First Fire Alarm

We had our first fire alarm last Sunday. We were happy it was a pretty day! Sam knew exactly what to do. He got out of the apartment quickly and waited for us. We met up with the rest of the residents on the north side of the community. It turns out the cause of the alarm was some burned cookies on the third floor. The firemen rescued the cookies, but it was too late for them. Don't worry - the fire alarms are in every bedroom here, and there's no way you could sleep through one of these things. So we have experienced yet another new "living in a dorm" thing.

Living on Campus

Living on campus has been great for us so far. The Dowlings are enjoying the whole scene! I enjoy being able to get up early and walk around campus. The Palmer Lake (is it still called Palmer Lake?) ducks are getting to know me. When they are asleep, some cover their heads with their wings, but some just kind of stare. That's just creepy. Sorry I don't have pics of sleeping ducks, but I don't think it's a good idea to startle a whole platoon of ducks while you're standing in their midst. So the pics here are just regular early-morning ducks.

Move-in Weekend!

It was a big weekend at Riverside. The place is coming alive with people! Suzanne and I spent some time Friday meeting the Riverside RAs. These folks have a wide variety of backgrounds and interests, and they seem like a fun bunch of people. We really enjoyed meeting students and their families as they checked in. This is a great time for students and their families. There's excitement, anticipation and some nervousness for everyone. A few years ago, our son Sam went to church camp for a week. He had a great time, but we were nervous and excited at the same time. UA is way bigger than camp, but I think our students will power through it. Their parents will, too!
Saturday afternoon, Suzanne and I walked up to the Supe Store to pick up a gift, and we really felt like we are part of campus. Riverside is convenient to everything, and we were happy to avail ourselves of the opportunity. It's just great to see the energy the new students are bringing to campus!
Saturday evening, Honors College had a cookout. Judging by the number of people who attended, there is a great deal of interest in welcoming our new students to campus.

Our first guests

Tonight we had a couple of our friends over to our apartment. They were our first non-family guests, and they couldn't believe that our "dorm" was so nice! It really is! This is not your father's dorm. They liked our apartment, and they were very impressed with the courtyard, the community center, the pool and the grounds. I didn't know the pool table in the game room was a "real" pool table!
We Dowlings are fortunate indeed to be in residence here at Riverside. We're looking forward to getting to know our students and experiencing this academic year together. We're working up programming ideas that will inform and entertain. We'll also work on ways to have fun!

Early Move-in Day!

Early arrival students are moving in today. It's nice to hear folks down the hall. We're ready for some neighbors! Even Pearl is getting used to it. She no longer freaks out when she hears something going on down the hall or upstairs. Now, all we need to do is hang some of our pictures, and we'll be all moved in!

Next week, the rest of the residents will move in, and I'm sure it will be a busy time. I was driving around this morning and happened to drive in the vicinity of Tutwiler Hall. Lots of folks were moving in over there, with a big line of cars waiting to get into the parking lot. I'm sure we'll get a taste of that next Saturday, but I love the energy. Bring on our students!