You know something...saying that I'll be going home for Christmas break has made me think about some things. I am going home...I can't wait to see my family, be back in my old room, play with my dogs, and really get some time to spend on my art. But, there's another side to things. I'm leaving home for Christmas break. Mount Aloysius has become my home in every aspect of the word. I'm going to miss it more than you could imagine! :o) All of my friends will be hours away...but that won't stop us from getting together! We have plans in the works for some awesome get togethers. :o) My roommates and I are talking about going to Virginia!

Finals are finallyfinished! It was a rough week, but I made it through and I think I aced all of my tests. There's nothing that a few late nights and bottomless cups of hot chocolate can't handle! :o) Overall, this semester was by far my favorite. I'm not sure that I can pin point it to one thing but between the soccer season, powderpuff football, classes with some amazing professors, the new friends I made, etc. It was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!

I hate to see it end but that just means a new beginning is in the works...

Have a most wonderful Holiday Season and God Bless!

Laura-The Mount Aloysius College Elf

Posted by Laura Deely at 10:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The last week of the semester has finally arrived and finals are knocking at my door. Yesterday I had my final in Survey of American Literature. It was my kind of final. We had to choose an author previously studied during the semester who most closely resembled our lives. We also had to analyze their values, beliefs, and priorities as discovered in their literary works and writing style. I chose Walt Whitman because he has been my favorite writer ever since I was introduced to his works. Today I had my Emergent Literacy final and I think it went really well. My roommates and I had a study session last night and I went to bed around 1:30 a.m.

Well...I'm going to get some work done and then head to lunch. I'm sure I'll chat with you one more time before I head home for the holidays.

Laura

Posted by Laura Deely at 11:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last evening, the entire campus community, along with their families, celebrated the annual Christmas at Mount Aloysius College event. The evening began with mass in the chapel, followed by the blessing of the nativity which is located in the main building. Afterwards, everyone ventured over to Cosgrave for some socializing before dinner was served. We enjoyed Mock-Tail drinks, of which my favorite was the Jack Frost...a non-alcoholic pina colada. :o) Yum! We also had a chocolate fountain. That is always a big hit!

Dinner was prepared by the Metz Staff and was absolutely delicious! My parents made the drive up from Altoona. I was so happy to see them because I hadn't for a few weeks. I'll be home this weekend because I have some Christmas shopping to get finished for my friends here at Mount Aloysius. I also have some serious studying to do for my three finals next week. The snow yesterday was a nice addition to the Christmas festivities that were going on. We had an amazing turnout and everyone enjoyed being able to spend time with the ones they love. It was a nice evening away from the books...that's for sure!

After the dinner, several of us headed down to Alumni Hall for a Christmas Ball being held by several of the freshmen Mercy Leaders. They did an amazing job and we all had fun. I love to dance so it was a perfect end to the evening for me.

Well, I need to get back to work...see you soon and try to stay warm in this winter weather! I suggest lots of hot chocolate. :o)

Laura

Posted by Laura Deely at 3:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's time to fill you in on the awesome weekend I spent in Hersey, PA with Jenna, John and Justin! The Youth Summit was held to bring together Pennsylvania Student Advocates involved with Relay For Life and Colleges Against Cancer for a weekend of fun, education and networking. For those of you who may not be familiar with Relay For Life, it is a program in which people come together and raise awareness for the fight against cancer. Through fundraising and networking, individual programs raise money for cancer research. The theme of the event was Pirates of the CUREabbean. It was extremely fun and I had the opportunity to meet with students from other colleges and high schools to discuss their Relay For Life events and to brainstorm for new ideas.

I learned so much from the sessions I sat in on. We discussed team recruiting strategies, fundraising tips, event development, and survivorship. My favorite session was Survivorship because we discussed various ways to get cancer survivors involved with our Relay For Life events. I have so much information to go through in order to get organized for Mount Aloysius's upcoming Relay events. We will be holding our Relay Kickoff this upcoming week and I can't wait for things to get underway.

We also had an opportunity to hang out and have fun with the new friends we had made. Justin and I competed in a dance contest and learned how to do the Tootsie Roll. :o) We both won Colleges Against Cancer backpacks! We also attended a concert by Chad Mackey, an upcoming musician who raises money, through his CD sales, for the American Cancer Society because a close friend of his lost her battle with childhood cancer. And of course, we had plenty of time to eat CHOCOLATE!!! We stayed at the Hershey Lodge and even the soap smelled like chocolate! :o)

It was definitely a memorable and very successful weekend and each of us Mounties were excited to be a part of the event!!!

Laura

Posted by Laura Deely at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)