1st day of school!

So, the first day of school was today! The picture above is "the gang" in our first day of school attire. "The gang" being my closest class friends, Cassie, Kate, Alan and Emily. We have all of our music classes together and have since the beginning so we've all become very close. :)

I didn't have class until 11 today, but woke up naturally 8, which was actually kind of nice. I ate some breakfast, watched a movie, and then took a shower and got ready. I didn't feel rushed! We'll see if I can keep getting up at that hour or not. The only problem with having late classes is getting to school at that hour because the parking is LIMITED. I ended up having to park at the Rec Center at Hilltop (a good 10 minute walk from my classroom building) because the ENTIRE MCA parking lot was FILLED. For those of you that know UMaine well you know that that parking lot is HUGE...so yeah. Parking at Hilltop meant I was in the first year residential part of campus which meant I walked to class with hundreds of eager and nervous first year students on their way to their first college day. I walked fast and wasn't looking at a map the whole time so I probably stood out. Anywho, I only had 1 class and then some re-auditions and then work. It was an eventful day, indeed! Class at 8am tomorrow so it's going to be an early night tonight!

Later, gators!

Team Maine Retreat!

Team Maine went on a retreat Tuesday night into Wednesday, which was a lot of fun. Team Maine, for those that don't know, is actually more than just the Student Ambassadors. It is comprised of the Student Ambassadors, the Dirigo Tour Guides, and the Telecounselors; I am all three of these titles. The differences between them are as follows: SA's run summer orientation, Dirigo Tour Guides give campus tours during the academic year and summer months, and the Telecounselors call prospective students a few nights a week to help them along with their application process.

For retreat we went to Camp Roosevelt in Eddington, which is a Boy Scout camp. It was a lot of fun; we bonded; we swam; we ate s'mores...it was a good time had by all. Here are some pictures:

A team-building activity that involved flinging a stuffed animal into a trash can:


A bunch of Team Maine'ers hanging out...


UMaine Jeopardy:


Cabin #4!!:


Me & Abby:


It was a really fun time. Alright off to campus for another long day of planning....later, gators!

At the University of Maine...

you're in a great place.


That slogan, as cheesy as it may be, rings true with me and with many other UMaine students I am sure. I was thrilled to find out on Friday that I got the position of Dirigo Tour Guide that I had applied for. This means that I now work for all 3 branches of New Student Programs, Telecounseling and Student Ambassadors being the other 2. Earlier this week I worked a few days at the Visitors Center before Student Ambassador training started to get acquainted and see whether tour guiding was something I wanted to actually apply for. After assisting on a couple of tours I knew that it was definitely something I wanted to do! Not only is it fun, but I actually learn new things about the campus I call home on each one. For instance, did you know that UMaine's Fogler Library is the biggest library in the state of Maine and has over 1.1 MILLION volumes? Or that the state-of-the-art Recreation and Fitness Center that opened in 2007 is the largest one of its kind north of Boston? How about that 11% of UMaine's population is involved with Greek life? Okay that one isn't as interesting, but a fact nonetheless.
On Wednesday we had a special tour of camp kids that we took to specific areas of campus. One of those areas was the AEWC, which is UMaine's Advanced Structures and Composites Center. The kids got a tour of the facility from 2 grad students, but I also hopped on that tour because I myself had never been there. This facility is a shining star in the engineering world and produces some of the finest work in the field. Infact, the US Secretary of Transporation, Ray LaHood, visited the AEWC last Monday to check out their ideas in bridge making. That's a big deal! His boss is Barack Obama!
Whether it be how beautiful our campus is (check out the above photo that I snagged off UMaine's website), or the people I know here, or the things I learn everyday, I love being a student at UMaine and I can't wait to be that first impression that future students can have of the University. I think I'll really like being a tour guide.

On another note, SA training is going well. Long days. We have retreat on Tuesday night. We are going to a big cabin and hanging out. That should be fun. I will try to take some pictures to put up here. Alright time for bed.

Later, gators!

ALL MOVED IN! :)

I know, I know...it's been like 56 fortnights since I posted. My summer was filled with work, that is it. I worked all day, slept all night, and then did it all over again. Not a whole lot to report in the last 2 months. BUT today, however, marked an exciting day; I moved into my new apartment! My good friend, Jesse, has lived here for 2 years and her past roommate, Craig, moved out this summer and so I moved in! :) She and I have been friends for a couple years now so I am very excited to live with her. I thought ya'll might like a few pictures of my new pad, so here you go:

Living Room shot #1


Living Room shot #2
The door you see is the door to get outside.


Living Room shot #3


Kitchen shot #1


Kitchen shot #2
The little eating nook :)


Kitchen shot #3


My Bedroom shot #1
*note: the HUGE windows with shutters on them..I love them!


My Bedroom shot #2
BIG walk in closet


My Bedroom shot #3
Another one of of the windows!


My Bedroom #4
The door is to the hallway in the house--this apartment is in a very old house and the door leads to what the owners once used as a staircase and whatnot.


So, there you have it! I didn't take any pictures of Jesse's room or of the bathroom, but they're both very nice too. Jesse's room even has an old fireplace in it! It doesn't work anymore, but looks great just the same!

Anywho...I start work with NSP on Monday and I am excited! More soon...PINKY PROMISE!

Later, gators!!! :)