This year has been nothing short of an incredible experience. 365 days ago today, I woke up, drove to Sidecar Coffee for one last morning cappuccino as an Iowa resident, and embarked on a journey I was both excited yet nervous for. I don't think my words need to be more complex to better describe my feelings. I was excited to be beginning my next adventure yet nervous for everything unknown.
---- I began writing this blog back in late July, then August happened. So now that we’re well into September, I still wanted to share with you all about my first year in Mankato ----
-- August 2017 --
I moved to Mankato on 8/1, started my job on 8/3, and I met my staff on 8/5. Those 5 days started me on a path of learning that I was expecting but wholly unprepared for. Everything in Mankato was new. Everything at Minnesota State University, Mankato was new. Everything about Residential Life was new. Heck, even all of my furniture was new. The only thing that felt consistent in my life at the time was the fact that I knew come Sunday that I could walk in to a church here in Mankato and feel comfortable- even if the church was new too.
-- September 2017 --
I quickly learned that everybody in Minnesota is extremely proud of their state. The greatest distinction I saw between how Minnesotans and Iowans expressed their love is that Minnesotans are verbally and visually proud of Minnesota- to them, everything is great here. Iowans are used to the rest of the country talking down to them because we come from fields of corn and there is nothing to do. Iowans, on the contrary, are well aware that the state has a lot to offer. I speak of this because in September, I found those two ideals at odds with many of the individuals I talked to. My staff team quickly pointed out how horrible Iowa is and it has been my mission since to show the great people of Minnesota how cool Iowa actually is. To date, they've been most impressed with Scratch Cupcakery and Sidecar Coffee but my work is no where near complete. Also, I BOUGHT A CAR! Much like my experience interviewing and accepting this job, I had told myself I would look at cars in September and then make a purchase in October. Well, I saw "the one" online on a Sunday afternoon. Called to look at it on Monday. Then drove it off the lot on a Tuesday. It wasn't the game plan, but I've learned that my plans sometimes stink and I need to roll with whatever comes my way- hence, my new Chevy Cruze.
-- October 2017 --
Over the years, worshiping in church has been hard for me. I know that I can sing well, and I don't say that to gloat, but to help preface the next few sentences. Early on in my years at UNI, I found myself worshipping in church for the people in the seats in front of me rather than for God. I would sing harmonies and try to project louder with the hope that they would turn around after church to tell me that I was a great singer. I was seeking their approval for something that isn't meant for them. So I withdrew from that practice. I intentionally started standing in the back of services so that there was distance between me and the people in front of me. It was this practice that allowed me to refocus my heart on what worship is. As I started attending a new church in Mankato, I was excited to get plugged in more. I decided to take a chance on something I had never done before so I auditioned for my church's worship team. The experience has been really good- as I have learned that nothing I do on stage is for the people in front of me, but for true and pure worship to God.
-- November 2017 --
I went to my first Residential Life professional conference this month, UMR-ACUHO. It was here that I realized how small the world of Res Life actually is, as I found myself running into several people I knew from my time at UNI who were now working in Res Life at other institutions. The conference really helped me grow in my confidence as a Res Life professional because it helped me to better see how my work in Res Life was impacting the student experience.
-- December 2017 --
CURLING!! This was the month that I realized how long winters in Minnesota actually were going to be and that I needed to figure out how to pass the time before I could get back outside in some shorts. Enter the Mankato Curling Club. On the first Saturday of December, I spent 3 hours in a Learn to Curl class with about 20 other people. We fell a lot on the ice, and our curling skills were incredibly below sub-par, but we didn't care- it was fun. That day, I met the owner of a local restaurant in town who invited me to curl on his team for a short 3 week beginners league starting up the following week. I jumped on the chance and spent one night a week continuing to hon in on my below average skills. By the end of the 3 week league, I was still incredibly horrible at curling, but it was fun. The most fun I had had in Minnesota in a while. Curling was good, and I'm excited to do it again this coming winter.
-- January 2018 --
ROUND 2- here we go. The beginning of January brought around the start of the 2nd semester and a second chance at walking through CA Training with my team. This time I was so much more prepared than the first time around. We started the new year with a renewed energy and commitment to making Stadium Heights a better place for our residents to live. January was the month I started feeling like I was getting into the groove of being a Hall Director. It was also the month that I started working on my application to reapply for my job. That's right. I was hired in July 2017 on a temporary basis with my contract set to expire in June 2018. January was the month where I started the 4 month interview process toward finding out if Mankato would be home in July 2018 or not.
-- February 2018 --
February was a cold and uneventful month but after several months of constant travelling to different parts of the midwest, I finally had a solid 4 weekends to stay in Mankato. That being said, February was also the month where I played host to friends on almost every weekend. Hosting friends has been one of my absolute favorite things about moving to Mankato. My community in Cedar Falls was incredible and being able to show my people my new home has been really fun. One of those weekends, I took the plunge into the world of skiing and after a full day of hitting the slopes at Mt. Kato, I’m hooked. Did I fall? Yes, but only once and it was 4 hours into the day, so I feel like that’s pretty good.
-- March 2018 --
In March, I had the chance to attend UNI Dance Marathon for the first time as an alum and absolutely loved getting to watch the DM Leadership Team host an incredible event for the kids. Back in Mankato, I got to select my team for the next year and begin thinking about what I wanted to accomplish as a Hall Director in year 2, if I was asked back in my role. Year after year, March tends to be one of my favorite months of the year because of the opportunity to head to Kingston, Jamaica, on a missions trip. This year was special, though, as this was the first year that I served as a leader on the trip. While in country, I led a small group of college students from Iowa as we dove into scripture and experienced life in Jamaica together. On top of the normal routine in country, I had the chance to watch some of the students I’ve built relationships with over the years show off their skills on their espresso machine. That included taking a trip to the U.S. Embassy in Jamaica to see some of the managers of Deaf Can! Coffee serving drinks to U.S. Embassy employees. This helped me bring full circle the transformation I have been witnessing over the years in Jamaica. The whole idea behind Deaf Can! Coffee is that deaf individuals CAN do things, they are capable of many things and that was put on full display as U.S. Embassy employees actively sought out purchasing drinks from Deaf Can! Coffee baristas.
-- April 2018 --
In April, I had my on campus interview and wrapped up my months long interview process with Minnesota State, Mankato, and accepted an offer to continue working as a Hall Director here! It was a long process but one that helped solidify Mankato as home, something I had been anxious about for several months. I like stability and the process of not knowing what life would hold in several months was not fun at all. April was pretty hard for me, not only for that uncertainty but because spring was still so far away. Mid way through April, Mankato was hit with a blizzard that dumped more than 15 inches of snow on the ground and let me tell you, the idea that the seasons impact your mood was never more of a reality for me than in April this year- April was tough.
-- May 2018 --
May brought about a lot of weird but good changes. My team and I moved over 100 residents out the first week of May while just shy of 100 continued to live with us for the summer months. That transition meant on boarding a new team of CAs pretty quickly and preparing for the “Summer at Stadium”. May was also the month that I signed up to play on my church’s softball team. For any of you who knew me growing up, you are well aware that sports were just not my thing- from tee ball to 6th grade little league baseball, I’m fairly positive I only hit the ball a grand total of 10 times. I often tell people the story of my 6th grade season where the coach offered to take the team out for ice cream after any game that I hit the ball in… That only ever happened once. That being said, though, slow pitch softball just might be the sport for me! I might not be the best outfielder ever, but you could count on me to get a base hit every time I went up to bat- I’m way proud of that.
-- June 2018 --
In June, I dared my team to dream big as we hosted summer events for the residents currently living at Stadium while also beginning the planning process for what the first semester would look like for the new residents moving in. It was in June that i was nominated by one of my team members as a Residential Life Professional of the month and the nomination was selected as a Regional Winner- that was a pretty neat thing to learn about. The most exciting part about June, though, was that our family grew a bit! My brother, Ben, got married in late June to Zoe and it was a really really beautiful day for it. Seriously though, Zoe has been a joy to have in the family and it was neat getting to celebrate her and Ben as they began their life together.
-- July 2018 --
July was FUN. From a spur of the moment decision to day trip up to ValleyFair in the cities for a day of rollercoasters and waterslides to a spur of the moment decision to purchase a year long Minnesota State Parks pass, July was a month I thoroughly enjoyed. In July, we celebrated my Dad’s 50th birthday by surprising him at home after he was away on a trip. Ben, Zoe, and I hid in the house and were there to surprise him when he walked in. Did I ruin the “SURPRISE” part, yes. Was he still happy, absolutely. Back at work- my team and I worked incredibly hard to wrap up “Summer at Stadium” and begin the transition of moving summer residents out and preparing apartments for fall residents. All that hard work paid off as my summer team was nominated for an “of the month” award like I had been the month prior and WON nationally for the month of July!
-- August 2018 --
BONUS MONTH! Since I’m a month behind in getting this done, I felt it was only right to share what I’ve been up to in August. It’s like one of those calendars that you get that gives you 13 months instead of 12… Anyway. August was a blur, and I mean that in the best possible way. At work, my new team arrived and completely rocked it during CA Training. We opened our buildings flawlessly and they have worked incredibly hard to make Stadium a place that residents are excited to call home. August was also a month where I hung out with a ton of Mankato friends, attended RibFest for the first time, learned how to golf and found myself on the course way more than I ever expected. I also am not very good at golfing (as shown in this photo) but I’m trying, so that’s a thing.
As I think about August in 2018 compared to August back in 2017, I’m really thankful for this past year. While hard at times, those difficult times helped me grow a lot. I left Cedar Falls last year with a lot of fears and insecurities about my ability to make new friends and start fresh in a new place, and while those fears were real and the beginning of my time here was hard, I am much more confident in my ability to handle life changes than I was back then. Cedar Falls will forever hold a special place in my heart, and you’ll still find me there for my Sidecar fixes every once in a while, but Mankato is home now and I’m really happy with where I’m at in this season of life.