Through the Years We All Will be Together

The title of my post "through the years we all will be together" is very appropriate for this time of year because for me, when I am home from school, I am spending my time with my family and close friends who as the song goes, "if the fates allow," I will be with them all throughout the years! I wanted to give you a quick view of my Christmas celebrations thus far. Even though my immediate family consists of just me, my mom, dad and sister, my extended family is pretty....huge! We are all really close and we're together all the time. So here's a picture recap of all of my holiday fun!



Here's my grandma and my aunt wearing their pajamas!





My first party was with my grandma's side of the family (my mom's mom) and we all went to my aunt's house for a pajama party, gift exchange and lots of snacks! Everyone showed up wearing their pajamas!

Here's my family and I!

Later in the week we celebrate Christmas Eve with my papa's (my mom's dad) side of the family after Christmas Eve mass.

Here's a picture of my great-grandma and all of her grandchildren (4+spouses) and great-grandchildren (6) on Christmas Eve!

Following the party at my aunt's house, we went to my grandma and papa's to exchange gifts with them and my aunt, uncle and cousins. We couldn't stay too late because we all needed to get home in time to go to sleep for santa to come!

Brady, my little cousin got a Mercyhurst sweatshirt from me!

Jenna, a future Laker, got Mercyhurst sweatpants and a t-shirt!



Here's a picture of Mike and I!



On Christmas day, my mom and dad hosted 30+ family members at our house! We had ham, lasagna, and many other platters, not to mention cookies!

Here's my papa (he lives in Las Vegas but is here for December) and some of his great-grandchildren!



Here's myself with my mom, dad and sister on Christmas!

My Christmas was wonderful and spend with family and friends! I hope yours was merry and blessed and I wish you a very happy new year!



It's Christmas- My Favorite time of Year!!

Hello all! So sorry I have not had a chance to make a post lately. Our Christmas break (which is 2 weeks long...woo hoo!!!) started last Friday which was our last day of classes. I have until January 3rd to be at home and spend time with my family. So far over break I have been running around shopping, cookie-ing and all that Christmas jazz!
My mom, sister, aunt and I have pretty much been at the mall every night since I've been home! I can't complain though because it's so much fun and we always end up stopping for a snack on the way home! I have also been helping my mom get organized all over the house because she is hosting Christmas Day here at home and we have 30+ guests coming! We have been baking cookies and wrapping presents galore; I went over to my grandma and papa's house last night and I was there until 2a.m. helping wrap presents! While I was there, my papa was somewhere around dozen number 30 for his wonderful pizzelles which I got to sample right out of the iron.
Today, Christmas Eve, I will be going to mass at my Church followed by dinner at my Aunt Marlene's house. Due to our Italian heritage, the tradition holds that 7 fish are to be eaten on Christmas Eve. I am not a fish-person so I won't be eating the fish but some of the other family members look forward to this tradition. After dinner we will exchange presents! Since I am still in college, I am not yet considered to be an adult, so I am not included in the adult exchange and I get to be a kid for 2 more years.

Tomorrow is Christmas and my mom is running around the house trying to prepare. She and my grandma prepared the lasagnas the other day and they will cook them tomorrow along with the ham. I am looking forward to the many many festivities to come in the next few days but most importantly, I am looking forward to spending time with my wonderful family who I am so very grateful for and appreciative of.
Wishing you and your wonderful family a very Merry Christmas! Be on the look out for pictures of my holiday season...coming soon!

Picture of the Week - the Christmas Version!

Some of my roommates and I had a "Secret Santa" gift exchange and here's my gift! Meghan picked my name and I picked hers. She gave me a pair of Christmas pajama pants and a Nun bowling game which is silly and fun! I gave her a t-shirt from the Victoria's Secret Pink section and body spray. Two of my other roommates participated too. Even though we were really bad at keeping it a surprise, we still enjoyed it!

Christmas On Campus- A Mercyhurst Tradition

Today was an exciting day at Mercyhurst! We held our annual tradition called "Christmas on Campus" which is put on by the Center for Student Engagement and Leadership Development for underprivileged children from the Erie area. I was the student co-chair this year which meant that I helped to make the whole day possible which was such a great feeling! We had 10 agencies from the Erie area come in with children to spend the day with our volunteers in the Student Union. We actually had about 300 Mercyhurst student volunteers...I think this really says something about this community! Our students are so willing to help and to lend a hand whenever needed. Today the kids that were running around were really excited, but us big kids (aka college students) were just as excited!!!!

The kids were all paired up with a "buddy" which was one of our volunteers when the arrived. Then, they were able to run wild (and you better believe that they did!) all around the Student Union to make crafts, play games, decorate cookies, make gifts for the parents and most importantly see Santa and Mrs. Claus. After all of the running around slowed down, all of the kids and their buddies sat down together in the Great Room to eat their cookies that they decorated and drink milk while listening to Mr. McAndrew, a retired professor, read them the story of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. After the story was over, Santa called out each child's name and they were able to go up to him and receive a gift! They were SO excited! Some of the kids love coming to Mercyhurst on this day so much that they've been coming for many years!

Seeing the kids made me so happy! Their Christmas spirit was radiating throughout the Student Union and they reminded all of us big kids how exciting Christmas can be. We loved having them on campus and I can't wait for next year to see them back again!

Here are some pictures from the day:

Here's Mike (my boyfriend) and I!

Here's the tree with some of the presents below!

Here's the great room with all of the kids and their buddies!



Giving back to the community is one of the many reasons why Mercyhurst is so much more than just a college. Christmas on Campus is one part of the Mercy way that you will experience! Service is actually a part of our Mission here at Mercyhurst. It's awesome to go to a school that is dedicated to service because not only are we helping others, we're also helping ourselves as we grow and learn to be thankful for what we have.

P.S. A special holiday recommendation: The Glee Holiday CD! First of all, Glee is one of my FAVORITE shows, but the Christmas album is amazing and perfect for the month of December :-)

'Tis the Season!

Christmas is in full swing here at Mercyhurst College. We went all of November will absolutely no snow here in Erie which was pretty weird because Erie is often known as the coldest and snowiest place on earth! However, once December arrived, so did the snow and it got here just in time for the Christmas season!

Just this past weekend the Ambassador Club held its annual "Christgiving" which is a mixture between Christmas and Thanksgiving. Everyone did their share by bringing turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, pop, cups, silverware and of course pie and cookies!

One of the best things about this party was that it was held in our student union which is beautifully decorated for Christmas! Also, it was an "ugly Christmas sweater" competition! This was so much fun because almost everyone participated and came looking pretty "ugly." Liz and I actually made our ugly sweaters. We used puffy paint to draw some tacky looking pictures and then we sewed Christmas buttons all over! To top it all off, we bought silly hats from Michael's. We were a great success!

Unfortunately, Liz and I were not the ugliest! Brian won...and he definitely deserved it. I'm pretty sure it was a woman's sweater and it had actually ornaments sewn on to it! All in all it was a great evening and I had a lot of fun. Sometimes it can be difficult to be here at school and away from my family especially around the holiday times because I love hanging out by the fireplace, watching Christmas movies with my mom, dad and sister. However, yesterday I was feeling very lucky because even though I am not at home with my real family, I have a second family here at school that is so special, fun and important to me! It's times like these that make me never want college to end because I am having wayyyy too much fun! Luckily I am making awesome memories to last a lifetime.

Here's a few more pictures from Christgiving!

Here's my roommates and I!

Here's all of the juniors!

I hope you're enjoying December just as much as I am!

95 and Still Going Strong!

Last night my entire family went out to dinner for my great-grandma, Frances Veshecco's 95th birthday!!! Here's a picture of us together! She still lives at home, she's still fiesty and still going strong! Even though she's 95, she was still embarassed to tell people how old she was turning! Her cake said happy birthday mom, grandma and aunt on it along with a picture of a bingo card because she loves going to bingo!

Happy happy happy birthday, grandma, I love you!

Hey winter term, how'd you get here so fast?!

It is with heavy hearts the Mercyhurst begins winter term. A fellow junior here, Jenni-Lyn Watson passed away over break. I wrote about her in an earlier post and I asked for prayers for her and her family. Her funeral was today and Mercyhurst provided two buses to take students to the mass and the entire community paused for a moment of prayer and silence today at 11:30 as the funeral began. My heart goes out to her family and all of her friends here at Mercyhurst who are hurting.

I have hit the ground running with winter term. There's literally no way to ease into it! This term I have a unique situation, I am only taking 2 classes and my 3rd class is an off campus internship. Here at Mercyhurst, a lot of majors require students to complete an internship before graduating while some majors strongly recommend them. My major is one that strongly recommends it...I know that as a Business major, when I am finished with school I will be competing against many many many other Business majors in the job market. I definitely am working hard to do things that will set me apart from other people and an internship is a great way to do so. Through working here at Mercyhurst in the Admissions office and the Center for Student Engagement and Leadership Development, I have come to know that I would like to pursue a career in the higher education field. Therefore, I sought out an internship that will give me great experience. I am interning at Mercyhurst Preparatory School, which was originally combined in one building with Mercyhurst College but is now located just south of our campus (it also just happens to be my high school). My internship is taking place in the Admissions office and my supervisor, Mrs. DiTullio has a lot of things planned for me to do and I super excited. This is not going to be a boring, coffee getting kind of internship!

My classes that I have are Quality Leadership with Mr. Daryl Georger who is so funny and brings a ton of real world experience to the class. Just the other day, in order to prove a point about costs, he called up a friend from GE to ask a question. He definitely knows how to make class fun and not overwhelming but at the same time he has so much knowledge to share and I know I will learn a lot.
My other class is Catholic Symbols and Sacraments with Mr. Caeser Monteveccio. At Mercyhurst we are required to take two religion classes however, they are not limited to Catholicism, there's a bunch of different class options to choose from. I am really excited for this class because Mr. Monteveccio also seems like he will make the class be interesting. Also, I had him during my first term, freshman year and he remembered me years later. I think that is pretty cool because it truly shows that you will not just be a number here, teachers actually make an attempt and do a good job at getting to know students.

I'm looking forward to a great term!!

If I may offer a suggestion: the 25 days of Christmas starts today on ABC Family. It's an AWESOME way to get into the holiday spirit ... who doesn't absolutely love Christmas movies. So grab a cup of hot chocolate and tune it!

Prayers and Thanks at Thanksgiving

The entire Mercyhurst community is praying for the safe return of a fellow classmate, Jenni-Lyn Watson. She is a junior, dance major and she has been missing since Friday November 19, 2010. She was last seen at her home in Syracuse, NY. If you have any information on her whereabouts contact her family at 315-451-7546 or the Onondaga County Sheriff's at 315-435-3081.

During this scary and horrible time, the entire Mercyhurst community has come together and it is very remarkable to see the work and effort being put forth. Jenni-Lyn went home for Thanksgiving break and has been missing since Friday but I am staying hopeful that she will return safely. There is a facebook group dedicated to finding her (http://on.fb.me/h59rJf), please join the group and check out the fliers and information on her.

It is during times like these that I must say that I have truly made the right choice in choosing to attend Mercyhurst. We are one of the few communities in which students are not numbers; it is awesome to see all of the love and support pouring out from students, staff and faculty of Mercyhurst. Just recently my friend Steve's mother passed away after a hard fought battle with cancer. Mercyhurst's Ambassador club donated money, the Admissions office donated a Mercyhurst basket to go to the chinese auction at a benefit that was held for Steve's mom. Steve said that after she passed away, he received numerous cards and phone calls from the people of Mercyhurst.
Mercyhurst students have also worked tirelessly to contact media outlets, hang signs and posters, create websites, post information on facebook statuses in hopes of finding Jenni-Lyn. Please continue to keep an eye out for her, spread the word, and most importantly, the strongest help that we can all give is the gift of prayer. We are all praying for Jenni-Lyn's safety and her family during this time.

To all of the prospective students out there, if you are looking for more than a school, if you are looking for a family, a place that cares, a place where people will know your name and a place where everyone will have your back during times in need, Mercyhurst is the answer. You will not find love and compassion like this at just any school. At Mercyhurst, we don't do kind things because we feel that we have to, we help one another, we look out for everyone because that is truly the Mercy way. What a great feeling it is knowing that I am so blessed to be a part of something so wonderful - for this I am truly thankful.

Finals are finally over...time for a much needed break!

Finals were just this past Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Now that it's Saturday, I can safely say that I've had enough time to recuperate! I had two in class finals, one take home final and two term project/papers. My two finals were on Monday which was great because I took them and then was able to focus on finishing my projects. My projects both went very well, one turned out to be 30 pages long, it was a group assignment and we finished at 1 am on Monday night! My other project was to write a PR campaign for a company (it was for my public relations class) and I finished that at 3 am on Tuesday night (it wasn't due until 3 pm the next day). All in all, it was a stressful time, but that it to be expected. I am confident that I did well on my exams; teachers are expected to put the grades online by Monday, so now I am just waiting to see the results of my hard word!

On Wednesday my dad came to pick me up from school and it was so great to head home! I packed up my bags and some summer clothes (I am going to take them home and switch them with all of my warm sweaters). On Thursday and Friday I worked on catching up with my family and catching up on sleep! My parents went to work and my sister went to school but it was very nice to just sit around and relax.

Don't let me fool you, my break does not only consist of relaxing! I am going to be working on many things for next term such as preparing my planner with next term's classes and schedule. I also have a book report to complete for the Leadership Certification Program that I am in. Also, when I get back to school it's going to be CHRISTMAS TIME!!! As you can probably tell, I love love love Christmas! Before I left for break, a bunch of us decorated the student union for Christmas on Campus. It is basically a day where a bunch of underprivileged children come to Mercyhurst and spend the day with a buddy (a Mercyhurst student) and they get to do arts and crafts, eat a ton of sugar, see Santa and of course get presents. So over break I am working on some Christmas preparations for Christmas on Campus and tree decorating.

Well, I'd love to stay and chat but I have a movie and hot chocolate calling my name! Since I don't get a whole lot of time to relax during school time, you better believe that I take advantage of this down time!

Finals. Need I say more?

Finals are here. This means that I have been studying and studying and studying and did I mention studying, since Thursday evening.
So far things are going quite well, I have motivation and I am working on staying on top of things. What keeps me going is knowing that in just three more days, I will be able to sleep as long as I want, catch up on the shows that I never get a chance to watch and just plain old relax!

My roommate Alexa and I just got back from the student union where the SAC (Student Activities Council) held "Food for Finals." They basically offer free food for all of our students! There was pizza, chicken wings, apple pie, candy bars, granola bars, combos, chips, and apples! Since this awesome food is all for free as well as a chance to stop studying for awhile, EVERYONE goes to it! So Alexa and I arrived 20 minutes early and there was still at least 40 people in line ahead of us. Luckily we were there early enough to get all of the food that we wanted!
Now that I am stuffed from the yummy pizza and apple pie, it's time to go back to studying. All that's between me and break is: a Finance test, a Business Law test, a Communication Theory and Research take home test and paper and a Public Relations campaign. I know it seems like a lot, but don't worry, I can do it!!!

Here's the Picture of the Week!

It's almost the middle of November and we still have yet to have a snow fall here in Erie, Pa. Great weather has been with us and we are all extremely happy for that! Tonight on my way to dinner, this beautiful and awesome sunset was in the distance!

It's the Final Countdown

At this point there are four M-W-F classes left and four T-TH classes left! Can you even believe it?!
It's kind of a blessing and a curse. I am so so glad that the term is almost over, yet I am dreading finals and I am fairly nervous for the lack of time that I have to finish everything.


Before finals, I still have:
1. three Business Law assignments
2. a Financial Management exam
3. to turn in a draft of my Public Relations campaign AND make changes to the section that my teacher already checked over
4. complete a take home essay/exam for Communication Theory and Research
5. present my Communication Theory and Research project to the class
6. complete my Public Relations campaign
7. complete my Comm Theory and Research project
8. study for my Financial Management and Business Law finals
**All of this needs to be completed in the next TWO WEEKS!!!


I am so excited because I was able to catch a nap earlier today and now I am sitting in the living room about to get to work. I am looking forward to crossing things off of my list. I have zero meetings tonight and zero places to be, so that equals many things getting accomplished woo hoo!


Fifteen more days until break! Let the countdown begin!

The Picture of the Week!

This past Saturday was my 21st birthday! Here's a bunch of my friends who came over to join in the celebration!

It's Just a Bunch of Hocus Pocus

Amongst stress and overwhelmed-ness, I think it's really important to take time out to just sit around, relax and do something that you really enjoy. I personally love to watch tv, like I said before, I use it as a break from studying.

Here's my October wish for all of my readers:
Watch Hocus Pocus before the month is over. It's a Disney movie, so it's not too scary, kids can watch it, but even bigger kids like me LOVE to watch it all month long.

It is a movie that reminds me of my childhood and I have already watched it three times this month and plan on watching it once more before October fades into November.

Aside from all of this Hocus Pocus, tonight was pledge speech night; Ambassador pledges gave 3 minute speeches on some piece of Mercyhurst history. There are 75 kids pledging for Ambassadors, we heard 30 speeches tonight. It started a t 8 and we left around 11. Needless to say, tomorrow night is going to be a very very very long time again.

Luckily, my 10:05 class was cancelled tomorrow, so I don't have class until 12. I am going to stay up a bit longer and get some work done and then go to sleep and enjoy the chance to sleep in longer than usual!

Stressed and Overwhelmed

Due online tonight at 11:59 was the research section of a public relations campaign for my Public Relations course. I just clicked submit at 10:40 so that might give a little bit of an indication of how much time a do not have.

The end of the term is coming in about three weeks! Isn't that CRAZY!? This term went by so fast and now that it's just about over, all of the important stuff for classes is due.
I have a term public relations campaign due before the end of the term, a framing research paper on the topic of Muslims in America and how the American media frames our perspectives on what to think about certain topics such as the threat of the burning of the Qu'ran and the possible building of a Mosque near the 9/11 site; this paper is for a class called Comm Theory and Research. I also have a legal memo on the topic of contracts due for Business Law and two more exams in Financial Management.
If anyone out there would like to take some of this work and do it for me, that would be great! (just kidding!).

How do I stay on top of all of these things might you ask?
I make a lot of lists! This really helps because I lay out everything that needs to be done and when I finish them, I am awarded the wonderful pleasure of highlighting them and calling them finished!!

Above is a picture of one of my lists. The highlighted orange are things that have been accomplished! Go me!

Aside from the list, I am attempting to stay ahead of the game as well as do work in the library. This helps because I am away from my roommates and from the tv! By placing myself in the library, I am forced to stop all other things and focus on the task at hand. Then, I always give myself something to look forward to such as going to dinner, or watching Glee...this is great because it makes me motivate myself and work harder knowing that something fun will be happening later on.

Amongst all of my school work I also have to juggle clubs! Today I had a meeting with the executive board of the Leadership Certification Program. We planned the snacks that we will give out at our next motivational speaker who we will watch via internet...it's Nigel Barker! He's going to tell us how to "reveal a better you." Last night I had a meeting with the other five members of the up and coming Student Alumni Association. We are working on getting it approved as a Recognized Club here on campus. That way, we will receive money from student government and many other benefits. The SAA is going to do many things such as network with alumni and host events on campus; the most important thing we are beginning to work on is a "Hurst Book. Many other schools have one, it will be a book given to students here that holds all of the traditions that students love to take part in. There will be an empty spot on each page for students to insert a picture of them and their friends taking part in some of Mercyhurst's favorite traditions.
Tomorrow, I have our first meeting for Christmas on Campus- this is when a bunch of underprivileged children from the Erie area come to Mercyhurst and hang out with current students who help them with crafts and other exciting things like seeing Santa, hearing the Christmas story and picking out Mercyhurst-provided gifts for their parents. Since Christmas is such an exciting time of year (also known as the most wonderful time of the year) I am super excited for the planning to begin! 

For now, I am off to do some more homework - this probably does not surprise you!
If you are as busy as me, I hope that you too find comfort in making lists, crossing things off and watching Glee as a way to take a study break!

Get Ready for the Picture of the Week!

Today a bunch of us from the Ambassador Club went to a local bowling alley for a great bowling competition! For the Ambassador Club, we are required to complete 100 service hours throughout the school year, so the winning bowling team was awarded with 2 hours. My team took 3rd place!

I Want to be an Ambassador, I Want to Shout it Out Loud!

Reason # 5 to come to Mercyhurst: Our "club life" is where it's at! Mercyhurst offers over 85 registered clubs and organizations that students can get involved in. Even better, if the club doesn't exist here, you can create it! Brandon, a boy in my grade, is really into public speaking and becoming a better presenter and there was not a club here that pertained to that interest, so through the office of Student Engagement and Leadership Development, he created the "Public Speaking Club."

When I give tours of the school, a frequently asked question by parents and students is "what advice can you give to a student coming into Mercyhurst?" My first answer is always to GET INVOLVED! Being involved with things at Mercyhurst will completely make your experience. We offer such a wide variety of clubs, there is something for everyone here.
For more information on student life and activities here at Mercyhurst, check of this link:
http://mercyhurst.edu/student-life/

One of my favorite clubs on campus is the Ambassador Club. It was one of the first clubs I wanted to be involved in when I started here as a freshman. The Ambassadors are the people that you see walking around campus wearing beautiful and prestigious green jackets.

Becoming an Ambassador is actually a long process, this is because the club only accepts the best. The Ambassadors are students from all grades, our main job is to give tours of the school to prospective students. Other things that we do are tours for alumni/important visitors of the school and working various functions and ceremonies all the school throughout the school year.

So, to become an Ambassador, one must go through the "pledge process." How it works is that you have to attend a class (once a week) for two consecutive terms. During the first term you learn all about the history of the school, you present a three minute speech and you take an exam. If you are accepted into the second term, the second term gets a little more intense, you must once again give a speech, this time it's five minutes, take an exam, shadow a current Ambassador on two tours and then conduct a "solo" tour of your very own. 

If you are accepted into the club, you get to attend the "Spring Tea" in which you receive the coveted green jacket, sign the book and sing the Ambassador song (it's basically 60 college kids screaming/singing the words "I want to be an Ambassador, I want to shout it out loud"). 

Once you are in the club, you are awarded with a scholarship and you must complete 100 hours per school year.

I joined the club when I was a freshmen, I was inducted during spring term of that year. Joining the club has been so beneficial for me and it was one of my smartest moves so far. 

This year, I am secretary of the club, so I am awarded with a larger scholarship and I have a few extra duties. I love love love the Ambassador club, I made so many great friends and have been given countless opportunities. I am extremely proud to wear the green jacket and to be a member of one of the most elite clubs at Mercyhurst College! 

A Dinner Here is Never Second Best!

Dinner tonight in the cafeteria was AMAZING!!!
I am a fairly...ok, just kidding...I am a very picky eater. Most people here at Mercyhurst really enjoy the food and I am one of those people, so hearing this from me, you can take it as a valid source since I am so picky. The reason I'm so darn picky is because I grew up with my mom's cooking! I come from an Italian family and my mom pretty much makes dinner every night and she's a great cook, so when I got to college, I had to do some adjusting to the new and unique dishes made by the cafeteria. All in all, I can always find something to eat, this is especially because we have two cafeteria locations.
The Egan Cafeteria is our main cafeteria  on campus, it's buffet style, eat as much as you want, pig out kind of thing. It's located basically in the center of campus AND it's right next to the boys' dorm...they love it! In Egan, there's always a ton of options, they have a center area where it's always the main course, it differs day to day so you don't have to worry about getting sick of the food. They have a deli (sandwiches, wraps), a chef station where the chef whips up yummy things right in front of us, a grill area where they always offer hotdogs, hamburgers, chicken patties, fries, onion rings (a college dream), cereal and waffle stations, a brick oven pizza station and a full salad bar. This cafeteria is open from 7am to midnight so you don't have to worry about missing a meal if you have a weird class schedule.
Our other location for food is the Laker Inn which is in our Student Union. The menu there stays the same daily and it's made to order food, not buffet style like Egan. Some options here are an Subway-like area, a Mexican  area (yummy tacos, burritos, loaded nachos!), a grill area and a stir-fry area which.

Tonight my friends and I went to the main cafeteria, Egan. It was "tailgate night" in the caf and they had all football themed food which was delicious! Since we're in Erie, PA, we are right in the middle of Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Cleveland so they had decorations for the Steelers, Bills and Browns and food that is typically from all of those cities.
I was overwhelmed by the amount of delicious food tonight and I even took a picture of my plates to share with all of my readers!

Here's round one of dinner! Pierogies, onion rings, fried mushrooms, steak salad and buckeyes for dessert!

Reason #4 to come to Mercyhurst- Parkhurst dining services. Being away from home, you need to make sure you're comfortable. One way to ensure that is by checking out the food options. Here at Mercyhurst we offer two cafeteria locations with a huge variety. Our food options satisfy even the pickiest of eaters (me)!

A Small Town Girl Meets the "Big Apple"

Midterms. What a horrible word.
Let me tell you all about my midterms. I had 2 last week. Now those weren't bad at all because I was really into studying for them and I worked really hard and I ended up doing really well. Another reason that I didn't mind them last week is because I was looking forward to my weekend in NEW YORK CITY!!

So I went to NYC for the first time and it was so incredible. I went on a one day bus trip with my mom, sister, grandma, aunt and cousin, it was a "girls only" weekend trip! I must declare that I am truly a "small town girl" and even though NYC was awesome, I would never be able to live somewhere like that...too many people, too much going on; it was very nice to get back home to nice, quiet, medium sized Erie, PA!
While I was in NYC I met Buddy, the Cake Boss from the show on TLC. The picture is shown below in the picture of the week...even though it's the picture of the week, in my mind it's basically the picture of the year because it was soooo cool! Right when we got off of the bus, NBC studios was across the street and my mom noticed they were taping the Today Show so we ran over to see it and we ended up meeting Buddy, taking a picture with him and getting his autograph!
We also took a tour around the entire city to see all of the touristy spots on a double decker bus. That was really neat and we were able to get on and off of the bus to see everything. My favorite locations were Rockefeller Center....we did some street shopping there, we bough cheap purses, headbands and scarves-it was totally a girl's dream! I also really liked Times Square. Any picture I have ever seen of it could not have  prepared me for actually being there. It truly made me realize how small I am as I was amongst the humongous signs and tons of people.

Here are just a few pictures of the trip:

Here's my sister Chelsea and I on the double decker bus!

My mom, sister and I at Rockefeller Center!

Here's all of us in Times Square..notice all of our shopping bags hehe!

So... back to that horrible horrible word: midterms! Yuck! So like I said, last week, my tests were fine but today I had another test, and obviously I didn't really have time to study for it this past weekend, so I studied a little bit yesterday and then a little bit more today. It was for Financial Management...not exactly my forte, but I think I did well. Now on Wednesday I have my last midterm for Business Law and once that is over I will be on Fall Break!!!! So for now I am working on forcing myself to study and be productive (which is currently my roommate and I watching Footloose). I just keep telling myself study study study and then you'll get a break and you can forget about that dreaded "m" word ((midterms)).

Thanks for reading! I hope your weekend was just as exciting as mine :-)

It's the Picture of the Week!

This weekend some of the girls in my family went to New York City for the first time! We were on the Today Show AND we met Buddy Valastro from the show "Cake Boss" on TLC! We were so excited because we love Buddy and watch his show all the time!

More on NYC to come later on :-)

Wendy Wednesday!

For the past two summers I've worked in the Admissions office here at Mercyhurst. It has been a lot of fun and I made some really good friends working there. During the school year I also work in the Admissions office as a work study, I get paid minimum wage and I complete 5.5 hours of work each week; this isn't too difficult or too time consuming, but I am still able to make some money, which for a broke college student, is pretty nice!

Back to my summer job...during the summer when I work in Admissions I basically do a few different things, I prepare folders that we give to prospective students who come in for tours, I send out packages to students who have inquired about Mercyhurst and most importantly, I give tours!
Giving tours of Mercyhurst is one of my favorite things to do. I love it so much because I have grown so very fond of Mercyhurst and when I give tours, it is my chance to show prospective students why Mercyhurst is the best choice for them. I have gotten very successful at really getting to know students along the tours and then trying to adapt the tour to their special interests. It is so easy to do this because Mercyhurst has something cool to offer for every type of person.
This past summer I worked with a fun group of kids as well as the Admissions staff. Deb, is my boss and she is so much fun, she is sort of everyone in the Ambassador clubs "on campus mom." She takes care of us and we all love her very much! I also worked with Nick, who I have actually known since 4th grade, we went to grade school, high school and now college together! My other co-workers were Kaleigh who is from Erie, we went to the same high school but we didn't really know each other until college, Rhona who is from Ireland and is pretty neat because she has an accent and really funny stories and finally Michelle who is from Jamaica and I always try to mimic her accent but it turns out somewhat like an old English woman hahah!

Every Wednesday during the summer has been deemed "Wendy Wednesday." It's pretty self-explanatory, we go to Wendy's and order tons of food and then bring it back to the office and we eat, chat and of course laugh!
The kids that I worked with this summer of course miss me so much (haha I miss them too) so we decided to get back together today and have a Wendy Wednesday in the Admissions office. Deb, my boss, of course joined in, she loves Wendy Wednesday and she was SO excited that we planned one for today. It was nice to catch up and get together with the group from the summer. Michelle was not there because she is now going to grad school in London! Pretty cool, I know!

So that's what Wendy Wednesday is! It was nice to pretend like it was summer for a little bit and it's always nice to get together with friends since it's so hard to see each other due to our busy busy busy schedules!

Reason #3 to come to Mercyhurst: the people that you'll meet! Who would have thought I would become friends with an Irish girl, a Jamaican girl and a girl that I went to high school with but never really got a chance to talk to! Thanks to college, I've made MANY great friends :-)

It's Just the Photo of the Week

This photo is of 3/4 of my roommates and I sitting on the hill watching the Homecoming football game!

Homecoming and Alumni Weekend...Feeling Collegiate

Reason #2 to come to Mercyhurst: This past Friday and Saturday were both filled with so much fun and school spirit, it's times like these that make me feel like college should never end! For some reason I kept saying that I "felt collegiate" all day today. The whole weekend felt like college life that you see on tv. We dressed up in Mercyhurst apparel and participated in all of the activities, took lots of pictures and just had an old fashioned good time here at the 'Hurst!

I was able to take a lot of pictures but more importantly VIDEOS! So check them out below!
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Just a message from me!! I'm shown in the video standing in front of the Mercyhurst"rock." It's very official. In the background you can see Old Main, it's such a gorgeous building and this is the view that you see upon arriving on campus. It's such a welcoming place and every time I drive through the front gates, I know I'm in the best place!

On Friday night, my family and I went to play Family Bingo, two of my roommates came too! It was a lot of fun, it's exciting for all of the students to get to see their parents and for the parents to have a chance to be on campus and experience some of the things that we do! My dad won bingo...someone in my family has won every year so far! He of course let me pick out the prize, I chose a $15 gift card to Coldstone... yummy!

You have to check out this next video. I have never seen this many Laker fans in one place! The homecoming football game was packed with students, parents and proud alumni! The fans are always awesome but since it was the homecoming game they were exceptionally excited and ready to cheer on the Lakers. At half time, the homecoming court was announced which was made up of 5 boys and 5 girls from the senior class. My RA from freshman year, Amber won queen and my friend Dave won king, I'm so happy for the both of them!

Here's a photo of Dave (Homecoming King) and I

These next videos were taken of my friends and I at Hurstfest. It was a big carnival right in the center of campus! You can watch me make a fool of myself as I race against my roommate, Meghan in the bungee course. Also, make sure to check the frozen t-shirt contest video.  These videos pretty much explain why this weekend is so much fun for everyone and I can't help but laugh out loudly every time I watch them!

Well, it's getting pretty late and I am just a little bit (insert major sarcasm) tired from all of the fun today! I have a long long day of homework ahead of me tomorrow but I had a blast this weekend and I hope you did too :-)

Take a Look at My Townhouse!

Reason why Mercyhrust is so great #1: only freshmen live in dorms. Sophomore, Juniors and Seniors all live in the upperclassmen area which consists of apartments and townhouses. This is such a great perk...who wants to be stuck in a teeny tiny dorm any longer than they have to? This year I (along with my 4 roommates) live in an on campus townhouse and it's a pretty sweet deal, it's roomy and cozy and just makes being away from home a lot easier because you can make it feel like home.
So here's some pictures!

Here's the kitchen, you can see our food and our cute curtains. In the back left hand corner is a pantry and it's so nice, there's 6 shelves and that's where we store all of our mac n cheese, little debbie snacks, popcorn, etc. all the typical college food :-)

Here's my bedroom. I'm on the left side and my roommate Meghan is on the right. She's also a blogger, you can check out her blog (meghanmercyhurst.blogspot.com). Our room is pretty big, we like to have the beds unbunked so that we can each have our own side of the room and our own personal area.

Here's just my side. You can see my bed and all of my comfy pillows and my posters too! Yes, I love Rocky lol, Friends is also a great show, I own all 10 seasons on dvd...it's a great alternative to doing homework sometimes! Also I have a poster of The Notebook...I got that poster at the poster sale that comes to campus every year.

Here's a few views of the living room. We decorated it with cute posters and decorations. Of course we have a tv, some couches and some end tables. At night time all my roommates and I gather in the living room to hang out, we usually watch movies, Friends or anything that we can find on tv!

So that's my townhouse! When I'm not out and about on campus, this is where I spend my time!!
Be on the lookout for my post about Homecoming and Alumni Weekend!

It's Just the Photo of the Week

At my townhouse with all everyone before the annual Fall Ball. This year it was held in Garvey Park right on campus. Hors d'oeuvres, music, dancing and friends, what else is there to ask for?

Take your passion, and make it happen

I would like to create my first post by simply stating that I absolutely love Mercyhurst, I love what I am doing here and I love everything that has happened to me thus far. I know this sounds extremely cliche, but I feel like it was yesterday that I was a high school senior looking at college, and now suddenly, I am a JUNIOR in college?! How did that even happen? The end is actually near and in sight! However, before that end (graduation) gets here, I am doing everything that I love. I made the title of my blog "I'm here for a good time, not a long time." The reason for this is because it was just recently, when I realized that I'm now halfway done with college, that I'm not here at Mercyhurst for very long...therefore, why should I have an experience that is anything less than a blast?!
Ultimately, we're not in college for very long, so there's no reason to be anything but happy. This is where my post's title comes from...take your passion and make it happen. I have done exactly that throughout college so far, and this is what makes me happy.
But before I ramble for too too long, let's back up a bit and I'll tell you how the heck I ended up here!

I am from Erie, PA. I attended high school at Mercyhurst Preparatory School (directly up the hill from Mercyhurst College). All throughout senior year of high school I refused to even consider Mercyhurst as a college option. I thought I knew everything about Mercyhurst (because I had been in the chapel and the performing arts center...and of course that meant I knew "everything" haha I was so wrong). To make a long story short, my parents FORCED me on a tour which is where my stupid perception was washed away and I absolutely fell in love with Mercyhurst. Many people gave me crap about it and said that I was too much of a baby to go away from home...which is why I set out to prove not only to myself but to others that Mercyhurst is such an awesome school and there are so many opportunities to have a good college experience, even if the college is in your hometown.

Soooo once I got here, I decided to JUMP RIGHT IN! If there is any advice I could give to freshmen going into college, it's don't wait to do the things you want to do. Things aren't just going to fall into your lap, you have to find what you like (your passion) and go after it (make it happen)!

Now that I am a junior, the classes are a little/a lot harder, I have a million things going on, but I love every minute of it. When I look back at my college experience (which this blog will help me remember, along with facebook!), I will remember times of fun and excitement and times in which I was following my dreams and living my life exactly how I wanted to.

Stay tuned for more Mercyhurst excitement, through the eyes of ME!

Here's how I spent part of my summer! I worked as the Assistant Student Chair for the Summer Orientations and Welcome Week (basically we made sure that the freshmen and new students knew that they too made the right choice by choosing Mercyhurst!)