I thought for this blog, I would give everyone a taste of what my life as an College Admissions Counselor is like - at least during the fall recruiting season, because that is the most exciting time. :) Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll be able to get Austin to write a blog about "Life as a Music Teacher"!
So, the fall is the busiest time of year for college recruiters. There are high school visits, college fairs and also a lot of students coming to campus to check us out before applying. This busy season goes from September to about mid-November when it slows down again until around March. During the spring we pick up again with some more high school visits and college fairs, although not quite as many. When I first started at UNO, I started about a month and half before that Spring recruiting season began. During the last spring, I did about two, two and half weeks of college fairs and visited about 23 high schools that were in the three counties in Iowa that were part of a program we offer those students to get a reduced tuition. This fall, we've decided to step things up a notch.
The MAP program that was originally offered in three Western Iowa counties has now been expanded to 11 counties which now means I have 52 high schools to visit this fall. We are also trying to recruit more in Minnesota and Kansas. This month, October, is by far my busiest month. I will be in the office for roughly 4 days out of the month. I've rented a car from Enterprise for the entire month, which I'm currently contemplating keeping for another couple of weeks in November for my remaining high school visits.
It's only October 7th and I've had my rental car for one week. Today when I was in the office I determined that I have already been on the road for about 24 hours total and driven just under 1500 miles. In just seven days!! I'm both a little scared and excited to see what those numbers will look like at the end of this month.
To give you a little bit of idea of what I'm doing this month (and if you're curious why you might not hear much from me), here is my schedule - starting with October 1st.
On Saturday Oct 1st, AJ drove with me to Council Bluffs to pick up my rental car. From there I went into work for our Homecoming Open House. On Sunday, AJ and I drove to Des Moines where he hung out with his sister and brother-in-law while I was at the first college fair of the month. On Monday I had three high school visits before going back into the office to get some things done before leaving. Kristina and I then drove to Minneapolis where we worked the National College Fair on Tuesday (two 4-hour parts) and Wednesday morning. We drove home on Wednesday night where I enjoyed the night back in my own bed. On Thursday, I drove down to Topeka, KS for a college fair and home again that night. Today I was back in the office for a Friday Mav Day (a fairly large visit day on campus). I'm home this weekend until Sunday when I'm heading back to Minnesota for the week. I have college fairs Monday through Thursday. Thursday night I'll be able to stay at my parent's house for a quick hello before leaving again Friday to head to Waverly, IA. AJ plans on meeting me there so we can attend Wartburg's Homecoming. The party will be short lived as I head off to St. Louis on Saturday night for another National College Fair down there on Sunday - my birthday. :) Then it'll be a long 7 hour drive home to get back for some more high school visits on Monday. Tuesday I'll have some time back in the office again before leaving around mid-day to head back to Kansas for a college fair that night and two more on Wednesday. After driving home late Wednesday night, I'll be back in the office on Thursday and some of the day on Friday before doing another high school visit. Another short weekend as I leave again that Sunday for another round of college fairs in Minnesota, this time along I-90. The good thing about this is I'll be able to see my parents and some friends along the way! Those college fairs go from Monday until Thursday where I'll crash at my parent's again before driving home on Friday. Saturday will be my day of rest before we have a large college fair on campus on Sunday along with an Open House for a couple of colleges on campus. And on Monday, October 31st, I'll be back in the office for an Information Session (a campus visit).
And there you have it. My October. Exhausted just reading it? Yeah, me too. I could tell you about the start of November which is filled with the remainder of my high school visits, a conference and a couple more college fairs, but I won't. :) Welcome to the life of an Admissions Counselor!
Friday, October 7, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Falling in Love with the best time of year!
Fall is, without a doubt, my absolute favorite time of the year. There are so many reasons and for this blog, I've decided to try and write them all down. :)
Reason I Love Fall:
So welcome fall! I am happy to have you back again! :)
Reason I Love Fall:
- I was born in October :)
- I also married the love of my life in October :) :)
- The start of a new school year - a new beginning of sorts
- Beautiful weather - the nice fall breezes and sun shining
- Sweatshirts - who doesn't love sweatshirt weather?!
- The world is surrounded by beautiful and rich fall colors - the reds, oranges, yellows
- Minnesota fall apples (and of course caramel!)
- Perfect cool evenings for a bonfire
- The sound of fallen leaves crunching under your feet
- Football games
- A fall rain
- Jumping in piles of leaves as a kid (or an adult...haha)
- Pumpkin patches, carving pumpkins and pumpkin seeds
- Hay rides
- Halloween - YAY for candy!
- Thanksgiving - YUM
- The cooler temperatures which means open windows
- Cuddling up in blankets on a cool fall morning
- Harvest - so many memories of going to the farm to bring dad lunch or dinner and helping drive the combine
- That fall smell - maybe a combination of woodsmoke, cinnamon and spice, wool, apple cider, dried leaves and pumpkin pie
- Fall premiers of new and returning favorite TV shows
- Homecoming at Wartburg
- Candy Corn and Pumpkin candy
- Oktoberfest celebrations
So welcome fall! I am happy to have you back again! :)
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Remembering 9/11...
It's been 10 years. Ten years since that day that changed America. That changed us all. It was a day like no other. An attack on America, that folded out on live television. Everyone watched. Everyone watched in horror. In shock. It was a day that changed America.
I was a sophomore in High School. It was picture day at school and I had on my favorite light pink sweater. I was sitting in Mrs. Ehlers' Spanish class, our classroom right by the Superintendent's Office. Someone came up the stairs and motioned Mrs. Ehlers outside. They were whispering and we couldn't hear what they were saying. Mrs. Ehlers walked back in, with this look of shock and utter disbelief on her face, stared at us for a moment, then went back out into the hall. I remember wondering, what is going on? When she came back in, again she looked at us with that look on her face and told us, "Your country has just been attacked." I remember not understanding. I remember questioning how could that be. Mrs. Ehlers told us briefly what had happened, what she knew. And then she told us, "I don't know who your God is, but whoever He is, you need to pray to Him right now. You need to pray for your country." The rest of the day is a blur and I really don't remember much else.
Looking back, even as a sophomore in high school, I don't I understood what really had happened that day. I didn't understand how everything was going to change. Sometimes I wish I could remember more, wish I understood it better. But every year, every anniversary, I look back and read news stories, look at pictures, watch video. And every year, I understand more. As I've grown up, I've watched how the events of Sept 11th have changed so many things - the unity we feel as Americans, the patriotism we share, the increased security at airports, the War on Terrorism and the rise of the voice of the American people.
Watching video of that day and the days after, reading stories, listening to survivors and looking at pictures, I have a lot of emotions and thoughts that run through my head. I think about how lucky we were that some of the planes weren't full. I think how there was enough time in between the impacts and the collapses of the building, that many people did get out. I think about all those brave men and women of firefighters and police officers that ran into the building to help who they could when everyone else was running out. I think about the people of Flight 93 who fought back so there weren't any more deaths elsewhere. Their stories are incredible and the sacrifice they made were unbelievable. And the continued efforts of rescue and clean up for the days and months after - each of those people deserve our thanks.
And while what happened to America on that day was horrible and should never be forgotten, I can't help think about the areas in the world where things like attacks or suicide bombers happen daily. We are blessed to live in America where we do feel so secure a majority of the time. I can't imagine living in a place where you feel constantly under attack. How do you live like that? How is that okay? I have to remember that there are places like this and that so many people are much worse off than we have ever been. And for that, I am grateful. Grateful of where I live and for all the people that make that possible.
And at the same time, I think about hate. To me, what America stands for is freedom, for opportunity. What American doesn't stand for is hate. And I am ashamed to admit that 9/11 did bring out some hate in people. I'm not saying I haven't been angry about what happened, because I have. But never hate. Yes, there are some people out there who hate America, but we shouldn't hate them back. In watching a documentary on TV today they showed video at an Islamic Center in New York just days after 9/11. People had called and left messages of hate. Messages about how they hoped they would die and that people would be coming after them. And that makes me just as angry as the events of 9/11. I just don't know how people can hate like that - especially to a group of people that are completely innocent and just as hurt by the events of 9/11 as the rest of us. There are bad seeds in all groups of people - that is true for America too. But it doesn't mean we hate that whole group. That is not American. And that is something I feel like we didn't learn correctly from 9/11. But 10 years later, maybe there is still time to learn.
It's hard to believe 10 years has pasted. But it is still feels like a recent event to most of us. Especially with all the media we have available. And I think it's good that we have so much video and pictures, it keeps it real, it keeps it recent. It makes it so that we don't forget. And we never should. 9/11 will always be in our hearts. Along with all of those people who lost their lives that day. We will remember.
I was a sophomore in High School. It was picture day at school and I had on my favorite light pink sweater. I was sitting in Mrs. Ehlers' Spanish class, our classroom right by the Superintendent's Office. Someone came up the stairs and motioned Mrs. Ehlers outside. They were whispering and we couldn't hear what they were saying. Mrs. Ehlers walked back in, with this look of shock and utter disbelief on her face, stared at us for a moment, then went back out into the hall. I remember wondering, what is going on? When she came back in, again she looked at us with that look on her face and told us, "Your country has just been attacked." I remember not understanding. I remember questioning how could that be. Mrs. Ehlers told us briefly what had happened, what she knew. And then she told us, "I don't know who your God is, but whoever He is, you need to pray to Him right now. You need to pray for your country." The rest of the day is a blur and I really don't remember much else.
Looking back, even as a sophomore in high school, I don't I understood what really had happened that day. I didn't understand how everything was going to change. Sometimes I wish I could remember more, wish I understood it better. But every year, every anniversary, I look back and read news stories, look at pictures, watch video. And every year, I understand more. As I've grown up, I've watched how the events of Sept 11th have changed so many things - the unity we feel as Americans, the patriotism we share, the increased security at airports, the War on Terrorism and the rise of the voice of the American people.
Watching video of that day and the days after, reading stories, listening to survivors and looking at pictures, I have a lot of emotions and thoughts that run through my head. I think about how lucky we were that some of the planes weren't full. I think how there was enough time in between the impacts and the collapses of the building, that many people did get out. I think about all those brave men and women of firefighters and police officers that ran into the building to help who they could when everyone else was running out. I think about the people of Flight 93 who fought back so there weren't any more deaths elsewhere. Their stories are incredible and the sacrifice they made were unbelievable. And the continued efforts of rescue and clean up for the days and months after - each of those people deserve our thanks.
And while what happened to America on that day was horrible and should never be forgotten, I can't help think about the areas in the world where things like attacks or suicide bombers happen daily. We are blessed to live in America where we do feel so secure a majority of the time. I can't imagine living in a place where you feel constantly under attack. How do you live like that? How is that okay? I have to remember that there are places like this and that so many people are much worse off than we have ever been. And for that, I am grateful. Grateful of where I live and for all the people that make that possible.
And at the same time, I think about hate. To me, what America stands for is freedom, for opportunity. What American doesn't stand for is hate. And I am ashamed to admit that 9/11 did bring out some hate in people. I'm not saying I haven't been angry about what happened, because I have. But never hate. Yes, there are some people out there who hate America, but we shouldn't hate them back. In watching a documentary on TV today they showed video at an Islamic Center in New York just days after 9/11. People had called and left messages of hate. Messages about how they hoped they would die and that people would be coming after them. And that makes me just as angry as the events of 9/11. I just don't know how people can hate like that - especially to a group of people that are completely innocent and just as hurt by the events of 9/11 as the rest of us. There are bad seeds in all groups of people - that is true for America too. But it doesn't mean we hate that whole group. That is not American. And that is something I feel like we didn't learn correctly from 9/11. But 10 years later, maybe there is still time to learn.
It's hard to believe 10 years has pasted. But it is still feels like a recent event to most of us. Especially with all the media we have available. And I think it's good that we have so much video and pictures, it keeps it real, it keeps it recent. It makes it so that we don't forget. And we never should. 9/11 will always be in our hearts. Along with all of those people who lost their lives that day. We will remember.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Losing the Music?
Okay... so this post is obviously not about Austin. It's pretty hard for him to "lose the music" as a music teacher... :) This is really just going to be one of those rambling posts that probably don't make any sense. I might do an update at the bottom, so you could always scroll down and read that if you want to skip this section. :)
A couple of weeks ago, AJ had the opportunity to have some of his students perform at a local town celebration - one of the towns in the district. He was a little short handed since they had only had two days of school to practice before hand, so I got volunteered to help out. (I didn't really have a choice... haha) So we had a quick performance in Macedonia for probably about 30 people. It was a short concert, but the students he had there did a great job. But it made me realize something - how much I miss singing.
This past weekend, AJ and I drove up to Minnesota. On the way, we listened to our recordings from our wedding - songs that we had song and songs from the Wartburg Choir. Again, I realized how much I've missed singing. The Wartburg Choir was much more than just singing - it was about a family, about emotion, about story-telling, about praising God... and I miss it so much.
At home, I decided to sit down and spend some time playing the piano. Something I keep telling myself I need to start practicing again so I don't lose that talent. I tried to sing along to some songs while I played, but I've never been very good at that. AJ and I also took a big stack of song/piano books that we've brought back home with us. Although we only have a small electric piano right now, I'm going to start playing again.
We also went to church on Sunday - luckily for us, it was a service with a little bit more music than normal and some of my favorite hymns (although I think I probably have like a hundred!). Since moving out to Council Bluffs and now Oakland, AJ and I haven't really gotten into a church routine. We found a church we really like in Council Bluffs but now that we're living in Oakland, we're probably much less likely to drive all the way to CB to go to church. There isn't a Lutheran church in Oakland, but there is a Methodist church just down the road from us that has a pretty active church choir - or so we've been told. I think they're starting to put a bug in AJ's ear about potentially taking over the choir director position there... but for now, we both want to try to get back in that habit of going to church every weekend and getting involved in the choir.
Music has always been such a big part of my life growing up - piano lessons, violin, flute, school choir, community choirs, church choir, different honor choirs, singing at friends' weddings and even just singing around the piano with my family. Music has always played such an important part in my life. It's allowed me to connect with my family, meet some incredible people, travel the world and of course - meet the love of my life. More than all of that - it's a way that I've always praised God. It's always been my number one communicator to Him. I'm not sure why I've let it slip through my fingers. But I am determined to keep music as a big part of my life. After all, it is a lot of who I am.
Okay, now for the updates on our life. :) August is pretty much gone and the month went by pretty quickly! For some reasons, I am grateful for that. I'm very much looking forward to getting our finances under control come the month of September. I was also glad because AJ has started school again and I'm not sure how much longer he would have lasted around the house. :)
We were able to spend a couple weekends up in Minnesota - one the second weekend of August. We drove up on Thursday night and on Friday, AJ, Megan, Dan and I all went out for lunch - kind of like a "last sibling meal" before Dan headed off to college. It was nice for us all to be home one last time (we think the next time this will happen will be Thanksgiving!) and I think my parents really appreciated it. However, it might have made it a little bit harder on them once we all left. They are now officially "empty-nesters" but I think they're dealing with it pretty well. ;-) We were also able to help with the freezing corn this year! We had to since we always steal so much of it when we go home... :) But as always, it was a lot of fun. Although... no one warned me a head of time about having to actually go pick the corn! So my allergies did not appreciate that. And it also brought back some "great" memories of my time at Pioneer... haha
We were also up in Minnesota just this past weekend. We drove up to my parents house on Friday night but left again Saturday morning to drive up to New London to see some old high school friends. We were celebrating our second baby shower of the group and will soon have to celebrate another couple more! :) It's very exciting and it was great to see all of them! We did send the men out to the bar during the actual shower part so they wouldn't get bored, but then enjoyed dinner and some games later that night. I'm so grateful that all of my high school friends and I have managed to stay as close as we have after high school. We all miss seeing each other so much and try to get together as much as possible - which can be challenging as we all live in different cities and states! But we make it work whenever we can! On Sunday we spent the day with my parents and had lunch with them and my grandparents. It was great to see them and we definitely appreciated the amazing home-cooked meal! :) On our way back home, we decided to make an impromptu stop to see Amanda and Thor - and that is always a good time. :)
This week starts off my busy season at work and I start my traveling. I will be out of the office much more than I'll be in it for the next couple of months, but I'm very excited about going out and talking to students about UNO. AJ is also getting in the full swing of things at school with All-State auditions, preparing for his fall concert and organizing an All-School Talent Show. It's going to be a very busy fall indeed! :)
A couple of weeks ago, AJ had the opportunity to have some of his students perform at a local town celebration - one of the towns in the district. He was a little short handed since they had only had two days of school to practice before hand, so I got volunteered to help out. (I didn't really have a choice... haha) So we had a quick performance in Macedonia for probably about 30 people. It was a short concert, but the students he had there did a great job. But it made me realize something - how much I miss singing.
This past weekend, AJ and I drove up to Minnesota. On the way, we listened to our recordings from our wedding - songs that we had song and songs from the Wartburg Choir. Again, I realized how much I've missed singing. The Wartburg Choir was much more than just singing - it was about a family, about emotion, about story-telling, about praising God... and I miss it so much.
At home, I decided to sit down and spend some time playing the piano. Something I keep telling myself I need to start practicing again so I don't lose that talent. I tried to sing along to some songs while I played, but I've never been very good at that. AJ and I also took a big stack of song/piano books that we've brought back home with us. Although we only have a small electric piano right now, I'm going to start playing again.
We also went to church on Sunday - luckily for us, it was a service with a little bit more music than normal and some of my favorite hymns (although I think I probably have like a hundred!). Since moving out to Council Bluffs and now Oakland, AJ and I haven't really gotten into a church routine. We found a church we really like in Council Bluffs but now that we're living in Oakland, we're probably much less likely to drive all the way to CB to go to church. There isn't a Lutheran church in Oakland, but there is a Methodist church just down the road from us that has a pretty active church choir - or so we've been told. I think they're starting to put a bug in AJ's ear about potentially taking over the choir director position there... but for now, we both want to try to get back in that habit of going to church every weekend and getting involved in the choir.
Music has always been such a big part of my life growing up - piano lessons, violin, flute, school choir, community choirs, church choir, different honor choirs, singing at friends' weddings and even just singing around the piano with my family. Music has always played such an important part in my life. It's allowed me to connect with my family, meet some incredible people, travel the world and of course - meet the love of my life. More than all of that - it's a way that I've always praised God. It's always been my number one communicator to Him. I'm not sure why I've let it slip through my fingers. But I am determined to keep music as a big part of my life. After all, it is a lot of who I am.
Okay, now for the updates on our life. :) August is pretty much gone and the month went by pretty quickly! For some reasons, I am grateful for that. I'm very much looking forward to getting our finances under control come the month of September. I was also glad because AJ has started school again and I'm not sure how much longer he would have lasted around the house. :)
We were able to spend a couple weekends up in Minnesota - one the second weekend of August. We drove up on Thursday night and on Friday, AJ, Megan, Dan and I all went out for lunch - kind of like a "last sibling meal" before Dan headed off to college. It was nice for us all to be home one last time (we think the next time this will happen will be Thanksgiving!) and I think my parents really appreciated it. However, it might have made it a little bit harder on them once we all left. They are now officially "empty-nesters" but I think they're dealing with it pretty well. ;-) We were also able to help with the freezing corn this year! We had to since we always steal so much of it when we go home... :) But as always, it was a lot of fun. Although... no one warned me a head of time about having to actually go pick the corn! So my allergies did not appreciate that. And it also brought back some "great" memories of my time at Pioneer... haha
We were also up in Minnesota just this past weekend. We drove up to my parents house on Friday night but left again Saturday morning to drive up to New London to see some old high school friends. We were celebrating our second baby shower of the group and will soon have to celebrate another couple more! :) It's very exciting and it was great to see all of them! We did send the men out to the bar during the actual shower part so they wouldn't get bored, but then enjoyed dinner and some games later that night. I'm so grateful that all of my high school friends and I have managed to stay as close as we have after high school. We all miss seeing each other so much and try to get together as much as possible - which can be challenging as we all live in different cities and states! But we make it work whenever we can! On Sunday we spent the day with my parents and had lunch with them and my grandparents. It was great to see them and we definitely appreciated the amazing home-cooked meal! :) On our way back home, we decided to make an impromptu stop to see Amanda and Thor - and that is always a good time. :)
This week starts off my busy season at work and I start my traveling. I will be out of the office much more than I'll be in it for the next couple of months, but I'm very excited about going out and talking to students about UNO. AJ is also getting in the full swing of things at school with All-State auditions, preparing for his fall concert and organizing an All-School Talent Show. It's going to be a very busy fall indeed! :)
 |
| Siblings in our school colors/shirts |
 |
| Wartburg vs. NDSU :) |
 |
| High School Friends |
Friday, August 19, 2011
PB&J: Straw Poll
It's official (officially). The 2012 Presidential Election race has begun. This past Saturday, August 13th, the Iowa Straw Poll was held in Ames, Iowa. For many, this is viewed as the official "kick-off" of the presidential race. At the Straw Poll, Iowa Republicans take a vote on if the election were right now, who they would vote for. At the Straw Poll on Saturday, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann won with 29% of the votes. Ron Paul came in second and Tim Pawlenty came in third (who has also already dropped out of the race). Luckily (in my opinion), the Straw Poll has no actual pull in the Presidential race and those that win the Straw Poll have historically lost later on and not gained the GOP candidate position.
The fact that someone like Michele Bachmann could have so much support is actually scary to me. I'm not so much frightened by her far right-wing ideas and positions as I am to her (and the Tea Party's) inability and unwillingness to compromise. This is not what is best for the country. Everyone has their own ideas and opinions on issues - that is good, that is what's great about America. But because everyone has such different ideas, we - as a nation - need to learn how to work together to find a compromise that is going to make a majority of people happy, or at least some-what happy. And this is what the Tea Party is unwilling to do! And if they continue to act like stubborn teenagers, things could go downhill very quickly - as we saw with the financial crisis in Washington or even the government shutdown in Minnesota. A successful democracy must be about compromise.
There seems to be a lot of other talk around that doesn't make much sense either. Again, going back to the financial crisis - politicians on both sides are trying to come up with answers to fix the problem. And while I still believe that some sort of compromise is going to be our best bet, I am amazed at some of the suggestions being thrown out there. I like to watch a show call The Daily Show on Comedy Central with Jon Stewart. I actually like watching this as a (one of many) source of news. My reason for this is because Stewart tells how it is - from all sides. One of his recent clips was about some of the solutions to help with our nation's debt. I was just astounded by some of the things I heard. The description basically said this: "The government could raise $700 billion by either taking half of everything earned by the bottom 50% or by raising the marginal tax rate on the top two percent." I mean, why should we ask the top two percent to give more when we can ask everyone else - who might be just barely getting by - to cut back and give more of what they don't have. I just don't understand the logic.
I sometimes wonder if I should stop paying attention to politics and what goes on in Washington. The things I hear just end up making me upset and if I stopped paying attention, I could be blissfully ignorant! Ah... wouldn't that be nice? haha
The fact that someone like Michele Bachmann could have so much support is actually scary to me. I'm not so much frightened by her far right-wing ideas and positions as I am to her (and the Tea Party's) inability and unwillingness to compromise. This is not what is best for the country. Everyone has their own ideas and opinions on issues - that is good, that is what's great about America. But because everyone has such different ideas, we - as a nation - need to learn how to work together to find a compromise that is going to make a majority of people happy, or at least some-what happy. And this is what the Tea Party is unwilling to do! And if they continue to act like stubborn teenagers, things could go downhill very quickly - as we saw with the financial crisis in Washington or even the government shutdown in Minnesota. A successful democracy must be about compromise.
There seems to be a lot of other talk around that doesn't make much sense either. Again, going back to the financial crisis - politicians on both sides are trying to come up with answers to fix the problem. And while I still believe that some sort of compromise is going to be our best bet, I am amazed at some of the suggestions being thrown out there. I like to watch a show call The Daily Show on Comedy Central with Jon Stewart. I actually like watching this as a (one of many) source of news. My reason for this is because Stewart tells how it is - from all sides. One of his recent clips was about some of the solutions to help with our nation's debt. I was just astounded by some of the things I heard. The description basically said this: "The government could raise $700 billion by either taking half of everything earned by the bottom 50% or by raising the marginal tax rate on the top two percent." I mean, why should we ask the top two percent to give more when we can ask everyone else - who might be just barely getting by - to cut back and give more of what they don't have. I just don't understand the logic.
I sometimes wonder if I should stop paying attention to politics and what goes on in Washington. The things I hear just end up making me upset and if I stopped paying attention, I could be blissfully ignorant! Ah... wouldn't that be nice? haha
Monday, August 8, 2011
Pictures of our new place!
Okay, here they are! The pictures I know you've all been waiting for! :)
 |
| Living Room |
 |
| Living Room & Kitchen Island |
 |
| Built-in Entertainment Center (ignore the board under the TV...) |
 |
| Built-in Book Shelf & Window Seat (with additional storage) |
 |
| Living Room towards Kitchen |
 |
| Dining Room |
 |
| Bedroom |
 |
| Bedroom (door goes to bathroom) |
 |
| Bathroom |
 |
| Washer & Dryer (in bathroom) |
 |
| Kitchen looking towards Living Room |
 |
| Kitchen with all custom cabinets |
 |
| Our "Little Italy" Center :) |
 |
| Our Deck |
Well, there you have it - our new place! We would love to have you all come visit anytime! :)
Friday, August 5, 2011
A year ago...
It's hard to believe but it's been a year since we first moved to Western Iowa. Last year this time we had just become Council Bluffs residents. I remember how different and foreign everything seemed back then! Now this place is very much a part of us.
This past weekend we made yet another move. We swear this is going to be the last for a while! :) And we've made our home Oakland, Iowa. We're really looking forward to all the benefits of living in a small town and living in the school district! Plus, we love our new apartment! A big thanks to all the help we had and made the move quickly and smoothly! I must say, it's much easier carrying things down three flights of stairs, rather than up! And we have everything in our new apartment and a majority of things unpacked already! Again, we are so grateful for all of our family that came and helped us!
I know that this is the last thing you're suppose to do, but I'm wishing away August. And I'm sure most people will think I'm crazy and believe that's the last thing they'd want to do - wish away the last month of summer before a crazy and busy fall/school year starts again?! Yes... And as much as I'm looking forward to this new school year (for both AJ and myself) that's not the reason I'm wishing for September. I love summer and I am sad to see it leave. But AJ and I are paying dual rent this month - necessary in order to get our lovely new apartment and while we have the money to do that, we don't have money to do anything else. haha We're both so looking forward to the month of September and getting back on track with our finances. Being able to pay a lower rent and with both of us seeing a little bit of a pay increase at our jobs, we're looking forward to being able to start putting away some money into our savings account again! And we're going to especially need to start saving if my family is planning a "last" family vacation next summer to Harry Potter World! :)
But other than those reasons, I am sad to see summer come to an end. It's been a great summer for both AJ and I and I think we've been fortunate enough to be able to see quite a bit of our families as well, which is something we always look forward to. This fall will be a new experience for both of us though! AJ will be in his second year of teaching and is excited to go back with a year under his belt. I know he's already got some big plans in place and is excited with the growth of his high school choir. This fall is also really going to teach me about the aspects of my job because it is our busiest recruiting season. I will be on the road a lot to high school visits and college fairs. While I'm use to traveling for my job, I think this is going to be more than what I've done in the past. But I truly am excited for it and ready to start talking to high schoolers about UNO!
AJ is heading to Waverly this weekend to go back to Wartburg for a few days and he's taking some Riverside students with him! They're heading there on Saturday for a three day All-State Music Camp! I know AJ is so excited to bring them back to Wartburg and to also see some of his fellow music teachers/friends. I'll be eager to hear what the students thought about Wartburg as well! :) So I'm going to spend the weekend enjoying the new apartment to myself, finishing unpacking some boxes and getting things in place. I'll get some pictures taken and posted soon so you can all see our new digs! :)
This past weekend we made yet another move. We swear this is going to be the last for a while! :) And we've made our home Oakland, Iowa. We're really looking forward to all the benefits of living in a small town and living in the school district! Plus, we love our new apartment! A big thanks to all the help we had and made the move quickly and smoothly! I must say, it's much easier carrying things down three flights of stairs, rather than up! And we have everything in our new apartment and a majority of things unpacked already! Again, we are so grateful for all of our family that came and helped us!
I know that this is the last thing you're suppose to do, but I'm wishing away August. And I'm sure most people will think I'm crazy and believe that's the last thing they'd want to do - wish away the last month of summer before a crazy and busy fall/school year starts again?! Yes... And as much as I'm looking forward to this new school year (for both AJ and myself) that's not the reason I'm wishing for September. I love summer and I am sad to see it leave. But AJ and I are paying dual rent this month - necessary in order to get our lovely new apartment and while we have the money to do that, we don't have money to do anything else. haha We're both so looking forward to the month of September and getting back on track with our finances. Being able to pay a lower rent and with both of us seeing a little bit of a pay increase at our jobs, we're looking forward to being able to start putting away some money into our savings account again! And we're going to especially need to start saving if my family is planning a "last" family vacation next summer to Harry Potter World! :)
But other than those reasons, I am sad to see summer come to an end. It's been a great summer for both AJ and I and I think we've been fortunate enough to be able to see quite a bit of our families as well, which is something we always look forward to. This fall will be a new experience for both of us though! AJ will be in his second year of teaching and is excited to go back with a year under his belt. I know he's already got some big plans in place and is excited with the growth of his high school choir. This fall is also really going to teach me about the aspects of my job because it is our busiest recruiting season. I will be on the road a lot to high school visits and college fairs. While I'm use to traveling for my job, I think this is going to be more than what I've done in the past. But I truly am excited for it and ready to start talking to high schoolers about UNO!
AJ is heading to Waverly this weekend to go back to Wartburg for a few days and he's taking some Riverside students with him! They're heading there on Saturday for a three day All-State Music Camp! I know AJ is so excited to bring them back to Wartburg and to also see some of his fellow music teachers/friends. I'll be eager to hear what the students thought about Wartburg as well! :) So I'm going to spend the weekend enjoying the new apartment to myself, finishing unpacking some boxes and getting things in place. I'll get some pictures taken and posted soon so you can all see our new digs! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)