My New Tuesday Tradition...

Happy Tuesday everyone!!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful day!! Right now, I'm in the library working on an assignment for my American Protestantism class and thought I would let you guys get a glimpse into my typical Tuesday!!

This semester, I have all my classes Monday, Wednesday, Friday and a lab on Thursday. This means that I have Tuesdays off, which is pretty wonderful. I can sleep late, stay in pj's all day, watch a bunch of TV shows...

Hahahaha in a perfect world that would be true, but it's a little different for me :)

One of my goals this year has been to use my time wisely and more productively. Now, it's not like I didn't use my time wisely before, but I realized that I wanted to utilize what SMC had to offer me a bit more. I'm also the type of person who has to be doing something, so I scheduled my Tuesdays into being the most productive "Me" day.

Me in my cubbie in the library, studying for Greek!! Above is my "To Do" list!!

My day starts off around 9:15, walking to the library. My amazing friend, Sarah, works at the library at that time, so I love to visit her to start off my day right. From there, I go downstairs to the quiet floor of the library (For any of my future SMC readers, this is something you should definitely know- best place to study for midterms, finals, etc!!) and lock myself up in one of the personal cubicles (or "Cubbies" as my best friend, Marci, likes to call them :) and for the next two hours, I work on any homework or studying that needs to be done for the next two days.

At around 11:30, I head over to the gym. Now, for those of my wonderful readers who know me, I'm not exactly the gym buff. To tell you the honest truth, I was actually scared about going to the gym for so long because I didn't think I would fit in or make a bum out of myself because I didn't know how to use the machines and was too afraid to ask, so everyone would think I was silly. After my past semester, which was extremely stressful, I realized that I needed an outlet to get that stress out and clear my mind a bit for a better and more positive outlook on my day. So, I made the plunge and went to the gym.

Lol me trying to take an awkward pic at the gym :)

All those worries? They don't even make sense to me anymore!! No one is staring at you thinking, "OMG gym newbie!!" and usually there are some type of instructions on how to use the different machines. While I did... I don't know, I guess get mixed up a bit my first time at the gym with my friend, Lauren Mazz, I eventually got the handle of everything and realized that if I didn't get something, I could always ask!!

After the gym, I head back for a quick shower and head off to my weekly tour at 2pm (I hope to see many of you on it!!) As I say probably so much, having the chance to show prospective students and their families what I love about my second home is probably one of the best feelings in the world, so I am always excited to show off SMC!!

Divergent reading!!

When the day is done and I've finished my work at a pretty reasonable hour, I decide to treat myself. Now, total book nerd alert here, but as a college and even high school student, I haven't been able to read much for fun during the school year, but pack as much reading as I could during little breaks here and there. Another part of my stress reveling semester is to reward myself for a productive day. Since I'm really involved on campus in many different activities, I get so caught up in my academics and clubs that I never really ever make time for just me. While I could not have asked for any better opportunities than what I have received at SMC, sometimes when you're focused on so many other things, you need to stop for a second and focus on how you are. I realized last semester I was not doing that and just letting my stress bottle up to a high point.


So, remember that thing I said about utilizing what SMC has to offer? Why not the library!? I mean I'm there doing work all the time, but there are soooooo many books (we even have a Children's room with all your favorite stories from when you were a kid- how cool is that!?) magazines, and even DVD's which you can take out or find a great place in the library to read and watch them!! At around 9, I'll head to the Children's room to pick up my latest read, Divergent, and head up to the "Birdcage" (the study section on the top floor which is really cool) so I can get a couple of pages in.

Merrill and I go to Al's last Tuesday for dinner!!

My last goal that I've wanted to accomplish this semester is spending more time with my friends. Since I am a hustle and bustle girl, I will sometimes go a day or two without seeing some of my best friends, which can get me really down. It's been my goal to set up times with friends, even if it is just a run to Dunkin Donuts or lunch/ dinner in Alliot or out in the Burlington area, making sure that I see them and find out how they're doing. I really have found some of the most amazing friends here at SMC and I want to appreciate how lucky I am that they are in my lives!! I'm slowly, but surely working on it (aka Liz Murray, if you're reading this, hangout asap!!) and cannot wait for some hilarious conversations, heart to hearts, and just enjoying the time of being with my friends :)

Overall, I've gotten into a sort of pattern which I have been really loving. One of the most important things for any student is to find balance. Find that balance that suits you with academics and activities, but most importantly, remember to balance yourself in the mix too.

Please remember that if you have any questions at all, never hesitate to send me a question on Formspring, a tweet on Twitter, or shoot me an email- I always love hearing from my wonderful readers!!

Also, Class of 2017-ers, remember that if you haven't already, go join the Class of 2017 FB group!! It has been so nice reading about and talking to so many of you and I cannot wait until you are all on campus!!

Until next time, I send you my best wishes,
Alex :)