One Year Vermontiversary

It was exactly one year ago today (almost to the minute!) that I arrived in this Green Mountain state that I now call home. A lot has happened and changed in this last year, and though this next year will have some pretty major differences, I know that it will still have many good things in store.

New Home, New Roommates
For those who don't know (and probably anyone reading this already knows) Clint has moved back to Iowa to start a new job at KDSM FOX 17 in a similar position he had before moving to Vermont. Vermont, or at least Burlington, is not known for its abundant jobs, and he had been feeling pretty disconnected from a work environment that would utilize his media talents, so this is a really positive professional change for him.

So Norm and I are taking on Vermont 'solo'. We are in a new apartment, have two new roommates, and are doing tons of exploring. Of course it's difficult without Clint, but we are making the most of our new little home.

New Job


Students from Columbia

Students from Tokyo, Japan

Sometimes in life everything aligns in such a way that you sort of find yourself asking, "How am I able to do this again?" That's how I feel about my new job at St. Michael's as a Student Assistant. My role is to welcome and acclimate our school's abundant international student population to both the school and to Vermont. The summer at St. Mike's is an excellent opportunity for students all over the world to come to study and perfect their English.

Getting paid to go to Ben and Jerry's? Yes please!

And as part of my job description, I get to take students on a:
-Tour of the Ben and Jerry's factory
-Dance cruise on Lake Champlain
-Day trip to Boston
-Day trip to Montreal
Not to mention all the fun things we get to do on campus and around Burlington. For me, it has definitely become a job that makes me constantly ask, "And I'm getting PAID to do this??"

In addition to the very best summer job, I also have new plans for the fall. My position as an ELL teacher changed at the end of this spring, so I needed to find a new job for the fall. And, similar to my St. Mike's job, a new one sort of fell into my lap. Last fall I was able to sub a few times at Mater Christi, a Catholic school in Burlington, and I always enjoyed my time there, probably because its warm and supportive environment reminded me so much of my last school, St. Francis. As it so happened, one of the teachers I subbed for is due to have a baby September 1st, and apparently I was the teacher's first choice for a long-term sub. I accepted with excitement and relief, and can't wait to get started. I will be teaching fourth and fifth grade language arts, and I can't wait to impart all of my new grammar and literary nerdiness I have been building on as a grad student.

New Classes
In addition to working on campus this summer, I am also taking two classes. The classes and work keep me pretty busy, but I am so happy with my switch to this new program that the busy-ness is welcomed (though clearly, as the rest of the pictures will show, I still find plenty of free time as well). My classmates are awesome and my coursework is challenging and interesting--pretty much all I was hoping for in a grad school experience. At the end of this summer, I will officially be halfway done with my program (!) with plans to graduate next May.

New Adventures
Since this is most likely going to be my last summer in Vermont, I have been making an effort to try something new every week. So far I have been able to:

Listen to Senator Elizabeth Warren, and become reminded again of why I admired her in the first place

Have a wine, cheese, and bread picnic on the lake

Pick strawberries for the first time

Take Norm to the beach...multiple times

Watch the Fourth of July fireworks in Stowe, Vermont, rated one of the top ten best places in the country to celebrate Independence Day

And this is just the beginning! I am still hoping to explore new towns, go sailing, hike a mountain or two, and soak up all of Vermont that I can.
It's been an exciting year, Vermont. Here's to another one!