Ok, so I know its been a while since I've last blogged, but things around here have been pretty crazy lately.

First things first - Open House was actually pretty decent. Usually its crazy for Tour Guides and the rest of the Admissions staff because we're busy making sure everything is running smoothly. This year it seemed abnormally under control (at least it was from my standpoint) so the day was pretty fun. It was nice to work with all of the Tour Guides at once since our hours in the office are scattered throughout the week. All in all, we had a decent turn out despite the strange weather - on-and-off showers and outrageous humidity - so we were all pretty happy about that. If you're one of the people who attended Open House, we hope that you found it pretty informative! : )

Other than that, November is a crazy month once you get to college just because of the way the semester is set up. Basically, September is usually off to a slow start, with maybe only one or two tests or papers towards the end of the month because school is just beginning. October is when you would usually have the first round of midterms or projects due, so things start to pick up. November is crazier, however, due to a few things:
1.) School's been in session for a few months now, and most people start to get worn down from studying so much or working so much, or they're bored from the weekly routine in general.
2.) The second and maybe even third round of things are due because the semester is wrapping up.
3.) We have Thanksgiving break.
While I love nothing more than time at home with my family and an excuse for eating everything in sight, I usually find myself wishing that Thanksgiving was at a different time. This year, its abnormally late in the month. What this translates to in terms of the academic semester is that we have one last week of classes when we get back, with finals week following that. We have two and a half days of school, five days off, four days of school, three days off, and then finals begin. Its an inconvenient time to have such a hectic schedule, but I am definitely looking forward to break.

I'm so pumped about the line-up for my Turkey Day vacation:
- Wednesday: Taking the commuter rail home and meeting my parents and sister in Worcester to go to a concert. We're going to see The Eagles, and I couldn't be more excited. LOVE THEM!
- Thursday: Eat great food and watch the family bicker - what else could be better?
- Friday: Seeing my friends from home (YAY) and working on grad school applications (YUCK)
and -Saturday: Putting up the Christmas Tree with my fam for the first time in three years. Its one of my favorite traditions, but getting us all around at once to do it together is usually pretty tough. My mom has this thing about not putting the tree up too early, but because Thanksgiving is late this year, she's letting us do it while we're home. So pumped!

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I just wanted to make a quick list of things that I am particularly thankful for this year. Its not just about the food, ya know... : )
~ My health, and the fact that I haven't gotten really sick yet this school year (knock on wood...)
~ My family - The best people in the world.
~ My roommate, who is brave enough to wake me up from a nap when I ask her to, knowing that I'll be ridiculously cranky when I get up.
~ My best friend, who still finds time to call me and listen to my crazy rants despite the fact that she has moved to London and is traveling through Europe with her graduate program.
~ My friends, especially my North End family, for helping me get through the craziness... and for being corny enough to have game nights and an early Thanksgiving dinner with me.
~ Everyone who has sacrificed anything to help me get to where I am today. I'm definitely in a good place in my life.
(Sorry for the corniness.. it wouldn't be my blog without some sort of sentimental touchy-feely crap, right?)

On that note, I need to go get some homework done. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! : )

Happy Veteran's Day, everyone! This week I'm blogging from my apartment, enjoying the day off from school AND work... I'm not really sure how I managed to pull that one off.

Anyway, things have been pretty exciting at Suffolk since the election last week! Students are actually planning trips down to the Inauguration for class credit, myself included, so we've been busy planning that. I am going with Emily (my roomie), Kelly (a friend from class), and maybe Kayla (a fellow Ambassador). What is really cool about this trip is that everything is paid for from our tuition at Suffolk except for transportation to and from DC and food once we get there. We're going for 9 days before the Inauguration to meet different reps from different agencies and departments, with a few days off in between so we can explore the city ourselves. I went to DC for my 8th grade field trip, and although I absolutely loved it, I am certain that I'll appreciate things much more now that I'm older and I'm not stuck on buses with 200 classmates for 4 days. This Inauguration is so historical, and it'll be so cool to be there for it; I can't wait!

I'm also in a really great mood right now because I just spent last weekend having a blast with my sister in Providence. She goes to school down there, and we hardly ever see each other, so it was really nice to spend a few days together in her city. She showed me some different parts of the city, and we spent a good amount of time at the Providence Place Mall - one of my favorite places to visit in RI. You'll probably think that we're crazy because we did our Christmas shopping this weekend for those who we give combined presents to (we don't have enough money to buy people nice things separately... haha). Its nice to have it out of the way... Now I just need to figure out what to get for her... Hm.

The rest of this week is sure to be hectic with papers to write and presentations to plan, but its all leading up to the biggest Admissions event at Suffolk every year: Open House. Its this Saturday, and this all day event will be so crazy for all of us who are working that it won't really feel like the weekend until Saturday night around 4:30 or so. If you happen to be attending, we hope that you really like what you see at Suffolk, and hope that we can answer all of your questions about applying, classes, student life, or anything else you might think of. Hope to see you then! : )

Now that October is a wrap, I think I can finally breathe again.Last month was so jam-packed with projects, papers, special events, exams and celebrations that I really feel relaxed for the first time in a while now that its all done and over with. Not to say that I never had any fun...

Emily and I threw a party on Friday night for Halloween, and it was a total blast! Our really good friends came over - everyone showed up in a costume, which I think is a feat in itself - and it was so nice to just let go and not worry about school or work, and just enjoy each others' company. I dressed up as a hippie, which some might say isn't really too much of a stretch from my usual character, but it was a fun/free costume so it worked. To the right is a picture of my friend Ashley (aka Lara Croft), and I. Nicole (aka Madonna) and Kayla (aka an Elf), fellow Ambassadors, stopped by and it was so great to hang out with them outside of the office! It really made my realize how much I miss
hanging out with everyone when I'm so busy with work, so I really want to try to see everyone more often. You're only an undergrad for a few years, and its definitely really important to take advantage of it because you'll definitely meet some of your best friends in college.

Last week we also kicked off our first event in a series of Senior activities: we had dinner at Boston Beer Works. It was so surreal to think that we're almost done with our second-to-last semester at Suffolk - only about 5 or 6 weeks left to go! But it was a lot of fun to get everyone together and play some pool and whatever. We rented out a function room so we were very segregated from the rest of the place, which was really cool. I also met some new people, which is always interesting when you think about how you've gone to school with these people for a few years and you have only just met now. It was such a fun night and I'm definitely looking forward to more Senior activities; we're planning a ski trip during the winter and about two weeks worth of activities between the end of classes in the spring and Graduation Day so we'll have plenty of time to celebrate. This pic --->
is of some of my crazy friends who had a fun time stealing my camera. You may recognize Rich as my Partner-in-Crime on tours. : )

Anywho, this week should be pretty mellow. I have some stuff due during the week, and I get to teach my SU101 class on Tuesday so that should be fun. I really like the students in my class this year; I always leave class with a smile on my face because they really crack me up. They're crazy and I love it. I'm wrapping up the week with a trip to Providence to visit my sister for a few days, so I'm really pumped about that. I hardly ever get to see her during the school year so its nice when I can get away and visit her. Plus, shopping at Providence Place Mall is always nice to be able to do... haha If only I had any money to spend...
I have to wrap this up because I'm blogging from my apartment this week, and my best friend and I have a phone date scheduled in a few minutes. She moved to London in August, and we don't get to talk as much as we wish we could, so we have a lot to catch up on!

One last thing... DON'T FORGET TO VOTE ON TUESDAY!! Its totally time for a change... : )