CFE Opportunity!

Still need a few CFE hours before the end of the semester? There is this great opportunity for students this Friday December 4th to volunteer at the Phoenix Art Museum for First Friday. The deadline to work this event is Wednesday December 2nd. To volunteer for this event be sure to email studio@enterlaruche.com with your info and interest.

Besides the fact it is First Friday that night, it is also the Phoenix Museum’s 50th anniversary. This is sure to be an exciting event and one you definitely do not want to miss out on. Plus, you get to earn CFE hours at the same time! If you are not volunteering be sure to check out the First Friday event and all the cool activities that will be happening in the museum. I hope everyone had a Wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday and enjoy the rest of your week!!!




Lonni Summers

A Thanksgiving Blog

With the holidays right around the corner and Turkey Day on Thursday I thought I would get a little personal and share a little holiday story/advice for everyone. Now I know that Thanksgiving is all about family but let’s not forget about what brings our family to the table…. The Food!!! Thanksgiving is what my family and I call the Olympics of Eating. It’s the best! Now its tradition in my family for everyone to pitch in and help out with the cooking duties and I’m always in charge of the mashed potatoes and let me just say, I can make some pretty amazing mashed potatoes. Now what goes with mashed potatoes? Gravy of course! About 2 years ago my mom decided to assign me the duty of not only making the mashed potatoes, but also making the gravy that goes along with it. Gravy does not seem that hard to make and I watched my mom years before make it. Didn’t really seem like there was much to it but yeah, I was wrong.

My mom had already cut up all the giblets everything was all set up for me. All I had to do was boil the stuff in a pot and slowly add cornstarch to thicken the sauce. All was going well until I had to add the cornstarch. I started to add the cornstarch power into the mix and stirring then adding some more. I then noticed my gravy was lumping and not thickening. I proceeded to taste test my gravy, then I gagged. It tasted AWEFUL! Not knowing what to do to save the gravy, I added more cornstarch, which of course did not help at all. Finally giving up, I ran to my mom for assistance. She asked me what I did and I told her step by step what I did. She then stopped me at the cornstarch step and started to laugh. Apparently I was supposed to mix the cornstarch with water then slowly add it to the rest of the ingredients in the pot. No one told me this! With a pot full of nasty gravy, we had to run and get gravy at the store. I attempted the next year to make gravy, but still came out as a failure. Thankfully all turned out well and no one was upset with me, but now either someone else makes the gravy or we buy it.

I really hope this story gave some of you a laugh because I know it cracked my family up when I messed up the gravy. They kept asking me “Who ruins gravy?!” and to this day, I still don’t know. My little word of advice is to make sure you know what you’re in that kitchen on Thanksgiving because even the simplest things can go wrong. I also looked up some Thanksgiving dishes and ideas so feel free to take a look and get some ideas or learn to make something awesome for Thanksgiving. You can check out azcentral.com and click on the food tab at the top of the webpage or you can take a look at foodnetwork.com for some more great tips. On that note, I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving Holiday and enjoy your break. You deserve it!



Lonni Summers

Special Events and CFE Hours

Interested in Special Events? Want to earn some CFE hours while learning about Special Events? Monday November 23rd from 1pm-3pm there will be a Professional Workshop held in UCENT in room 822A. This workshop will cover Event Planning Design and Décor and also contracts.

This is a great workshop for those interested in Special Events and also for any Tourism students who are also interested in the Special Events field. This is just one way to get some expert advice about this field, learn some more about Special Events, and also earn a few CFE hours if you need some! Be sure to check this event out, I’m sure it’ll be awesome! Have a Wonderful Day!!!



Lonni Summers

Registration for Classes and My Frustration

Registration for classes can be a very fun experience for many, but for some it is anything but enjoyable. I’m usually one of those students that love signing up for classes and getting ready for a new and exciting semester. That was until I experienced getting a late registration date. Like many sophomores, I got a late registration date (Nov 11 to be exact). Not thinking much of it, I honestly thought I would get into all the classes I needed for the Spring semester. WRONG! When I hopped on my laptop and got all ready to sign up for my classes two of the five classes I needed were completely filled with no more room for little old me. Now mind you, I actually need these classes for my major. They weren’t electives, they were actually required courses (the courses are TDM 325 and TDM 415). Not going to lie, I was a little upset because I was really looking forward to taking these particular classes. Thinking that maybe I could change this, I went up to see an advisor to see if there was some way I could possibly get into these classes. I was put on a waiting list and told that I would be informed later on in the day if they had opened up more seats. This was on Thursday; it is now Monday and still no word. I am assuming that no seats have been opened so I will probably have to make my way back to see an advisor and inquire about these two classes. I know I can take these classes in the Fall, but honestly I was really hoping to take them this Spring.

This whole late registration appointment is somewhat of a downer for us sophomores and I wish the University had a different way for us to get into our classes. I have talked to many other students from the Tempe and Downtown campus and those with late registration dates were not too happy about it. I’m sure there is some particular reason we have the system the way it is, but either way, I am still a frustrated student that couldn’t get into certain classes due to a late registration appointment. I guess we’ll see if ASU can work some magic and get me into these classes! Other than that, I hope the semester is going well for you all and don’t worry, Winter Break is just around the corner! Have an Awesome Day!!!



Lonni Summers

Historic Tempe

Today in my Geography lab we did a lab on re-photography lab. This is where we look at old photos of a site then take another photo and compare the differences. Today we got to take a little field trip and compare old photos of Old Main, then we traveled down to Mill Ave and looked at a couple of different historic buildings. It was pretty cool looking at the old photos and then comparing them to what the building now looks like. One of the buildings is called the Laird & Dines Building which is now a Hooters. Other buildings we examined were the Tempe National Bank building and the Andre Building which is now Rula Bula. It was fun learning the history behind each building and comparing the picture to what it looks like today. If you ever get a chance, visit http://www.tempebeach.com/museum/ and learn more about awesome Tempe and all the history the city has that you never realized! Have a fantastic day!




Lonni Summers

Hotel Deal in Sedona!

Once again azcentral.com to the rescue! Today I found the deal of the week in their Travel section and it just so happens to be in Sedona, AZ! The hotel is called the Kokopelli Suites and this particular hotel is running a few awesome deals for Arizona Republic readers! If you book your stay online and enter in the promo code AZ when looking for availability, you should come across some of the fabulous deals they are running.

The hotel also has some current specials that are available to you! One is a 50% off special, and it is from November 1st - January 31, 2009. Enjoy 50% Rack rate on our Sugarloaf Suites ($179 per night to $89.50) on any stay! Pricing is based on single or double occupancy. Please use Promo Code 50 when checking availability. *(Sunday - Thursday stays only, excluding Nov. 24-28 & Dec. 24th - Jan. 2, 2009)

The next deal is the Santa Express. This great Christmas getaway for you and the kids includes a one night stay in our newly renovated Sugarloaf Suite with two queen beds. Your stay will also include a complimentary breakfast, wireless internet access, and use of our outdoor heated pool and whirlpool. Make it a festive occasion on the Verde Valley Railway’s Santa Express- fun for kids of all ages! Join Santa and Mrs. Claus on their adventure through the Verde Canyon. Everyone will join the fun singing Christmas carols, drinking hot chocolate, eating Christmas cookies, and candy canes. Kids will also have the chance to make their Christmas wish list and sit on Santa’s lap. If you are really lucky you may even see an elf or two! $245 for 2 Adult Coach class tickets and 1 Child Coach Ticket. The Santa Express runs every Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday December 2nd- December 23rd with a 1pm Train Departure.

The last special is the Sedona at Sunset Romantic Vacation Special. Enjoy a relaxing stay in one of our single King suites and an amazing sunset ride through the western canyons of Sedona. Your accommodations with us will include deluxe continental breakfast, high speed wireless internet, luxurious bedding, friendly service and many other amenities. Start your sunset tour with a stop at Page Springs Winery on Oak Creek for a tasting session and a $15 credit towards one of their fine wines; then set off to explore breathtaking landscape of Sedona's outback country. As you ride along your guide will share his knowledge of an area once home to the Apaches and Sinagua. Price: $329 plus tax

I hope some of these awesome hotel deals caught your interest and now maybe you can start planning a little getaway after finals are done! Yay! We have about a month left of school so keep on trudging! You’re almost done!!! Have an amazing day and enjoy your Wednesday off!



Lonni Summers

Registration for Spring 2010

The Fall semester is coming to an end and you know what that means! It’s time to sign up for the Spring Semester! For many of you, registering for classes is a breeze but for those of you having some trouble, don’t fear, help is here! If you log on to your myasu and look at your list of classes (this should be listed under “My Classes”) you should see a tab that says “Spring 10”. Click on this tab and then click on “Registration” on the bottom left hand corner. After that you are free to roam and add whatever classes you need for the spring semester!

If you are interested in something new and exciting there is a new course being offered in the Spring. It is PRM 494/REC 598 cross listed as REL 494/REL 598: Place and Meaning. Students will read and discuss theoretical literature on “place” in a variety of fields (philosophy, anthropology, natural resource social sciences, and humanities). This is offered to graduate students and upper undergraduate students. If this sounds interesting to you, sign up for it! Hope this semester is treating you all well, and don’t worry we’re more than half way done with the Fall!



Lonni Summers

Creative Ways to Get Rid of Your Pumpkin

While pondering an interesting blog topic, my fellow StAR Eddie, gave me a great idea. He proposed that I blog about fun and different ways to get rid of your Halloween pumpkin. This lead to us doing some serious research on YouTube and finding the most different and out there ways to get rid of a pumpkin and still have some fun with it! Some of these ideas include a trebuchet, dropping it down on a bus, explosion (safety first and a permit is probably required), and last but not least lighting the pumpkin on fire then launching it. Now Eddie and I realize that most of these ideas are a bit crazy and most we probably would not be able to do, the videos however were a ton of fun to laugh at. I hope you have just as much fun watching the videos as Eddie and I did. Enjoy!


Lonni Summers