New Obsession

Whew! After writing 8 posts commenting on articles sent to me I can finally write about my adventure last week which of course has developed into my latest obsession. Just adding to that already lengthy list...

For four days last week I was kayaking and camping and getting all rivery. It was the first time I had ever kayaked but I loved it within the first mile. I love the feeling of having unlimited strength and being able to do anything I want to do and thats how I feel while kayaking. We did 48 miles in three days and if it was feasible to use kayaking as a main means of transportation, I so would!

Some of the highlights of the trip were the sunflowers that followed us along the entire 48 miles of the river we traveled down; the gigantic sand dune we sprinted down and leapt into the river from during a lunch break; washing my hair in the river as a fish swam past my legs; taking refuge in a farmer's house after a huge storm broke three of our tents and watching the Olympics on mute with Harry and Linda.

The trip was led by my mom's friend Jo. They were best friends in high school and had their first apartment together. They became reacquainted this spring and Jo invited me to be her second camp counselor for this adventure. She is one of the most positive individuals I have ever met and rolls with the punches effortlessly and gracefully. She also was a professional chef at one point so her camp food rocked!

Favorite Flower

One of the reasons I am always so readily thrilled to jump in my 15-year-old car and drive either twelve hours east or 6 hours (5 when I am driving) west is because I can see fields and fields of my favorite flower. There is something both magical and whimsical about sunflowers. I blogged about them a lot last summer because my grandpa appreciated them too and we would have surprisingly in depth conversations about the loveliness of sunflowers.

My mom, being the good bird friend that she so prides herself on being, sprinkles about a gallon of birdseed in our drive way and front yard daily. Thus we now have about 8-feet tall volunteer sunflowers that have popped up like a security fence at the end of our driveway in front of the antique headboard that serves as a trellis for a pink rose.

Coffee, Swimming, and Skunks

This past weekend, Jackie, my mom, and I drove out to Spearfish to hang with the fam. We spent the weekend in coffee shops and one particular visit we happened to walk into Common Grounds during a folk band's practice session. They sang about not eating hot soup with your hands- to give you an idea of their musicality.

Jackie, Brytten and I hung out at the water park and I had one of the most adorable grown-up sister moments with Brytten. She and I went down a double-tube slide and she insisted on sitting backwards so we faced each other on our tube and giggled during the entire trip down. Its an odd realization when you and your only sister are both grownups. In the last year Brytten and I have only seen each other about half a dozen times which is completely different from living in the same house. She and I appreciate each other that much more because of how infrequently we see each other and when we say goodbye after a weekend we aren't always positive when we will see each other again.

On Friday night when we first got there we were all sitting on my grandparent's deck and my grandma started explaining how during a recent ending-of-a-skunk's-life on my grandpa's part, my grandma wanted the skunk's death to be used as a life lesson for my 7 and 5-year-old cousins because as she said, "Bad things get shot." This phrase became quite the thing particularly with my mom and my grandpa naming off the "bad things to be shot" in recent history. Everyone from Al Capone and Bonnie and Clyde was named. The next morning in the newspaper my grandpa read an article about Bonnie and Clyde's entire gun collection being sold and my grandpa joked that he was going to mortgage the house to buy the coveted collection.

Sunday morning brought another skunk's death. My grandpa had trapped it in his garden by placing a duck egg in a trap and the skunk ate the entire egg, shell and all. So because no one else was awake at the time he asked my mom to go help him. As she started to say something he thought she was going to complain about having to shoot a gun and kill the skunk when in actuality she was about to complain about her being the last thing the skunk saw before it died. Then to enhance matters as only my mother could, when my grandpa fired his gun (which keep in mind- they live in a very peaceful residential neighborhood) all my mom could think was, "He popped a cap in his ass!" Then she got the hell out.

We didn't see my grandpa for a long time and when he finally emerged and thank god, smelled normal, I got in trouble for not being willing to rescue him if he had indeed needed rescuing. He said he would never rescue me. I don't really believe him.

Spearfish Creek 

It should not surprise anyone that I didn't get a picture of the skunk...

Road-Trippin'

Nearly a month ago, Jackie, Molly and I were roadtripping to Indiana in my car that now I am so thankful survived the 1500-mile trip. Many college students look to road tripping as the ultimate way to bond with their friends and explore new areas of the country that they may have never taken family vacations to as children with their families. Hence why the three of us eagerly stopped for a picture in a 'put-your-face-in-a-hole' at a winery in Iowa. Side note: the great state of Iowa has a ton of winerys!

Road trip pic taken in a gas station somewhere between Sioux Falls, SD and South Bend, IN

Touchdown Jesus! Never would have happened if it weren't for an epic road trip 

Take hotel pics while taking a break from jumping on the bed. All the best road trippers do it

This article presented to me by top10onlineuniversities.org is titled, "Top 7 Road Trip Destinations for College Students" and can be found here.

The typical Florida and Las Vegas destinations are listed but one that I thought was an excellent suggestion is New Orleans, Louisiana. I have been to New Orleans a few times and I agree that it is a great road trip destination. There is so much rich culture that is utterly unique to that area of the country and the houses are absolutely stunning.

I am, of course always up for a Spearfish road trip which is happening for the second time this summer tomorrow with my mamacita and Jackie! Woo hoo!

Home Again

As any good Norwegian Viking - or at least an Augustana Viking - would say, "Ufdah!" I am on a roll. Here is once again another article I was asked to comment on that was sent to me by homeinsurance.org and the article is "8 Clever Ways to Turn Your Home Into a Summer Getaway" and can be found here: http://www.homeinsurance.org/8-clever-ways-to-turn-your-home-into-a-summer-getaway/

I liked the article's theme of pretending. We can feel like we are on a vacation even if we are in the same house we spend nearly 365 days a year in. The article also incorporates ideas on the importance of pampering oneself and enjoying the space you occupy throughout the year. We can make our living spaces our own with minimal effort usually.

The first suggestion was to redecorate. We can easily feel stagnant if our house encourages us to feel that way. Simple things like displaying different photographs or artwork can be easy changes to make to any space whether its a dorm room or your first home.

Another suggestion was to act like you are on vacation in a very real way. Thus leave chocolates on your own pillows. Love that idea!

The next suggestion was accompanied by this gem of a photo-

This suggestion encouraged spa days and pampering yourself. A simple way to do this, I have found, is to regularly invest in Walgreen's nail polish stock and rock a power nail, or two. 

Business-Savy

Yet another article I was asked to comment on can be found on onlinemba.com and is titled, "The 25 Best Business Novels to Dig Into This Summer." Ok truth time: I have only taken one business-related course at Augustana and rely a whole lot on my mother to explain the business-y things I will someday only hope to understand. I should probably start tackling this list now...

Or watch the movies that several of these books have been made into...

After just briefly browsing through the list I was impressed by the general theme that these books take on: Try with all your might to succeed in a designated area.
A.K.A. Be a good college student.

Check out the article here: http://www.onlinemba.com/blog/the-25-best-business-novels-to-dig-into-this-summer/

Additionally I love F. Scott Fitzgerald and never looked at The Great Gatsby as a business novel but rather a look at one of the most fascinating decades. I love reading books in a new light so maybe I will attempt to put on my businesswoman hat and reread this American classic.

Stuck in School?

Another article I was asked to blog about doesn't exactly hit home for me during this lazy-of-all-laziness summer but it definitely does for a lot of my friends that are taking summer classes to get ahead. And on a side note I am once again grateful for my major and minors that overlap one another with several classes. This article titled, "8 Ways to Make Summer School Feel Like a Vacation" was presented to me by onlinedegreeprograms.com and can be found here: http://www.onlinedegreeprograms.com/blog/2012/8-ways-to-make-summer-school-feel-like-a-vacation/

Because its me and I live the 9 months of the year that aren't technically classified as summer like its summer -which is hard to do when you live in South Dakota- I think this list could apply all year round.

1. Study by the pool
I definitely agree that alternative study places are necessary especially when you can soak up some Vitamin D

2. Take mini vacations
These could be anything... a quick weekend road trip, a bike ride in the middle of the day, a pedicure...

3. Read for pleasure
This should absolutely be done all year! As college students we have to read a lengthy list of books as a requirement. Reading books that we choose to find intriguing keeps your interests sparked, thus making you a better learner.

4. Reward yourself
I would suggest the same things as the mini vacations

5. Explore your college town
This is proving to be more and more important! I wasn't really aware of this since I went to a college in my hometown but when my sister went to school 6 hours away I saw how important it is to not only invest yourself in your campus but in the town you will spend more of the next four years, if not many after that, in.

6. Go out and have fun
Duh! You will exhaust yourself basically immediately if you are in school mode all the time

7. Take classes in subjects you love
... Hence why I will graduate with an art minor

8. Sleep in
Definitely. You need it. One of the most relaxing things is going to sleep without an alarm set.

Summer Reading

Summer is the season of sunshine, hammocks, swimming, hiking, and of course reading. From the time we are able to read we start drafting a summer reading list. Much to my mother's unwarranted perplexity, I read the same four books every summer to kick off my own summer reading list. I, of course, then add new reads to the list but I think of these four as a staple to my summer. My absolute favorite book, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, is the foundation of my summer and I make it a personal goal to get as many of my friends as possible to adopt it as their favorite book as well.

I blogged about this book last summer here and quoted some of my favorite quips and passages. It was interesting to read it again this summer and underline/highlight/dog-ear different parts of the book that jumped out at me. That's the thing about reading the same book multiple times... It stays the same but you are different. Thus its definitely like reading a totally different book, Mother! And she is the woman that reads books multiple times simply because she forgets that she has already read them. At least I do it with a purpose.

And now here is what 2012 decided were my favorite parts of this lovely book:

“Susan Scott said you took to the audience at the luncheon like a drunkard to rum - and they to you.”

Ok, maybe I just liked this line because this happens to be the summer I turned 21...

“I can’t think of anything lonelier than spending the rest of my life with someone I can’t talk to, or worse, someone I can’t be silent with.” 

So true...

“The hairs, they are a disaster.”

This is my sentiment basically every day..

“He had no imagination, either- fatal for one engaged in child-rearing.”

After living with my mom again I realize that an imagination is necessary in one's hopes of being a good parent...

“I am a grown woman - mostly - and I can guzzle champagne with whomever I choose.” 

Again, that whole turning 21 thing...

“I didn’t ask if you were in love with him, I asked what his favorite animal was.”

That is obviously an important characteristic in a person

“... defying her will be such a pleasure.”

I have become quite defiant in the last year

“increasing personhood”

This may be one of the loveliest things I have ever read. I hope I have increasing personhood throughout all my days.

“Now he talks to himself, which I find terribly endearing since I do, too.” 

Who doesn't? 

“I remember lying in our hay-loft reading The Secret Garden with a cowbell beside me. I’d read for an hour and then ring the bell for a glass of lemonade to be brought to me. Mrs. Hutchins, the cook, finally grew weary of this arrangement and told my mother, and that was the end of my cowbell, but not my reading in the hay.” 

This is precisely why summer reading is so necessary 

A Weekend for Megan

Woah! Long time, no blogging. That's ok, this post will make up for that little hiatus!

This past weekend was quite possibly the greatest weekend of my life. Here's the story...

Last summer, my second cousin, Megan Willkom was diagnosed with a devastating cancer and in the last year her entire family - near and far - has rallied behind her. And after spending the weekend with her one would wonder if there has ever been someone Megan met that wasn't instantly drawn to her. She is stunning in every way and extraordinarily vivacious.

On Friday of last week my friends, Jackie, Molly and I hit the road and spent the next 12 hours in my 15-year-old, un-air-conditioned car. They were troopers... so was my car. Once we arrived in South Bend, Indiana I was elated for the entire weekend. My cousins commented on the fact that I seem to always be smiling and why wouldn't I be? I was surrounded by family that I haven't seen in eight whole years and met phenomenal people. A theme of the weekend was all the good that has come to the Willkom family even through such an unfathomable hardship that cancer truly is.

We spent those three days with my awesome family, exploring the gorgeous Notre Dame campus, and celebrating Megan and her life.

Here is the highlight of the weekend, besides Megan's benefit on Sunday.

On Saturday night my cousin Ross, his girlfriend Maureen, Jackie and I went across the street from our hotel to Applebees for a drink. We were making fun of ourselves for drinking at the 'neighborhood bar and grill' on a Saturday night but we soon realized it was the absolutely perfect place for us to be at that time. Through showing our ID's from various states the bartender asked why we were all there. We started explaining Megan's benefit and I passed around the fliers I had stored in my purse advertising the event and Ross and Maureen gave out rubber awareness bracelets promoting LMS awareness. As the night progressed we got to know our fellow Applebee's bar-goers and one amazing gentleman bought the entire tab for everyone at the bar and wrote us a check for $1000 for Megan's benefit.

It was truly the greatest moment of my life. Everyone hears stories about stunning gifts of generosity but it is the most peculiar emotion to feel when you are actually experiencing such generosity from a complete stranger. Crying into your drink brought on a different meaning after that moment...

Needless to say, we were glad we ran across four streets of traffic to hit up the family-oriented bar!

I was in awe of this part of my family the entire weekend. The Willkom family seems to be fully encompassed by a genuine positive energy that never escapes them no matter the difficulties that befall their family. They are so united and truly love one another, not just because they are family, but because they know they have been united to some of the best people on earth. You see this family and see how much they all mean to each other and you simply want to do something good for them.

Me and my cousin Beth

Me and my incredible cousin, Megan 

Me and my cousin Katie's daughter Maddie

The trip was definitely the highlight of my summer and possibly the greatest weekend of my life.

South Dakota in Summer

This weekend I took advantage of all that South Dakota can offer for summer entertainment. Saturday morning, my friends, Katie and Jenny and I went to the Festival of Cultures at Falls Park. There was color everywhere and beautiful textiles. While Katie and Jenny noshed on authentic Ethiopian food I stroked silk bracelets, tried on rings made from semi-precious stones, and admired authentic dresses from around the world.

Then came Teapot Days which celebrates the lovely town of Tea, South Dakota, where my best friend, Jackie calls home. We attended a pork feed, explored the Tea Museum which contains exactly what you think such a museum would display and went to a carnival even though the Miles sisters were afraid of the ferris wheel.

Not a bad weekend at all!

To Summer School or Not to Summer School?

A new website geared for college students, hattoss.com, contacted me to post about their recent blog post discussing the benefits of college students taking summer classes. I am not the expert on summer classes because I was able to avoid taking any during my entire college career. However, practically all of my friends at Augie and other schools have taken several during their college careers.

My friend, Chris is taking Econ this summer to get ahead and not have to worry about taking it in conjunction with three science classes during a normal semester. I am super helpful and text him ridiculous pick-up lines to help pass the time and distract him while learning about supply and demand.

Here's my fave:

Are you a parking ticket because you have FINE written all over you!

So for those of you that are more diligent with your studies during the school year check out this new article here http://www.hattoss.com/education/2012/06/13/8-reasons-to-go-to-summer-school/

I poked around the website and there are a plethora of other beneficial articles for college students and young adults looking to the next stage in life to check out!

Should You Take a Gap Year?

I have once again been contacted by Onlinecolleges.com to comment on one of their blog posts "7 Things You Can Do During a Gap Year", which thrills me. This particular one was especially intriguing to me because earlier last week, my hall director turned best friend, Adam and I were discussing how he spent his "gap year."

Taking a gap year between undergraduate school and graduate school is a common option for many young adults. Adam spent a month living in St. Paul with his friend Paul (he didn't see the correlation there until I pointed it out), working odd jobs including acting as a substitute teacher for a middle school sex ed course, and traveling around Europe for two weeks.

In less than a year I will have to figure out exactly how I want my life, or at least the next year or so, to look after graduation. This article details the plethora of options college students can look into during their gap year, or even their gap summer which will probably be the case for me before I start my graduate work.


Here is what I think of their list:

1. Travel
    Oh hells yes! As a PA I haven't had the chance to leave Augie's campus and explore all the nooks and crannies of the world that I know I will. My gap summer will definitely be spent exploring and seeing different versions of myself around the world. I know that me in Ireland or China or New Zealand would be different than the me at Augie.

2. Work
     Obviously the least exciting option but quite necessary. So many of my friends that graduated just a couple weeks ago are on the job hunt. Do what you love and enjoy being wherever you are, even if it is work.

3. Volunteer
     I really like this option and I think a lot of us young adults forget this very excellent way to spend our time. I was really impressed when my friend Jackie said she was going to volunteer while she is completely pharmacy school.

4. Study
    So many of my friends and I consider ourselves lifetime learners and we haven't even lived that much of our lives. Studying doesn't necessarily mean sitting by artificial lighting forcing information into our brains. However I think reading a good book, people watching, and going for nature walks can all be considered studying. Or that just might be the hippie in me...

5. Meditate
    Oh goodness yes. After a grueling, non-stop four years take some time to breathe and feel yourself touch the ground. Feel yourself centered and experiencing things as they happen not as they fly past you.

6. Get Healthy
    College can often make us less healthy than we would prefer. Take the opportunity and ability to make grownup decisions and plan and cook your own meals and develop exercise plans that you enjoy. I think even maintaining your friendships makes you a healthier you. Healthy is a very broad term so determine what kind of healthy you want to be and what works for you.

7. Be Creative
    I firmly believe that doing something creative even once a week makes us feel like a better version of ourselves. Get paint on your hands, push your intellect to write, make your own baubles and jewelry. Even updating our wardrobes and wearing outfits that are thoughtfully put together is an expression of creativity.

I try to stress this to as many people as possible and especially to anyone that really needs to hear it: As young adults we are in our prime. There is nothing we can't do and we truly can determine what we want our lives to look like. Decide what kind of person you want to be and utilize many different outlets to do so. Enjoy your four years and look forward to the next stage of cultivating the person you became in college to the person you will be for the next chapter and for the rest of the world.

One Year

I have now been writing "Good at Summer" for one year and two days. June 6th - the actual anniversary of this blog - was a crazy busy (not!) day spent at the DMV, drinking wine and catching some sun, coffee with Adam, and enjoying Mama Ladas complete with sangria with Kaycee. Obviously no time for blogging.

Before I start talking about this last year I must share my DMV experience. I finally went to get my official grown-up, super legal, 21-year-old license on Wednesday (five days after my birthday). I was there for an hour and half and while I was enjoying that long waiting period I was watching the videos about both families involved in an organ donation and of course, being me, I started to cry. Yes, I cried at the DMV! Thus the ONLY picture I have ever taken in which I am not smiling while showing all my teeth is on my license. The license that I don't renew until 2017...

I am ridiculously proud of the fact that I have written this blog for an entire year. I originally started writing it for a variety of reasons. I knew at the beginning of last summer that I was going to have three months of memorable experiences while living with my grandparents in Spearfish, working at a fish hatchery and not doing anything with fish, exploring other parts of the country with my aunt and uncle, and growing into being a grownup. It only made sense to continue writing it when I was back at Augie.

As I approach another summer of what can only be memorable experiences and my senior year that will be accompanied by a staggering list of bittersweet "lasts", I can only imagine what the posts I write in the next year will look like and how they will define another incredible year in my life. Here's to another year of being good at summer year round and two a second year of blogging.

The first picture ever uploaded to this blog. A Blueberry Pomegranate Fruit Tea Blast at Green Bean

My "Grandpa" Mug

Enjoying the rodeo on the Fourth of July before we started checking out cowboy butts with binoculars

Camille and Grandpa on Duck Day

I am the awesome cousin that taught them how to make s'mores

Sam the S'more Pro

I am also the awesome cousin that took them to a water park for the first time

My summer uniform 

Three friends about to go to another friend's wedding

Solberg ladies at Nick's wedding

My first married friend

Molly Olly and I dancing at Nick's wedding

My best friend

The first occasion in which Matt wore my shorts

The Men of Solberg

Solberg Women at Laura's 22nd birthday

The first reunion for my 1N girls

Four friends at Touch of Europe

Pre-Queenship

My best friend was Homecoming Queen

Gaga-ified 

The second time Matt wore my shorts

Palisades on November 1st!

Three Cousins

Holidays in Solberg

Holidays in Solberg

Holidays in Solberg 

Sol-idays

My 1N girls who became PA's

That one time I cut 14 inches off my hair!

Such a beauty!

Spearfish Canyon with my sister! 

Jackie and I in Spearfish Canyon

Goofballs

Who else visits Mt.Rushmore during spring break?

My favorite person

Campaigning

Dance Team Captains!

Sara Bareillis Concert!

Sara Bareillis Concert!

Rachel and I at the PA Benefit

Dressing as our boss

The Man. The Legend. 

I adore her 

Preschool Graduation is a big deal

First 5K!

5K runners!

Reunion with Becca!

He is a stud

My 2N girls 

New Years Eve

Cow. Crap.

21!!!!!

My best friend in the entire world would of course jump off a dock fully clothed with me 

A year of being good at summer