A Few of my Favorite Links {#19}

Hello everyone! I took a little (unintentional) week's break off from the blog last week. I was feeling very exhausted throughout the week as a lot was weighing on my mind, and when that happens blogging is typically the last thing I'd like to do, but through journaling and creativity and of course the incredible support from B,  I've been able to process through it and I'm feeling much better. Sometimes you just need to take a mental health break!

Activities and events are back in full swing at MHC and it feels like I'm finally settling into my routine. My colleagues and I have come up with a solid plan so no single one of us is always caught at work late on Fridays or Saturdays. It seems like things are progressing forward in a very positive way which is always a glorious feeling to have while you're at work. I'm very lucky to be a part of such a cohesive staff! #blessed #sockgameonpoint

I'm creeping up toward a butt load of travel in these last weeks of winter and I'm super excited about them! First off I will taking a vacation down to Fort Lauderdale next week (!!!) with my friend Rob while Brett is recruiting for work. We found some really cheap round trip flights (Under $200 to get there and back! Uhm, yes please.) and I'm staying at this cute little Air BnB that's not far from the house the coaches are renting, and about a 10 minute bike ride from the beach! I'm definitely planning on renting a bike for my time down there so I can travel around in the warm Florida air easily. I'm looking forward to spending time far away from stress. I'm (of course) planning on hitting the beach, but in my down time journaling, drawing, reading, filming videos, and blogging. It's going to be so niccceeeee. Cannot wait.

Shortly after I return I will be travelling to the exact opposite climate - Canada. My friend and colleague Erin and I are going up to Montréal for the ACPA International Convention which will be so much fun! I'm excited to attend some educational sessions, network, and eat lots and lots of poutine. We're planning on doing some touristy things in our down time as well as Erin's never been to Montréal and the last time I went I was about 14 years old and was there for my sister's softball tournament so I don't remember too much of the city. I'm definitely looking forward to it!

Now that we're all caught up on my life, I'm going to hop right into my favorite links as of late. First of which is very exciting... I'm published, y'all!

Changing Campus Traditions

My two BSU counterparts (my former supervisor, Matt, and former co-advisor, Casey) and I wrote this article that was finally published in the first 2016 issue of Programming magazine - the publication for the field of Campus Activities! We've been working on this initiative to make our Homecoming pageants more inclusive since I arrived as a graduate student in 2013, and thought that sharing our experience - both the challenges and the successes - would be a great thing to contribute to our field. I'm really proud of this article and proud of OSIL for being courageous in the face of changing a beloved campus tradition!

$100 Donut Iced with Cristal Champagne and 24k Gold

This.... this is ridiculous. I can't decide if I hate this because it's so ridiculous or love it because it's so ridiculous. I mean, the donut is $100 and made of gold, but it sounds pretty disgusting if you ask me. "It's a donut filled with ube mousse, champagne jelly, and covered with a glaze made from Cristal champagne and 24k gold flakes." Probably not something I want to be eating. What do you think? Either way this was too out of control to not share, so it's making this edition Favorite Links.

Cocktail Chemistry - Ice Ball Cocktail

This is one of the coolest things I've seen in a while! While this is definitely not a super simple process to recreate, you can't beat the presentation! I mean, how cool would it be to be served your drink in an ice ball?! I have a feeling if I attempted this I would fail miserably, but the idea of this is so awesome.

I Tried to Become the Most Popular Person on a Cruise

I loved this little article! This is the story of a guy who went on a cruise on his own and tried to make as many friends as he could. Being very socially anxious and introverted, stories of people who have the guts to take on a challenge like this is so fascinating and inspiring to me! If you need a little pick me up or a cheerful story, give this article a read!

Cuddle Clones

I basically fell out of my chair when I found out that this was a thing. HOW CUTE ARE THESE?! This company will create custom plush replicas of your pet and I'm IN LOVE. Granted, they are quite pricey, but if you're far away from your pet or want something to remember a furry friend that you might have lost in the past, I think this would be so incredible. Whoever thought of this is a genius.

New, Female-Powered 'Ghostbusters' LEGO Set Unleashed

In girl power news, LEGO has released their new Ghostbusters set featuring the new cast of lady characters! I love when toy companies great "girl toys" that are more than just pink, purple, princessey, and stereotypically "girly". Love. It. I bet I would love to have some female LEGO characters to play with when I was growing up. My sister and I had a huge box of LEGOs that we always played with as kids and I can't really think of ever having a girl LEGO person. This set features exclusively female LEGO people and it's awesome and deserves to be praised.

THE EIGHTH HARRY POTTER BOOK!

My brain basically exploded when I found out about this earlier this week. I knew this play was being released but I had no idea that the story was also being released in book form! I'm still not entirely sure if this is a novel or the script to the play, but either way I'm excited AF and am obviously going to pre-order it. How could you not?!

What links are you loving lately?

Fast & Fun Fall

What a crazy fall it's been! October flew right by with craziness at work and and was jam packed with fun things every weekend. It's true that life seems to go by faster with each passing year, but I personally think it's because as you grow older life gets more and more fun! :) Anywho, here's what I've been up to these last few weeks.

We were all clearly thrilled to be at trivia. Especially Cullen.

Erin, Cullen, and I hit The Quarters after work a two weeks ago for round 2 of Harry Potter Trivia! We went a few months ago for the first round of HP Trivia and didn't do so great. I think we did a bit better the second time around (this time we were named "Gilderoy Pop and Lockharts" XD) but it was packed with people so being competitive was tough for everyone. (There were teams that got literally every question right >_>... putting my HP knowledge to SHAME!) We still had fun, though, which is what matters the most!

1. Reunited with Brittany & Matt at the Pageant!

2. The Homecoming Court in their best duds!

Later in the week I headed to BSU for the Homecoming Pageant! The Pageant is my absolute favorite event that is put on every year, and this year was extra special because I knew pretty much the entire Homecoming Court through working with them during Orientation or through PC. As it does every year, the court made me laugh with their talents and costumes, and made my heart melt with their interview answers. Bridgewater students love their university and every year the seniors in the court reflect on their time at BSU - it gets REAL emotional and I love it. I'm so happy I was able to make it back to campus for this special event.

1 & 2. Jenna toting Erin around in the Student Life wagon after wrapping up FallFest! XD

3 & 4. Staff photo day! We love Dinosaur Office - can you tell?

As I mentioned before, work's been crazy busy. I've found that this part of the year has been even more hectic than September (at least for my position) which is crazytown to think! In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving Break we have multiple events on almost every Friday & Saturdthat ay, meaning the time leading up to the events is spent answering emails, holding meetings, and on Fridays and Saturdays I hang out at work til the wee hours of the morning. I'm so happy that I love the work I do, but I'm even happier that I have amazing colleagues to make the craziness all bearable! (Examples of how we laugh through the stress above!)

Birthday cake surprise at midnight!

Brett had his golden birthday last week - 27 on the 27th! Unfortunately he had to work all day, but I surprised him at midnight with a slice of chocolate cake, brought him some lunch, and we we able to have some Chinese food for dinner (our fave)! Later on in the week we were able to have some fun (Halloween weekend!!!) so having a nice low-key birthday was actually pretty nice. :)

1. I was Katniss at work on the 30th - yes that's a marshmallow bow!

2. New Found Glory at the Palladium! 3. My lovely date to the #NFGYC show!
4. Our costume for *official* Halloween - a Blue Barracuda & a Temple Guard from Legends of the Hidden Temple!

Then, my favorite part of the year, Halloween! This year was particularly fun because the holiday fell on a Saturday which works perfectly for both Brett and my schedules and we were able to plan lots of fun activities for ourselves! On Friday our office hosted a trick-or-treat for students so we all dressed up in costumes. I was dressed at Katniss from The Hunger Games and was complete with a marshmallow bow and arrow (these are the things you'll find in your office when you work in Student Activities). Everyone else had great costumes, so I highly encourage you to check out our Instagram page to check them out!

Friday evening was something that Brett and I had been waiting for since June - the New Found Glory & Yellowcard concert at the Palladium! NFG and Yellowcard both played for about an hour and it. was. awesome. It's so amazing to see such a passionate crowd and performances that had so much energy after nearly 20 years of each band being together. We had a blast belting out nearly every song of both sets and dancing around. Even though each set was an hour I wish they could have been longer! Hopefully, because NFG's 20 year anniversary is in 2017, they'll be touring again very soon!

Finally, on the 31st, we were able to hang out with Erin, Cullen, Tim, and a bunch of their friends for a Halloween party! Brett and I went as a Blue Barracuda and a Temple Guard from Legends of the Hidden Temple, a Nickelodeon game show from we were kids. True 90's kids right here! I loved our costumes this year and we got a lot of compliments on them (though there were quite a few people who didn't understand what we were, haha!). We had a really great time hanging out with everyone and having a fun, relaxing time for a change!

Clearly, things have been crazy, but they've been lots of fun as well!

How have things been for you all?

A Peak Inside Orientation at BSU

After six exciting yet exhausting weeks, Orientation 2015 has come to a close. Orientation at BSU consists of months of preparation, two weeks of training for our Orientation Leaders (OLs - student staff memebers), and 3 weeks of sessions. Each session is a two-day overnight experience, so it toatals out to six sessions, each with about 250 new students (give or take) in attendence. As a graduate intern, I came in on the last week of preparation with the professional staff before the OLs arrived. It's a long and grueling process, but there's always a ton of fun moments along the way!

This year, I drank so much Marylou's that I'm pretty sure I gained a solid 15 pounds. We would buy our coffees in rounds, meaning that when one of us went, we were buying coffee for everyone on the pro staff (10-12 coffees per trip). The girls who worked there pretty much hated us, and you could hear the tone of dread in their voices when someone in a black polo approached. (Sorry!)

The photo on the left pretty much described our entire June.

There's an Orientation tradition of exchanging decorated clipboards to be used throughout the program. This year, my clipboard was made by the lovely Beth (who has her own blog here)! I love how it came out and how it reflects a bit of her own style while showcasing my interests! Thanks, Beth!

One of my favorite parts about working Orientation is getting to spend time with the OL staff. They are always so funny and keep me entertained through the long 18-hour days. It's a good reminder of why I'm in this field! I also really enjoyed hanging out with my new friend Kacie, who was a fellow graduate intern for the program. We laughed all the way through training and all six sessions!

When the OLs selfie-bomb your phone, you post the photos online as payback. :)

One of the OLs, Jake, after a long day of sessions.

There is always an end-of-year banquet to celebrate the hard work of the month of June. It's always a good way to remember everything we've accomplished and an opportunity to say goodbye. This year was particularly tough because I won't be returning to campus in the fall so it was really goodbye for me! :( 

Traditional selfie with the OL staff!

THRILLED to be at the banquet.

We also started a new tradition at the banquet. Each OL had the opportunity to leave their mark on the history of Orientation at BSU by stamping their thumbprint on a staff picture. It was a fun craft project that the entire staff could contribute to. The picture will be hung in the New Student and Family Programs office for a long time, and it is so cool to be a part of that!

Orientation is always a challenge, and it literally takes over your entire life for the 6 weeks that you're a part of it, but you come out with so many new learned skills, lessons, and memories that it truly makes it all worthwhile. I'm going to miss BSU so much, but I'm so happy that I was able to end my time as a Bear with this program. Thank you to everyone who had a hand in making this program so great!

Family Bonding, Famous Sisters, and Fleeing from Tornadoes: My Non-Working June Life

If you've read this blog at all in the past 6 weeks, you know that my entire life has been taken over by my position with Orientation at Bridgewater State University (it's just the nature of the orientation beast!) since mid-May. Yesterday, we concluded out 6th and final session and with the Orientation Leader banquet this afternoon, we are pretty much done with the program! There are a few things that I have to wrap up but soon I will be leaving BSU for good and moving to the next chapter of my SA journey! :) I'll be dedicating my next blog post completely to my experience with Orientation, but for now, here's a bit of what my life outside of work has been like!

Before our first session, way back at the beginning of the month, Brett and I went out with my new friend Kacie (who was another intern for the Orientation program) and her boyfriend, Matt! They're two awesome people and we had fun having a few drinks and chatting with them through the night (even though Kacie and I were basically falling asleep after a long week of prep for the first session)! In the morning, Brett and I stopped by our favorite ice cream spot in the area, Hanson Farm, and visited the new calf named Peach Blossom (she was born the day before my birthday!). It was the perfect way to relax before the craziness of sessions.

The weekend after the first session (June 13-14) was family time to the extreme. Saturday Brett and I spent time with his neice and nephew. We had so much fun playing with them (building blanket forts, playing video games, soccer, and Littlest Pet Shop!) and it was beautiful out so it was perfect! It's crazy to see how much little Sophia has grown up since the last time we saw her!

Sunday we traveled up to NH because my mom was racing in her very first triathlon! This has been something that she has been wanting to do forever and has been training so hard for, so I definitely wanted to go up and support her on one of my days off! The race was at a really cool YMCA camp in Merrimack and it was set up in a way where we could see her in all three legs! I also made her a sign to cheer her on. It was so cool to see her accomplish a goal that she had set for herself and worked so hard for. She's awesome! :)

There was a tepee at the camp, so we obviously had to take a picture.

Finisher!

Brett was awesome (duh) all through this month supporting my exhausted self, and his family was also being so supportive through my busy schedule. When I came home after session 3 (June 15-16), his mom brought home these AMAZING Italian cookies from the store and it was such an amazing treat to have after a long two days. YUM.

I'm sure you've all heard of the terrible shootings down in Charleston, and you've probably seen the image of the shooter below plastered all over the news. The crazy thing about this image is that my sister is the officer on the right (the suspect is being held at the jail she works at). Her face is now all over the news as a part of one of the most used images of this case. It's so weird to see her standing right next to the man that brought so much pain to so many people, but seeing this image is definitely a reminder of one of the biggest reasons she got into the field that she works in - to help prevent things like this from continuing to happen.

Last weekend was on the low-key end, which was something I certainly appreciated. I kicked up my feet and spent some time with Brett & friends on Friday night to unwind. Saturday I made the trip out to my new hometown to sign the lease for my new apartment and opened up a P.O. Box, so I can officially become a resident and start the next chapter of my life! Very exciting. :) When I returned to Brett's house we baked cookies and started reading the first book in the A Song of Ice & Fire series, because apparently we can't live too long without Game of Thrones in our lives in some capacity. 

Sunday was Father's Day and we had originally planned on driving back up to NH for Ribfest and to see my dad run a race, but he actually ended up being sick and since it was pouring out he didn't want to push his immune system any further. Though it was sad we didn't end up getting to see him on Father's Day, it was good to not have to drive anywhere and to spend a rainy morning in bed finally finishing the last episode of MadMen as well as polishing off the newest season of Orange is the New Black. Hooray for lazy Sundays!

On the second day of session 5 (June 23) we were greeted with a Tornado Warning in Massachusetts, which is always terrifying because we do not get tornadoes in this area and if we were to ever actually see a tornado we probably wouldn't know what to do and would likely get sucked up into the sky. Kacie, Katelyn (another girl who works in our office), and I decided to take shelter at our local bar and figured the best way to go out is with a $4 margarita in our hands (I mean, c'mon...). The storm was right on top of Bridgewater and though we were graced with a huge downpour, thunder and lightening, and the satellites getting knocked out, we did not see an actual tornado. It was pretty exciting though!

Wednesday I headed up to Mount Holyoke to meet with HR and finalize some fun paperwork items and spend some more time with my new colleagues! They took me out to a sushi lunch (YUM)  and showed me more of the Hogwarts-like campus that will be my new home away from home. They are such a kind and down to earth crew of people and I am very excited to start working there in a little over a week (so crazy)! Check out how happy I am to have my official MHC ID! :) 

And, as I mentioned, this past Thursday & Friday was our 6th and final session of orientation. I was getting a bit nostalgic as Kacie and I cruised around campus in the golf cart. It's really sad that these are my final days being part of the BSU community, but I'm happy that I've had so many amazing opportunities here. This institution has done amazing things for me and I will always remember BSU as being one of the most important stepping stones in my career. Ugh, just thinking of it now I'm getting all sappy! It's so bittersweet to be leaving, but I'm definitely looking forward to where my career will take me next!

100%

As mentioned in my last post, Brittany and I did an entire photo shoot around the BSU campus on graduation day to comemorate the end of our grad school experience! We had an indoor evening ceremony which doesn't allow for too much photo opportunities aside from when we walk across the stage, and since Brittany and I had such a wonderful experience at BSU, we wanted to take some time before the ceremony to grab some shots of a few of out favorite spots! This post will, of course, be photo heavy, so click "Read more" to see all of them, and for a bonus surprise at the very end! :)

(Every time I saw "Degree Candidates Assemble" I wanted to channel my inner Ron Burgundy...)

Catching Up on the Last 5 Weeks! (Part 2)

And thus began the most exciting week and a half of my life to date!

Thursday, May 7

Thursday was my first *official* day off (save for a night of duty) in who knows how long, so I definitely enjoyed it! My CAs and I went out to FroYo as an end of the year celebration, which of course was delicious, and I even got my commencement tickets in the mail! It was a great way to spend a day off and unwind from the stress of the semester.

Friday, May 8

I had another day off on Friday and because it was such a gorgeous day, I opened the windows to my apartment to let some air in. I may or may not have forgotten that the Dean commencement was taking place on my front lawn this year, but instantly remembered as the noise of sound check came through my windows. I got a sneak preview of all the musical performances though, which was a nice background to cleaning!

Friday I also got the chance to see Meredith, who I hadn't seen since the winter! It was great to catch up with her a bit. We met up with one of our favorite graduates, Cassie, and went out for celebratory margaritas to toast her accomplishments, joined with many other friends!

Saturday, May 9

Saturday morning was Dean's commencement! Of course I needed to be there for many of my CAs, but I also wanted to be there for two students that I've worked with for the past three years (since I started as a professional!), Liz and Cassie! It was so great to be there when they crossed the stage, and I can't wait to see where they go off to next!

After commencement and closing all of my buildings like a maniac, I got ready at the speed of light for formal event #2 of that day, Brett's cousin Angela's wedding! I got there right in time for the lovely couple to exchange vows and enjoy the end of the ceremony. It was a beautiful event and I was so happy I made it on time to at least see some of it (I thought I would miss it all because of closing!). Afterwards we went to the reception, ate so much wonderful food, and danced the night away. It was such a fun night with Brett's family! :)

The Foster Crew

~so official~

Sophia and Danny high-fiving!

Aftah pahty! :)

Monday, May 11

Monday was my birthday! A whopping quarter-century for me. Brett surprised me at midnight with a gift (he loves doing that on my birthday!) of exactly what I asked for - a cooler for us to tote around for the summer. We are always scrounging for coolers in the summer so I'm super pumped that we won't have to be doing that this year! He also got me a couple of Starburst scented candles... YUM! Perfect for my future new apartment! Thanks love! <3

Another wonderful gift that I received on my birthday was MY LAST NIGHT OF GRAD SCHOOL CLASSES EVERRRRRR! I presented one final group project and then all of the Student Affairs grads got together (FINALLY) for drinks to celebrate! It was so much fun to hang out with everyone outside of class, share a few drinks, and make some final memories before leaving. I only wish that we had done that way more during my time in the program, but hopefully they continue the tradition moving forward!

When I came home, Brett had an Oreo ice cream cake waiting for me for one final birthday hurrah! So delicious. It was a wonderful way to end my birthday. I love birthdays, and I definitely feel like I rang in 25 the right way thanks to the wonderful people in my life!

Tuesday, May 12

Tuesday I had a follow up meeting with...

Mount Holyoke College! This is the college I had visited during the #SAroadtrip a week and a half ago, and I had actually received a job offer on Thursday! This meeting was to meet with the Dean of Students and with the Office of Student Programs one last time, and I officially accepted the position after that! I will be the Student Event and Special Programs Coordinator at MHC starting in July and I cannot wait to be an #SApro! I will be writing a post next week reflecting on my #SAsearch experience, so stay tuned for that! :)

Wednesday, May 13

Ending my week of excitement was, of course, my own commencement! Brett and I ventured out to Bridgewater and spent the day wrapping things up in OSIL at my assistantship, saying some goodbyes and some thank yous, showing my family around the BSU campus (including taking them to Marylou's, of course!) and you know, casually graduating with my Master's degree. *hair flip* I'm going to do a photo post of all of my graduation pictures (Brittany and I did a full-blown photo shoot around campus) as well as a video, but for now here's some snaps from the day! :)

Brittany and I took a secret field trip!

Before processing! We were separated was we were waiting to march...

...but she was seated right behind me once we got into the auditorium! #score

A little goodbye message from the GAs :'(

The GORGEOUS flowers from my family and Maribeth! <3

Weekend of Celebration!

Brett, our families, and I celebrated all weekend long! We headed up to New Hampshire on Thursday to spend time with my fam and the pups, and Saturday we went out to dinner at the new hibachi restaurant at Patriot's Place with the whole Fickett/Angel/Hill/Foster crew! It was a whirlwind of celebration, so I'll just let these photos describe the weekend! 

The only appropriate shirt to wear the day after commencement.

Bought myself a birthday/graduation/new job present! The A5 Filofax Saffiano in Pear... *heart eyes Emoji*

Playing video games & relaxing!

One of my graduation gifts! Beers decked out in academic regalia! XD

My mom & sister's handiwork! :) It half looks like I graduated, half looks like I'm turning 15... haha!

Patchwork cake!

This is what adults do in the morning... drink coffee and play Pokemon.

Nature walk!

Out to hibachi!

Danny was psyched for his birthday present from Uncle Brett!

Walking around Pat's Place... clearly had to take a selfie!

I don't think I'll have a week that out-excites this one, but I'm okay with it, haha!  It'll be good for things to settle back down into a routine, as I'm still recovering from all the activity.  I think it's pretty needless to say I was exhausted after this week and a half of excitement, but it was packed full of memories that I'll always look back and smile on!

Hope you're all having a fantastic week! 

Can't wait to get back into the swing of posting regularly! :)