Saturday, March 29, 2014

Dion Family Student Center!

New this year to the St. Mike's campus is the beautiful Dion Family Student Center!
All through the summer of 2013, with the efforts of construction and the help of generous donations, the Student Center began its exciting project. Now, it's available to anyone and everyone, and without a doubt one of the coolest places on campus!
I've taken a photo adventure through Dion over the past couple of days and found a couple of old shots, capturing some of my favorite little spots.
A shot from a study area overlooking a gorgeous Fall day!

The passage from my dorm, Lyons, into the Student Center...equipped with snacks and study-couches!

#SMCVT! The beloved Instagram wall...select pictures captioned with #smcvt are added and swapped out every now and then, highlighting some of the prettiest, funnest, most exciting moments of St. Mike's student life!

Now for my favorite Student Center feature, Einstein's Brothers Bagels: home of the best bagel I have ever tasted (I highly recommend their asiago bagel with onion and chive cream cheese)! Their strawberry banana smoothies are another delicious staple, and their weekly nighttime specials are just to die for. Recently, they've whipped up some beer-battered onion rings and fried ice cream, just to name a couple...I mean, talk about a go-to for those late night cravings! 

One of the many sweet study nooks; this one's on the third floor...it's got so much light and is such a tranquil atmosphere that it's one of the coziest places to study on campus.

This tower at Dion's main entrance changes from color to color when it gets dark. Very, very cool to say the least. 

Between the delicious food, adorable studying spots, activities (movie nights, pool tables, and more!), and convenience (it serves as an indoor passage from the Lyons and Joyce dorms, so you only have to walk about fifty feet outside to get to the dining hall when it's cold out!), the Dion Family Student Center is definitely a noteworthy campus gem! Do not miss out on everything it has to offer when you all come up! I promise you, it'll be worth spending a lot of time in. See you there!

Monday, March 24, 2014

Back and Ready to Go!

As expected, break flew by. We made the trek back to St. Mike's yesterday...always a beautiful one.
Mountains upon mountains...the whole way, I'm telling you!
 
And, also as expected, it's as if I never left. It's absolutely crazy to think that after just a few small hoops to jump through- housing, finals, and packing- we'll be gone for the summer! Summer vacation for college will certainly feel quite different from summer vacation for high school. That's something I never believed when I heard it as a prospective student, but I'm telling you straight from the heart now that it's true! You will form an entire new life at St. Mike's, intimidating at first, but it turns very amazing very quickly, and it's hard to even think about leaving it from May to August!
And now, a few quick snapshots of Spring Break 2014 after Montreal!
My absolute favorite way to eat an Oreo- shockingly, I didn't learn this beautiful function of peanut butter until POW (one of St. Mike's' amazing orientation weekends! Highly recommended.)
 
First day of Spring...please.
 
Just a little project to bring back to the dorm! (Almost gone already!)

Found my freshman year high school ID. Yikes is right. Quite the transformation between then and my St. Mike's ID now!


A quick note to everyone considering St. Mike's as this time of decision begins, this is an experience unlike any other...and you're invited! RSVP ASAP and any other acronym you can think of! See you all in the Fall!!!
 
 


 

Monday, March 17, 2014

St. Mike's is Close to Spring Break!

I recently began spring break this past weekend, and it was definitely a great way to spend the first one! Saint Mike's is just under a few hours to beautiful Montreal, where I spent the weekend visiting gorgeous Old Montreal, exploring adorable shops, snow-strolling through the city, eating delicious food, and swimming on the hotel's rooftop pool. It was such a great weekend that I didn't even mind the cold!
Rue Notre-Dame, Old Montreal
Rue Notre-Dame, Old Montreal
Buddha shop on Rue Notre-Dame, Old Montreal...it smelled pretty great in here!
A fairytale sighting on Rue Saint-Paul, Old Montreal...spotted a few of these moseying about through the day!
A neat little art shop on Rue Saint-Paul, Old Montreal.
An unforgettable dinner on Rue Saint-Paul, Old Montreal...easily some of the best pasta I've ever had. 
A dreamy nighttime swim on the Hilton Bonaventure rooftop! We tried to make it in before the snow stopped, but didn't quite get there in time. :(
Headed back...even leaving was a gorgeous experience!

Spring break will undoubtedly go by fast, but I'm already eager to get back! Rooming selection for next year will happen soon after, and so far it's been sounding very quick and simple. Couldn't be more excited for that! Before I know it I'll be selecting classes for the fall as well. Time flies!
Summer will be here quickly, but I know that once it starts I'll be counting down the days until I'm back at St. Mike's.


 

Sunday, March 9, 2014

A Glimpse of Spring!

Well, almost. But it was close enough yesterday! When was the last time we all woke up to birds chirping over here?
It was a great time to be skiing yesterday- it was warm, the snow was falling, the ice was reasonably hidden, and there's definitely a level of thrilling adventure when it comes to your coat frosting over with the melting and re-freezing of the snow!
All this aside, it was an even greater day to be at Smugg's specifically. I'm not sure if this is the actual truth, but I'd like to think that it was all in celebration of a rapidly incoming Spring: FREE BEN & JERRY'S. Armed with Milk and Cookies and Cotton Candy, three scoopers hard at work effortlessly managed the line. With wishful thinking for warm weather soon in the back of my mind, it was a pretty magical experience licking an ice cream cone as the snow fell around us.
My first Cotton Candy flavor experience. Perfection!

It was certainly a well-deserved lunchtime reward after managing a certain level of treachery through the slopes above: fog is rarely considered a dangerous element to face, but I certainly felt like I was walking (or skiing) the line yesterday! Twenty feet (sometimes less), and that was it...a blurry wall prevented any and all feelings of security. A little nerve-wracking, yes...but we were forced to take it as an adventure. A little more snow and it would have truly been action-packed-movie material. 
The Artsy Experience: Fog at Altitude. (Movie title?)

Can't wait for some even Springier skiing in the (hopefully near) future!



 

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Burlington vs. Williston

It's no secret that Burlington is the hotspot college town of the area. And don't get me wrong, I love it as much as the next person: I saw Catching Fire in Roxy Cinema, I've spent an embarrassing amount of time getting fitted for a mattress (that I would never buy) at Sleepy's, and the waterfront benches have provided the setting for many a people-watching session.

Can't beat these Champlain sunsets, people. Trust me. 
 
 
Dreamy, right?
 
However, other neighboring towns cannot be ignored, or you'll be missing out. While Burlington has its own scene going on, Williston is the quick stop for all that extra stuff you may need! I've spent quite a bit of time in Williston, and it's been nothing but kind to me. It's a quick fifteen minute drive or bus ride, and very well worth it. I experienced my first steak dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse, and enjoyed a very tasty Valentine's Day in Outback Steakhouse (can't miss those garlic mashed potatoes). My roommate and I bought our TV at Best Buy, my boyfriend and I have found our new favorite movie theater in Majestic 10 (the first one I've ever seen with escalators, if I might add), and we've turned to Walmart for our occasional candy and chips fixes; today I stumbled upon apple cider K Cups. Who knew?!
 
Today at Walmart: not quite sure what happened here, or who even attempted it. All I know is that there were plenty of available spaces around. 
A classic strawberry milkshake at Outback!
My new favorite chips, a tradition with every Majestic 10 outing.
 
Long story short, when you get your butts up here, don't forget to explore all around St. Mike's! There's an adventure everywhere- whether you're exploring the (coolest EVER) shops in Burlington, the slopes at Smuggler's, or even the junk-food aisle at Walmart. I look forward to hikes once (or if) the snow season ends, and to exploring the green version of Vermont without a coat!