Start Fresh.

Okay, so let me start by giving you guys a little bit about me: my name is Nathan Gabel, I'm a junior this year at Saint Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont, and I have a double-major in Business Administration and Media Studies with a minor in Creative Writing. I'm obsessed with running, web design, consuming large quantities of milk, and writing fiction.

Something that's been on my mind since the beginning of this semester in the phrase "start fresh." To me, this means getting a chance to do things you never thought possible, or maybe even getting a chance to do things again in a way you'd preferred to beforehand. Since about a year ago, I've had a ton of "fresh starts," such as enlisting in the United States Air Force, taking the spring semester of 2013 off to complete basic training and technical schooling, attaining much more financial stability to be able to go to Saint Michael's with the Air Force's help, and almost completely finishing the plans for my study abroad trip to Leeds, England for next semester.

Clearly, this past year has been loaded with many new obstacles and challenges for me, and I've been overcoming them well so far, but I've been making sure I remember to breathe and enjoy the time I have here at Saint Michael's! In just the course of this past month, I've had a ton of fun times with friends old and new, and I'd like to share some with you all!

This is my roommate Jesse (on the left), Sheila, and I moving in the first weekend back at SMC! It was definitely a long day, and everyone was working hard to get organized and tackle the new semester.

The weekend after Jesse and I got all settled in, we went to the Champlain Valley Fair! For those of you who may not know, this is an annual fair that takes place at Essex Fair Grounds about two miles away from Saint Mike's. It draws in a huge crowd, it has tons of fun rides, and it throws some awesome concerts! This year, Ke$ha came!

The top picture (from left to right) is my roommate Jesse, Brandon, Tiffany, and I on the Wild Mouse roller coaster!

This is a compilation of photos I took on an early-morning run a couple of weeks ago around North Campus - we're so lucky to have all of this history to explore right outside our window!

On September 14th, Jesse and I decided to go to the Color Vibe 5k in Vergennes, VT! This is a 5k where you get blasted with colored cornstarch, essentially, while running the entirety of the track! Once we were finished, there was a live DJ bumping dubstep and techno for a color-filled dance party. It was one of the most amazing experiences I've had in my life, and the best part is they come every year! This took place only an hour away from St. Michael's campus, too!

This past week, it was the Air Force's 66th birthday, too! For being a member of the Air National Guard instead of being active duty, I have to serve one weekend a month at the VT Air National Guard base in Winooski, VT, and next drill weekend, we're having practice for simulated chemical warfare! We get to wear gas masks and suits while being tasked with various jobs to prevent contamination of the base while maintaining day-to-day operations (I kinda felt like the guys in suits on Monsters, Inc.!)

All of this fun while trying to keep up with classes, of course! Above is Cait on the right, Emma in the middle, and I during one of our philosophy lectures (clearly we were having fun!) This semester, I'm taking 6 1/2 classes because I need to catch up to graduate on time since I took a semester off for military training...not an easy life being a double-major with a minor!

This is Mimi, my best friend of four years! We went to high school together, and now she goes to Champlain College, which is just a few miles from SMC! We've made it a tradition to go to Boloco, a burrito restaurant in Downtown Burlington, every week to get dinner together while catching up about anything and everything. It's nice to have someone I've known for a while so close!

This semester has been nothing but rewarding so far, and I can't wait to see how the next three months play out! In the mean time, I'll be filling you all in here, so please feel free to ask me anything and everything about my life, anything I've mentioned so far, or Saint Michael's in general!

More madness to come soon!