Holiday Traditions at the 'Hurst

Hi All!

So the three weeks leading up to Christmas break are always a ton of fun because campus goes crazy for Christmas!  Three traditions that I look forward to every year are my different club's Ugly Christmas Sweater Parties, Christmas Dinner/Secret Santa Swap with my friends, and Christmas on Campus.

My roommates and I in our ugly Christmas attire

I'll be honest, I absolutely LOVE Ugly Christmas Sweater Parties.  I actually left my collection at home, so my roommate, friend, and I scrambled to try and find one last minute.  Pictured here, is from the Ambassador Club's "Christgiving," which is Thanksgiving dinner mixed with ugly Christmas sweaters... what could be better?!  And on Tuesday, I have my Fashion Merchandising Ugly Christmas Sweater Party, which is always fun too.

Summer Crew <3

On Friday, my friends and I all had our annual Christmas Dinner/Secret Santa Swap, which I've been looking forward to all week!  We always get dressed up nice (even the boys!) and find a nice restaurant to eat at, which is kind of a big deal for a bunch of college students, haha!

All of the Girls

We're such a big group, that we're rarely all at the same place at the same time, so it's a great time to see everyone and catch up.  It was such a great night and to add the cherry on top, it was the first real snow of the year!

I think it's safe to say I'm on Santa's Nice List!

On Saturday, I worked at the MSG table for Christmas on Campus.  This is a huge event that the campus hosts every year where underprivileged kids get to come and have a Mercyhurst "buddy" to follow them around and do crafts, make snacks, and receive a gift from Mrs. Clause and Santa.  At the MSG table, we had a bunch of gifts on a table and the kids got to pick out a gift for their parent, and then decorate a bag to put it in... so cute!  This year's Christmas on Campus was especially memorable because Jeremy and Meg, the MSG President, were Santa and Mrs. Clause!

Happy Holidays from the 'Hurst! =)

London & Paris- My Trip in Pictures

Hi Everyone!

My room late Tuesday night...

So I know that a lot of what I've been talking about the past few months is my FSAT trip to London and Paris over Thanksgiving Break.  I regret to be just posting about it now, but here's a picture a day from an unforgettable trip! 

It was really crazy because I was leaving in the afternoon on Wednesday the 16th, but I still had a final I had to take at 8AM... and I hadn't even started packing!  Needless to say, it was quite the balancing act, but somehow I managed to pull it all together...

Day 1- My seatmate, Tori, and I on the plane ready to take off... I managed to sleep the entire flight! 

 

Day 2- Here's a picture of me at Windsor Castle... note to self, find a house like this... or just marry a prince... I'll settle with either ;)

Day 3- Here's a picture of me and two of my roommates with Big Ben and Parliament in the background.  It's even more gorgeous in person!

Day 4- Here I am in Piccadilly Circus, this huge shopping and theater area... it reminded me of Times Square in New York City!

 

Day 5- Fun Fact: Hard Rock London was the original Hard Rock Cafe... who knew?!

Day 6-  I loved Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame when I was little so naturally, I was really excited to see Notre Dame in person.  I saw plenty of gargoyles and I even saw Quasimodo's bell!

Day 7- Obviously you can't go to Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower... in fact, probably half of my pictures from Paris are of the Eiffel Tower!  I especially loved it at night, it was probably one of the most gorgeous things I've ever seen =)

Day 8- Here's a picture of me and the Arc de Triumphe, another iconic French monument

Day 9- Do your recognize this fountain?!  It's from the Devil Wears Prada, which happens to be one of my favorite movies!

Day 10- The inner fashionista in me HAD to see the original Chanel store, where Coco Chanel actually used to do some of her work!

Traveling Opportunities at Mercyhurst

Hi Everybody,

So I was contemplating what to blog about for this week.  I was thinking and thinking, and then the light bulb went off... traveling! Many might assume that because Mercyhurst is a small school, we don't have many opportunities to travel.  But our school actually prides itself in the amount of opportunities that it provides for students, and for school credit too! 

Me in Milan, Italy in May 2010

All of the programs that I've been involved in, I've taken a 10 week class that focuses on the place that we're visiting, and then as a part of the class, we travel!  And it's not like the class goes to waste, it usually counts as one of the core classes that all Mercyhurst students need to fulfill anyways!  I'll mention a few examples of some of my personal traveling experiences (and upcoming ones!), as well as some of the awesome trips that my friends have pursued as well!

This weekend, I just enrolled to go to London with one of my favorite teachers and some of my closest friends from my major.  But don't worry if you aren't a fashion merchandising major, there are plenty of other travel opportunities that are offered!  Going into the summer of my sophomore year, I went to Milan, Florence, and Venice with my department and it was such a great experience!  And this coming summer, my department is hosting a trip to London, and I knew I couldn't pass up the opportunity!

Traveling with some fashionistas

I have also mentioned quite a few times about how I will be going to London and Paris this Thanksgiving Break with three of my roommates and my roommates from last year, among many other friends!  This class, called "Castles and Kings," counts for a European History class, which is required of our liberal arts core, so it's a really great deal! (Look back at last week's post and you can see our silly peasant costumes that we made for the film that's a part of the class)!

Presque Isle one day, Europe the next!

But there are even more opportunities that the school has to offer!  If you are looking for a more traditional study abroad experience, where you spend the semester (or trimester in our case!) in a different country, you can set that up too.  One of my really good friends is completing his Spanish minor and spending winter term in Costa Rica!  And in the spring, Mercyhurst offers a really unique experience where you can study abroad at our sister school in Dungarvan, Ireland.  I hope you catch my drift that if you want to travel in college, there are plenty of ways to do it!

So, as I conclude this blog post, I can't help but point out that I only have 10 more days until I leave for London and Paris!  It will certainly be a long 10 days, this week's the last week of class and then the following week is finals, but a traveling opportunity to go to Europe with my roommates and close friends is certainly my light at the end of the tunnel! =)

Crazy Peasant Costumes, Birthday Dinners and MSG Haunted Skate

Hi Everyone,

I guess I can now officially wish everyone a Happy Halloween now that it's the last day of October, CRAZY!!!!  Here's a recap of my weekend full of birthday dinners, crazy costumes, and of course, MSG Haunted Skate-- an event definitely worth checking out if you decide to come here!

Louie XIV Group Shot

So this past Thursday happened to be my friend Eric's birthday and this past Sunday was one of my roommate Lindsay's birthday too, which meant two yummy birthday dinners out!  Friday was also very busy because my European History study abroad class was filming for our documentary that we're making for a class project.  We were filming in Old Main, the oldest building on campus, and we know we were getting lots of funny looks as people walked by... at least we could all laugh about it!

I also had to work the Haunted Skate on campus.  This is a really popular event that students go to every year that I have fond memories of when I was a freshmen, where everyone dresses up in costumes and gets to iceskate on the hockey rink on campus.  I happened to be working it the entire night so I don't have any cool iceskating pictures, but I will say that I dressed up as a Girl Scout because how could I work the MSG Haunted Skate NOT in costume?!

MSG Haunted Skate- Freshman Year

Here's a picture of Kaleigh (my roommate who I share rooms with this year) and I from Haunted Skate our freshman year and below it is a picture of us from this year... we're even practically in the same pose; I guess some things never change!  Saturday was also very fun.  Our campus hosts "Haunted Hurst," one of the most popular events on campus of the year.  Students from two of the clubs I'm heavily involved in, the Ambassadors Club and MSG, volunteered at this event to be ghosts, to scare people, or to be scary tour guides, but this year I decided to enjoy the event and attend it!

Halloween Junior Year

I attended this event my freshman year and worked it my sophomore year, so I really didn't expect to be thatttttt scared... but let me tell you, I was HORRIFIED!  Two of my roommates and I literally linked arms the entire time and we all screamed so loud-- then again, my roommate's boyfriend and two of my guy friends walking behind us intentionally scaring us didn't help the situation!  After Haunted Hurst, my friends and I all got dressed up for the night, because after all, it IS almost Halloween!!

Hope you guys all enjoyed reading about this year's Halloween as well as the throwback Halloween memories I have from freshman year!  Mercyhurst definitely goes all out with Halloween and we all love celebrating it here... some things, you don't have to outgrow! =)

Open House, Mansions and Vera Bradley Bingo

Hi Everyone!

So this Saturday was definitely very busy and VERY blog-worthy! =)

After a very fun Friday (I went shopping, went laser tagging-- yes, laser tagging, and hung out with friends), I started my Saturday off with a bang.  Mercyhurst was hosting it's first open house of the year.  Open House is a great opportunity to visit the campus, receive tours, and other information about the school for prospective students who are looking to learn more about our fabulous school.  As an Ambassador, my duty was to stand by the very recognizable Mercyhurst rock at 8:15 in the morning (WAY too early for a college student, haha!), and direct families how to get to the performing arts center.

The Watson-Curtze Mansion

On Saturday, I also had a field trip for History of Dress to the Watson-Curtze Mansion, which is a museum about 15 minutes from campus.  Erie has a lot of cool history, so it was unique that we have such a gem so close to campus!  We had an appointment with the costume curator and she showed us all of these 19th and 20th century century dresses, shoes, and accessories. 

Going to a museum on a Saturday afternoon definitely wasn't something that I can say I was especially excited for, however after leaving the museum, I can honestly say I was really glad I went!  Some pieces that really stuck out to me were these one pair of shoes (there was a pair of 20th century alligator shoes, with the heads on the shoes as decorations!) and some 1920's flapper dresses (that I would have LOVED to have taken home with me!).

Saturday evening, my friends and I celebrated our friends' birthday since it fell during Fall Break, and then my friend Andrew and I at the last minute decided to go to Vera Bradley bingo.  Andrew wanted to do some Chirstmas "shopping" for his mom and sisters and I didn't have anything better to do, so figured why not try to win a Vera Bradley?!  This was a fundraising event for one of our sports teams and boy was it a hit!  We met one of my roommates Kaleigh, and some of her friends there, who were also trying to win.  There were 20 rounds and sure enough, Andrew and I both got bingos!!  I couldn't believe it because I never win at bingo (or at any game, really), but tonight was certainly a great night to claim a win.  I'm not gonna lie, I definitely jumped up and screamed "BINGO!" when I won it... but I did manage to contain myself from screaming like some of the other girls =)

It's hard to believe that I'm just weeks away from finishing up the term.  Thanksgiving Break is coming sooner than I realize, which means my trip to London and Paris trip are getting closer and closer... but it also means that end of the year work and finals are even closer!  Here's to a productive next few weeks to come!!

Fall Break

Hi Everybody!

So it's hard to believe that last week at this time, I was just leaving my house to head back to campus after a wonderful Fall Break.  Fall Break was absolutely wonderful and althoug this blog is a little late, I knew that I couldn't not blog about it =)

Let me tell you though, I can honestly say that I was counting the minutes until I could go home on Wednesday!  I had two presentations, one for my Menswear class and one for my Marketing class, and then a quiz in my FSAT class at 4PM!  Luckily, staying up incredibly late on Tuesday night payed off because both presentations I feel went fairly well-- two things down, one to go... the day was going pretty well.  Then, after I got out of my second class, I received a text from one of my roommates who was in my FSAT class "CLASS GOT CANCELLED!!!!!! WE CAN GO HOME!!!!" I was literally on top of the world; so off to home I was!

Waiting for me at home were my parents, a home cooked meal and warm apple pie, and my bed where I could sleep in as long as I'd like, woohoo!  Although I had a lot of downtime, I had lots planned for my few days home.  On Thursday, my mom and I spent the day shopping and went out to dinner; on Friday, I had appointments and went out to dinner with my dad; and then on Saturday, I was supposed to do homework, but of course I didn't!  Then Sunday afternoon, I left home and arrived to Erie, PA just as I left it: cold and rainy.  Some things never change!

So to recap on Fall Break in a nutshell, I'd say it was lots of relaxing and not enough studying.  But that's what breaks are for, right?! ;)

7 Day Recap

Hi Everyone,

So I'm not going to lie, I'm a little unsure about what to blog about this week.  Not to say that nothing really exciting happened, but nothing especially prominent is really sticking out for me to blog about.  So here's a 7 day recap on my week:

Peace, Love, & Coffee =)

Monday-... Or should I say, MSG Monday?!  Today after class, I had my executive board meeting with MSG, interviews for the new SAC Chair, and the senate meeting.  But after the senate meeting finished at around 9:15, my night was really just beginning!  My friend Jess and I had a HUGE History of Dress fashion test on Tuesday, so we were off to the library with snacks, chocolate, coffee, and our 700 page textbook.

Tuesday- An early morning at the bookstore studying with more coffee, and more History of Dress!  I was so excited when that test was over so that I could move on with my week and start thinking about the next thing on my to-do list.  I also had a meeting with the Mission Committee members on MSG; we're planning a Diwali event at the end of October, so it should be pretty fun!

My Planner = My Life

Wednesday- Woohoo halfway though the week!  Looking at my calendar, I realized this was one of only two days in the month of October that I don't have any projects or meetings so I'll be honest, it was a pretty low key day, which I was definitely looking forward to and needing =)

Thursday- Got my test from Tuesday back, and the whole class, including myself, didn't do as well as we should of.  I told myself that this builds character and although we all could have done better, life goes on.  Luckily, our teacher gave us the opportunity to earn 2 extra credit points on the test if we came that night and watched "Marie Antoinette" from 5:30-7:30 PM; needless to say, my entire class was there.  See, teachers really do care about us!

Friday- Yahoo for Friday!  I was especially looking forward to today, because my afternoon class got cancelled!  Generally speaking classes rarely get cancelled here, so when they do, it's extra exciting!  Typically my weekend starts at 2PM, but instead, it started at 11AM.  With the extra time in my day, I went to the mall with one of my roommates, Alexa.  As for the night, my roommates and I decided to stay in and we we went to Wendy's and watched American Pie in our sweatpants... a nice, relaxing evening.

Bowling

Saturday- I spent the afternoon in the library, and then met my friends to go laser tagging for my friend Zach's birthday.  Unfortunately, laser tagging was booked for the night, so we decided to go bowling instead.  Although unplanned, it was a lot of fun-- I even beat all of my friends (even though I may or may not have bowled with bumpers)... ;)

Sunday- At my desk blogging when I should be working on a project due Wednesday or studying for a test on Monday.  And so another week ends and another week begins!  I have a feeling that this week will go on for ages because Thurs-Sun is Fall Break!  I'm so excited to go home, relax, have some home cooked food, and take a mini hiatus from school.  Let's hope this week goes by really fast!

Homecoming-- a little late, I know!

Hi Everybody!

So last week was homecoming and I was so busy that I forgot to blog about it, oops!  But here it is... homecoming in a nutshell:

Homecoming/Parents Weekend/Alumni Weekend is an event that Mercyhurst Student Government and the Student Activities Council plans.  We were there at 11AM to set up, ran the event, and then helped clean up until around 6PM so it was a long, but still fun day.  The weather could have been better, it was raining and windy in 50 degree weather, yuck and our adviser even told us that it was perhaps the worst weather in her homecoming history at Mercyhurst!  But despite the yucky weather, homecoming was still a lot of fun. 

At one point in the morning some of us were trying to set up the homecoming court tent and it almost blew onto the football field.  There was another point in the day where we had a huge stack of paper towels to dry off the wet seats and the wind sent the entire stack flying, with me and two others frantically running trying to catch them.  At times it felt like it was one unfortunate event after another, but we still managed to laugh it off and roll with the punches.

Once the day progressed, there proved to be many more fun things to come.  My roommate Lindsay, was the homecoming queen, which my five roommates and I were all very excited about!  Our other friend Shane, was voted the king as well, so it was really cool that they both made court.  There were lots of fun things going on in the gym as well; we had a mechanical bull with bull riding competitions, a bounce castle, a funny photo area, and my personal favorite: a "make your own music video" novelty.  After the event started clearing out, some of us from MSG and SAC decided that we were going to do a music video to Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back," which was hilarious!

So although warmer weather would have been ideal and we lost to our rivals in the football game (shh! we'll forget I said that!), all in all, I'd say homecoming was a success!  It just goes to show that as long as you have good company, you can still have a great time =)

Work Hard, Play Hard

Sophomore year roomies reunite!

Hi Everybody!  I think the saying "work hard, play hard" definitely applies to my school year so far.  I would be lying if I said that I wasn't crazy busy with school/club work... at first it was really hard to get back in the swing of things, but now, I'm finally getting used to the adjustment back from summer.  However, that's not to say that my friends and I can't find time to have fun on the weekends, which I've learned is just as important as doing well in school!

Right now, I'm currently taking Menswear Fashion, Principles of Integrated Marketing, History of Dress, and a Faculty Lead Study Abroad Class (FSAT) called Castles and Kings of Europe and London.  My menswear class is all about men's fashion, which I'm enjoying because I really don't know that much about menswear.  My marketing class is a freshmen level class, but a class I'm required to take for my Fashion Merchandising major; and is a nice class to have that's not too demanding, compared to my other classes.  History of Dress is probably my hardest class; it's my first senior level class and we learn all about how dress has evolved over time and what historical influences influenced dress of the time. 

Roomies and I at Fall Ball

And finally, my FSAT class, which is a very non-traditional class.  This class that I'm taking actually counts as a European History credit, which is required for my Mercyhurst core, but I get to travel to London and Paris as a part of the class... pretty cool, right?!  We learn about history, but also participate in a giant group project, which is a video we're going to film both at school and while abroad.  Mercyhurst prides itself in "experiential learning" and there are several opportunities to study abroad and go on school trips for school credit.  College is a great time to travel and I've learned so much from my travels so far; I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is interested!

Game Night

But enough about school... let's get onto the fun weekend stuff!  As many of the bloggers have blogged about, there was the Fall Ball this past weekend, which I actually helped play a huge part in as a MSG Executive Board member.  Both MSG and SAC helped sponsor this yearly event on campus, and it's always a lot of fun!  Also on the weekend, my friend Rhona (and fellow blogger!) had a game night with some of the Ambassadors, which was also a lot of fun.

So although I've been very busy, I'm fortunate enough to have found some time to have some "playtime" =)  Stay tuned for some more blogs about my life as a laker!

Britney Spears, Randy Fenoli, and my Lovely Roommates

Meghan, Lindsay, and I

Hello Readers!  Sorry for this update being so, so late!  Lots and lots has happened since the last time I blogged!

BRITNEY SPEARS!

In July, a few of my roommates (Meghan, Kaleigh, and Lindsay-- two fellow bloggers!) and I went to Cleveland to see Britney Spears and Nicki Minaj in concert.  Britney Spears's "Baby One More Time" cd was my very first CD and I've always loved Britney's music, so needless to say, I was like a little kid on Christmas at her concert.

Randy Fenoli and I

Now for August... the end of my amazing summer and the beginning of a great school year!  Right before classes started, I made it home one last time to see my family before the school year started.  This trip in particular was especially awesome, because my mom and I went to see Randy Fenoli from Say Yes to the Dress speak at a wedding exhibit!  Not gonna lie, I was literally starstruck when I saw Randy.  Better yet, I even got to meet him, get his autograph, and talk to him for a bit.  He is EXACTLY like he is on TV and he even gave me a hug... not a bad way to end the summer!

The Roomies @ the Blacklight Bash

Outside of our townhouse

Welcome Week was a ton of fun too; this is a fun-filled weekend for the freshmen and any upperclassmen who help out/are involved with planning it.  This year, there was a Casino Night, Blacklight Bash, and Hypnotic Intoxication.  My roommates and I were all required to attend these events, but just because we were forced to go, didn't mean we couldn't have fun while we were there... =) ... Even on the first day of school, my roommates and I still managed to have fun!

Here's to a great school year and many more blogs to follow!

An Erie-sistible Summer

Hi Everyone!

The Summer Group =)

So far, my summer in Erie has been SO MUCH FUN!  I always heard how summers in Erie are the best and now I totally understand why!  Although my friends and I have been busy working, we've still managed to find lots of free time for some fun (even if it means coordinating around my weekend work shifts).

Sunsets and beach tans <3

Probably one of the best (and free!) things that we've been fully taking advantage of is several visits to Presque Isle.  4th of July weekend was so much fun because I think my friends and I went every day!  Whether it be tanning in the afternoons or going to some of the free concerts at night and watching the sunset, the beach has certainly proven to be a great place to have some guaranteed fun!

Never too old for a piggyback...

Speaking of 4th of July, my friends and I managed to keep busy with lots of fun on the 4th.  Jeremy, Joe, and I decided to go to Presque Isle to have a small bbq and then spend the day at the beach after.  After I diligently watched the boys learn how to cook on a charcoal grill (teehee!), we laid on the beach, tanned, and even went in the water because it was so hot out!  After, the three of us met up with some other friends and went to my roommate Lindsay's family picnic where we played volleyball, ate awesome food, and enjoyed the weather.

...or an icecream cone w/ sprinkles =)

And of course, what's 4th of July weekend without some fireworks?!  Although we opted to watch a movie in the apartment on the 4th, we did go to Waldameer Park (an amusement park by Presque Isle) to see fireworks and also put the cherry on top to a great night with a trip to Sara's, a burger and icecream shop by the beach.

Hope everyone's summer is going as awesome as mine is! =)

Sophomore Year Photo Recap

Hi Everyone!

I apologize that I haven't posted in quite some time-- I've been thoroughly enjoying my summer vacation and took a little blogging vacation!  However, I've been meaning to do a photo recap (thanks for the idea Lindsay!) so that we can all have a way to remember how much fun my year was =)

September-  Let the school year begin!  September began with a roomie dinner after finally getting somewhat situated and settled in our first apartment and later on in the month, there was Hurst Fest, which is also Homecoming and Alumni Weekend here at the 'Hurst.  Every year, I'm always amazed at how fast September flies, it's probably one of the best months of the school year =)

October- This month was filled with making lots of new friends: I have a picture of everyone from the 2010-2011 Mercyhurst Student Government, which, much to my surprise, became a big part of my sophomore year, a 21st birthday party for a fellow blogger Lindsay, who I became very good friends with as well as her other roommates (who are now going to be my junior year roomies!) and then of course, not forgetting old friends-- pictured is my friend Laura and I, who I met Halloween freshman year; here we are Halloween sophomore year! 

November- Oh, November!  Unfortunately, I don't have too many pictures from November because it's kind of a slower month with the end of the term wrapping up, studying, finals, and then Thanksgiving Break. HOWEVER, my friends and I did randomly go out to Applebees one night for a going away dinner and we got a little distracted in the parkinglot and decided to take pictures...

December- What. a. crazy. month.  Looking back at my December pictures, I came across lots and lots of ugly sweaters.  I remember having three ugly sweater parties to go to, and being a fashion merchandising major, I can't have an ugly sweater outfit repeat ;)  In addition to ugly sweaters, I also managed to break out the bikinis since I spent part of Christmas break visiting my roommate Kylie in Florida.

January- January was such a great month-- I got to celebrate my birthday with some of my best friends, a couple of us spontaneously decided to compete in a pizza making competition, and my roommates and I went to hockey games to cheer our friend Dave on.  Don't let anyone fool you about the snow prohibiting you from having fun, there's plenty of ways to have fun, you just need to get a little creative!

 

February- The only picture I have from February is of this brownie cake that I made my friend Jeremy for his birthday, which is on Valentines Day.  In February, my friends and I also threw him a surprise birthday party, which was really fun because he was completely shocked!  Winter term was coming to an end and I worked all February Break (but caught a shoplifter, which was pretty cool!).

 March- So not gonna lie, in high school March was by far my least favorite month-- it was still snowy, the month just dragged, and school always seemed especially boring.  But not in college!  I always look forward to March because every year it seems to be 31 days of a jam-packed planner-- I'm pretty sure I only had one or two completely commitment free days all month!  I had end of the year banquets for the Ambassador's Club (Spring Tea) and Student Government (we went to this hibachi restaurant, yum!), and in my limited spare time, I filled it doing fun things with my friends!  One night, my friends and I went to a local, Middle Eastern restaurant where we sat around a circular table and ate on the floor with cushions, how cool.

April- Now that the weather finally started to get nice, my friends and I thoroughly enjoyed it by participating in such events like the annual MSG Spring Charity Ball and the second annual Relay for Life on campus.  We even squeezed in a trip to Presque Isle because it was so nice out-- we tend to use the nice weather as an excuse for not doing homework ;) Somehow, the work always manages to get done though!

May- Probably my craziest month of the entire school year.  As a newly elected E-Board member of MSG, one of my first orders of business was to help run Spring Fest, which consisted of 48 hours of early mornings and late, late nights, but luckily with the company of the new MSG and SAC boards.  In addition to the Spring Fest madness, there was also the whole getting excited for summer vacation (because I just got hired at Charming Charlie in Erie, which meant I could spend the summer on campus with friends, yay!) and trying to focus and study for final exams.  Luckily, my friends and I managed to have a great last few weeks before the school year ended and we continued to make some great memories-- going to Meg's house, spontaneous photo taking "so that we don't forget a single moment in college" (haha thanks Lindsay!), and "the boy's" end of the year classy get together/graduation farewell.

Wow, what a year; it's crazy to think that I'm halfway through with college!  But to end on a great note after a great year-- here's to an AMAZING summer (I'm already a few weeks in, and it's been great so far).  I'll definitely try to post about my summer in Erie, but I don't know how frequently it will be... but keep your eyes out for more great pictures and stories about my life as a laker =)