Winter in Iowa...

Is often cold, but is always beautiful.
It's fun too! John and I made this snow bunny the day after Christmas. It got up to 50 degrees that evening...the snow bunny didn't even make it through the night!

A room with a view....

This is the view from the patio on my second floor apartment. Luckily my bedroom window looks the same direction. As I sit at my computer and write this I can see goldfinches flitting and dragonflies buzzing around in the soggy August air. I'm finally settled in after a long week of moving! It's very peaceful and I hope it will aid the writing of my final projects for the summer courses I've been engrossed in for the past 3 months. I now have 1 year left of school before receiving my Master of Arts in Teaching. I look forward to completing my coursework and exploring the multitude of options I've lined up for myself!

My Furry Friend......

Nelson is my boyfriend's kitten. He is 6 months old and I have taken quite a liking to him. Normally I wouldn't say that I'm much of a cat person, I'd prefer to interact with a dog, but cats are a little easier to manage and require a little less attention (However, Nelson is spoiled and gets tons of attention!) so a cat was the better pet for my boyfriend to get while living in an apartment! Nelson has a wonderful personality. He's mischievous and loves to play and if you catch him in the right mood he'll cuddle for about two seconds! He's a very special little guy and I always look forward to visiting him.

] '''\; (Nelson's addition to the post)

We bought him a harness today and are going to see if he can learn to go for walks. So far he's doing pretty well! This second photo is him with his head stuck inside one of his toys. I really enjoy photographing him! He's very photogenic!

Pets are wonderful additions to our lives and I'm always happy to welcome a new one!

It's almost time...

to say goodbye to my tiny one-bedroom apartment in Clear Lake. I will soon be moving back to Ames to begin my Master's program! It may have been small with really tacky wallpaper, but it served it's purpose! I will also say goodbye to living alone....I will be moving into a 3-bedroom apartment with two other girls. I'm sure I will miss my privacy, but it will be nice to have other people around from time to time.

Lighthouses on the Lake

Visiting Michigan with my boyfriend was great! We visited Michigan State University -it's huge!- and we had decent weather so we decided to go visit the big lake! I was so excited to see lighthouses! I've always thought they were very majestic and to be able to see them up close was amazing! I was a bit disappointed that the weren't lit, but apparently there aren't many boats on the water in mid-March. I was also very excited to see ducks on the lakes! I am currently working for a waterfowl biologist and I've seen photos and mounts of some of these species, but I've never been that close to any of them before! We saw common merganser, goldeneyes, buffleheads and a few species I'm not sure of yet!

Spring forward....

I am really looking forward to spring! It has been a very long winter and I can't wait to get back outside and go exploring! It's supposed to be nice this week and I hope that the warm weather sticks around! I'm also looking forward to spending a week in Michigan with my boyfriend! I've never been to Michigan before and I can't wait to visit and meet his family! I'm not sure where we are planning to go, but I hope to document with amazing photos!

I am bound and determined...

to keep this updated better! I thought it was just the creative outlet I needed, but maybe I was wrong! Perhaps when life gets less hectic...however, I doubt that will ever happen! Things that have happened since January - I took my GRE, applied to grad school and got accepted! YAY! I will begin the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) program at Iowa State in May! I plan to use this degree to teach biology and other science courses at the secondary school level. On another note, I started taking massage clients at school....it's definitely been a learning experience, but I'm enjoying it very much! My life is going in two different directions....hopefully I'll be able to pull it all together someday!

On a cold winter day...

What is more uplifting with promises of spring than butterflies? (Also a wonderful new relationship!) A couple of weeks ago my boyfriend and I went on a photography date to Reiman Gardens at Iowa State University. We had a great time taking over 1000 photos and then sharing and discussing the amazing images that we captured!!! Here a few of our favorites!

For more information about the Butterfly Gardens check out the web-site http://www.reimangardens.iastate.edu/