Birthdays at SMC

Hello, everyone! Sorry to keep you all waiting for an entire week--as I said before, it was a pretty crazy one! I'll tell you more about finals and the last days of classes in my vlog tonight, so stay posted.

First, though, I wanted to discuss something really fun...birthdays! Friday was a really important day for my friends Tanya and Sarah, as it was both of their 19th birthdays. We went to eat at Olive Garden and then saw The Avengers. AMAZING movie! I highly recommend it. It was a nice girls' night out, and I think they both had a really good time.

Beautiful birthday girls!

This has not been our only celebration this year, though! I have a HUGE group of friends, and as I've said before, we're truly a family. Shawn's birthday was April 29th, and he was so surprised when he arrived at his room to find everyone waiting for him with a "happy birthday" banner, cake, and presents.

We also had Cait's birthday on the 20th...I know, TONS of birthdays in a matter of weeks! Our friend Alex got everyone together for a huge surprise party in Eddie's Lounge (you can read more about it here at Jessica's blog...she came to celebrate too!).

Cait and Nate being goofy at her party...she had no idea we had anything planned!

Even last semester, we knew we had wanted to do something special for Maya's birthday. We like to make fun of her because she's a big Twilight fan, but the truth is we all had a good time bringing her to see the latest movie when it came out in November! We also bought her lunch and a birthday dessert at Bueno Y Sano and My Little Cupcake, two delicious places conveniently located near the Roxy theater downtown.

We also wrapped her door like a present and everyone signed it!

Here she is blowing out the candles!

Maya, me, and Tanya at what now feels like only the beginning of an amazing friendship!

Sheila and I have our birthdays in the same week, mine is January 24th and hers is the 29th. Her dad and sister came up to visit, and they took us out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. We also went to Lake Champlain for a beautiful winter view.

We didn't stay for very long though...it was freezing!

My 19th birthday was one that I will never forget. It was on a Tuesday, so I figured I wouldn't do anything special--everyone is extremely busy during the week with classes, homework, extracurriculars, and events. I remember that I was happy, though, because the blood drive was that day. I know that sounds really odd, but I was looking forward to it because I could never donate before. The last time I tried, they told me to come back when I was 19. And there we were, having a blood drive on my 19th birthday! So, I considered it a sign. I was really happy once I did it, because even though it was a little scary, I knew that it was for a good cause. Knowing that my blood can help someone in need, maybe even help save a life, was an awesome birthday gift.

Anyway, I didn't expect to do much else on my birthday. But, knowing my SMC family, they would have never let that happen! I remember sitting with Sheila in the first floor lounge of Joyce, working on some homework. I was facing the window, and when I looked up I saw the reflections of a bunch of people walking in with a plate of cupcakes and some presents. My friends snuck up on me and threw me a surprise party...nobody had ever done this for me before!

They were delicious...and Maya gave me the coolest hat!

My friends threw me one of the most memorable birthdays ever!

I love that we've done something cool for every single birthday in our group. No matter who you meet at Saint Mike's, the friends you make will always find a way to make you feel amazing. The funniest part is when people burst out singing "happy birthday" in Alliot! The giant birthday cake we get every month isn't too bad either. :)

Peace,
Lauren