Tag: college

15 things I learned about myself in 2015

Another new year, another great moment to reflect on myself and how I’ve grown and where I can still improve. In no particular order, here are 15 thing I learned about myself in 2015!!

  1. I miss being in school a lot more than I expected (it’s a big change since I’ve been in a classroom since I was 3)
  2. I’m not so good at making new long-lasting friendships (maybe this will improve in 2016! I have hope!)
  3. I’m really not so great at keeping in touch with people – sorry, Mom! (and Claire and friends and everyone)
  4. I’m good at customer service and getting better at making coffee drinks (yay barista job!)
  5. I am capable of teaching a class full of young children and maintaining classroom management – but maybe it’s not my destined career path? (yep, typical post-grad confusion)
  6. A part of my soul will always be in Ireland (and I can’t wait to return)
  7. I’m good at baking, and getting better at cooking! (and I’m becoming obsessed with cookbooks)
  8. I have an addictive personality (I knew this before but it’s been hard to ignore in 2015)
  9. I am capable of working chaotic 8/10 hour shifts at the coffee bar (maybe because of the loads of free caffeine)
  10. I freaking love Gilmore Girls (how had I not seen this show before?)
  11. I need structure and the motivation of a class to be able to exercise often (yay Pure Barre boo expensive)
  12. I’m an okay driver! (licensed driver, baby)
  13. I’m loving married life and all that adult-ness (hi Ben!!)
  14. Blogging consistently is not my strong suit (so many ideas, so little time so bad at putting in the time that it needs)
  15. I’m not as good at dealing with change as I thought (granted, I’ve had a lot of huge life changes in 2015, but still, it’s helpful to know about myself)

I challenge you to come up with 15 things you’ve learned about yourself in 2015 – it sounds like an easy task, but might be harder than you’d think! It’s been a nice way to reflect on my personal growth, and lack thereof. I’m looking forward to discovering all that 2016 holds in store for me!

Thanks for reading! ~Margaret

Life updates

Excuses, excuses, I haven’t blogged since October. Whoops! I’ve had a lot going on in the past few months and wasn’t feeling inspired to keep up with writing blog posts. As always, I’m hoping to revive the blog again!

I should probably catch y’all up on what you’ve been missing, but “you” = mostly friends and family, so you probably already know about most of these things, but what the heck! Since I last wrote a post, here are some things that have been going on in my life:

  • I graduated from Wheaton College with honors, with a double major in Early Childhood Education and Women’s & Gender Studies! It was an exciting day and I am missing my college friends hardcore. Senior week included a graduation ball at a Newport mansion, a  final candle lighting ceremony, and too many goodbyes.
  • I’m getting married to Ben on August 9, 2015! WOOHOO!!!
  • We are moving to Dayton, Ohio – the week after we get married. We’re crazy, I know.
  • I finished up an internship with The Horn Book, a publication that reviews children’s and young adult literature.
  • I went to the NHL Winter Classic with my friend Lisa! Go Capitals!!!
  • With the help of other students, I did a staff appreciation project at Wheaton. I made videos of staff members introducing themselves and sharing a little bit about them, and held tabling for students to write thank you notes to staff members! It was such a fulfilling thing to be able to show others how much people care about them.
  • I turned 22!
  • I finally edited all of my photos from Ireland, haha, only half a year late!
  • I finished up my semester as a student teacher in kindergarten and second grade. It was a challenging and wonderful experience, and my supervising teachers helped me gain so much confidence as a teacher. I think about my students all the time, and wish I could still be there in the classroom with them.
Getting my (fake) diploma from Prez Hanno!
Best friends and college grads
With my friend Christina!
With the candle I saved from my freshman year
On the first night we spent at Wheaton, as a class we stood around the pond and lit candles together. On our last night, we lit them again and floated them out into the pond.
All gussied up with Ben at Rosecliff (the Newport mansion)
A sweet, sweet note from one of my second graders!
Adorable drawing from two of my kindergarteners 🙂
Staff appreciation project
At the Winter Classic!
Too excited about hockey with Lisa
Engagement photos by Two Spoons Photography!

2015 has been a busy and exciting year so far, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the year holds in store for me!

Thanks for reading! ~Margaret

2 Months in Dublin!

If you had told me three years ago that I would be spending my summer in Dublin, I don’t think I would have believed you.

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This summer, I will be interning and living in Dublin, Ireland for two months. As I type this, I am attempting (keyword: attempting) to finish up the last bits of my packing. I am feeling an incredible mixture of emotions, everything from fear and anxiety to excitement and happiness! After many many months of research for programs that would take me to Europe for the summer, a handful of phone calls, a few pro/con lists, and one application, I ended up deciding to go to Dublin through Global Experiences and their 8-week internship program. I traveled around Ireland for a week with my family a two years ago, and loved it so much that I knew Dublin would be a great place for me to spend my summer interning. They helped me find what looks to be a very exciting internship with the Dublin Well Woman Centre, which provides reproductive health care and services, including counseling and information regarding traveling to other places in Europe to get an abortion, since the procedure is still illegal in the Republic of Ireland. They were founded in 1978, and provided family planning information and services to Irish women at a time when contraception was illegal. I am sure I will learn a lot from this internship!

While in Dublin, I hope to immerse myself in the Irish culture and learn all about the city. All of the other interns (there are a lot of us!) are staying together in an apartment near the city centre, which is in a great location for exploration. If I have the time and the money, I really want to travel to other parts of Europe – maybe London or Edinburgh!

I’ll keep this post short and sweet, since I’ve still got a lot to check off on my final to do list! I will be using this blog to update you (whoever you may be) on my travels, my internship, and life in Dublin. I’ve never been out of the US for more than a week, so this should be quite an adventure!!

Thanks for reading! Margaret

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