Carolyn's last "off to school" day

 

Ken took Carolyn to move into the dorms for her last semester.  She is pretty excited because she heard on Monday that she got the job as the marketing and social media coordinator for the department of Biomedical Engineering!  Her boss said, "Since this is your last semester, if there is anything special you want to get the experience of doing, just let me know."  Although it doesn't pay as well as her summer internship, it is probably a better experience to get the opportunity to do different aspects of marketing.

Joel has left the building!

8/16/23

We took Joel up  to campus to stay!  This summer he drove to Ames 5 x week, but he came home almost every night.  (He stayed a few times since he got the keys to his apartment.)  Today we left him without the car.  (I do have one more car load that I will take up tomorrow.  We could have fit it all if the girls and I hadn't made plans to visit Reiman Gardens.)  We took his roommates out to dinner after the trip to the garden (Joel had a bit of work to do in the lab before he could go out to dinner.)  Ken met us on his way back into town (he had been away on business, but was coming down I35 at just the right time.

 

Anna saving animals

Anna and her friend Aaliyah saved this kitten from almost certain death.  They saw it on the road, then a construction worker saved it from the street and put it in a ditch.  They asked him to retrieve it for them and brought it to Aaliyah's mom who often helps rescue kittens for the local animal shelter.  We baby-sat kitty one weekend. Carolyn's roommate, Rachel, came to see him and decided to keep him forever!  (Kitty went back to Aaliyah's house for a couple more weeks to get strong first, but he now lives in Iowa City.)   (Rachel and Carolyn won't live together this fall as Carolyn didn't want a 12 month lease, but might live together again if Rachel relocates to the Metro after graduation.)

Yesterday Anna called me on her way home from band camp.  She saw a dog in the road.  It was really close to our house, so Carolyn and I walked to where she was and we called the number on the collar.  It was a neighbor's dog, who had wandered off.  I had seen this dog before, but it was dark and he had just gotten a hair cut, so I didn't recognize it.  Very sweet pup!

 

other summer pics

Carolyn's garden produce!

Anna at marching band camp.  (Ken's shirt from college.  The kids always use this shirt for Hawaiian/beach days.)

Anna crocheted this.  amazing!

my niece Erin, her son, Ezra....they came to bring Rita (the dog) for us to watch they were on vacation!

This plant was made from 3 different Wandering Jew plants.  The purple was from Colleen (or my friend Sandy), not sure they both had amazing plants last year - Carolyn kept it over the winter and we started fresh with the ends this summer (it got a little scraggly).  The white and one that was solid green (you can't see) were from my friend Anita.  Carolyn is going to take to the dorm for her final semester!

 

More summer "vacation" photos

We sorted all the school supplies donated to our church for an inner city Catholic school. >16000 items (but we did count each pencil etc. as 1)

Saturday night after church

Sunday after church (Ken helped and took photo)

The wall tags went up on Monday at the school.  I could get in because I was helping with band uniforms.  (Carolyn, Natalie (in navy in top photo), Sophie (in gray in top photo) and Avery (not pictured) and Patrick (Carolyn's boyfriend) helped me put them up.)  Avery is in the Chaos group and Sophie's sister.  The B. family helped me with both the school sort and the hanging of the name tags.  Natalie even helped me cut and glue all of the Vortex name tags a couple weeks ago.   Anna was at marching band.  I am thrilled how these turned out and even more thrilled to have it done.  I went back on Wednesday night and had to retape many of the tags I had taped, none of anyone else's.  I was afraid we were going to run out of tape and I wouldn't have had project completion!

 

Joel moved into this apt August 1

Here he is with his 2 roommates, Will and Evan.  They have been friends since kindergarten and 1st grade respectively.  He and Will lived together last year and he and Evan have often shared a tent at scout camp.  I think they are compatible!!!

I am sad that he moved into an apt. (instead of a dorm) because I feel like he is less likely to come home.  His dorm was the size of a matchbox.

The good news is he already came home :0)  right after moving in!  He isn't really moving into his place for 2 weeks, but the boys shared a Uhaul, so he moved all the big stuff and much of the small stuff to the apartment.  He also works at a lab. in Ames, so he will be taking car loads to his apt. when he goes to work.