Masquerade!

As I promised, I have a ton of photos to show you all from the Masquerade Ball that was put on by the SMC Diversity Coalition last night! A ton of people came out looking funky fresh in their fancy clothes and outrageous masks, and I had a blast! I normally don't go to dances very often, but when I do I always find that it's a great time and think "Wow, I should really go to more of these kinds of things!" I am an atrocious dancer to say the least, but any time is a good time with a great group of friends, costumes, and music!

Kat & Paul in their natural habitat.

Kat and I pre-dance looking suave!

Clearly the evening was a fancy one.

Trippy!

My friend Brendan taking a break from dancing.

Kat putting her mask on - so pretty!

My friend Elizabeth striking a pose!

Thankfully, the Diversity Coalition is planning to make this event an annual thing, so I totally plan on going again next year! Although I was mostly going to take pictures for photojournalism, I found myself taking frequent breaks from that and just having fun and dancing (horribly) with some awesome people! The Diversity Coalition was super cool about me taking photos of them setting up and interviewing them as well, so a big shout out to them!

If you like dressing up, dancing, and having a good time, the Masquerade Ball is definitely for you!

Acapella and Friday Night Grill!

Happy Saturday everyone! I hope you all had a great Friday night, mine was a blast!

To start the evening off right, I went to see the Acabella's, Sleepless Knights, and Mike Check perform in the Dion Family Student Center at 9, and as usual they were fantastic! This was an unorthodox performance because they all usually schedule separate concerts or perform at Friday Knight Dry, but they all agreed to do this performance coupled with a screening of Pitch Perfect as a weekend activity organized by the RA's! I have a number of friends in all of the groups, so it was great to see them perform.

My friend Mariah and I after the performances!

Here's a clip of Sleepless Knights performing at the last Friday Knight Dry - they're fantastic!

Afterward, a few friends and I hung out around Quad Commons until the grill was set up and ready to go at 11. For those of you who may not know what the grill is/have never been to the grill, it's a night cookout put on by St. Michael's every Friday and Saturday night on the weekends with great food! Fridays they usually serve chicken patties, and Saturdays are usually hamburgers and hotdogs. It's a great event to go to with your friends before going out for the night!

Afterward, I laid low with some of my friends in my room and watched Netflix and just talked about everything, a great way to end the night! Tonight I'm planning on going to the Masquerade Ball in the Dion Family Student Center at 9, then I'll probably hang out with some friends and see what people are doing afterward! Keep a lookout for a post about the ball soon, I'll be taking pictures and recordings for photojournalism, so I'm sure I'll have lots to share.

Speaking of that, I've got to run to the library soon and get some lenses in order to prepare! Hope your night is full of awesomeness!

Hanging With My Dogs.

Now that I'm back in the hustle and bustle of school after a week of literally doing almost absolutely nothing (trust me, it's hitting me hard), I find myself missing the relaxation of my home a little bit. It's funny how when you're home (or at least when I'm home), I long to be back at school keeping busy and hanging out with all of my friends, but now that I'm back, it's kind of the opposite. One thing I especially miss (or three, rather) are my dogs - being able to see them all the time, playing with them outside, and watching movies with them in the living room while they kindly offer their bodies as my pillows.

I know I've posted some pictures of them on here before so you all might have a general idea of what they look like, but for those of you who may not know, I have three amazing dogs. One is a West Highland White Terrier named Sophie who just turned 15 this past Christmas, and the other two are Kelso and Duncan: brothers who are a mix of Rottweiler and Springer. They turned 9 this past 4th of July (I know, all my animals have holiday birthdays - crazy, right?)

Kelso is up front, Duncan's in the middle, and Sophie is lounging in the back - they're all so cute!

I took this one after watching a movie with my favorite buddy Duncan (if I had to play favorites, it would probably be him..shh!)

It's odd and sad to think about how old they're all getting and that they might not be here within the next couple of years, so I'm really trying to soak up all the time with them that I can. Since I've had them for as long as I can remember, it's hard to think of life without them, and I hope when I'm home more this summer that I can really enjoy my time with them. It's hard for my entire family because we're all so busy now that we're older and we've moved around a lot, but I'm definitely planning on setting aside some time this summer to take them on walks around the woods, play outside, and maybe go for a drive to the beach to cool off.

These pups are one of a kind and I treasure them so much. If you've never had any animals or are thinking about getting a dog, I definitely recommend it. It's crazy how much love an animal can have for you, and how much they can help you and be there for you when you need them most.

From the dog lover to you, happy Wednesday!

Boloco Date!

Hey everyone! So I'm finally back at Saint Mike's (thank god - I thought I saw starting to go crazy over break missing this place) and I haven't really done anything too eventful today, but yesterday and Friday I got to catch up with Mimi, a good friend of mine from high school that goes to Champlain College. I think I've told y'all about her before, but I just figured I'd cover my bases in case I didn't!

On Friday, we went on our traditional Boloco date for dinner (we do this about once every two weeks or so, mostly because we're obsessed with that place). For those of you who may not know, Boloco is an awesome joint in Downtown Burlington that serves really good burritos, salads, and even Nutella milkshakes! If you've never gone, you should totally go sometime (and invite me...please?)

Mimi in her native habitat.

My dinner - chicken teriyaki burrito and a Nutella milkshake!

Not only did we go on a delicious food date Friday, but last night we decided to treat ourselves to some Olive Garden in Burlington. I typically get the $9.99 pasta and dessert deal, it's incredible and you can't beat that price!

Aside from the good eats, I love setting aside some time to catch up with a good friend while taking advantage of the break. After all, it is a "break" in theory (although I did do some homework in the mean time...and probably should've done so much more than I actually did, but that's beside the point). I mean, it's kind of sad that break is over and school is back on, but it doesn't even matter because I'm just so happy to see everyone again and be busy (I'm not kidding, I start to go crazy when I have nothing to do!)

Anyway, I'm sure photojournalism will bring some neat adventures within the coming days - big projects are going to be due soon that I have to go out and explore Burlington to accomplish, so I'll be sure to keep you all posted! In the mean time, I hope everyone enjoyed their breaks and that you're just as stoked as I am to be back!

Throwback Thursday.

So I know I've kind of done one of these before with the whole Flashback Friday thing, but being on spring break and away from people for the most part has left me a lot of alone time to reflect on how I ended up where I am today. It's hard to believe I've already been through what feels like so much and I'm only 20 years old, which means there are so many more adventures and experiences to be had.

Specifically, I thought I'd take some time to focus on where I was during spring break in the past and how that led to where and who I am now. For those of you who don't like sappy posts (and who knows, maybe this won't be a sappy post, I'll try my best), you can definitely feel free to close this tab and move on and I'd totally understand. If it's no bother to you, then here we go!

One Year Ago...

It's hard to believe it's already been a year since I graduated from basic training, time is moving way too fast! I definitely wouldn't be the person I am today without this incredible yet daunting experience. Of course I was nervous to go after I swore in and promised my country that I would serve, but it was challenging and rewarding experience that I'm still so thankful that I went through to this day.

A lot of people always ask me "What was it like?" or "Was it really hard?" To answer those questions, it was unlike anything I've ever experienced. It was constantly waking up early to train, practice marching, go through military training classes, and always trying to squeeze every possible thing into a single day while military training instructors are constantly yelling in your face. It was stressful and intense and at times I wanted to just quit, but what helped me get through it were the people I became close with in my flight going through the same exact thing and the overwhelming support I received from my friends and family back home.

In the end, basic training was and wasn't hard at the same time. I don't know. It's difficult to explain this further to someone who hasn't gone through it, but to me it makes sense. I hope you all aren't reading this and thinking I'm some kind of hero either, because I'm definitely not. Thousands of people graduate from basic training every week. What makes members of the military heroes are when they're deployed, when they're put in life-or-death situations and choose to fight, when they truly realize that they're a part of something much bigger than themselves and that they may be asked to sacrifice everything for their country.

I don't think I've come to that point yet, but I truly hope I do one day. I believe people are inherently selfish to a degree and mostly live life for themselves, which I'm also guilty of, but if I'm deployed after I graduate from St. Michael's, I'll try my best to serve my country with honor. This is how the military has helped me grow. I've realized that the possibilities of danger, harm, and death are extremely present every day, and my sense of "young invincibility" has adapted accordingly.

My Military Training Instructor (MTI) and I after I graduated from basic training - he may be short, but he was definitely not afraid to yell.

My best friend Tyler Crawford and I after graduation. He helped me get through so much and I can never thank him enough for that.

Two Years Ago...

On a much lighter note, two years ago I was a freshman at St. Michael's and frankly, I had a very different mindset than I do today. Not only is it evident that I've matured physically, but back then, I don't think I really took life all that seriously. I was a pretty big goofball, and I definitely liked being the center of attention. To some degree, I still possess those qualities, but I think I've learned to control them much better now.

We all know that guy that takes the joke too far or cries out for attention too much, and that was probably me to be honest, but I'm thankful that I've gained more control of these qualities for the better. Contrastingly (as to not dwell on the criticisms too much), I remember feeling much more carefree and fun-loving back then too.

Since I was just starting at St. Michael's, I remember getting to know my friend group, loving the new atmosphere, and feeling truly independent as well, which are all feelings I still have today. I've had to make a (mostly) entirely new friend group this semester because basically all of mine went abroad or took a semester off, which has caused me to feel that same rush of excitement with a tinge of anxiety about meeting new people as I felt back then.

I'm grateful for all the new friends this semester has offered me, and I don't think I would've met them or gotten to know them as well in different circumstances, so who knows, maybe everything happens for a reason.

Cait, one of the first friends I made at St. Michael's, and I being goofy after dinner at the Knightstand freshman year. What a throwback! 

Three Years Ago...

Oh man, just going through my Facebook photos and pulling these up made me feel so many emotions. I was a senior in high school three years ago and I was enrolled in the marketing program at my high school which incorporated an organization called Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) into its curriculum. DECA is an organization that prepares high school and college students for careers in business, specifically management, marketing, and hospitality.

Every year they host an International Career Development Conference (ICDC), which tests students' skills in various forms of business, and my high school attended the Orlando, Florida conference in April 2011, but first we had to qualify at the state-level conference in March. Many of my friends were in the marketing program and participated in DECA with me, so it made it not only a great educational experience, but also a fun and unforgettable time with them.

My classmates and I with our state awards - we took it home!

Me with one of my achievement awards - check out that hair!

In short, it's safe to say I've come a long way to get where I am now, and many of the experiences and people of my past have helped me get here. I'm proud of who I am today and I wouldn't change a single thing, but there's still so much more to explore and I'm so blessed to be in the position I am now to take full advantage of everything life has to offer.

If you've got a minute, you should take some time to think about how you got here and how fortunate you truly are, but don't dwell and miss the past! (I'm personally very guilty of this). Look forward to everything that's still coming.

It's a wild ride, but just keep hanging on.

More Photography!

Well here I am, keeping my promise to myself after a long day of slight homework and a lot of being lazy that I would post as much as possible this week (go me!). Yesterday, I decided to get a head start on one of my photojournalism projects due next week, so I thought I'd share it with you all! It's an assignment about "environmental portraits," which basically means capturing a posed portrait of someone in their natural environment (home, work, etc.) that tells something about them without having to use words to do so.

This assignment was fairly simple to me since I used my mom as the subject. Knowing that her favorite things on Earth are cats and that my house has many cat decorations (and actual cats, for that matter), I went to work and produced some pretty nice images.

I really like this lighting in this one, how organized everything is on the stand, and the subtlety of the cat.

Troy and my mom in their natural habitat - he's just so cute!

I really love the composition of this one.

There's the smile! Gotta love her.

I had a blast shooting with my mom despite her insisting she looked bad, which was totally not true! She got into it more as we kept shooting and really opened up, and that's when you know you've established a good connection with your subject (granted it was easier for me in this case because it was my mom), but this sort of connection can be easily gained with friends or strangers as long as your friendly and considerate.

Well, I'm sure I'll have something else to share with you all tomorrow since I plan on seeing my friend Mimi at Champlain College, and we never have a definite plan, so who knows what we'll be up to! 

Happy Tuesday!

Spring Break Weekend.

Hey everyone, hope you're having an awesome spring break so far (or if you had it last week, I hope it was a blast!)

So far, it's safe to say I've done little to nothing school-wise, but I had my friend Paul stay at my house this past weekend and it was great! He got to meet all of my animals and we took a drive around my home town of Saint Albans, Vermont to explore the sights.

It was a fantastic weekend for sure with a good friend, and I can't believe how quickly it flew by! It's odd that we're already over halfway through March too (which is actually kind of scary because I have so much to do between now and the end of the semester...pray for me), but on a less serious note, here are some pictures from our weekend shenanigans!

We got $12 meals at Olive Garden thanks to Paul and a nice stranger who gave us a coupon - it was absolute heaven!

After a long drive around Saint Albans, we stopped by the bay and took some pictures. What can I say, media major problems.

Lake Champlain was gorgeous as usual.

And I can't forget about these two, baby Suri and her best friend Troy. They're so cute!

I hope he can come up again sometime in the near future, we definitely didn't have time to explore everything so we could give it a second go! In the mean time, I have a few goals to accomplish before going back to school next week:

1. Write a 20-page essay (I know I'm freaking out internally too).
2. Write a much less daunting 3-page essay.
3. Highlight my volumes for my Air Force testing (which hopefully won't take too long).
4. Write a journal entry for Shakespeare class.
5. Brainstorm and research project ideas for both my science class and my photojournalism class.

Well, that should all be doable if I don't procrastinate any longer than I already have...wish me luck! Also, I'm going to try to post most days (if not all) over break on here since I'm not going to be too busy about anything and everything I'm doing, so stay tuned!

Oh, and happy St. Patrick's Day! Have fun and stay safe!

Tattoo Adventures!

Tattoos are an intriguing thing. They can have the deepest meanings and personal connotations for some, while for others, they may simply get them and admire them for their artistic nature. I had always wanted tattoos when I was younger, but I wasn't sure what I would get and to be honest, I would always shy away from them because I was afraid and didn't know what to expect. But this year, I really wanted to try something new and prove to myself that I was spontaneous, and there was one way to do so that I'd been thinking about for a long time: conquering my fear of tattoos.

I don't know if I've told you all before now, but I got my first two tattoos this past January during the first week of classes. I decided to get the words "worry less" on one forearm, and "love more" on the other as a personal mantra for me to follow when life gets hard, and I love them to death.

Here they are a couple of hours after I got them!

After getting these two and finally experiencing what it's like to get tattoos, I discovered it wasn't so bad! I definitely want to get more and I've started a list of a few larger pieces that I'm planning (which I'm sure I'll share with you all), but I decided to get another this past Monday at Vermont Custom in Downtown Burlington!

It was a pretty whimsical decision because a couple of my friends wanted to get their cartilages pierced, and I'd been itching for another tattoo since the first two anyway, so I decided to go for it! I went with my idea of my mother's birthday (6/26/69) in roman numerals on my front left shoulder blade, and it was a neat experience this time because I'd already had tattoos and because my friends were also getting something done.

Just casually getting tattooed, no biggie.

The finished product!

I'm saving up now and starting to plan my larger piece that'll go on my right arm, and hopefully I'll be able to get it done sometime in April! Tattoos are a wonderful thing, but make sure you really give some thought to what you want before you go because it'll be on your body forever.

Ice Skating!

Happy Saturday! Mine has been a bit stressful and overwhelming since it's drill weekend once again and I'm trying to balance my job with getting my school work done, but staying busy has always been good for me (I'm not kidding I actually go crazy if I have nothing to do...I found that out this past winter break...but that's beside the point).

Last night St. Michael's put on another free skating night at the C. Douglas Cairns Arena in South Burlington and it was a blast! They put one on last month as well, but I wasn't able to go to that one, so I was stoked to go and get on the ice and have a good time with some awesome people (plus I hadn't skated in years, so I needed a lot of help, but it was worth it!)

Paul and I posing for a shot (but really he was probably supporting me so I wouldn't fall...)

The skating crew!

Paul and Kathryn, the happy couple!

Ivana, Brendan, and I living it up on the ice!

Lily, Paul and I being goofs - love these faces!

So basically ice skating was supremely epic, and I love that St. Michael's puts on events like these that get everyone off campus for a bit and enjoying each others' company! I had an awesome time, and I'm definitely going to go again if the school offers it!

If you didn't go, you totally should next time! C'mon, just think of how much fun you'll have watching me fall on my face...I'm getting better. I think. Maybe. We'll see!

Free Pancake Day at iHop!

So today I actually did something eventful off campus for once and I'm super excited to write about it and share it with you all, so here let me tell you about my life!

As I'm sure many of you already know, it was National Free Pancake Day today at iHop, so my friends Paul, Kathryn (who also happens to be a fellow blogger), Lily, Callie and I decided to go there for lunch! I hardly ever go off campus to eat (which I should do so much more since Burlington is the #6 college town after all), and I had an awesome time getting some amazing free pancakes and catching up with my friends!

Lily and I after ordering our short stacks...we could hardly wait!

Paul and Kathryn showing some love. Aren't they a cute couple?

The short stacks and sausages arrived! They were FANTASTIC.

Clearly, this trip was beautiful in every sense of the word, and I definitely plan on going on more of them in the future! It's hard to get off campus as much as I'd like to with my busy schedule for sure, but I'm going to try to much more because Burlington has so much to offer and as much as I love St. Michael's, it's nice to see new and different places.

If you want to check out Kathryn's blog, here's a link! She's stellar.

Look forward to a post about new photos in my Photojournalism class this coming Friday! I've got a ton to share.

Adios!

Music Sunday.

Hey everyone!

Do you want to have your own radio show? I've thought about the idea for a while, since St. Mike's offers up the opportunity at the beginning of each semester to any individual or duo who wants their own 2-hour show on WWPV the Mike (St. Mike's radio station), and I think I might go for it next semester since it's a little too late at this point. I like the idea of just having a couple of hours to relax, perhaps with a friend of mine, while playing some tunes while getting some work done. I've always used music as a solace and a tool to get in the zone when I have responsibilities to uphold or even if I'm just getting a good workout in at the gym, so I think a radio show would just deepen my love for it that much further!

I usually listen to harder music like rock, metal, or hardcore when I'm at the gym or just feeling like I'm in the mood, but when I'm in the car or hanging out with a few friends, I'll usually play more pop or hip hop. I'm not gonna lie, I can get down to some Miley or some Ke$ha, but I try not to overkill that kind of music since the radio does that enough without my help.

WWPV's new setup on the second floor of the Dion Family Student Center (photo courtesy of WWPV 88.7 The Mike)

The station's old setup in St. Edmunds Hall (photo courtesy of WWPV 88.7 The Mike)

From what I understand. the school leaves it pretty open as to what you can play and when, but the only rule is there can't be any profanity in the songs that you play. I'm definitely going to look into this for next semester, and if you're interested in learning more, here are some links for you to check it out!

WWPV Website: http://wwpv.smcvt.edu
WWPV Blog: http://wwpv.wordpress.com/events/

Friday (K)Night Dry!

It seems like I might as well move my blogging schedule to Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday at this point since I'm always doing something exciting around campus on Friday nights - last night, it was Friday Night Dry!

For those of you who may not know, Friday Night Dry is something that St. Mike's puts on usually once a semester where they'll hold a bunch of games, concerts, performances, and a raffle for everyone to come enjoy and participate in! It's a great way to get out, meet new people, and become involved in an unconventional way (as opposed to drinking and partying, for example, which is why it's called Friday Night Dry).

First I went to see Dog Sees God, a play that the St. Mike's Drama Club put on in the Trapdoor Theatre in McCarthy, and it was awesome! (If you haven't seen it, you should go tonight at 7 because they're putting it on again! Same time, same place). I had a few friends in the play and I met a few new people there as well, and I loved seeing the talent of St. Mike's Drama Club live!

My friend Julia and I at Dog Sees God last night - she's the best!

A shot of the Acabellas performing last night - Maggie Bogan, one of my best friends, is in the middle (please don't hate me for this!)

In short, I had an awesome time going out with some friends and taking a break from the usual homework-filled nights I tend to have. That being said, now that the homework is piling up and my time is running out before Monday, I should probably get to that, but if you didn't go to last night's Friday Night Dry, you should totally go to one next semester! I promise you'll love them.