Our first football game of the season; our regular Thursday night non-conference game that lets us see our team in action before it really starts to count. I love Thursday night games, especially now that I don’t have classes on Friday, but most of all I love Thursday night games because when it is hot, and it’s August, and it’s humid, and it’s Iowa, you aren’t working and playing in the sun for three hours.

So my first game as staff was pretty amazing. Not only do I love working with the other three guys, but being paid to do something I love is pretty awesome, too. Isn’t that the definition of happiness in a job? 

We were doing pretty well in the game except for our turnovers [thank goodness we won, or I would've freaked], but we won in the end and it yeah, it felt good. REALLY GOOD.
 

Our halftime show was a Karaoke show, with sing along songs like Piano Man, Hey Jude, Friends in Low Places, Copacabana, and American Pie. The student section really seemed to like it, and the best part? We played Sweet Caroline! It’s one of the students’ favorite songs that the Jumbotron plays during timeouts, or time between quarters; they sway their arms and sing along, and it’s pretty cool. They’ve been doing it ever since my freshman year, so we were sad last year when they didn’t play it for two games straight.
  

For more pictures from ISU vs SDSU, click here.
Since I’m silly and forgot my camera in a rush to get from class to the game, I wasn’t able to take any pictures. Bummer, I know, but thanks to others snap-happy people, you’ll have some pictures to enjoy!

In the end, the final score was 44-17, and we came out on top!
The band was playing, fans were screaming, we were winning . . .
all in all, it was a good Thursday night.

[P.S.- Next game I will take video! I'm still trying to figure out my flip video thing!]

[P.S.S. I just found an AWESOME commercial for ISU football . . .]

Is the World Truly Flat?

Online peeps may be asking that same question, since I have apparently [according to this mini-novel] fallen off the face of the earth, or perhaps just walked straight off the edge. The past two weeks have been a blur of master rosters, sunburns and aviators, sex and the city and late night taco bell runs. I find it astounding that amidst it all I could not stop and write a few words to the many loyal [yeah, right] readers. =)

I now have a love affair with two staffs- one for Buchanan, my energetic and enthusiastic fellow Community Advisors, who were very flexible and understanding these first two weeks prior to the start of school. Then there’s the band staff- where to begin? There’s not a lot of women who would look forward to working with six guys [all college age, I might add], but I have found it an invaluable experience, because these guys are pretty awesome and I feel that this season will fly by. Neither of the teams have had any problems cooperatively thus far, and so I feel that this will be a great time for me and everyone involved. 

These past two weeks have been B.A.N.D. C.A.M.P. I only put those words in capitalization, punctuated with poignant periods in order to make a point, that quite literally, nothing simultaneously exists while Band Camp does. I am far more tan, far more organized, and far more active than I have been in quite a while, and I love every minute of it. Everything behind the scenes of the ISUCF’V’MB is my job, as well as Ross, Jeff, and Joe, not to mention Anthony, Dan, and Eric. I love working with these guys, so I am pretty excited to get this train rolling come Thursday and our first game against South Dakota State University. 

Let’s go Cyclones! 

This is only the first week of school, but I can tell it is going to be a doozy. I say that as a euphemism, as well. I have a hard enough time just keeping my room organized and clean, but when it comes to classes and homework, I need to get bustin’ pretty soon. I have a few classes with my ECE gang, and some not, but I am particularly interested in my art history class, and I feel the professor will be personable yet demanding, which is the most motivating type of teacher for me. I feel good, and I’m ready to make the most of my last two years.
Crazy, eh? I’m already a junior.

Where did the first twenty years of my life go? I’m a quarter through my time here on this earth.

[Do you have questions about the first week of school? Finding classes? Dropping, adding, deciding about classes? Email, comment, suggest!]

Til next time, 
Seanna 

Eric arrives this Friday from Minneapolis, MN and we are celebrating our two year dating anniversary. I am ecstatic. I count my blessings everyday, and thank my lucky stars that I found such a wonderful man and have him in my life. Eric has always supported me in everything I do, and I know that we are bound for a beautiful life.

[He is even patient enough to put up with my nagging over gifts, which has to be the true sign of love.]

Explanation: I love/hate surprises. I love that they occur, but I hate that I do not know. I like to know things, know about them, when they will happen, what will happen, how it will happen, and who will witness it. Surprise gifts [well, gifts in that matter] are the epitome of oblivion, so naturally I have hounded him down to giving me clues. They haven’t helped me much, but he is a wonderful human being for putting up with me and my ultimatums. I love him so much, and cannot wait til he is back in Ames after his internship in January 2009!

Until next time,
Seanna 

I must admit, I’m a tad nervous- here I am, writing to please, writing to be honest? Can I be honest and pleasing at the same time?

My name is Seanna, and I have been dubbed Lone Star Cyclone. I am a junior at Iowa State University, majoring in Early Childhood Education, and one day this past July I was working at my summer job [calling prospective students and helping them with ISU applications!] and was offered the opportunity to BLOG about my experience as a Texas resident at Iowa State. Of course I jumped at the opportunity. It’s pretty awesome to tell people about Iowa State [I’m like the biggest Cyclone fan ever] and also to do what I love to do- help future college students figure out what they want to do, and where they want to go. I’ve actually decided to go into Student Affairs, so this is an awesome project!

Oh, I know I talked about being nervous, so yeah. I’m nervous, but not for the reason you think. Well, maybe. I don’t know.

I’m more nervous because honestly, I haven’t written in quite a while. Back in the day, I was a studious and dedicated author of diary pages, or even journal after journal of daily thoughts, questions, ponderings here and there. Once I kinda “grew up,” I found myself less and less able to keep a steady relationship with my journals, abandoning them for 30 hour work weeks [eek, rough- I know], high school football games, school work and the inevitable college search. Now that I have the chance to write again, I feel motivated to make time to write and reflect- words have always been an expression, a forte of sorts for me, and I am really excited about the opportunity to not only write and put my thoughts into action, but also tell more people about my experience as a college student more than 800 miles from home.

[That’s a seventeen hour drive, just in case you didn’t do the math.]

I see this as a kind of “knocking on opportunity’s door:” to share my love of my school, my soon-to-be alma mater [far too soon, I might add, in my eyes] and help other students with their college search as well. There’s no way around it- college is intimidating. It is the next step in your life, a type of in between phase in your life- past your high school follies, before your adulthood and the “real world” kicks in. These past two years have been like nothing I could have ever imagined, and the college journey has certainly been a challenging yet rewarding experience.

With this “blogging” experience, I would be writing a few times a week about my life as a college student- Oprah’s Book Club or Primetime airing worthy? I highly doubt it, but I wish I would have had the chance to take a peek into another’s life when I was in high school, especially as an out of state student with not but one college visit under my belt [and that was after I actually accepted my admission!]. The pressure of choosing the right school was no small challenge, and even though I chose the best fit for me, there are many, many students who are either limited by some extenuating factor, or choose their school based on arbitrary choice, and that is no way to plan the next four to five years of your life.

College is an investment, and I have certainly learned that I have invested my assets well in Iowa State. So I hope this blog helps anyone who is looking at colleges, trying to figure out the seemingly endless paperwork, and the never-ending brochures [yeah, I know that you know what I’m talking about, it’s probably under your bed, or in a desk drawer from that recent College Fair in your nearby neighborhood].

As the reader, feel free to [scratch that] make it a POINT to leave me comments, ask questions, voice concerns, and I will reply back to you in an email or just write another post on that topic. There’s no wrong or stupid question when it comes to choosing a college, so by all means, ask away!

So I think I’ll end this first post, mainly because I still have some studying to do, but for now,

Until next time,
Seanna 

        So, like I said, I’m a pretty normal college student. I study at random times of the day, have classes that I go to [but unfortunately, sometimes miss due to my alarm clock's mind of its own], and my first year I survived off of raman noodles and mountain dew. As I spent more time here at ISU, I became involved in organizations and clubs that interested me, groups that peaked my interest, and after a while I honed down on what things I really enjoyed doing. I’ve pretty much stayed involved in whatever I have been a part of since freshman year, with a few exceptions, but I’ll take a couple of posts to kind of just describe some of the
things I do when I’m not in class . . . or sleeping. =)

        I guess I’ll start with one of the MOST important things I do here at ISU besides, well, learn to become a teacher- the Iowa State University Cyclone Football Varsity Marching Band. I have been playing the clarinet since 6^th grade, so when I got to college, I naturally decided to at least try marching band at the collegiate level.

Best decision of my college career, by far [besides my major].

            The ISUCF’V’MB is my second family [for real real, not for play play], and I know that I would not have met my closest friends [we nicknamed ourselves “The Family”] or my boyfriend [who is a trumpet player] if it weren’t for marching band. I found my beloved sorority through band, my friends, and people I could lean on when I started missing home. It’s like being adopted into a 350+ member family immediately, no strings attached.

         My first two years, I marched and played clarinet in the band, and the second year I was a guide [which is a marching section leader, of sorts]. It’s just cool to be in the stands with the entire band during the game- we stand the entire game, like the A&M 12th man, playing stand tunes and cheers for the team and getting the crowd and the student section pumped up is sweet, too, and you can take pictures, cheer on the team, and yell as loud as you want. We bring snacks for after halftime, and we have an absolute blast just hanging out and watching some good ol’ Cyclone football. And, there’s always the perk of getting into the game for free [which saves a lot of money for the football-fanatic college student], not to mention having sideline seats; we also have a blast marching into Jack Trice stadium in our parade formation, with our chants and kind of “traditions” we do and sing from our warm-up area in the Iowa State Center. For the ISUCF’V’MB’s pre-game show, we have an awesome routine, which is pretty infamous when it comes to Big 12 Marching Bands. Interested? Just click right here. 

        So, like I said, my first two years I marched but then I decided to interview for a marching band staff position. What the staff does is all the behind-the-scenes work for the band, and we are employed by the Department of Music [so I get paid to do what I love]. I work with three other guys [majors ranging from Aerospace Engineering to Music Education to Early Childhood Education] and together we have an awesome time setting up equipment, doing all the attendance and form-setting, putting on band camp, driving huge Budget rental trucks with percussion and sousaphones in them, organizing meals and drinks for the band on game days, conducting during pre-game and halftime on ladders, conducting during the quarters for stand tunes, driving the golf cart like it’s an off road vehicle, talking on sweet walkie talkies during rehearsal and fixing marching forms and teaching techniques, and just overall being awesome at solving problems at the drop of a hat, which believe me, has happened a WHOLE LOT already, and we’re only a month and a half into the season. OH, and all while wearing blue blazers and making khaki pants, brown shoes and brown belts the new hot fashion fad. I love working with Jeff, Ross and Joe, and the three drum majors [Anthony, Eric and Dan]- they make everyday enjoyable and we work very well as a team.

      We also have an unimaginable amount of crazy fun, and working with all guys, you ask?
Yeah, there’s a lot of interesting humor.

      So anyway, that’s one of the most important and most enjoyable activities [and now a job] that I do here at Iowa State besides being a student. I love my job, and I love music so it really is the best of both worlds.

If you have any questions about marching band in college, the ISUCF’V'MB, what it’s like to go to football games, halftime performances, etc., don’t hesitate to ask questions via comments. I will reply to your comment, or I just might write a whole new post about it! =)

So until next time,
Seanna 

I’m here at the hall desk, 50 minutes from biking to Jimmy John’s and quelling my stomach rumblings.

As I sit here watching the two IT Services men take our computer away to Birch-Welch-Roberts [the all-male residence hall on the other side of campus], I am sitting by the window, looking out at the parking lot. The sky is pretty dark and looming- scratch that, it is now a downpour. So much for a #9 with no onions and a Mr. Pibb.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how fast my two years in college has gone by. It feels like I was just here on my campus tour January 2006, interviewing for the George Washington Carver scholarship. My mother and I flew up Thursday night, and stayed with my aunt in Des Moines, driving up the next day for my campus visit.

Oddly enough, it’s the small things I recall about my first visit to Iowa State as a curious student, a potential collegiate spirit. I remember falling in love with campus, even though it was snowing as I traversed around; the footprints in the snow, tracks of students eager to get inside a warm building, and smaller tracks of the various rabbits and squirrels that also call Iowa State home. I remember the welcoming faces, all the interesting and random facts about the university, and most of all, the overall energy of the place as a whole.

I’ve been familiar with Iowa ever since I was a kid. Pipsqueak sized and eager for car rides, I loved the end of the calendar year because that meant our trip to see family. My brother and I were fine until we hit the highway ten minutes out and I asked, “are we there yet?” followed by “he’s breathing on me,” or “the dog won’t sit down.” Looking back, I can appreciate how patient my mother was with the three of us animals in the back. Most of my family resides in Iowa [on my father's side] and so we would pack the Starcraft, bring the dog, and drive seventeen hour trip twice in three months- once for Thanksgiving and once for Christmas. Now that I’m older I realize how fascinating road trips really are, but at the time all I could think about was sneaking in the back of the van and carefully analyzing the wrapped gifts under the seat, the colorful bows, the seasonal wrapping paper. I had a birthday in November around turkey time, and of course the boxes were plentiful for Christmas, so the drive was more tantalizing than boring for me, a ten year old.

So here I am, entering my junior year of college- intimidating, exciting, challenging, worthwhile, all at one time. I wouldn’t have changed a single thing about my first two years, the friends I made, the lessons I learned [even the ones learned the hard way], and the way I’ve changed as a person. I’ve become independent, confident, and motivated. Not that I wasn’t always those things, but I feel that I’ve certainly changed for the better. Perhaps it was the experience of the responsibilities I have or the independence I’ve enjoyed, perhaps the knowledge I’ve acquired or just leaving the teen years causes you to act differently.

And then again, maybe it’s a combination of all those things. But, I think most of all, I have had a great time just being me. That’s what it’s all about- enjoying this revolutionary journey while it lasts, and savoring every minute of it. They say college is the best time in your life: after my first two years, I can believe that, so I’m sure the next two years are going to be even more amazing.

So until next time,
Seanna 

Who is Lone Star Cyclone?

Well, a little about myself, you ask? My name is Seanna Callahan, and I’m a junior at Iowa State University, 
majoring in Early Childhood Education with a Reading Endorsement.

I am originally from Richardson, TX, the big 7 to the 5080. If you know where Richardson is, I applaud you! We’re well known for our Eagles and Mustangs rivalry, three Starbucks within 100 feet of each other, and as a suburb of the great, bustling and busy city of Dallas.

I love the fact that I am from Texas. Most people up here in the Midwest hear of Texas and they assume rodeo riding, spur wearin’ cowboys and cowgirls of the Dallas Fort Worth metropolis, while in all actuality, it couldn’t be farther from the truth. Not that Texas isn’t awesome, because well, it just is. Anyone who’s visited loves it, anyone who’s lived there stays there, and anyone who was born there will always have a soft spot for it. I am no exception.

I am a normal “almost 21 year old.” I love my life, my friends, my better half Eric, and music. I am a closet-activist with a genuine heart and big, big dreams. I am in love with the most amazing man I’ve ever met. I am truly the luckiest girl to be loved by him, and everyday with him is a blessing. I try to live and enjoy my life, and count my blessings daily. I have a wonderful family, supportive friends, and people that love me and care for me.

I love running, biking, and just in general, being active. I play the clarinet, enjoy writing, I love music, and can’t go a day without seeing friends. I am an ENFP, an extrovert who thrives off the company of others and activities having to do with people. I am very involved on campus and in the community, and at times people tell me I am a robot and do not get sleep. This could not be farther from the truth, as I do enjoy my sleep far above many things in the world. I prefer to make use of the time I have, and love the opportunities I have found at Iowa State.

This fall I am training for two marathons in Des Moines, IA and couldn’t be more excited! I have a busy fall in store, and I plan on just enjoying each day as it comes. I am on staff for the marching band, am a sister in a band sorority, and I work for the Department of Residence as a Community Advisor. I love my job, I love the people [even though at times it can be trying], but most of all, I love experiencing college life and all that it has to offer.

This blog is all about my experience as a Texas resident student at Iowa State University, to help you, as prospective students get to know Iowa State, in your search for your college/university experience. I’m here to answer questions, investigate things people have questions about, take pictures, talk to people, and share a little advice and insight that I’ve learned in my two and a half years here in Ames, IA as a Texan from Dallas. So many people confuse Iowa with Idaho or Ohio, that sometimes ISU gets lost in the mix. That’s where I come in. So, I hope you enjoy, and please, feel free to ask me questions, leave comments, anything you want to know is game! 

Until next time,
Seanna