Kohawk Talk

I'm Done, It's Over :(

2010-05-11T10:52:00.000-07:00

Well. Graduation has come and gone and I am officially a Coe alumnus. Graduation weekend was beautiful with warm, sunny weather and lots of friends and family. My apartment is empty and my roommates are gone. It is all really sad and I will miss Coe dearly. Words cannot describe how much I love Coe and all the people I've met.

I may have lied slightly...I'm not quite done. As I type this I am in the airport ready to travel to New Zealand for May Term! It is a group of 7 seven students off to hike and write about our adventures. I will be updating my travel blog along the way...so be sure to follow me at http://kalirietcheck.blogspot.com.

Best wishes!!

It's Finals Week! :/

2010-04-29T11:45:00.000-07:00

Sorry I missed a week of blogging! Man-oh-man has it been busy around here! Today is reading day--a day of "rest" between classes and finals. Really it is one of the most packed days of the year. All those group project meetings, study groups, social group meetings, etc. that have been put off all semester long, meet today. All this among preparing for finals. This year I have 3 finals, two of which are final art critiques. My first is at 8 am tomorrow and I have a lot of work to do! I will be finished on Monday evening, thus giving me 5 days before graduation to pack and hang out with my friends.

Speaking of graduation, I yesterday was my last day of class ever at Coe College. I don't think it has all really soaked in yet, but I know it's pretty sad really. I've loved my time here. Coe has given me so much. I could continue on here, being all sentimental and nostalgic, but as I mentioned earlier, I'm really not prepared for my first final tomorrow. The rest of my day will be spend it the art building. I'll update you next week on my life/how I survived finals!

Symposium Day & My Thesis [the thing that has consumed my life]

2010-04-14T19:42:00.001-07:00

So yesterday I presented at Research Symposium Day for the first time ever. I was pretty nervous, but it went ok. Research Symposium Day is an annual tradition at Coe. One day, late in the spring semester, there are no classes, but instead presentations from all of the students who have completed research that year. The idea is, that without classes, all students and professors can attend. There was a good sized crowd and everyone seemed to enjoy my topic.

My presentation was a summary of my senior honors thesis I have been working on since last summer. My thesis is about analyzing the trends of environmental advertising. I'll save you from any further explanation. Or maybe I am saving myself!

I believe I have just finished the final version of my thesis. It is 50 pages long and has taken me forever to write. I will submit it tomorrow to my thesis defense committee. On Monday I will meet with my committee so I can defend my thesis. Wording it this way makes me imagine I will have to fight with a sword or something. I will be using only words on Monday to convince my committee that my thesis is qualified to be labeled an honors thesis. Once/if this is completed I will graduate with honors and finally be able to have a life again! I hope to enjoy the last couple weeks of my college career though I know they will be filled with finals, preparing to move, and all sorts of other things that are not fun. I'm not complaining, it is all just going by so quickly...

Tomorrow is Flunk Day!

2010-04-06T12:32:00.001-07:00

Actually, yesterday was flunk day. Flunk day is a unique Coe tradition held every spring. It is one day of the year when the Student body President and Vice President get to call of classes and the entire college spends the day on the quad hanging out together. This year on the quad there was the typical free food, live DJ, beer garden on the patio [for all students 21+ of course], a balloon artist, and airbrush tattoos. AND this year there were real carnival rides on the quad and laser tag in the cafeteria. It was sweet! My friend Aerial and I beat a bunch of boys and laser tag and I attempted not to get motion sick on the spinning strawberry ride with Sara and Josh. The weather was nearly perfect [sunny and warm] until mid-afternoon when some rain moved in. Unfortunately it rain the rest of the evening moving the grill out and live music indoors and canceling the foam party. Flunk day is always a much needed break from classes before the big push before finals and the end of the year. It is kind of sad knowing that it was my last. I have a few pictures I took yesterday:

Here is the line for the airbrush tattoos and balloons along with one of the carnival rides!

Sara and I enjoying the sunny day!

The strawberry ride, bags and other yard games, and other fun things on the quad.

Pictures from Austin!

2010-03-31T18:53:00.000-07:00

Downtown Austin

South Congress shopping district

Andrew and Anna walking by the capital building.

The UT Tower

Andrew and I on campus

Longhorn stadium

$5...Prom!

2010-03-22T13:33:00.000-07:00

It was a crazy week for me last week. I had a big Business Finance exam, a portfolio due for my Printmaking class, and a lot of work to do on my thesis. I also ended up working at my restaurant 3 nights last week. So, Saturday when I returned from work, it was nice to hang out and have fun and good ol' $5 Prom. This is a dance where every one's outfit has to last less than $5. It has been a fraternity and sorority social for the last few years, but was recently opened up to all of campus. We had a great time dancing and being silly.

This week brings another wave of work. But good news: I'm leaving on Saturday to visit the University of Texas for graduate school. I've already been accepted...it's just time to make my decision :/.

Roomies :)

$5 Prom King and Queen [and my roommate]

Nicki & Kali wearing our funny hats!

Home Sweet Home

2010-03-15T10:41:00.000-07:00

Well, I survived Spring Break 2010! We made it all the way to Fort Lauderdale, Florida and back [24 hour drive one way] in one piece. On the way there we drove through a number of major cities like St. Louis, Nashville and Atlanta...many of which I had never seen before.

In Florida the beach was sunny, the food excellent and we all had a great time! That being said, we really only spent time laying on the beach, eating, or playing games. It was really low key and very relaxing! Here are some pictures!

All of the girls laying on the beach

We made Zach into a sand turtle! Lol.

Kim and Kali :)

The entire group at our favorite Pirate restaurant!

We found this sweet fountain with lights and music.

Spring Break!!

2010-03-05T11:43:00.000-08:00

It's officially spring break!!! Well, I technically have one class left at 2...but it will go by fast! Me and seven of my friends are in the process of packing up an 8 passenger van for a 26 hour drive to Fort Lauderdale, Florida...ADVENTURE!!! [I think that is the attitude necessary to make this sort of trip!] We will be spending a week laying on the beach and relaxing. That's the plan, anyways. I have [unfortunately] packed my Business Finance book and all I need to work on my thesis. My roommate Nicki is doing the same, so we can have thesis time on the beach. I am also looking forward to frisbee and cards :). Anyways, I still have some packing to do! We should have internet so I'll try to find time in my busy beach schedule to put up some pictures!

Best,

Kali

Tuesday = Volunteer Day

2010-03-02T08:37:00.000-08:00

My schedule on Tuesday/Thursdays consists of only one class in the afternoon. With this in mind, I signed myself up for a few volunteer projects and am in the third week of these. Every Tuesday over my lunch hour I drive down to Taylor Elementary with my friend Kiley where we are Recess Buddies. :) Basically we play with little kids for an hour or so. This is an elementary school that was flooded during 2008, so their resources as far as playground equipment are fairly limited. I usually end up twirling one end of a jump rope or playing tag. Thankfully in the past couple weeks it has begun to warm up--this makes playing outside so much better!

Tuesday evenings I have begun to drive down to Garnett Place. This is a retirement center where I help call Bingo. There are 6-15 elderly people who play each week. They win prizes like toothpaste and paper towels, or chips and soda. I think it is a lot of fun! I enjoy all of their personalities.

But anyways, I guess I need to grab a quick lunch and then I'll be heading out to recess!

My Week in Review

2010-02-19T12:12:00.000-08:00

So, it's been a long week and I have to take you back to last Friday to get the whole picture. Last Friday I spent my time between class, errands, and work. This was all followed by one of the greatest traditions of Coe College--the Presidential Ball! Here Coe students, faculty, staff and alumni all dress to the nines and meet in the transformed Eby Fieldhouse gymnasium complete with a live jazz band. President Phifer could be seen strolling around amongst the tables of food and groups of dancing students. It is by far one of my favorite second semester activities! So I spent the night dancing away to wake up to my parents in town! They drove 11 hours to spend the weekend with me! I really enjoyed the time we were able to spend shopping and hanging out. And they were able to be here on Sunday for the end of the year show for dance team. Sunday was the

second annual Dance Team Showcase featuring solo, small group and team performances. I was in 6 total dances and honored at the end as the only senior on the team. The pictures below are from the show. That night (Valentine's Day night) I had to serve at the restaurant I work at...it was so busy!

The rest of the week has been spent recovering from my eventful weekend in terms of homework and sleep. I have also spent countless hours working on my senior thesis.

The dance team during our state performance.

My parents and I!

Andrew and I!

Semester Outlook

2010-02-04T19:37:00.000-08:00

So, here it is almost three weeks into the semester and I have failed to inform you about my classes this semester, much less how they are going! Fail.

This semester I feel like I have it pretty easy. I am taking my last, final credit for my majors: business finance. Beyond this I am enrolled in 2 art classes and my last credit is dedicated to my thesis. Business finance is like an accounting nightmare. All of those ratios I used to know freshman year are all back to haunt me. It is a lot of number-crunching...not what I have been used to lately. My art classes have been great so far this semester. I'm taking Graphic Design: Typography and Printmaking. In graphic design we just had our first critique. We have been working exclusively with fonts and how the font of a word can alter its implications. Eventually we will do ad layouts and such. Pretty exciting! The professor is also really laid back and cool.

When I enrolled in Printmaking, I was not exactly sure what I signed myself up for. I know now...it's a lot of work! The art of printmaking is traditionally misunderstood. A print is not a copy of a famous piece of art as so many people use the term...that is a poster. A print is an original work of art. The process involves either etching or chemically transferring an image to a plate. There are a number of techniques that can then be used to ink the plate. Finally, the plate is run through a press with a piece of paper resulting in a print on the paper. We have spent the last couple weeks learning the basics. It is fairly complicated, so I'll discontinue with my description and spare you the pain. :)

As mentioned above, I am not exactly taking a fourth class, but using my work on my thesis as a fourth credit. My thesis involves a content analysis of past and present environmental advertisements to look for trends and such. I am currently in the process of collecting my data. This unfortunately involves driving down to Iowa City to use the back magazine collection there. The Cedar Rapids library lost all of their back collections a few summers ago in the flood. I was in Iowa City for an evening this past week and am about 1/5 of the way done with my collection.

Ok, ok, enough about my boring life!

Saving Lives!

2010-01-29T16:09:00.001-08:00

That's what the Dance Team did today; or helped do anyways. We hosted another blood drive today and had one of our best turnouts ever! We're just finishing up the all-day affair. Eventually we will go out to eat as a team. I'm excited...I'm so hungry! Dance team has been taking up quite a bit of time lately. We have had tough practices everyday [it hurts to take my coat on and off, I'm so sore!] preparing for upcoming performances. Tomorrow we are performing twice at the halftimes of the men's and women's basketball games. Anyone can check out our performances on our Facebook fan page! Just search: Coe College Dance Team!

MLK Day of Service

2010-01-18T14:17:00.000-08:00

Classes have commenced though not today. Today classes were canceled to honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In the spirit of this day, the Service Learning Department hosted a service opportunity for students on campus. I thought it sounded fun, so I went. I ended up being one of nearly 60 students who spend 2 hours bagging almost 7000 meals to be sent to Haiti. There was originally only enough money raised by students to produce 4800 meals, but a couple of different departments on campus chipped in part of their budget to help cover the rest. It was really cool doing something to help the victims of the Haiti earthquake. My job this morning was to add the rice to the bags of food. The rest of my day has been spent catching up with friends and getting ready for the dance team performance at the men's basketball game tonight!

Back to Coe I Go

2010-01-03T16:05:00.000-08:00

Well, I feel as if my winter break is over. I am heading back on Wednesday though classes do not start until the 13th. There is quite a bit of work to be done on my honor's thesis before the semester gets started.

My time at home has passed quickly with lots of adventures. We had three days of Christmas seeing both sides of the family. I spent several days fighting a cold. New Year's was spent at home with a few good friends. I also spent a weekend in Denver visiting an old friend and a day shopping with my mom. Little has been completed on my list of things to do so I will spend the next two days scrabbling.

Then back to Coe for my last semester!

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

2009-12-23T12:22:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-16T07:27:00.001-08:00

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!!

2009-12-07T06:34:00.000-08:00

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!!

2009-11-30T09:53:00.000-08:00

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 :)

2009-11-09T18:07:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-10-28T17:58:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-10-21T11:12:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-14T06:21:00.000-07:00

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 :)

2009-10-06T20:22:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2009-09-29T10:56:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-23T06:21:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-15T12:59:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-08-25T06:50:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-08T14:56:00.001-07:00

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!

2009-04-23T08:25:00.000-07:00

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:

2009-04-13T11:11:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-03-30T21:25:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-23T16:17:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-03-09T19:22:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-01T20:04:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-16T07:06:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-24T21:16:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-01-14T13:17:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-04T16:35:00.000-08:00

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.

Christmas Time is the Best!

2008-12-23T18:47:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays!!

My family and I just arrived at Winter Park, Colorado (thank goodness for the free wireless)!! We will be spending a few days here skiing and boarding while we celebrate Christmas. This is our 5th or 6th year coming up here--we love it! My dad and mom ski about the slops while my little brother and I race down on our snowboards. We all meet up in the condo in the evening and hang out. We always open presents on Christmas eve while we have cheese, crackers, wine, etc. We will be heading home Friday to go to a wedding on Saturday, so it will be a busy rest of the week!

I can't wait to hit the slopes tomorrow! Wishing everyone well!

We Made It!!

2008-12-16T10:16:00.000-08:00

Finals are over and everyone is now enjoying their winter break.

I finished my last final at 10 am on Wednesday. I spent the rest of the day finishing things I had been putting off since the beginning of finals. I finished my Christmas shopping, met with my adviser to talk about my senior thesis proposal, and things like that. I also brought lunch to my boyfriend in the library while he finished studying for his finals. We had Chinese food and watched an episode of the Office in a study room, lol.

As soon as he finished his final on Thursday we went snowboarding!! This was my first Iowa snowboarding experience. It was nothing compared to the Rocky Mountains, but it was definitely fun! More fun followed that night with a big group of friends in Iowa City.

Friday I finished my duties as an RA, packed up, and hit the road. I made it do Des Monies and stayed with a friend. The next day I drove the rest of the way to meet my family. Now I'm home, just hanging out. I've been doing a lot of sleeping--I call it catching up!

The Week of Doom

2008-12-07T13:29:00.000-08:00

a.k.a finals week!

My first final is at 8 am tomorrow--it's Advertising. I'm getting ready to meet with Anya to go through our notes. We do it before every exam and it really helps!

I'm also preparing for my Research Methods exam on Tuesday and my Rhetorical Theory exam on Wednesday. My 5 page Spanish paper is due Tuesday afternoon. So basically I've been studying a lot.

Tonight is the late-night breakfast. It is always the Sunday before finals from 10pm-12am. Faculty and staff get together to make and serve breakfast to students as they are up late cramming before exams begin. So I'm looking forward to pancakes tonight!!

That's my quick update. Back to studying...

Oh no!

2008-12-01T16:28:00.000-08:00

I became behind on posts again! :S

Well a few quick updates:

1.
I went to my first Iowa game!! The University of Iowa is just 30 minutes from here. Lots of Hawkeye fans here who are always talking about the games. Well, my boyfriend found some tickets and took me! It was freezing cold, but so much fun! We tailgated before the game eating brats, Scottish eggs, cookies, the works! We had great seats in the stadium--23rd row, 50ish yard line. At half time we watched the band and drank hot chocolate. AND the Hawkeyes beat Purdue!

The stadium!

Enjoyin the game! (Even if it was freezing)

2.
Thanksgiving!! I made my first trip home for the year! Ah! It was great. I took the Amtrak train (11ish hours). I spent my time at home helping my dad on the farm, spending time with my family, and trying not to get too far behind with my homework. The break was short, but I was able to see a lot of people and spend quality time at home!

3.
It's back to work now. This is our last week of classes before finals week. Scary! This week I have 2 final presentations, 1 project, and the state dance team competition. Next week I have three 8 a.m. finals and 1 final paper. Today has already been crazy, but I predict it will only get worse before it gets better. Wish me luck!

It's Late-ish & I'm Sick-ish

2008-11-13T21:41:00.000-08:00

I am ready for bed, but wanted to post since it has been awhile. I am hoping a full nights sleep will help me get over my head cold.

I acquired this cold during a very long trip back to Coe. I was in North Carolina the past few days at the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education Conference (AASHE) with a fellow member of the Environmental Club, Johanna. We went to look at what other colleges around the nation are doing to be more sustainable. In case you are unaware, Merriam Webster defines sustainability as: relating to a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged.

The conference was great!! Johanna and I would sit up late every night in our hotel room typing up ideas we came across throughout the day. We are hoping to start some big changes here at Coe. We would particularly like to move along the progress of the American Colleges and Universities Presidential Climate Commitment. President Phifer signed this commitment a year and a half ago meaning that Coe has to come up with a plan to become carbon neutral by next year.

Anyways, I am sick because we were up at 6 am to go to the last day of the conference, left at 5 pm and returned to Coe at 1:00 am. I woke up at 7 the next morning to study for a test I had at 9 and then prepared a presentation for my 2 o'clock Spanish class. It was intense! I spent tonight relaxing in my room. I finished a few projects and made snowflakes with some of the women on my floor. We decided we only have a few weeks left of class before Winter Break, so we started winter decorations today. Our floor will slowly accumulate snowflakes up to Winter Break--it should be fun!

Looking ahead, I have much work to do. Like I said, only a few more weeks left of the semester. This leaves me with 2 advertising projects, a Spanish paper and presentation, a rhetorical theory paper, a research methods project, and 4 finals in the next few weeks. Oh the joy, lol. We are also working hard on dance team to prepare for the State Competition on December 5---come cheer us on!

Halloween :)

2008-11-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

It has been an entire week of Halloween celebrations!

Last weekend we had Haunted Hallways on campus. This is a tradition where a number of floors in the residence halls decorate and haunt their hallways as other members of campus walk through. My floor rocked!! We covered the ceiling and walls with black trash bags, had "bloody" sheets hanging from the ceiling, and spider webs everywhere! Our theme was originally IT but we ended up playing up the Coe story of Helen the ghost, too.

Way, way back in the day Voorhees (the all women's residence hall) was also home to the infirmary. Helen was the only Coe student to die in the infirmary and supposedly haunts Voorhees. She does things like clicking the heater or printer, or other random electronics on and off. There are also stories about how she does not like boys---this one boy was badmouthing Helen while he was in his girlfriends room. She walked him down to his car and came back to find all of the pictures of him on the ground. Spooky...

So in our hallway we had Helen in the bathroom and down at the end of the hall. It was pretty scary. We tied for first in the contest. We ended up leaving our decorations up all week.

Katie being scary!

Vanessa as Helen

A look down our hallway...

For Halloween I decided to be a pumpkin! I found this sweet costume at Good Will. I didn't do too much as far as celebrating Halloween. Last night I was the designated driver for some of my (21-year-old) friends who went to the bars in Iowa City. I had a lot of fun getting dressed up. Tonight I am on duty which means I'm stuck in the building all night...but as a pumpkin!

Mid-Week Report

2008-10-22T17:44:00.000-07:00

So I just finished a floor meeting. Only a few of my residents showed up but we came up with great ideas for Haunted Hallways this Sunday. It is going really great! I'll have to post pictures. Our floor also received a pumpkin from the cafeteria--they are sponsoring a campus wide carving contest. The rest of my evening will be spent on homework and an NRHH meeting. Homework hasn't been as bad this week--no exams!! I do have an advertising exam coming up next Thursday along with 2 big projects in the class. Umm...that's all I can think of for now!

Fall Break: It was Wicked!

2008-10-14T13:54:00.000-07:00

It is the last day of fall break--there have been no classes since Friday. I planned on spending the majority of my break recuperating from my round of mid-terms last week and preparing for my other mid-terms this coming week. Instead, I had quite the adventure!

Friday night I drove some friends to Iowa City where they went to the bars and I visited a friend from the summer. We caught up and watched Grey's Anatomy. Saturday morning I received a call from my friend Anya--we were going to Chicago!! We had both really wanted to go see Wicked on Broadway, so it was decided that we were just going to do it. By 1 pm we had the car loaded, our tickets bought, and were on the road. We arrived in Chicago just in time to get ready, pick up our tickets, and arrive at the show. It was AMAZING!!!!! Amazing. Really.

The day after the show: Me and a Wicked globe :)

Anya's turn!

After the show we grabbed some McDonalds and got on the train. We were staying with a friend who gradated from Coe last year. She had given us the keys to her apartment since she was not planning on returning before us. We thought we found the right building when the keys worked on the gate and the apartment building. We couldn't get them to open the apartment, so decided to wait in the stairwell for our friends return. An hour later our friend called to report that we were NOT on her stairwell!! Apparently her building was the identical building two doors down. Pretty embarrassing. We all laughed about it early into the morning while we ate Swedish Fish and Sour Patch Kids (only the two best kinds of candy ever!) Even though we were up late we woke up early. We spent the morning cruising around Chicago...we saw the bean and had delicious Chicago-style pizza. Anya and I then raced back to Cedar Rapids since I was on duty (as part of my job as a Resident Assistant) at 7.

Here we are having some fun with the bean!

My friends & the bean! (Note the sweet Chicago skyline)

I have spent the last to days of my break feebly attempting to do homework, watching movies with friends, and napping at least twice a day. It has been such a great time. Oh! I also did some intense recycling by emptying out the recycling closet on my floor. I am so not ready for class to begin again tomorrow--it is now time for me to seriously get things done. Even though this will be a short week, it is going to be rough. Friday I have a huge Spanish mid-term along with an exam in Research Methods in Psychology. This week in dance team we are going to start learning our state routine--aka long, intense practices from now on. I am also continuing my work with Environmental Club and NRHH. *Sigh* There's always something to be done. :)

Homecoming & beyond!

2008-09-28T09:27:00.000-07:00

These last couple weeks have been crazy. It was the time when all the first tests hit. I know a few people who had 3 exams this last week! My schedule wasn't nearly as intense. I had an exam last Friday in my Research Methods class, a Spanish presentation on Monday, and an exam in Advertising on Tuesday. After Tuesday I took time to get ahead in some reading, go to dance team practice, and get ready for Homecoming!!!

The festivities started at the first of the week with decorating, powder puff football, men's sand volleyball, and such. Thursday night may have well been considered part of the weekend as it was the night of Homecoming Follies. Follies are basically a talent show full of ridiculousness--none of the acts are serious. It showcases the Homecoming court consisting of 5 queen candidates and 5 king candidates.

Friday night consisted of the Homecoming concert with all the bands and choirs. It was such a great concert! I had to drag a friend along & she probably ended up enjoying it more than I did. (I had 9 residents in the program, so it was really cool to see all of them!) The choir was directly followed by the bonfire. I didn't make it to the bonfire this year--we watched the Presidential Debate. At the bonfire the Homecoming Court is announced and all of the sports teams have representatives speak. I think that if there were smores at the bonfire, I definitely would have been there!

I was up early Saturday morning to get ready for the Homecoming parade. As President of the Environmental Club, I arranged for us to ride Coe Bikes in the parade. We decorated the bicycles with recyclables! They rocked! My favorite part were the cans dragging behind the bikes. The parade is pretty small, only circling the football field, but has quite a few participates from the Homecoming Court, to sororities and fraternities, to the cheerleaders. After the parade there are always brats by the field and the football game begins. We played Loras this year and were seconds away from beating them. It was 14-14 and they scored with 2 seconds left on the clock. Some are saying the clock ran out before they started the play, but who knows.

After the game I watched a movie with Sara and started getting ready for the dance!! A huge group of us went out the dinner at the Irish Democrat (pretty much a pub) and then came back to Coe to get ready. We took a shuttle to the dance; it is always in a ballroom at the Crown Plaza. It is simply the best time ever!! The room is packed and hot and sweaty and everyone is dancing and eating (there are always awesome food tables). Last night I ran into a ton of people I knew and we danced the entire night. I can back with my boyfriend and made pizza rolls at like 3 in the morning. Haha. It was fun. But, don't worry, I'm already up and starting homework. I have a paper due tomorrow, ugh.

Typical

2008-09-14T20:09:00.000-07:00

I swear I never know where the weeks goes! It was a busy one, though pretty typical.

My classes are going well. I'm taking Rhetorical Theory & Practice, Hispanic Life & Culture in Europe, Advertising and Research Methods in Psychology. I love that my schedule is so diverse in subject matter though there is sometime awesome crossover. For example, at the beginning of the week, three of my classes began studying the Middle Ages. I was looking at the Roman conquest of Spain, the theories of Galileo, and the rhetoric of Socrates. Crazy!

Dance team also began practice last week. Between the mile run, ab and push-up workout, stretching, technique, and choreography we do every practice, I am very sore! I just have to keep remembering I will be in AWESOME shape. This year we opened dance team practices up to the entire campus. Now anyone can come to our practices to work out and learn our dances. I think it is really cool--dancing is so centering and fun, I love sharing it with others!

I was also busy working on projects for Environmental Club...we have a lot coming up these next few weeks. There were also my weekly Residence Life, Student Senate, and NRHH meetings. Ah...I'm always so busy!

It all caught up to me though. I spent the weekend on my cough with an awesome head cold :S I saw it as the perfect opportunity to do homework and enjoy some movies.

Watermelon!

2008-09-08T11:36:00.000-07:00

We are just starting the third week of class. I am already wishing I had done more homework over the weekend. I had plenty of time Friday to do some, but decided to take some much needed me time. I took a nap, hung out with some friends, and had a craft night with smores! MMM! Saturday morning I found myself getting ready for the Watermelon Fest.
This was the 3rd annual Watermelon Fest put on by the Lambda Chi fraternity. I put a team together and we rocked! There was watermelon bowling, watermelon tossing, watermelon eating, and more. In the end we all ended up covered in watermelon! (check out this picture of my friends) It was sticky and gross, but oh the fun. I ended my day with a sweet cook out with some friends.
Sunday I finally woke up early to do some homework and eventually made my monthly trip to Target. In the evening there was an all hall meeting complete with nachos and a pinata!
Now it's time again for classes , homework, dance practice, and all the weekly adventures I have come to love.