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Well, we all knew it was coming! The semester is ending! Finals are here and people are leaving. This will be the last blog for the year so I hope you enjoyed it, and I look forward to seeing you next semester. I hope your holidays are filled with shopping, happiness, and family. Merry Christmas! See you in January, with new classes and stress in tow!
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We are on the cusp of finals here at Fontbonne, and pretty soon it will be time to pack up and go home. Overall I can say that I am very satisfied with the year so far. I really enjoyed all my classes, and I feel prepared for my upcoming tests. The Environmental Club had a fantastic start to the year, and my second year of cross country was awesome as well. So what’s been occupying my thoughts lately? CHRISTMAS!!!
So to wrap up my blog for the semester, I’m going to post a few ways to be sure your Christmas is GREEN, whether it’s white or not! 
Gifts: When searching for gifts, look for things that are sustainable and earth-friendly. This could include things that are locally made, organic, made from recycled materials, or simply have less packaging. Another gift to consider is the gift of experience: a gift of a service or experience – like a massage or tickets to a show – will create a memory that can last longer than an object would. Or, you could hand-make a gift!
Wrapping: An easy way to reduce the environmental impact of a gift is by choosing how it is presented. Although wrapping with newspaper is the choice that usually springs to mind, there are other creative alternatives to this, like using maps, coloring book pages, or phone book pages. If nothing else, look for wrapping paper that is made from recycled materials and can be recycled. And don’t forget to keep any bags you get to use again!
Lights: If you use Christmas lights or light up decorations, be sure to monitor how long they are on. If no one is up to appreciate them, they might as well be turned off! If you need to buy new lights, consider LED lights – they use less energy and last longer.
See you next year, and have a great holiday season!
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This is a bizarre feeling. I came home this weekend and realized that the only homework I have to do is study for my finals that I have next week and complete my last homework set for chem. I have a bad feeling, though, that I’m going to abuse this “free time” that I seem to think I have and am consequently not going to get anything productive done…
Well, since the semester (and the year 2011, as well!) is coming to a close, I’ve decided to comprise a list of New Semester’s Resolutions for the second half of the year. Here are a few of the things I have come up with while abusing my free time:
My New Semester’s Resolutions:
Our Christmas tree is up! Our house is half decorated! My mom and sister are Christmas shopping as we speak (so I could have the house nice and quiet to…umm…study, which is exactly what I am not doing!)! That means only one thing: time for me to break out my Sufjan Stevens boxed set of Christmas CD’s! Yes, this is most definitely one of my favorite things about Christmas. As an early Christmas gift, I’ve decided to leave you with both my personal favorite song off of the five different albums (“Star of Wonder”) and my brother’s (“Sister Winter”) for your own listening pleasure. Decide for yourself which is better, and then get back to work!
Good luck with finals and have an amazing break!
-Carly
“Star of Wonder” and “Sister Winter” …both by the amazing Sufjan Stevens
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A Pocketful of Presents
This semester is finally done for me! I submitted my final test last night from the comfort of my home in my jammies… that is one of the great benefits of the Pathways program and classes online. I also finished creating a Fontbonne lesson plan this week and creating a reading plan for a student for another class. It is a gift in itself to have everything completed by this weekend.
When I think in terms of presents or gifts this Christmas season, I certainly can say that I have already received some, and it is not even my birthday or Christmas. So, with the tune of the 12 Days of Christmas humming in my head here is my list of 12 great gifts that Fontbonne has given to me :
The first would be the long awaited answer to a prayer that I was admitted into Fontbonne through the Pathways program.
The second gift would be Kathleen Schwarting, Andra Gwydir, and Carole Prince who have been patient with me as I went through the enrollment process. They have answered the questions that I have had periodically over the past year and a half. They have also been understanding and gracious to me with any concerns that I had, whether it be personal or with school.
The third gift would be the Campus Ministry at Fontbonne. One word for it- Outstanding. I am thankful for Sarah Boul, who sends out all those emails that keep me connected to prayer concerns for others and who has heard my prayer concerns as well.
The fourth gift would be the patience that I felt from Joesph Paitz who is my financial aid advisor. He has been kind to explain the process to me and help answer any of my questions.
The fifth gift is the Technology department. They have been there to answer my calls and look into my account so I have access to my classes online.
The sixth gift would be the professors that I’ve had. All of them have been able to answer my questions and clarify any problems that I’ve had within a class.
The seventh gift would be the professors that I have this semester, which has been hard on me in my personal life. My mom has been diagnosed with brain cancer and I have been trying to manage not only that, but my family and school. They have been understanding and encouraging.
The eighth gift would be that the professors are not only willing to answer my emails but have called me personally and walked me through things I need clarification about.
The ninth gift would be the ability this semester to juggle buying all my textbooks and still being able to pay our bills.
The tenth gift would be that the textbooks this semester came in on time for my classes and before assignments were due.
The eleventh gift is that I have been admitted into an honor society at Fontbonne. I am so honored that I was considered to be a part of the society. It gives me the ambition to keep going in my classes even when the concepts are hard or things are rough in my personal life.
The twelfth gift will come in a year or so when I graduate. But the idea of graduating and being able to teach is near and dear to my heart. I feel like it is more than just a dream or prayer — it is going to be a reality.
For all these gifts I am so thankful to Fontbonne for. While working my through the Pathways program I have discovered that I am smart enough, capable enough and can make it through to receive the ultimate gift, a college degree in education.
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Students writing for Real Life at Fontbonne are paid a small fee for each post by the university.
