Friends!

Good morning!! I can't believe it's already Wednesday -- this month has gone even faster than ever!! Last night I went to the last home women's and men's basketball games for the first round of playoffs. Both teams won in overtime! The games were awesome.

I'm going to an elementary school this morning to observe a classroom for three hours...an assignment for my Human Relations class. I did this three weeks ago, too, and it was really fun to meet all of the students. I couldn't help to not be reminded of my friends here at Coe, so here are some pictures from the past two weeks ...

Dan, Viq, Hallie, Leah, Me & Derrick ... just having fun. :)

Paige & me playing pool!

Katie & Paige and one big bear hug. ;)
Alex & Alex ... the 2 coolest Alex's I know at Coe!

What is there to do at Coe?

...so I hear the question, "What is there to do at Coe?" a lot! In previous posts, I have listed many of the organizations and events I've done participated over the course of the last four years, but that could never do Coe's clubs and activities justice!

Check out this website (http://www.coe.edu/studentlife/studentorgs.htm). It has a complete list of Coe's student organizations, honorary clubs, fraternities and sororities.

Also, our Student Activities Committee has their own website... http://www.public.coe.edu/organizations/SAC/index.htm; this group brings some really awesome performers to campus on the weekends. Their budget is over $100,000 which allows SAC to host more than 25 events on campus each semester including speakers, bands, solo artists, hypnotists and more.

There is always something to do on campus, everyday of the week!

My near death experience...

On Monday, February 18, I was traveling from my grandparent’s house in Cresco, Iowa, back home to Coe when I almost died! It’s a true story, and I hope it never happens again, but allow me to explain my near death experience...

I began my trip at 9:22 a.m. Monday morning. I never accelerated above 40 mph during my three and a half hour drive yesterday because Interstate 380 was covered with ice and snow. For the first 80 minutes there were hardly any other vehicles on the road. Traffic started to increase in Waterloo, and from there to Cedar Rapids, I drove a consistent 35 mph behind a caravan of cars.

Passing through a little town, there were two semis behind me; all of us were in the right lane. In the left lane, just a half mile ahead, there was a snow plow that was not visible to the semis behind me. To my immediate right there was a continuous pile of snow (much like the Great Wall of China!) and to my left, oncoming traffic.

The semi behind me was gaining on my bumper quickly; within seconds he was making his move to pass. This is when I knew he didn’t see the plow ahead in the left lane, but the semi sped up and was able to squeeze back in. While I was watching the first semi, I didn’t realize semi number two was attempting the same crazy stunt. Unfortunately the half mile between us narrowed, and the plow was now less than two blocks. Not knowing what to do, I started breaking, and the second semi started to merge back behind me in my lane. Scary enough, all three of us were having a hard time slowing; I started fishtailing as the semi behind me was nearly riding my bumper-ah!!!

With the grace of God, my car regained control and all three of us (both semis and my car) remained on the road and amazingly, without a scratch! I drove into Cedar Rapids just 15 minutes later and was glad to be off the road and alive. :)

FYI -- As of February 17, Cedar Rapids has received 54.8 inches of snow this winter season, and we now rank ninth in seasonal snowfall. I just heard more snow this afternoon…spring couldn’t be more desirable than it is right now!

Life

Another week has passed, and another is about to begin…time is really going quicker then ever! Maybe it’s because I’m a senior, but I feel the crunch of the second semester. Everyday I hear the famous question: “What are you doing next year?” I honestly don’t know, but I’m thankful to have many options.

I’ve contemplated doing an internship with Fitness Magazine in New York City, moving to Colorado to work for Sports and Fitness Magazine (and be that much closer to my expecting sister and brother-in-law who live in Gypsum), applying for jobs in the Cedar Rapids area and graduate school, or what I’d really like to do – “accidentally” fail a class and come back to Coe next fall! Realistically that wouldn’t happen; it’s just wishful thinking. Waking up next year to look out my window and not see Coe’s campus is hard to imagine though; this has been my home away from home for four years, and I’m going to miss it soooo much!!

I guess spring break in two weeks will be a great time to plan my life after graduation. Last year for break I went to Gulfport, Mississippi, to help Katrina relief victims. I would love to go again with this year’s group from Coe, but I think (for once) I have to say no and start planning for my future. I’m sure some of my classmates are excited to enter the “real world” while others are nervous to start something new. I’m definitely in between. Mostly I’m just anxious to decide what I’m going to do – even if it’s only temporary – and then see where life takes me in the next five years. I’ll keep you posted on my future plans after I do some serious planning during spring break, but for now, that can all wait. It’s snowing outside again and sledding sounds quite appealing…!

Double Trouble ...

...for the Dutch that is. Coe's women's and men's team were both victorious over Central tonight. If you weren't at the game, hopefully you had a chance to watch the live stats. The ladies won 77-58 and the men's game was much closer, 75-74. To the left is Ryan and me during a time-out. He does all of the stats, and I help keep the numbers accurate when the game get's crazy!

Think Pink!

Today, like everyday, is flying by. I can’t believe it’s already Wednesday, February 13th! It’s almost half-way through the month, and I feel like the Groundhog just saw his shadow yesterday.

This week has been extremely busy, but a lot of fun. I’m the President of Coe’s Fitness Organization, and this year I initiated a new staff and faculty weight-loss challenge. It’s similar to NBC’s Biggest Loser competition. There are 14 student trainers who are the “coaches” for 14 different teams, each with three participants who want to live healthier lives. The program is motivating for everyone, and it has been so much fun watching the teams compete and lose weight together. So far, our group of 42 people has lost nearly 200 pounds in three weeks! I recently created a Blog for our competition…check it out at http://coe-nyny.blogspot.com/. There are some great links on this site as well – you can check your BMI, calculate your body fat percent and even determine how many calories you consumed for lunch today.

Tonight I’m going to the women’s and men’s home basketball games against Central. It’s “Think Pink” night which is an event the Women's Basketball Coaches Association began in 2007 in order to raise breast cancer awareness around the nation. I’m looking forward to watching the Kohawks dominate and a mob of pink fans cheering them on. If you want to follow the live stats, check out this site: http://www.coe.edu/athletics/livestats/basketball/xlive.htm. Our Sports Information Director Ryan Workman posts the play-by-play action so you can follow the game from your computer, too!

I forgot to mention my babysitting experience this morning with Sadie and Chase. Their school was cancelled for the second day in a row, so we had plenty of time to play and take pictures. We also stuffed Valentine's cards, colored, played hockey, and their favorite - tag!

I've nannied for Sadie (5) and Chase (3) for the last 3 1/2 years. They are the cutest kids in the world...check out the snap shots we took today!

Chase wanted me to wear his extra small hockey helmet...he loves to share!

On my first day of babysitting (when Sadie was just under 2 years-old), she said, "Pleased to meet you Miss Kristy," while shaking my hand. I will never forget her greeting! She's one of the most polite young ladies I know.

Snow at Coe!

After 12+ inches of snow in just 24 hours and 25 minutes of spinning my tires before finally pushing my car, I was able to drive out of Coe’s parking lot yesterday at 5:45. I left with my boyfriend Tyler for church that started at 5:30…yes we were late, but we eventually made it!

I went to babysit this morning and the snow drifts were still higher than my knees. I left plenty of time to warm-up my car, so I had no problems leaving the lot. Most of the other vehicles are still snowed-in. I can’t believe it actually snowed a foot here! I expected a storm, but I didn’t think it would hit Iowa this hard. As it was coming down on Wednesday, I was working in the Public Relations Office. Around noon, a campus e-mail announced the cancellation of all classes scheduled after 1 p.m. I looked out the window because I knew it had to be bad – Coe College has never cancelled class due to snow, EVER! I took advantage of the free day and kept working until late afternoon.

Today the snow is still as visible as ever. Take a look at my car; it's blue -- the only one in the lot that isn't white!

Super Bowl Sunday!

Wow - what a game! I can honestly say that tonight's Super Bowl game was one of the first I've actually enjoyed for the football and not just the commercials. I didn't have a favorite team, but it was nice to see the underdogs pull out a victory in the last 3 minutes like they did. :)

I watched the first half in Coe's athletic recruiting lounge. For the Fellowship of Christian Athlete's organization, we hosted a party for anyone on campus. The game was projected on the wall, and we made a TON of food! For the second half of the game, I went over to my boyfriend's brother & sister-in-law's home -- the same family I've nannied for for the past 3 summers. I could talk about them forever...they are amazing, and that story definitely deserves it's own post! The extended family was all there watching the game and mostly cheering for the Giants. I was still impartial, but the game was so fun to watch.

If you're a Patriots fan, I wish they could have finished with a perfect season -- next year? If you were rooting for the Giants -- well, I'm sure you're pretty ecstatic about the finish, so whether you prayed for them or just cheered, it worked!

Philosophy of Coe continued...

Fellow Coe blogger Mitchell Lincoln posted his philosophy of Coe yesterday. If you haven't read it, you should.

Well, I might be biased, but I don't think Mitchell is "full of it" - I think he's right on! The world needs more skeptics. I think Coe's classes and professors are great at encouraging critical thinking…so keep on thinking and hopefully you’ll think about coming to Coe. :)