The End is in Sight

The end of the semester is almost here. Although there were times I wondered if I would make it through, the time really did go by quickly. I gave a take-home test for the final material from the text, so they just have to turn everything in and take a short current events exam and we will be finished! This semester has definitely been a learning experience for me as an instructor, and I am actually looking forward to starting over and incorporating what I've learned. The next couple of semesters should definitely be easier, since I have notes and exams already prepared. Only teaching one course will be a bit of a relief also.

I had a long weekend this past weekend and though I had big plans to get some things accomplished around the house, I spent most of the weekend relaxing and enjoying the freedom from the aforementioned class preparation. It was actually pretty nice. I also watched Juno, which was offbeat, but good. I have been catching up on my reading this week too, which I had relunctantly been putting aside to work on school things. I read a Patricia Cornwell-style mystery over the weekend, which was enjoyable but forgettable. I started Alice Sebold's Lucky last night, and it is much more promising so far. It's nice to have time to read again, but I am also looking forward to actually being home to watch The Office on Thursday night. No online episode for me this week! Plus, that's a night Jeremy and I will both be home, so we can actually sit down and watch together. Things are definitely looking up this week.

Triumphant Return

I have been trying to write this thoughtful, creative post about my slightly conflicted emotions over the return of scripted television. However, it has been quite a busy week and I have not made much progress with my creative post, despite multiple attempts. So I give up. I will do a nice post on the conflicting emotions and my new (slightly unhealthy?) enthusiasm for tv on DVD another day.

For now, just let me say that I am beyond excited that The Office is back! What a glorious night it was three weeks ago when I sat down to watch the first new episode in more than four months. I am a recent Office junkie; I got caught up the craze during the aforementioned tv on DVD phase during the writers' strike. Now I am wondering what took me so long? Nevermind, it's beside the point now. I am here to stay.

Because I teach on Thursday nights I have not watched last night's episode yet. Thanks to online viewing, that is not a problem. I plan to enjoy both The Office and Grey's Anatomy before long. Last week's episode of The Office just happens to have grabbed a spot on my list of favorites. It was a perfect mix of office craziness and Jim and Pam loveliness. And everyone's favorite couple was particularly lovely last week. When Jim started hinting about an engagement, I was literally bouncing up and down on the couch, telling Jeremy, "he's totally serious!!" It was not one of my finer moments. And still...he was totally serious! The reviewer on EW.com thought it was a little creepy that Jim bought a ring the week they started dating. I disagree. I think it is a perfect indication of Jim's devotion to Pam and their relationship. We know he's in it for real. I can't wait to watch last night's episode.

I am also excited about Brothers & Sisters returing, even though I fell asleep and didn't get to watch Sunday's episode. I will also have to catch it online before this Sunday. That show has great writing, controversial yet relevant topics, and best of all, Sally Field. She's absolutely fantastic as Norah, the family matriarch. The other actors are strong and talented as well, making for an engaging hour of television.

All in all, I think it is going to be an enjoyable month or so, until the summer hiatus. I am ignoring the talk of a possible actors' strike in the fall, hoping it will fade away before I have to get too concerned. If it does happen, I guess it's back to DVD for me. There are a couple of other shows I have missed out on that I have considered catching on DVD. I hear Lost is good....

Good Things

A few good things I am excited about right now:
1. It's baseball season! Baseball is definitely my favorite sport. I enjoy watching college football also, but I've always been more of a baseball girl. The Braves have been my team since I learned what a baseball was, though I consistently support the Red Sox when the Braves don't make it to the postseason (which is often in recent years). Jeremy and I have been going to more games in the past few years, and Turner Field is a place I just can't get enough of.
2. Car shopping. Jeremy and I have decided that before we start talking about the baby thing, we will have to have a family-ready car. The two-door Honda Civic just won't cut it with a carseat in the back. It's paid for, which is fabulous, but we have started looking for something four-door. If I weren't driving 40 miles (one way) to work every day, I would trade with my sister for the Trailblazer (again). Instead, we are going to sell the Civic and probably buy either a Honda Accord or an Altima, sticking with a 4-cylinder model so I can afford to buy gas. I am leaning toward the Accord, and I found a great deal on one, so I am hoping my car sells quickly.
3. Spring weather. I am so excited to trade closed-toe shoes and sweaters for flip-flops and capris! Mom bought me some Reef sandals this weekend, and though I was skeptical of spending $40.00 on what are basically flip flops (I usually stick with the always-economical Old Navy ones for $2.50!), I am absolutely in love with them. I imagine I will quickly get $40.00 worth of wear out of them.
4. Vacation-planning. Jeremy and I didn't really take much of a vacation last year, so I am trying to find us a couple of good, relatively cheap trips for this year. At the top of my list right now is Savannah, GA, so I am trying to convince Jeremy that he will actually enjoy it. I can waste a significant amount of time on expedia just looking at hotel reviews, so planning is half the fun anyway. Also, my sister is spending the summer at the beach doing mission work with a group from her college, so we will be heading down there with my mom.
5. Landscaping. Now that it is getting warmer, it is time to start thinking about our yard. We moved into the house in November, so we were stuck with the yard for the winter, but Jeremy has been making big plans for lots of changes this spring. I am excited to get started, and even more excited to enjoy the finished product. The yard is the only thing we haven't really touched, so when it's done I think it will feel like the house is truly ours.
6. Economic stimulus package, because anytime the government wants to hand me money to boost the economy, I'm all for it! We have big plans for our $1,200.00, mostly related to number 5, above.

Those are just a few things on my list, but on this drab Tuesday, I needed to remind myself of some of the things I am looking forward to! It has made the day slightly better.

The background on my computer at work is now this picture:

This is Petey Grace, our newest family addition. She is slightly dopey at times, but always cuddly and sweet. She's still a puppy, and her clumsiness cracks me up. She's very adoring of her "parents" (Jeremy and me), so I can even excuse the fact that insists on sleeping between us and takes up approximately one-half of the bed! I love my dogs, by the way.

Just the Usual

I realize I have not been using this blog to its full potential...and I still haven't even told anyone where to find it, but maybe one day I will find some blog friends! As for now, I will keep trying to write when the urge strikes, with the comfort that I don't have to edit my thoughts too much. Life is still extremely busy for both Jeremy and me. We are both working extra jobs- his at the high school on Wednesdays and my teaching. I guess people think we are struggling for money and are forced to work two jobs to make ends meet, but that's not really the case at all. I think we are just so accustomed to being busy all the time, we find productive ways to use our extra time. As for me, teaching college is something I have wanted to do pretty much since I entered college myself. I do have to admit, though, the extra income is welcome, and it is nice to be able to do the things we want without having to struggle. I was a little apprehensive about that aspect when we bought the house in September, but it's actually working out nicely.

Speaking of teaching, the semester is on the downhill side now. Spring break has come and gone. It was nice to have a break, but it's still shocking to remember that spring break means nothing outside the education environment. The office was relatively quiet last week, though, which was a welcome change. There is just over a month remaining until I give my first final exam, which is kind of exciting. I have enjoyed this first semester for the most part, but I am truly ready for the end right now. It has been an adjustment period for me, and I have been trying to learn how the system works and figure out exactly how I want to run my class. Beginning with the summer class, I intend to implement a few changes and truly make the class mine. Also, for the summer and fall at least, I am only teaching American Government. Someone else is going to teach the State and Local course, which is great because I didn't care much for it! I am going to try online instruction in the fall, so I will be offering one American Government course online and one on campus. Teaching has been a bit of a challenge this first semester, but overall, I think it is something I will enjoy. The good thing about adjunct instruction is that I am only contracted semester to semester. When it is not fun anymore, I will just find something new to do....maybe with a little better pay next time!

I guess the thing I am most excited about right now is my youth group. Three of our girls are beginning confirmation classes this Sunday, and in about four weeks they will be baptized and become church members! I am thrilled with how receptive the girls were to the idea, and I have to admit, it feels like a little validation for me as an instructor. I feel like maybe we've actually gotten through to some of them and we're making a difference in their lives. Those kids, particularly the girls, need something to hold onto through all they have to deal with, and I hope they can find it in the church. God is good, and I know He is using us all the time, even in ways we can't see!

Encounter Weekend 2008

This past weekend was our annual youth trip to Gatlinburg for the Northeast Alabama United Methodist Conference's winter retreat. Encounter 2008 was a mostly a success, though it did not even begin to compare with last year's amazing conference. The speaker started off slow, but he had a good message in the end. Steve Fitzhugh, last year's speaker, had so much energy and enthusiasm for his message that you couldn't help but be inspired. Steve could make you laugh uncontrollably, then bring tears to your eyes three minutes later. Bart Campolo, who spoke this year, didn't bring quite the stage presence (then again, he's not a very large, black former NFL player!), but he did ultimately present a good message. He was also straightforward and obviously was not trying to please everyone with his message, but was speaking what he truly believed. I respect that, as I struggle to find the courage to do just that at times. The youth said they had an all-around better time last year, but I hope they got some new inspiration out of this conference as well. We discussed some of the ideas presented on the way home, and it seems like some of them really understood, even though it was much more understated than they are used to.

Bart has a big emphasis on missionary work and giving to those in need, whether it be the giving of your time, money, material possessions, or just love. One thing he said resonated with me particularly, because it's something I have felt for a long time, I just didn't know how to adequately express it. He stressed that it is important to remember that we don't have the things we have (wealth, jobs, health, etc.) because of anything we have done to deserve it, or because God has "blessed" us more than others. We simply were lucky enough to be born where we are, with the advantages we have. People in Africa or other third-world areas did not do anything to deserve the life they live, and we are not in any way "better" than them...basically just lucky to live in a place with all the opportunities that are available to us.

I recently read The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (great novel, by the way!), which puts this idea in a great perspective. It's about a family of missionaries who go to live in the Congo and convert the Africans to Christianity. You can probably imagine how things don't go quite as planned, and the missionaries themselves are actually the ones who emerge the most dramatically changed.

Anyway, good trip this year, and looking forward to some new ideas we have going on with the youth. I love this time of year, because we are all still pumped up from the conference and everyone feels good about their walk with Christ. I have been talking to one of the girls in youth about confirmation classes to be baptized and join the church. I am really excited about her taking this step...it makes me feel like we are doing some good and actually getting through to at least some of them!

I haven't done so well with my resolve to actually keep up my writing in this blog, but I haven't told anyone where to find it yet anyway, so I guess no one can be disappointed in me! Maybe one of these days when I have something worthy to write about I will let people in on my little secret. Things have settled into a routine lately, but Jeremy and I still both extremely busy. The week has become very exhausting for me, but weekends are my release. I have become very stingy with my time on the weekends. The best ones are when I have Saturdays entirely free to do whatever I want, or nothing at all. Working every weekend at Talk of the Town for so long got very old, so I still appreciate the pleasure of actually having a weekend the way it was intended to be! I have settled into a basic Saturday morning routine. I get up early, around 6:30 or so, because that's when the dogs get up (they don't understand the concept of the weekend, unfortunately). After I take care of them, I usually settle on the couch for awhile with a book and either a good movie on HBO or some tv on DVD (currently watching: Gilmore Girls, Season 2 and The Office, Season 3) until Jeremy gets up around 10:30. Those mornings are probably my favorite time of the weekend...there is a peacefulness and stillness to the house and the neighborhood early on Saturday mornings, and it does wonders for my state of mind (which tends to be stretched a little thin by the end of the week). Anyway, the final new addition to my Saturday morning routine is that I now cook breakfast almost every weekend. I know, it doesn't sound like a good thing if you know my history in the kitchen, but it's not bad at all, I promise! And it's actually improving all the time. Friday nights and Saturday mornings are virtually the only time Jeremy and I are home together all week, so we try to take full advantage of it. This is just a small change in our lives that's come about since we've moved into the new house, but overall, I am loving our life and our home right now.