More birthday wishes

September's a busy birthday month...today is Dad's birthday! Wishing him a great round of golf and lots of ice cream :) Happy birthday!

Breaking down

I'm sad to say it, but I think I might have to give in to a Southern tradition that I vowed never to do...wearing a dress to a football game. (Gasp!) I know I thought these ladies were crazy, but considering it will be at least 95 degrees tomorrow, it might be a smart move. The heat combined with the large number of bodies crammed together in the stadium could be unbearable, so every little bit (including clothing choice) might help. I'll let you know the outcome after tomorrow's game.

Happy Birthdays!!

Happy birthday to Amy and Asher! Not going to lie...I'm a bit sad that I can't be there to celebrate with either of them. But wishing my beautiful sisters a fantastic day! I can't believe our baby sister is 21 and Amy's reached the quarter-century mark...wow!

celebrating the arrival of our luggage in Vienna -- hopefully "Stephanie" will come out today too!

Congratulations are in order!

My lovely and talented sister, Amy is officially a licensed pharmacist! We can now call her Dr. Kennedy! YAY!!

And congrats to Courtney and Austin...they got engaged this weekend! So excited for them! Check out their adorable story :)

Happy Labor Day!

I hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend! This weekend (and the past couple) I've been able to learn about and experience some traditions down here along with sharing some new experiences with my HESA friends. It's been enlightening and entertaining to say the least...here are some highlights:

Sorority Bid Day (aka Squeal day) is a big deal on this campus. All the girls gather on the historic horseshoe on a Sunday afternoon and get their bid cards with which sorority they will be pledging. Lots of balloons, screams, tears and emotions. I was curious after hearing about the craziness and it definitely was a sight to see...

the first of many balloon arches on the Horseshoe

girls running after opening their bids...it was dangerous!

spectators staying clear of the chaos: Lauren, me, Mary and Emily

Another tradition for HESA students is McFly. Little did I know what a huge crowd this 80s cover band draws!

McFly himself scaling the wall...his signature move before singing a little Journey

Friends in my cohort: Nayland and Adrienne

Stadium Suites ladies: Lauren, Angela and Emily (missing Melissa)

First meal at Chick-fil-A. Melissa is from Michigan so neither of us had ever set foot inside this restaurant. Some of the girls decided that the "northerners" needed to experience at least one meal here. I must say, they do make a mean chicken salad sandwich.

Melissa and me enjoying our first meal!

Yesterday a big crew of us made the short trip to Charleston to spend the day at the beach. We went to a spot called Sullivan's Island which is a quieter local spot. One of the guys in the program grew up in Charleston and gave us the inside scoop. It was a beautiful beach and we had perfect weather...couldn't have asked for a better day!

the view from our spot

HESA Beach Crew

The first full week

We just finished up the first full week of classes down here and so far, so good! It will definitely take some time to adjust to my new schedule...classes meet once a week for about three hours at a time. A little different than undergrad and I must say, snacks are a necessity. The workload is pretty intense (apparent when my first paper was due during my second class) but I'm really enjoying the subject matter so that makes it much easier.

Some of you were wondering how I'm filling all my free time if I only have classes once a week. And although it's tempting, I don't spend all that time at the beach or our pool...promise! A good chunk of my time is spent at my assistantship which has been great so far. I'm working at the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition (NRC for short!). The NRC works closely with the University 101 program here on campus and both are doing some outstanding work. My focus is primarily with the conferences area in the NRC which will keep me plenty busy but I will also have opportunities to edit publications and publish my own work if I'm interested. It is really exciting to be working in an office where I have exposure to research going on across the country. I think I will definitely enjoy these next two years!

One other piece of my assistantship that I have to mention is the course I'm teaching for peer leaders of the University 101 class. I love this part of my job, but what I loved even more was finding out one of our students is from Beaver Dam...what a small world!!

A few quick lessons

The past few days have been a mix of settling in, orientations, getting to know the city and getting to know roommates and classmates. A few things I've learned:

1. Sweet tea really is popular -- They serve this stuff EVERYWHERE! I knew it was popular in the South, but it took seeing it at a local Subway to confirm this one. Sweet tea here is like beer in Germany -- easier to get than water.

2. Bugs, they're big -- We've only had two cockroaches in the apartment (that we've seen) so far. Luckily, one of my roommates grew up in the South so she was prepared with the roach spray and a very heavy sandal. Here's our first little friend after Emily dominated!

3. Columbia's farmer's market is a little different than the Dane County Market -- Lauren, a second year in the program and our neighbor, was adventurous and went with me this morning. It's right across the road from our complex but a bit of a hole in the wall so it took us a good ten minutes to find. We also had no idea it was set up so you could drive through for mass quantities...oops!

Lauren and our lone purchase of the day

I know I'm just starting to learn about life down here and the campus, but I definitely have some homework these next couple days. The undergraduates return to campus this weekend and I'm working an orientation event bright and early Monday already. Better get to it...Enjoy the rest of the weekend!