Sunday morning, and me, Rachel and Casey woke up to go shopping.

Typical of three college girls.

After that, we had lunch at Little Taipei [one of the best chinese restaurants on Welch] and went home to figure out what we wanted to do for my 21st birthday. At midnight it would be official, so we knew we wanted to have fun!

As for shopping, we did some major damage. Before and after picturesprovided. We hit up Jordan Creek in Des Moines, the drive down was a blast, and of course we made a pit stop for some Dr. Pepper on the way at our favorite gas station, Phillips, where Casey used to work before getting on the highway.

When we got there, we hit every store, some twice [!], and did some major damage. We were on our way home when Casey decided to call Austin Harris [Ace, as we call him], and he invited us over to his place that night. We ordered Jeff’s Pizza, played Wii Fit, and had a blast.

Tonight is my birthday bash at La Fuente Mexican Restaraunt, so expect some awesome pictures.

Until next time,
Safe travels for Fall Break,
Seanna

What better gift for Rachel, than it snows the night she gets here while she sleeps and the next morning it’s GORGEOUS outside!?

Because that’s exactly what happened! I woke up around 11:45am today and got up, walked around, and happened to raise the blinds and BAM. White as all get out. I woke the other two girls up and showed them, so of course, Rachel was excited out of her mind. She wanted to go outside IMMEDIATELY. So we got some lunch at the Memorial Union and then walked around campus taking pictures!

We were trying to make a self-timer camera feature work for a campanile shot when a couple walked up and asked if they could take the picture for us. After we thanked them and started talking with them we figured out they were ISU Alumni, and every year after the first snow they come back the ISU campanile and kiss underneath it! They met at ISU, were married on campus, and still live about 30 minutes away! It was the CUTEST story ever!

We took a TON of pictures, showed Rachel the sights of Iowa State campus, and she was absolutely tickled pink! She LOVED it and told us she was jealous numerous times.
I think I’m slowly working on her to go to grad school here.
More stories of our adventures to come. Stay tuned!

Until next time,
I’m going to be outside making a snow man,
Seanna

 T minus four hours and counting! My best girlfriend from high school is flying up for my twenty-first birthday today! I will be picking her up from the airport, and she’ll be staying Friday through next Tuesday morning!

We always joked/sarcastically planned on her coming up to Ames, kidding around that she had never been to Iowa [or anywhere cold, for that matter] but the day she told me she was coming, I literally started grinning from ear to ear, and then just started screaming and jumping for joy!

I usually go home about once a year, around winter break time, because I stay in Ames during the summers working as a Community Advisor, or as a Cyclone Aide [next summer, I'm psyched!]. This will be the first time I’ve seen her in an entire YEAR and I couldn’t be more excited!

And the best part? She leaves Tuesday morning the 25th, and I will see her again in less than a month!

Since my birthday is usually over Thanksgiving Break, I wasn’t sure if my twenty first was going to be anything to write home about [just a phrase, I'm not a big letter-writer, hah], but my two best girls are coming to the rescue to celebrate and share a great weekend with me!

Rachel is a junior at Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX in Psychology, and my other best girlfriend, Casey Jo, graduated last December from Iowa State University with a degree in Marketing. She works and lives in Des Moines, so she will drive back with me and Rachel today, and then the fun begins. These two girls have never met each other, but they’re definitely going to hit it off, I think.

I reminded her to bring some shoes, a hat-gloves-scarf combo, and a warm coat. It MIGHT come in handy, since it is supposed to snow in the next couple of days . . . ::crossing fingers::

Well, I’m off to Des Moines to pick up Rachel! Catch you guys later!

Until next time,
Seanna

Today was the last day of my practicum.

I loved working in Mrs. Olson’s class with her second graders, and when I left, I wrote them a letter saying goodbye, and gave the class a book called The Rainbow Fish. They absolutely loved it!

Next semester, I will have a practicum for four weeks, on Monday and Wednesday, all day in a classroom. I can’t wait!

So until next time,
Seanna

I just found out that I will be a Cyclone Aide next summer! I also received an email telling me that I was asked to to be a STAR! I’m psyched for next semester!

Cyclone Aides are undergraduate students that apply and are interviewed to facilitate new student programs throughout the year. They provide new students with an introduction to campus and its resources, provide campus and residence hall tours, prepare students for academic advising appointments, serve on panels, and share information about Iowa State with new students and their family members. Cyclone Aides also coordinate the Destination Iowa State program and assist with campus visits and student recruitment throughout the year. Basically, Cyclone Aides are the BAMFs of Student Affairs here on campus, and I’m psyched! [There's also a nice stipend, so that doesn't hurt, either!]

Next spring, starting January, I’ll be helping with Experience Iowa State Days, which are “open houses” of sorts for the different colleges, and high school students can come and talk with representatives [advisors and students as well] from different colleges, programs on campus, even ROTC and the residence halls. It’s a nice way for students to find out the resources that are available for majors they are interested in [or even find a major, if they want to, but we have open option students as well!] and all in all, it’s a great program. Students come in the morning to the “fair” part, where there are booths and people to talk to from different colleges and programs, then our Director of Admissions, Marc Harding conducts a short presentation, there are panels of students to ask questions of, and campus tours, academic appointments, separate majors and scheduling things students can attend . . . the list goes on and on! If you are interested in a campus visit, I would HIGHLY suggest an Experience Iowa State day. They are amazing, AND you get residence hall tour, campus tours, an food in one of our mass dining center, the UDCC [Union Drive Community Center]!

For more information and for dates for the Spring, click here!

As for STARS [which stands for Students Admissions Representatives], I will be an official campus tour giver [if there is such a word!] When students come for campus visits, I will be trained to give official campus tours and answer any and all questions prospective students have! I have always wanted to do it [because I basically do that same thing as the President of the Human Sciences Ambassadors organization, but just for the College of Human Sciences] but I couldn’t devote the time to it and didn’t know if I had time. Now that I’ve been accepted, I’m psyched!

For more information on STARS, or campus visits, click here!

Anyway, I’m TOTALLY psyched for next semester, and I will be able to post pictures and answer questions about Experience Iowa State, so get your fingers ready, and go sign up for an EIS day next semester! Come visit! It will TOTALLY be worth the plane ride!

It was the last game of the season yesterday, Iowa State versus Missouri [Mizzou]. The kick-off was 5:30pm, which is kind of an odd time for a football game, but it was cold no matter what time of the day it was on Saturday!

We had rehearsal at 9:30am [so late compared with our usual Saturday morning rehearsals] and then had about a four hour break in between the end of packing up the UHAUL trucks with the drumline equipment and the sousaphones, and the afternoon call time. I still had to run home and take a shower, and I really had hoped to to take a little nap, too. Since Eric came into town the night before, I was tired from going out to dinner and talking for quite a while, staying up late at the restaurant. I feel like an old lady, but academics can sure become tiresome around three weeks away from finals!

After the end of morning rehearsal, about half of the staff [including drum majors] were hungry anddecided to hightail it to Jimmy Johns for some sub sandwiches so fast it made our heads spin [or so they advertise!] We ended up talking for a couple of hours, and it was nice to have some down time with them. Most of the time we are together we are working, so it was relaxing to just sit around and talk in a non-work environment. We talked about whether or not we were coming back the following year, our reasons, our academic/career goals, etc. It was nice- we rarely have a moment to catch our breath when we’re in the band scene officially.

So the game didn’t go as planned, meaning we didn’t win, but it was our last home game of the season, so it was sentimental for all the graduating seniors, and those people who were leaving, whether it be academics, time to call it quits, or time to move on- the whole band felt the heartwarming atmosphere that loomed over the game. Our halftime went well, and we [the graduating seniors and those who were "retiring" from band] performed the tradition of leaving marching shoes on the field. It was really inspiring, really. I’ve always enjoyed watching the tradition, but it is such a different experience actually participating in it. After the band marched halftime, there were four whistles, and seniors and others retiring from band were called by name, and we formed “I S U” on the field by standing in a certain formation and order. The rest of the band marched to the sideline, playing Iowa State’s Fight Song, “Fights” and while they played, the seniors untied their shoelaces and stepped out of their Dinkles [the brand of our marching shoe]. Then we had four whistles and raised our instruments to attention and played Fights, and high stepped off the field, leaving our white Dinkles where we stood as a nice symbol of our presence.

All in all, it was a nice way to end the season and my college band career. Yes, I’m a tad upset and sad over the end, but it was well worth the trip and I enjoyed every minute of it.

So until next time,
Seanna 

Mizzou Dismissal

  As part of my teacher education program, I have practicums [kind of like labs for a chemistry major] in a regular classroom with kids of different ages! Today was my first day of the third week of my practicum for my Reading Methods block, which is basically “How to Teach Reading for Grades PreK-3rd.” Twice a week, my classes on Monday and Wednesday cancel in the morning when I regularly have the class on “How to Teach,” and I travel to Roland-Story Elementary school where I work in a second grade classroom specifically with reading and writing lessons. I love my class! I absolutely adore coming to Mrs. Olson’s class and seeing all their bright happy faces so early in the morning!

I’ve had a few questions about whether or not having a car will hurt your experiences in college, and I can tell you first hand that I’ve never had a problem I couldn’t solve related to transportation. For my practicums [which are required to pass a class], I carpool with another student, or there are options to drive a university vehicle. Iowa State has this great program where there is basically a car rental lot on campus, and through the department that your class is in, if you have to travel to a class lab, practicum, or other reasons, you can literally “borrow” a car, pick it up from Transportation Services, and then have it returned by a certain time on that day. When I drive to Des Moines for meetings with the marketing company responsible for this project, I used a university vehicle, and it’s great! So even when I student teach, if I need to, those services are available to me. It’s really handy, and it’s nice to know that Iowa State understands that not all students have cars, and they make necessary preparations for  such.

So anyway, back to my practicum, this is my third week of teaching half-days at Roland-Story Elementary. The sessions go for two days a week for four weeks, so all in all, I will have 24 hours in the classroom. I am required to teach two lessons, a reading and a writing lesson, and then participate in other classroom routines. My teacher is going over and beyond by having me teach a reading, writing, and Daily Oral

 Language lesson every Monday and Wednesday, as well as spelling lessons on Mondays, and a thirty minute intervention lesson my last Wednesday in the class. I am responsible for vocabulary reviews, phonemicawareness exercises, and odds and ends when it comes to lessons. I’m really glad I get this experience, because it will make my student teaching experience sooo much better, especially if I go out of the country, like I plan to, to Puerto Rico for my second student teaching placement. It’s a lot of work, but I love it, so I don’t really consider it work, persay. I love it when the kids ask me, “Are you staying all day today?” and grown with disappointment when I tell them that I leave Mondays and Wednesday at 11:30am. I love the potential for learning children have, and even though I would like to pursue a career in Student Affairs, I think the experience of teaching young children is invaluable and relevant to anything a person experiences in life. You learn more from children than you would ever know, and each day they teach me something new about myself, and life in general.

So until next time,
Seanna

P.S.- That good lookin’ guy to the right is the Norseman, the mascot for Roland-Story Elementary School!

So, last night, I said goodbye to the Iowa State University Cyclone Football Varsity Marching Band.

Well, at least until Monday afternoon.

Band Extravaganza is the culmination of all season’s music [repertoire] and is a concert given by the ISU Wind Ensemble, the Jazz I Ensemble, and Symphonic Band, followed by the ISUCF’V'MB, who x’s in [our version of high step running] and onto the stage, then plays music from our past season, and then recognizes seniors, hands out awards, and then we swing off.

The program started around 7:30pm in CY Stephens [our auditorium in the Iowa State Center] and we listened to the Wind Ensemble [ISU's top performing band] as well as the Symphonic Band and the Jazz Combo [featuring one of my best friends, Ben!] and then I headed down for the marching band portion. 

click HERE to see me conduct a piece from this year’s show called Hernando’s Hideaway! [I think you can only see it if you are my Facebook friend, but I will try to change that!]

It was a really difficult decision to not return to band next year, but I made the decision based on time, involvement, personal sanity, and a lot of other things that would be coming  . . . wait, HURLING my way next fall. I interviewed to be a Cyclone Aide for Orientation next summer, I would still be a Community Advisor, AND I would need to attend Staff Camp, all at the same time. Then throw a wedding in there somewhere, and you’d understand the two most hectic weeks of my life [possibly] so I decided that rather than return to ISUCF’V'MB, I would enjoy another aspect of college. Actually being a student in the football student section, hanging out with friends and my boyfriend, and experiencing what I have not yet. I want to be able to say that I cheered loud, wore cardinal and gold proud, and was in the student section my senior year at Iowa State University. I love ISU, and while I have been here, I have attempted to try anything and everything once [as far as involvement goes with extracurriculars, clubs, fun things, etc], so I think I’m pretty happy with what I’ve come up with. Plus, I’ll be taking a load of credits, preparing for student teaching, and planning for the real world after graduation, so I think that it’s time that I say good-bye to my dear friend, ISUCF’V'MB, and move on. Not that I won’t feel a twinge of sadness when it comes to seeing the band perform at halftime, or watching the drum majors conduct, or even sitting in on interviews for the next band staff, but I know that my time with the music department was well spent and much enjoyed, so I take great comfort in that fact and bid the ISUCF’V'MB adue.

Parting is such sweet sorrow.

But I’ll see everyone next week for rehearsal, and then our last game of the season, ISU vs Missouri!

So until next time,
Seanna

I love snow.
You’re probably like, WHAT!?
You’re from Texas and you love SNOW?

Actually, on campus, our facilities and management team does such a great job of keeping sidewalks and drives clear of snow, that it’s never really an issue of safety on campus unless you’re just careless.

And then there’s our campus bus, CyRide [which is free for all students with your ISU ID card] that takes you within three blocks of anywhere in Ames, including every inch of campus, so if you’re not a walker, just take the bus and avoid the risk of biffing it on the sidewalk!

I thought that the weather would be the hardest thing to get used to coming to Iowa State, but after a while I don’t even notice it. If it’s snowing, there’s umbrellas all over campus, or you just can’t recognize anyone through the hoodies over the head, or the ski mask looking facial protectors. People just deal and get on with it.

And there’s never a question of ISU canceling class. Hasn’t happened due to snow in five years, so I don’t expect it to happen while I’m still here. Plus, you can pretty much bet that if CyRide is running, classes are in session.

So that’s my advice about winter weather, but if you do come to ISU, make sure to have at least three sets of gloves, scarves and hats [if you want them to match, have at it] and some boots [a lot of people wear rain boots].

So, it hasn’t snowed yet, but I’m pretty excited for it to start! Pictures DEFINITELY to come soon when winter DOES hit!

Until next time,
Seanna