Before I head out on another road in life's journey, I would like to say a few words to some of the people who have made an incredible impact on my life...

To my friends in the Admission Office! Thanks for all the laughs, allowing me to give tours, and the other great opportunities to become more involved. Connie...I'm sure I'll see you at Wal-Mart.lol

Dr. Smith! Your classes were always a challenge (which I loved) and always made learning interesting. Thanks for being one of the short list of greatest teachers and friends that I have ever had...Oh yeah Chicago style rules!

Ms. Katrina Coakley! You rock my socks off! Good luck with my fellow Mercy Leaders next year! Let's go skydiving soon...

Honors and fellow Honors Program members and staff! Analyze, Analyze, Anaylze...Thanks for the great memories and fun trips. Its been "mystical..."

The Staff in Cosgrave! You are the coolest kids in town...Thanks for keeping me sane and always lending an ear.

Sue Brugh! The World's Greatest Boss and so much more! For all of your years going above and beyond for the students and for me, I thank you for always being there for me...

To all my friends..Keep in touch and thanks for the great memories

My fellow RAs...Keep those students in line...

To all future Mounties!!! Good Luck, Get Involved, and Have A Blast!

The past couple of weeks have been pretty stellar. On April 11th and 12th, we held our Fifth Annual Relay For Life at Mount Aloysius. Laura and I were the co-chairs of the event for the second year in a row. Relay is a 24-hour event filled with games, prizes, music, entertainment, food and much more. Throughout the year, teams have been fundraising like crazy. All of the money raised goes to the helping cancer victims, survivors and family members through their fight.

This year, we had many different activities planned. We played musical chairs, had Rock Band and Wii Bowling hooked up, had an ice-cream eating contest, had awesome performances by the Step Team, comedian Randy Riggle and a couple of DJs. The Money Tree Game Show also took place, but I didn't win any money. I couldn't hit the baseball far enough to get past the first round...lol

I also got pied several times by my friends and family. It was so disgusting. I could smell whipped cream for the entire week...The event raised over $21,000. I am so glad that everything turned out so well.

I am still working on getting an assistantship so I can pay for my graduate studies. I have just finished my second interview with St. Vincent College and have been invited to the campus for another one. I am so excited.

Well, I am going to head to bed, so I will talk to you later

John

"The Beach...from the bus...on the way home to the Kingston Airport... ;( "

"Laura and I hanging out"

"Another great picture from the van"

"My favorite picture...I can't believe I took this while we were in the van...it's just perfect"

"Stud Alert...lol"

"Baby Lamb Following Me..."

"Yucky, But Cool Snail"

"Pretty Cool Flower"

"Another Cool Flower"

"Angela, Jocelyn, Lindsey, Laura, and I playing Spoons in James House...I think I won that game!..."

These pictures were taken at the St. John Bosco Boys School in Mandeville, Jamaica. The school is run by the Sisters of Mercy, who are the founders of our school, Mount Aloysius College. It was great helping and seeing the smiles on all of the boys faces...enjoy!

"Helping the boys write letters to their sponsors"

"Jocelyn with Reggie"

"Painting Beds with Marshawn"

After we were finished at the science center, we headed to the Pittsburgh Waterfront Shopping Center. A bunch of us headed over to Red Robin for lunch. It took forever to get my food, but it was great! The strawberry lemonade was also delicious!!! After that, Justin and I walked for a bit down to the other side of the shopping complex. We browsed for some clothes in some discount stores, but couldn't find anything we liked. After that, we headed back to the outdoor mall to shop at some other stores. I got some jeans and a shirt from Hollister and Abercrombie. We also stopped at Dave and Busters, an arcade and restaurant. We played games for about a hour and then got some ice-cream at Cold Stone Creamery...delicious. After that we wasted some more time, then headed back to the bus. It was a great day, but I really didn't need the six hours of shopping...

Well, I am going to head to bed...

TTYL

The next step in this process is trying to finance my education. During my visitation weekend earlier this month, I had nine interviews for assistantship positions. Once the day was over, we had to rank our favorite job offers in order of preference. The employers then rank their top candidates in order of their preference. Then the school tries to match qualified people to jobs they want. I really liked three of the jobs. One was at St. Vincent College, one was at Seton Hill and the other was at IUP. St. Vincent College was my first choice and they called me the other day. They have chosen me as one of their top candidates. I have to schedule a second interview for them to ask me more questions. I am so excited and nervous...Hopefully I will hear back from them soon.

This weekend, a couple of friends and I are going to go to Pittsburgh to see the Bodies Exhibit. The school is taking a bus down for the entire day. I can't wait.

Later...

I have also been busy getting ready for Jamaica. I can't believe that I will be leaving in 10 days. I had to get some dry shampoo and no-rinse body wash. I also got some snacks and stuff at the Ebensburg Wal-Mart. This weekend, we will be collecting money in Ebensburg and Cresson for our trip. I think I may dress up in the mascot uniform...it should be fun

John

Anyways...While I was there, I ate dinner with some of the professors and current students. There were about 70 prospective students. I also had assistantship interviews and one faculty interview. I am really hoping that I get accepted to the program and can land a great assistantship job. The event itself was a two day process. I had to spend the night at a hotel, which wasn't very comfortable. I only got about 3 hours of sleep while I was there. Wish me luck...

Well, I am going to head to work, so I will write more later

The weather has been okay lately, but it could still get better. I want some sun and 80s...Colleges Against Cancer has been busy this semester. We have been working on getting ready for Relay, setting up fundraisers, and making T-Shirts. Last week, we held another awareness day, Purple 101. For this event, we purchased t-shirts and then tye-dyed them purple. Not to brag, but mine was awesome. I think Laura may have or will post pictures on her blog...

My friend Justin also celebrated his birthday. A lot of our friends and I drove out to Ebensburg to celebrate. We had some great food at the Castle, listened to music, and played some Guitar Hero. When we got back to the Mount, I was so tired that I fell asleep as soon as we got back. It truly was a night to remember...Happy Birthday, Justin!

Later

On Feb. 5th, the Career Services center here at school held a mock interview fair. Several employers from the surrounding communities let us borrow their human resources personnel for the students. There were several tables, so everyone could have a one-on-one interview. They would then ask potential interview questions and critique your performance. It sure was helpful. I used these new skills at my interviews for graduate school, but I will talk more about that later. That night, we held a Name That Tune game show. Laura Deely won the $100 grand prize.

The Basketball teams have been doing great this year. The women even won 5th place in the conference. They couldn't go to playoffs since we are in our last year of provisionals, but I know they could have easily beat some of the other teams. Go Mounties! I know they will make it next year.

During the week of Valentine's Day, Colleges Against Cancer held an event called Kiss Away Cancer. It was basically an awareness/fundraising program. We made candy grams and delivered them on Valentine's Day.

The weather outside has been pretty ugly. The temperatures have been going up and down and it continues to rain and snow. We even had another snow day during February...

Anyways, I am going to head to work. I'll fill you in on more later

Tonight Rashmanda, Justin, and I are going to watch another movie. Last night, we watched The Reaping with Hilary Swank. It was a pretty great movie. Tonight, we might watch Transformers or Let's Go to Prison. It all depends on what we are in the mood for. Well, I need to get working on some of my graduate school forms. I'll catch ya later.

John

The game started with a bang at 6:30. The Giants scored on their first possession with a field goal. After their score, I had to run to Fox's to pick up pizza for the party. While I was waiting, I saw the Patriots score a touchdown. The rest of the game was pretty exciting with scores on both sides. The halftime show was decent, but the commercials were great. I really enjoyed the Diet Pepsi Max ones...

Late in the fourth quarter, it looked like the Patriots were going to win. The Giants, however, rallied back and scored a touchdown with 30 seconds left! The drive down the field was awesome; some of those plays were crazy. Everyone but two people (Patriots fans) in the rec room jumped up and screamed when they got their touchdown. With thirty seconds left, Tom Brady got the ball back...it looked like they were going to rally back. The Giants held on and stuffed the Patriots, winning the game 17-14! I was so ecstatic. It was a great night!

Here are those awesome pictures that I took yesterday...

Enjoy

The weather was so icy, that we had to cancel school, so I got a day off...That was great, but I was really feeling bad. I had a sore throat, body aches, and the chills. It really wasn't a good day. Even though I was feeling a little sick, I went down to work at Cosgrave so the other residents would have a place to go. While I was down there, Owen came down, so we decided to host a program by playing the master game of strategy...Risk.

Even though I was sick, I still wanted to play. I ended up winning the game after two hours of battles and fortifications...I am now 2 for 2 for Risk games. I think I may retire to preserve my record.

Today was pretty decent. I went to bed early the night before, and I seem to feel a lot better. In fact, I took some pictures of the ice covered trees. They are pretty neat so 'll post these tomorrow before the Superbowl...go Giants!

It's time for dinner, so I'll catch ya'll later