The Uniform

SMC kids wear an unnatural amount of school apparel - and that causes people to constantly have chance meetings with alums all over the world, all because of an SMC shirt. I been called out all over the place for my SMC apparel, including most recently in Arizona! SMC alums are all over the place, and they continue their constant wearing of SMC clothing, no matter where they are!

Here are a few examples from my own life...

My (now roommate) Heather (SMC '10) and I in Kentucky back in 2008 sporting our SMC gear

SMC in the Dominican Republic in 2009!

SMC shirt AND sweats in Baltimore, MD on a service trip in 2010

(we were showing off our break dancing skills in case you couldn't tell)

My sister, Emily (SMC '12) and I running the Hinesburg Hilly Hobble over the 4th of July

Once an SMCer, always an SMCer...with LOTS of t-shirts to prove it!

Perspective

This is me sitting on the rim of the Grand Canyon - a really perspective-filled and very humbling moment captured by my good friend Amy.

I've been thinking a lot today about perspective. Mostly about how much each of our lives are impacted by our perspective on the situations that were are put in.

What does this have to do with anything?

I was personally relating it to my own life and a variety of things that seem overwhelming at this exact moment (Leaving for travel at 5:30 AM tomorrow! A fall travel season to plan! Interns to manage! Cupboard moths in our apartment!), but then I remembered how I was feeling exactly seven years ago when I was an incoming first year at St. Mike's. I was about to embark on a huge journey through the next four years, and I had no idea what to expect. Would I make friends? Would I find food that I liked to eat? Would I be able to keep up in my classes? Would I ever choose a major? Now, looking back on some of the most transformative and amazing years of my life, I wish I could go back to myself seven years ago and calm that poor girl down! I have so much added perspective now, and I know that perspective will only continue to grow.

So next week when the travel is done and I'm rested, the cupboard moths have been cleaned away and my travel is even more planned than it is now, I'll look back on these moments of feeling overwhelmed and just say "Relax. It all will work out." Because it always does.

If you are an incoming first year to SMC, relax. Harder than it sounds, I know, but trust the process. Trust the people around you, and allow yourself to be open to what's about to come. And look at that picture back up at the top of the post.

Remember that the Grand Canyon will always be there, no matter where you are and what is happening in your life. It is the work of millions of years of nature, and serves as a reminder to me that things happen over time - things become clearer after millions of years (or maybe, in our case, weeks or months). 5 million years ago that place in northern Arizona was just a desert, not one of the seven wonders of the world. Even in 6 months your life will be so changed that you will hardly recognize your thoughts right now.

So, take a deep breath, smile, and let the world run its course.

Be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Desiderata - Max Ehrmann

Oh the Places You'll Go...

My last post focused on the fun activities on the books for this summer in Burlington, but I also have a variety of travel planned for the rest of the summer. Here are a few of the highlights!

1. Bridgewater Corners, VT - Not your typical Vermont hotbed, but my good friends Mallory and Andrew relocated to this rural town in central Vermont near Killington last summer. This weekend they are hosting a 4th of July/summer party with their families and a variety of different SMC friends. I'm looking forward to it!

2. New York City - one of my favorite places on earth...and I'll be visiting yet again next weekend! This time it will be with my mom and my sister, Emily, as well as our good family friends Linda and Brittany. We've got a hotel booked in Manhattan, are planning to see a show and will help Brittany move into her new apartment in Queens on Sunday. It will be a great trip!

3. Old Orchard Beach, ME - my family's annual summer vacation to Maine will be happening yet again this summer. I'm looking forward to time on the beach with lots of relaxation!

Do you have any big summer plans?

Summer Nights

In my humble opinion, Burlington is the absolute best place to spend a summer. The weather is great (not too hot, but hot enough to swim in the lake and do other typical summer activities), there's lots to do and there are lots of people around. Even though I've spent every summer of my life in Burlington, it just doesn't get old! Here are a few things that I'm up to in Burlington this summer...

1. Kickball! Did you know that there are leagues of organized kickball games for adults? Well, I give you WAKA Kickball, and my team, Kicking and Screaming! Our team is a mix of SMC staff members and UVM Doctor of Psychology candidates. We play on Monday nights at Oakledge Park in Burlington, and if I'm being honest, we're not very good. We've only won one of our games, but I've been having a grand old time. Our team color is pink (much to my excitement and the boys' frustration), and this is the best picture they could manage of us...

In the bottom picture I'm standing behind the person holding our score book with a very disgruntled look on my face. I swear I was having fun.

2. New Home! On June 1st I moved into a new place in Winooski, which is the town between Burlington and St. Mike's - so it's the perfect location! I moved in with 3 SMC alums from the Class of 2010 and am loving it so far. It's nice to be in a new location with new friends, all of whom are interested in getting out and making the most of our summer. Here's a photo of our first lantern launch on a beautiful summer evening in the middle of our new street!

3. Concerts! I love live music, and we have many great venues to take in shows in Burlington, including Higher Ground. This summer I intend to see Ingrid Michaelson, Of Monsters and Men and Citizen Cope, as well as attend the "Grand Point North" music festival which is featuring both Grace Potter & the Nocturnals and The Avett Brothers. It should be a great summer of shows!

I hope your summer is shaping up to be as fun-filled as mine is...and this doesn't even include the travel I've got planned...that's a whole separate post!

Seeing the Southwest

My life has been a whirlwind for the past few weeks (anyone notice a trend here?), so I've been able to have a lot of fun adventures. During the month of June I've been in 9 different states, traveling both for work and for fun.I saw Sugarland perform again, and added a new state to my ever growing tally...Arizona! Here are a few photos of my time in the southwest...

My best friend, former roommate and fellow admissions professional, Dustin, and I taking a break from the conference we attended in Denver, CO at Red Rocks Amphitheater. It was a great night of networking with some beautiful views of Colorado!

My friend from camp, Amy, and I took a trip to the Grand Canyon!

Vermont Corporate Cup Challenge!

For the past several months I have been training for my first 5K with a few of my colleagues. Last night was the big night - my first road race!

Yep, that says RUNNER.

My team, the Hoehl Raisers (Hoehl is the name of the Admission office, and is pronounced "hale." Get it?) was my colleague Katherine and the Director of Conferences and Special Events, Mark. Our goal was to finish without walking...and WE DID IT! The course was hillier than our training runs had been so I struggled a little bit towards the end, but as I rounded the final corner and saw my boss, Jacki shouting my name and cheering and my friend and colleague Christian yelling for me, I knew I could do it! I was elated when we crossed the finish line. And even more elated to see the water bottles and bagels for us :-)

After the run, we all went to the college's graphic designer's home in Waterbury for an afterparty. One of my fellow runners said that they best part of the race for him was the post-race pizza and adult beverage! I am so lucky to work with such fun, active, friendly, happy people. I can't wait until next year...but I also see more races in my near future!

The whole Saints on the Run team!

I'm in the front row in the purple shorts, my Hoehl Raisers teammates Kath, next to me in the orange shorts, and Mark, in the back row, second from the right.

Happy Graduation!

Congrats class of 2012!

My cousin Sara, Emily and me at the Baccaleaureate Honors Ceremony

My family after the ceremony

Congratulations Em!