End of Summer

Hey guys! I know it’s sad that summer’s ending, but it is :[ I’ve had a pretty busy last couple of weeks, but it’s turning out to be a great ending to the summer. First of all, my grandpa took my two cousins and me to the Boston/Yankee game August 6th. We had amazing seats and the game was great (those of you who watched it and love the Yankees know they beat Boston 13-6)! Pretty soon after that my grandparents, parents, sisters, brother, aunts, uncles, cousins, and great aunts all made tomato sauce together. It’s a tradition in my family and we always make it every year. Making the sauce takes a lot of work. The night before we have to wash and peel all the tomatoes (keep in mind there were 17 huge bushels filled to the top with tomatoes!). The next morning at 5:30 am there are many other steps you have to complete before the sauce is finished like, washing the basil, taking the seeds out of the tomatoes, and boiling them. It’s a lot of work, but worth it in the end! Last weekend I went to see Taylor Swift in concert with three of my friends. She was amazing and I had a great time! I would definitely recommend for anyone to go see her if you have the chance! Also last weekend, I went tubing in the Delaware River with my family. I know that seems kind of random, but it was a lot of fun! The river is so calm, peaceful, and surprisingly warm. It’s a great place to go with a group of people, relax and enjoy yourself.
Even though I enjoyed all of that and I want it to continue, I know schools is starting soon. I had orientation today and it was great to see everyone again. I know you guys might want to hold off on school for a little while longer, but I’m sure once you’re there you’re going to be happy to see all your friends (maybe not so happy to see the school work though, but who is?!). For everyone out there who is a new student, transfer or freshman, don’t stress. You’re going to have an awesome school year and you’re going to meet so many new people. And all you freshman, I’ll see you at your orientation tomorrow!

European Discovery '09! I Gotta Feeling...

Hey everyone, I am finally back in the United States again and have gotten over my jetlag! Europe was awesome and I’m so glad I was lucky enough to go. I met so many amazing people and saw so many amazing things! Out of all the countries I went to, Switzerland surprised me the most and Italy was my favorite. France was first and we went to many different places like the Louvre, Versailles, and the Eiffel Tower (which was my favorite! My friends and I had a blast climbing all the way to the top and racing down :) ). In Austria we learned a traditional Austrian dance, which was a lot of fun. We each stayed with our own family in Germany and for three days got to experience the life of a German teen. Switzerland like I said, was the country that surprised me the most. Everyone had told me that it was beautiful, but I didn’t expect it to be as breathtaking as it was. We didn’t spend that much time there, but I would love to go back there someday. We stayed in the mountains in Switzerland and met up with the New York People to People group on the boat ride to our hotel. It was pouring rain and was the loudest and craziest boat ride I’ve ever been on. Italy was last, but certainly not least. It was where we spent the most days. On our first day we went to Venice (which is my favorite city in Italy) and rode in gondolas! We also went to places like the Catacombs, the Coliseum, and the Vatican. Our last day in Italy we had a scavenger hunt around Rome; we separated into groups and had to use the map to find different tourist attractions like the Trevi Fountain. When we were there we had to answer a question like, ‘how many columns are on the Trevi Fountain?’ to prove we actually we there. Oh, the gelato was DELICIOUS! I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to have regular ice cream again!

I had a fantastic time in Europe and I’m so lucky I was able to have this experience. I’ve now been to so many beautiful places and seen many things people never get to see in their life. I mean, how many people do you know that can say they went all the way to the top of the Eiffel Tower? I also met some great people who, over the course of three weeks, have now become some great friends. I had such a great time and maybe I'll get to do it again next summer :)

P.S. If you're wondering about the title, our group song was I Gotta Feeling and we would listen to it every morning on the bus. It was insane when we all got into it! haha

P.P.S. The picture at the top is me with a couple of my friends sitting outside our hotel in Tuscany, Italy! The view was gorgeous!

SUMMER 2009

Hey guys! I know it’s been a while, but summer has been a little crazy so far for me. During the last week of school I got the flu :/ so I was out for a while and had to make up all of my finals after everyone was already done with school. After that I’ve been spending a lot of time down the shore, driving around with my permit :D and preparing for my trip to Europe. I leave on SUNDAY! Wow, I can’t believe it came this fast. I’m a little nervous, but I’m also getting more and more excited. I know I’m going to have an awesome time. I’m definitely going to take a lot of pictures and tell you all about it!

I hope everyone is having a great summer and I know you don’t want it to end, but I hope you’re all excited for the new school year! It'll be here before we know it! I know that even though I love summer, I’m pretty excited to be a junior. For all of you new students, you should be excited too. Coming to a new school, particularly high school can be scary, but there’s no need to worry. Union Catholic is very friendly, welcoming, and easy to get around. You're going to meet a lot of new, great people who will become you're closest friends over the next four years. Also, remember that you always have your Big Brothers and Big Sisters to help you!

Keep enjoying your summer and when I get back to the USA I’ll write more. Maybe if I can get on a computer in one of my hotels, I’ll blog!

Weekly Update!

For those of us at UC, we had a pretty packed week! This past Monday, a funeral was held for Sister Eloise, one of our freshman guidance counselors. It took place at Mount Saint Mary Academy in Watchung, where Sister Eloise was previously the directress. The mass was very nice and very crowded with all those who loved her. She will definitely be missed and remembered forever. On Tuesday, the 9th, 10th, and 11th graders went to Great Adventure for the day. Everyone was nervous when we left because it was raining, but when we got to Great Adventure the weather was hot. In fact, it was almost too hot! I had so much fun and I know everyone else did, too. I can’t wait for next year! Wednesday was a very special day for the juniors. They had their Rite of Passage ceremony and are now officially seniors! Technically, I am now a junior along with the rest of my sophomore, wait, JUNIOR class :] Now, we’re all starting to review for our final exams as the year comes to a close. Good luck everyone!

UC Phonathon and Memorial Day!

Hey everyone! Last night I helped out with the phonathon at UC. Some other sophomores and I came to the school last night to make some phone calls to alumni. We were calling about the 2008-2009 Annual Fund. All the donations made to school help each and every person in the building. It helps with many things that we as students need, do, and participate in every day. Every gift is important and appreciated no matter how small or large. For many of us it was the first time. We were handed lists of alumni and got to work! Some of us got answering machines, disconnected numbers, and alumni not interested, but some of us also got donations! :)
As I’m sure you all are aware, Memorial Day weekend is this weekend! Today is our last day in school for the week at UC and we are all definitely looking forward to the five day weekend. I know that I’m going down the shore and I hope you all have something fun planned. Have a great Memorial Day weekend everyone :) and I’ll blog again next week!

Birthdays and Summer Trips

May is a busy month for birthdays, at least in my family. These past couples of weeks have been birthday celebrations right after another including mine on Monday :] and last night was my cousins. One of my birthday presents was my trip to Europe that I told you in my last blog I would tell you more about, so here we go! In the beginning of this year, I got a letter from a student ambassadors group called People to People which was started by President Eisenhower in 1956. I had always gotten these letters in the past, but I ignored them until this year. The reason I decided to open the letter this year was because last summer, my friend Michelle went to Australia with this program and had a great time. Three of my friends had also gotten the same letter this year and I was convinced to go. The next step was convincing my parents to let me go to four different foreign countries without them. I still don’t know how it happened, but now I’m getting closer and closer everyday to traveling around the world with a great group of people including 2 of my best friends. I can’t wait to go to Italy, France, Switzerland, and Austria this summer and I’m grateful my parents are allowing me. I’ll keep you updated with my trip!

Class Rings and Progress Reports

Hi everyone! First, as you know there was an open house last week and it was my first time working a UC open house. I am glad to say it went very well and hopefully those of you who went to the open house, I’ll see soon! Second, not too long ago the sophomores had an assembly about our class rings we will get as juniors if we order them. There are many different types of rings you can get and there are many ways to make it your own. There are so many choices of designs like different sports and activities. Also, you can engrave your name or whatever you would like on the inside of your ring. The stone we will all have on our rings is Viking blue. I wasn’t so sure at first if I really wanted a class ring, but last night I asked my parents (who both went here) to see their class rings. My mom’s ring is a lot like what I had in mind for mine and my dad’s is definitely unique (I noticed an inscription on the inside of his ring that he’s keeping a secret! Haha) I decided that a class ring would be a great way to remember my time here at UC and I just ordered it at lunch. Now I get to participate in the Junior Ring Ceremony next year!
Once again, it’s time for progress reports. This is the last progress report of the year which is scary and exciting at the same time. As usual, everyone’s a little nervous for them, but like I said, excited because that means were almost done with the year! It’s scary that the year’s almost over, I feel like it just started! But, I won’t complain because I can’t wait for summer and I’m pretty sure all of you can’t either. This summer of course will be spent mostly doing gymnastics, hanging out with friends, and being at the beach. I am also going on a trip to Europe, but that is something I’ll blog about next time!