December 4: iSL Potluck

Today we had a potluck in the office.  We each brought an item and celebrate the end of the semester.  Unfortunately, we are also saying goodbye to Tiphaine (our French international exchange student) on Friday.  We have LOVED having her here.  She has been such an asset to our team and we are going to miss her like crazy.  She is such a brave 19 year old woman coming to UGA for a semester and not knowing a single person.  She is full of life and sarcasm and we are sad to see her go.  Maybe the office will need to take a field trip to France!

Sweet CLs

Not so sweet smell.

Last week two of my CLs held an event for the Baylor Business Women. The event was a dinner where the women learned proper dinning etiquette. My CLs planned the event, set up for the event, and in turn took everything down. As part of the table decorations, they bought lilies.

After the event, I got a call from Gretchen asking if I was in my apartment because her and Kalie wanted to bring over a gift. Intrigued, and on my way back to my apartment, I told them I'd be there in a few.

When I got back, they were standing outside my door with tons of flower arrangements eager to give them away (so sweet!).

Today, when I went to clean my apartment I noticed a funky smell in my kitchen. Wondering if I accidentally left something out, I searched for the smell. These beautiful little flowers were the source!

As I cleaned the vase, I was surprised by how potent the smell was. Only a week after their gift and yet, the smell (especially when disturbed) was enough to make me grab a towel to cover my nose and mouth.

Again...what a sweet gesture, but not such a sweet smell.

My Crazy Staff

My staff is hilarious! They consistently crack me up. Whether it's the constant singing (which I LOVE and gladly join in), the rollerblading down the hall to stick up door tags (they asked and it was before residents were here), or the dart game which I've had to permanently ban from my apartment (otherwise we'd never get anything done), they make me laugh! Another great thing about them is that they know when to be serious. We've had some great moments thus far and I anticipate more to come! I am thoroughly impressed by them and am excited to see what God is going to do through this staff this year!

One night we went on a surprise excursion to one of my favorite spots in Waco. They were such good sports, even though many of them aren't fans of the 'outdoors'. Additionally, Allison taught us all how to skip rocks on the lake. There was a great competition and at one point everyone skipped a rock or two.

Now my staff isn't perfect, no one is, and there will definately be things we will all work on, individually and collectively, but I'm excited to walk this next year with this crazy group!

From left to right: Eric, Omari (resident chaplain), Will, and Jack
From left to right: Andrea, Kalie, Gretchen, Allison, and Kala

One Week Anniversary

This update will be quick (ish). I'm tired, it's late, and I have a lot to do to prepare for move-in on Tuesday (yikes).

My staff reminded me tonight that we've only been together for a week. Tonight we celebrated our week anniversary by going to the lake and then to the Frozen Yogurt place.

I love my staff. They crack me up! Additionally, they are bonding in ways I couldn't have even hoped for.

I'll blog more later about them and this upcoming year...

But for now...here's a video of a couple of my staff members. Essentially, one of the women is doing a "Dawson's Creek" bulletin board since we live in Allen/Dawson and I tried to catch them as they sang to the karaoke version of the Dawson's Creek theme song.

I do have another version where they 'performed' for me... but that too will have to wait for another day!

It's over!

Well, another academic year has come to a close. In the last week, I've done over 300 walk-thru's, lowered 62 beds, charged students for damages, moved mattresses, and...it's over.


My last CL (community leader) checked out today. It's bitter sweet to see the students leave. I love what I do. I love the relationships that I build. I love that I can challenge students, encourage and develop them, and foster learning, but I love that there are seasons to what I do. As I've just finished one of the craziest seasons, I'm looking forward to summer! And I love that my work has a fairly distinct beginning and end to it every year.


Below are two videos I created for end of year celebrations. The first is/was for my staff of Allen/Dawson 2008-2009. :)




This next video is one I created for the end of year celebration for ALL the CLs, chaplains, and hall directors. Megan helped me pick out the music. It was a hoot and most people really enjoyed it. You probably won't understand all the music selections but each was chosen with the specific staff in mind. Enjoy!





It's been a good year, and it's bitter sweet to see it end. However, I am looking forward to some much needed rest! Summer, here I come! woohoo! :)