I just wanted to drop by real quick to say Happy Thanksgiving to all of you and your families. I hope you have a safe and enjoyable holiday. If you are heading out for Black Friday shopping, may God bless you and keep you safe. Haha. :o) I, myself, will be venturing out in the chaos with my family. I absolutely love it, but it scares me to death.

We are having a snow storm outside the window as I type this blog...please be safe if you are traveling. Make sure to keep warm with a cup of hot chocolate! You all know it's my favorite thing to do when the snow comes. :o)

Enjoy your delicious turkey feasts and please keep those who are less fortunate in your prayers during this holiday season.

God Bless,

Laura

Quote of the Day: "There's a time for all things." -Shakespeare

Posted by Laura Deely at 6:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This past weekend was my very last powderpuff football game. Since Amanda and I will be graduating next semester, we wanted to have one final game to top it all off. Like always, the underclassmen took on the undefeated upperclassmen in traditional Mount Aloysius style...playing on a freezing, snow-covered field. Haha. The weather never fails. :o)

It was great to be able to get together with all of my friends for a "relaxing" day away from papers and classes. I put relaxing in quotations for the simple fact that it wasn't technically relaxing and I was definitely sore the next morning. I was the quarterback this year and had a blast! Our flag-football game usually turns into a tackle game after a certain period of time. The wintry conditions didn't help the muscles and joints either. :o)

The upperclassmen have remained victorious and undefeated in the 3 years we have played. It was truly memorable and enjoyable to play one last game. Coach Kime came out to coach us for our last game and Chris Lovett coached and led the underclassmen. I think they definitely have some potential for next year. The upperclassmen better watch out! Our head official, Mr. Grassadonia, also deserves some praise for sticking it out in the cold!

It's sad to think about it being my last game, but I'm glad it ended the way it did.

God Bless,

Laura

Quote of the Day: "Don't be sad that it ended. Smile because it happened." -Unknown

The Victorious Upperclassmen

Coach Kime and I for our final game :o(

Posted by Laura Deely at 6:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This past weekend was the Coaches vs Cancer basketball tournament. Colleges Against Cancer helped out the Athletic Department by collecting tickets at the door, selling programs, raffling off baskets, etc. All the proceeds from the weekend went to the American Cancer Society.

There was a great turnout on Saturday night for the Mounties. Faculty, staff, students and the community came to the game for the kickoff to the 08-09 basketball season. Everyone was wearing the new Mountie Maniac shirt and was filled with MAC pride! I love basketball season. The games are a great way to spend time with your friends on the weekends and get the residence halls involved in some fun programming.

Well, I should get some homework done. Finals are just around the corner!

God Bless,

Laura

Quote of the Day: "The guidance of our mind is of more importance than its progress." -Joubert

MAC the Mountie

Posted by Laura Deely at 6:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today is the 2nd Annual To Write Love On Her Arms Awareness Day. TWLOHA is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery. This was something that hit home for me because it reminded me of a classmate I lost my junior year of high school. Some of my friends and I wrote love on our arms to spread awareness throughout the day on the MAC campus.

Today I also had a chance to be reunited with some old friends. Christine and I met up with Sue Brugh and went out to dinner before meeting up with my buddy John Porter at PSU Altoona. John is working in the Student Affairs department and invited us down for their Established Speaker Lecture Series. Their special guest that night was Richard Dreyfus...that's right! The real Richard Dreyfus! One of my all-time favorite movies is Mr. Holland's Opus so you can imagine how excited I was when I got to meet him and get his autograph!

It's definitely been a busy couple of days...I know that is not unusual for me by any stretch of the imagination. I'll get to relax a little bit tonight because we are all heading down to my house for Taco Night!! I can't wait to see my Mom and Dad. I definitely have not been home much this semester and it's great when I actually get to spend a night with them and all my friends.

Well I should be getting ready for art class so I will talk to you soon. Have a great weekend!

God Bless,

Laura

Quote of the Day: "To be strong is to be happy." -Longfellow

Posted by Laura Deely at 5:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to meet with my fellow students from colleges and universities around the area. Juniata College, St. Francis University, Penn State Altoona, Pennsylvania Highlands Community College, and Mount Aloysius College were all in attendence. It was by far my most enjoyable conference that I had attended in the past 4 years. Why, you may ask? I had the opportunity to do such an increidble amount of networking and I believe the group of students whom I met with are truly amazing leaders within their communities.

Our keynote speaker, Bryan Johnson, started the day off with a remarkable speech on the value of diversity within our institutions. His keyword was "Diversimilarity" and it's importance on how we are alike and different. His personality radiated through all of us and he truly left a lasting impression.

I attended various breakout sessions throughout the course of the day, all of which were incredibly informative and enjoyable. Several topics that were discussed ranged from "The Soul of Leadership," "Recruitment & Retention," and "Commuter Student Engagement." I also had the opportunity to sit down with my fellow SGA Presidents from each institution in order to understand how each SGA is structured, the programs held by each institution and the possibilities of creating some collaborative efforts between the schools.

I have already been in touch with several of my new friends and we are already underway with programming. I'm truly excited to embark on this new endeavor. I believe that this will open so many new doors for each institution and create some incredible relationships.

God Bless,

Laura

Quote of the Day-"That's what education means - to be able to do what you've never done before." -George Herbert Palmer

Posted by Laura Deely at 5:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've never felt more proud to be an American than right now. Aside from the arts, American history has always been very interesting to me. I have always loved learning about the foundation our country was built on. One of my favorite movies is the National Treasure series...they are packed full of rich, American history. It's incredible.

As I sit here now, I'm filled with such pride, because I was able to be a part of history yesterday afternoon. I voted in my 2nd Presidential Election. It was also an incredible moment, because I was accompanied by my younger sister, who was voting in her 1st Presidential Election. She was so excited, as was I, to be apart of one the most defining moments in the history of the United States.

As I was watching the election coverage last evening, I was reminded of all my prior history lessons and the teachers who has instilled that information in me. I was reminded of my year spent in a program called "Celebrate Diversity" and my first trip to Washington, D.C. I was reminded of the hardships that our country had to overcome throughout the years just so that I may place my finger to a screen and share my voice.

I have never been more proud of my country and I cannot wait to see this future unfold before my eyes.

God Bless,

Laura

Quote of the Day- "Without ideals, without effort, without scholarship, without philosophical continuity, there is no such thing as education." -Abraham Flexner

Posted by Laura Deely at 5:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)