Sorry- I can't really make the pictures bigger because they were off of a website, but if you are interested in viewing them or more pictures from the event, you can go to the Iowa State website and look for D.I.S. under the D's on the search engine. From there you can click on the photo album. It was actually a lot of fun being a leader, and I won some free stuff- gotta love it!

You can kind of see part of my forehead and bangs in the back row of the people in the blue shirts. We were the D.I.S. leaders for the Old Richardson Court residents.

ISU

After a quick change-over from corn pollinator to Destination Iowa State (orientation program for new students) team leader to student, I completed my first week back at Iowa State. It has been great to see so many people back and a full campus. Classes have been alright, but it has mostly been reading through syllabuses and getting introduced to the topics. I'll post more later when I have time- and pictures, too!

Corn

Wow. I has been a really long time since I've updated my blog. Well, for the past few weeks I have been working with Ag Reliant as a seasonal corn pollinator. A crew of about 34 of us would leave the station at 7:30 a.m. and come back sometimes at 6:00 p.m. and other times at 8:45 p.m. It was hard to get used to being on my feet and outside all day for six days a week, but I was able to meet some interesting people. One guy I worked with used to work with a carnival show while another one just finished his masters in political science. There were high school kids and workers in their 50s so there was a wide range of topics to discuss on our breaks. The job did give me a chance to listen to lots of pod casts like Social Entrepreneurs, Fresh Air, This American Life, and NPR.

I've moved out of Frederiksen Ct. Apts. and am back in my dorm room with my roommate Claire from last year. It is nice to be back, and we both are looking forward to seeing our old friends and meeting the new people in our house. They should be moving in within the next few days, and because we are both Destination Iowa State Leaders for the orientation this Thursday through Saturday for freshman and transfer students, we were able to move in early before the rush and get everything settled. We are so excited to have a futon this year! Whoo! We can actually sit somewhere besides our desk chairs and invite people into our room to hang out. As my parents can tell you, it was a really tight squeeze, but we managed to get it in. I also made an effort to make the room have a little more personality with some art work and plants so it doesn't just feel like a regular dorm room.

This past weekend, I was fortunate enough to spend some time with my family before summer comes to an end. We went on a two and a half hour canoe trip out of Boone and I was able to spend some girl time with my sister and some family. Just so you know, 500 Days of Summer is pretty amazing! Good choice, Sarah!

Anyway, savor the last bit of summer the best you can. Enjoy the beautiful weather, eat some water melon or sweet corn, finish that book you have been meaning to read, call up a friend to go for a walk, and take some time to just daydream a bit.

Summer!

I am done with my class and have been enjoying my time off before I start my pollination job, and I am loving my summer- that carefree time with fireflies and laughter carried on the breeze, picnics on the beach, birdies flying across a badminton net. . . ahhh, I could go on and on.

To celebrate the end of the summer semester, my roomies and I had a James Bond-themed party with decorations, costumes, and hors d'oeuvres including swan puff pastries. We had a whole flock of them! Today a group of us enjoyed a picnic on the beach of one of the local lakes, and this coming weekend I will be meeting up with some friends from the previous year at college to go camping at exotic Nebraska! Whoo! Hey, although it isn't incredibly majestic like the Grand Tetons or Glacier National Park, at least I'll be getting out of Iowa for a bit, and who can pass down camping?

I have the feeling the rest of summer is going to fly past before I can truly enjoy it all, but that is life. Have a great weekend!