Bruin Blog - Belmont University

  Category: Summer


August 30, 2009
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Eric

Summer at Blue Lake

I am finally back at Belmont after an amazing summer. It is great being able to be with my friends once again and I have enjoyed meeting the new students. I now live in one of the upperclassmen dorms, Kennedy Hall, which is completely different than living in a freshman hall. This semester if going to be great.

This summer I worked as a cabin counselor at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan. It King Cabin.jpg
was an amazing experience. I learned about Blue Lake through a poster hanging on a board in Wilson Music Building here at Belmont. I looked into the camp I decided that this would be a great experience over the summer.

I left for Blue Lake in mid-June and would return to my home in Missouri three days before school started. I was there for a total of ten weeks, but the experience was well worth it.

At Blue Lake my primary job was to be a cabin counselor. I lived with twelve campers in a cabin. There were four Blue Lake Counselors.jpgsessions of campers during the summer, so every twelves day I would get a new set of campers. The first two sessions I had incoming freshmen in my cabin, then the last two sessions I had incoming 7th graders. It was great getting to know the campers personally and seeing the develop musically. At Blue Lake the campers could choose a major, wheither it was Band, Orchestra, Choir, Dance, Theater, or Art. In each major they had major ensemble rehersals throughout the day, but they also had sectionals and tech classes where they could study their specific instrument in depth.

Along with being a cabin counselor I was able to perform in the Staff Concert Band and Staff Jazz Ensemble. This was a great opportunity for me to keep playing in an ensemble over the summer and to have the experience to play with some amazing musicians from across the country. I was also a rehersal assistant for one of the camper concert bands. My duties were to take attendance, run broken instruments to the repair shop, and to help the campers with their music. At times, the directors would allow me to teach sectionals and even conduct the entire band.

Overall Blue Lake was a great experience and I am hopefully going back next summer. I look forward to this school year. I am in several ensembles and have some excellent classes. This is going to be an amazing year.

Pictures: The cabin that I lived in (top picture), shot of the counselors in the unit

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August 10, 2008
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Amaryah

Packing Up, Moving Out

So with a week left to finish all my packing, hang out with friends and family and get everything in order, why am I feeling so peaceful about returning to school? Last year at this time I was super hyped to go back to school. This time around, I'm definitely excited, but I'm a lot more reluctant to let the summer grow. I've definitely grown a lot these past 3 months. I've become more serious, more thoughtful, and hopefully more loving. I'm not quite sure what this year holds, but I am looking forward to it.

Leading a Tower Team will be awesome fun, I think. And so will being an SLA again. But other than that, I'm really in the dark about what my life will look like. My only confidence is in knowing God has something far greater than what I imagined lined up, and I can't wait to experience it.

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August 08, 2008
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Alex

Counting Down

It’s so hard to believe that this will be my sophomore year of college. Every time I say it out loud it sounds so strange! The past year has truly been all about transition, and I’m so happy that the unfamiliarity of college is no longer a concern or source of anxiety. At the beginning of the summer, I remember feeling like four months at home wouldn’t be enough; I thought that August would come too soon and that I would still long to be with my family...

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July 25, 2008
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Amaryah

Party Time

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My mom celebrated her 50th birthday last week. A pretty exciting time for our family. We had a big party at the church and stayed up all night. Quite the good time.

Other than that I've just been working and reading. I'm really enjoying Thomas Merton's book, "The Seven Storey Mountain." He's probably my new favorite author. I'm really looking forward to going back to school. Only 3 more weeks. I'm really excited to be a Tower Team leader. I can't wait to meet some of the incoming Freshman!

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July 24, 2008
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Alex

Summer Vacations

One week from today I will be laying on a sunny beach in Key Largo, Florida, and (hopefully) getting a nice tan. Summer trips to Florida have been a family tradition for years, but this year, instead of going to Marco Island, FL (our usual destination), we’re mixing it up and going to Key Largo! I don’t quite remember how we decided on that location, but it’s referenced in the song “Kokomo” so it’s gotta be pretty good, right?! My only concern is the weather. You never know what to expect when it’s hurricane season, but hopefully the rain will clear off so that we can enjoy some of that beautiful, sunny Florida weather!

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July 11, 2008
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Ben

Boundary Lines

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The Fourth of July went off with an exploding bang. The fireworks lit up the pitch-black sky with showers of glowing confetti. This year, I spent the 4th with a few friends. We grilled out, ate scrumptious food, and of course – capped off the night with a spectacular fireworks show.

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Brian

Catching Up

This summer has been great so far. I have gotten to do so many awesome things. I have traveled to Detroit and Omaha and still have Cashiers, North Carolina and Los Angeles, California to visit before the summer is up. What exactly have I been up to?
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Amaryah

Slightly Surreal

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When I went to Nashville two weeks ago today, my friend, Julianne, picked me up from the airport and it was hilariously awkward at first (but then we just have an extremely awkward friendship in the first place). Anyways, we were talking and I told her that it is weird to actually be living something you've been anticipating so much, and I think that kind of sums up my vacation. It was really great, but there was a slight element of the surreal attached to it just because I had been looking forward to it so much, it didn't seem like it would really ever come. Hanging out with Julianne and Sarah and David and Irieon for most of the day was pretty fantastic. I love Nashville and getting to see Dan before he left for Africa was pretty awesome too.

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July 10, 2008
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Alex

At the Old Ballgame!

Ever since we have lived in Kansas City, Royals baseball games have been a summer tradition in my family. My dad, a dedicated sports fan, buys 40 home game tickets each season and proudly cheers the Royals on…no matter what their record is ;-). We always have a great time at Kauffman Stadium (pictured at right), especially on Friday nights when they shoot off fireworks after the game.P1010377.JPG I love spending nights at the ballgame with my family, and I hope that the tradition continues for years to come (which, knowing my dad, it probably will). The Royals take on the Seattle Mariners tonight here in KC -I'll be at the stadium, cheering them on to victory!

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June 27, 2008
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Ben

Love on the Inside

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This past week has been quite busy! I have almost completed my jog/run course for the month of June. I am thoroughly satisfied with my running progress. The first week of class (with the humidity) resulted in running about 1.5 miles in about twenty minutes. And by the end of June, I will have run a straight 5K (3.1 miles) in hopefully less than 40 minutes. To say the least, I have almost reached the finish line.

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Amaryah

Road Trips!

Yesterday was pretty fun. I called up a few friends to hang out on Friday when I get to Nashville. I am pretty excited about seeing them in a little over 24 hours. I think this could possibly be a better trip than the one I took last year to Kentucky and Chicago, because this year I'm going to Nashville, Kentucky, and Baton Rouge which is a considerably greater amount of places than last year. Anyways, there's still so much I have to do before I leave. I still have to go in to work and finish stuffing envelopes and placing stamps on them. I also have to go shopping for a dress to wear to Molly and Patrick's wedding this afternoon with my mom. I know, I know, I really should have done that sooner, but I really haven't had much time these past few weeks. I think I'm also going to try to meet up with one of the women from my church, who is also going on vacation in Louisiana, when we get to Baton Rouge, which should be really cool.

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June 26, 2008
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Alex

Halfway Through Summer...

I can’t believe that summer is already halfway over! It’s been so nice to be home with my family, but I’m getting excited about seeing my friends from Belmont and starting classes this fall. I think I’m most excited about taking the “Principles of Nutrition” course. The other classes that I’m taking are “Genetic Healthcare” (an introductory Biology course), “Spanish Cinema,” “The Art Experience,” and “Spanish Literature.” It might not sound like a full load, but it actually evens out to 16 hours. I’m sure that Biology will keep me busy; I’ve always enjoyed science, but certain aspects of it can be difficult to grasp.

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June 24, 2008
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Ben

CMA Fest, Sunshine and One Great Flick

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I cannot believe that it is already the twenty-fourth of June! Where has this time gone? I have honestly been out of school for more than an entire month.

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June 12, 2008
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Alex

Making Plans

Well, my prayers were answered. After spending one day last week applying for a summer job at several different places (from bakeries, to grocery stores, to restaurants), I received a call from one of my babysitting clients who told me that she was considering taking a part-time summer job and wondered if I would be available to baby-sit for her! Of course, I said yes. Her daughter, Laura, is 18-months-old and very, very sweet. I baby-sat for her last summer, so I’m excited to be able to go back this year as well. I’ve had a few other babysitting offers so, between all of those, I’ll be able to spend the summer doing what I love to do best.

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Amaryah

In a Rush

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These past few weeks have been crazy, but I'm glad to be home again. I booked a ticket to Nashville for the 27th of June and I'm really excited about that. I'm going to stop in there for a day and then head up to Kentucky (hopefully) with my friend Julianne to visit our friend Devon who will be newly returned from France. None of this is nailed down in stone yet (except the Nashville part), but it's kind of taped up on stone I guess, so that's fun. It will be really cool to see some of my buddies from school then, cause I miss them a lot.

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May 31, 2008
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Amaryah

This & That

Well, the past few weeks have a little crazy, but it seems to be picking up speed. I can't believe the month of May is over already! Crazy stuff. I feel like I've been out of school for a long time, but I also feel like I just left Nashville. I really can't wait to return to the school. Luckily for me, I'm probably going to be stopping through there this summer on my way down from Kentucky to Baton Rouge, Louisiana for my friends' Molly and Patrick's wedding. I'm really looking forward to it, in part because I'm going to fly up to Kentucky and hang out with my friend Devon, who I haven't seen for a year because she's been in France studying abroad. That should be extremely phenomenal. Then we're going to caravan down to Baton Rouge with her two sisters and some of our friends from Nashville. It should be quite a fun ride.

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May 30, 2008
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Brian

Summer, Friends, Nashville

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I am sunburnt on my face and back pretty bad. Baseball is over, life must go on. I watched a movie in my friend's mansion house in his own movie theatre last night. What else? Here it goes......

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Brian

Summer, Friends, Nashville

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I am sunburnt on my face and back pretty bad. Baseball is over, life must go on. I watched a movie in my friend's mansion house in his own movie theatre last night. What else? Here it goes......

Continue reading "Summer, Friends, Nashville" ...

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Ben

All I Want To Do

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It finally feels like it is summer. Lately, I’ve been keeping busy. The first few weeks of summer have revolved around taking an occassional morning-or-evening run, interning at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and working as a Resident Assistant on campus. In addition, I will be taking a jog/run class throughout the entire month of June – and unfortunately, Finance in July.

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May 29, 2008
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Alex

Too Much R & R?

Well, I've been home for almost one month now and I'm still really enjoying it. I love being able to cook, spend time with my family, and just relax. I miss my friends from Belmont, but we've been keeping in touch through phone conversations, text messages, and, of course, Facebook. Up until now, I didn't really think that I would need to apply for a summer job here in Kansas City. I had a few babysitting jobs lined up, so I figured that those would be enough to keep me busy (and help me earn a few extra bucks). I didn't want to commit myself to a job because I wanted to make sure that I had plenty of time to hang out with family and friends here before returning to Belmont in the fall. Well, after spending a few afternoons polishing my nails and watching reruns of "Top Chef," I have decided that a summer job might not be such a bad idea after all...

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May 15, 2008
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Amaryah

Being Home

IMG_1547.jpg My Summer got off to a great start with lots of hanging out with friends before I packed up all my stuff and headed, first to Arkansas to pick up my older brother from college, and then home to Miami, Florida. It was a long trip and we didn't get in until early Saturday morning after leaving Friday morning from Ouachita Baptist University, where my brother attends. I got in a few horus of driving, which is always fun. I thought driving as the sunrises would be a lot more exciting than it was, but it's all good.

So now I'm back home.

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Ben

The Summer Days.

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I cannot believe that the first week of summer has already flown by. Lately, it seems as if the days fly away and vanish; just like those colorful red, yellow and orange balloons that somehow escape from a child’s hand on his or her ninth birthday. Beneath a picturesque sunset, the balloons soar towards the sky – and within moments, disappear admist the clouds.

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May 12, 2008
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Alex

Road Trip!

Summer is so wonderful. I’ve been relaxing, enjoying time with my family, and, of course, cooking. I made dinner for my mom last night (for Mother’s Day) and it was one of our favorites: Orecchiette Pasta with Caramelized Onions, and Blue Cheese. She loved it! I’m hoping to spend some time in restaurant kitchens over the summer and I might get a part-time job at a catering company. It would be so exciting to get that kind of hands-on experience.

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