Week Two

Week two is almost through! Hey, was that a rhyme? I must be in my poetry mood... I have a memory poem due next Tuesday. I'm working on a piece that combines several different memories of my Great-Grandma Neva.

In Multimedia lab Wednesday, we checked out cameras and learned about them. We're working with Nikon D7000s. And yes, that's a little overwhelming. Shutter speed, aperture, ISO... Uhm, what? I think I've got down what they are, it's just a lot to think about. I have never manually operated a camera before, so this is going to be an experience.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to check out the camera again and play with it a bit so I can get used to it. We have a "Seeing Red" assignment where we're supposed to take pictures of red things (I can just see it now- all the red things will disappear as soon as I check out a camera!). If I get any good pictures, I'll try to post them on here. And possibly on my multimedia blog. Don't forget, there's a new post there every week!

In tomorrow's lab we will present our story ideas to the class and get some feedback. I'm hoping my classmates approve of my century farm idea. Joy, from Little Bonne Femme, helped connect me with the Cheavens, and I'd really like to tell their story.

In Ag Policy yesterday, Duane Dailey came to speak! Before I came to college last year, John Anthony from the radio station back home recommended I contact him. I wish I could say I did, but time ran away from me and the opportunity never really came up. So I'm glad the opportunity has now come up!

His advice to us was to write, and to write simply (at an eighth grade level) and concisely. Yes sir, he's definitely a journalist! As Bill Allen says, "omit needless words."

Tonight in the Litton Leaders class, we watched a video about Jerry Litton. I grew up near Chillicothe, so being a part of this program is extra special to me. I've heard first hand Litton stories about how everyone thought he'd be president and how tragic the day was he and his family, along with the pilot and his son, died in a plane crash. 

I'd forgotten his story of being shy and quiet until FFA brought him out of his shell. I can definitely relate to that! I truly find him inspiring, and I'm excited about the class schedule. Our assignments are to read a leadership book, shadow a leader, form a personal code and conduct a personal development project. How awesome is it to do things I'd like to do already, and get credit for it?! Plus, we'll have the opportunity to meet some great leaders. I'm excited!

Well, I think I'm off to bed. I have to meet Breanne at 8:45 a.m. to borrow an SD card for that "Seeing Red" assignment.

Meeting of the Countries

I have been working really hard to get my writing assignments done this weekend. I mean, I might have taken a couple breaks to go visit my friend Marcia and then watch The Lorax with my housemates and one of their friends... but I've worked really hard!

BUT I've had trouble accomplishing things because I have this phantom mouse issue. The trackpad of my laptop randomly goes crazy and has gone as far as to completely delete paragraphs of my writing, which is kinda counterproductive. Not cool. So, before Missio Dei (the campus church group I attend) I took it into Tiger Tech and discovered the trackpad needs replaced. How lovely, I shall be computer-less for a week. At least it will be covered by warrantee. 

So, I was kind of frustrated, tired, worn down, etc. when I sat down before services started. Then we started worship, and it was like all my frustrations melted away. And, people kept coming in and sitting down as we continued through the service. The room was packed, which was incredibly beautiful. 

My friend Lauren brought two international students from China with her. Afterward we, plus two Missio Dei regulars and two other international students, all went to eat at Rollins (my first dining hall experience this semester!). On the way there, Sophie and Julie, the Chinese girls, and I got to talking. I guess Lauren had told them I am an agricultural journalism major, so they were very interested in that! 

It's an interesting experience, explaining something so specific and personal to people whose first language is not your own. Sophie and Julie speak very good English, but there are some things that don't translate. I guess pride in where you come from is one of those universal things, however. After I was done explaining I grew up on a farm and want to share that lifestyle, and the stories of other agriculturalists, with people who do not have an agricultural background, Julie's first comment was about how inspiring it was that I have so much pride in where I come from. She may be from the opposite side of the world, grew up in a completely different culture and speak a different language, but she got it. And she seemed interested in learning more. 

Another interesting thing they mentioned was how different our food is here. I don't mean different as in a different taste or texture, though definitely that too! They said their produce, specifically potatoes and corn (we didn't talk about anything else), has to be cooked much longer. They related their experience with corn. They simply popped it in the microwave for a couple minutes and it was ready to eat. Back home, they said they'd have to cook it for a long time. Same with potatoes. 

Rollins was serving turkey and mashed potatoes and gravy. Yum! Well, yum for dining hall food. I told them if they didn't like the food not to write it off because dining hall food and quality home-cooked food is a completely different thing. I hope someday I can have them over for fried chicken, mashed potatoes and homemade bread: a real American meal. 

The other international students were from Honduras and Algeria. The guy from Honduras is actually an agronomy major. It sounds like he is in a study abroad type program though, rather than for Mizzou's degree program. Now, when I heard he studies agronomy I immediately thought plants and seeds. That's agronomy, right? Well in Honduras I guess it's more of a general agriculture degree. He said he studies both plant and animal science. Very interesting, I thought. 

The guy from Algeria is an electrical engineering major. The Chinese girls were also engineering majors, one chemical engineering, the other mechanical engineering. Lots of engineering going on! We teased them and said they should put their minds together on one big project. 

So my slightly stressful afternoon turned into a really great evening. I was reminded of what is really important- people. And, as always, it was great to see agriculture in a new light- from an international perspective. Kudos to these kids for coming to a country to study, even if for a short time. I'm not sure I'd have the guts to go to a foreign country where another language is spoken. 

Who knows, maybe my experience with these international students will make me want to study agriculture abroad. Their bravery certainly inspires me!

Week One Down!

I've made it to Saturday! First week of sophomore year down.

I am definitely in need of some time to get organized! My bedroom floor is still covered in packed boxes and totes, and I have yet to purchase a chair for my desk.

My friend Lauren (a junior with a whole extra year of experience under her belt) once told me each semester has its own flavor. I'm finding her words to be very true.

This semester is going to be yet another new experience. It's not new in that I have to figure everything out. I just have to adjust to off-campus life. And it's not new in that I know nobody. I am amazed at how many people I've randomly ran into that I actually did know! There's just something about this semester. I'm no longer the baby, rather I'm expected to have the college-thing down and hit the road running, yet I still often feel clueless! Life is a continual learning process.

So, what am I taking this year? It's a rather long list...

J2150: Multimedia- This is my lone J-School class of the semester, but I'm quite alright with that. Lecture was slightly overwhelming, but I think this class will be more fun than the other J-School classes I've experienced thus far. I'm required to start a new blog for that class (on the topic of multimedia, of course) so check that out to discover more of what I'm learning there.

Intro. to Rural Sociology- Sharon recommended this class, and the professor Mary Grigsby, to me. So far it's been really interesting to me. Sociology is the study of how people interact in societies, and rural sociology is an American version of that. They both deal with how people handle change, especially the Industrial Revolution, and Rural Sociology is a bit more hands on in getting into those communities to study and help. The other day we watched a video about a small town in Iowa. It featured a couple who'd lost their farm in the 80's farm crisis. I admit, I teared up a bit just because I know that could've been any number of people I know back home, could've even been us. I wasn't around, but I know my dad always talks about it as a challenging time for everyone. And then I think, are we headed that way again? Only time will tell, but in the mean time these are the stories I want to tell. Of these family's farms. Of the farms who were able to stay. Of all agriculturalists, because we are all connected.

Poetry- Yes, I'm taking a poetry class. Poetry is one of those modes of communication I wish I was better in, so here I go! The first day of class we had to introduce ourselves and tell who our favorite poet is. The only poet I could really think of that I truly liked (Edgar Allen Poe, Emily Dickinson, those all came to my mind, but they remind me too much of high school...) was Baxter Black. I love his poem "A Vegetarian's Nightmare." So, I got a lot of blank stares, but that's totally ok with me.

Fundamentals of Communication- This is a business communication class, so we're touching on business letter writing, memos, email... And of course how to communicate professionally. A lot of it is stuff you kind of innately pick up on (or google to make sure you use the right format), but it should be a very beneficial class. Now if only the book would come in from the bookstore....

Readings in Sci. & Ag J- We're reading and discussing four books in five weeks. Ok, some of them are partial books but still! My experience so far has been out of my comfort zone, but what's college about? Our professor, Bill, says this class is to "stretch our minds." We started with Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan, but now we've already moved on to Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman by Richard Feynman. We also do several creative writing assignments, which is right up my alley. Like I learned at Ag Media Summit, to be a good writer one must also be a good reader. These are great writers, and I love studying their techniques in writing. In the case of Botany of Desire, I may not always agree on the content but I can't deny Pollan's an excellent writer. He does a great job of pushing his point and persuading his reader to see his side of things. I hope someday I'll be writing books like his, only from a different perspective.

General Honors/Process of Ag Policy- Kathryn highly recommended this class to Breanne and I, so we are in it with a bunch of freshmen. It's amazing how a year really makes a difference! The point of class, which I'm very excited about, is for ag leaders of all different sectors to come into the class and speak. We'll be able to ask questions of them, and then we'll write a paper on the experience. I haven't seen the whole lineup of guest speakers yet, but I heard Duane Dailey will be our first visitor. I have never met him personally, but I have heard a lot about him so I'm excited to hear him speak.

Litton Leadership Scholar Program- I was selected, along with 14 other sophomores, to be a part of the inaugural Litton Leadership class. How exciting! There are five Sci. & Ag J students, which is exciting also. We may be a small program, but we definitely represent! Anyway... I took a look at the syllabus and it looks like a great personal and leadership development program. We even get to go to Chillicothe (my neck of the woods!) to meet the people who made this program possible, the Jerry Litton Family Memorial Foundation.

I think that about wraps it up for now. I've got a long weekend full of homework (mostly reading and writing) to do. I'd better get to it!

Twas the Night Before Classes...

Here we go again- classes start tomorrow!

Today I woke up bright and early, ready for the day. That's unusual and not likely to happen again for a while... It was my first Sunday back at Little Bonne Femme and it was extra special because Mom and Elizabeth got to come along since they were up for the weekend. Afterwards we did some last minute Walmart shopping and continued to put our house together.

Speaking of which, the house is coming along quite nicely. Our living room is the perfect combination of Western and Mizzou. It may sound like an odd combination, but with our Mizzou cow skull, deep brown leather chairs, wooden wheel clock and Mizzou throw pillows it is perfect. City, meet the country. We are here to stay!

I feel sort of bad for my roommates- they have to get up early for 8 and 9 a.m.'s while my earliest class this semester is at 9:30 and that's only two days. The rest are at 11 or noon... But I am happy because I think this will allow me to miss the morning traffic! Yay! Though don't worry, my city/highway driving is improving. 

I also got to see some of my friends from Missio Dei this evening at our back-to-school BBQ. Once I saw them I realized just how much I've missed them. I can't wait for us all to get together and catch up for real. Hopefully this week will give us a good idea of our schedules and how crazy this semester is going to be.

Tomorrow I have my intro to rural sociology class, which I am very excited about. Kathryn and Rachel took it last year and they liked it, and from what I've heard it seems right up my alley. Then I have my first J2150 (Multimedia- my final Journalism intro class) lecture. We'll see how that goes. 

Now I'd better get to reading "The Botany of Desire" for my Readings class. I'm not sure what I think of it right now. I can already tell the author and I have completely different viewpoints on life. The class discussion is sure to be interesting... I'm sure you will hear about it as we progress through the book. 

Good night!

This is it!

It's my last weekend at home before the fall semester of my sophomore year begins. The past couple of days I have been down in Columbia moving my stuff in and hanging with my housemates- Kathryn, my roommate from last year and Rachel, my roommate from the Missouri Agribusiness Academy. Life can be ironic sometimes, eh? But I don't believe in coincidences. My life is full of too many of them for me to believe that!

We had a few issues getting our wireless internet hooked up (and as I'm sure you've figured out I'm more dependent on the internet than I'd like to admit), but Dad had to be down for a work conference so he helped us figure it out. Yes, I may be a "big college kid" but I still need my daddy!

Before I left, we figured out where we are going to put our decorations. Our main theme is country. If we have to live in the city, we are going to be bringing the country with us! Hobby Lobby is our friend. They have had a wonderful sale on wooden and metal decorations (right up our alley- there was a whole Western selection!).

One of my cousins once posted "Country girls are made of clover and honey and all things sunny" on my Facebook page, a quote which I feels embodies our mission so I've decided to run with it. I took a picture of some clover the other night and I'm going to test my crafting skills. Mod podge, sepia photo printing, some canvas... We'll see how it goes.

Well, I have a whole list of things to get packed and bought tomorrow so I'd better get going!

A Final Word on Albuquerque

I basically jumped from one trip- Ag Media Summit in New Mexico, to another- Iowa. So, before I start talking about our adventures in the Amanas, I figured I'd better post the rest of my pictures from Albuquerque.

Breanne and I when we first arrived

The Native American heritage is very prominent in New Mexico

We saw climbing ivy on many buildings. The soft, deep green vegetation against the rough, light-colored buildings was beautiful.

This is one of many gift shops in the area. The turquoise stands out in my mind characterizing many of these buildings.

An example of what I think of as the "Old West," which is very real and prominent here. 

Vendors selling handmade jewelry- mostly turquoise, lined the sidewalk.

Another thing that was very noticeable was the Hispanic influence, and with that Catholicism.

During the "Famous Welcome Party" we tried to gather as many Mizzou students and alums to take a picture with Boelte Bull, the mascot of one of our sponsors, Boelte-Hall.

It's Peaceful Up in the Air: A Catch Up on Creative Writing

Now for some Ag Media Summit Reflection.

Wow. Yep, I think I can reduce it to this three letter word. Ag Media Summit was quite the experience! I mean, getting to and exploring Albuquerque was one thing, but the actual conference was so wonderful.

I had the opportunity to attend two sessions in addition to a few of the ACT activities. The first I attended was "Making it Real: Evoking Place and Character" led by Pulitzer Prize finalist William deBuys. DeBuys is both an eloquent writer and speaker. He was phenomenal to listen to! His words rang with wisdom and experience, and I hung on to every word as they left his mouth.

The following are a few notes I took from his session.

• There are two parts to writing: the art and the craft. You can't teach the art, but you can develop the craft.
• There are three things to think about when writing:
• Place
• Use movement in your writing. 
• Use strong verbs rather than excessive adjectives to describe. 
• Think of place as a body- the heart is strong verbs
• Character & Personality
• Use voices, facial features, gait, hands... to describe people
• Collect names
• Let your characters speak for themselves- voice tone, diction, rhythm, silence... all reveal something
• Capture conflict and contradiction
• Narrative
• Everything is a journey
• Journey of intellect, emotion- love or hatred, sense of discovery; journeys within journeys
• Solve the puzzle
• Things don't always add up, pieces don't always match as well as they should
• Instinct is to make it work- don't. Trust your gut, don't ignore the issue. Take it as a hint that's where the real story is.
• Writers read, and writers write. Those two things can help make you a better writer.
• Revision is the heart of writing. Lay down the base track and rhythm, then go back and fine tune.

I especially like that part about good writers being good readers. When I was younger, my mom actually had to limit the number of books I read in a week. I guess all that reading is paying off!

Listening to deBuys made me excited to write! It's been a while since I've sat down and wrote something creative. I've got this blog, yes, but I haven't written any essays or articles since April. So, on the plane from Albuquerque to Dallas I took some time to do a little writing exercise. Here is a portion of it:

It's peaceful up here where the clouds gather beneath us. Today is mostly clear, unlike our flight Saturday.

We are above New Mexico and headed to Texas. Never have I seen such a dry, arid land. It's a far cry from my home in the rolling green hills of Missouri. 

The canyons and winding rivers below look like someone took a hammer to a rock and cracked it, the mountains like crusty ant hills. In the future, looking at a topographical globe will take on new meaning. 

We're crossing a sea of clouds now. The complimentary Mott's Tomato Juice slides down my throat. The flight attendant has been hard at work making sure my fellow passengers are comfortable. 

This is a large plane- we are in Row 30 and not quite in the very back. A baby screams from the front of the plane, but the distance between us muffles his voice. A little girl, maybe ten years old, with wiry brown hair and a freckle adorned face sits in front of me. Her dad sits next to her, her mom and sister in front of them. 

The girl clutches a small penguin stuffed animal, a teddy bear sits on her lap. When we took off, her penguin fell through the crack and landed on my lap. I handed it back to her, and she grinned. Periodically she turns and peaks her head around the seat to look at me. I smile, and she shyly turns back around. 

She opens her window and looks outside. The light is streaming brightly right onto my face, but I don't mind. Her dad must have been trying to sleep because he gets on to her. I learn Abby is her name. 

I look back out my window. The clouds are exactly what I imagine white, translucent mountains would look like. My eyes tell me they would feel like bouncy cotton balls, but my brain knows my hand would pass right through if I could touch them. As we descend upon the layer of mountainous clouds, the majestic beauty turns into mystery and contempt. They darken and soon we are enclosed. 

Blue peaks out, and I can see Dallas below. We are descending, and soon I will be on my way back to Kansas City and then home. Home. I must say, I'm ready. 

Okay, I think this is it for now. I just realized we're headed to Iowa tomorrow for a little family time before I have to go to school. Be sure to tune in later though, a lot more happened at AMS!

What's This Wet Stuff Coming From the Sky?

My family picked Breanne and I up from the airport and we ate at Cracker Barrel. I was in need of some good old fashioned comfort food Midwest style. Mexican is good, but give me mashed potatoes and this girl is happy.

We're now on our way home and headed straight through a storm. We noticed the sky turn an eery color and the clouds grow heavy when we made a shopping stop. The wind blew strongly against us as we ran inside.

But now, as we are traveling, we realize- oh it's just a thunderstorm! Guess its just been so long since we've seen wet stuff fall from the sky!

Perhaps too long. We just passed a fire along the highway. Dad says probably from lightning striking dry ground. Firefighters are out there now. Traffic slowed down for a while, but we are back up to speed now.

Wow- its been quite the night!

Homeward Bound

Goodbye Dallas!

Goodbye City of Enchantment, Hello Home of the Dallas Cowboys

Four cities and four modes of transportation in four days! And I've added two new states to my repertoire of states travel.

Right now I'm sitting in the Dallas airport waiting to board my final flight in twenty minutes. We just got off the little train that takes you to whatever gate location you need. This is a huge airport! Quite the change for this small-town girl!

I spent the flight here writing, which truly made my heart feel good. It wasn't much, just a little description exercise, but hopefully once I get to an actual computer I'll be able to post it. Now that I'm not terrified off flying, I can actually relax and I'm surprised at how peaceful it is up in the air.

Here's my final picture of Albuquerque.

Today is the Show!

I have a lot to say about Ag Media Summit, but I'll leave everything I've learned for a reflection post. Right now I need to get ready for the day.

Today we put on the show we have been working on since May. It's exciting- all our blood, sweat and tears (figuratively of course...) have boiled down to this. I'm not extremely nervous about it, but I am really glad we will be able to practice with the speakers. Let's hope everything goes smoothly!

Breanne is running for National ACT Office today (I decided not to since I'm pretty sure I have to take a pretty time intensive class next spring), so all the best wishes to her!

Oh, and we (yes I say we, as you are part of it too!) won 1st place in the ACT Critique Contest for Online Publication with Journey of an Ag Advocate! That's pretty exciting because I didn't expect to get anything. I'm hoping we will get our critiques soon- I'm always up for suggestions on how to make things better.

Well, I'll be off now. Seriously, I have much to say. There have been more than one adventure on this trip! More later...

Adventures in Albuquerque

Well, I must say. I am tired. After a 4 a.m. wake-up call, two flights, running around Albuquerque and our first conference event: an ACT pool party, I am finally ready to get some shut-eye.

After we got situated into our hotel rooms, Marilyn, Breanne and I hit the town to find some lunch. The concierge at the hotel suggested a Mexican restaurant a few blocks over so we decided to give it a try.

It turns out this little place was featured on the Food Network channel!

Afterwards, Breanne and I decided to tour Old Town, an area with lots of touristy gift shops. The lady at the front desk said the best way to get there was by city bus, so we decided to give it a try. Boy was that an experience! First we walked the two-and-a-half blocks to a bus stop, then discovered we were at the wrong stop and ran across the road when we saw the bus pull up. The bus driver was super friendly. I'm sure he thought we were crazy, these two girls who were obviously not from around here. We explained where we wanted to go, and when our stop came he kindly told us. When we got on the bus to go back to the hotel, I really wished he was driving our bus! More on that a little later....

So we meandered along, looked at the selection of New Mexico goods and stopped to watch a little concert going on in the park. It was original music written by a lady of Native American heritage in the traditional Native American style. A man in traditional Native American clothes danced to the music, and in some cases played a supporting instrument. It was very neat to see, though unfortunately I didn't get very many good pictures of it.

The architecture in Albuquerque, and I'm sure many other parts of the American Southwest, is so beautiful! The heavy dark wooden doors, the black iron fences, the stucco, the bright pops of turquoise... it's absolutely gorgeous. Also, I noticed it was warm- the sun was shining brightly and I even got a little burnt, but the heat was bearable because it was just heat. None of that sticky humid mess we've been having at home!

When we finally had our share of old town Albuquerque, we decided to head back to the bus. We hopped on the bus at the stop we'd been let off at. Away we went, and we kept driving and driving. No longer were we in areas with lots of big stores, we were in areas with little stores and construction. Eventually we stopped. But we stopped at the bus station. The bus driver got up from his seat and told us we had to get off. Uh oh, spaghetti-os! I think my face must have turned pale white...

The bus driver had a little mercy on us- he said his shift was up but another guy was coming to take over the route so the bus could still take us back around the loop. We breathed a sigh of relief and waited for departure. We lost a bit of time, but everything turned out ok. And we got to see more of the city than we'd originally planned!

Looking back, we realized we should have crossed the street to the bus stop on the other side of the road so we wouldn't reach the end of the route, but hindsight is 20-20, and we got an adventure out of it. This is just another of those memories I won't soon forget!

When we (finally) got back, Breanne and I met one of our roommates. We attended our first conference activity: an ACT pool party, and now we are both trying to catch up on our blogging. Check out what she's writing about at traveling-aggie.blogspot!

Well, tomorrow is when everything really starts! And we have our first working assignment, so I think I'll turn in for the night!

Good Morning Colorado!

Well, we've made it through the first leg of our journey to New Mexico. After discovering they had switched our terminal to A from C at MCI, we scurried (that's about the best description I can think of) we finally boarded and headed to Denver.

Wow- it really puts things into perspective when you see how tiny things are below you! And the clouds kind of looked like fluffy white cotton candy.

We landed in Denver just a bit ago, got slightly lost (we made it out of the maze though!), made a bathroom stop and made our way back on a plane. Next stop: Albuquerque!

We didn't have enough time to take a decent picture of Denver so this will have to suffice.

And We're Off!

Good morning! It's take-off day!

Breanne and I managed to get everything we'll need for Albuquerque in what we consider to be carry-on luggage. We'll see if security is on the same page as us soon...

We're Going Mobile!

You might have noticed my post yesterday was primarily a picture with a few words. I am trying out something new- Blogger mobile. I downloaded it yesterday for my phone. Reason being: Albuquerque. I don't think I'll have a lot of extra time to sit down and actually write a regular post (though I will definitely try!) but I still want to keep you updated. My solution is blogging on the go. I've heard other, more professional, people do it so I'm going to give it a try!

Obviously there are a few glitches to work out. You might have noticed the picture was a little too big for my formatting. I discovered how to manually go in and fix that, but if I'm out and about I'm not sure what will happen. So, I apologize in advance if the pictures are too big.

Well, I'd better get back to packing. My room is a mess from trying to figure out what I am moving down to Columbia this fall, so it's a bit of a challenge. 

Oh, and I am considering running for a National ACT office while I'm down at the conference in New Mexico. Any thoughts? Comment below!

Farm Safety at the Fair

Kathryn was on the radio! She is teaching fair goers the importance of farm safety.

Just Another Day and Another Adventure (or two or three...)

Yesterday was a jam packed day! We visited the stores in Jamesport, Trenton, Chillicothe and stopped just short of heading to St. Jo. I don't usually do much shopping around here, I rarely have reason to. So even though we were close to home it was an adventure for me too!

Jamesport has lots of unique stores, but it seems like they are all geared towards the tourists who come in from the city. The prices are a little higher than I want to spend because of that. I did find a couple of items I may have to go back for- a ladder you hang on the wall for picture frames or nic nacs and an old set of windows you could write on.

Honestly, Walmart was probably our best stop. We got some canvas and painting supplies which we will use to make our own art. Then I got a picture frame that has a rustic looking wired design with flowers. Things are starting to come together, which is wonderful!

On the way home we picked up some blizzards and cheese curds from Dairy Queen (ice cream and fried cheese...could it get any better?) and then stopped by a Redbox to pick up a couple of movies. Lock Out was Kathryn's pick, and Mirror Mirror was my pick. (By the way, Mirror Mirror was super cute. If you liked The Princess Bride, this is the same kind of humor. It's cheesy, my favorite!)

After we got home and started winding down (I was tired after a long day of shopping!), we discovered an issue.

I turned the water on in the shower, and I thought the water pressure felt a little low. Uh, oh. Houston we have a problem!

I called up Dad who directed me to the water meter out front. After popping off the lid, I discovered my arms are too short to reach down in the hole so I yelled for Elizabeth, and Kathryn brought out a flashlight. No water on in the house, meter still running. Whoops, we've got a leak somewhere! So we turned the water off, and we are now very appreciative of the modern convenience of running water. We're definitely making it (thankfully Mom had just picked up a case of bottled water!), but I will be ready to take a shower ASAP.

Oh, and Albuquerque is in like a day and a half. I'm not packed yet, I should probably get on that. We'll see if I can get all of my stuff in a little suitcase so I don't have to check a bag.