! I move back in at Stonehill in just one week for training and preparation for Fall Orientation the following weekend! Can't wait to see everyone back on campus!

Summer School

This summer I had a job that gave me, as an Elementary Education major, perfect experience for my future career in education. I was a one-on-one aide for an energetic seven-year-old in the special education summer school program at my old elementary school. The program ran just four mornings a week, for five weeks. Although it was a short program, I grew close to all of the students in my classroom, and especially the student I was working with.

During summer school, we did small projects, such as painting birdhouses and making flowers out of coffee filters, went outside for recess, and worked with physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech pathologists. I also did ABA, or Applied Behavior Analysis, one-on-one with my student. ABA involves setting up an environment in order to elicit a desired response, often with a reinforcer (I used M&M's), in order to teach skills. With my student we worked on skills such as matching colors, grasping and releasing objects, maintaining attention, and communicating with gestures, communication boards, and other speech devices. My favorite part of each week was music therapy. A music therapist came into our class once a week to sing songs and give the students a chance to play some instruments. The students, as well as all of the teachers, always enjoyed this part of the week.

I am starting to think more about my plans for next year, after graduating from Stonehill. I have some possibilities in mind. I may find a teaching job and starting work on my Master's in a couple years, or there are some service teaching programs that I am interested in that would allow me to teach and work on my Master's at the same time. My experience this summer however, has me thinking more about the possibility of going into special education. It seems crazy that I will already be applying for more school and a real job so soon! Most importantly, right now it's time for me to take the GREs!!!

One of the other perks of my summer job this year was that I still had time to spend weekends with friends and do lots of summer things! This past weekend my roommate, Carrie, came to visit me. We went to the beach, had a cookout and campfire with my friends from home, AND went to the Taylor Swift and Keith Urban concert at the TD Banknorth Garden! Here's a picture of the concert goers in Boston and a couple pictures of the concert:

Weekend Getaways: Boston and Lake George

Over the past couple of weeks, I have certainly had my fair share of mini-vacations. For the Fourth of July, I went with my family into Boston to enjoy the Boston Pops and the fireworks over the Charles. Then this past weekend, I traveled with two of my Stonehill friends, Kait and Kathleen, to visit our friend Carrie, who is my roommate next year, in her hometown of Queensbury, New York.

But let's first start with my family's trip to Boston. Even though we only live an hour from Boston, we have never gone into the city for the famous 4th of July celebration before. It was something I have always wanted to do, so it was definitely the year for us to go! We spent all day on the 4th walking around the city. We ate lunch in Quincy Market, walked through Boston Common and the Public Gardens, and enjoyed the atmosphere by the harbor where we stayed at the Marriot Long Wharf. Here's a picture of my sister, Lindsay, and I at lunch at Ned Devines and my mom, my sister, and I at the Swan Pond.

That night we headed over to the Esplanade to find a spot to sit and listen to the Pops perform with Neil Diamond and watch the fireworks. The best way to describe what it was like down by the Hatch Shell is...crowded. There were so many people! We got there comparatively late, and because there were so many people, so we were lucky to get a pretty good spot where we could see the fireworks in between the trees. Here's a couple pictures of our place to sit and the fireworks:
This past weekend was the second annual trip to Queensbury, which is only about twenty minutes from Lake George - somewhere I used to love to travel to with my family for camping trips. I really enjoy returning. On Friday afternoon, we all relaxed by Carrie's pool, then had a delicious dinner that Carrie's mom cooked for us, and then went to Carrie's friend's house for a bonfire. On Saturday, we were all a little adventurous when we hiked out along the edge of Lake George to get to Calves Pen, our location for cliff jumping! I really enjoyed the hike, but I only jumped from the lowest rock into the lake once we arrived at our location. I didn't mind the jump, but the water was very choppy because of impending storms. Here are some pictures of hiking, Lake George, Calves Pen, and cliff jumping. The first is the first official senior year roommate picture of Carrie and I!

We were lucky enough to get a ride on a boat from some friendly people on the lake rather than having to hike back out of the woods. The hike that took us over an hour we covered in a couple minutes by boat! This was great, but unfortunately, in order for us to get out to the boats, everything - towels, shoes, clothes, and food - got soaked!

Hiking, swimming, and jumping was very tiring, so by the end of the day, we were starved, so we went out for Mexican food and ice cream in Lake George. It was all very yummy! Then all day Sunday we ate too! We went out for a big breakfast at The Silo, where Carrie's friend works, and where you can also find the best fudge! So of course, I got some fudge to bring home! Then, to get home we had to drive right past Kathleen's home town of Clifton Park, so we stopped at her house where her dad made us pizza and salad for lunch. By the time I was home, my stomach was full of good food, and my mind was full of good times with friends.

Kathleen, Kait, me, and Carrie (left to right) before going out for Mexican.

So that's what I have been up to during my weekends, check back soon for an update of what I have been up to during my weeks: working at summer school!

OrientatiOn 2OO9

That's right, Summer Orientation for Stonehill's largest class ever has come and gone. Last week, over two sessions, the Peer Mentor Team welcomed over 700 students (and their families) that make up the Class of 2013. Despite the unseasonably strange rainy weather, everything went smoothly and everyone had a great time. This year I was an assistant coordinator for the program, so I had the opportunity to observe the overall picture of Orientation.

As always we had an overly energetic, enthusiastic, and excited fabulous group of Peer Mentors. Take a look at the Peer Mentors welcoming the incoming students - with balloons, posters, and the traditional Stonehill cheer.

During Summer Orientation, all of the incoming students are a part of smaller groups of about 13 students lead by two or three Peer Mentors. Together the groups go to panels and informational sessions with Campus Ministry, Residence Life, Academics, and Community Standards. The students also spend a lot of time in their groups with Peer Mentors meeting new people, asking questions, and bonding with new friends.

Students also have the opportunity to meet with advisers to get their courses approved and have their ID pictures taken for their Hill Cards (which has both our meal plan account and our Hill Card account - which is like a debit card that we can use at the Information Desk, vending machines, the bookstore, Bertucci's, and CVS). The students also attended a classroom experience. Next year the entire college will be involved in examining what Socrates meant by "The examined life is not worth living." Astra Taylor has directed a documentary entitled "The Examined Life" which interviews several philosophers on the topic of the examined life. The classroom experience during this year's Summer Orientation focused on the examined life. In the fall, we will host viewings of the film, Astra Taylor will be speaking on campus, and there will be a series of lectures on the same topic.

Orientation '09 was not without a couple of our favorite sessions that we have had for several years now. The first is called Playfair. There is no way to describe it other than as a huge meet and greet. The Peer Mentors and the freshmen all run around usually outside on the football field, but sometimes, like on Tuesday, we hold Playfair inside Merkert Gymnasium because of the rain. The mingling and get-to-know-you activities that Newton (our favorite Playfair facilitator) leads us in are just a whole lot of fun.

Another of the favorite Summer Orientation activities is listening to Michael Miller. Michael is a friendly face to Stonehill. He worked for a short time in our Student Activities, which is the office from which Orientation comes from, so some of the Peer Mentors have known him well over the past couple years. Michael travels around the country using his undying energy and humor to teach people how to get what they want out of their lives. Michael spoke this year to the parents as well as the students, and everyone really enjoyed his sessions.

Overall, Orientation was a blast. It was my third year participating in Orientation as a part of the Peer Mentor Team, not to mention my own Orientation! Orientation is special for the Peer Mentors every year in many ways. Not only do we get to give back to Stonehill through being role models for the incoming students, we also become friends with each year's incoming students, and nothing can compare to the strong bond that forms between the members of the Peer Mentor Team as we train and prepare from January to June. I am so glad to have been involved in Orientation during my time at Stonehill. Some of my closest friends and dearest memories are from my four years of Orientation. Luckily, it's not over quite yet because we still have Fall Orientation and a whole year to spend together!

The Orientation Coordinator, Christine, (right), and the Assistants, Katrina and I.

This year's senior Peer Mentors. We now officially have one year to go!

Summer's in Full Swing

Already this summer, I have had some highs and lows as well as time to work and time to relax. One of my lows was that I had graft surgery. I had receeding gums, so they had to cut some gum from the roof of my mouth and reattach it to my gums were the gum line was too low. This was my first surgery ever! It was also the first time I have had stitches; so needless to say, I was nervous about it! I appreciated the Valium they gave me to relax, and while I felt some of the needles, the pain during the following week wasn’t too bad. However, my chin did bruise pretty badly. But now my gums, while a little swollen at first, are already starting to look better!

While surgery is never pleasant, it did give me an excuse to relax a bit. I got to finally sleep a lot, read, and watch some movies. But now since two days off for surgery, I have substituted every day at my old elementary school.

I have had a couple tough days with some really talkative classes that make me want to run for the hills. But for the most part, when the students are cooperative, I have truly enjoyed teaching. Now I am looking forward to having my own classroom, which would help eliminate some of the disrespectful talking that is nearly impossible to avoid as a substitute. Luckily, I will have a chance to get to know one classroom really well in the fall when I student teach! I had been waiting for a couple months to receive my MTEL scores, and finally, I heard back that I passed! I was so excited and relieved. Since receiving my scores, I have also received my placement for student teaching. I will be teaching in a first grade classroom in Mansfield. I am really excited to learn a lot more about teaching! This was definitely one of the highs of the summer so far!

Another exciting part of my summer is that I got a new car! I love my new car, a 2004 Dodge Stratus. I have to admit, it’s pretty sharp looking! Here’s a picture:

Having a new car has made getting to work each day a lot easier than having to coordinate sharing cars with my family. But even though I have worked a lot so far this summer, I have also had a chance to go to parties and do other fun things on the weekends. Two weekends ago I went to my cousin’s fiancé’s bridal shower, and two graduation parties. This past Friday, my boyfriend, Matt, visited. We went to see Angels & Demons and then over to my friend’s house for a party for her 22^nd birthday. Matt met all of my friends from home for the first time! Then, on Saturday night, I went with my sister and two of her friends to Providence. We did some shopping, ate at Dave & Buster’s, and then we walked around at water-fire. Water-fire is exactly what it sounds like. They light fires on the water. It was a beautiful night and there were so many people walking around along the edge of the water just enjoying the atmosphere. It was the first time that it truly felt like summer to me! Here are a couple pictures of our trip to see the water-fire:

Tomorrow, if you can believe it, I am going back to Stonehill for the next two weeks for Orientation. That’s right, this week the Peer Mentors will be getting everything ready to welcome a class of 710 incoming freshman next week! Check back at the end of next week for my Orientation update!

Happy Summer!

I can’t believe I have already been home and on vacation for over two weeks! And what a couple of weeks it has been! I got home Friday May 8, but as soon as I got home, I still had to finish the final paper for my Critical Theory class. So besides celebrating Mother’s Day at both of my grandmothers’ houses, I spent the weekend finishing my paper. But the hard work was definitely worth it because I got my grades back already and I am very happy with how I did!

After finishing my school work, I started real life kind of work. Right now I am substituting at the schools in my hometown. I have substituted in grades 1, 3, 4, and at the high school! I have been the classroom teacher, a classroom aid, a one-on-one assistant, and even the art teacher! Out of the 12 school days that I have been home for, I have subbed 9 full days! I have also taken two trips back to Stonehill for the Board of Trustees dinner and for the Board of Fellows, which elects the Trustees, meeting. I just can’t stay away from Stonehill apparently!

In addition to all of this and unpacking, my sister and I were also rushing to pull together the surprise 25^th wedding anniversary party that we had been planning for my parents since January! We had to buy all the groceries and drinks we needed and hide them at neighbors’ houses, cook, clean, go shopping for paper goods and decorations, and pick up the cake. Luckily, my sister was able to do a lot of these things while I was working at school on Thursday and Friday. Plus, we had some help from my grandma and some other family and friends.

The party turned out to be a huge success! My parents were surprised, even though it was difficult to devise a way to get them out of the house, and all of our guests seemed to have a great time! My sister and I successfully hosted our first party – thanks to the assistance of our wonderful family and friends of course!

My mom and dad were both surprised and excited to have a party waiting for them at home!

Cutting the cake!

It's their party...and they'll DANCE if they want to!

This past weekend, my family and I went camping in North Stonington, CT. It is in the southeastern most part of Connecticut, right near Foxwoods and Mystic. I love to go camping with my family. We always have since I was about 5 or 6 years old, and often going on several weekend trips each year! Unfortunately, we got rain, but we also had warm sunny afternoons, and I got to roast marshmallows on the campfire. And to be honest, I don’t mind a little bit of rain when we are camping, because I love the sound of rain on the roof of our camper! My sister, mom, and I also went to Watch Hill to do some shopping and sightseeing. I remember going to Watch Hill, with the merry-go-round where you can catch rings to win a free ride, as a girl. It was nice to walk around, and although I wasn’t willing to spend any money, to do some shopping.

My sister, Lindsay, and I in Watch Hill, RI.

I have done so much already and it has only been a couple weeks; I’m sure I will have lots more stories to share all summer. After all, this is my last real summer…as a student and not as a full time worker I mean! I will be blogging all summer, so be sure to check for updates on what I am up to during the summer, as well as updates on this past semester!

My Life Update

Hello everyone! Long time no speak! It’s about time that I give you all a life update, because a LOT has been going on in my life! (By the way, just so you know, I am putting off reading because this blog is long overdue! Although I think my Critical Theory Professor will be particularly upset if I don’t finish reading Jacques Derrida’s essay, because Derrida is her “soulmate” even though he never knew it. For those of you like me who have not heard of Derrida before, he is a philosopher whose work was revolutionary for the field of theory.)

Anyway, here’s my Top Five for the semester thus far (and then I’ll give you more details later!)

1) I am an assistant coordinator for the Orientation Program, and our Peer Mentor Team training has gotten off to a great start with a retreat, team dinners, and one of three training days!

2) I am currently President of the Class of 2010, and we have put on a couple events so far this semester: we hosted Improv Asylum (a comedy group from Boston) on campus, sold Class of 2010 sweatshirts, and decorated green t-shirts for St. Patty’s Day.

3) I ran for President of the Student Government Association Executive Board and lost. :( It was one of the most challenging experiences and times I have had here at Stonehill…but more on that later. For now, I will just say I am giving it another go and running to continue as Class President! Campaigning starts tomorrow and elections are next week!

4) I am dating someone! :) It’s a funny story actually, because he was in my Orientation Group two summers ago, and we have been friends since, and now we are dating! That’s kind of how Stonehill is! Here is a picture of Matt and I:

5) General Life: I took the final MTEL (hopefully I passed so I can student teach in the fall), registration for fall classes, planning housing for next year (I am hoping to live in Notre Dame du Lac with my friend, Carrie, who also wants to student teach in the fall), looking for a summer job (I would like to teach at the summer school in my hometown), writing scholarships applications…oh yeah, and then there’s this little thing called going to classes and doing my homework!

That’s my life right now in a nutshell…organized chaos! Check back soon for updates on my top three! They’ll be up soon…I promise!