Excuse me, it's college, coming through!

I can't believe summer is over! I have my first official homework assignments already, and class hasn't even begun! Welcome to college.

I've been on campus now for two weeks. I play volleyball, so I moved in early to begin pre-season practices. The past two weeks has found me living and breathing the game, but I'm extremely glad to have had the opportunity to get to know campus these past few days. Plus, I've got a new family with the volleyball team; we're already pretty close with each other, which is awesome! It was also cool to be on campus with all the other athletes. I've met a lot of great people already. It was strange when my roommates moved in, because I went from being alone in a four person room, doing whatever whenever, to having three others living with me and having to think about what I was doing so I could minimize the distraction for them. It was a welcome change, though, because it can get pretty lonely every now and then. Living with three other girls, chances are there will always be someone in the room to talk with!

Our first Paideia class was yesterday. Paideia, for those of you who aren't familiar with this crazy term, is the required English class for all first year students. There are 18 kids in my class, which will make for good discussions, as we already seem to have different opinions about the summer reading we had to do. So there's where my first assignment came into play. The second is having to read the first chapter for my introductory biology class. I love biology, though, so the only problem is trying to open my extremely large book without hurting anyone :-)

I've become quite acquainted with the WalMart here in town, along with Mabe's pizza (get the regular original with extra cheese and dip it in ranch dressing. Trust me, it's awesome!) and the Whippy Dip (for those of you not accustomed to this Decorah trademark, think small town Dairy Queen). I've also come to love Dunning's Spring. It's the very picturesque spring coming down from the bluffs. The water is about 50 degrees, and makes for a nice ice bath when the ones in the training room are broken. I've also had an opportunity to go tubing on the Iowa River, which passes through Decorah. I would suggest to anyone and everyone that you try this at least once. Bring a cooler with some Gatorade or water, rent a tube, and hop in for a nice relaxing time. Bring some friends, too, as there are many opportune moments for a shared laugh.

Well, that's about all I have for now. I've been putting off my reading for long enough, so now it's time to be a good student. Oh, wouldn't my mother be proud! ;-) I wish all of you sunshine wherever you may be.


Peace and love,
Allison