The Travels of a Halloween Tourist

Another Halloween has come and gone. I had a lot of fun during my first Halloween in Austin! Last Wednesday I got together with some of the girls I've become friends with and we carved pumpkins. There was good food, a lot of laughing, and some very creative pumpkins! Even though I had the best looking pumpkins on the block, I only had three trick-or-treaters. Only one of those was even in a costume. I was kind of bummed, because I had bought enough candy to feed a whole army. Looks like everyone at work is going to get some treats this week!!

The tourist made her debut on Friday night at my friend Katie's Halloween party. I was pretty proud of this year's costume that I put together on my own. I think I spent a total of $18.95 on my costume. The lime green pants, Bahamas souvenir t-shirt, and awesome Hawaiin print jacket were all compliments of Good Will. I found some awesome palm tree socks at the Dollar Tree and a set of two visors at Wal-Mart. I owned a pair of Crocs, and the fanny pack and awesome 90's style sunglasses came from home. Top that off with my camera around my neck and a bag full of maps, and you had one really tacky tourist! I would say I had a very successful Halloween vacation. I went to an Indian Reservation, I saw Dorothy and a tornado in Kansas, I went to the Muppet Show, a Farm, and a rock show just to name a few. :) Here are just some of my favorite costumes from the weekend....

*Katie the fairy, Joni the ninja, Holly the can, and I*

*Tony campaigned for about a month to have members of his tribe, Chad was the only member. So they named themselves the Last of the Mohicans*

*Miss Piggy and Kermit*

*One of the most comical costumes was Curtis as the Gingerbread Man*

This week it's back to my normal life as a Hormel employee. No real news to report. Cory and I have started planning our fabulous Mexican vacation for next April. We're thinking about Cancun, but we're not 100% sure yet. We're planning it now so I can have something to look forward to during winter and Cory will have something to get her through busy tax season. I know we're going to have a blast!! Look out Mexico!

New Look

I decided it was a time to change the look of the blog up. I like it, but I can't figure out how to move the picture at the top so that it's not cut off on the side. I didn't feel like fighting with it so I just left it alone!

Well today was an absolutely beautiful day! Probably the best day we've had in the entire month of October. This month we've had two, yes two, days of snow with accumulation, and basically every other day it has rained and been dreary. So when the sun shone all day long, I got a little excited! I'm afraid that there won't be anymore days like today, so I tried to soak it all in. I got off work a little early, so I decided to grab my camera and take some fall pictures. The Jay C. Hormel Nature Center is a big nature preserve right outside of Austin. There are several miles of trails, and it's really pretty. I walked around for about an hour just snapping pictures. With all of the snow and rain, the leaves weren't as colorful as I hoped they were, but there were several trees that didn't disapoint! I'm still learning how to take somewhat professional looking pictures with my camera. I wish I had more days like today to practice with it. I'll post some of my favorites for you to enjoy.

In other news, Halloween is this weekend. I'm super excited! I'll be going to a party on Friday night dressed as a Tacky Tourist. You'll just have to stay tuned for the photos of that! Tomorrow night I'm getting together with some girls I work with and we're going to carve pumpkins and decorate cookies to get ready for the party!

That's about it for this post. I'm now an old lady and go to bed early so I'll just leave you till next time!

Introducing Lily Piper Anderson!

I know I promised to write a long time ago, and I'm sorry. You could look on the bright side that it's a good thing that I haven't had time to write, because that means I've been keeping myself busy. The job is still going well. I play on a rec volleyball team every Wednesday with other girls from Hormel. I know, most of you who know me are thinking "Really Rachel? You are horrible at any sport requiring hand and eye coordination." This is true. My team also knows this is true, but it's something to do and it's been fun. I've already made some good friends up here. I'm really looking forward to Halloween. I've been invited to a Halloween party, and some of the girls I've become friends with and I are going to get together and make cookies and carve pumpkins to get ready for the party. I LOVE pumpkin carving!! :)

Other than that, I actually have a pretty great reason for writing. This past weekend I was asked to be on the official committee for the Iowa State University Intercollegiate Meat Judging Contest. I was excited to be on the committee. It was definitely different to be on the other side of the contest. I had a great experience. I think we put together a good contest. Friday night they fed the committee dinner and it was quite possibly the funniest dinner of my life! The jokes and stories that were told had me basically in tears from laughing so hard! It was also really great to see Dr. Carr with his judging team. This is Dr. Carr's last team, as he is retiring after this year. It was a great last trip to Ames for TC, because his kids won the contest! Judging definitely won't be the same without that man! Putting the contest together and reading reasons was a lot of work, but I hope I can be asked to official other contests in the future so that I can stay involved with judging.

But the contest isn't my reason for writing. Most of you have probably heard me talk about Mark, my officemate from grad school, at some point. He has basically been my second big brother since coming to Iowa State. His wife, Katie, and I also became good friends and we joke that she's also my wife. Well the two of them were expecting their first baby this month. I had to be in Ames Thursday night to get ready for the contest. I talked to Mark on Tuesday, and I told him that I would appreciate having a baby to visit when I got to town. Knowing how important Aunt Rachel is, Lily Piper Anderson made her way into the world on Wednesday night. I was so excited to wake up Thursday morning with a message from Mark on my phone with a picture of Lily!! Thursday evening I got to visit the new family in the hospital with my two other officemates Brad and Wangang. It was so cool to get to meet Lily with all of them! I can't wait to see her again when I go back to Ames this weekend for ISU Homecoming!

Coming soon...

I know I've been promising this all summer, but there will be a new post with pictures coming soon! I'm finally all settled in my new place and have much more time to do things like this once again!! Once I finally get my new couch I ordered and the living room is all put together I will take pictures of the new place so you all can see! I can't believe summer is winding down already. Where did August go??? The job is going really well, and I love the people up here. Some of the guys I work with have started growing beards to keep their faces warm in the winter which makes me a little nervous, but I've just decided not to think about it till I have to! :) Also, I will be back in Illinois this weekend, and I can't wait to see everyone. That's all I have time for tonight. Have a great week and I promise I'll write again soon!

Product Development Scientist

If I haven't told you, or you haven't heard yet, I'm officially employed full-time! This week I accepted the position of Product Development Scientist in Research & Development with Hormel! It's been a long and trying search, but I think I made the best decision. I'm going to continue to work on what I've been doing, and possibly take the lead on some projects through August and September, and then I will work for a man who is planning to retire in a year or so and then I will take over his position. I'm really excited about the opportunity! This summer I've seen what a great company Hormel is and how nice all the people are here. I'm breaking my rule that made about moving further north to Austin, MN, but they made me an offer I couldn't really turn down. There are a lot of younger people who work for Hormel and so it's really easy to meet people and I've already made some new friends which was a huge selling point for me. Now comes the fun job of trying to find a place to live in one week because we have to be out of our summer housing next Saturday. Hopefully I can find something or else I might be living out my car for awhile! ......update....I just got a call about a townhouse I looked at yesterday and it sounds like I'm going to have a place to live by next weekend! So it's looks like it's all coming together! Hooray!!!!

Well I just wanted to update everyone all at once. Please feel free to come and visit beautiful southern Minnesota. We can go to the Spam Museum!!

Really far behind

I've seriously neglected my blog so far this summer but I have good reason. I actually attempted to update it several weeks ago, but the internet connection that I first had here was terrible and I lost the entire post with pictures that I spent about an hour writing. So this is just a quick post to say that a good update is coming. Until then I will say that:
1) I really like my job and the people I work with.
2) I passed my defense and only have a few corrections on my thesis to go before I'm completely done!
3) I just got back from RMC in Arkansas and had a great time
and finally
4) The job search is still ongoing and after RMC I have some good leads on a few openings.

That's really all I have time for tonight. Hopefully this week sometime I can include some pictures from Matt's wedding from earlier this month, RMC, and some other random summer pictures. I can't believe the 4th of July is this weekend. Time is flying by!

That's all folks!

Today I turned in my thesis to the members of my committee, cleaned out my desk, and said goodbye to my days of working in Kildee Hall. This past week has been so strange knowing that it was my last week in Ames. I'll admit I really don't know what to do with myself since my thesis is finished. I'm also relieved. I've spent the last 4 months or more staring at my computer screen, and now I will hopefully get to enjoy my summer! But before I'm officially a meat master, I have to defend my thesis in two weeks (June 17 to be exact) so I will spend the next two weeks preparing for that. Luckily my seminar this spring will make up the bulk of my defense presentation, so I don't have to add too much to it.

Now I have to get back to packing. I move to Austin, MN tomorrow, and my first day of work for my internship is Monday. I'm one of those people who really hates change so I'm just kind of dreading it all, but I know it's going to be fine. I'll keep everyone posted on how things are going!