Summer in Fort Wayne is anything but boring!

The festivals are nearly every weekend and summer isn't nearly over. So far this summer, we have had Greek Fest, Rib Fest, and German Fest. This week is the 4th of July and in a few weeks the Three Rivers Festival Starts!

The 4th of July is a great time to be at IPFW. The city fire works are shot off of one of our parking garages making the best seats on our campus. Now there is limited access to campus, but guests are welcome to walk to enjoy the show. One of the perks of living on camps in the summer, is having access, but also a guest pass for a car of friends!

The Three Rivers Festival is one of the largest festivals of the summer. It runs July 12th through the 20th and as the name suggests, it is dedicated to the three rivers in the city including the St. Joe that runs through campus. The festival takes place around the city with major events at Headwaters Park down town, the Coliseum, and IPFW. The events include the midway with rides and games, art shows, concerts, and much more. You can check out their website for more information. http://www.trfonline.org/

As for my Summer:

I have been able to enjoy Fort Wayne while staying busy at Student Housing and helping my Dad at his hardware store in Ohio. I've enjoyed the amazing weather, well, in between our storms.

My Mom and I recently took a trip to Nashville. We were able to visit the strip down town Nashville and had some amazing barbeque! Here is a picture of our visit to the Grand Ole Opry House:

It's been a busy summer so far, and I'm looking forward to the second half of it.

What have you been up to this summer?

Posted by Laura Williams at 9:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Its Finals Week! Usually during finals week I'm really stressed. Not this year. I have already turned in all of my papers, I'm half way done with my finals, and its only Tuesday! My last final is on Thursday night, so I have already started making plans for my summer. The weather is amazing- we have a high of 76 degrees today- and nice weather always brings campus to life. I only have a few things to stay focused on be for I can enjoy summer vacation.

Even though I'm not totally stressed out the week is still really busy. Today is the Indiana primaries so I have to make sure to get out to vote before the end of the day. Its also been very busy at student housing as students are moving home for the summer. Other then that I just have the track season to finish up.

In two weeks we have our Summit League outdoor championships at Western Illinois University. The meet lasts for three days, but we always get there a day early. I'm really happy that the meet is the week after finals. This way we don't have to worry about classes and we can enjoy our last meet of the season before most of the team heads home for the summer.

Posted by Laura Williams at 11:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is a difficult time of year for most high school seniors. I remember being extremely excited for prom and graduation, and extremely nervous about everything that would happen after graduation. I was unsure how to stay in contact with my friends that were going to different schools. I started to second guess my school choice, and I started to think about how I was going to make new friends as I went off to college.

I chose IPFW because it was a large school that was close to home. I was accepted to other schools and IPFW was the largest one. I was uncomfortable with the size at first because I came from a very small town and a small high school. It seemed perfect that I could go to a large school, but student housing had less than 600 students (we have almost 800 now!). I thought it would be the perfect combination for me. I also knew that I would have more independence at IPFW, and that I could enjoy all of the activities in Fort Wayne.

I found that it was difficult to stay in contact with some of my friends. The hardest part was remembering that they were making new friends at college just like I was. It was great to have IM and e-mail to keep up with each other. I also found out that each time my friends from high school got together we would have a great time even if it had been a month between visits. It has always been fun sharing stories from college and realizing how many similar experiences we have had even though we are hundreds of miles apart.

My decision to come to IPFW was the biggest decision I had made at that point in my life, but three years later, I still see it as the best choice. The campus feels like it is getting smaller with each year that I am at school, but its really getting bigger with new buildings opening every year. I still have a great time with my friends from high school, and I love summer time when we really get to catch up. I have learned a lot in college, but being able to have confidence in making decisions was one of my first lessons.

Posted by Laura Williams at 4:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I can't believe it is April already. We have just over a month left in the semester! It seems as though it just started yesterday and I remember wishing it could just be summer and now it almost is!

Last weekend the track team traveled to North Carolina to participate in the Raleigh Relays. It is the largest relay meet on the east coast so we had some amazing competition. We also had some amazing weather. It was 76 degrees the first day we were there and 81 degrees the first day of the meet. The first day of the meet turned out the best. The warm weather helped me break my shot put record. I was able to throw 39 feet 4 inches! It also helped Crystina Martinez break the 10,000 meter record (just over 6 miles) with a time of 35:57. You can check out the team recap at gomastodons.com

This week at student housing we are also working on planning multiple upcoming events. Three big ones are Club Don, Exploring Roommates, and Foods of the World. Club Don is Friday. We have a professional DJ and it sounds like it is going to be a lot of fun. Exploring Roommates is a program that allows returning residents the opportunity to meet other people who plan on returning and see if they would like to be roommates. For foods of the world we are getting food from local restaurants that represent food from around the world. We have also invited the Chancellor, Vice-Chancellors, and multiple other people on campus, so students can get to know them better and be able to share the experience. April is always full of events. It helps keep everyone focused as summer is fast approaching!

Posted by Laura Williams at 11:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I always have trouble concentrating after spring break! This year was great because Easter weekend came just one week after spring break. My weekend was busy, but it turned out really good.

On Saturday we had a track meet at Cincinnati. It is always the coldest meet of the year, and I can't say that anyone on the team really looks forward to it. This year was no different. Even though it was cold the team did great and placed second over all. This meet is unique because it is a relay. For throwing events, they take the two longest distances on your team and add them together. Places for each event are then organized by the total distance. Sara and I were the throwers and we placed 3rd in shot put, 3rd in hammer throw, and 4th in discus. Even through we were successful, I think it took me about 2 hours to get warm after the meet.

Sunday was a family filled day!

This is a picture of my sister, Jeanette and I at my Grandma's house. We went there for lunch and we had two easter egg hunts. It was great to spend time with my family and get to see all of my cousins! It was also nice to get my mind off of the busy semester.

This week will be very busy. I have many things to get done, but I do get to go on a trip to North Carolina on Wednesday night. We have a meet there, and it is supposed to be 81 degrees on Friday! It will be great to get away from the continuous winter that we are currently experiencing.

Posted by Laura Williams at 9:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What a week! Its mid semester as you know and now its finally spring break! The track indoor championships went well last weekend. I threw a season's best, and ended up in 12th place. Overall the team placed 6th and our best individual place was Crystal Martinez with a 2nd place finish in the 5,000 meter run (that's 3.125 miles for all non runners out there). We had a lot of fun on the trip and it was great to have Sunday to relax before the busy week.

Mid semester always brings some stresses with tests and papers, but I'm happy to say that's all over with. Last night, to kick off spring break, I went to the Mad Ants game. The Mad Ants are part of the NBA Developmental League. They play just over at the Coliseum and this is their first year. I had never been to a game before last night and it was an awesome show. The Mad Ants ended up losing 109-115, but it was the first basketball game that I had ever watched where both teams scored over 100 points! It was also fun to watch all of the activities going on during the game and during time outs. I even got a free pair of thunder sticks!

I have to admit the best part of the week is knowing that its finally spring break! I don't have any major plans, but I will be going home for a few days and doing some major relaxation.

Posted by Laura Williams at 5:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hi Everybody,

Welcome to my Blog! I just wanted to start by filling you in a little more about me. I am a third year business student at IPFW. I am what you would consider a "traditional student." I started at IPFW directly after high school and I have lived on campus ever since. Now I'm a business management major, but I am also working on a minor in sociology. I like IPFW because you have more control over your education and create crazy combinations like business and sociology!

I enjoy classes (as much as the next student) but I really love college life. I try to stay active on campus because it really does make school more fun. I am a member of the women's track team, so I get to travel a lot on the weekends in the spring. We have our Summit League indoor championships this weekend in Illinois. Hopefully it will be a great track meet, and I'll be sure to let you know how it goes. I am also a Resident Assistant (RA) on campus. That definitely keeps me busy. We always have events going on like tonight we have a meditation program. Who couldn't use a little stress relief in the middle of the semester? I'm involved in a few other organizations on campus, and I'm sure you'll hear about them in the future. While your waiting feel to ask me any questions or just leave a comment!

Posted by Laura Williams at 6:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)