Meals on wheels

12 Dec

You can’t miss Lizzie’s Lunchbox. The hot-pink food truck is a bright burst of color parked between a video store and a carwash in northwest Austin, Texas.

Lizzie’s belongs to Iowa State alumni Lisa (’86 business administration) and Keith (’84 computer engineering) Allen. Keith is a lead member of the AT&T technology staff, and Lisa was a technical writer when she decided to join the Austin food-truck movement.

“Food trucks are a huge trend in Austin,” Lisa (a.k.a. “Lizzie”) said, “and it continues to grow.”

Lizzie’s Lunchbox specializes in “Tex-Med,” a healthy combination of Texas- and Mediterranean-inspired cuisine: pita wraps, hummus, kabobs, sandwiches, salads, soups, and desserts.

“We always wanted to own our own business,” Lisa said. “I was looking for a niche, and sitting at a desk all day is not my thing.”

Lisa and Keith embarked on the adventure together, starting with buying an old tool truck in Dallas, with plans for a do-it-yourself renovation.

“This was July 2010, the middle of a scorching Texas summer, and on the drive back from Dallas the engine blew,” Lisa said. “It was then we got our first reality check about what kind of adventure we were truly on. Keith and a friend rebuilt the engine on weekends, then Keith gutted the truck, designed and executed the layout, including plumbing, electric, and gas, and today I have the finest gourmet restaurant on wheels around!”

Lizzie’s is open six days a week, serving lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lisa does most of the cooking herself in her ultra-efficient kitchen.

The former Iowans (the Allens both grew up near Oskaloosa) moved to Austin in 1995.

“We love it here,” Lisa said. “We can’t imagine living anywhere else.”

Check out Lizzie’s website. It makes my mouth water!

Other duties as assigned

5 Dec

Kara Fuhlbrugge’s bachelor’s degree in graphic design took her to Austin, Texas, immediately after graduating from Iowa State in 2003. The job – designing watches for children and adults – was with Seiko Instruments. After a few years, she moved to a marketing firm where she worked on projects for a variety of local clients.

But she wanted a job she could be passionate about. And she found it in Special Olympics Texas. As the only graphic designer for the organization that provides year-round sports training and competition for 40,000 kids and adults with intellectual disabilities, Kara designs banners, T-shirts, billboards – and just about everything else.

“I love it when I see people wearing the T-shirts I designed,” Kara said. “I went crazy one day when I was driving on I-35 toward Tulsa and saw a billboard I designed. I started screaming and turned the car around so I could take a picture.”

Kara grew up in Farmington, Iowa. “I started out at ISU as a small-town Iowa girl, but I’m proud of where I am today, making a difference in the lives of thousands of people with intellectual disabilities,” she said.

In addition to her design work, Kara’s “other duties as assigned” include working athletics competitions and other events – like the fundraiser in November that allowed participants to rappel down the side of the InterContinental Hotel in downtown Austin for a contribution to Special Olympics Texas of $1,000 or more.

Kara’s role: Congratulate rappellers. Take their pictures. Get them to act excited. Jump up and down. Meet a guy dressed like Batman.

She never stopped smiling.

Austin, Texas

30 Nov

One of my favorite cities on our first VISIONS Across America trip was Austin, Texas. I liked the food, the music, the architecture, the healthy culture, and the “keep Austin weird” vibe. I also liked the people! I’ve written some stories about the Iowa State folks we met in Austin, and I’ll be posting them in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, here’s a cute picture of Jim and me in front of an Austin sign, taken by Linda Wagner (’04 psychology).

So many stories to tell

16 Nov

I’m back in Ames with 3,067 miles on the rental car and dozens of stories to tell. Our maiden VISIONS Across America trip was a huge success.

After driving south for two days, Jim and I photographed and interviewed four alumni in Austin, Texas, all with wonderful, diverse careers and interests. (Austin is a great city, by the way.) I completely overbooked our appointments, but the stars must have been aligned because we managed to see everyone and still get to our Iowa State party that night ON TIME. The party was hosted by Mark and Kristin Gibson. Mark is a 1982 metallurgical engineering, and Kristin also attended Iowa State. Both of their kids are ISU students: Meredith is a senior in chemical engineering, and Spencer is a freshman in engineering.

Mark and Kristin were amazing hosts, opening their home up to local alumni and serving up a table full of yummy food — including cardinal and gold chips shipped by a friend from Ames! Austin ISU Club members are extremely active, with gamewatches every weekend during football season, and it was great to get to meet some of them.

Not only did the Gibsons host the party, but they also graciously allowed Jim and me to spend the night in their home, took us out to dinner, and fed us breakfast the next morning. Now that’s what I call hospitality! I feel like I have a dozen new friends in Austin.

The morning we left Austin, we drove to Houston to meet with Richard Schmidgall, a 1983 aerospace engineering graduate who works as the contracting officer’s technical rep for the Orion project at NASA/Johnson Space Center (formerly with the Space Shuttle). We were allowed into the coveted Building 9 — the building with the full-sized mock-ups of the Space Shuttle, Orion, parts of the Space Station, and other simulators. Astronauts actually train on this equipment, so it was a real thrill to see it. Richard will be featured in the VISIONS Across America issue of the magazine, so I don’t want to give away too much about him…you’ll just have to wait.

Later that evening we arranged an Iowa State party with the help of Brian Banker (’08 aerospace engineering). Brian is a liquid propulsion systems engineer at NASA, and he serves on the Alumni Association’s Young Alumni Council. He posted an invite in the JSC daily newsletter and we sent out a few emails, but I didn’t expect the great turnout that we had at Boondoggles, a bar and restaurant about five minutes from the space center. At least 20 Iowa State alumni who work for NASA turned out for the party. (Note to self: Bring name tags and write down all the names of  people Jim photographs…I did a lousy job. But, in my defense, I was busy meeting everyone.) It was a very good time, and Iowa State is extremely well represented at NASA.

Our travel pace slowed down a bit after we left Houston. We spent a full day getting to New Orleans, La., our second “official” state. There we met Ann Schexnyder, a Louisiana native who came to Iowa State in the 1980s for a degree in art and design. Ann will be featured in the magazine. She gave us a fascinating tour of her home and her neighborhood in the city’s Lower Ninth Ward. Of course, no visit to New Orleans is complete without experiencing the French Quarter; we walked through the streets with Ann and ate a delicious meal of gumbo, rice and beans, and local seafood at the Gumbo Shop.

One of the nicest surprises of this trip was how much I enjoyed our next stop: Oklahoma City. Our mission there was to interview and photograph Leslie Baker, the director of marketing for the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, for the magazine. Leslie is a 1986 ag journalism graduate. We spent all afternoon and early evening with her. What a great museum! I expected history and artifacts, which it has in abundance, but the museum also features incredible Western art.

I wish we could have spent more time in this wonderful city. We walked the grounds of the botanical gardens and visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial, but there was so much more to see. The city’s tourist map lists 85 attractions, including the Bricktown entertainment district and several other museums.

Our final state on this trip was Arkansas. We met Shirley Koenen in Bella Vista. Shirley received her master’s in counseling degree from Iowa State in 1989 — the same year her daughter graduated from ISU — and spent much of her career in California. She and her husband, Leonard, recently retired to Arkansas, and they’re celebrating their 50th anniversary later this month. Shirley was full of energy and kept us entertained all afternoon. She has had a fascinating career.

So…four states down and 46 to go. I’ll be posting stories about the alumni we met in Austin soon, so check back often!

On the road — for real

13 Nov

Jim and I are finally on the road! We’ve been traveling for a week now, and I thought I’d have plenty of time to blog. But as it turns out I’ve been either too busy or too dang tired to write much of anything. Next week I’ll start to post some stories, so stay tuned. We’ve met with alumni in Austin and Houston, Texas; and New Orleans, Louisiana. We’ve even had a couple of Iowa State parties. It’s been great! Tomorrow we’re in Oklahoma City, and then we travel to Bella Vista, Arkansas.

Heading out on road trip No. 1

26 Oct

Well, we finally have our first trip planned. It’s been so interesting — and so much fun — to hear from alumni in the states we’re visiting first: Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. You Texas folks are plentiful! We heard from more than two dozen of you. It was so hard to choose! Actually, it was difficult to choose alumni in all four of the states because everyone has such a great story to tell.

One of the questions I’ve been asked the most as I’ve visited with folks about this project (besides “Are you really going to Hawaii?”) is “How are you choosing the alumni to feature in the magazine?” There isn’t an easy answer to this. The alumni we choose will not fit any particular role; it’s not an award that has specific criteria. We are not necessarily looking for the most successful, wealthiest, or most powerful people. We’re looking for alumni first and foremost with great stories to tell. We’re looking for people who are unique and who personify the state in which they live. And we’re looking for all kinds of diversity…all different Iowa State majors, a variety of grad years, different careers, a balance of men and women, ethnic diversity, and widely varied stories to tell. We’re looking for a cross-section of alumni who will truly represent Iowa State.

The hardest part is that we can choose only ONE from each state! So we’re hoping to tell additional stories of alumni we meet right here on this blog.

But back to the first road trip: We’ve chosen to feature an aerospace engineering grad who works for NASA at Houston’s Johnson Space Center… an art and design alum who lives in the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans (the hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina and the resulting flood)… the marketing director for the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City… and a retired counselor in Bella Vista, Ark.

We also have a full day planned in Austin, Texas, but you’ll just have to follow our blog to learn more about that! We’re also hoping to meet with some additional alumni at Johnson Space Center. Those arrangements are still in the works. (I still have another full week in the office next week to get all the details ironed out.)

I hope to post updates each day on the road as long as I have the time…and free wi-fi! So stay tuned!

We hear ya

23 Sep

This week, I’ve talked (via email, but still) to alumni from Delaware and Maine! I’ve received story ideas for alumni in Washington, Alaska, California, Idaho, Minnesota, the District of Columbia, and beyond. I’ve heard from a couple of dozen alumni in Texas alone.

I’m still open to suggestions on all 50 states at this point, but time’s running out if you want to nominate someone in Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, or Oklahoma. Those are the four states we’re visiting first, so within the next two weeks I hope to make a decision on whom to feature and then start making travel arrangements. Our goal is to do those stories and portraits between Nov. 6 and Nov. 16. I can’t wait to get on the road and get this project started.

To nominate yourself or someone else for this project, or to tell your story online, go to our VISIONS Across America website. Or just send me an email: cgieseke@iastate.edu. I’d love to hear from you.

Launch party…with special guests

16 Sep

Six months ago, when I still wasn’t sure the VISIONS Across America project would fly, I went to a going-out-of-business sale at a local candy store. I was looking for chocolate molds, but what caught my eye was a cookie cutter in the shape of the United States of America. I bought it for 75 cents and considered it a good-luck omen for the VISIONS project.

It’s been in a drawer in my kitchen, waiting for its day to shine.

That day was yesterday. We had a VISIONS Across America launch party for the Alumni Association staff — to show off our website and thank everyone for all their hard work (so far) on the project. I baked these sugar cookies and hung maps all over the room and made little business cards.

But the real hits of the party were Kate and her new little Cyclone, C.J. Bruns. C.J. was born on Sept. 5 just hours after Kate finished her part of the VISIONS Across America website. I was so pleased that they could come to the launch party! It just seemed appropriate somehow.

C.J. slept through the whole thing, so we were able to play Pass the Baby from one person to the next, and he never stirred. I called it Baby’s First Launch Party. Isn’t he adorable?

 

Getting the word out

15 Sep

We announced the VISIONS Across America project in our fall issue of VISIONS. The magazine dropped in the mail on Tuesday, so I hope to start getting feedback and story ideas from alumni SOON. I can’t wait!

Our website also went live this week, thanks to a lot of hard work by Brooke Guinn, Kayla Schantz, Tara Larson, and especially Kate Bruns. Kate was expecting a baby on Sept. 26 but delivered three weeks early on Sept. 5. She desperately wanted to finish the website before the baby was born, so she literally worked on it from the delivery room. That’s what I call a team player!  Now all the site needs is YOUR stories and photos. I’m very excited about the site’s potential to connect alumni in their home states (and Washington, D.C. … they have their own page, too).

One other thing we did yesterday was send a message out to all the people on campus who work in the areas of communications and alumni relations. These are folks who work within the colleges (and in other areas) who are very familiar with the graduates of their programs. They keep in touch with them and know where they are and what they’re doing. I expect this group to give me lots of great story ideas. I’ve already received suggestions about alumni in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Washington, D.C., and Texas.

Texas, here we come

24 Aug

…and Louisiana, and Arkansas, and Oklahoma. Those are the first four states we’ll be visiting for our 50-state VISIONS Across America coverage. We don’t know yet with whom we’ll be visiting, nor do we know where we’re staying. That’s our September project!

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