Family Fun :)

My weekend with my family in Notre Dame was amazing! Though I did miss life back at the Hill, I was so happy to spend time with my family. On Friday night, my friend Kelly and her mom dropped me off at the airport. I flew into Chicago to meet my parents. I got in 4 hours before them, so I took a shuttle to our hotel and checked in. I have never traveled totally alone, so I was a little nervous that something would go wrong, but the trip there went smoothly. Saturday morning, my parents and I made the two hour drive up to Notre Dame to meet my siblings and get ready for the game. Because none of us live at home anymore, it is pretty rare when my whole family is together. But every time we do get to be together, it seems like we were never apart. I love my family so much! We are all really close and always have such a good time together. Hanging out with my family is just like being with my best friends.

The football game was a lot of fun. Because my sister goes to Notre Dame and my brother goes to Michigan State, I usually have to switch off what team I root for. This year was my year to root for Notre Dame since it was their home game. But, I was sitting next to my brother, and the State band was right in front of us, so I did some cheering for the Spartans as well. I probably looked really confused with my Notre Dame t-shirt and ND face tattoo while singing along to the Spartan fight song, but all that matters is that we were having fun. My sister Christine is a student athletic manager at Notre Dame, so she got to be on the field for the game. It was a bummer that we couldn't spend time together at the game, but it was really cool to see her down on the field looking all official. Notre Dame ended the game with an interception and beat the Spartans 33 to 30.

After the game, we went to mass at one of the dorms on campus that has its own chapel. We sang some of the same songs that the choir at our masses sing, so I got a little reminder of Stonehill while I was away. After that, we went out to dinner to celebrate my sisters' September birthdays. We opened gifts and had some tasty celebratory milkshakes. Once we got back to campus, I met up with my friend Joe. He's a freshman at Notre Dame. We've known each other since kindergarten, so it was really great to see him. He was the first of my friends that I have been able to visit at college. It was really cool to get a glimpse at what his new life is like. We just wandered around campus talking. It is always so great to catch up with old friends.

Overall, my weekend away was so much fun. It was also sad though, because it was so short. Getting to spend such a little amount of time with my family makes me miss them even more. But, my friends at Stonehill make it so much easier to be away from

home. I know that the rest of this semester with my friends will be really great, and Christmas break with my family will be here before we know it!

Raindrops keep falling on my head...

I had such a good time this past week at Stonehill. It was a very fun, but very wet week. It rained a lot, which was very weird for me. I knew that coming from a very different climate meant I was going to have to get used to the bitter winter months, but I didn't know it would already be cold. Its September! But, the rain actually didn't end up being that bad. There is a lack of pictures for this post because of it (I didn't want to ruin my new camera in the rain!), but it actually made some stuff more fun. Friday night was our first home football game. It wasn't raining when we got there, but once the game got going, it proceeded to pour down on us. My friends and I were all completely drenched, but we stuck it out for the whole game and had a great time cheering, singing, and dancing in the rain. And I even won a $20 gift certificate to Dick's Sporting Goods at the game.

Then on Saturday night, we had Casino Night in the Commons. That was so much fun! My friend James and I ended up at a table playing Craps. We didn't know how to play, so we didn't think that we would stay that long. But, we caught on quickly, and ended up staying there for the rest of the night. That table was great because there were two dealers working it. They were a hilarious combo. They were joking around, giving everyone a hard time, and overall making it a really fun experience. And that weekend ended up being a really lucky weekend for me, because I won a DVD at Casino Night!


Classes have still been going pretty good. I've started to have quizzes and papers due, but so far still nothing unmanageable. I find myself overstudying a lot, always prepared for the possibility of a pop quiz. So far, none have actually happened, but I will be ready when they do.

I am really excited for this coming weekend, because I get to see my family! I have two older sisters, one a sophomore at Notre Dame, and one who graduated from Notre Dame in 2008. And I have a brother in his senior year at Michigan State. So, this weekend we are all meeting at Notre Dame in Indiana for the Notre Dame vs. Michigan State football game. My parents are flying out from California, so the whole family will be together. I am really excited to spend some time with my family. It should be a really great weekend :)

Carolyn and I in our rain boots :)

219 Love <3

This past week has been so much fun! Having a three-day weekend was amazing. The Reel Big Fish concert on Friday was really great. I didn't know the band before, but two of my friends, Jamie and Carolyn, really like them. So I just followed their lead, sang along, danced, and had an overall incredible time. Then on Saturday, we had the Hillapalooza barbecue and a viewing of The Proposal on the quad. That was really fun, and there was free popcorn involved, so obviously we were there!

On Sunday, I went to the student mass at 7pm in The Chapel of Mary. I was really excited to go to mass here. I really enjoyed it. Everyone there was participating and singing, which always makes it more enjoyable for me. And I also got a chance to sign up for some things in Campus Ministry while I was there, so I can't wait for that stuff to start. After mass I hung out with some friends at The Hill. We got ice cream and played fooseball and pool. After The Hill, we went back to Jamie and
Kelly's room in O'Hara. We hung out, ate a lot of junk food, and played Bananagram. Playing Bananagram was probably the most hilarious part of the night. The teams were Kelly and I, Nick and Abby, and James and Alicia. Alicia and James were the only team really playing seriously, but Kelly and I are still convinced that we won! (even though "tawi" is not technically a word)

Overall, I am even happier than I ever thought I would be at this point, only having been here two weeks. Of course I hoped to make good friends and I knew I would have a good time, but there is still always a small doubt that things may not work out. But I was extremely lucky to find the friends that I have. Jamie and Kelly's room in O'Hara is always the center of everything. They are so great, always letting everyone hang out in there. I live in Corr, but they always let me come over and hang out (even sleep!). My dorm room is 219 in Corr, while theirs is 219 in O'Hara, so I have become the honorary O'Hara 219 member. We have a 219 love!

Jamie, Me, and Kelly

First Week

I can’t believe I have already been at Stonehill for a week. It’s been a crazy week adjusting to everything. I feel a lot more comfortable here today than I did the first day, but I know that I have a lot of stuff left to figure out. Move-in was a very interesting experience. It’s so weird seeing pretty much everything you own sprawled out on the floor. It was really hard to know where to start with the unpacking because I felt like I had so much stuff. But, once it was all unpacked, it was a lot less intimidating. Thankfully, everything fit nicely in my room. It was a lot bigger than I expected. My dorm even has its own bathroom. We are the only room in our residence hall that has its own, so my roommates and I were really excited.

We also started classes this week. It took a little adjusting, but overall I really enjoy all of my classes. I don’t have too much homework yet, though I know that will change soon. Its so nice having so much time in between classes. I am so used to high school just walking from class to class. I love being able to relax between.

This weekend is a three-day weekend, so I am really excited. There is a lot of fun stuff planned on campus as part of welcome week, including a Reel Big Fish concert tonight and a barbecue tomorrow. We also had activities fair today. I signed up for some really good stuff. I can’t wait until everything really gets started! Pictures coming soon!

Here Comes Goodbye.....

This last week before leaving for school was filled with more goodbyes than I can count. It was filled with laughs, hugs, tears, and many, many parties. Many of my friends took all of us leaving for school as an opportunity to throw a bash. My best friend Jenn had a big pool party for a bunch of our friends. It was really fun. We played stupid pool games all day, and then relaxed in the Jacuzzi in the evening. One of my other close friends, Anna, threw a dinner party at her Dad’s restaurant. That involved really good Asian food (and Doritos), dancing, and a hilarious slide show of our past four years together.

Another one of my good friends, Amy, had her own dinner party. We all dressed up and ate in her nicely decorated backyard. We drank “mocktails” and ate some delicious food. Later, we played charades and reminisced on the good times. I also had a bunch of friends over for one of our traditional “Dane Cook Viewing Parties.” A lot of my friends, along with myself, have an extremely unhealthy obsession with Dane Cook. We like to get together and watch our favorite skits from his “Vicious Circle” DVD. It was really fun to get everyone together to watch one last time before we all go off to school, but also somewhat sad knowing that we won’t be able to do that for a long time. Everything is really bittersweet now that I’m leaving. I already miss my home, friends, and family, but I am also so excited to get to my new home, new friends, and new Stonehill family.

Drinking our mocktails

Putting My Life Into Cardboard Boxes

Today I finally started packing up my room in preparation for Stonehill. I told myself (and my mom) that I was going to do it sometime last week, but I kept procrastinating. I feel like I waited because packing up my stuff made leaving home very real. Of course I am extremely excited for school, but as my days in California grow fewer, I keep thinking about how much I am leaving behind. It is going to be extremely hard, but my experience at Stonehill will be worth it!

Figuring out what to pack was an interesting process. I am not going to be home at all first semester, so I have to pack pretty much everything I need. I don’t want to get to school and wish I‘d brought something that I didn’t. So, I went through my entire room and threw anything and everything that I thought might have some use at school into cardboard boxes. I realized that I will have loads of stuff that I really don’t need, but better safe than sorry! I brought pretty much every movie I own. You never know what kind of movie you’re going to be in the mood for watching, so of course I had to bring all of them varying from all five of my Harry Potter DVDs to my collection of Julia Roberts’ classics (My Best Friend’s Wedding, Notting Hill, Runaway Bride, Ocean’s Eleven, and Pretty Woman). I am bringing most of my clothes in a suitcase with me when I fly out, but I ended up packing some clothes that take up a lot of room in a suitcase, like sweatshirts and t-shirts. I also packed some stuff from my costume box for Halloween and other occasions that may come up where I will need to be in costume. I am fully equipped with feather boa and sombrero if something comes up!

Going through my room also meant finding some things I haven’t seen in ages and didn’t even know still existed. I came across some old letters my parents sent me while I was at summer camp, my veil from my first Holy Communion, and my diary from 3rd grade. Its extremely interesting seeing what I actually felt important enough to write in a diary as an eight year old. But finding that diary made me think that I should probably start keeping a journal at Stonehill. I know I am not going to want to forget any moments!

Corr 219 :)

After much waiting and anticipation, we finally got our residence information. I got in Corr Hall, which was my first choice dorm, so I am extremely excited! I am in a triple, so I have two roommates. I never really thought I would’ve wanted a triple, but now that I got assigned it, I am actually pretty happy about it. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know both my roommates in the last week. One of my roommates is Caitlin. She is from Connecticut, so hopefully she will be able to help me out when the winter months come along. We bonded instantly over our love of Harry Potter, The Office, and Dane Cook. My other roommate, Lauren, is from Florida. I was happy to have someone else from far away. We will be able to commiserate when we get homesick, or just extremely cold. I am really excited to get to school and get to know my roommates a lot better. But from what I can tell, we are all going to get along great!!

Since I know now where I will be living, my mom took me shopping yesterday for dorm stuff. We went to Bed, Bath, & Beyond. It’s really convenient because I can look around a store here in California and pick out all I need, and then when I get to Stonehill, I can go pick it all up at a store there. It makes it a lot easier so that we don’t have to mail everything. I was really excited to go shopping because I got to use one of the wedding registry scanner guns to order my stuff. I have always thought those looked like so much fun! It was, however, somewhat of a disappointment. The gun’s battery kept dying so we kept having to start over, but I didn’t let that ruin the fun of picking out all new stuff. Even getting something as boring as a trash bin was exciting, because I knew when I used that trash bin it was going to be in my new home at Stonehill. I got most of my stuff from Bed, Bath, & Beyond, but I didn’t really find any bedding I liked, so we went to Target for that. I found a really cute blanket and lots of cute pillows that we will mail to school. I can’t wait to use it all. And it was nice to get to bring some stuff home from the shopping trip.

Move-in day is getting closer and closer. I can’t believe its only 3 weeks until I leave! It’s pretty scary, but at the same time really exciting. I am trying to squeeze in everything I can with my hometown friends before I leave. I have lots of “end-of-summer” parties coming up, and multiple trips to the beach and Disneyland in the works. These last weeks of summer are going to be really fun, but what I’m really looking forward to is moving into Stonehill!!!

Harry Potter Mania!

To say that my friends and I were excited about the premiere of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince would definitely be an understatement. We have been waiting for this movie for two years ever since Order of the Pheonix came out. And, yes, we are those hardcore people that dress up and wait in line for hours. But for us, waiting in line isn’t just to get the seat we want in the theatre. We made the movie premiere an event. We brewed our own butterbeer (which is actually just crème soda and butterscotch), and made our own licorice wands and chocolate frogs. We prepared a game of “Harry Potter charades” and brought art supplies to make our own styrofoam snitches and Gryffindor headbands. The 9 hours we spent waiting in line for the midnight showing went by in no time.

But, our costume was the main event. Each of my friends was a different character from the movie. We all dressed as Hogwarts students (I was Ron!) who would take the train to school, because in addition to our characters, together we were the Hogwarts Express. That’s right, we made our very own Hogwarts Express. I realize that this may seem pathetic to some, seeing as I am 18 and still dressing up to see a movie, but I don’t have to act like an adult just yet. I haven’t even officially entered my freshman year of college yet! Our costume was so intense that we even made some fans! We had at least 20 different people come up to us and ask if they could take pictures with us. We pretty much became celebrities at our own premiere. Little girls came up to me in the bathroom and asked if I was part of the train and would proceed to get extremely excited when I said yes. It was so much fun to act like a little kid again for the night. And, of course, the movie was amazing! There will definitely be some hilarious pictures from that night that I take with me to Stonehill in less than 5 weeks!!

Ron, Ramilda, Pansy, and Luna :) :)


We met Dumbledore, Moody, and Hagrid!!



All aboard the Hogwarts Express!

First Week

I can’t believe I have already been at Stonehill for a week. It’s been a crazy week adjusting to everything. I feel a lot more comfortable here today than I did the first day, but I know that I have a lot of stuff left to figure out. Move-in was a very interesting experience. It’s so weird seeing pretty much everything you own sprawled out on the floor. It was really hard to know where to start with the unpacking because I felt like I had so much stuff. But, once it was all unpacked, it was a lot less intimidating. Thankfully, everything fit nicely in my room. It was a lot bigger than I expected. My dorm even has its own bathroom. We are the only room in our residence hall that has its own, so my roommates and I were really excited.

We also started classes this week. It took a little adjusting, but overall I really enjoy all of my classes. I don’t have too much homework yet, though I know that will change soon. Its so nice having so much time in between classes. I am so used to high school just walking from class to class. I love being able to relax between.

This weekend is a three-day weekend, so I am really excited. There is a lot of fun stuff planned on campus as part of welcome week, including a Reel Big Fish concert tonight and a barbecue tomorrow. We also had activities fair today. I signed up for some really good stuff. I can’t wait until everything really gets started! Pictures coming soon!