Melba's Musings

My New Jobs

2011-08-07T17:54:00.003-04:00

The past few months have been quite busy with lots of changes for me on the job front. In May I applied for and was offered a job at Sylvan Learning Center. It's been a great part time job for the summer; however, the overall experience has not been what I expected and I don't plan on continuing my work there in the fall. I also applied for and was offered a job as a W-A-Y mentor through the main branch of our local school district. Though much of my previous work in the field of education has been with very young children, I'm looking forward to trying my hand at helping at-risk teenagers as a welcome change of pace. I start training for that tomorrow, and I'm excited to see where the job leads.

This past week was particularly busy as I interviewed for a position at East Washtenaw Multicultural Academy in Ann Arbor. The interview went well and I found out on Friday that I'll be working as a preschool teacher for them this coming school year. While I don't see myself teaching preschool for the long haul, I do want to work with young children and this is a way for me to get my foot in the door and get some valuable experience under my belt. The program for which I'll be working is a state funded GSRP program, which means I'll be servicing low income families who might not otherwise have the chance to send their children to preschool. I'm looking forward to the coming week, when I'll be able to meet the families with whom I'll be working for the 2011/2012 school year. In considering this job and my future, I've decided that if money and this horrifying economy were not an issue, my true ideal job would be to teach second or third grade in a public school setting. Unfortunately, this job market is not one which lends itself to any sort of cherry picking--a job is a job after all. Still, I think it's good for me to have some kind of idea of what I want for my future. I'm pretty broadly qualified, educationally speaking, which was an intentional choice on my part. It's not that I wouldn't be happy teaching other grades/ages, or, for that matter, using my reading endorsement and teaching language arts to middle school students, but at least if I have an area upon which to set my sights, I'm more likely to make intentional choices toward that goal.

Time will tell. There are several other jobs for which I've applied, and I haven't heard anything about any of them. I'm not exactly sure what that means...I suppose it could be good or bad. It's August now though, so I would imagine most schools will be conducting interviews and making their decisions very soon. Unless something unexpected happens in the very near future, I'll be teaching preschool for the foreseeable future. A job is a job, after all!

Heat Wave

2011-07-21T21:14:00.000-04:00

Back in the spring, someone I was talking to predicted this would be a hot simmer. Turns out they were right. We're currently in the midst of a heat wave the likes of which I've never seen. All the news stations are reporting, "excessive heat warnings" & relentlessly advising us how to stay cool. Something happens to your brain when you see things like, "feels like 115" at the left. Suddenly you become extremely curious. "What exactly does 115 degrees feel like?" you wonder. So you go outside and find out. It's not so bad at first, then you decide to move. Wow, that's hot. I walked to my neighbor's house two doors down this afternoon, with our two-year-old on my shoulders and by the time I got there, I was wilting.

I feel very fortunate that I have access to central air and AC in my car, and that going outside is a choice for me. I really can't figure out how people who work outside for a living are functioning through this extreme heat. I got out early to water the garden this morning, and even by 9:00 it was HOT.

The Search is Over...

2011-07-13T15:53:00.001-04:00

Quite a long time ago, I wrote A POST about church and my {rather conflicted} feelings on the matter. I did attend the church I referenced in that post for about six months, nearly every week. I even went to Sunday school, and I met some people there that I still remember fondly now. For reasons I won't bore you with here, I fell off the bandwagon. Life got very complicated for a time, and then our son was born.

Life got even more complicated. Everything changed.

One thing that didn't change though, was that my spiritual existence felt very unformed. Any time I thought of God or church or religion at all, I pictured a mental image of a blank screen with a little cursor flashing in the corner. Like those old Compuware 486 computers used to do when you first turned them on. Like, "Come on already will you please DO something?" When our son turned two not that long ago, I started talking to my older sister about how I was feeling. I told her that I really wanted to start taking the little one to church because I wanted him to have a moral foundation upon which to grow and learn. We talked about how we can teach our children morals but we really want/need a moral community within which to raise our children so that those lessons we teach can be reinforced by the broader "community" if you will. We also talked about how many of our closest relationships over the years blossomed as a result of our shared experiences at church. Call it divinity or whatever you will, but my sister had a lot of the same feelings I did regarding church. Though we hadn't previously discussed it a lot, we had both been wrestling with it privately and wishing for a solution.

That was it then, we had to start going to church. We enlisted the support of our younger sister, who has also been wanting to find a church she can attend. Three sisters strong, we started church-hopping to see what was available. The first church we attended, chosen by me, had an excellent children's ministry but left us all feeling a little uncertain in other ways. We decided we would each choose a church per week until we (hopefully) found one about which we could all feel good. The next week, my younger sister chose for us to try Unity Church of Ann Arbor.

As it turned out, neither of my sister's made it to church that week, which left me attending services alone with my little one. Despite the slight, inevitable awkwardness of attending church alone, and despite the fact that I didn't know children's services were only available at the 11:00 service, meaning I had to entertain my two-year-old the whole time, I loved the church. I found myself thinking that I really hoped my sister's would like this church too because I was pretty sure I wouldn't be looking any further. I left there that Sunday feeling spiritually full, like I was ready to face the world and all it's complications. My mind wandered back to points from the sermon several times that following week. I felt not only like I wanted to be a better person, but also like I could be a better person. I felt the way I always imagined my church would make me feel. Since that time, my sister's have also attended--and become very fond of--the church. We all sort of feel like we belong there, even though it hasn't been that long since we started attending. The things I like best about this church are:

There are many different skin tones, both among the congregation and among the clergy members.
They teach based on the foundation of the bible and Jesus but they relate it to today, to real life.
They practice meditation and mind calming techniques.
They teach based on a set of principles that leave room for different interpretations.
They don't have a "my way or else" philosophy.
The church is not tiny but not huge. I'm already beginning to know people and I don't feel lost in the crowd.
They are open to questions and individual interpretation of their teachings.
They love my little boy and have welcomed us with open arms.

There are other reasons I like this church too but they can all be summed up by saying that I feel that I can truly be myself here. I can come in with my questions, my doubts and openly seeking a stronger connection with God and that will be supported. I can teach my son the things I believe and know that his spiritual journey as he grows will also be supported and nourished. That is profound, and so far, so is the Unity Church of Ann Arbor.

Graduation!

2011-04-16T23:08:00.000-04:00

Well today was the day...I am officially an EMU grad and it feels good! I graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. In a few more weeks, I'll also have state endorsements in Reading and Early Childhood Education. It really is an amazing feeling to have conquered one of my major goals. I was always determined to make it to this day but there were definitely moments along the way when I wondered if it would really ever happen. Today was one of the busiest days I've had in a long time. I started the morning off with two teacher certification exams, after which I went to commencement ceremonies. Following that, we had a party at my parent's house with all of my family and a few close friends. It was a long but lovely day and I am oddly depleted yet energized at the same time.

I am so fortunate to have an amazing network of family and friends who have supported me through it all. Especially me husband, who has been there through thick and thin to help me make this dream a reality. I love him and I love this day!!

This Time Next Week

2011-04-09T14:21:00.001-04:00

Right around this time next week, I will be sitting in the convocation center at Eastern Michigan University, wearing my cap and gown and listening to...who knows what kind of commencement speech. Shorty thereafter, I will be the proud holder of my bachelor's of science in elementary education. I am SO excited, there really aren't enough words to encompass how I feel.

Last night I went to a little cap decorating party with some of the awesome women who have been with me along the way. Our caps look smashing and I had a great time hanging out with them. We are all so ready for next week but there is nervous anticipation too. Now it's actually starting to feel real! The journey from this post, (way back when I was first making decisions) to now, seems like a thousand miles. And yet, the time actually seems to have gone by rather quickly too. It's an odd conundrum really but I guess that's what happens when you're so busy.

In any case...I am absolutely thrilled to have come so far and I feel really proud of all I've accomplished. According to my transcript, I'll be graduating magna cum laude next week, which means I've been able to maintain an overall GPA of 3.75. Considering all the other major things I've had on my plate over the past three-and-a-half years, and considering we've also had some significant life changes thrown into the mix, that's pretty darn awesome. Come on, April 16!

Sweet!

2011-03-14T15:16:00.004-04:00

When you hear the word "sweet," what kinds of things do you think of? Kisses maybe? Or candy? Maybe your best mate or your roomie? What about pie? Well yes...pie is sweet but what about pi? Pi as in 3.14, do you normally think of that as sweet? If you're anything like me (a bit of a math-a-phobic person really) the answer is probably no...

...until now that is. You simply must hear this to believe. The sound of Pi is actually quite sweet. As someone on a friend's Facebook feed so eloquently put it, "MIND = BLOWN!!!!!!!! Its like math just exploded into song!!!!!" I couldn't agree with that more and so, without further ado, I'll leave you with this:

42 Days...

2011-03-05T13:55:00.002-05:00

...until I GRADUATE!!! I know not everyone will understand but this is HUGE for me. This is a lifetime goal that I've always held and it's been a loooong time coming. My educational path has been non-traditional in nearly every way. My journey has included many twisting, winding, sometimes bumpy roads. I was definitely not the girl who graduated from high school knowing exactly what she wanted. There was a time when, despite my knowledge that it was important, I wondered if I would ever earn my bachelor's degree. That was actually a really big factor in my decision to go back to school at the ripe old age of 32 - the knowledge that having a four year degree was something that really mattered to me in the grand scheme of my life.

There's a song by the Avett Brothers that I really love right now. My favorite line says, "Decide what to be and go be it." I love that! It speaks to me in the deep. The song also talks about, "...a kid with a head full of doubt" and I feel somehow that the kid is/was me. I wish I had been able to make those decisions when I was younger and I wish (sometimes) that I had just gotten all this done years ago. But then...if that were the case, I wouldn't be who I am and I wouldn't have had any of the rich and rewarding experience along the way either. Those twisting, turning roads have not been bad, just long at times. For the most part though, my former educational and career experiences have been value added to the person I've become.

I wonder what the next chapter holds? I wonder when/where/if I will find a job? I wonder who my future students will be? Which of those children will have "a head full of doubt" to which I may be able to add a ray of hope? Although it took me a long time to get to where I am and although the uncertainty of being a job-seeker in the worst economy since the Great Depression is, to say the least, daunting, I can say for sure that my decision to be a teacher was absolutely the right one. Gone (but not forgotten) is my head full of doubt. Although fear is definitely in the mix too, I'm now able to look ahead with pride and confidence in how far I've come. I'm also able to look ahead with hope that I may be able to make a difference in the future by influencing the people who will live in it.

This is the big one...

2011-02-01T15:13:00.001-05:00

...this is the one we've all been waiting for!

OK well maybe we haven't all been waiting for it, but I certainly have. I've been doing snow dances every time any kind of system moves through our area and this time, it seems to have finally worked!

If you didn't already know, teachers (including student teachers like me) LOVE snow days!!

This is what greeted me on weatherbug dot com a few minutes ago:

BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 7 PM EST WEDNESDAY

• A Blizzard Warning Means Severe Winter Weather Conditions Are Expected Or Occurring. Falling And Blowing Snow With Strong Winds And Poor Visibilities Are Likely. This Will Lead To Whiteout Conditions...Making Travel Extremely Dangerous. Do Not Travel. If You Must Travel...Have A Winter Survival Kit With You. If You Get Stranded...Stay With Your Vehicle.Urgent - Winter Weather Message, National Weather Service MI

Impacts...

• Heavy Snow...Strong Gusty Winds...And Widespread Blowing And
Drifting Snow Will Make Travel Dangerous Tonight And
Wednesday.

• White-Out Conditions With Visibilities Of One-Quarter Of Mile
Or Less Due To Intense Snowfall And Blowing Snow.

• Quickly Accumulating Snow And Blowing And Drifting Snow Will
Make Roads Very Hard To Clear.

• Untreated Roads Will Become Slippery...Snowpacked...And
Dangerous.

• Heavy Snow And Strong Winds May Cause Power Outages.

Hazardous Weather...

• Snow Will Spread North Into Southeast Michigan Late This
Evening And Become Heavy Overnight Into Wednesday.

• Northeast Winds Will Gust In Excess Of 35 Mph Tonight And
Wednesday Morning...Creating Areas Of Blowing And Drifting
Snow...And Widespread Blizzard Conditions.

• The Heaviest Snow And Strongest Wind Gusts Are Expected To
Coincide Between Midnight Tonight And 10 AM Wednesday.

• Heavy Storm Total Snow Accumulations Between 8 And 12 Inches
Are Expected.

• Wind Chills Are Forecasted To Range Between 0 And 5 Degrees
Below Zero Tonight.

I've also already learned that Eastern Michigan University has closed for tonight and tomorrow, which is VERY rare and the public libraries in our area have all closed for tomorrow. Obviously my first and most important concern is for everyone to stay safe and warm...and to stay OFF the roads if at all possible. Bearing that in mind, bring on the snow! I'm guessing the preschool where I'm currently student teaching will close for two days, based on what my CT and other veterans had to say this morning. Two days of unexpected time off? That definitely works for me!!

I'll be sure and post pictures and updates later, assuming I'm not buried under the white stuff!

A List of Apps

2011-01-27T23:53:00.003-05:00

I was recently catching up on my blogroll and came upon a great idea for a post from a blog I read regularly. I've had my iPhone for a little over a year now and I'm pretty sure I would be lost without my little mini-computer. Still, there are so many apps out there that it can be hard to make heads or tails of the app store at times. I find that the best apps are often those that I've downloaded due to conversations with fellow smart phone users. With that in mind, I decided to follow a great lead and create my own "favorites" list of apps. These are by no means the only apps I use but they are the ones I get the most functionality or enjoyment from. They are all apps that I consider indispensable in my smart phone world!

1. Instagram - FREE! This app is a fun and easy way to share photos, as well as to follow other friends who use the app. It has some fun "filters" you can add to the photos you upload and it easily connects to most social networking sites and has privacy settings you can control. I would expect popularity of this app to grow over the coming months.

2. Shazam - FREE! This app is simply awesome! It "listens" to a snippet from any song you are hearing and it tells you the name of the song, artist, album, etc. It also gives you the option to connect directly to the iTunes store so you can purchase that awesome new song you just found. I love this one!

3. NPR News - FREE! If you are an NPR listener, this is a "must have" app! I use this just about every day to connect to the live stream of NPR from anywhere I am. I can also download tons of free podcasts and other content that NPR has programmed in.

4. Words With Friends - FREE (or paid). This app is a fun, quick way to connect with friends and have fun. If you like scrabble, you'll like this. You can play games with friends/family who also use the game or you can play with random strangers. I like the fact that I can have several games going at one time and it only takes me a couple of minutes to play my rounds.

5. Around Me - FREE! This one is good for when you are out and about, especially in a location with which you are unfamiliar. You can use it as a GPS, or just to find local listings of just about any type of establishment you could want. I don't use it every day but it's been quite handy on more than one occasion.

6. Bump - FREE! This one was used a lot more when I first got my phone than it is now but it's still pretty cool. Allows you to share content from your phone (contacts, photos, music, etc.) to another phone loaded with bump by simply "fist bumping" the person with whom you wish to share content.

7. Fooducate - FREE! This app lets you scan the bar code on any food product using your phone's camera. Once scanned, this app generates a list of the pros and cons of the item, along with a "grade" for the food you have scanned in terms of its nutritional value. Handy tool to have at the grocery store when you want to quickly compare two similar products.

8. The Weather Channel - FREE! This one is pretty straightforward but I still like it much better than the default weather app on my phone. It provides hourly weather snapshots, weather warnings, videos, etc. for the weather wherever you are.

9. Time Waster Games - all FREE! I may be cheating a bit here but I have a whole folder on my phone called "Time Wasters" and I want to share them. These are aptly named because they are perfect for those moments when you are stuck somewhere and you just need to pass the time. I have often used them while waiting (obviously parked) in line at the pharmacy, or in doctors offices, etc. In no particular order they are: Run Stick Run, Fall Down, Tap Tap Revenge, Jungle Crash, RedBall, BubbleFree, and Fat-a-pult. They are all a little silly but easy to play and fun if you just need to kill a few minutes.

10. Shop Savvy - FREE! This app is new on my phone and as such, it's one I haven't used a ton yet. Still, I'm impressed with its features. Lets you use your phone's camera to scan the barcode on any product in any store and then it will generate a list of comparison prices at other similar stores. If you're willing to shop around, this could save you some dough.

Three Weeks to Go...

2010-11-21T11:54:00.000-05:00

...Ha! I was planning to update this blog every couple of weeks during student teaching. Obviously that didn't happen. It's not entirely a bad thing though, I'm kind of glad that I went the paper-journaling route.

I could say much about my experiences but I think it would be most prudent for that to wait until after I'm officially done. Honestly I can't believe there are only three weeks left in this semester. I will miss the children more than I can say but I will also be so glad to have this chapter behind me.

This coming week is short because of Thanksgiving and I'm really happy about that. The extra time off will do me some good, I'm sure. I only have two more observations and a handful of assignments left to complete and I will be DONE. What a tremendous relief and weight off my shoulders!

Then it's on to my next semester, which (at least at this point) seems like it will be a really good placement for me. Come on April...come on graduation!

Three Weeks In

2010-09-23T21:09:00.000-04:00

Well vacation came and went, school started, routines changed, tears fell, summer ended...and that brings us to now.

I've been officially student teaching for three weeks now. So far things are going well. I am more exhausted than I've ever been, perhaps with the lone exception of the weeks prior to being diagnosed with hypothyroidism, several years ago. In case you didn't know, keeping pace with 24 six-year-old children and then coming home to a 16-month-old toddler on a daily basis has a tendency to deplete your energy!

Overall my placement is good. I mostly enjoy my time at school and am happy to (finally) be applying some of the knowledge I've been spending the last few years accumulating. Today I got to do some real teaching, which consisted of reading the children a book and going over some math and grammar worksheets with them as a whole group. Up to this point, I've been feeling rather like a (slightly) glorified secretary. Not that I mind doing some of the prep work when that's needed but it was becoming quite excessive for a minute. There have also been some scheduling issues, which are completely out of my control.

There's been a lot of stress surrounding the time of day the children are slotted to go to their "specials," which are subjects like art, gym, music, technology and media. They go first thing in the morning, which means all the academic subjects have to be crammed into one long afternoon...NOT a good arrangement for first graders! Since I'm required to do two student teaching semesters--one for elementary education and one for early childhood education--I'm currently at the school for three full days and two half days each week. These (along with daycare arrangements, my husband's work schedule and our car sharing arrangements) have been in place since late August. It's not logistically feasible for me to make any major changes to my schedule at this point, which basically means I end up missing out on a big chunk of the academic schedule with the children on two days of my work week. Granted, this is a bummer but it's not something that will be detrimental to my placement and my learning this semester. I'll still have plenty of opportunities to observe and teach all of the subjects, not to mention the fact that I will be working five full days during the two weeks when I'm teaching my unit. There has been so much stress surrounding all this and it's very frustrating, for all parties involved. With the support of my college supervisor, I finally had to directly state that a schedule change was not possible for me. It was tough for me to speak up like that, since I want to shine in my role as a student teacher but it was essential. Once that conversation was over, some of the stress eased. It's still a daily challenge but the stress is no longer directed at me and my schedule, which is a huge relief.

Whew! That was unintentionally long-winded. I'm required to keep a paper journal as part of my student teaching experience and of course, I've been writing about all this (and then some) in that. I didn't expect to have so much to say about all this here but it just kept coming. Stream of consciousness I suppose. In any case, I'm done for tonight. Time for me to go get ready for tomorrow and then get some much needed sleep. All the stress and exhaustion aside, I do love getting up in the mornings, knowing I get to spend my day with youngsters. I feel that my time is valuable and purposeful now, in a way that it really never has been before. I can't imagine how great I'll feel when I reach the point where I'm actually getting paid to do something I love so much...hang out with children. First graders are so very sweet!

Vacation!!

2010-08-21T09:43:00.001-04:00

One more day to go, one more day of sorrow...one more day in this old dump, vacation starts tomorrow!

I'm feeling pretty excited right about now. Tomorrow we leave for our family vacation to the lake and I really can't wait. It's been two years since Michael and I have been able to get away. We're headed to Mecosta County, Michigan where we'll be staying in a cabin right on the Lake. My parents and two sisters (along with their familial counterparts) will be there too. Oh, and it's also our first real vacation with our son so that will be very special. Hopefully it will be a great week with lots of (much needed) R&R and family fun!

Big Wheels Keep on Turning

2010-08-15T11:31:00.000-04:00

I could have given this post a title about the winds of change blowing because they are around here, big time! A little over a week ago, I closed the books on my last on-campus class at Eastern. All that's left for me before I graduate is two semesters of student teaching, the first of which starts in a little over two weeks! There is one short year between me and my bachelor's degree and I absolutely can't wait for that achievement. I know the year will fly by, which is a good thing on one hand and a bad thing on the other since it also means I will have a two-year-old by then. It's unsettling to want the time to fly by so desperately and at the same time want it to slow down so I can hold onto my baby a little bit longer.

Student teaching is called the "capstone experience" of my degree and I can understand why. There is so much resting on my performance during this one semester in the classroom, it's a little intimidating. At the same time, I'm very excited and very ready to put everything I've learned into practice. I've already gotten my feet pretty wet with my substitute teaching experience but this will be different. I will actually get to know these children and I will feel like more of an influence in their lives. That's what it's all about for me anyway--this career choice I've made. I want to be able to make a difference in the lives of children. I hope this coming year is the first in a long line of opportunities for me to do that.

But oh I am terrified! I'm not even sure exactly what I'm scared of. I guess just the change. I'm nervous about being a guest in another teachers' classroom. I've met her and so far I really like her, but what if we don't get along? What if I don't agree with her teaching philosophies? What if I overstep my boundaries in my efforts to be self-motivated and independent? What if she doesn't like me? And I'm worried about my feet too. I need some good shoes but money is very limited for us at this stage of the game. I already have issues with my ankle and I know standing on my feet all day every day is going to exacerbate that.

Then there's the incomprehensible balance between work and home. I know people do it all the time but I'm not sure how. I wrote about my feelings on this a little bit in this post but they are still largely unresolved. I've been dreaming about leaving our son in daycare. All the dreams have been affirming ones but still, I am very nervous about this change. I know that the only way for me to make peace with it is for it to happen and for everything to be fine. I know that I just have to suck it up and get over the fact that someone else is going to have almost as much time with my son every week as I have with him. That is much easier said than done though. Even knowing I really like the woman who will be caring for him, it's so difficult for me to let go and trust the fact that he will be fine and he will adjust to the new situation.

To add to the mix, we also have major car problems on our plate. Buying a car, even an old one, is simply not an option for us at this point. We really need tho old ones to hold out for this one final year, until I can find a job. The current chariot of choice, meaning the one that gets us where we're going, is our '99 Ford Taurus. My parents gave us this car when it was old but still in relatively good shape. Now though, the transmission is in the advanced stages of certain death and there is a hole in the exhaust line such that the car literally roars from place to place. How in the world am I going to maintain my dignity and put my best foot forward at my new school (which, by the way, is also the school that I would really love to work at someday) when I'm arriving in that junker every day? The other option we have is to fix our 2001 Toyota but it's in need of repairs that are likely to run in the thousands and that is not something we can even consider. It just is what it is. Luckily the school is not far from home and both of Michael's jobs are relatively close so the driving we will need to do is minimal. Still though, there is only so much coaxing and praying that can be done before all the wings and prayers run out.

To end on a positive note, we have a much needed family lake vacation coming up next week that will, hopefully, be a relaxing closeout to summer. We'll be staying in a cabin right on the lake with my whole family, which should be lots of fun.

I Can Breathe Again!

2010-06-17T18:59:00.002-04:00

Whew! Today I got the good news for which I've been waiting. I was awarded a federal TEACH grant for the 2010/2011 school year! When I read that email, I let out a huge breath that I wasn't even completely aware I'd been holding. I feel like at least one of the tons of bricks that has been weighing me down lately has been removed. The grant won't cover all of my tuition for 2010/2011 but it will cover enough that I now feel much more confident that we'll be able to work out how to pay for the rest out of pocket.

Michael is actually the one who found the grant in the first place so I'm grateful to him for pointing me in the right direction.

Honestly I feel a little bit like crying, from sheer relief. Ever since I got the news detailed in my previous post, I've had a low level of dread in the pit of my stomach regarding school and how I'm going to finish. I'm old enough to know that where there's a will there's a way but still...you usually have to make that way yourself, the hard way. I honestly didn't know how we were going to do it and I'm feeling immensely relieved right now.

The current spring semester, in which I've had three classes, is winding down this coming week. After that I've got one summer class, followed by two semesters of student teaching...then (a little less than a year from now) I'll be done. Now that will be a relief!

Smashing Brick Walls

2010-04-23T19:19:00.008-04:00

Right on the heels of my good news about school, I received some relatively bad news about school. I called to check on the status of my spring/summer loan request and this is the information I received:

"Actually, you've reached your aggregate loan limit for undergraduate studies."

My what? Until Wednesday, I had no prior knowledge of the term "aggregate loan limit," and I certainly had no clue that I was anywhere near reaching mine. NOT GOOD, especially when you're paying for your education and supplementing your family's income (barely getting by I might add) through student loans. Apparently this term was couched (and explained) somewhere in the depths of the multiple pages of financing jargon I was supposed to have read when I signed my promissory note. My bad for simply glossing over all that stuff. Does anyone actually read it all, I wonder?

And the worst part is that no one, not one single person, ever took the time to look at my situation carefully enough to let me know that this was something about which I might have needed to be aware. I've been to counselors and I've stayed in touch. I've played my cards by the book, both academically and financially. My biggest crime is my lack of awareness and expertise about how this system operates. Now, only two short semesters away from the end, I'm receiving the news that my financial safety net is gone.

The bottom line is that where huge, bureaucratic institutions are concerned, you're on your own. You can go to as many counselors as you want but in the end, you're completely and totally on your own to navigate the waters and understand the systems. There is no real support in place for this stuff - half the time you can't even speak to a real human being anymore.

I do get it. I understand why they put limits and ceilings in place. It's to prevent people from repeatedly getting loans that they never intend to repay. But that's not me. Granted, I went about things more than a little backwards where my education is concerned but I'm not a slacker with no ambitions...and I'm certainly not intending to abuse the system in any way. But none of that matters. This is a hard limit, completely black-and-white. There are no provisions in place for someone like me who actually does have a legitimate need to borrow the last little chunk of college money I need. There is no room for someone to fall into a gray area, exactly like the one in which I now find myself. Arghhhhhhh, all of this is SO utterly frustrating!

I know I have to take my fair share of the responsibility for this SNAFU and I'm painfully aware of the fact that I'm the one who now has to suffer the consequences of my lack of awareness regarding my educational loans but still...this smacks pretty hard.

So the long story short is that Michael and I now have to find some way to come up with the requisite ~ $6,000 that I need in order to finish up my last few classes at Eastern and complete my two semesters of Student Teaching. *sigh* I have NO idea what we're going to do and I'm pretty much stressed to the max. Suddenly there's a lovely little brick wall that has obtrusively asserted itself smack in the middle of my path. Ugh.

I feel a little sick.

That being said, I'm not about to let that brick wall stand in my way. I fully intend to either go over the damn thing or smash right through it. Either way, I will finish my degree. I'm currently investigating my options so that I can come up with a plan for how to get enough money. Wish me luck!

Undergraduate Symposium & Student Teaching - Opportunities Abound!

2010-04-18T21:31:00.005-04:00

Well the wheels are beginning to turn a bit faster for me where school is concerned. I'm finally, finally just about done with my course work and ready for student teaching! This is my last mainstream semester (it's been a rough one) and then I have four (or hopefully only three if I get my waiver for speech) classes to take this spring/summer and I'm on my way to student teaching!

I met with my cooperating teacher on Friday and she seems really nice. I'm going to be working with her from September-December of this year so I hope the relationship continues to go well. She teaches first grade in the district that was my first choice so I'm pretty happy about my placement. :) It's going to be a lot of hard, exhausting work for NO pay, which is pretty stressful but I hope it will also be a good experience that will lay the foundation for me to be a strong teacher when I finally get a job.

Speaking of getting a job, I've potentially got another great thing to add to my resume! Last week, a professor asked me to stay after class to see her. Of course I was a tad nervous but it turned out to be a very good thing. Based on some of the work I've done this semester, she wants to nominate me, along with two other students, to take part in the undergraduate symposium at EMU. I still have to gather some information and talk with the other two students to figure out exactly how this all works but I think being nominated is a pretty strong, positive statement. There are usually only 300 presentations per annual school year. With an approximated total student body of 23,000, I must be doing something right. :)

It's so nice to finally be seeing some of my hard work beginning to pay off. For such a long time now I've been in school with a seemingly insurmountable pile of classes and requirements to wade through but now, almost out of nowhere, the end is in sight and is, I think, very much an attainable goal. How thrilling!

School's out for...

2010-02-10T07:44:00.006-05:00

...I so wish I could say "ever" like the song goes but school's only out for today. Yes, that's right, they still DO sometimes come to their senses and declare a SNOW DAY for adults!

Waiting in my email this morning was this message:

Eastern Michigan University is closed due to weather on Feb. 10

I'm doing a happy dance, even if it's only on the inside! I think I want to make a snow person today.

Window Views

2010-02-04T15:01:00.009-05:00

Let's face it, wintertime in Michigan means I spend a lot of time indoors. This got me thinking about how much time I spend on the inside looking out--and about the views I see during that time. I decided to do a new photo series called, "Inside Looking Out" or "Views Through My Windows." I'm not sure about the title yet (any opinions?) but I can tell you this has made me look at windows and what I see through them a little differently.

Following are the photos I've taken so far. They are intentionally left in their rough, unfinished state because I want this series to be as it was actually seen, no cropping or beautifying. Likewise, they are intentionally shot with my iPhone camera rather than my Nikon because I want the rough, real-life appearance. Enjoy!

The Grapes had Other Ideas...

2010-01-22T22:41:00.010-05:00

...whew! Today has been a busy day of running around, shopping, and playing with my son. We had a lot of errands to do, which is never all that much fun when you're dragging an eight-month-old around from store to store. Now Charlie is a dream baby (and I'm not just saying that!) but even so, he does have his limits, as does his mommy! Both of us actually fared extremely well, the day was just hectic.

Picture this:

One S.am's C.lub cart full to the brim with $350.00 worth of household necessities and food, one S.am's C.lub cart filled to capacity with a car seat bound baby and his diaper bag and one mommy pushing/pulling both carts across the crowded parking lot, opposing the frigid winds toward the car. Do you need a nap yet because I certainly do! And of course it's only at times like this when Murphy's Law comes into effect. So there I was, loading the groceries into the trunk. I picked up the large plastic container of grapes and the lid came off, spilling grapes all over the other groceries, on the ground, and at the bottom of the cart. Definitely a frustrating moment and a nuisance to clean up, but not the end of the world, right?

Well then when I got home and finally had a chance to unload the car--well after 9:00, the grapes decided to jump ship once again, this time landing face down in a clump on our snow-covered driveway.I know it's hard to see the detail in this photo but man, grapes were everywhere! At that point I began to wonder if the cosmic universe was trying to tell me not to eat these grapes or something. If so, I decided not to heed the warning, cleaned up the grapes once again and brought them in for a soak in the sink. I had a hand full a few minutes ago and they were pretty good - I guess my frustration paid off in the end...

What a day!

Regeneration

2009-12-21T19:34:00.006-05:00

Ahhhhh, can you hear that? It's the sound of me breathing a tremendous sigh of relief! I have finally finished my fall, 2009 semester and honestly, I could not be happier! Most of the semester I felt like a rickety old train barreling down the track at breakneck speed. A couple of times I honestly thought I was going to derail and lose it all, but I managed to get to the survival station at last!

This semester would have been hard even without my new status as "mommy." The classes were overwhelming and project intensive. I had a lot of work in every class, plus exams in most of them too. Some weeks it just seemed like the workload was more than one person could reasonably handle. Add to that the fact that my priorities and obligations have changed drastically now that I'm a mom and you can see why I've been overwhelmed. There is no way I'm looking back at this important time of my life (and my son's life) ten years from now and realizing I missed his infancy and major milestones because of school.

Of course, what that means is that school is no longer at the top of my priority list, which is definitely a big shift for me. All in all it worked out fine. I still ended up with one A and four A minuses, which is better than I expected. Things still get done, they just get done in much more randomly fragmented chunks. While 2009 did not showcase the best of my best work throughout my college career...it was still not that bad. Man I'm glad to be done!

Now only one more big semester and two spring/summer classes and it will be student teaching time for me! I have a lot of mixed feelings about that, but definitely will be saving them for another post...

Two Inches...

2009-10-30T15:01:00.004-04:00

My 17-year-old nephew was in a car accident this morning, and the paramedics told him that if he had been two inches taller, he probably wouldn't have survived. He crashed into a semi-truck and the entire roof caved. Apparently he hit the central wheel base of the truck, and if the impact would have been to the right or left even slightly, the top of the car would have been completely cut off. I saw the pictures of the car and it made me feel sick. Apparently the driver of the truck didn't even approach Nick's car because he assumed the worst. Over the years my nephew has struggled with being the kid who's shorter than all his peers. All I can say is that I am thankful beyond words for the two inches that have turned out to be vital to Nick's life.

He is okay. Bruised, scraped, and scared...but thankfully okay. After seeing those photos, I'm honestly not sure how he walked away from a crash like that with only a band-aid and a headache. I know that if I would have seen something like this on the road, I would have assumed the driver of the car probably hadn't survived. I could cry. Thankful does not even come close to my thoughts tonight. Thoughts of how much worse this day could have been send shudders down my spine.

They took him to the hospital, and have done every kind of scan you can imagine to make sure there are no internal injuries. My family is in the process of piling in the car and driving down to Indiana to visit. It's probably not essential that we go there, but we all just want to give Nick a hug and tell him we love him. I am feeling pretty shaken right now, and still pretty upset, but also tremendously thankful that he wasn't seriously hurt.

This was written earlier today. We are back home in MI now, and all seems to be as well as could be expected with Nick. Tonight I am really wishing that he wasn't quite so far away, but it is what it is.

First Day of Fall

2009-09-22T20:02:00.002-04:00

Today marks a change in the official time of year, but given how our summer has been here in Michigan, there's not much of a difference. If anything, today has been warmer than most of the days in recent memory.

Personally I'm ready for the cooling off period that is afforded by this time of year.

School started again, and I'm busy and overwhelmed as usual. I'm reaching that point where I really need to be done...I crave the finish line! And yet it's still pretty far off in the distance, with a lot of hurdles between where I am and that magical endpoint. I know it will be here before I know it...time always has a way of flying right on by, but I'm just tired. And I'm too old to be where I am. That's the real crux of the issue right there.

As I look out my window, it's only 8:10 p.m., and it's pitch black out there. That's the one part of this time of year that I don't particularly enjoy: the darkness that envelopes us and eats people's joy.

I'm rambling tonight because I don't have that much to say, but I still feel the need to write. I passed up my regular book club meeting tonight because I had a hectic and overwhelming day at school, and I barely slept last night. That, and I didn't manage to finish the book we were reading. Again. And here I sit at my computer blogging, instead of either studying, or getting some much needed rest. Dysfunctional and nonsensical, I know...

That's messy me for you!

Panera Bread Power Outage

2009-09-01T13:01:00.002-04:00

My sister and I went to Panera Bread for lunch this past Friday, which was a rather rainy day. Just as we were placing our order, the power went out. We waited in line for several minutes as the power flickered off and on multiple times. Each time the cycle occurred, the huge stack of pagers on the counter would flash and beep, jumping around as if in frantic excitement.

Finally I asked the manager how long she would wait before declaring the power gone and closing the doors. She asked if I had cash, and I said, "No, I actually have a gift card." She shook her head and explained that they couldn't process any plastic without power. She then turned to the clerk who had been taking our order and told him to write down orders for everyone currently in line. Looking back at me she said, "If the power happens to come back on while you're still here, please come back up and pay for your food. Otherwise, enjoy your lunch."

So we happily ate our lunch in the slightly eerie glow of the emergency backup lights. I guess we had some fortuitous timing...we left Panera Bread with full tummies and my gift card still full too, cool!

Foot Loose

2009-08-14T11:05:00.006-04:00

...and Fancy Free!

The other day I was lying on a blanket in the grass with my son. We were outside in the yard, enjoying the 94 degree day. For some reason, feet became the name of the game. I got a few cool, if random photos of our feet, Michael's feet, and doggy paws to boot: (ha-ha get it, to boot!)

where dog meets man

Arriving in Hell, On Left

2009-07-14T16:47:00.008-04:00

Yep, that's right...today n we took a day trip to Hell...Hell, Michigan that is. :) We had a great time, even though Hell is so small that if you blink while driving by you're likely to miss it entirely. Michael's sister, Margaret has been visiting from Scotland, and she decided her visit wouldn't be complete without stopping by Hell so she could send a slightly singed post card back home.

We all got a good laugh when the computerized voice on the GPS said, "Arriving in Hell, On Left." Yes indeed, this tiny town has made the most of its name...there is no shortage of cheesy hell jokes and amusing decorations!

There's a general store on one corner where you can buy all sorts of themed paraphernalia, including Halloween decorations galore, as well as the a fore mentioned post cards. Then on the other side of the parking lot, there's "Hell's Kitchen," where you can get some pretty darn good grinder "sand-witches." We all had a good time playing with Charlie on the porch while we waited for ours.

In the middle of the two shops, there are a myriad of photo-ops, as well as a miniature golf range for the kiddos. Completing the package is a church with a question mark for a steeple. I know some people wouldn't be able to see the humor in that, but we had to laugh. I think they actually do real weddings!

Hiding in Plain Sight

2009-06-12T22:15:00.003-04:00

This morning as I was mowing the back yard, a lovely sight caught my eye. There is a bird (I think a finch, though I can't be sure) who has built her nest in the lowest branch of our walnut tree. She's presently sitting on her eggs, which just tickles me to no end.

I only saw the nest because of the strands of nesting material that are hanging down from the branch. It's actually quite a smart little spot...low enough so that the baby birds (hopefully) won't fall, but still protected from predators bu the thick grown of leaves all around. If you didn't specifically look, you wouldn't even know the nest was there.

I'm mildly concerned because of our Jack Russell's hunting tendencies, but I'm keeping a close eye on the pet I so love. I feel fiercely protective of these baby birds and their mamma, and I honestly don't know what I would do if Ditto caused them any harm. In short, this simply can't happen, so I'm going to make sure it doesn't!

Isn't springtime sweet!

Container Gardening

2009-06-01T22:17:00.003-04:00

This year has really gotten away from me in terms of gardening. It seems like spring was upon us in one instant, and now it's almost flown right by. Still, I couldn't let the season go without doing my traditional planting of annual flowers in containers for the back deck.

Sunday was a beautiful day, sunny with a cool breeze. I spent a couple of hours at the store, picking through what was left of this year's flower selections, and then I came home and planted until the sun went down. Here are the resulting pictures:

Final Grades & Scholarship Award

2009-05-17T08:20:00.003-04:00

Life has been a whirlwind for me lately, what with my most recent crazy semester coming to an end immediately prior to us welcoming our new baby home! This morning I finally had a chance to catch up with all my grades from this past semester. Considering I took 19 credit hours, I'm happy to say that I still got almost entirely straight A's. Here's the breakdown of my semester:

Life Science for Elementary Teachers - A
The Developing Child in Early Childhood Education - A-
The Developing Child in Early Childhood Education Practicum - Pass (A)
The Developing Professional in Early Childhood Education - A
Field Experien III: Elementary - Pass (A)
Reading/Writing Connections in Elementary Grades - A
Literacy Across Curriculum for Intermediate Grades - A-
Math for Elementary Teachers I - B+

Not too shabby...plus, I received a pretty fantastic bit of mail yesterday too! I've been awarded a $1,151 Gail Ardis Hughes Elementary Education Endowed Scholarship for the 2009/2010 school year. Especially in light of the fact that we now have a new mouth to feed/bum to keep diapered, this will be a tremendous help with expenses this coming year! Let the good times roll!

Since When?

2009-05-08T13:38:00.003-04:00

does Kroger close at 1:00 a.m.? I know we are in a major recession, but this caught me off guard! I guess it makes sense - I mean it's a really great way for them to unobtrusively cut their costs, but wow...I had no idea!

Wouldn't you know it, the one time in my life when I might be likely to need something from Kroger after 1:00 a.m., it's not open. I guess there's always Meijer...but maybe a better plan would be to keep a backup stock of formula and diapers on hand! :)

Welcome to the real world...

My Life Will Never be the Same Again...

2009-05-03T17:44:00.002-04:00

On May 1, 2009...I became a MOMMY!!! We got THE CALL about our precious baby boy on Thursday, April 30, and we welcomed him into our home and our hearts the very next day. Charles Michael Emerson was born on April 28, 2009. He weighs six pounds, 12 ounces, and he is 20 inches long. His daddy and I could not be happier, or more overwhelmed and exhausted!! For more details (including lots of pictures,) hop on over to our adoption blog and see the big story!

Chance Encounters

2009-04-30T12:58:00.003-04:00

Wow, I am pretty speechless right now. I just got home from CVS Pharmacy, where I was printing some pictures for my sister. A man and a little boy were waiting for my kiosk. As I was about to walk away, the man asked me if I knew what I was doing with the Kodak easy-print machines. I said that I did and he asked if I could help him.

I had plenty of time and was more than happy to lend a hand. As we scanned in his photo, he explained that the young girl pictured was his daughter, and that she had recently passed away in a car accident. He was scanning the picture in so he could use it for her obituary. Tears immediately came to my eyes and I got a chill. You never know who you're going to meet, or how your actions are going to affect other people. I could have been rude, or dishonest. There have, unfortunately, been plenty of times in my life when I have been too busy and/or too impatient to help others. I'm glad my encounter today wasn't one of those times.

My heart goes out to that man, and to everyone in his family.

There are some occurrences in life that simply do not make sense to me. It seems completely meaningless that a 24-year-old woman, and her teenage cousin should die in a car accident. It seems horrific that there are mothers and fathers, right this very minute, who are trying to process and grieve the loss of their children. This has really made me think, and has served as a powerful reminder that every moment of every day truly is precious.

The next time I have an opportunity to help someone, I'm going to take it, regardless of whether or not I'm in a hurry. When I'm given the choice between smiling and speaking a kind word, or being self centered and rude, you can bet I'll spend the moment it takes to do the right thing. Any time I feel annoyed or irritated by someone, I'm going to pause and consider that maybe there's a reason they're driving slowly, or whatever the case may be. In this crazy, hectic world, people are rude a lot of the time, myself included. I'm going to try to break that cycle in my own life because, as my chance encounter at CVS taught me today, every moment really does matter.

Please say a prayer for the Varney family that they may find peace and comfort as they try to deal with this tragedy.

Garlic Mustard Weed-Out Day

2009-04-25T19:57:00.008-04:00

My younger sister, Holly and I went out to volunteer for the 11th annual Garlic Mustard Weed-Out day today. We went to Bird Hills Park in Ann Arbor, and we had a great time while also doing something productive and beneficial for our local environment.

If you don't know about it, Garlic Mustard is a non-native, invasive species that was originally brought over by Europeans.

It spreads very rapidly and can quickly snuff out the surrounding plant life, thereby impacting biodiversity and ultimately affecting the entire natural habitat. But--thanks to adopt-a-park workers and volunteers, there has been an organized "fight" against this weed to help control the spread of the beast.

When the plants are young (around this time of year in Michigan,) it's relatively easy to pull them out by the root. As long as they are properly disposed of, in a sealed garbage bag for instance, people can really aid in preventing the loss of other plant (and animal) life. Oh, and speaking of proper disposal, it turns out the tender, young version of the garlic mustard plant is edible! We were given several different recipes today, but I didn't feel quite brave enough to bring any weeds home for cooking. The leaves have a very pungent, garlicky smell when you're near them. Incidentally, that is one sure way to know you're picking the right thing since they do bear an uncanny resemblance to young violets.

Overall we had a great time, and we both felt good about our volunteer efforts for the day. As luck would have it, we left the park a few short minutes before a glorious spring thunderstorm rolled through.

I'm glad to say this photo was taken from the relatively safe and dry vantage point of Holly's car!

P.S.

If you want to know more about garlic mustard, here is a longish, but rather informative video about the plant:

Garlic Mustard Identification and Control from Barbara Lucas on Vimeo.

Therapy at North Bay Park ...a Photo Essay of My Day

2009-04-17T16:51:00.018-04:00

For me there is nothing quite as therapeutic as some sunshine and a date with my camera! Today I took the doggies out to North Bay Park, which is a couple of miles from my house. The sun was shining and it was warm with a lovely spring breeze.

it's been far too long since I've taken my camera out to play...

this is good for my soul!

And speaking of my camera, I need to talk about that word a little. To me, the word camera seems cold and metallic, much like the device. "Camera" comes nowhere close to describing how I really feel about this little piece of metal, plastic, and glass. Granted, it is only a thing, but it's a thing that I really love! For this reason, I refer to my camera as my "camrade" sort of like a comrade. :) My family members have heard me say this so much that they've begun to use it themselves, which I find endearing.

Today's little excursion was a therapy trip for my dogs too. It's been a long time coming for these sweet, faithful girls! They needed to get out of the house and see a bit more of the world! They are happy and well-loved to be sure, but the truth is that when I'm in school they spend a lot of time waiting for me to get home...and waiting for me to finish my homework.

Ditto and Dinah, my "doggy daughters," enjoying their ride in the car.

Once at the park, one of the first things I saw was a kite stuck in the edge of a tree. This made feel a little sad, and it made me think of life. Sometimes I feel as though I'm "stuck" just on the edge of freedom, just on the edge of breaking through to a more fulfilling life...a lot like this kite. It's the old "if only" adage that so many people live by, but that I try not to dwell on too much. I also thought about the child who lost this kite. I wonder what that day was like? I wonder how much time the adults who were present had to spend consoling?

We started our walk with a lovely view of the path stretching out ahead of us...

...but it didn't take long for the girls to find a log that smelled absolutely heavenly to them.

After stopping to say hi to lots of passers by, and of course to have a nice, long sniff at every opportunity, we finally made it down to the water. The sun was shining and the water was beautiful. Even the old, dead logs were glittering like diamonds!

These are the prescription sunglasses I got for Christmas last year. It was nice to finally put them to use for something other than driving in the car or walking around campus at Eastern. I am one lucky girl!

Once around the other side of the lake there was a bit more shade. The trees in Michigan are just gorgeous right now. They are all rife with buds and the colors are just beginning to burst forth in anticipation of warmer days ahead.

Standing under these huge trees, I felt almost as if it was raining willow branches. The way they were swaying in the breeze, and blocking the sun from my face...it was like a magical little world under the willows, belonging only to me. But, as if on cue, there was the ever-present reminder of humanity. A huge plane taking off from the local airport. I like the juxtaposition between nature and people in the photo below.

Also in a strange parallel to life, my walk wasn't all sunshine and roses. {Fair warning: if you are squeamish you may not want to look to closely at the following two photos!} About half way around the lake, I saw what I first thought was an old, hollow log next to a tree, but it didn't look quite right. Upon closer inspection I realized it was actually a dead fish. To be honest, I couldn't decide at the time if it was a dead bird or a dead fish, but after showing the pictures to Michael, we decided this was most certainly a former fish. How it got up next to the tree I have no idea. I'm certain there is some interesting story that goes along with this image too, much like the kite, but your guess is as good as mine!

All in all, dead fish included, I had a lovely day that made me feel more refreshed than I've felt in a long time. To top it off, I came home to find a very sweet card and gift from my young friend, Kyra. This is the little girl I cared for from the time she was two weeks old until she turned three-and-a-half and went to preschool. You can read more about my time with K. in this post, but the gist of the story is that this sweet gesture really warmed my heart. Kyra's mom called me last week to tell me how much they've been thinking about me. I've been thinking about them a lot too, but with all the craziness at school, calling them back has remained on my to-do list. :( We haven't been able to make time to see each other nearly as much as either one of us would have liked this past year, but the love is still there. Kyra is five now, which is unfathomable to me. She's a lovely little girl and I still miss her so much it hurts sometimes. It was really nice to know they were thinking of me, and the bracelet she made is darling. I've been wearing it all evening, but I did take it off for a minute so I could scan it in:

So sweet...what a lovely day it's been!

Opportunity Knocks...

2009-04-14T16:06:00.006-04:00

A few weeks ago I received an email from one of the professors in the Early Childhood Education program at Eastern. I've heard her name off an on, but haven't actually had any classes with her. It was a bit of a surprise to see her name in my inbox. Here is part of the message she sent:

Drs. B.eaubien and D.ichtelmiller shared with me, at my request, a select group of students whom they believe to have the potential to be real leaders. Your name was one of the names I received. I serve as the faculty advisor for the Association for the Education of Young Children-EMU. I am looking for a few students to take leadership for next year. If you are interested in serving in a leadership capacity, or just want to know more about the organization, let me know and I will include you in a group meeting...

I've just come from that group meeting, and I'm feeling pretty excited about the potential of becoming involved with this organization. Not only will this look great on my resume when it comes time for me to look for a job, but it's also nice to be noticed as a person who stands out from the crowd. This could also be a great way for me to meet/connect with people who are on the same educational path I'm on, which in invaluable.

Who knows what will come of all this, but I do feel buoyed after the votes of confidence from my current professors. I left the meeting a few minutes ago with a spring in my step and a smile on my face...that certainly counts for something!

Easter Sunday

2009-04-13T10:02:00.006-04:00

Easter Sunday was a lot of fun for me this year. Although my younger sister had to work and wasn't able to be there, I had a good day with the rest of the family. My nephew was here, visiting from Indiana, which is always a plus for me since I miss him so much. My two-year-old niece, A. was a bundle of fun. This is the first year she really "got it," and I so loved playing with her.
For about the past six (maybe more) years or so, my family has been doing boy vs. girl (rather competitive) Easter egg hunts. This all started when my nephew was old enough to really participate in the fun and games, and quickly became a tradition. I have greatly enjoyed the camaraderie surrounding this little ritual, but I must say...we were all getting more and more "creative" in our efforts to be the team with the most eggs! Long story short, we changed things up a bit this year and let the two-year-old have most of the fun. Uncle Michael hid all the eggs in very age-appropriate hiding places for her,

and then we all helped A. as she looked for eggs. She had a great time with the hunt, and actually managed to find quite a few before her attention was captured by bigger and better things.

Baby L. wasn't feeling very well and was consequently pretty grumpy most of the day, but I was still happy to see her and {attempt} to help them keep her from crying too much. She wanted to be held all day (mostly by her mommy) and, even then we could tell she wasn't her usual happy self.

Of course the day wouldn't have been complete without some fun and games for the big kids too. Enter the lovely Mr. Marshmallow Peep! Nick and I decided to do the age-old microwave trick with our peep friend, and the results were...well, hilarious!

The poor little, gooey guy...I really don't think there's any way to win when you're a marshmallow peep on Easter Sunday! Even if you are lucky enough to avoid a couple of big kids at heart who will delight in subjecting you to microwave madness, you're still highly likely to be eaten alive!

And speaking of funny things, Nick got these absurdly-faced plastic eggs in his Easter basket. They made us laugh, a lot. Especially when he decided to start mimicking their expressions.

Last, but certainly not least, was the enjoyment of watching A. open her Easter baskets. She has had a sweet tooth from the time she first tasted chocolate, so this influx of more candy than she has ever seen was a delightful experience for her, and for us.

Promises of Spring

2009-04-04T16:41:00.005-04:00

I get a giddy feeling when I look at my front garden around this time every year. Somehow it never ceases to amaze me when my bulbs and perennials begin their reawakening, and when the maple tree breaks out in buds. After such a long and brutal winter, it seems almost impossible they could come back. Today is sunny, if a little windy and cool. I took the opportunity to get out and do a bit of early spring pruning. The first daffodils have already bloomed, and if the multitude of tiny green chutes I saw are any indication, there will be a profusion of blooming to follow. I truly do love something about every season here in Michigan, but the promise of renewal and life that comes with spring is invigorating!

Just in the Nick of Time!

2009-04-01T20:18:00.003-04:00

OK so I just got home from a very long and exhausting day at school. I'm very tired and I have a headache. Immediately after letting the dogs out, I went to the medicine cabinet to get some Sudafed for said headache. Let's just say that until today, I never realized how similar generic laxative pills and Sudafed are! Luckily, I noticed the difference just in the nick of time, before I accidentally swallowed two laxatives!! I think it was the packaging that was the most misleading and made me grab the wrong one. Both come in a silver foil-type sheet of pills. Thankfully, the pill manufacturers are smart enough to realize the possibility of this error, so they make the pills different colors. NOTE TO SELF: Sudafed pills are red, laxative pills are orange! I seriously noticed this difference as I was filling up my water glass, right before popping the pills into my mouth. Whew! I am very thanful I avoided this mishap...the last thing I need right now is those kinds of problems on top of everything else! The photo below is pretty bad since I took it with my cell phone, but you can still see how similar they look...now you know!

Getting There...

2009-03-30T22:01:00.003-04:00

Well this semester has been insanely insane for me...19 credit hours has made most days fly by in a whirlwind! I've had to stay very organized and on top of things in order to keep it all together, but overall I've been OK. We're finally getting down to that end-of-term crunch time where everything is due and demands are high. This will be a stressful few weeks ahead, but then I'll be done, AND I'll have eight more classes checked off my list! Even though I've been busy as a bee, I'm glad I went ahead with the crazy semester while I was able to take on such a heavy load. My husband has been great, very supportive and understanding as I've put virtually everything but school on hold. I'm getting to the point in my educational career where I can see that light at the end of the tunnel, and it puts a smile on my face. I now only have a few spring/summer classes, in addition to two more big semesters and I'll be ready for my year of student teaching. It seems so close and still so far away! I can't wait to finally graduate and move on, but having said that, I'm also trying to be where I am and enjoy the positive aspects of being a "college kid."

Who Knew?

2009-03-21T11:00:00.004-04:00

Apparently, holding down the shift key for 8 seconds causes something called "filter keys" to become active on windows computers. I learn all sorts of things I never wanted to know in any given day, but this one takes the cake! Why in the world would something like this be built into the OS...I simply can't see any advantage to such a feature, weird!!

Diamante Poems About My Day

2009-03-19T20:29:00.006-04:00

Student
dedicated, diligent
reading, writing, working
books, paper, pencils, stress
reading, writing, working, thinking
tired, educated
woman

Dogs
sweet, spoiled
running, rolling, barking
ears, tails, noses, paws
playing, begging, sleeping, snoring
happy, loved
pets

Dishes
dirty, gross
invading, stinking, annoying
sink, water, soap, sponge
soaking, scrubbing, rinsing, shining
clean

Chipmunk

small, quick
running, scurrying, quivering
driveway, woman, car, tires
rolling, squealing, stopping
ugly, depressing
death

These Make Life Sweeter...

2009-03-12T22:17:00.007-04:00

...nieces! I'm thoroughly convinced it's no coincidence that the words nice and niece are so closely related. One of the things for which I am most thankful in life is my status as "Auntie Melba." First with my nephew, Nick all those years ago, and now with my two sweet nieces, I have always been fortunate to have close relationships with these special children. A few weeks ago, Michael and I kept the girls so my sister and her husband could take a much-needed respite to celebrate their anniversary. It was a win-win situation, because we got some one-on-one time with these sweet girls, and they got a night of freedom. Here are my favorites from the images taken that weekend:

One sleepy, one silly

= arms full!

Is there anything better than a baby falling asleep in your arms?

Ava in Shades

One Big Baby!

L.G. - Life's Good!

{Auntie}

Laughable

2009-03-12T00:15:00.008-04:00

This one made me chuckle...

Click here to see a larger version.

Frozen

2009-03-03T11:53:00.004-05:00

I've had two experiences involving frozen things over the past couple of months, both of which have been really disturbing. This has been a cold, bitter winter...more so than most Michigan winters through which I've lived. So anyway...a few weeks ago, I had a nice, steaming hot burrito for my lunch. I'll admit it, I have a weakness for Taco Bell, though more for the hot sauce than the food. I don't go there often because I'm trying to avoid the whole fast food pitfall, but alas, I digress!

So there I was, sitting in my car, eating my nice, hot burrito as I waited for my next class to begin. The outside temp was (I think) maybe 5 degrees that day, so yeah...cold! I was hungry, having not eaten since early that morning. I looked into my bag, and...no hot sauce! To understand the magnitude of this problem, you have to understand my relationship to TB hot sauce. For me, eating TB food without hot sauce would be...I don't know, like eating a sandwich without bread. I love Taco Bell hot sauce! So anyway...I was disappointed, but still very hungry. I looked around my car and saw the long-forgotten, and very frozen hot sauce in my cup holder. I thought about this for maybe two seconds and then decided it was better than no hot sauce. I opened the packet and put the sauce on my burrito. The stuff was the consistency of thick mucus and it was so cold that it hurt my teeth when I took a bite. The combination of very hot with very cold was unsettling. Let's just say I ate the remainder of my burrito with no sauce and it has been easier for me to avoid Taco Bell since then. The mental image of that slimy, frozen packet of snot keeps creeping into my mind...gross!

Then yesterday, when the temps dropped below zero again, I was on my way to school when I realized I had forgotten my chap stick. One annoying side effect of extreme cold and dry heating all winter long is dry, chapped lips. I needed my chap stick! Again, I looked around my icebox of a car and discovered some long-forgotten and very frozen chap stick in the center console. I pried the cap off and placed the tip on my lips. I attempted to move the tube back-and-forth, in the manner of a person applying chap stick, but no...the thing just sat there, affixed to my lips in one spot. Apparently, frozen chap stick is closely related to glue! I might as well have had a glue stick in my hand and been trying to put that onto my lips. I managed to get enough chap stick to make a small difference, but it was cold and clumpy and basically just gross. I survived the rest of my day without chap stick, but I've certainly learned that some things are just better left alone when frozen!

Easy but Delicious!

2009-02-24T17:33:00.004-05:00

A couple of years ago, my good friend, Molly gave me a recipe that is so easy to make, it shouldn't taste anywhere near as good as it does: White Bean Chicken Chili. I haven't made anything at home (other than sandwiches or other simple items) in quite some time, so today seemed like a great day for this easy and tasty crock pot meal.

Molly's White Bean Chicken Chili:

Ingredients:

One whole roasted rotisserie chicken (I prefer the unseasoned variety)
One large jar (48 oz) of Northern white beans OR "mixed beans" (personal preference)
One jar (24 oz) of Northern white beans
Two jars (16 oz each) of any brand salsa you like. I usually use one jar of a typical medium salsa, and one jar of "black bean and corn" salsa. I find this gives a nice, yet simple variety, but you can mix it up any way you like!
Three 8 oz packages of shredded cheese. I use sharp and Mexican-style, mixed evenly

Procedure:

Combine all ingredients except chicken into a large (6 Qt.) crock pot and turn on "high."
Stir in a little water if needed, depending on desired consistency. The mixture should look like chili or thick soup.
Remove all bones and skin from chicken, (my dogs LOVE this part because they get to eat the skin) placing bite-sized pieces of chicken into the crock pot as you go. This procedure is messy and a little gross, but worth the effort. I usually shred the chicken (by hand) as I'm placing it into the pot.
Heat on high for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally.
As with most soup/chili, we find this is better on day 2, and it also works well as a baked potato topper for left-overs.
This makes a very large pot that we eat for several days. You can modify the recipe to make as much or as little as you want, just be sure your bean/salsa ratio stays ~ the same.

Just in time for "spring" break...

2009-02-21T10:34:00.003-05:00

we are having another big snowfall today, 4-8" expected, which will be nowhere near the actual amount we end up with! Still, it IS only February in Michigan and the news media people are really making a big deal out of this storm, funny!

Ironically, my "spring break" began today as well. Of course, they have now conveniently changed the name of this mid-semester break to "winter recess," but it will always be spring break to me since that's what I grew up hearing. I would love to be spending my break somewhere warm without snow, but I'm also happy to just have some time to do something other than homework for a change. First on my list is catching up with family and friends, closely followed by some TLC for my poor, neglected home!

The Worms are Confused (again!)

2009-02-12T21:33:00.003-05:00

We've had an extremely unusual warm streak here in Michigan these past few days. On Tuesday it was sunny and in the 50's. The last couple days it's been rainy but still warm, very odd for early February. Mind you, this winter has been brutal up until this point, with record snow fall and many frigid days where the temperature lingers around zero. I've enjoyed the warm streak, but last night when I left school (sometime after 9:00,) I noticed a whole bunch of earthworms crawling around on the sidewalk. Apparently they are confused and think spring is here. I feel badly for them, because many will get squished by unobservant pedestrians. I spent a minute or two rescuing a few of them and transporting them back to the grassy area (weird, I know) but then I gave up because there were too many and I was getting cold. The same thing happened last year and I also reacted similarly, but that was in April rather than February...weird!

Bella & Tara

2009-02-04T20:57:00.005-05:00

I am in love with this video...we humans could learn something from this awesome odd couple!

A Fellow "Greenie"

2009-02-04T11:54:00.003-05:00

I'm not normally the type to strike up conversations with random strangers, but the other day at school the lounge where I normally eat my lunch was crammed full. I contemplated leaving and going somewhere else to eat my lunch in solitude, but then I thought better if that idea. I asked someone who was sitting alone at a table if I could share her space. She was friendly and more than happy to let me sit down, but we were both engrossed in our own activities. That is...until I removed my treasured wrap-n-mat reusable sandwich bag, one of the ones I talked about in this post. Her eyes grew wide and she gasped, saying, "Oh my gosh, that is the coolest thing I've ever seen!" She reached out her hand and then looked at me tentatively, "Can I touch it?" she asked. I smiled and nodded and she gingerly felt the shiny plastic part of my wrap-n-mat. She asked where I got it and then examined the mat even more closely to see how it was made.

That one small encounter turned out to be the beginning of a welcome lunch break conversation. From the discussion of the wrap-n-mats, we moved on to reusable grocery bags, and the whole idea of "going green," in which we were both interested, became a frame for a broader discussion that included life at school, our chosen majors, heavy backpacks, stressful professors, and our families. For the first time in a while, I enjoyed my lunch without feeling lonely. Don't get me wrong, I have my fair share of hallway acquaintances and class buddies here at Eastern, but the truth is that while I am happy here most of the time, I also often feel somewhat isolated. Maybe isolated is the wrong word...maybe I feel different. The fact is, I am different from the vast majority of my classmates. I'm no longer the young woman whose chief concerns are men and what she should wear. I'm glad I'm no longer that girl, because my life has a richness to it now that wasn't there before, but still...this does set me apart from the majority of people with whom I attend classes, and sometimes that can be hard.

All in all, solitude...and even loneliness to a degree aren't the end of the world. I may not make any lifetime friends during my time here at school, but at least I can have meaningful and memorable conversations over a shared lunch table!

My Girl

2009-01-24T21:09:00.004-05:00

I know you've heard of a pig in a blanket, but how about a dog in a blanket? This is our little fur-monster in a photo taken just a few minutes ago. She is nothing if not spoiled!

This past week has been a little rough for our poor puppy. On Monday she had to get six teeth pulled. It's a little annoying because when we asked about her bad breath this fall, they said we should possibly consider getting a dental done because of her age (she's 9) but not to worry about it too much. We switched over to the specialty dental food at that time and went on with life. Despite the more expensive food, the bad breath persisted. This was not only unpleasant to endure, but I could just tell Ditto wasn't feeling the best, which made me sad. We did indeed schedule the dental cleaning, as soon as we were able to come up with enough money. She went in Monday to have the procedure done. For dogs, even routine dental work is done as a surgery, so Michael and I were both a little nervous when we dropped our baby dog off Monday morning.

As it turned out, everything went fine, if you count having six teeth pulled as fine. Obviously they needed to come out...the vet apologized and explained that there really was no way to save the teeth. They had no explanation for why this happened, other than old age. It's a little hard to understand because we have always fed her dried food and taken good care of our puppy. She's been on antibiotics since she came home, but she is definitely beginning to feel better. Starting around Thursday she wanted to play again and ever since then her energy level has continued to increase. It sort of seems like we have the old Ditto back...our playful, hyperactive Jack Russell Terrier. In retrospect, I can see that she must have been in a lot of pain, which we were just chalking up to her getting older. I feel really badly about that, but I suppose hindsight is always 20/20...

A season of hope...

2009-01-20T22:18:00.004-05:00

My blogging buddy, Sarah posted an awesome "word cloud" that she created using this web site, which, for lack of a better description word, is just plain cool. Anyway, I followed her lead and made my own word cloud from only the words I could remember off the top of my head from the inauguration ceremony today. I like the result...and I think "hope" pretty much sums up this momentous, historical day for me.

Deep Freeze

2009-01-19T11:20:00.007-05:00

As I type this, the temperature outside is 12.2 °F, which actually seems rather like a heat wave. This past week, Michigan has been experiencing a deep freeze. Temperatures in the neighborhood of -13 °F for several days in a row, which makes the wind chill temps somewhere in the neighborhood of -23 °F depending on the day. So cold that cars won't start and 50-year-old men were found frozen to death outside their homes. Bitterly cold. We know how to handle winter here in Michigan, but this was winter like we rarely experience. We made it through the week relatively unscathed not counting the dead car battery and my husband's frozen mustache. Needless to say, he was pretty freaking cold when this image was taken. This was the morning our car wouldn't start.

It certainly could have been worse, but I'm glad the arctic front has moved past for now.

We have had a lot of snow so far this year. Many days of digging the cars out of the driveway in the freezing cold. You can really see how much snow there was in the photo below...much more and the car would have been buried.

Our most recent big snowfall was about a week ago and it was a rather beautiful one. My parents live on 4 acres of land not too far from us. I had the chance to get a few pictures while visiting with them last Sunday:

And last but not least, a haphazard image of the bird's nest in our front yard. This catches my eye every time I come and go. I love the way the nest keeps collecting snow almost like a cone.

The Smartest Boy...

2009-01-11T17:28:00.004-05:00

...or one of them anyway!

My nephew got his ACT scores back late last week and he got 34 out of 36 possible points. That puts the kid in the 99th percentile nationally, WOW! I told him my superior influence during his infancy and young childhood made all the difference, but I don't think he believed me. He's a great kid and this is great news...he will probably be able to attend any college on which he sets his sights. I am very proud!

{Auntie}

Not Just Re-usable!

2009-01-10T11:25:00.006-05:00

This year is bringing about some changes at our house in terms of environmental friendliness. For years now I have been sick of plastic grocery bags. Stores always give way too many of them relative to the amount of groceries, and the things seem to quickly multiply and take up too much space at my house. Still, despite my knowledge of how bad they are for the environment, I've never taken the initiative to do much about this annoyance...at least not until now. I decided to finally buy myself some re-usable bags and it was a very smart purchase! Not only are the bags re-usable, they are also practical, and adorable! The set I bought contains five bags that fold up into a tiny little carrying case. They are ~ twice the size of a regular plastic bag, AND they're cute...what more could a girl want?

Here you can see one re-usable bag with a grocery bag on top and then the four other re-usable bags and carrying case. I'm excited about my next trip to the grocery store for the first time in years! I even think our store gives a little money back if you bring your own bags, so it's a win-win situation.

This is a photo of the carrying case that holds five re-usable bags. I included the pen so you can get a sense of the scale. This is tiny and could easily fit in a glove compartment or purse. I actually think I'll remember to bring them to the store with me because they're so portable.

We've also got a new thing going in place of plastic sandwich baggies. For Christmas Michael asked for "wrap-n-mat" re-usable sandwich bags, and several of them showed up in his stocking. These little treasures are also great! They fold up into the size of a sandwich and can also be used as an eating surface. I take my lunch to Eastern every day and it's nice to have this barrier between my food and the tables in the lounge. Prior to this little addition to my lunch hour arsenal, I used to spread out paper towels, or try to hold my food the entire time (you never know what's been on those tables or how long it's been since their last bath!) so these have been really handy. Oh, and did I mention they are also easy to use as cute as a button? :)

I'm sorry but I think everyone should have at least a few of these...my only regret is that we didn't have both of these products sooner!

Sweet Sisiters

2009-01-03T12:19:00.006-05:00

I did this photo shoot for my friend back in late October. Hard to believe it's taken me this long to get these photos finished, but it's true. These girls are so sweet, and so photogenic...I always love the resulting images of them.

So Much to Say...

2009-01-02T07:51:00.003-05:00

2009 is here, which is still blowing my mind a little if I'm being honest. Where has all the time gone? This holiday season has been particularly busy, full of family gatherings and things to do. I had so many great ideas for what I would do with my time away from school and now the hourglass of my Christmas break is almost empty. I still have a few days, and if I'm productive I can make good use of them, but still...I won't get nearly as much done as I had hoped.

There is so much I wanted to write about and I haven't even been a good blogger lately! My younger sister and I had a crazy trip to Indiana two days before Christmas where we got stranded in an ice storm on the back country roads of Indiana. We ended up staying over into Christmas Eve because the roads were so horrible. I had an entire blog entry in my mind about this story but now it's fizzled somewhat.

There has just been so much in such a short time:

The birth of my newest niece, Lydia Grace
Christmas preparations including getting our tree and decorating the house
The 2nd birthday of my now two-year-old niece, Ava Marie
A Christmas party for my nephew, Nick, who was visiting from Indiana
The crazy trip to IN to take Nick home in time for other holiday functions
Christmas with Michael
Michael's 37th birthday, which included a big family dinner at our house
Our family Christmas
Our 12th wedding anniversary
New Year's Eve Celebrations
New Year's Day Family dinner

Not to mention all the preparations, present wrapping, cooking, cleaning, and effort that went into all these parties and celebrations. Not that any of this is bad...in fact quite the contrary is true. I'm just a little overwhelmed by how much there's been...and how much other stuff I haven't gotten done. My next semester starts in three more days and as of right now, it's scheduled to be my craziest semester yet with 19 credit hours. Alarm bells are ringing in my head!

I know I just have to slow down and do what I can...not worry too much about the rest. My mantra lately has been "be where you are" and I'm trying to carry that all the way through. Still, there were friends I wanted to catch up with, hobbies I wanted to dip into, chores and house projects I wanted to work on...so much I wanted to do that I simply didn't do over this break. It's a little overwhelming to say the least. 2009 has started with a bang!

Sad but True

2008-12-23T09:37:00.004-05:00

I've become one of 'those' people, you know...the ones who put outfits on their dogs. I honestly couldn't resist when I saw the Christmas costumes marked down to 50% off...I couldn't pass up such a great deal. Of course, they say you're only truly getting a good deal if you're buying something you would have bought at full price. Oh well...I think the pictures speak for themselves!

Look, it's Dinah, Santa's long-lost Reindeer!

And of course Ditto, Santa's little helper

Duke & Honey

2008-12-19T15:29:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago I had an opportunity to take some photos of two golden retrievers. Since school and life have been so busy lately, I just now got a chance to process all the photos. These dogs were so sweet, they are best friends and I think it shows. I'm happy to have these completed and I can't wait to get them returned to the client. My snow day has been very unexpectedly productive and it feels good to be getting things checked off my list!

Winter's Welcome

2008-12-19T09:24:00.006-05:00

One of the very best things about being in the educational field in Michigan: SNOW DAYS!! Granted, these days have to be tacked onto the end of the year, but there's just something wonderful about getting an extra day off for what would have been the last day of school before break. Of course since I'm only a sub, this means no pay for me...but I'm OK with that.

Michigan is getting pelted today. We've already had about 3-4" since 4:00 a.m. and as I look out my window right now, I can see a steady snowfall covering the tracks the dogs have made. Even Eastern closed campus today, which NEVER happens. You can imagine my surprise when I checked my email this morning and saw this message: "Eastern Michigan University is closed today (Friday, Dec. 19) due to the weather." Another weird thing happened today too. We were listening to the weather channel this morning for updates and the local emergency broadcast cut in with a message, "The Ann Arbor area is at a stage yellow winter weather alert level," which was followed by information about the hazardous roads and extra driving time. This is just weird. I've lived in Michigan for over 15 years and not once have I heard such a message. I think the big concern is the ice because it really does complicate things...but still, an emergency alert message for a snow storm??

So of course I had to take a few pictures this morning. Unfortunately I don't have my good camera because I left my battery charger in MD and both my batteries have since died, but my camera phone does OK with enough light.

Winter has certainly made herself welcome, even before she's technically supposed to be here. She's even sitting in our chairs:

The weight of the snow and ice caused our bushes to spread out so you can barely see the path to our front door. Of course this is pre-shoveling.

Even Santa, who normally enjoys a rather sheltered existence under the porch received his fair share of snow with this storm.

And last but not least, the dogs have to be mentioned. Ditto has always liked the snow, she scampers right our into it and begins the work of making tracks through the yard. Sometimes she even sticks her nose into the snow and makes a wuffling sound like she's snorting. It's always funny to me that her normally white-looking coat doesn't quite look white next to the snow.

And then there's Dinah with the short legs and low, low body. She does not enjoy the snow. She stands at the door and gives me an imploring look when I make her go outside. This morning her legs basically disappeared in the snow, which was pretty darn funny, poor dog!

Winding Down

2008-12-16T19:08:00.004-05:00

My semester officially ended today, which is a tremendous relief! I'm hoping I ended up with all A's, but there are two classes that are hanging in the balance between A's and B's. More than anything I am happy it's over. This was one very hectic semester and I made it through in one piece. What a nice thought that I don't even have to think about school again until next year!

Christmas is only nine days away! We went and got our tree this past weekend, which was a lot of fun. For once we weren't the ones having a family tiff.

As we were cutting our tree down there was a family walking around near us. They were going back and forth about which tree to get and then the teenage daughter said to the mother, "why are you acting like this," at which point the mother said, "I'm sick of you guys picking on me...no one gives a crap anymore" and then she started crying. Around that time, the father walked over to the pair and said, "will you guys cut it out, this is bullshit!" I felt kind of sorry for them and was happy we weren't experiencing that kind of stress. Our tree is huge this year but with the use of our handy tools, cutting it down was a piece of cake.
On our way out we passed a father and son who had come to the conclusion they had the wrong saw blade. We could tell they were getting frustrated so we offered to let them use our blade. The father was coaching his son all through the process of cutting the tree. He kept calling him "buddy," which was truly adorable." With the right blade, they had their tree cut in about five minutes and all seemed happy.

This is such a busy time of year for us. We have my niece's 2nd birthday on Dec. 20th, a Christmas party on Dec. 21st, Christmas itself, which is also Michael's birthday, our big family Christmas on Dec. 28th, and then our wedding anniversary on Dec. 29th! With all that (and then some) on the to-do list, I can see that next year will be here in no time...bring it on!

Do You Wanna' Be a Drummer?

2008-12-11T20:07:00.004-05:00

My neighbor has recently taken up learning how to play the drums. This is an interesting endeavor, to say the least. From over here, all I can hear is a steady, if annoying thumping noise. I think all the nuances are drowned out along the way. I'm not really bothered by the noise, it's sort of like a methodical thud in the background of my life, to which I've become more or less desensitized. He sure is dedicated though, the "music" just keeps going and going. That reminds me of that Energizer Bunny commercial from a while back where the bunny would drum endlessly. I sort of feel sorry for the people who live with him though...my neighbor, not the energizer bunny!

Service Complete!

2008-12-03T07:37:00.006-05:00

At long last, I'm done with jury duty!! If you're interested in reading about the case I was on, check out this article. They do a much better job of summing up what was a very long, complicated, and convoluted story than I ever could.

Needless to say, I am 1000 times relieved to have this trial over with; however, I will say that I have learned a lot over the past several weeks. For one, I've learned that I am capable of doing more than I think I can do, and that my life really wasn't that stressful before! :) I've also learned so much about the law and about the proceedings of court cases. There were many interesting moments, mingled with many moments too dull to describe. Overall the experience was a positive one I won't soon forget.

Now it's time for me to "bite back" and play a major game of catch up with school. I've done pretty well keeping it all together, but I do have much work to catch up with. There are only a few weeks of school left and I can already imagine how sweet the recoup time will be!

In other news, we welcomed a new family member yesterday! My niece, Lydia Grace was born at 4:26 p.m. So far everyone is doing well and she is so sweet!

Cool Cats!

2008-11-20T21:57:00.005-05:00

This so applies to my life right now. I think I'm entering phase 5 for sure...notice the eye twitching comment! I was originally shown this by one of my professors and then I found it here when I did a google search. No one seems to know the true origin of this, which is unfortunate because it is hilarious!

The Six Phases of Teaching/Learning:

Phase 1: You are listening to jazz — Your first day at work is great. Your fellow teachers are wonderful, your classroom is cute, you love your students, and your principal is the best!

Phase 2:You are listening to pop music — After a while you are so busy that you are not sure if you’re coming or going anymore.

Phase 3: You are listening to heavy metal — This is what you feel like after ONE month.

Phase 4: You are listening to hip hop — You become bloated due to stress, you’re gaining weight due to lack of exercise because you are so tired and have so much school work to do when you get home, you feel sluggish and suffer from constipation. Your fellow teachers are too cheerful for your liking and the walls of your classroom are closing in. You have started thinking ‘WHATEVER’ about your principal.

Phase 5: You are listening to GANGSTA RAP — After more time passes, your eyes start to twitch, you forget what a ‘good hair day’ feels like as you just fall out of bed and load up on caffeine.

Phase 6: You are listening to the voices in your head — You have locked your classroom door to keep people out, You wonder, “WHY am I even here in the first place?” and “WHY did I become a teacher!”

Stress!

2008-11-17T22:46:00.003-05:00

I woke up this morning with my eye twitching...not a good way to start a Monday! I'm not sure if this has ever happened to you before but it's basically like a miniature lightning storm in your eye, usually around the lid area. Completely involuntary and completely annoying! I get these every so often and it's almost always when I'm overly stressed, which would definitely apply to now.

I'm trying to remain calm and level-headed about my present circumstances, but sometimes it's hard. I realized the other day that ALL of my six classes have something major (projects, papers, exams, etc.) due during the first week of December. Um...yeah...the first week of December is in two weeks, and I'll be in jury duty until the day before Thanksgiving. Oh and that reminds me, the holidays are here again!

I think 14 more strands of hair on my head just turned white!

This MUST be love...

2008-11-07T22:10:00.003-05:00

This song makes me want to jump up and dance around the room, I LOVE this thing right now!!!

One of Eight

2008-11-06T19:29:00.004-05:00

"Ladies and Gentleman, we have a jury." That's what I heard earlier today...and yes, I'm on that jury! I went in for my day of duty in Detroit, fully expecting to sit there for a few hours and then be dismissed. Instead I was selected to serve as a juror. As soon as we entered the court room I had this uncanny feeling my name would get called, and I was right. Due to my oath of confidentiality, I will not be writing about or discussing the case until after deliberations are over.

As you may be aware from my previous post on this topic, I had a really big chip on my shoulder regarding the timing of this whole thing. As a full time working student with a life, this is pretty much the worst possible time for me to be summoned. I'm still considerably stressed about how I will be able to stay above board in all my classes in light of this new demand of my time; however, I'm actually feeling somewhat excited about being a juror. My attitude has improved considerably since this morning...though it may change again before this is all over. I only hope all of my professors will be understanding of the situation - I guess they have no choice since I'm fulfilling a civic responsibility. Sometimes in life you just have to do what you have to do, this is an excellent example.

Some Days...

2008-11-05T18:09:00.004-05:00

...It's official, some days I'd rather be a dog. Our dogs have all the creature comforts they could dream of in our home (OK I admit it, they are spoiled) but they don't have to pay the mortgage or lift a finger around this place! I guess I do like my opposing thumbs, but seriously...sometimes it would be nice to just be, which is an art our dogs have certainly mastered!

Lately my life has been plagued by Murphy's law. Yesterday at school I got a parking ticket b/c I didn't have my $75 hang tag properly displayed. Luckily they waved the bulk of the fine and I only had to pay $5 to clear the record, but still...I was miffed. I've also been trying to get my schedule figured out for next semester. This is always a huge chore, but in my case it's getting much worse because I'm getting to that point in my course work where several of my classes are only offered on one day and time. No night classes, no Saturday classes...NO flexibility! I'm not like the more traditional "college kid" where school is the only agenda on my list. I have a life and a mortgage and bills and and...well A LIFE. I don't have the luxury of going to school four or five days a week - I need to be able to work. With the degree I'm earning there is NO WAY it coule be done while also working full time. Even if you were a warrior and tried, it simply wouldn't work. Whatever...I'm complaining I know so I'll stop. I think I've got it all figured out now where I can attend classes three days per week, leaving two open for subbing. I'll probably also need to get a supplimental weekend job but I'll deal with that later.

Speaking of subbing...I've come to the disconcerting realization that some days I'm nothing more than a pawn on someone else's playing field. Today when I walked into the office of the school where I was supposed to be subbing in a 1st/2nd grade combined classroom, I was instead told I would be working with the 4th/5th grade "impairment class." Apparently there was a filed trip for the class I was supposed to sub in and they didn't think it would be "fair" to send a sub. The teacher who was trying to explain all this to me was horribly distracted. She couldn't figure out which end was up, much less try to inform me of what in the world I was supposed to be doing and when. In the back of my mind I'm always aware, as a sub that I may encounter a classroom with no plans or a situation for which I am not prepared. Today was that day and it was certainly a harsh learning experience. To sum it up, I basically felt inadequate and incompetent all day long. I did the best I could with what little support I had, but I'm stll left with the feeling that I failed miserably. Those kids need stability and consistency first and foremost. Having a sub is hard for them, much harder than it is for non-impaired kids. Having a sub who is completely unprepared and minimally supported...well that's a whole different level. One thing is for sure, and that is that I'm learning. Subbing has taught me tenfold what I will ever be able to learn in my theory-based college classes, great though they may be. I guess there is nothing to do but roll with the punches on days like today. I certainly had no choice in any of what was thrown my way...and I did make it through the day, along with the kids. Maybe that's all that matters.

Barack Obama

2008-11-04T23:15:00.005-05:00

I've been listening to political projections all evening and the results are finally in. Barack Obama will be the 44th President of the United States of America. I feel very proud today to be part of a huge step forward for our country. I waited in line for over an hour this morning, beginning at 6:25 a.m., and even then there was a stirring of excited anticipation amongst the people in line. This is the 4th presidential election I've voted in and I've never seen the kind of voter turn-out and excitement that is evident throughout our country today. Even now, listening to John McCain's concession speech, I am struck by his graciousness and the respect with whichc he speaks of and to Barack Obama. This has certainly been an election I will remember in years to come. My hopes for the future of our country are higher than they've been in a long time.

Frosted Spider

2008-10-30T23:01:00.004-04:00

Michigan had a record breaking low of 20 degrees this morning. When we left for work/school, our spooky Halloween spider had turned into a frosted spider. He looked cool enough for me to grab a quick cell phone image before heading out for the day.

Happy Halloween!

Hey Little Sister

2008-10-30T22:40:00.006-04:00

I did some engagement photos for my little sister and her fiance a few weeks ago. The colors were gorgeous and I'm really happy with how the photos turned out. They're getting married on October 17 of next year...good times are ahead for our family!

This Smacks of Desparation!

2008-10-25T14:50:00.005-04:00

All I can really say is...wow. Some people are just crazy!

This modification to my friends' Obama sign was awaiting us when we got back to the house after some sightseeing today. And this is an affluent area, right here in America. Gees, sometimes I'm shocked at how ignorant people can be! I don't mind founded disagreements with my viewpoint, but to foolishly perpetuate lies and rumors is simply going too far.

Happy Birthday, Doggy!

2008-10-21T12:27:00.005-04:00

Today is Ditto's 9^th birthday! I'm finding it hard to believe she has been with us for so long, and at the same time I can't really remember a time without her. I can still distinctly remember the day she came home as a tiny little puppy--it was love at first sight. Happy birthday, pup...here's to many more!

P.S. Yes I have a web site for Ditto...check out her Dogster profile and leave her a birthday bone!

A Special Time of Year

2008-10-19T14:23:00.007-04:00

There's nothing quite like fall in Michigan. The tantalizing smell of warm cider and doughnuts seems to permeate the air all around. The colors burst forth from the trees, offering their brilliant farewell on the way to winter. The days are crisp and the nights are cold. You can see your breath in the air for the first time in a long time. Early morning frost covers the world like a blanket. I could go on, for every year when autumn rolls around, I remember that fall is my most favorite time of year. Then again, every time of year is my favorite time of year! When the first silencing snow falls in December, I'll have to admit that in fact, winter is my favorite time of year...and Of course when the flowers bloom in early spring I will smile with the notion that spring is indeed my favorite time of year after all. And then summer will come again and I'll be reminded that the long, languid days in the sun are really the best part of every year, hands down. What can I say - I'm a seasons person. I sort of feel like Michigan chose me rather than me choosing her, but I don't think I would be very happy living in a place where the seasons were a blur. Michigan is my home and she fits me well.

Today husband and I went to the cider mill as an ode to this delightful autumn. The day is ideal for such a visit, as was evidenced by the many families who shared our idea of what to do on an autumn afternoon in Michigan. We got there at around 12:45 and the lines were just beginning to get long. We bought our bag of apples, got our hot cider and warm doughnuts, and sat down at a lovely table under an old tree to share our delights with the few remaining bees in the area. It was a lovely outing.

Autumn in a cup!

Good enough to share!

Jury Duty...Are You Kidding Me?!

2008-10-04T21:40:00.006-04:00

Doh! I knew it was coming because I had to fill out a questionnaire not too long ago regarding my eligibility as a juror. Sure enough, I checked the mail today and there sat a summons demanding my appearance at the courthouse in downtown DETROIT later this month. I don't live that far away from Detroit, but I don't live that close either! The LAST thing I want to do when I could be subbing instead is drive down there at the crack of dawn to spend the day in the court house. I'll get "paid" for my services, but the amount I receive will be less than half of what I could make if I had a subbing job. Money is not the only annoying aspect of said summons. This is a really bad time for me to be summoned! Couldn't they have called me this summer when I had nothing but time? No - they had to wait until I'm smack in the middle of my 16-credit hour semester and knee deep in substitute teaching jobs. And to make matters worse, I'll be arriving back home from a weekend trip to MD (which I'm super excited but will post more about later) at 10:33 the night before I'm due in court at 7:45 a.m. Gahhhhhhh!!! Needless to say I'm more than a little annoyed about this irritating requirementt of being a responsible American citizen.

Whatever!

Squirrel Season

2008-09-28T17:03:00.003-04:00

Anyone who knows me in real life knows my dogs are two of my highlights. I'm one of those nutty people who treats dogs like children, even though I do know there is a significant difference between the two. At our house there are two dogs, Ditto and Dinah. Ditto is Jack Russell Terrier whom we have had since she was seven weeks old. She'll be ten in October, and although she's still going strong, I can definitely tell she's not as young as she used to be. There is, however, one important exception to this:

SQUIRREL SEASON!

Every year around this time, our little dog turns into a monster. As fate would have it, we happen to have two full grown walnut trees in our back yard. You'd think one of us might have thought about the implications of this when we bought our house, but nope! Squirrels are foraging and scampering back and forth at all times of the day right now. Ditto is in seventh heaven, while I on the other hand, am in hell. I don't just love dogs, I love all animals. I usually won't even kill bugs or spiders, so you can imagine how I feel when Ditto gets another victim. She gets at least one unsuspecting prey every year, and usually two or three. Oh the sounds they make when captured...screaming in terror as they are being murdered right before our eyes...it's absolutely horrifying!

The hardest part for me is that it's not even Ditto's fault--she's simply doing exactly what she's been bred to do, hunting. She doesn't even do anything with the squirrels after she gets them, which is her trait. Jack Russells are bred to "go to ground," locate and kill their prey, then leave the goods for their master to do with as he or she pleases. In our case we DON'T please, so our little hunter is left wondering why we take the prize and put it in the ground. Actually she's probably not, I'm sure I'm anthropomorphizing with that statement, but still...life can get pretty interesting around our house this time of year.

I found a poem online that sums up the personality of our little JRT to a tee:

The Jack Russell Terrier
by Diana Langford, from the Jack Russell Terrier Club of Great Britain

"Find me a Doberman, I'll cut him to size --
And tear him to pieces, in front of your eyes!
I'm cocksure and bossy, the King of the patch,
Bring on your Alsatian, it can't be a match!
I'm a dirty street fighter, my language is foul,
I'll fight to the death, never throw in the towel.
Don't step near my missus, don't push me too far,
Get right off my pavement, take your hands off my car.
And when she's alone, I sit on her knee,
She knows she's quite safe, relying on me.
Don't walk by my lorry, when I'm at a show,
When I'm guarding my ponies, I'm lethal you know.
I'll follow a fox, to the depths of his lair,
But I like creature comforts, get out of my chair!
I'll not walk at heel, or sit when I'm told,
But I'm loving, protective, brave, loyal and bold.
My life is full of the moment, importance and bustle,
I know I'm the greatest --
I'm called a Jack Russell."
--

Soaking it Up

2008-09-10T19:09:00.003-04:00

My lot in life these days is similar to that of a sponge. I'm immersed in new information, new experiences, and new people. I'm learning so much and soaking it all up...sometimes I wonder how much more room there can possibly be in my brain. I don't mean that in an arrogant way...just that there are already so many other complex databases of storage in there (photography, the lyrics to oh so many songs, former people and places, the technical mumbo jumbo from 5+ years in the computer industry, on and on.) Yet somehow I still manage to cram in the new, while holding on to the old. I guess that's what we all do as we age and continue to learn new information? Last semester, a professor told me that if you learn something new, and then don't use it within the proceeding two years, the information will be lost. I find that interesting, and I'm not entirely convinced it's true. I can remember the words to a myriad of songs I haven't heard in years, and that's only one example.

I find the topic of memories to be incredibly powerful, and interesting. To me, one of the most fascinating aspects of our capacity to remember is that we each fixate on (and therefore remember) experiences differently. My husband and I have two entirely different sets of memories from the 11+ years we've been married, yet we've lived through many of the same events. Each year on our anniversary we take turns recalling some of our favorite memories over the years, and I'm always amazed at the differences (and similarities) of what he has held onto all these years, versus what I have kept sacredly stored.

All this also brings to mind thoughts of the devastation brought on by Alzheimer's disease. What a tragic fate at the end of one's life, to lose something we all hold so dear. If I ever have money to spare, a large chunk of it will go to Alzheimer's research. Not only for the sake of my dear grandmother, Ruby, who lived and died with Alzheimer's, but also for the sake of, and wonder I feel towards our human capacity to remember.

Kicking & Screaming

2008-09-05T10:38:00.004-04:00

OK...not really, but I am dragging a little. Yesterday was my first day back to school and it was...well...hectic! This is the first semester I don't have a class starting at 8:00 a.m., which means parking is a disaster! Yesterday I arrived on campus at 10:20 for my 11:00 a.m. class, and there was literally not one place to park. I looked everywhere, including the huge overflow lot on the edge of campus. Finally, in exasperation I used the paid lot. This was immensely frustrating for two reasons; first, I've already spent $75 for a parking tag this year, and second, there weren't even any real spots in the paid lot! I had to pay $2.00 to park on the curb in the paid lot. My original plan for this semester was to go and observe in the classroom on Tuesday and Thursday mornings before my classes, but that clearly isn't going to work. Now I'll have to talk to my cooperating teacher to arrange some other way to complete all the observation hours I need. Anyway, after a rushed walk up the hill and across two buildings, I made it to my class ten minutes late...pouring sweat and already in a funk. I hate being late to classes and really try hard to avoid being rude...being late on the first day is double rude, so...yeah. The class (Reading 300) seems like it will be good, and also a lot of work. Professor read us the chapter from Charlotte's web where Charlotte dies. That made me feel a lot better, OR SOMETHING!

Next I spent my entire lunch break circling the two lots I thought might open up. In other words, creeping along behind people as they left, in hopes the parking Gods would smile upon me. I hate being a parking space scouter! I hate it when people do this to me, and I hate having to do it to other people! By this time I was so frustrated, hot, and grumpy that it was just ugly. I finally managed to find a small spot wedged between two trucks, which was interesting to say the least. Finally parked and able to breathe, I ate my lunch in a rush and then checked my schedule for my next class. Wouldn't you know it, there was no location printed on my paper copy. Here we go again with the stress. Class was about to start in 20 minutes (mind you I still had to walk there) so I called Michael to see if he could find the class location online for me. He tried a number of times, but EMU's online system is so completely dysfunctional and hard to navigate that he couldn't find the information I needed. So by this time I was just about in tears. I managed to control myself, but I was seriously just plain overwhelmed, and I think I was sort of bitchy to my unsuspecting hubby who was only trying to help. Doh! I quickly headed over to the Porter building and (again hot and sweaty) got to the office at 1:57 to see if I could locate the room number for my 2:00 class. Luckily my classroom was right there on the printout and wasn't far from the office, so I made it to class by 2:03. The room was full, but the professor hadn't started talking yet so I didn't feel quite as rude this time around. This class (Curriculum 304) also seems like it will be challenging but rewarding. We played a fun name game that was new to me. She handed us each a piece of paper with about 20 boxes that contained "defining characteristics" on them. We had to walk around and talk to people to try and get one name in each box. They were things like; "commutes from off campus," "has a GPA higher than 3.5," and "always knew you wanted to be a teacher." This was one I hadn't seen before, so it was fun and it did get people talking.

Next I was off to my Political Science class in the most torturous building on campus, Pray Harold. This place is huge, archaic, and just truly a nightmarish place to try to learn anything. As the freshman building on campus, it kind of encompasses everything I don't like about Eastern. My experiences in this building are the ones that make me feel like I'm WAY too old to be in college. My 4th floor classroom is hot, crowded, and basically miserable. Thankfully I got there with plenty of time to spare this time, but the room was already almost full. By the time 3:30 rolled around the place turned out to be absolutely packed. There were 45+ desks in the classroom, lined up along the walls and even up on the teaching platform to make more room. These seats are the old deskchair kind with the wooden seat and metal legs...uncomfortable to say the least, especially for someone who isn't a size 2! So whatever...I managed to live through those 75 minutes of discomfort, but I wasn't loving the experience. My professor, at least, does seem to have some sort of clue. He siad he's going to try to make the class interesting and pertinent to this year's election, so if nothing else, my timing is good. Hopefully it will be OK.

By this time 5:00 was approaching and I was finally able to go home. Normally I will have a class to worry about on Thursday nights, but this one doesn't begin until next week. I got home and relaxed for a little while, but then decided I should check my online classes. I have one that's completely online, and one (the Thursday night class) that's a hybrid. I got logged in OK and was looking through my course work for the online class, Field Experience for Teacher Education. The assignments look like much work, but also like they will help me focus my observation time into some controlled lessons. I was feeling pretty good about all this when I came to the realization that this class actually has two co requisites. I knew about and am enrolled in one, but was unaware of the second. CRAP! So I emailed my professor to ask her what I should do and then sat here worrying about whether or not I would be able to continue my classes in light of this mistake. It was too late to contact the department of teacher ed by that time, so I just had to let go and try not to think about the what-if's. I was really concerned, because even when I registered back in early June, all the sections were full. I had a rough time of getting the classes I needed back then, so I knew that if a change was needed for me now I would be SOL. Cut to this morning, one of the first things I did was call the department of teacher ed. She told me the class I'm not enrolled in IS recommended to go along with the field experience class, but that they don't enforce this. She said it might mean I have to work a little harder when I am in the educational psychology class, because I won't be doing coursework in conjunction with lessons, but that it is doable and many people do go that route. WHEW!

So...yeah...if you made it this far, congratulations! You made it through my first harried day of school with me! I know from experience that once the semester settles in, things will get better, and I will be proud to be an EMU Eagle again. Right now I'm feeling a little worse for wear, and a little like a child who's being forced to do something she doesn't want to do. Next week will bring a few more challenges with my 6th and final class on Tuesday night. I'll also be meeting my cooperative teacher for the first time on Tuesday. I'm observing in a 5th grade classroom, and hopefully I can arrange to work there at a time other than what we've already agreed upon. I don't really know how this is going to work with my schedule, but I suppose it means I won't be subbing all three non-school days of the week as I had planned. Maybe I can do my classroom observations on Mondays or Fridays instead...? If this works out, I will hopefully be able to assuage my parking problems by going in early to study or something. Who knows...I am aware than in the grand scheme of things, all these problems are small beans, but when you're juggling them all at such a fast pace, life can get a little overwhelming.

Here's to better days ahead!

Dana & John

2008-09-01T21:50:00.008-04:00

I finished up the photos from Dana & John's wedding today. I've been working on these off an on for the past few weeks, and they will be receiving their CD tomorrow. The wedding was beautiful, one I'm proud to have photographed. Without further ado, here's a sampling of the happy couple's special day, as seen through my eyes:

(and I'm sure Michael would like me to point out that this particular part of the day was seen through his eyes...great photo, Michael. :)

Busy as a Bee

2008-08-28T19:43:00.006-04:00

Yep, that's me...I've been scurrying around like a little bee this week, attempting to get everything in order for this coming semester.

I've been on the phone a lot, trying to secure FETE (Field Experience for Teacher Education) placement for myself this coming fall, which has been a more challenging job than I had anticipated. Today the ball finally dropped when I found out I'll be working in a 5th grade classroom at one of the elementary schools right here near my house. I feel an immense sense of relief at finally having put this piece of the puzzle in place.

I've also been hammering a lot these past couple days, which has caused both my dogs to think I've lost my mind. I've been re-hanging the art work in the dining room, which I finally finished painting last week before leaving for the lake. The room is slowly coming back together, but it's still a mess so I'm holding off on a final image until I have it the way I want it. The other cause for my hammering is the recent addition to my fruit & vegetable kitchen art collection. Every year at the Ann Arbor Art Fair, I collect at least one piece from an artist who lives in Grand Rapids, MI named Carol C. Cline. She makes very realistic looking ceramic fruits and vegetables, which she mounts on wooden plaques she reclaims from old, dilapidated barns in Northern Michigan. Not only do I love these pieces, but I love the idea that remnants of old barns now have a home in my kitchen. I've been collecting from her for just about as long as I've been married, in addition to receiving at least one of these as a gift for my birthday each year. Now that I've got 18 pieces hung (excuse the bad cell phone images,) I think my collection looks pretty cool.

The watermelon has always been a favorite of mine, it was added to my collection a couple of years ago when I received it as a gift from my parents.

And here you can see most of my collection, though the picture is terrible. Before too much longer I'll have to move to a bigger wall!

I've also been keeping busy by doing lots of processing. Yesterday I spent an hour or so simmering the remainder of the peppers and tomatoes from my parents garden into bases for soups, etc. this winter. The peppers smelled lovely as they were simmering on the stove, I couldn't resist taking {yet another} photo.

By processing, I also mean processing of the photos from the recent wedding I did. Since I shoot most of my professional work in RAW format, that means I have to go through and "process" each image before it's in a usable format I can give to clients. This is a time consuming endeavor, but the RAW files allow me more control for exposure and tonal quality, which seems like a good trade off to me. I only shoot the really important images in RAW, but that still amounts to a lot of hours I need to spend on the computer post-shoot. Sometimes I get tired of the repetitiveness of the work, but overall this is a chore I enjoy.

Finally, I spent some time today catching up with Trisha, who's an old friend from my WCC days. Seems funny to refer to that as old since it was only a few years ago, but so much has changed for me since then that it seems old. Anyway...I had a great lunch with Trisha, who's in town from Florida this week. It was really good to catch up with her and reminisce about days gone by.

Finally, I rounded out my day with a back-to-school shopping trip to none other than Salvation Army, where I found enough great deals to make anyone happy. I got a pair of pants, five shirts, and two two-piece sweaters for $30.76! This will go a long way towards making me look presentable for my upcoming subbing jobs. So all in all, my last week of summer solitude has gone by in a fervor fitting for the end of summer. I'm still not ready to get back into the full swing of life next week, but I'm a lot closer than I was a few days ago! :)

For now I'm off to catch what's left of Barak's democratic nomination speech!

Hydrotherapy

2008-08-25T18:06:00.009-04:00

We got home from a week on Portage Lake near the Huron River yesterday. My parents rented a cabin for the week, and we were able to enjoy the benefits of hydrotherapy for a few days! The weather was very cooperative, with only a couple of storms scattered here and there. We spent a lot of time swimming in the lake, tubing, riding around in the boat, and enjoying lakeside camp fires in the evenings. I enjoyed the time with my family, and today I truly feel refreshed.

Not all was sunshine and roses though...Michael lost his wedding ring while we were swimming in the lake on Friday. :( This was very upsetting to both of us since he's had that ring for the better part of 12 years. We both know it's just a thing, but it's a pretty important one and we're sad. We'll get something new, I'm sure...but I have no idea when that will be possible. Years ago I took a photo of his hand with that ring, and I'm really hoping I can find the image in my files now. It's a little unsettling to realize that while I can remember the ring in my mind, I can't reproduce it on paper, try as I might.

All in all, and despite having lost the ring, I had a very relaxing week on the lake,

from sunrise...

...to sunset,

our vacation was an excellent commemoration to the end of summer.

I'm having trouble believing how quickly the season of sun has flown by, but it's true that the end is near. School starts up again next week and slowly but surely, I'm beginning to feel ready for the challenges of this coming semester. I'm hoping to be subbing a lot more this year, which should be interesting. I plan on spending most of the rest of this week getting the house in top shape, and making some bases for meals like chili and spaghetti, which we will want when the days get colder. My goal is to make life as easy as possible for myself on the home front so that school stress won't get the best of me.

From Drab to...

2008-08-15T14:19:00.006-04:00

...well not quite fab (yet,) but I have been spending a majority of my time these past several days painting our dining room.

Despite all the work involved, I actually enjoy painting projects. To me it's one of the simplest and least expensive ways to completely transform a room. Anyone who's been here can clearly see how much I also love color. To me there's nothing quite as boring as a white wall! We have a midevil gold (brown) living room, blue master bedroom, green guest room, purple/yellow guest room, peach bathroom, sunshine yellow kitchen, and now to round it all out, a cayenne pepper red dining room! I'm sure a lot of people would come in our home and feel threatened by all the colors, but for me bold is the only way to go...I guess it's in my nature! As for Michael, he's used to having to incorporate my ideas. There was a time when we might have fought about things such as what color to paint a room, but we've reached a comfortable agreement that if I'm willing to do the work involved, I also get full design privileges, he really is a great guy. :)

This room is the last in our house to receive any TLC from me, and also the room that seems to take the brunt of our lack of storage, (i.e. clutter) so it's been a big job. Day one was spent cleaning out and moving the varying pieces of bulky furniture we have, day two was spent taping and painting the ceiling, and yesterday and today have been spent painting the walls. Last but not least will be installing new curtains (a job I'm hoping Michael will tackle) and then, finally re-assembling the room, hopefully in a much neater fashion. Although I have enjoyed the small computer cave I've created for myself amidst all the chaos, I will be relieved when the room is no longer such a disheveled mess.

Peaches

2008-08-08T10:17:00.004-04:00

Peaches are so good this time of year! Seriously, I jut sliced one into quarters and it literally fell off the pit, yummy! My ideal breakfast (thanks, Mom) is some sort of fruit, ideally a peach or nectarine, a little bit of cottage cheese, and a piece of toast. Today I had to forgo the cottage cheese, because the small amount I had left was off--talk about gross! But I digress. The whole point of me blogging about peaches was that my breakfast made me think of a song Michael and I used to love back in our early days. In the song, "Peaches" by The Presidents of the United States of America, they describe peaches as "nature's candy," and I would have to say I agree! Admittedly this video is a little bit strange with the whole ninja twist, but I still like the song.

Blue is Better!

2008-08-06T14:41:00.004-04:00

You may remember my post about my attempt to keep my dog, Ditto from biting and chewing on some bites she got on her feet. Well since that time, my efforts have been basically to no avail. The sock trick worked for a while, but inevitably I would see her manage to work her way around my contraption. We found some after bite cream that seemed to help quite a bit, but that only lasts so long, besides the fact I don't really want my dog eating a bunch of anti-itch cream. I finally decided I would have to break down and buy her an Elizabethan collar to keep her from continuing this problematic behavior. I went to PetCo and was introduced to the newer, more pet friendly version of the plastic cone collar. The first size we bought was too small and she was able to maneuver around it, but I think we've finally found the size that will work. I can already see that the bites she couldn't reach with the first collar are much improved, so I imagine she will be as good as new in a few more days. In the meantime, we get to be graced by the presence of this lovely little face, neatly framed in blue:

Isn't technology wonderful?

An August Day with Ava

2008-08-04T14:44:00.008-04:00

I'm about 45 minutes from home today, helping my sister out with my niece, Ava. My sister gouged the cornea of her eye with the belt clip on her name badge while she was at a work conference last week. That part of the story is long so I won't share it here, but I'm very thankful she will be OK. She needs to rest a lot, and it's really hard for her to see right now. She's in some pain, and the injury is more than a little inconvenient, but the doctor said her eye should heal on its own in a few days. I'm more than happy to do what I can to help...and the extra time with my niece is priceless to me. We went to the park this morning and she was adorable. I couldn't resist the opportunity for a few pictures, which of course I have to post here. :)

It's a big, big world out there!!

Communion

2008-08-03T11:31:00.005-04:00

I've been attending services at a small local church for about the past three weeks. Today the sanctuary looked unusually full and I figured out that was because today is communion Sunday. I haven't taken communion for years, so I felt somewhat nervous about the idea. The pastor was mindful though, and made sure all the guests felt welcome. The experience was refreshing, and I'm glad I attended the service this morning, despite being extremely tired when I woke up.

I can't quite put my finger on what's made me finally begin going to church again. I've been wanting to go for a long time, but I've never found a church that really made me feel comfortable here in Michigan. If I'm being honest, I've only put forth about a 25% effort in my quest, which I'm sure is a large part of the problem.

I'd also be lying if I said this was an easy decision for me. I've experienced some rather significant anger towards God these past years, dealing with infertility and other hardships. It's been difficult for me to begin to make peace with my own feelings of uncertainty and disillusion where God is concerned. I've also got some reservations about organized religion in general, and the judgmental nature that somehow seems to accompany churchgoers. Somehow I struggle with the exclusive nature of some organized religions...the notion that there can only be one way to worship God or approach spirituality.

Still, with all that being said, I've felt an irresistible pull towards church that has only gotten stronger the longer I've tried to shove it into the recesses of my mind. Spirituality seems to be the one quadrant of my life where I can't seem to find what I'm looking for. I've begun, over the years, to accept my own state of lost-ness and anger as one way to relate to God. I can be mad at Him...confused about Him and and still desire a relationship with Him. My relationship with God can also be independent of a formal church setting, but that is still an area where I struggle. None of this is easy to talk about either, but today I can't seem to keep quiet. I think slowly but surely I may be finding a church where I can allow myself to belong again. *Maybe*

The thing is, church was huge for me as a young girl and adolescent. My whole family attended church regularly, and I attended church camp every summer. I even went through confirmation as a teenager, not an experience I took lightly. Some of my best friends through high school were the people I went to church with. How do you go from that to where I've been these last years? How does a person get so completely lost and separated from church...from God? Moving to Michigan after high school was a huge factor, probably the biggest. But there were and are other attributes at play here too. I've been so dissatisfied with the pat answers given by the Christian faith. The notion that bad things happen to good people because of free will, and that God has some master plan that we all fit into...that God is completely in control and that He leads us where we are meant to go. Is it really...can it really be that simple? After 9/11 I went to church, seeking answers...and what I was told was that God didn't allow 9/11 to happen, people did. That just wasn't good enough for me...I felt so empty and lost with that as the answer to all evil...and there began another chapter in my lost quest to find God.

I don't know...I certainly don't have any of the answers, I am still very uncertain of where I fall on the scale between organized religion and a personal, church-independent relationship with God. One thing I do know though, is that I have to at least try. I have to continue to seek and ask and wonder...and only after I do that will I be able to comfortably make a more informed decision about the question of church for myself. In all likelihood this could go on for years, I certainly don't expect the answers to my myriad questions to fall into my lap overnight. I guess, as with most of life, one day at a time is truly the only way.

Warning...

2008-08-02T10:13:00.004-04:00

...this one might make you cry, I can't seem to stop. But it is very touching and sweet, worth the tears.

Tomorrow...

2008-08-01T10:33:00.004-04:00

...I'm shooting a wedding for my husband's boss, talk about pressure!! :) I'm actually feeling pretty good about it though, just need to be sure all my ducks are clean, shiny, and in a neat little row. It's been a while since I've done any weddings, this one should be simple and beautiful, and I think it will be fun. It will be the first digital wedding for me, but so far that's turning out to be so much simpler than all the hoops I used to jump through for film. Not to mention the added cost film and processing used to entail...I actually stand a chance of making a true profit this time around, which will be welcome! :)

And I Miss You

2008-07-28T20:59:00.005-04:00

Well this is it. I just got home from my last dinner at Los Amigos with my best friend, Molly. This eatery has been Molly's all-time favorite here in Michigan, and she and I have frequented the joint many a time over the past couple of years. Molly leaves for her new home in Maryland on Wednesday and I will miss her dearly.

It's funny - you never know when people are going to make such a huge impact on your life. If someone had told me a few years ago that I would meet Molly and her family, and that we would (almost instantaneously) develop such a strong bond with one another, I never would have believed them. I've loved her little girls so much these past few years...and I've loved her friendship more than I can explain. Actually I can't imagine what in the world I did with my time before I met Molly & Co. They've become such a regular part of the fabric of my existence that now I don't know what I'll do without them. Of course we'll still see each other, and we'll be able to stay in touch (thanks to this lovely little Internet thingy,) but things are simply different from a distance and there's no real way around that.

My heart feels heavy and sad tonight. I cried myself all the way home after dinner. I'm happy for my friends and all the new beginnings that await them in MD, but I'm going to miss them tremendously. Even though I know it's not exactly fitting, the song "Missing" by Everything but the Girl keeps coming to mind. I've always liked this song, and somehow it seems appropriate for the way I feel right now. "...And I miss you, like the deserts miss the rain..." seems to be a very good summary for today.

I also recently got some shocking news that my nephew, Nick has decided to move ~250 miles away to a neighboring state to live with his dad and his dad's new girlfriend. This has a long, detailed story interwoven into it that has no business here on my blog, but I am completely taken aback by this turn of events. I have always been very close to my nephew and I really don' know what to to with the idea that he's no longer going to live close by. I'm still processing my feelings about all of this, and I'm not really even sure I can do justice to any of that at this point in time. I've spoken to him, and we had a rather intense conversation. I'm left with feelings of anger, sadness, confusion, disbelief, and, despite my own negative feelings, love for the kid. I can't fathom how this is going to impact our family...and what a difficult change this will be. Everyone is hurting, especially my sister and that makes me so sad. Yet again, I know I will still be able to see Nick, but it just won't be the same without him here in Michigan. Again thoughts of deserts and rain spring to my mind. What can you do?

Summer Harvest

2008-07-26T10:20:00.007-04:00

My parents live on four acres of land and have a beautiful garden. We went to eat dinner with them last night and the meal was almost entirely home grown. I'm so proud of what they've done in their spare time! The images below hardly do justice to reality since they were taken with my cell phone. You'll have to forgive the quality a little.

I keep trying to get my mom to start a gardening blog because I think she has a lot of talent and knowledge she could pass on to the likes of me. No such luck so far though! Anyway...our dinner was fabulous, the best I've had in a long time! The food tasted so much fresher--even the potatoes we dug up tasted better than store bought ones. I can't exactly put my finger on what the difference is, they just taste better.

The peppers were by far the most abundant plants, at least as of right now. They were gorgeous, much prettier than the ones in our local Kroger's, and this is without any pesticides! Did I mention I'm really proud of what my parents have done?

My mom took all the veggies and chopped them up into a lovely summer medly. She added a little bit of fresh dill and some Mrs. Dash seasoning and the result was a delicious veggie stir fry. YUM!

Peculiar Park Incident

2008-07-25T22:33:00.006-04:00

On Wednesday I went to the park near my house with my sisters, my niece, my friend Molly, and her two daughters. We had a good time while the girls played, but we also discovered something rather peculiar. Apparently some local kids (probably teenagers) thought it would be funny to place an old couch up on top of the big climbing rock. I actually think whoever did this must have worked pretty hard to get the thing up there. The couch was definitely not light!

After the requisite photo was taken, Molly (being the awesome Safety Queen she is) decided to climb up on the rock and check things out. The couch was very wobbly, so Molly took matters into her own hands. After making sure no kids were in the area, she shoved the couch down off the rock. We all felt this was in everyone's best interest since someone could have gotten seriously hurt if they'd tried to sit on the couch while it was on the rock.

Of course it didn't take long for kids who were present at the time to come check out the new seating. They thought the idea of their very own couch as a park accessory was pretty cool. Even the teenagers who were "playing" at the park during this time decided to jump from the rock down onto the couch. How I love teenagers and their constant desire to set good examples for the youngsters in their midst. Unfortunately I didn't capture any pictures of their antics, even though I know how very sad that is.

I guess you never know when an ordinary afternoon at the park is going to turn into something more than a little weird. I'm glad I had my cell phone, and even more glad my cell phone is a camera phone. :)

Best Book Award

2008-07-22T00:28:00.006-04:00

My mom has now officially published her second book! It's called A Dog's Advice to Leaders: 13 Common Sense Principles to Enhance your People Skills and Make You a More Effective Leader and I am very proud of her. Some of you may remember my post about taking photos of Miss Brown back in late 2007. This book is what those were all about. It's pretty cool to see my photographs in print this way, I think the cover looks great! Now we just need to market the book so we can sell lots and lots of copies...be sure to tell everyone you know they need THIS BOOK! Oh, and stop on over at my mom's web page too, she's designing A Dog's Advice all by herself as she learns html. :)

Public Insight

2008-07-17T21:02:00.004-04:00

I'm an avid NPR listener and one of my favorite programs is "The Story," which airs weekday evenings at 8:00 p.m. here in Michigan. Tonight got out of class a little early and was able to catch the tail end of today's story. When I got home I d I decided to check out the web site, and through that I found the
Without giving it much thought I signed up to be a source for American Public Radio! While I have no idea if I'll actually have anything of value to contribute; this seems like such an innovative idea, and I decided to take a plunge and see what happens. Here's how they explain it on the web site:

What you can expect by becoming a public source:

Up to one e-mail a month asking for your insight on issues we plan to cover — you respond only if you have knowledge; otherwise ignore the request
An occasional follow-up call or e-mail to get more information, if we follow a lead you provide
Confidentiality: We won't quote you on the radio or the Web without your permission
An open line for you to tell our radio programs what stories are important to you, your family and your community and help us set our coverage priorities
An occasional invitation to public insight meetings we hold in your area
No spam, marketing calls, or requests for money — your information is private and is not shared outside of a small circle of public radio journalists

Your help will make public radio coverage stronger:

By giving our shows access to first person information and sources, new story ideas, a wider range of perspectives, and information that helps us identify under-covered or emerging issues
By broadening our network of sources and strengthening our connections with diverse people around the country
By helping us create deeper and more relevant reporting based on a diverse range of sources

Cool beans!

Issues

2008-07-15T12:27:00.004-04:00

I got some depressing news yesterday, which I can't really share here since it's not about me. Suffice it to say that someone very close to me is having some health concerns and complications. I'm worried, and this has made me realize just how much I take fro granted every single day. The reassuring beat of my heart; the steady, rhythmic filling and emptying of my lungs; the strength of my feet and legs...all of the constant work performed by my body, simply so that I may exist. The fact is that life is actually quite precious, and I think I need to be a little more grateful for what I've got. I was outside mowing the yard just now; and it's such a fresh, beautiful day . The sun is shining, the birds are singing, all seems right with the world...except that it isn't. The illusion of peace can be a strong one, but in actuality there is much turmoil out there in this big, overwhelming world.

On a slightly lighter note and speaking of mowing the yard, I calculated that I've mowed the yard approximately 312 times in my lifetime. This is based on the idea that there are about 24 weeks in a typical mowing season. I'll be 33 in August and I've been the designated yard girl for 13 of those years. I think it should be someone else's turn to mow the yard for a change!

A Sunny Sunday on the Lake

2008-07-14T01:02:00.011-04:00

We went to Portage Lake with my parents this afternoon. They put the boat in the water for the first time this season...it was a beautiful day for boating and we had a great time!

Dad is in his element when he's out on the water. I haven't seen him have this much fun in I don't know how long. He really loves boating and his enthusiasm was contagious today! Of course there were the typical hiccups along the way, but once all the trailer hookup glitches were worked out we were on our way!

Mom decided to take the less windy seat on the floor of the bow. She looked cute sitting up there. In fact, the view from the bow is pretty much the best one if you ask me.

We really had a good time today, and I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day in terms of the weather. This was a welcome change for me since there's been so much rain so far this summer. Despite getting to the lake later than we planned, our timing was great too. I had fun with my camera out on the water, and I think I managed to get some interesting shots, espeically around the time the sun was setting.

Even though loading the boat back onto the trailer at the end of our day was a challenge that required both Michael and my dad to have to go for an unexpected swim, we had lots of fun. I'm hoping we can get back to the lake again soon!

To see more images from our excursion, check out my photostream on Flickr!

Pathetic Puppy

2008-07-09T18:08:00.011-04:00

Our dog, Ditto has been chewing at her paws these past couple days. At first I thought nothing of this because, after all, she can be a bit neurotic at times. Then last night she got the sheets wet at the bottom of our bed because she was licking at her paws so much--can you say ewwww?! After that happened we tied a towel around her neck to try and discourage her licking. Then today I noticed she's getting scabs in the place where she's been chewing incessantly. I don't see anything wrong with her paws, so my best guess is that she has some mosquito bites under her fur or something. Well I finally got fed up with her chewing on her feet this afternoon (she would bite at them and then shake her head a little as if it was really bugging her) so I decided to get creative. Socks seemed to be the best answer. I checked to see if I had any leftover kid socks since they would be the perfect size, but no such luck. My next option was an old pair of my socks. I put them on her and secured the ends with hair ties to make them as snug as possible. I wanted to be sure not to make them so tight as to hurt Ditto's feet, but I wanted them to stay put too. This quickly got on her nerves and she was walking in a really funny way.

The solution didn't last long because she just couldn't stand the feeling of those hair ties near her paws. Here she is looking all forlorn after having pulled off one of the two socks...time for me to get even more creative!

My next tactic was to attach the hair ties to her collar and then attach them to the socks. This way she wasn't as annoyed by the ties and the socks would still stay in place, thereby preventing her from chewing off her paws!

Clearly neither of the dogs were too thrilled with my creativity, but I figure I can endure their penetrating, pathetic puppy stares if it's going to save us from unnecessary money spent at the animal clinic! Besides...it didn't take Ditto long to decide she could live with the socks enough to play ball, and subsequently fall fast asleep on the dining room floor under my feet, which, consequently, is where she is as this is being typed. Welcome to my wacky world!

Two Words

2008-07-09T12:11:00.003-04:00

Two words can sum up why I prefer to fight my weeds by hand, fruitless though my efforts may sometimes seem:

Hermaphrodite Frogs

Everyone needs to be aware of this...it makes my stomach hurt.

This morning at 2:00 a.m.

2008-07-05T15:00:00.004-04:00

I was doing dishes after all our guests went home and this image caught my eye. Nothing too special, just a wine glass drying on the counter, but I liked the shadow cast by the overhead light so I decided to stop washing dishes and get my camera. Fun times

Dreams & Disappointments

2008-07-03T11:18:00.005-04:00

Last night I had dreams that both my dogs died. It was horrible, and it seemed so real that I still have a sad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I guess it's because so many things are changing for me right now...I'm generally feeling somewhat sad and rough around the edges. I was so relieved when I could give both my fur babies big hugs this morning.

So far this summer all my attempts at enjoyment have been somewhat disappointing. The family and I tried to go to the Howell hot air balloon festival this past Saturday night, but by the time we got there and spent way too much money on parking and unmentionable fair food, we heard that both the balloon launch and the dusk balloon glow/fireworks show were canceled due to high winds and threatening thunderstorms. We tried to make the best of the situation, but overall it was a big let down. Then last night I had a big party scheduled for the fireworks in my neighborhood and it poured down rain on my parade. Again no fireworks! We did make the best of that one and people came over to play games instead, but still...I feel a general sense of blah at all this.

I don't know if it's just because I'm getting older, and therefore busier, or what exactly...but it just seems like a big rip off when you put so much time and energy into an activity and you don't get the same amount of enjoyment back out. Gah!!

Because I am a NERD!

2008-07-03T11:15:00.003-04:00

Click here to get your own nerdy certificate of you helped!

The Tale of the Table

2008-07-01T12:30:00.003-04:00

Okay so I've been trying to decide whether or not to blog about this, but I think it's too good not to! My relatives from Tennessee were in town this weekend for a visit. We hadn't seen them since 2004 so it was really great to get together. On Saturday we had a girls day out in honor of mother's day. My two sisters and I took my mom, my aunt, and my cousin to Zingerman's in downtown Ann Arbor for some of the world's best sandwiches. The place was extremely busy, as usual, but we waited in line and all seemed to be going well.

Since it was so busy we decided someone should go scout out a table. That someone was me. I found a nice picnic table in the covered tent outside, but after standing there for a minute I realized the tent was really muggy. At about that time my mom came out and together we decided to move to the picnic table on the far end, where there was a gap in the tent and a better breeze. As we got situated at the new table the rest of the family started to come out. My family consists of some big people, myself included, but still, I was absolutely shocked at the next thing that happened. My sister and mom were on one side of the table, while my cousin and I were on the other side. My sister started to slide down to make room for my aunt to sit down and out of nowhere the whole freaking table collapsed! This huge, wooden table with metal legs went down to the ground in a matter of seconds, taking us with it. Luckily no one was hurt, though for a minute I was worried about my mom's legs since she was on the end where the table ended up. The next several minutes seemed to go by in slow motion, almost like a dream...a really bad dream. We all managed the challenging task of getting out from under the table, amidst the stares of fellow diners and shock/alarm of the employees in the tent. I just wanted to get the hell out of that tent, and actually the entire restaurant...I was so mortified!! Once we were clear of the tent and certain no one was hurt, we managed to find two smaller tables outside. The entire time people were running up to us asking us if we were okay. I seriously just wanted to be left alone, but that was not to be the case.

My older sister and I went in to get drinks for everyone, and as we were standing in the line, yet another employee came up to us and (laughing) said she had heard what happened. She asked if we wanted anything and I told her no (at this point I REALLY just wanted people to leave us alone!) My sister had other ideas, and she told the girl she wanted 3 blondie brownies Zingerman's makes. The girl said that was fine and scurried off to get them. We had just finished filling our cups when none other than the store owner showed up. He was very concerned about us and wanted to make sure we were all okay. Despite the hilarity of the situation, he had the good grace not to laugh. After holding the door for me he came over to our table and asked my sister for her receipt. None of us knew what was going on until he came back about five minutes later with the $55 we had paid for our sandwiches. He said there was no way we were leaving there and paying for our lunch after what happened. I'm sure he was concerned about liability too, but thankfully nothing was hurt other than our pride. I wonder if I will ever be able to go back to Zingerman's without feeling at least a little bit embarrassed? I know I won't be sitting on one of their picnic tables again any time soon!

Bloglist

2008-06-23T12:41:00.005-04:00

Blogger has recently released a new page element called "Blog List" and so far it's a feature I love! This handy little element keeps a real time account of blogs as they are updated and even shows a snippet of the most recent posts if you set up that feature. It's a pretty cool way to stay current on the blogs I read regularly.

In other news, it's a lovely day here today, sunny and about 80ish. I just finished mowing the grass and now the yard looks like green velvet carpet. I'm still losing horribly in my battle against the weeds, but I try to ignore them as much as possible. As I type I can hear the birds chirping happily as they spill the food we recently gave them all over the porch. I have math homework to do and a big test for which I need to study, but other than that, the rest of my day is yet unclaimed...

I'm currently reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert for a new book club one of my friends has organized. At first the book wasn't doing a whole lot for me, but now it's gotten much better. I'm almost finished with it, a full week in advance of our first book club meeting. What a nerd!