Anna writes....

I apologize for the cow picture below. Not all cows are good and wholesome... Unfortunately we have some bad influences coming in from other states. The cow pictured is a naughty California Cow that was sent here to learn some manners and values. Let's all hope the Wisconsin Cows can get through to her.

Team Building

Hal writes:

Thanks to Anna for doing some posts while I have been AWOL. Training is going great and it's hard to believe move-in is this weekend. The finals pieces of putting the new building are coming together and training for RAs is almost complete. Here is a photo of my staff and I prior to the relay races the other evening. Each staff randomly drew a color for team appearal and we had yellow/gold.

* DISTURBING IMAGE ALERT*

Just to warn you, not all cows in Wisconsin are pure and wholesome...

Sunday fun

Anna writes...

Well, we forgot to take the camera along for our fun dinner out with my friends from school, but we really had a great time! We ate at a Japanese restarant, Taiko. The table surrounds a large grill and all the food is prepared right in front of you with knives flying and flames blazing...It was quite a show!!! I think that showmanship is typical of Japanese restarants (at least all of the one's that I've been to), and I recommend it!! The food was great....as was our company!

This morning I convinced Hal to take a bike ride with me....up a LOOOOOONG hill near our house. We made it to the top....and then kept going. We felt like it was quite an accomplishment. The picture doesn't do the hill justice....it's HUGE!!!! See how small the car at the bottom is compared to the hill?? That's right. We have legs of steel. ;)

When we got home we found this critter outside near our patio. We think it is a praying mantis. He was like 4 inches long! Definetly the biggest I've ever seen...

The rest of the day was spent working, doing laundry, proofing my case study....nothing too exciting.

Hooray for the weekend!

Anna writes...

Hooray for the weekend. Hal's RA's arrived last weekend, signaling the commencement of the LONG leg of training. In order to build camaraderie, all the staffs eat together - all three meals, everyday. That means that Hal leaves the apartment at 7:30 in the morning, is at training all day, eats dinner with them, has evening sessions, and then returns to the apartment about 9:30 at night. He usually has preparations for the next day to finish up, which means the hour or two before he heads to bed are spent in his office. I, on the other hand, am biding my time until classes start. My days have consisted of mostly waiting for maintenance people to come...and trying to get out for a bike ride or run to burn some energy. We're both excited to have some time together this weekend: me, cause I need some entertainment (and Hal is always good for that), and Hal because it means down time.

I start back to school on Monday and am really looking forward to it. I learned alot in my clinicals this summer, and am excited to learn more of what I'll need to know to be a physical therapist. My classmates are returning from their vacations as well, so I'm excited to see them. Hal and I are having dinner with a few of my friends tonight, which will be LOTS of fun. We'll try and remember to take some pictures to post later.

Have a great weekend!!!

An evening off

Anna writes:

After a busy week, followed by a busy Saturday morning checking RA's into Southwest Hall, Hal had some free time on Saturday afternoon. Since he's been on campus for most of the week, we decided to get off campus for the evening and spend some time on the Mississippi River Walk in the Port of Dubuque. It was a nice evening for a walk and we always enjoy the river, but I do have to say that I still prefer the Lake Walk in Duluth to the River Walk for the simple fact that it's quite a bit longer.



Hal and I then made a quick trip to Target, and enjoyed a nice dinner together at Applebee's. Everything tasted so good after working up our appetites on the River Walk! We returned home and rented the movie Capote. It's not a movie that I want to own, but it was a good rental. It was a very nice evening!! It was nice for both of us to have some time away from campus, without having to even think about Southwest Hall!!




Tonight Hal's Dad and sister Beth will be staying with us as they make their way to move Beth into her new grad school. They will be our first guests in our new apartment (in fact, today's project is getting a mattress for the guest bed so they have somewhere to sleep). It will be great to see them....wish them safe travels!!

Mini-golf and swipe card access

Hal writes:

Don't I fit the part of a hot mini-golfer? This morning consisted of a combination training with Resident Directors and Senior Assistants. After lunch the rain cleared up long enough to allow us a little mini-golfing. Last year RD Kelly and I took 18 students to this site and enjoyed it, so we returned with our SA and RD friends. Here's a group photo:

When I returned from golfing I met up with a member of the ResNet staff, Josh, who was going to train me to use the new swipe card access system. 4 hours later, we still can't get it right. Tomorrow I have 20 students moving into the building and I am not sure that the access system will work. I wasn't given a key back-up system, so I hope that students don't mind having a slumber party in the commons area for the weekend if things don't work tomorrow. Stress level? Hmmm, about 8 out of 10 right now.

RD Fun

Hal writes:

RD Training is officially wrapped up. To celebrate the event, we went out to the Assistant Director's house for a meal and game time. RD Matt and his wife Kim dominated the badmitton while others enjoyed bocce ball. Our group photo below was attempting the "Field of Dreams" concept, but it's just not the same without special effects.

"UWP Housing Staff: We're OutStanding in our Field"

These past few days have been stressful. I am literally working all my waking hours (except for when I have meetings). In addition to the traditional beginning of the year work, I have a number of added responsibilities for the new hall. Creating new documents, learning the new swipe card system, and hosting open houses for various groups is enjoyable to me, but can be tiring. My hope in all of this is that I don't forget to do something along the way. My biggest apprehension are the move in days and all the things that could go wrong. My RAs arrive on Saturday to begin their training.

Kevin W is currently in Vegas prepared to bring Kevin B back to Luther Land (aka the "Twin Cities"). Pray for safe travels.

Last free weekend

Hal writes:

This past weekend was my last free weekend before the students begin arriving. My Senior Assistant arrives tomorrow and the Resident Assistants come this weekend. On Saturday Anna and I went with RDs Kelly, Jen, and Trapper to Governor Dodge State Park. There was a little hiking to begin with, but mostly enjoying the beach area and talking about anything but work. I only took two pictures of a view from a scenic outlook, but it was nothing spectacular, so I won't take the time to post it.

Yesterday Anna and I went shopping in Dubuque and Anna got a new pair of glasses. If she will let me, I'll take a close up of her in her styling frames.

Today I found out that the new swipe card access to the building will not be ready for this weekend. That means I have my first twenty residents coming and we have to use our back up plan which involves handing out temporary keys. Thus begins my journey of imperfection as I open the new residence hall.

Ok, time to go cheer on the Vikings in their first preseason football game. I'm hoping my buddy Ryan Hoag gets some good reps in and makes the team this year.

GREAT recipe

Anna writes:

As Hal is busy with RD training, I have been entertaining myself in our apartment. Everyday is an adventure, as I never know if today they'll be testing fire alarms, turning off the water, re-piping the bathroom, inventorying furniture, or a myriad of other tasks that need to be done. Needless to say, all of the interruptions have made it difficult to truly settle in. We're are about as unpacked as we're going to get, I think, because this apartment is a bit smaller than the previous and we've resigned ourselves to just leaving some things packed until we eventually buy a house of our own (What a wonderful day that will be!!).

I've also been entertaining myself by cooking a lot. I enjoy baking a lot... And yesterday I tried a new recipe, Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake, that turned out to be PHENOMENAL. I'll share it with you here....

1 package devil's food cake mix with pudding in the mix
1 large (5.9oz) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
3 cups (18oz) semi-sweet chocolate morsels, divided
1/2 cup whipping cream

Combine first 5 ingredients and mix with electric mixer for 2 minutes. Stir in 2 cups chocolate chips. Pour into greased and floured 12-cup bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly touched (a toothpick inserted may not come out clean). Let cool on wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool completely.

Combine remaining 1 cup chocolate chips and whipping cream in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until chocolate is melted and sauce is smooth. Let stand 15 minutes. Drizzle chocolate glaze over cake. Let cake stand 1 hour before serving.

This was probably the BEST cake I have ever made. I hope you try it! You won't be disappointed!

The recipe came from the cookbook "Southern Living, Easy Weeknight Favorites," which we received as a wedding gift. I highly recommend the cookbook as well, Hal and I have enjoyed every recipe that we've made out of it and all the recipes take less that 30 mins of preparation.

Mental Health

Hal writes:

This year UWP hosted a UW-System training for hall directors. We gathered with UW-Green Bay, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Milwaukee, UW-Stout, UW-Parkside, etc., etc., etc. The topics we covered were about mental health. There has been a large increase in the number of students coming to college with mental health issues that we as RDs have to be prepared to deal with in a variety of capacities. Pictured below are the UW-Platteville RDs.


I was able to catch up with some friends during the conference: Jenni (former Wartburg RA, now a UW-Oshkosh grad), Heather (UW-Stout), and a lot of time with Jim (former WIU classmate, UW-Oshkosh). Jim and I were able to spend some time chatting the evening before. And in most exciting news, I have the honor of being an usher in Jim and Krista's wedding this next June!

Although Anna and I were not able to have a bonfire when we were up north (on account of the fire hazards) some RDs gathered for a bonfire and smores just for the fun of it. Pictured below is Anna and RD Jen.

Galnea trip

Hal writes:

Here is a photo of Anna with RDs Stef and Jen in Galnea. If you came to visit us, we would take you there!

Breaking New Ground

Hal writes:

The title to this post, "Breaking New Ground", is the theme that we will be using for Resident Assistant training. It fits well with my building as it begins to come together. Located below is the modge podge brick I spoke about in an earlier post. Each RD took an opportunity to share what the pictures on their brick meant to them. You can only see two of the sides, but you get the idea.

Anna left this morning for the "Zielinski" which is a shopping route named after an RD who likes to shop in Galena, IL, Dubuque, IA, and Platteville, WI all in the same day. She went with RDs Stef and Jen and has not returned yet. My task today was to finish the move out of my Dobson office. I completed that, but I do not have any furniture in my new Southwest office, so everything is in boxes. I also had the opporutnity to construct some shelves with some lumber my dad sent with me when I was up at the cabin last month.

Earlier today two men from the window store came and put blinds up in our apartment windows. We are no longer living in a literal fishbowl. After they left, the landscapers came and completed the plants and rocks outside of the patio. As you can see in the photo below, it is not quite the "branches touching, 5 feet high" bushes that we were promised, but perhaps in a few years they will be. I was expecting a little more privacy than these bushes offer. While I was in the kitchen, I watched a local pull up his car, proceed to walk up to my patio door, and tried to force it open to see in the building. Imagine his surprise when he stuck his face up to the kitchen window and I lunged towards him with a big "hi" that startled him so much he almost fell backwards.

Across the street from my building they have begun what will be a 380 stall parking lot for students. The area that they are using is (was?) along a bike and walking trail and a number of trees sacrificed their lives for the sake of progress. But I was looking the other day to see that one lone tree had remained. I can only assume that this tree happened to be in a spot that they could work around it, but I like to think that the tree fought the machines and won. I think we need to have a caption contest. I'm looking for all of you to add a comment with a quote that you think best fits this picture. Something about "standing strong" perhaps. I'll start us off:

"You've paved paradise, and put up a parking lot." --Counting Crows (and others)

Back to school... sort of

Hal writes:

RD Training began today. For people in my profession, that means summer is officially over and we will be staying busy through mid-October. During that time will be Resident Director Training, then Senior Assistant training, then Resident Assistant training, then orientation and move-in weekend, followed up by the first six weeks of school which brings us to homecoming. But, I hope to still have time to add some photos and comments along the way.

Training today was an "ease into the year". This morning I spent time with our two new RDs going over odds and ends about working at UWP. At lunch we were joined by the other RDs and our three Central supervisors. We got our schedule of events for RD Training and then spent some time in a relaxing get-to-know-you activity. Our theme for all of training is "Breaking New Ground" (construction) so we were all given a brick and a stack of magazines to modge podge pictures with. After the cutting and gluing, we all went around the circle and talk about what meaning the pictures had for us. Tonight's homework is to read some chapters from our RD manual.

Anna completed her paper today. She did a case study with one of her patients while on internship this summer and it was due today. Now that she has that complete, she wants to spend time unpacking more things. We have the "essentials" unpacked, but we are still only about 70% unpacked. We made the decision that the next time we move we are going to sell or give away a lot of things to make the move easier.

Special thanks to Jim for allowing me to interrupt his Texas vacation to listen to my student affairs problem.