Donating to the Alumni Association

I often am told I never help people move. I always have "convenient reasons" why I can't help. I haven't helped my brother move the last six times he's moved. He often reminds me of this.

Three weeks ago, this was all going to change. Dallas (my bro) and Jamie (his wife) were going to close on a new house, and I was going to drive to Ankeny and help them move. Then, thanks to a banker's snafu, the closing had to be pushed back one week. This meant the moving would be pushed back one week...to a weekend where I had plans I couldn't cancel. So for the seventh consecutive time, I couldn't help my brother move into his new place (sidenote: he moves too much). The conspiracy theorist in me believes he orchestrated this entire delay just so he could continue to give me a hard time about never helping him.

I didn't so much care that I couldn't help move (he had plenty of other able-bodied men and women folk to move boxes). I was disappointed I wasn't going to see his new place right away. My brother rarely gets giddy over anything new (unless it's a brand new Weezer CD or something), and he'd been geeking out over this house for weeks (rightfully so). So this Saturday, after the Long Island Strawns left our house on Saturday morning, Kelsey and I left for Ankeny to visit Dallas and Jamie.

And wouldn't you know it? On the way to Ankeny is Ames, home of the wonderful, majestic Iowa State University and our mighty Cyclones. The last few times Kelsey and I have been to Ames, the ISU Bookstores were closed. This was too bad because I've been wanting to buy this shirt...

...because it represents the College of Business from which I earned my degrees. I also think it does a great job representing just how angry I am every morning at 5:00am when my alarm goes off, and I realize, "Oh yeah. Work."

Here's the problem though: It's impossible to buy just one shirt at a college bookstore, so I bought two. Then I bought a coffee cup. Then Kelsey bought two t-shirts. Then we picked up some other assorted merchandise. Seventy-five dollars later, we escaped the bookstore.

We did manage to avoid this $100 quilt that one of you can buy us for a gift someday.

In truth, getting out of Ames with only $75 dollars of damage would have been quite a success. Unfortunately, instead of driving straight towards the interstate, we drove down Welch Avenue. Welch Avenue is Ames' college bar area. It features an ever-changing line-up of bars, a Pita Pit, a really bad Chinese Food restaurant, and a couple more t-shirt shops. We weren't going to stop...but there was a green shirt in the window of DogTown. Honestly, a green shirt! It's almost St. Patrick's Day. We had to stop, right?

The shirt was green and featured a clever play on words! Who could resist? Not us. We each bought one. To be fair, the St. Patrick's Day shirts we impulsively bought in Ames last year weren't very cool. This year's shirt is much cooler. Before we could check out with just our green t-shirts, the person at the store said, "Oh by the way, everything in the store is 50% off."

"Everything?"

"Everything."

"Even the sweatshirts?"

"Even the sweatshirts."

"What about this hat?"

"Even that hat."

"Everthing?"

"Everything!"

Kelsey and I went crazy. In addition to my St. Patrick's Day shirt, I bought five more t-shirts (one of which features our new logo...which looks like Louisville's logo...I'm not a fan...yet). Kelsey bought four more t-shirts. We both bought sweatshirts. Kelsey bought a coat. I bought a hat. It was awesome. $150 later we left. Really, that amount was quite a steal for what we bought. We'll now never have to buy ISU clothes again.

The mighty Iowa State Louisville Cyclone Cardinals.

But we will. We have a serious addiction. Maybe it is because we only make it to Ames once or twice a year or maybe it is because ISU's attire is just so much better than the stuff they sold when we went to college, but we always seem to go on some crazy shopping spree every time we are there.

Kelsey couldn't resist a 50% off hooded sweatshirt with polka dots.

After our brief, pricey sojourn to Ames, we made it back to the interstate (after making sure Walnut Place was still standing tall) and back on our way to the other Schmitz's new pad.

And what a pad! Their house was great. They'd moved in only two weeks ago but it already felt like a home. They'd wasted no time putting their decorations around the house and filling the walls with character.

Ever the hosts, Dallas and Jamie welcomed us right in.

It was fun to walk around the house with Dallas as he showed off each room. He and Jamie were clearly very proud of themselves (as they should have been), and Kelsey and I were glad we could share in their excitement. Well done, Brother Man.