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Hayward, Wisconsin
Each year, the Murk family rented a house on Round Lake in Hayward, Wisconsin with their family friends. This annual vacation took place during the last week of July from 2002 until 2008. Spending time on the lake fostered Izzie's love of spending time with family outside and fear of fish. -
Woodstock Lighting of the Square
Each year on the Friday after Thanksgiving, the Murk family attends the Lighting of the Square in Woodstock, Illinois. In addition to attending the ceremony, they cut down their Christmas tree and sometimes see a movie, but the Lighting of the Square ceremony is the main event. -
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Izzie and her family went to Philadelphia for a summer vacation. The main event of the vacation, besides the historical aspects of the city, was tubing down the Delaware River to visit a hot dog stand that was on the water. This was the first vacation post-divorce for Izzie's family, but it was still just as fun as the other historical vacations they took in the past to Washington D.C. and Boston, Massachusetts. -
Confirmation
At the end of freshman year, Izzie made her confirmation after growing up in the Catholic Church with her sister as her sponsor. She claimed her faith as her own as the final step of childhood sacraments of the church. This was the first time she really thought about her beliefs as hers, and she continues to think about her beliefs every day. -
"The Addams Family" in Chicago
During spring break, Izzie's high school choir went to Nashville, but she and her friend stayed home during the break. They went to Chicago one day over the break and deepened the relationship that made them best friends today. The musical "The Addams Family" is a comedic show and brought a smile to every audience member's face. -
Solo Sister Trip
Izzie's sister took her to St. Louis for a weekend to show her around her college town. After Sophie's second year of college, she brought Izzie down for a weekend in the summer to take time away from the rest of the family. Mostly they just visited Sophie's favorite places to eat in St. Louis, including Ted Drewes Frozen Custard, which is featured in the picture. -
Final Performance with Christian Youth Theater
After participating in Christian Youth Theater for twelve years, Izzie took her final bow as a bird girl in "Seussical the Musical" with four other graduates. This bittersweet moment closed out her childhood hobby and started the transition from high school to college. -
First Day of College
The only first day of school everyone gets excited for, the first day of college. After moving to a new state with a new person, Izzie started her first year of college at Western Michigan University. She celebrated the first day of school with her friends and Insomnia Cookies. -
Fall Welcome at Western Michigan University
Before starting her second year of college, Izzie welcomed a group of new students to Western Michigan University. She volunteered as a Fall Welcome Ambassador and showed new students around their new home while forming new relationships with fellow WMU students, new and old. The featured picture was taken after completing a 3k fun run/walk to welcome students to the student recreation center at WMU. -
Great Lakes PeaceJam Conference
After mentoring a group of high school students for a weekend, Izzie realized her passion for education and desire to be a teacher. At the PeaceJam Conference in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Izzie met Kailash Satyarthi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, who inspired the attendees to follow their dreams to achieve peace throughout the world. This conference reminded Izzie about her desire to work with children and her passion for education, and a flame was ignited in her to change her major. -
Junior Year at Illinois State University
After deciding to change her major from occupational therapy to bilingual elementary education, Izzie decided to transfer to Illinois State University. The anxieties of transferring schools quickly disappeared when Izzie arrived at ISU and met so many new friends to do life with in Normal, Illinois as opposed to Kalamazoo, Michigan. -
Fall Mission Trip
During Thanksgiving break, Izzie joined twelve other ISU students on a mission trip to Detroit, Michigan to work with Camp Restore Detroit on projects throughout their community. -
Stage Manager for "Blue Stockings"
During the first weekend of 2020, Izzie had the opportunity to be the stage manager for a staged reading of the play "Blue Stockings" that her sister directed. The play is an empowering story about the first female students at Cambridge University in England. The experience allowed Izzie to take a new role in the theatre that used her desire to help her family and friends succeed in doing things they love. -
Women's March 2020
In 2018, 2019, and 2020, Izzie attended the Women's March in Kalamazoo, Michigan (2018) and Chicago, Illinois (2019 and 2020). This event quickly became one of the days she anticipated the most each year because she was surrounded by empowering people. Each year the march grew in numbers and diversity of members. This year, she attended with her sister and friends who have inspired her throughout her life.
