Winter Driving 101: UGH!

I drove through near-blizzard conditions on my way up to a family Christmas & it wasn't exactly a walk in the park. I equate winter driving on snow & ice to a combination of walking a tight-rope and going to the dreaded dentist.

Combine 40 mph wind gusts with heavy snowfall, all you have to go with are tiny blurred red spots, otherwise known as the car's tail lights ahead of you - praying that they even know where the road is in front of them! Yeah, it gives white-out a whole new definition. Then...you're trying, like a tight-rope CiRcUs performer, to keep your tires within the two thin tire tracks, with fear of changing lanes because of that huge hUmP of slush/ice/snow covering the center line. Any false move, like a painful dentist's "accidental" slip with a wire hook & you're toast! You can't decide whether to drive in the left lane where if you slide off the road you run right into oncoming traffic OR in the right lane where if you slide off the road you go rOlLiNg down that 80 degree decline into the ice cold creek where no one will find you...

Every once in awhile during the blind drive, like during an oh-so-enjoyable dentist treatment, you find your entire body is completely tensed up & stiff from holding the exact same position, leaning forward (as if you have more control) for hours...and then unable to open your hands when you arrive to the destination because they hurt from your steering wheel death grip! Oh yeah...& it's about the only time in your life where you actually listen to your Driver's Ed. teacher & have your hands permanently held at 10 & 2.

Those big cocky SUV's or trucks with 44" monster tires who think they can zoom right through this stuff - psshhh...that's why they're the ones you always end up seeing in the ditch a couple miles down the road... To feel bad, or not too feel bad?!

Something that makes me laugh about bad winter weather is when you're watching the news. They're telling you "travel is not advised" and that it's 20 below wind chill, yet they have their near-frost bitten reporters standing out in the middle of it to tell us! Uh, I think we can look out the window & see, thanks.

Anyway, the exhausting drive up to the northern Iowa farm country for the Berkenes family Christmas was completed successfully & was well worth it...

I had so much fun with all my little cousins who came from Indiana & North Carolina, as well as chowed down on a little too much fudge! I can't wait to have Christmas with the other side of the family in January & hope I have a less stressful drive.

I hope you all made it to your gatherings safely, too!

Me with the 'rents & my cousin Les sneaking in behind. My brother had to work. :(

My triplet cousins Nick, Preston & Tori with their sister Hannah & other cousins Caroline & Chris inside their "fort"

Cheesin' it with Nick, Preston & Tori

Grandma & Grandpa with 9 of their 13 GREAT grandkids - they're still doing well in their 80's!

Grandma & Grandpa with 4 of their 8 grandkids, including ME :)

I guess 18 year old boys are exempt from photographs, darn you Nate! ;P

Little 5 year old Nick driving the go-kart all by himself!

Me & my silly cousin Hannah

LOL - I think Reid is a little tired of watching Grandma open her gifts..."my turn!"

ToP tEn Reasons to VISIT Campus!

ToP tEn Reasons to VISIT Campus!

10. See the variety of classroom styles & studios, the large Dunn library that contains over 175,000 books/CDs/periodicals, and the short walking distance between each building on campus (Great for the cold, snowy Iowa winter mornings!). ...I can honestly say now, I should have taken advantage of this more when I was a student - I was always a little too distracted by talking to everyone in the dorm rather than studying!


9. ChEeR oN the great Storm athletes by attending a game, or get a ticket to watch our talented artists by going to an Opera or Theatre Simpson play. Check the Simpson Events Calendar to see what's going on when YOU want to visit here. ...& when you're a student, it's all free to attend!


8. Check out where you’ll be performing your music/theatre productions or the gallery where your artwork will be displayed. You can also audition or submit a portfolio for a fine arts scholarship while you’re here!

7. Check out Simpson’s outstanding & up-to-date athletic facilities where you’ll be playing or practicing. ...over Winter Break, the weight room is having an $80,000 overhaul, YAY!

6. Chat with current students or friends from your home to see what they LOVE about Simpson. There really is something for everyone!

5. See where you will be living in our newly-remodeled residence halls with central air-conditioning, carpet & lofted beds, or have a bite to eat at Pfeiffer Dining Hall & Storm Street Grill. We get so many compliments on our dorms compared to other colleges...you won't feel like you're stuck in a drab, concrete prison cell here!

4. Sit down & chat with a Storm coach or professor, which could possibly be your academic advisor that will help you throughout your Simpson experience. ...you will meet with your advisor every semester to schedule classes & it will be a professor in YOUR major area, unlike most large universities. I'm still in touch with my advisor after graduating 5 years ago!

3. Ever wondered what a college class would be like? Sit in on a class of your interest at Simpson to see the interaction, discussion & small class sizes. Simpson faculty truly care & have the passion for teaching - they aren't just there to lecture & get a paycheck!

2. College is 4 years of your life, so it's very important to visit the campuses you’re interested in just to make sure which one is a good fit for you! Try to picture yourself on Simpson’s campus during your visit....

1. Only One Easy Step! Schedule a visit online here. E-mail me - tiffany.hummel@simpson.edu. Or call our Campus Visit Coordinator, Debra Lord @ 800.362.2454 x1660.


> When can you visit?


Admissions office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. During the school year, the office is open on designated Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon.


> Get a feel for college life...stay overnight in a dorm, sorority or fraternity!


> Simpson Fly-In Program! If you live over 300 miles from campus...


We will reimburse your flight up to $300 into Des Moines for a visit. Just bring in your receipt & you will receive 1/2 of it following your visit; the other 1/2 if you enroll in Simpson! Transportation to & from the airport will also be provided! Check flights on Travelocity here.

Take a closer look @ why we love Simpson!

Winter Break

Are y'all on Winter Break yet?! Simpson students left last Friday & my break begins tomorrow through January 2 - YAY! Although, I'm sure I'll still be doing some random work here & there...

Right now I'm just trying to get through all my holiday cards. I'm writing to about 180 students & then still need to do my 60 personal ones...& Christmas is next Tuesday, AHHH!

Yesterday morning I was back in the office & got to meet the new Storm football coach, Jim Glogowski; pretty cool, pumped up guy! I also got all my Secret Santa gifty-poos - I had the best one EVA! Jame-O got me LOTSA Reeses PB Cups (my fave!), a baseball decal thing for my car, a Christmas mug, delicious smelling candle, a peace ornament & MORE Reeses!

We had our Admissions Office party yesterday afternoon, so I of course had TOO many goodies to eat including JJ's dreamy Scotcharoos & Sarah's to-die-for frosted sugar cookies! We played holiday Scattergories & this game Bethy made up, called Status Quo (last year I won, this year I lost by 3 points! - revenge on Jame-O is coming...). After the big party, some of us went over to JJ's to play games & hang out.

Now, I'm back home catching up on some work. I'm gonna be on quite the whirlwind of a roadtrip this weekend. I'll start out by meeting my friend Drew for lunch in Des Moines (2 hours), then meeting my good college friend, Alaina, who is back home from New York for lunch the next day in Iowa City (4 hours from my house), then up to my brother's house in Waverly (about 2 1/2 hours) to beat him in Scrabble (I'm the Queen of the words, baby!) lastly over to my aunt & uncle's farm near Goldfield (about an hour & 15 minutes) for the Berkenes family Christmas. I'm very excited to see everyone, but I wish all my cousins could make it back! I'll head the 4 hours back home Monday, so that I can spend Christmas Eve & Christmas Day with the hubby, who has to work. :(

I wish you all a very happy holiday season with your family & hope you enjoy your break!

God bless.

Now, greetings from SIMPSON COLLEGE...

LAUGHTER does the body good.

It's freezing cold, dark & gray...do you have a case of the WiNtEr blues?

Well, boy do I have a hApPy treat for you...

When I saw these on t.v., they instantly made me sMiLe!

I found a couple on YouTube & thought I'd spread the cheer to you...

(AIG Laughing Baby Commercials)

The ScOoP

Sorry about my blogging absence. But, never fear, Tiff IS here...today! Right now I'm watching college basketball - I may be a girl, but I heart sports - particularly seeing top ranked teams being upset, which seems to be the case in all sports anymore! It's not as fun when teams dominate an entire season. (Well, unless it's the New York Yankees!) :P I could sit & watch the March Madness NCAA tourney from beginning to end & not get bored... I wish I lived closer to campus, so I could go to more Simpson Storm games, though!

I'm also trying to work on our Christmas letter for our cards, which will be lucky to be in mailboxes by Easter! We always do a Top Ten list of our year instead of the typical letter, so people may actually read it rather than it just get thrown on the kitchen table with their recent Capital One credit card ad. Sometimes, it's hard to summarize a year into only a Top Ten, but I guess that's a good thing...

Anyway, enough rambling, here's the ScOoP from this past week:

> Simpson hired a new head football coach, Jim Glogowski, who was the defensive coordinator at DII University of South Dakota. He seems very enthusiastic & dedicated with great coaching & recruiting experience, so I'm happy about that since I work directly with all the coaches. I look forward to meeting him next Wednesday & work with he & the assistant coaches to bring Storm Football back to the top!

> One of my prospective students, Travis, from Minnesota came for an overnight campus visit this week & then went home to tell his mom that he really wants to go to Simpson; that it felt like home! YAY! He's a football player & an excellent student academically, so I'm so excited he had a great time on campus.

> Simpson hosted the annual "Lessons and Carols" in Smith Chapel last Sunday, which is an annual holiday tradition of Enlgish Christmas carols and Biblical readings. The Women’s Chorale, the Simpson College Choir, the Madrigal Singers and the Simpson College Brass Ensemble perform at the service - it really is a beautiful program!

> Campus was hit hard by an ice storm this week, cancelling finals for that day & leaving quite a mess of tree limbs and power outages. I'm sure students weren't too disappointed with an unexpected day off! Campus is pretty quiet now, though, since students are on their 3 week winter break.

> I was shopping in Omaha on the day of the unfortunate Westroads Mall shooting spree, but thankfully not at that mall. May God bless all the family & friends of the victims!

> "In response to a growing urban population, larger minority & immigrant populations and an increased need to examine the social justice issues arising from this growth, Simpson and Urban Dreams have partnered to create the Simpson Urban Studies Institute to provide greater integration of research and program developoment in the Des Moines metro area, which will lead to better programs and services for citizens." I'm very passionate about social justice & civil rights activism, so I was pretty excited to hear of this project!

> Storm Women's Basketball continues to be awesome, ranking #11 in the nation with their most recent win over St. Thomas (Minn.) - they forced The Tommies to 20 turnovers in the 1st half! They leave for a tournament in Daytona Beach, FL in a couple weeks.

> I ate lunch with one of my friends, Kathryn, yesterday on her way home to Colorado - so, it was a double dose of cOoL - eating with her AND getting my Wisconsin Mac 'n Cheese at Noodles & Co.! She told me about this new project Simpson's Environmental Awareness Club proposed to President Byrd - to have recycle bins in every dorm room & every office! - he approved the test run, so I think it's a GREEN step in the right direction & so nice to see students taking charge of it. Kathryn also said she's now considering a minor in environmental science because of how incredible her professor was for her science cornerstone (gen. ed.) this semester. She said 80% of the class was just taking that class because they had to, and Professor Ryan Rehmeyer made it into one they were all glad to have chosen! Check out a story about BIO 103: Environmental Issues in The Simpsonian.

> I found out my family friend, Kyle Orton, will be the starting quarterback in the Chicago Bears' next game vs. the Vikings! DA BEARS!

> "Simpson and Indianola communities were given an opportunity to invest in their world and shop fair trade during the annual Ten Thousand Villages Festival. Shoppers were able to discover hundreds of handcrafted musical instruments, baskets, ornaments, toys and jewelry made by skilled artisans in more than 30 countries. The handicrafts are marketed by Ten Thousand Villages. Ten Thousand Villages provides vital, fair income to artisans around the world by marketing their handicrafts and telling their stories in North America. All proceeds from the RLC sale benefit Ten Thousand Villages artisan partners."

> Students will arrive back on campus after break to a revamped weight room thanks to a generous anonymous donor. "We wanted to improve the facility for both athletes and non-athletes," Justin Snyder (Strength & Conditioning Director) said. "We met with consultants and came up with what we thought would be more efficient for both groups of people."The new layout will include replacing old equipment and things such as an additional elliptical machine and treadmill, as well as a variety of weight lifting machines, weights and lifting platforms. The estimated cost of this new layout is over $80,000."

> A group of Simpson students returned home from their semester abroad in London, England and my friend Drew, wrote about his experience in his article, London's lessons not learned in textbooks in The Simpsonian.

> Associate Professor of Art, David Richmond, is headed to Australia on sabbatical this next semester to study Aboriginal art.

> Storm Softball Coach Henry Christowski was inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Hall of Fame at the NFCA convention at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas, Nev. The induction is the NFCA's highest honor. "Christowski is in his 13th season as head coach at Simpson. Christowski has compiled a 368-90-2 record (a .802 winning percentage). Christowski's winning percentage is the second best among active Division III coaches and is third in the history of Division III coaching. His winning percentage is the eighth best in the history of softball in all divisions."

Simpson T.V. Commercial '07

ExCiTiNg NeWs!

We just released our new commercials; however, most of my out-of-state students won't get to see them, so I wanted to make sure I shared them with you.

GO SIMPSON! GO STORM!

SEE IT FOR YOURSELF...

This could be YOUR home for four years, just like these students.

So, make sure you visit campus before making such a big decision!

D to the A-N-C-E. my LOVE!

It's Iowa. It's Winter. Therefore, it's snowing!

As I'm looking out my window, I see we're currently getting the biggest snow of the season right now. I think snow is beautiful until I have to drive in it...but that's not gonna stop me from getting to the show that I've been SO ExCiTeD about since I heard they were coming to Des Moines last year! ...THE ROCKETTES! I'll tredge through the snow in my flip-flops if I have to! I get to go see their Christmas Spectacular at the Des Moines Civic Center tonight with my mom, Aunt Julie and sister-in-law. I think it's gonna be amazing & look like so much fun.

There is a big bummer about this "spectacular", though...

...the fact that I won't be on stage dancing with them! :( It would be a dream...

I started dancing when I was 3 years old & continued until I graduated from high school. This was a weekly, 9-month commitment and when I got to high school, it became a 2-4 hour our daily, 9-month commitment - but I absolutely LoVeD it despite the exhausted abs from hundreds of high kicks, disgustingly bruised knees, sore toes, early mornings, freezing cold, windy football game performances, being completely costumed & having to go to the bathroom, and nasty bright red recital lipstick! Dance made me happy and I would still be dancing if I could...

I took classes in jazz, ballet, pointe and tap, as well as was a member of my high school's football & basketball RhythAMetteS dance team for four years. Hundreds of hopeful dancers would tryout each year to make the varsity or JV team (yes, it was that big!), as it was one of the most successful teams in the state.So, it was very nervewracking until you got "the call"...I remember I cried, I was so happy to have made it! I always wanted to be a RhythAMette & took part in their Pom Pon Clinic when I was a little girl. The football squad was made up of 36 girls who performed before & after each football game. Then we would have to tryout again to make the smaller basketball squad of about 16-18 dancers. The basketball squad would be the ones who performed at the Iowa State Dance & Drill Team Contest in December. My senior year, we won 1st place in all 3 of our dances - Novelty (a Saturday Night Live satire), High Kick & Lyrical - it was an unbelievably exciting experience! Throughout the year we also put on a big, sell-out spring show, attend the Regional Contest in South Sioux City, NE and a couple week-long summer camps. It was my life.

Needless to say, I have a passion for the art of dance & am very thankful my parents were willing & able to pay for my lessons! I wanted to grow up to be a professional dancer, Rockette, or even a back-up dancer for a band...but, I'm not THAT good. :( Someday I can hopefully take more lessons just for the exercise...God knows I'd work out more if it was something I actually enjoyed!

So, RoCk On RoCkEtTeS, rOcK oN...

...and DaNcE oN S.E. Polk RhythAMetteS, dAnCe On!

On another note...I'm also excited that I'm back to work in the office tomorrow (I work from home a couple hours away), because I get to see all my wonderful co-workers & have lunch with two uber-cool student friends, Drew and Kathryn! It tends to be the case that I rarely get work done when I'm back on campus, because I'm talking to everyone - Ha. :P

By the way, guess what Kathryn is doing next semester?! Interning @ Walt Disney World in Florida! She is gonna be one of the characters walking around, as well as performing. She doesn't find out which characters she'll be until she gets down there, but I can't wait to hear all about it. She's a sophomore from Colorado who is so adorable & would make a perfect little Disney character...plus she is an actress!

Toodles for now...

peace.

Out-of-Staters REPRESENT in SGA!

Congrats to my two students who were elected as Senators to

Simpson's Student Government Association!

Josie '09 from Vinton, IA

...and Jamie '10 from Chicago, IL

These five other out-of-staters of mine are also active Student Senators - YAY!

Jenna '11 from Inver Grove Heights, MN

Laura '11 from Houston, TX

Kloe '10 from Lino Lakes, MN

Allison '10 from Jacksonville, IL

Amanda '10 from South St. Paul, MN

What is the Student Government Association?

"The SGA is the centralized, representative body for student government on the Simpson College campus. It deals with a broad range of issues relating to student life on the campus and oversees the budgets of most recognized student organizations. It is interested in hearing from students who have recommendations for improving the life of students at Simpson and typically becomes actively involved in most issues on the campus."

Learn how YOU can become a part of SGA here.

The New York Times & IOWA!

Des Moines, Iowa is cOoL - even to The New York Times!

What does this have to do with SIMPSON COLLEGE?!

Campus is only 12 miles from this perfect-sized city!

Above is the East Village area looking towards the Iowa State Capitol

Fireworks @ the Iowa Cubs' Principal Park (AAA Team for the Chicago Cubs)

Simon Estes Amphitheatre

The Amphitheatre at night

I was born and raised in a suburb of Des Moines; however, even after all my travels throughout the country, I do still consider the city to be a cOoL and a wonderful place to live! Des Moines is very convenient for Simpson students to go shopping, obtain internships, job shadow during May Term, attend Iowa Energy basketball, Iowa Cubs baseball, Des Moines Menace soccer, Des Moines Buccaneers or Iowa Stars hockey games, go to a concert or broadway production, attend a presidential debate, and chill at a local coffeehouse while a fellow Simpsonite performs...

For those of you who live far away, the Des Moines International Airport is only a short 15 miles from campus! If you'd like to visit campus, we can provide transportation to & from the airport, too.

The Des Moines Metro area is approximately 500,000 - large enough for opportunities, small enough to easily get around!

So, you may think I'm kind of bias after growing up in the area, but this week The New York Times just featured an article titled In the Spotlight, Ready for Its Close-up after covering the several presidential campaigns coming through Iowa before Des Moines hosts the caucuses on January 3rd. If you follow politics, or even just watch the nightly news, you'll see that Iowa is definitely a political center & plays a significant role in who will be competing for the Oval Office. Not a week goes by where a candidate doesn't visit! Already this fall semester, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Barack Obama have spoke on Simpson's campus! I will have more details about Simpson's political scene in a later blog.

Anyway, supporting the pOsHnEsS of Iowa's capital city, reporter Adam Nagourney wrote:

"The restaurant had more panache and better food than many places I’ve eaten in Washington, D.C. The East Village streets, spread out under the State Capitol, were aglow with lights — lavender, icy blue and, of course, red and green — strung out for Christmas. They were bustling with boutiques, bookstores, coffee shops, culinary stores and Smash, an edgy T-shirt shop where the proprietors were listening to Band of Horses while making slightly off-color T-shirts celebrating the Iowa caucuses."

Read Nagourney's New York Times entire article here.

Check out the Greater Des Moines Convention & Visitor's Bureau here.

Visit several links of local attractions on the SIMPSON website here.

See Des Moines for yourself when you visit campus - Schedule one today!