It’s time again for another rousing game of ISUAfterDark BINGO at the Memorial Union. That’s right, if you’re in the market for a new blender, random movies, party buckets, or even CATCH PHRASE the game, then listen up! Memorial Union Bingo is for you!

I was the FIRST person to win at Bingo. 

I could hardly believe it. I don’t win anything, even when I’m the only participant, so you can imagine my surprise to see that I won Catch Phrase and got bingo the very first game! I was super psyched that I actually won, and then I decided to play some Catch Phrase between Bingo food breaks. My boyfriend, Eric, came with me and crazy enough, he won right after me!

We didn’t rig it, I swear. If you or your parents work for the Gaming Commission, I swear, I tell the truth. You best be believin’ me too, because I have this terrible reaction to lying- it’s called sneezing. You’re probably laughing, but it’s true. I sneeze when I am lying and really really don’t want to be caught. FYI. TMI? Perhaps, but hey, deal with it.

Anyway, this was FOOTBALL BINGO, because of course, it was Super Bowl weekend, and who can resist chip and dip trays in the shapes of footballs and goal post condiment dishes? Not this girl.  They waffled [ie raffled] off 80GB iPods, digital cameras, and the prizes for BINGO were AWESOME! I would definitely recommend attending to anyone who is looking for some entertainment on Friday night at 9pm. Eric and I arrived at 8:10pm and the line was already out the Great Hall doors, down the hallway and around the corner to the Multicultural Center! It was NUTS! Luckily, a group of dedicated bingo-goers [who I just happen to be sister in TBS with] were there at 7:00pm so I sat right up next to the prize table. It was tempting to hide the smoothie maker under my shirt and excuse myself to the restroom, but I decided against it.

Til next time,
Seanna

While the damage may not be THIS intense, it is still pretty awesome that I have 97 DVDs + Godfather Series, Planet Earth, Gilmore Girls Seasons 1-7, House Seasons 1-4, Nip/Tuck Seasons 1-5, Sex and the City Seasons 1-6 and two VHS tapes that I can’t even watch. Yeah, apparently VHS is the new fanny pack- everyone used to have one, but no one will admit it anymore . . .

Well, at least if I am old and confined to my house, I will be a DVD lady, not a cat lady. I was never a huge fan of cats anyway . . .

So, I have a hot date Sunday, February 22nd. at 7:30pm.

In Des Moines, Iowa. 

And this guy’s name just happens to be . . .

TOBY KEITH!

From one Texan to another, hubba hubba,
my mighty fine country singer!!

I’m PSYCHED!

It’s a heatwave here in Ames, Iowa, folks! This week our weather has been 26 degrees and above! 

Today I gave a campus tour for the College of Human Sciences. I really enjoy talking with prospective students and their families, telling them about my experiences, and really getting to know the student and explaining different aspects of Iowa State that might be of interest to them. I thought I would start having “themed” entries as well updates on my oh-so-exciting life . . . riiiiiight . . . to help people who are starting to make those tough decisions about where to invest their time, money, and effort!

Here are three choices for campus tours that are offered by the Office of Admissions. I’ll give you the schedule and then describe what type of campus tour is best for what. Now again, this is only personal opinion so if you have week/weekend time constraints, or you are interested in a particular tour, by all means, take advantage of it! If you have any questions about campus tours or want more details on how to schedule one, let me know! I’ve done it all before, and I’ve worked in the Admission Call Center before helping students with this very thing! I can also get you in contact with staff and personnel from the Office of Admissions if you have specific requests or questions. 

Here we go. . .

Daily Visit Options
Option A - Monday through Friday
9:15 am Enrollment Information Session
             - Information session with an admissions counselor which provides an overview of Iowa State,
                academic programs and services, and the application process.
                       [This is an introduction to the day, with speakers on the topics of ISU demographics, statistics,
                         application process information, and other helpful tidbits to get you acquainted with Iowa State
                        and its pride and joys! The counselors are really friendly and open, so if you have a question,
                        good chances are they will know the right answer for it!]

10:10 am Campus Tour
              - A walking tour around the Iowa State campus with a student tour guide.
                        [Oh man, if you are looking for ambiance and atmosphere, you should DEFINITELY check
                          out this campus tour. Iowa State has one of the top three most beautiful campuses in the
                          United States!  Some people are sold on coming to Iowa State based solely on the landscape!]

11:00 am Residence Hall Tour & Lunch
              - A student tour guide will take you through a residence hall room, a commons area, and a dining center.
                 Lunch will be included on this tour when classes are in session.
                         [You will eat lunch either in the Union Drive Community Center or the Maple Willow Larch
                          Dining Center, and get a feel for what dining is like here at Iowa State. Student tour guides and
                          Admissions staff sit and talk with you during lunch to answer any questions from the morning,
                          or anything else you may want to ask! This is probably my favorite thing about giving
                          campus/residence hall tours . . . except for the landscape!]

1:10 pm Academic Information Session
              - You may choose to visit with an academic adviser in the department you are interested in.
                 This informal session is frequently conducted with other students and families with similar interests.
                 When you schedule a visit, we encourage you to select an academic area of interest to explore,
                 even if you are “undecided”. These sessions may not be available when classes are not in session.
                          [This is a valuable time to sit down with Academic Advisors and other College Program Staff
                            to discuss your options as a student, or your interests in a particular major!

2:10 pm Engineering College Tour. - Optional
3:10 pm College of Veterinary Medicine Tour. - Optional
3:15 pm Women in Science and Engineering Information. - Optional

Option B - Monday through Friday
9:15 am Honors Program Information. - Optional
10:15 am Enrollment Information Session
11:00 am Residence Hall Tour & Lunch
1:10 pm Academic Information Session
2:10 pm Campus Tour
3:10 pm Air Force ROTC information. - Optional
3:10 pm Army ROTC information. - Optional
3:10 pm Navy / Marines ROTC information. - Optional
3:15 pm Women in Science and Engineering Information. - Optional
3:30 pm Music Ensembles/Music Minor Information. - Optional

Option D - Saturday
9:15 am Enrollment Information Session
10:10 am Campus Tour
11:00 am Residence Hall Tour & Lunch

So there you have it! Campus Visits 101! Visit http://www.admissions.iastate.edu/visit/daily.php for any other information you may need, or don’t hesitate to leave me a comment or email me with questions!

Until next time,
Seanna

The face of America is . . .

BARACK OBAMA!

I don’t have class from 10 am-12 pm on Tuesdays, so I got home from Cyclone Aide Training, hung out a bit, did some homework and turned on the so called boob tube. I took a short enough shower to skip Biden’s oath and watch Obama’s swearing in and his inauguration address.

It was simple, to the point, and utterly amazing.

Course, this is just my opinion. If you’re a staunch Republican or Independent, you are more than welcome to your own thoughts.

Whatever the case, new president equals new era, so this is exciting! Hope everyone has a good Inauguration Day!

 Four letters: TGIF.

 One week down, fifteen more to go.

Considering my schedule, it’s not hard to fathom that I will be a tad busy this semester, but I’m looking forward to it. Staying busy tends to keep me productive- I took 13 credits one semester and didn’t know what to do with myself!! So, if it were my advice, I’d recommend to new students to hit the ground running in college. If you take 16 credits your freshman fall semester, it will help you a heck of a lot more than taking just 13 or 14. You’ll get used to a massive amount of free time, and that’s not exactly beneficial.

Anyways, so it’s the end of the week and I don’t have my lab placement yet to work in the lab school for HDFS 343, so I decided to take advantage of my Friday and sleep in, take a shower and get ready, and then attend a meeting for “Honoring our Graduates” for the Multicultural Center. Richard Barajas, a teacher from a previous class, who is also a coordinator for the Office of Multicultural Affairs here on campus, asked me to serve on a committee that prepares and provides a special graduation ceremony for multicultural students. It is looking pretty impressive so far, so when it comes around, you will definitely need to check up on pictures. The ceremony will be nice and the reception will be fun, too. =) 

Tonight is a recruitment event I am holding for my band sorority, Tau Beta Sigma. We are going to go tray sledding over by Alumni Hall, which is the new Alumni Center over by Jack Trice Stadium. Sure, there are trees, but hey, it makes more interesting. Kinda like putt putt golf, eh?

It should be fun- we’re ordering pizza and decorating our trays [that we casually borrowed from the dining center with ALL intentions of returning in the near future . . .] with sharpies, glitter, googly eyes, whatever people wanted. Then we’ll head over to the hill, sled a bit [hopefully no one looses a limb, it's been a while since I was CPR/First-Aid Certified] and then head to Perkins Restaraunt for “Breakfast for Dinner.”

It’s pretty much the most awesome place every- it is the equivalent of IHOP, except with less emphasize on the ancake-pay.

Stay tuned for pictures. I’ll let you know how it turns out. Have a great weekend!

Until next time,
Seanna

It’s Wednesday, a.k.a. Hump Day and I have had all of my classes thus far.

Actually, it’s not too bad. Besides the fact that these books will be my best friends for the next sixteen weeks.

P.S.- I will be writing a post on buying books soon, so if you have any questions, feel free to let me know via comment or email! I will do my best to address any questions or concerns asap!

It’s 9:47am on Monday, the first day of Spring 2009 classes and I’ve already had two hours of class.

Whew.

I’m not sure how long this 8:00am everyday thing is going to last. . .

Education classes are interesting- I have three classes between 8:00am-2:00pm and they’re all in the same room! Might as well bring a pillow for a mid-afternoon nap. I also need to start packing my lunch or the Lagomarcino Cafe will be able to survive solely on the income I provide them.

More to come tomorrow concerning my first day. I’ve had so many first days of college that it is kind of a routine, but I always enjoy going to new classes and meeting new teachers. They way my major works, I have the same classes with the same group of girls, so hey, at least I know thirty other girls with the same classes.

Oops, professor just walked in. I’m out.

Until next time,
Seanna

Today I flew home to Ames!
I left at 7:20am, had an hour layover in Milwaukee [YES, I actually went through Milwaukee this time, no bad weather] and arrived in Des Moines International airport at 11:35am! I rode the escalator down to the area where family and friends can wait for arrivals and I saw Eric! I think that goes down as one my favorite memories . . . ever.

Ever since May when his parents and I drove up to Minneapolis, MN to drop him off at his new apartment and his new internship, I’ve seen him sporadically for seven months. He’d stay for a weekend every month and a half or so, but then would have to leave after three days. Today I was able to say hi, hug him, and not worry about having to say goodbye 72 hours later!!

It’s good to be home. While the weather isn’t quite 75 degrees and ‘balmy’ like it was in Richardson on Christmas Day, it still felt good to see the Ames road sign and the exit for Iowa State University. Coming home to ISU feels as comforting as anything, and I know that I’ll be sad to leave when it’s time to graduate.

College is one of the only times in a person’s life that they will be living in close proximity to their education, without the mandate of living in the real world and having a full time job, depraved of any social life or other “bummers” about being in the workforce. College is an experience, and it’s been an awesome one so far. It’s gone by so fast, I’m excited to see what happens next. ☺

So until next time I am [home and happy],
Seanna

Yesterday was New Years Eve and it was time to see Dallas for what it really is- a freakin’ blast. Big D NYE is the Downtown Dallas equivalent of the ball dropping in New York Time Square. It takes place down by the infamous Westin Hotel, and the streets are blocked off at least five or six street corners down.

My mother’s birthday and my parents’ 50th anniversary dinner was last night as well, so I stayed home with my brother and was planning on leaving once they got back. They went to a restaurant down Mimosa Road called Cappuccino’s, and had a good time with two other couples they’ve known for a while, one of which was my elementary school music teacher who was my confirmation sponsor and a good family friend over the years. She works in Plano, so I know that RISD misses her greatly. ☹

Around 9:30, Rachel and I headed for the Arapaho DART Station [which is the public transit train for Dallas/Ft. Worth, and other surrounding places]. We parked my car and hopped the train, with half of the city. The train was so crowded we had to stand on the stairs to enter the actual train! People were wearing New Years hats, t-shirts and clothes, or sporting those things that make screaming noises when you blow into them. Rachel and I actually stood next to three people from England [Edinborough] who came to America for the “infamous festivities every bloke talks ‘bout]! It was really awesome. We exchanged information and became Facebook friends. Go figure. Pretty cool to network on public transportation, huh? 

When Rachel and I got to the West End location, we just decided to walk to Victory Park instead of stay on the train, so we trekked a couple blocks and found ourselves in the midst of 20,000 people in the streets. It was awesome! All different types of people, clothes, personalities! It was an awesome way to spend the end of 2008 and bring in the new year of 2009! We met up with our friend, Naomi, who was downtown for the Stars hockey game as well, and walked around, hung out and then went back to Rachel’s house via the bus. We were some of the first back on the train, so it only took 45 minutes to get home. A quick trip through late night Taco Bell made our night. ☺ It’s good to be home and see friends at the end of one year and the beginning of another.

So until next time,
Seanna