Living up to my definition.

Ok, so I have to laugh at myself.

I just checked out my fellow bloggers' recent stories & then viewed my own...

LOL, I must say that just the appearance of my blog lives up to the main Blogstorm page's headline "seriously...the most wired person you've ever met!" Thanks Beth, for accurately describing ME.

'til next time - hApPy, HaPpY, jOy, JoY in multiple colors, pictures, sizes & fonts! :P

Be Thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

I wish you all a delicious meal, relaxing day off work & school, and a fun time with your family or friends - be thankful for your blessings...

i am thankful for...

My loving best friend and husband of 4 1/2 years, Josh

My heroes - my incredible, encouraging and supportive Mom & Dad

My awesome brother and best friend, Cory

My Grandma & Grandpa Berkenes' good health in their 80's!

My dear friends near and far

My sister-in-law Bonita's safety in Iraq

Having a job that I absolutely love!

Having amazing co-workers

Being blessed with life, a good education, a home, food & clothes

Teachers

Living in small-town, friendly Iowa

God

Simpson College

Having a safe, successful fall travel season

Having the opportunity to travel the country & world

The brilliance of music, art & dance

The beauty & peace of nature

My strength to overcome...

And, the winningest sports team - the New York Yankees :)

We are women, hear us ROAR. We are women, watch us SCORE!

Last season, the Storm women's basketball team won the Iowa Conference, continued on to play in the NCAA Division III National Tournament & made it to the Sweet Sixteen vs. NYU in New York City...

...this season is already off to a sweet start with a tournament win in Minnesota!


The Storm is ranked #16/18 in the nation & "opened the 2007-08 women's basketball season with a 68-44 victory over Northwestern College (Minn.) in the semifinals of the Northwestern Tip-Off Tournament Nov. 17 in St. Paul, Minn. The Storm forced the tournament hosts into 30 turnovers while making 15 steals. Simpson scored 20 points off of the Eagles' turnovers while outmuscling Northwestern 32-16 in the paint."...


Simpson (2-0) "defeated NAIA Division II Jamestown College, N.D. (4-4) 74-45 to win the Northwestern Tip-Off Tournament Nov. 17 in St. Paul, Minn. The Jimmies led the Storm 12-9 with little over 16 minutes to go in the first half to which Simpson responded by outscoring Jamestown 26-11 to take a 37-20 halftime lead. The Storm held the Jimmies to 25.8% shooting (16-of-62) while making 28-of-57 field goal attempts (49.1%). Simpson outrebounded Jamestown 45-38. The Storm forced 17 turnovers and made eight steals.


Tournament MVP Katelyn Whiton (Sr., Perry, Iowa, Perry H.S.) shot 11-of-18 from the field to score a game high 22 points. The 5'10" forward also tied her career high with 10 rebounds. Whiton averaged 14.5 points and 7.5 rebounds over the two-day meet. Denisha Fields (Jr., Tucson, Ariz., Palo Verde H.S.) was 5-of-7 from the field as she scored 13 points. Whitney Franker (Jr., Urbandale, Iowa, Urbandale H.S.) added 10 ponts. Both Fields (11.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg) and Franker (11.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg) were named to the All-Tournament team. Ashley Katch (Sr., Urbandale, Iowa, Urbandale H.S.) scored nine points, grabbed five rebounds, blocked four shots, and dished out four assists."

CONGRATS LADIES...

KEEP ON STORMIN' THROUGH COMPETITION!

Want to be a part of Storm Basketball? Fill out the Recruitment Form Here!

Meet the Coaches - Brian Niemuth, Catherria Turner & Nicci Whalen Here!

Be a Storm Chaser! Check out their schedule here.

Meet My Peeps!

Yes, the following students were once in your shoes - making one of the biggest decisions of their lives! They had to choose a college to spend 4 years living & learning. I really get to know students since many of them I work with for more than year throughout the Admissions process. So, I always say I feel like a "proud mom" when I see them doing so well inside the classroom, featured in The Simpsonian, getting leads in the Opera or plays, experiencing a whole new culture abroad, being actively involved in clubs, volunteering, or making a difference on Storm athletic teams! I can't believe my first class will graduate at the end of thisyear - I'm so happy for them! Anyway, I wanted to take time to feature some of my students & how they've found their "home away from home" at SIMPSON. I love staying in touch with them!


> I will continue to feature more of my students in later blogs, too, since I have over 100 fabulous Simpsonites on campus!

Jamie '10

Majors: Political Science, Pre-Law & French

Home: West Dundee, IL

Activities: Storm Cross Country & Track, French Club, Co-President of Simpson College Democrats, Pre-Law Society

Legrand '10

Majors: Pre-Physical Therapy & Education

Home: Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Activities: Storm Football & Track

Brett '10

Major: Management

Home: Orange County, CA

Activities: Storm Soccer, SAE fraternity, Student Ambassador

Tara '09

Majors: Music Education & Sociology

Home: Clinton, IA

Activities & Honors: Alpha Chi Omega sorority, Alpha Lambda Delta Academic Honor Society, Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Honor Society, Student Support Services Leader/Mentor, Symphonic Band, Concert Choir, Pep Band, Opera, Reggie's Sleepout for Homeless Awareness

Josie '09

Majors: Political Science & History

Home: Vinton, IA

Activities: Student Ambassador, Tri Delta sorority, Student Government, Iowa State Capitol's House of Representatives Legislative Clerk, Administrative Intern with the United States Senate in Washington D.C. this semester

Alison '08

Majors: English & World Languages

Home: Durant, IA

Activities: Habitat for Humanity, Beyond Belief, Theatre, Hawley Academic Resource Center Writing Tutor, Catholic Student Organization, Lilly Initiative, Catholic Worker House, Revelation Singers, Sophia, The Sequel, study abroad in Europe, Spring Break Mission Work Trip to Mexico

Kyle '10

Majors: Vocal Performance & French

Home: White Bear Lake, MN

Activities: Concert Choir, Opera, LGBTQA, Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, Art

Check Out His Music @ www.myspace.com/kyleletendre.com

Keep up the great work guys & gals!

You know you want to read it...

raNdOmNeSS...

> Yesterday I was following behind a school bus with a sign on the back that said "STUDENT DRIVER" - LOL! Is Minnesota sending their driver's ed. students to the bus barn now?! It must have been a driver in training, but you'd think it would say something other than that. :P

> I was blown away by a high school I visited today in Minneapolis! The Blake School is an independent college prep high school that costs a WHOPPING 21,000 BUCKEROOS per year, per student! The AVERAGE ACT composite score of the class of about 130 students is 29, only four students have graduated with a 4.0 in 25 years & every senior is required to give a speech to the entire student body before graduation!

> A couple weeks ago I had to bite my tongue after something a teacher said to me during a visit to an Arizona high school...

It was a lunch visit, so I was sitting at my table in the cafeteria (which of course means I planned on seeing approximately ZERO students come talk to me since school lunches are pretty much long enough to swallow a kernel of corn). Eventually, though, a young man came up to my table & asked who I was & what Simpson was...I chatted with him for a few minutes before he headed off to do something else. A teacher who was standing near me & on lunch duty approached me & said, "he won't be going to college, he's a special ed. kid....he's in my class." YEAH - I COULD NOT believe I just heard those words from the person who is supposed to motivate, encourage & guide students who struggle and/or may not get the extra attention needed at home! ...And we wonder why so many kids have such low self-esteem or drop out. :(

> One of the high schools I visited today, Robbinsdale-Armstrong in Plymouth, MN was such a good, productive time! I first got to chat with Eddie, one of last month's Van Trip students who wants to major in graphic design & play Storm football. Then I met the school's Admission Possible advisor & she told me such a cute story about one of my recent acceptances...Gloria had called her at home & pretty much screamed, "I'm sorry to call you at home, but I wanted to tell you I GOT ACCEPTED TO SIMPSON!" She happened to stop by while I was in there, so I got to meet & congratulate her as well - I'm so happy for her. :) I also got to meet another Admission Possible student who just sent her application in yesterday - woohoo, yay Armstrong High!

What is Admission Possible? "It is a nonprofit organization founded in September of 2000 and dedicated to helping promising, low-income students obtain admission to college. They serve 1,200 students in 15 public high schools and charter schools in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Robbinsdale and St. Louis Park."

I talked more with he Admission Possible advisor about Simpson's Hawley Academic Resource Center, our George Washington Carver Fellowship Scholarships for minority students & Student Support Services program that would help such students succeed in college.

What is Simpson's Student Support Services? "The program is to promote learning, personal development, and retention of college students who are traditionally under-represented in post-secondary education because of income, family education background, or disability.

The Student Support Services program provides opportunities for academic development, assists students with basic college requirements, and serves to motivate students the successful completion of their postsecondary education.

The SSS program may also provide grant aid to current SSS participants who are receiving Federal Pell Grants. The goal of the SSS is to increase retention and graduation rates of its participants and facilitate the process of transition from one level of higher education to the next."

The advisor & students have been so impressed with the services we offer & she said, "well, we love Simpson!"

> APPLY for Student Support Services here.

> Check out the '07-'08 Student Support Services EVENTS here.

> Learn about being a Supplemental Instruction LEADER for SSS here

Happy college shopping!

- Tiff :)

blog o' pics part dos

Me & my camera on the go.

Leaving on a jet plane...

...back to Iowa from Arizona.

Our land aMaZeS & fAsCiNaTeS me

My life for 4 months of the year...

Seasons are a-changin'...in northern Arizona.

The part of former ghost town Jerome, AZ that is still "ghost town."

My view during lunch @ the Hillside Grill & Bar in Sedona, AZ...simply BEAUTIFUL!

The restaurant...

Leaving Sedona, Arizona (where I can't wait to return!)

Red Rock State Park outside Sedona, AZ

A very eCcEnTriC boutique shop @ the former ghost town-turn-artist haven, Jerome, AZ.

Verde Valley School chapel outside Sedona, AZ (a 9-12 boarding school).

The view through the chapel's large picture window!

Oak Creek Canyon in northern Arizona

Watching a free Arizona State basketball scrimmage

Doing what I love best...watch sports!

The cacti were cool, but some of the shapes were kinda creepy...

Cactusland, A Sleepout & the Northern Country

yes, I AM alive! ;P It's been awhile since I blogged as that's quite evident of the job of an Admissions Counselor - it's a lifestyle, not just a 9-5 job! So, I'll fill ya in on what I've been up to the past few weeks...

I spent a week in Arizona covering pretty much the entire state: Tucson, Phoenix, Flagstaff, Sedona, Flagstaff & Prescott...I hit the flat, HOT, desert and the beautiful, COOL, mountains. Being from Iowa, I enjoyed the 80 & 90 degree temps in October, but can't imagine being somewhere in the summer where it's too hot to go outside! Most of Arizona is also very brown & drab, so I really appreciate Iowa's rolling hills of pretty green fields & beautiful Fall colored trees! I did really love the gorgeous Arizona sunsets, though! My trip was successful overall, as I met some fantastic students of ALL ages - 8th grade on up to a student in his first year of community college. It was cool to also run into a Simpson alumnus & several former Iowans along the way. I did college fairs & high school visits, complete with driving right over road spikes the WRONG direction while heading into the Tucson Convention Center parking lot for a fair (yeah, my husband & co-workers like to call it a "Tiff Moment")...

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B: (yeah...I totally missed the warning sign!)

Exhibit C: ...the aftermath :(

Enterprise Rental Car roadside assistance got a call from me that night...oops!

Following my trip through the cacti, I returned home for a night & then headed to campus & Des Moines for Reggie's Sleepout on that Friday. Who is Reggie & why was I sleeping out, you ask?! It's an event to raise awareness & money for youth homelessness in Central Iowa sponsored by the Iowa Youth Homeless Centers. It was named after a young man who died tragically after aging out of the foster care system- you can read more details of his story here. I heard about the event through a local news website last year & thought it would be a great opportunity to volunteer my time to the community and get the Simpson campus involved with a good cause. I organized a team called the "Simpson Storm Sleepers" & invited faculty, staff, students & alumni to participate. From 7:00pm to 7:00am, we slept outside in boxes or tents in the cold Iowa November (20 degrees)! It was held in Des Moines & we ended up being the largest group who participated among the hundreds of other "sleepers". Last year, only 6 students braved the cold & this year we had 27 Storm Sleepers - including one of my freshmen from Fort Lauderdale, FL & one from Houston, TX! Our team raised $900 as well & was featured on this week's front page of The Simpsonian. It's nice to see Simpson represented & recognized positively. We were pleased with the event's success and I was so proud of the students who gave up a Friday night of hanging out with friends to help support a national crisis! Here are some more pics from Reggie's Sleepout (& yes I'm a 27 year old wearing a penguin stocking cap)...

Last week I visited a bunch of high schools in the Omaha & Lincoln, Nebraska areas, which was nice because I got to spend the nights @ home since they're within driving distance. I reacclamated myself to my husband who I forgot I had...HA! Saturday was a super busy day in the Admissions Office, as well as the day of the Storm's last football game against Buena Vista - we WON! I was pretty thrilled that within 2 days I had students visit from Florida, Colorado, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Mexico & Illinois...the word of the great SIMPSON COLLEGE is spreading quickly - YAY!

After working in the office yesterday morning, myself & 4 students headed up north to the Twin Cities. Today we had the annual Minnesota Open House in Minneapolis for prospective students & their families to learn more about Simpson right in their own backyard. Our Assistant Football Coach Joe Ashfield came as well. A couple parents of current students in the Twin Cities area stopped by (it was SO cute - one mom showed up all decked out in Simpson attire - sweatshirt & cap!!) & it was fun to talk with the alumni who came. Next semester I'm hosting open houses in Illinois & Nebraska as well. If you're from those states, I'd LOVE to see ya there!

Here I am with Cindy (mother of Simpson sophomore from South St. Paul, MN), Sarah '10 (Sociology major from Eagan, MN), Colleen '11 (Communications major from Andover, MN) & Sadie '09 (Criminal Justice & Spanish major from Altoona, IA)

The Minnesota Open House '07 crew - Assistant Football Coach Joe Ashfield, me, Glenn '11 (Criminal Justice major from Plainfield, IA), Sadie, Sarah & Colleen before they head back to campus

I finish off this travel season up here in Minnesota visiting high schools & then it's home to settle in for the Iowa winter. :) ...and clean my disaster of a house!