It's that time of year...Christmas cookies!!!

My brother and I have both been on our winter breaks since Saturday [I was done Tuesday]. Sleep and TV kept us entertained for awhile, but they both soon lost their luster. After putting up the Christmas tree and wrapping all of our presents, the only thing left to do was to make Christmas cookies!! I made my all-time favorite sugar cookies. Kayler made his first attempt at gingerbread men! He even had to make his own cookie cutter since we have failed to add a gingerbread man cut-out to our collection. They turned out pretty...big, lol. We both frosted them and I must say--they look good! Dad already taste tested them for us!

All of our cookies!! And Kayler decorating :)

Each of us with one of our cookies!

Kali and Kayler with the Christmas tree [never mind our pajamas!]

Done & Headed West

Whew! I survived one more finals week and am now packed and ready to head home for the holidays. It is an 11 hour drive :/. I am pretty sad leaving my apartment and roommates for so long. To celebrate before we left, we got together with another apartment full of friends and had a Christmas feast. We had an entire turkey, stuffing, potatoes, gravy, veggies, jello, rolls...you name it. Following our meal we had a secret Santa gift exchange. It was a lot of fun! I can't wait to get back next semester. I will be done (hopefully) applying to grad schools, have an easier schedule, and will be able to spend lots of time with my friends. Gotta soak it up--it will be my last semester! Anyways, the open road is calling my name :)

Snow!!

This morning I woke up to a winter wonderland! Well, I guess I sat last night and watched it snow for a bit, so it wasn't a surprise. It was one of those pretty, really sparkly snows. I don't know how much is on the ground but enough to muster a snowball or two. By tomorrow we are suppose to have enough snow for a bunch of snowballs! I've never actually had a snowball fight here at Coe, but have taken to making snow angels with friends, lol. Put on your mittens and grab your scarf...we're going to play outside!

View from my window!

Don't Worry...I'm Still Here!!

I realize that I have failed to post for two weeks now. Understand that this is only because these weeks passed without my recognition. I have no idea where that time went!! I have been bust keeping up with my classes--a portfolio for my independent study class, a final paper for Creativity, self portrait for Painting, and a continuous stream of readings and responses for Social Psychology. I have also spent a lot of time with the dance team as we prepare for the State Competition coming up this Friday!!

For Thanksgiving I was able to put all of this aside for a few days. Andrew and I made the 11 hour drive out to northwest Kansas on Tuesday. I spent a day helping my dad with corn harvest, a day hunting with Andrew and my little brother, a day going around town and visiting people...it was busy! Thanksgiving day we had a small meal at home with the 5 of us for lunch, then went over to a friends home for an extremely large dinner. I was very thankful for the opportunity to go home and spend time with my family. It was also great having Andrew come with me; especially for the company on the drive there and back.

Back at school now I am overwhelmed with the amount of work that is left in the final week and a half of the semester. I can't believe how fast all the time has flown!! I'll update you soon on how it is all going...promise!

Me and Andrew getting ready to hunt.

Little brother and Andrew hunting

Pretty Kansas sunset :)

Oh my gosh! I totally forgot to post last week...sorry! Pinkie promise it won't happen again. It just shows how busy I have been! Every free moment has been spend studying for the GRE. This is the general admissions exam for graduate school and I'm taking it this Thursday! I'm super nervous.

And I may have lied a little bit. Not ALL of my free time has been spent studying (but a lot of it!). This weekend I managed to find enough time to head down to Iowa City to tailgate for the Iowa vs. Northwestern game. Five friends and I packed into Nicki's boat of a car and jammed out all the way to Iowa City. Once there we were greeted with black and gold everywhere...it was crazy! I wish we'd had tickets to the game. We ended up going to Sonic for lunch instead and only caught the 4th quarter on TV when we returned. It ended up being Iowa's first loss of the season :(. I still had a great time though.

Did I mention it was 65 degrees all weekend? In November! It was crazy beautiful. Sunday I spent watching a heated game of badminton, cruising in the boat-car with the windows down & music up, and going for a bike ride around Cedar Lake. Then I finally came in side and completed 2 practice tests for the GRE before working on my homework for the week.

Check another great weekend off the list! Wish me luck on Thursday!

It's More than Just Corn!

Update on my life:

I had a fabulous weekend. :) I was able to spend a bunch of time with my friends [including a dinner with my roommates!], Coe won our football game, I spent a night dancing in Iowa City, didn't worry about homework AND went to the prettiest place EVER: the Palisades.

SEE:



This is a state park only 15 minutes from Coe. It was such a beautiful fall day on Sunday, that I couldn't help going to wander the trails and checkout all the trees changing color.

All that sunshine and happiness has shrunk down to a faint glow as the clouds moved in and my workload seemed to quadruple! I have received all of my final projects for my classes and have a LOT of work to do in the next month. I can't even believe October is over...no idea how I'll get through November. Also...I take GRE in 2 weeks. This is the ACT of graduate schools--I'm so nervous!! So, this week is full of homework and studying and time management. At least I have pictures of my blissful weekend to help me through!

Rock & Roll!

Rock and Roll: the theme of my life for the past 4 days.

I just returned from Cleveland, Ohio (my first visit to the state) where I attended a Business Communications Conference with 2 Coe professors and 5 other students. The theme of the conference: Communication Rocks!

What's with all the rock and roll? Cleveland is home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! And we were lucky enough to spend an entire morning there! I loved it. Anything from Woodstock to Elvis' purple Cadillac to Micheal Jackson's sparkling glove....I saw it all! Probably could have spent days at the kiosks full of hit music.

The rest of the trip was really good too. At the conference I was able to attend a resume, apprentice, and networking workshop where the panel consisted of professionals in the PR field. SO COOL! I basically spent 3 days brushing sleeves with people who have been in the business for years and really know there stuff. (PR is where I hope to be someday!).

I even had a glimpse of fame when I was selected out of the 200+ crowd to come on stage by one of the keynote speakers. Long story, but I ended up on stage with a full body suit and mask with the nickname, "pudding girl" haha.
[http://twitpic.com/m566p or http://twitpic.com/m56kl]

Anyways, I'll stop rambling about my trip and show off some of the pictures I took!

Cleveland skyline :)

Me with the guitars of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum :)

Nick and his best Micheal Jackson move at the Rock and Roll Museum, haha.

GIANT billboard of Lebran James. Can you see Erin? She is the tiny person in front!

Pretty fountain in downtown Cleveland.

The Cleveland Browns! (I don't really watch football, lol)

Back to the Grind

Well, fall break has come and gone. It was a great 4 day weekend...I wish I could extend it! My adventure began Saturday morning when my roommate Kim and her boyfriend decided they were driving up to St. Paul, MN to see our friend Sarah. I was torn between going with them and going to Iowa City to tailgate the Iowa homecoming game, so I flipped a coin. Minnesota it was! We drove up in time to catch the end of the artist crawl in downtown St. Paul followed by an awesome dinner with Sarah's family. Sunday morning Ben, Kim and I started back to Cedar Rapids, but not before stopping at the Mall of America!! I was my first time there AND Kim and I rode the roller coaster at 10 AM...it was awesome!

As soon as we were back in Cedar Rapids (5 hours later), we picked up Jenna and Ethan and drove out to Wilson's Orchard in Iowa City. It was such a cute place to be; we had a great time! We weren't able to pick apples because of the frost, but found some sweet pumpkins to decorate our apartment with. Also ate the best apple turnover of my life. We were going to end the night with Quarter-mania Bowling, but we were beat and all ended up watching movies.

So Saturday and Sunday were my relaxing and adventure days. Monday and Tuesday I spent a bunch of time on homework (over 6 hours in the studio for Painting I!) and worked on my grad school applications/search. I also found time to go shopping and do some arts and crafts :) . Overall a fabulous weekend!

Classes start back today, but it will be a short week!

Sponge Bob at Nickelodeon Universal in the Mall of America. "Think Happy!!"

"Having fun at Wilson's Orchard" with Kim, Ben, Jenna and Ethan :)

Kim and I with our cute little pumpkins.

Cutest picture ever! All of us in the rows of the orchard.

Homecoming Pics :)

As promised! A brief recollection of my fabulous week:

The senior powder-puff team huddled up. We were the champions!

Me and the corvette I rode during the parade :)

Some of the Homecoming Court at halftime of the football game. Note the King and Queen on the left!

My roommates and me ready to head to the dance. We stopped for a photo opportunity with Elvis! [Yes, we have an Elvis cutout in our apartment]

As I walked into the dance I found my name on a star! This is my friend Ethan, co-chair of the Homecoming committee--he helped plan it all!

A few friends at the dance! :)

It's Homecoming Week!!!

One of my favorite times of the year! Seriously a great Coe tradition. Tonight marks the beginning with some male volleyball and powder puff football competitions. Seniors are totally gonna win! :P Thursday night are the Coe Follies. This is basically a talent show that takes place outside. Anyone can do anything and the Homecoming Court always has a great act. On Friday evening there is a bonfire with the coronation ceremony for the King and Queen followed by some Kohawk spirit as sports teams get up and talk about their seasons so far. Saturday (the best day ever!) starts off with a parade on the streets surrounding the football field. All of the clubs and organizations participate. Then we have a bit of tailgating and the Homecoming football game. This year it is against Dubuque. Saturday night Coe rents out a ballroom down at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and there is dance complete with lots of free food! This year's Homecoming theme is Rock and Shine in 2009...so I guess it is going to be a rockin week! I'll definitely have pictures next week! Oh, and guess what? I made Homecoming court...double rockin :)

Took a Trip

So I left Coe for the weekend (doesn't happen very often!) and took the train to Kansas for my cousin's wedding. Technically I guess I took the train to Nebraska where my uncle picked me up at 3:30 AM. It was a rough trip, but the 5:30 am trip to IHop made it all better :) . I really enjoyed seeing all of my family--cousins I hadn't seen in forever and my dad, mom and little brother who drove down. The wedding itself was cute and small...very nice. Of course I had to get back on the train at 2 am on Sunday morning, but was back in Cedar Rapids by noon! It was a quick trip, but worth it!

Me & my little brother at the reception!

Watermelon

Hi. Sorry I missed my post last week. I don't remember what was up, but I assure you it was important. I've just been trying to keep up with the never-ending stream of homework. I'm working on two digital media projects for my independent studies test, trying to finish a painting in art and I have a social psychology test coming up! Still found time to enjoy myself this last weekend though. It was the annual Lambda Chi Alpha [a fraternity on campus] Watermelon Fest. Basically it is a morning filled with watermelon fun including throwing contests, a three-legged race [while carrying a watermelon, of course], an eating contest, and more. It ended in a giant watermelon fight! I couldn't get my friends up and out of bed in time to put a team together, but I hung out as one of the official photographers! Here are some of my masterpieces:

From the watermelon carving contest.

Someone about to lose the tug-of-war.

Watermelon fight!

A Super Exciting Semester at Coe

I've survived the first week and am well on my way to making through the second! I am LOVING my classes this semester. Here is my schedule:

--Social Psychology: a really fascinating class looking at how people's environment influences their behavior.

--Creativity: this is a psychology seminar class meaning it is an upper level, discussion-based class where we have already explored some interesting questions surrounding the origins of creativity and the association between creativity and psychosis (mental illnesses).

--Painting I: an entry level art class with the same professor I had for 2 courses last semester. We've already started our first painting--it is a bit abstract helping us learn about shape and value relationship before we dive into still life. I spent a leisurely hour after class yesterday working the project :)

--Directed Studies in Writing: this is an arranged course meaning it is just the professor and I--we meet when it works for the both of us. I chose one of my favorite professors at Coe for this course, Susanne Gubanc, and am loving it. This class is the last of my PR major and is designed to help me build my portfolio (writing and designing things like news releases and such). Susanne is taking it to the next level introducing me to some online and digital media work. My first project is to create a digital picture story using my new Flip camera.

--Intro to PR: I am not actually enrolled in this course, but am auditing it. This means I can sit in on classes lectures, but do not do the homework nor do I receive any credit for the course. The class is being taught by the Director of Marketing and Public Relations for Coe so it is really interesting hearing his real work perspective. I am not taking the course for credit as I do not feel I have enough time for a fifth class this semester, but am really grateful for the opportunity to be part of the class anyways.

Anyways...that's my awesome schedule in a nut shell. I am really looking forward to the semester and all that will come!

It is already the 2nd day of my senior year!

I can't even believe how fast the summer flew by. After my May term trip to Spain I was back here at Coe College, living with some friends, and working my life away. I was doing research through the Business Department for my senior thesis, I had a marketing internship at ImOn Communications, and a part-time job at a restaurant called Daniel Arthur's. It was a great summer, but there were less BBQ's and adventures then I had hoped for.

Now I am moved into my new apartment on campus with 3 of my very best friends (and it looks sweet!). Yesterday was already the first day of classes. You would think as a senior, I would have it all figured out. Apparently not! On my way to my first class, I walked in to the classroom and sat down realizing I didn't recognize anyone. They were all talking about their new RA's and FYS classes...it was a class full of first-years! I awkwardly grabbed my bag and wondered down the hallway to my real classroom. My little slip-up nearly made me late on the first day!

The rest of my day went pretty smooth after that. I am extremely excited for my classes so far! And last night, my roommates and I had an apartment dinner...we made a 4 course meal for each other. I am still full, lol.

Now it's time to get ready for class today!

Ending of the Year

Hi :). So it has been a while since my last post. Since then I have survived finals, started my summer job and internship, and have been procrastinating packing up my room. I leave in 5 days for a May Term through Coe to Alicante, Spain. I will spend 3 weeks there with 7 other Coe students and one of our professors! I am really excited! We will be taking Spanish classes, living with a host family, and traveling around Spain!

As soon as I am back I will resume my summer job and internship. I have a marketing internship at ImOn Communications here in Cedar Rapids this summer. So far it has been great and I am excited to continue checking things off my project list. My job is a few hours every week bar tending and waitressing at Daniel Arthur's--a fancy restaurant downtown. I will also be completing research on campus in preparation for a senior thesis. Basically it is going to be a really busy summer. I plan on having a lot of fun though--a majority of my friends are also staying on campus for the summer, so we are planning lots of picnics in the grass, camping trips, and other summer fun! It will be a summer to remember for sure.

I plan to blog while I am in Spain, so follow my adventures at: http://kalirietcheck.blogspot.com/

Earth Week!

So, yesterday was Earth day. To celebrate, Environmental Club decided to have Earth Week!

Monday we collected a bunch of plastic bottles around campus. Originally we were going to hang them from the trees in the quad, but it was much too windy to do that so we made a giant ball out of them! We had 875 plastic bottles and the ball came up to my chest. We had it on the quad with posters with facts like, "It takes 1000 years for a plastic bottle to begin to decompose," and such. It was really cool. Unfortunately we didn't get a picture before someone rolled our ball away! :( We think they took it to get the refund for the bottles, which was our plan, but whatever. The bottles were hopefully recycled either way.

Tuesday we showed an environmental film called "Trashed" that looks at the current disposal system of the United States and the problems it's causing. Most of the trash is buried in landfills and leaks into the water supply. Also, did you know Toronto ships 400 trucks full of trash to be buried in Minnesota EVERY DAY! That's disgusting!

Wednesday (Earth Day) we had a locally produced BBQ and a guest speaker. There were a few hiccups getting the food prepared on time, but it all worked out. We had almost 30 people eat and listen to our speaker. We served black bean burgers and organic, grass-fed hamburgers, eggs from a local producer, and grilled veggies from the food coop in Iowa City. It was all so good! Our speaker was David Osterberg, a man who is an associate professor at Iowa, former State Legislature, and has founded the Iowa Policy Project. He talked about Iowa and wind power.

Today, we are using our new kilowatt meter to conduct energy audits of dorm rooms. We hope to gather enough data to publish it.

Tomorrow we are having a light bulb exchange. Students will be able to bring an incandescent light bulb and receive a free CFL light bulb (the energy efficient ones). I'm pumped.

We are also planting in the Coe Garden this week and going to see Disney's Earth movie!! Apparently Disney is planting a tree for every person who goes to see Earth during its opening week...so go see it!!!

An update:

Well, I missed a week of blogging...I apologize!

There hasn't been much going on to write about, yet so much going on to write about! However that works. Classes have been really busy. Lots of final papers and projects to be done. Lucy and I were in Dows until 1:30 last night finishing our Color Theory project for the critique today. That's what we get for procrastinating! But who can regret late nights with good friends? I know I'll look back in a year or two and miss adventures like last night.

I'll also miss our oh so unconventional Easter celebration. So it wasn't that different, just not the big family pot luck I am used to. Nicki and I woke up early and went to mass. Afterwords we met our group of friends at Riley's--this amazing little restaurant a few blocks from campus. They have the best breakfast EVER. It was nice.

Last Friday I attend the Lambda Chi Formal with Andrew. It was a lot of fun--a good majority of my friends were there, too. We had a formal dinner at Daniel Arthur's (a fancy restaurant) where we had the second floor complete with an outdoor deck all to our selves. There was great food, a nice program, and an opportunity to hang out with everyone afterwords. It was a really great night! Here are some pictures:

With some friends outside on the deck before dinner!

Amy, Kim and I trying to pay attention during the program.

Andrew and I lookin snazzy.

Oh the Weather.

Well, we approached the end of March with sunny mild weather. It would be expected then, for Mother Nature to throw one last (we hope!) snow storm our way. It started snowing Saturday night. This was the best snow we've had all winter! The snowflakes were huge and coming down like crazy. It was also extremely wet snow--perfect for snowmen and snowballs! So, Sunday morning, rather than going straight to my homework, rallied a few friends and we went...sledding!! It was the first time I had been able to go all winter and I was pumped! We went to a nearby golf course and had some fun. I felt like a 10 year-old sledding on my stomach and running around wildly throwing snowballs, it was great. We were all tired and wet when we were done, but totally worth it. I am going to ensure I have more than one sledding adventure next year, guarantee it.

Me and Kim chillin in the snow [it was really bright!].

Ben and Andrew racing down the hill!

Classiest Night of the Year

One of the greatest traditions of Coe College was held this past Saturday. It was the one and only Presidential Ball! This is a formal dance were President Phifer hosts all students, faculty, staff and alumni. There is a live jazz band and chocolate fountain followed by a DJ later in the evening. It is my favorite! I love seeing all of my friends dressed up and having a good time.

Me and Amanda!

Me and Andrew

Ben, Ethan, Kim, Jay, Becca and I!!

It's Spring Break---Woo Hoo!

Unfortunately the sun is no where to be found! Today was the third day of gray skies and rain here in Cedar Rapids.

I decided to hang out at Coe for the week long spring break. Lame, I know, but also very relaxing. Not too many people know I'm around (not there are very many people here) leaving me with a week without a schedule or responsibilities. It's been great. Not to say I'm accomplishing nothing while I'm here. I have a few projects I am working on including the Coe Bike program and the recycling program--I'm just doing some updates. Of course I have homework to do too. It will all be done...in time...

I'm on duty again

I'm on duty again tonight in Voorhees as a Resident Assistant. It is a quiet way to end the weekend. A busy weekend it was! Friday night I went to the Murphy Lee (of St. Lunatics) concert in the cafeteria followed by a Mardi Gras dance in the pub. There was also late night bowling, but I was pretty tired when midnight came around, so I didn't make it. I worked in Admissions on Saturday morning and spent the afternoon preparing for my trip. I went on the ski trip sponsored by the Student Activities Committee to Sundown. It was a lot of fun! The slope was pretty icy and it was really cold, but Andrew and I still had a great time. Today I have been catching up on my reading and working on a group project. For dinner I went to the International Club banquet. This happens once a year and it is where many of the international students get together and cook dishes from their home countries to be served at this giant banquet. It was super delicious! I had to waddle back to my room and ate so much!

Coming up this week I have an art critique, 2 exams, and a group presentation. It will be a little rough, but spring break is at the end of the tunnel!! I'm not sure exactly what I'll do over break, but I guarantee it will include a lot of relaxing :)

Here is a pretty entertaining pictures of me and two friends at the Mardi Gras dance!

Leaning tower of Trash

So a couple weeks ago (its been awhile since my last post) Environmental Club worked to create some awareness on campus. At one of our weekly meetings we went around campus and collected plastic shopping bags. We collected 2573 bags!!! We used all of these to make a display that was in the cafeteria for a week and is now in the library. The display is complete with reasons to recycle plastic shopping bags and the amount of petroleum used to make the 2600 bags on display.

In other news, last week was Charles Darwin's 200th birthday. The Biology Club went all out with a party which included a speaker, cake, and FIREWORKS!! We had 4th of July sized fireworks in the middle of the quad and it was amazing. The show lasted for nearly 25 minutes with finale which nearly gave me a heart attack! By far one of the best things that has ever happened at Coe.

And finally, I had visitors this past weekend! My mom and dad drove 11 hours from Kansas to come see me! They had not been to Coe since they dropped me off in August of my sophomore year (2007). It was a short trip, but they were here to watch the last dance team performance of the season and see my room this year. I also got them to buy me some toothpaste which saved me a trip to the store, haha. It was really great seeing them! Thanks mom and dad!

Hi

So...

I am sitting here on a Saturday night watching TV and cruising around the internet. It is my first weekend duty this semester. As a Resident Assistant I am on duty 4-5 times a month. Thank goodness it is not always on the weekends--I enjoy spending Friday and Saturday nights with my friends. Last night we watched a movie, went to Blindspot, and the to the Late Night Friday night event. Blindspot is a monthly talent show open to the entire campus. Students are allowed to do anything they like as long as they don't harm themselves, the audience, or the space. Most people just sing or read poetry, but you have a crazy act every once in a while. One time one of my friends had his head shaved at Blindspot! Another time a bunch of girls laid down a sheet of plastic, squirted paint everywhere and rolled around it! Last night was pretty standard, no paint or shaving, but it was still very good. The Late Night Friday event last night was cookie decorating, so we all had a few cookies, haha. Late night events vary from a movie, ice skating, or water balloon wars to DDR and pizza. After our cookies we went to go hang out with a few friends.

Today I took advantage of the opportunity to sleep! I work hard durning the week, so taking time to rest is pretty nice. I did a bit of homework and the dance team performed at halftime of the basketball game. Tomorrow will bring a LOT of homework.

Have a good day!

Spring 2009 semester is here!

I just survived the first day of classes for this semester. It has been crazy since I arrived at Coe Saturday evening, but I'm really looking forward to this semester.

My classes include:
--Business Law I
--Digital Art I
--Color Theory
--Industrial Psychology
--Advanced Topics: Marketing

I'm taking an extra course this semester. I really thought Color sounding like fun even though I don't need it for my majors. Today was just syllabus day in all my courses and the same will be true of tomorrow. I do have 13 pages to read for Business Law, but the major homework is yet to come.

I arrived early as an RA. I spent all of Monday in our training retreat and have been checking people in and out of their rooms ever since. There are always lots of room changes at semester between people coming from and going to study abroad programs and what not. I have two more check outs to complete on my floor and I am DONE!!! It will be exciting.

I'm looking forward to this weekend. It is a three day weekend because of MLK Day. I plan on staying up on my homework, getting caught up with my friends, and revving up for a great semester.

Back to CR soon

Well, it has been an interesting break. I've been spending a lot of time with my family, hanging out on the farm, and seeing some friends. Actually I've spent quite a bit of time at the hospital and doing chores at home. My little brother ended up having abdominal surgery after Christmas. He is in a hospital in Denver and my entire family has been taking turns staying up there with him. My parents actually ended up coming up a day early to surprise us on New Years Eve. We didn't make it until midnight, but we did see the ball drop in New York, lol. My brother should be home in the next few days.

And, in a few days I'll be going to the train station to pick up my boyfriend. He'll be spending a few days on the farm with me before we make the drive back to Cedar Rapids. I've heard CR is covered in ice right now, so I hope the weather will cooperate with our drive.