July 31, 2011 - 81 books read, 219 to go
The Parting [The Courtship of Nellie Fisher, book 1] - Beverly Lewis
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone- JK Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets- JK Rowling
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban- JK Rowling
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire- JK Rowling
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix- JK Rowling
Throwaway- Heather Huffman
Suddenly a Spy- Heather Huffman
Jailbird- Heather Huffman
Ties that Bind- Heather Huffman
The Phantom of the Opera- Gaston Leroux
The Vampire Diaries: The Return-Shadow Souls- LJ Smith
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
A Community I love
A lot of people have tons of complaints about Storm Lake. "There's nothing fun to do here." "There's no cool places to hang." I beg to differ my friends. I am here to offer you 10 reasons why Storm Lake, IA is a community that I truly love (to be quite honest, it's the only community I have lived in, but I digress)
1. Pages Bakery - If you are in Storm Lake, and you want donuts, don't even think about Casey's or Hy-Vee. Pages is the best hands down. It is a family owned business that has been in Storm Lake for a very long time, and it's as good as it's ever been (so I'm told). I recommend the donut holes, bird-eye's, or chocolate yum-yums.
2. Honey Kissed Pizza- The number 2 tourist spot in Storm Lake, this is the best pizza I've ever eaten. The secret is the HONEY on the crust (hence the name Honey Kissed Pizza). They have tons of specialty pizzas, and the decor in the restaurant is completely awesome!
3. The Star Spangled Spectacular- This hometown tradition is one of my very favorite things about Storm Lake. Everything about the Star Spangled Spectacular is awesome: the parade, the food, and the bands/booths. I have only missed 1 Star Spangled Spectacular in my entire life, and I cannot imagine NOT being in Storm Lake for the 4th of July.
4. The Storm Lake High School Music Department- If you go to any school in NW Iowa and mention the Storm Lake High School Music Department, chances are they will get a small look of fear in their eyes. Our Music Department has been a staple in our town for awhile, and that's mostly thanks to Jeff Tollefson, our former vocal director and now HS Vice principal. Tollefson was a no-nonsense kind of guy, and because of that, our choir got 2nd in a national competition in Florida. Our band got 1st place, because Senor Heeren is the same no-nonsense kind of guy, and we have a great orchestra. Our department is lucky to have such community support.
5. Boz Wellz- I've mentioned a lot of food in this blog, but let's face it : we love to eat. This is another hometown restaurant with amazing food. They always have good soup, the cheesballs and onion rings are to die for, and the club sandwich is amazing. And don't even get me started on the Gooey Butter Cake!
6. Santa's Castle- My family always goes to Santa's Castle every year, and I have had the opportunity to work there through the HS Key Club. It's not as exciting as it was when I was younger, but I love seeing the little kids there and they're reactions. The goats are my favorite exhibit.
7. Our diverse community- Many people would see our diverse community as a bad thing, but the people in Storm Lake embrace it and make the best of it. Getting to learn about all these different cultures is awesome. Tasting the food, seeing traditional dances, and all of those things truly make us lucky to live in Storm Lake.
8. The Skating Rink- Sure, this place is the same as it was in the 1960's, but you can't tell me you never went skating there in middle school. My friends and I still love to go skating when we are able, but I've only been there a couple of times since I broke my tailbone skating during Adventure Club freshman year..
9. King's Pointe- I don't think this waterpark is as awesome as some of the little kids, but it's nice to have. However, it is ridiculously over-priced and not nearly as AWESOME as the Marshalltown Aquatic Center. Just sayin'..
And, finally, wait for it. Drumroll please.... *BZZZZZZZ*
10. Grand Central Coffee Station- I've never actually tried the coffee because coffee disgusts me, but the steamers, smoothies, tea, and muffins are really good.
There you have it folks. Although our town is sometimes smelly, the lake is pretty gross, and we're surrounded by cornfields, Storm Lake is truly a community I love.
1. Pages Bakery - If you are in Storm Lake, and you want donuts, don't even think about Casey's or Hy-Vee. Pages is the best hands down. It is a family owned business that has been in Storm Lake for a very long time, and it's as good as it's ever been (so I'm told). I recommend the donut holes, bird-eye's, or chocolate yum-yums.
2. Honey Kissed Pizza- The number 2 tourist spot in Storm Lake, this is the best pizza I've ever eaten. The secret is the HONEY on the crust (hence the name Honey Kissed Pizza). They have tons of specialty pizzas, and the decor in the restaurant is completely awesome!
3. The Star Spangled Spectacular- This hometown tradition is one of my very favorite things about Storm Lake. Everything about the Star Spangled Spectacular is awesome: the parade, the food, and the bands/booths. I have only missed 1 Star Spangled Spectacular in my entire life, and I cannot imagine NOT being in Storm Lake for the 4th of July.
4. The Storm Lake High School Music Department- If you go to any school in NW Iowa and mention the Storm Lake High School Music Department, chances are they will get a small look of fear in their eyes. Our Music Department has been a staple in our town for awhile, and that's mostly thanks to Jeff Tollefson, our former vocal director and now HS Vice principal. Tollefson was a no-nonsense kind of guy, and because of that, our choir got 2nd in a national competition in Florida. Our band got 1st place, because Senor Heeren is the same no-nonsense kind of guy, and we have a great orchestra. Our department is lucky to have such community support.
5. Boz Wellz- I've mentioned a lot of food in this blog, but let's face it : we love to eat. This is another hometown restaurant with amazing food. They always have good soup, the cheesballs and onion rings are to die for, and the club sandwich is amazing. And don't even get me started on the Gooey Butter Cake!
6. Santa's Castle- My family always goes to Santa's Castle every year, and I have had the opportunity to work there through the HS Key Club. It's not as exciting as it was when I was younger, but I love seeing the little kids there and they're reactions. The goats are my favorite exhibit.
7. Our diverse community- Many people would see our diverse community as a bad thing, but the people in Storm Lake embrace it and make the best of it. Getting to learn about all these different cultures is awesome. Tasting the food, seeing traditional dances, and all of those things truly make us lucky to live in Storm Lake.
8. The Skating Rink- Sure, this place is the same as it was in the 1960's, but you can't tell me you never went skating there in middle school. My friends and I still love to go skating when we are able, but I've only been there a couple of times since I broke my tailbone skating during Adventure Club freshman year..
9. King's Pointe- I don't think this waterpark is as awesome as some of the little kids, but it's nice to have. However, it is ridiculously over-priced and not nearly as AWESOME as the Marshalltown Aquatic Center. Just sayin'..
And, finally, wait for it. Drumroll please.... *BZZZZZZZ*
10. Grand Central Coffee Station- I've never actually tried the coffee because coffee disgusts me, but the steamers, smoothies, tea, and muffins are really good.
There you have it folks. Although our town is sometimes smelly, the lake is pretty gross, and we're surrounded by cornfields, Storm Lake is truly a community I love.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)