iClimb

Well hello my beautiful magnolias! I hope your Labor Day weekend was much better than mine! As much as I love libraries and spending my life in them, I rather be in the mountains. Speaking of mountains, I need to find people who are much of nature-geeks as I am. If I had someone to travel with, I'd be living in the mountains every weekend. But no, they are either married, engaged, or are happy staying inside all day. What I would do to get my Madison crew down here! I'm going to put an ad in the paper soon - "Seeking Nature Lover." Flawless plan right? I'm definitely suffering from Nature Deficit Disorder and it sucks. Guess I'll just disappear into the mountains myself!

“I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, "This is what it is to be happy.” -Sylvia Plath

I also discovered an entirely new portion of campus last night. I was going to go the Hunt Library, but I found a set of stairs that I never saw before and decided to go explore instead. I have no idea what those buildings were exactly but I think it was student housing of some sort. I also discovered that the Engineering Building was bigger than I originally thought. Have no fear fellow Badgers, Engineering Hall is way bigger than NCSU's. Also, they don't have a cool fountain outside like we do - we win!

There is something about Madison I can't describe. Not only is it one of the best universities in the entire world, it is a university that steals your heart and makes it your home the day you move there. After earning my degree at Madison and going on to NCSU for graduate school, my heart longs for Madison. There is just some charm about the city that you realize after you move onto a new city for university. I cannot believe how lucky I am to have spent the last 3 years of my life there. For all my fellow Badgers - don't take a second for granted at UW-Madison. I miss Madison everyday of my life - I would do anything to spend another day in Madison. All I can say is "Once a Badger, always a Badger!" 

So for that library. It is the ONLY completely non-brick building on campus. It's a beautiful library, but does not function like one. There aren't many tables to spread out on, only a few group study rooms, and have a lot of really really really tiny tables you can't fit a laptop on. Yes, it's pretty but that's about it. In aesthetic view, Hunt Library is a slice of Madison. Most of y'all have seen Madison campus and it's breathtaking views. The buildings are beautiful inside and out, the people are beautiful, the views over the lakes are unmatchable, The Terrace is the absolute perfect place to chill, and Bascom Hill to frost the cake. Here's a few pictures of Hunt Library - my sanctuary in this brick lot:

Hunt Library - my slice of Madison!

Cute - but where am I supposed to study?

iClimb.  As y'all know, I joined the Competitive Rock Climbing Club at State. We practice 2 or 3 times a week. I'm going to get climbing shoes later today so I can start breaking them in and get used to MY own shoes instead of different ones everytime I climb. The group I climb with is a great group of people. My friend Aaron told me that climbers are some of the coolest and chillest people I will ever meet - he's definitely right about that one. Oh, and thanks Aaron for getting me addicted. Hopefully after a few more practices, I will be better at traversing and actually be able to make the move I consistently fall on. I will get there one way or another even if it takes me all year. So if you can't find me in lab, the library, or the climbing wall - I died.

Devil's Doorway - Devil's Lake State Park - Wisconsin

Anyways, this girl has got to get to some epidemiology homework! Then for a 7 mile run, upper body workout, grocery shopping, and buying climbing shoes! By the way, it is a chilly 81 today according to the forecaster. I actually saw someone in jeans and a sweatshirt and I'm in tanktop and shorts. Bye loves!