After a two day break... I am back to classes. We had a nice fourth of July weekend, though. I got to see the family and watch the DC fireworks from Holly's building. It was very nice. However, I am getting tired of driving somewhere every weekend. However, Ill be back to DC this weekend for a Tim McGraw and Lady Antebellum concert- I guess that is worth it!
My two new classes seem like they will be a lot of work. Educational Psychology is a lot to remember (and apparently has REALLY hard multiple choice questions) and Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment will be challenging. We have a test every week for both, so it is going to be a lot of studying on top of a lot of reading... but as always, Ill manage.
I feel like I havent seen Danny in FOREVER. I may get to see him this weekend for a few hours, but I miss him! One day we will both have a little bit of time off together... just not so sure when that day is going to be! Im done with this semester on August 6th and were supposed to be going to a wedding that weekend, so that could be fun!
On another note, I cut all my hair off. Im not so sure that I like it, or know what to do with it, or make it look good... but I suppose it will go. I did get to donate it to a Locks of Love type organization, so that makes me feel better about not liking it. It will grow.
Life is pretty uneventful.. back to reading.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Ahh
I am almost done with my first summer session of grad school! It was only about 5 weeks long, but it is still amazing to me how fast time goes by. I have survived and done very well in all of my classes, so it's nice to know that I can handle the school work.
Things only get busier from here though... The next summer session starts next Tuesday. I have two classes again for that month and then a bit off. Then I am taking a crazy amount of classes and doing practicum. I know all of this hard work will be worth it, but its going to be a crazy year. Between work and homework, practicum and classes, Im not sure how Im going to have time to breathe. However, I do know that this is showing me that I think I will enjoy teaching. The thought of making up lessons and units and lesson plans excites me. I know that all of them will not be great and that some of them will fail utterly. But I believe that W&M will teach me how to make them better... and hopefully me a better teacher.
It is still crazy to me that this time next year I will be preparing for my first teaching job (hopefully I can get one!). I will be a licensed teacher. When did I become old enough to be the teacher and not the student? Im really not sure, but Im looking forward to it. And until then, Im going to try to enjoy being the student for as long as I can...
Things only get busier from here though... The next summer session starts next Tuesday. I have two classes again for that month and then a bit off. Then I am taking a crazy amount of classes and doing practicum. I know all of this hard work will be worth it, but its going to be a crazy year. Between work and homework, practicum and classes, Im not sure how Im going to have time to breathe. However, I do know that this is showing me that I think I will enjoy teaching. The thought of making up lessons and units and lesson plans excites me. I know that all of them will not be great and that some of them will fail utterly. But I believe that W&M will teach me how to make them better... and hopefully me a better teacher.
It is still crazy to me that this time next year I will be preparing for my first teaching job (hopefully I can get one!). I will be a licensed teacher. When did I become old enough to be the teacher and not the student? Im really not sure, but Im looking forward to it. And until then, Im going to try to enjoy being the student for as long as I can...
Thursday, June 24, 2010
No Place Id Rather Be...
This is the view from the house that I stay in at my favorite place on earth: DeBordieu.
 |
| The beautiful beach |
I have been to this same beach every year of my entire life, including the one that I was in my Mom's belly. I look forward to the trip every year. In past years I have even been lucky enough to go for two weeks. My Mom's whole side of the family gets together just to sit in the sand and enjoy the sun and the waves. We used to all fit in one house- now it requires three! For a long time (Until I was about 8) I was the youngest of the children, but now re range in age from 60 to 2. That is a lot of relatives! Despite the fact that there are lots of relatives, there are not a lot of people! If you go on the beach and see 2 other families, thats crowded!
I cannot believe that I am going to miss the trip: sitting out on the porch, watching fireflies, collecting sea shells, riding waves, eating good food, taking long walks on the beach, catching up with family, and overall just a relaxing week of having to do nothing but put my toes in the sand and read a good book. This year, I will be hunkering down and trying to write a 12 page paper. Luckily, my cute boyfriend (who I really wished to see DeBordieu and meet all the family as well) will be visiting. He is trying to convince me to go to Virginia Beach- but I think the comparison might just make my sadness greater.
Hopefully, the family will have an amazing time. And next year, Ill be there for two weeks! 365 days and counting...
Saturday, June 19, 2010
One for the books..
Soo... This is a crazy story. One that I thought I should write down, thus not forgetting the details.
Thursday night Danny came to Williamsburg to surprise me. We had a lovely dinner and watched Burn Notice and I had fun not studying for a few hours. He left. I was sad, nothing new there. But then at about 12:30 I get a call from him. Id been asleep for a while so I was a little discombobulated, but here's what happened:
Danny was driving down 95 in the left hand lane. All of the sudden he heard a thud, a very big thud, on the right side of his car. He pulled over, along with the three people behind him, to realize that a man had just ran out from the woods and hit his car. He did not hit the guy, the guy hit him. Yes, like a deer would do.
Danny, being the calm person that he is, calls 911, reports it, and the other people help to direct traffic around the guy. He was hurt, so they didnt want to move him and his bone was like sticking out of his leg. Ew. The cops got there, and noticing that there was no damage to the front of his car, and it was not his fault, were much nicer. They said that had a call earlier saying that a bunch of guys had dropped their friend off on the side of the road because he was drunk and belligerent. Who does that?!?!
Overall, it was a crazy story. We found out that it was a 25 year old man from North Carolina. No idea what he was doing in VA. Just another annoying thing to deal with...
Thursday night Danny came to Williamsburg to surprise me. We had a lovely dinner and watched Burn Notice and I had fun not studying for a few hours. He left. I was sad, nothing new there. But then at about 12:30 I get a call from him. Id been asleep for a while so I was a little discombobulated, but here's what happened:
Danny was driving down 95 in the left hand lane. All of the sudden he heard a thud, a very big thud, on the right side of his car. He pulled over, along with the three people behind him, to realize that a man had just ran out from the woods and hit his car. He did not hit the guy, the guy hit him. Yes, like a deer would do.
Danny, being the calm person that he is, calls 911, reports it, and the other people help to direct traffic around the guy. He was hurt, so they didnt want to move him and his bone was like sticking out of his leg. Ew. The cops got there, and noticing that there was no damage to the front of his car, and it was not his fault, were much nicer. They said that had a call earlier saying that a bunch of guys had dropped their friend off on the side of the road because he was drunk and belligerent. Who does that?!?!
Overall, it was a crazy story. We found out that it was a 25 year old man from North Carolina. No idea what he was doing in VA. Just another annoying thing to deal with...
Sunday, June 6, 2010
The end and the beginning
Oh my, it has been a while. Here it goes:
The end:
Danny and I went to TGI Fridays... I dont even know when, but before I left for school. It was 80's night there and we had seen Sex and the City prior to dinner, so overall it was wonderful. It is also the last restaurant on the list. : ( So, I guess that we completed our mission. We learned a lot- how to get around central park, the best cheese fries (Ledo's), the best margaritas (Cheeseburger in Paradise), new choices, and that Long John Silver's is horrible. It was a fun ride, and while Im glad not to have to be in Central Park to eat, its kinda sad. Mainly, because I have left Fredericksburg and having seen Danny in a week... thats probably it.
The beginning:
Grad school. They tell you its going to be more work, and boy are they right. They told you going into college the same thing, but this is way more intense. I have two classes this summer session and it is only a month long. Classes are 4 hours long and the amount of time outside of class spent reading and doing other work is amazing. I like my classes, mainly, and believe that I am learning a lot, but boy is it exhausting.
I also have a new job. I am the graduate assistant for the financial aid office. This is also a lot to learn about- so coupled with school, my brain is done. The last two nights I have literally dreamed about people asking me about loans and grants and not knowing the answers. The office manager I work with is new as well, so we work together to try to figure things out. All in all I really like it and Im learning. After all of the students get here, it will slow down a lot. Until then, my phone rings constantly.
It is nice to have my own place again. Williamsburg is BEAUTIFUL, a little hot, but there are lots of old trees to provide shade. Everything is old and historic and I love it. Until you try to drive or get run over by tourists... oh the joys of living in a tourist trap. But overall, I really like it. My apartment is nice, my roommate is great, and it is a great experience. After a year, however, I am going to be very tired.
I shall try to write things down more often. A: it makes me feel better and B: later in life these will be good things to remember. But for now, I am off for my last homework assignment of the weekend... I think. Then it is back to the craziness of the work and school week...
The end:
Danny and I went to TGI Fridays... I dont even know when, but before I left for school. It was 80's night there and we had seen Sex and the City prior to dinner, so overall it was wonderful. It is also the last restaurant on the list. : ( So, I guess that we completed our mission. We learned a lot- how to get around central park, the best cheese fries (Ledo's), the best margaritas (Cheeseburger in Paradise), new choices, and that Long John Silver's is horrible. It was a fun ride, and while Im glad not to have to be in Central Park to eat, its kinda sad. Mainly, because I have left Fredericksburg and having seen Danny in a week... thats probably it.
The beginning:
Grad school. They tell you its going to be more work, and boy are they right. They told you going into college the same thing, but this is way more intense. I have two classes this summer session and it is only a month long. Classes are 4 hours long and the amount of time outside of class spent reading and doing other work is amazing. I like my classes, mainly, and believe that I am learning a lot, but boy is it exhausting.
I also have a new job. I am the graduate assistant for the financial aid office. This is also a lot to learn about- so coupled with school, my brain is done. The last two nights I have literally dreamed about people asking me about loans and grants and not knowing the answers. The office manager I work with is new as well, so we work together to try to figure things out. All in all I really like it and Im learning. After all of the students get here, it will slow down a lot. Until then, my phone rings constantly.
It is nice to have my own place again. Williamsburg is BEAUTIFUL, a little hot, but there are lots of old trees to provide shade. Everything is old and historic and I love it. Until you try to drive or get run over by tourists... oh the joys of living in a tourist trap. But overall, I really like it. My apartment is nice, my roommate is great, and it is a great experience. After a year, however, I am going to be very tired.
I shall try to write things down more often. A: it makes me feel better and B: later in life these will be good things to remember. But for now, I am off for my last homework assignment of the weekend... I think. Then it is back to the craziness of the work and school week...
Monday, May 24, 2010
Graduation - UVA style
Yesterday we went to UVA for Charles' graduation from his Masters program. It was kind of neat to go to two so close together and see how different the Universities are. UVA is beautiful, but in a totally different way than VT, and even the speeches just show that they are so different. UVA is totally consumed by Thomas Jefferson and his vision for the University. UVA and VT may be big rivals, but really they're so different they arent even really comparable...
So in the morning was the walking of the Lawn. All of the graduates walk from the Rotunda down the lawn. Its actually really neat- people walk with their friends and have lots of balloons so that people can recognize where they are. Its such a celebration; its neat. Then we had lunch with Charles' program and went to the second graduation ceremony. Charles seemed so happy!
In other news, Peter proposed to his girlfriend last week, so Holly is hoping that this will propel Charles along. I really hope so; Charles is a part of our family and we all love him. Holly shouldnt have to go through something like that- they love each other. But I know why she will leave- he will go on forever like this. He only has about 2 weeks though... so I guess we will know rather soon.
After both ceremonies we went to a South African restaurant with Charles' family. It was a lot of fun and his family was so generous! It was a great day.
Now, I need to figure out how to pack and all that kind of stuff. I cant believe that I leave so soon! I did find out that I will know a few people in my program though so that makes me feel so much better!
So in the morning was the walking of the Lawn. All of the graduates walk from the Rotunda down the lawn. Its actually really neat- people walk with their friends and have lots of balloons so that people can recognize where they are. Its such a celebration; its neat. Then we had lunch with Charles' program and went to the second graduation ceremony. Charles seemed so happy!
In other news, Peter proposed to his girlfriend last week, so Holly is hoping that this will propel Charles along. I really hope so; Charles is a part of our family and we all love him. Holly shouldnt have to go through something like that- they love each other. But I know why she will leave- he will go on forever like this. He only has about 2 weeks though... so I guess we will know rather soon.
After both ceremonies we went to a South African restaurant with Charles' family. It was a lot of fun and his family was so generous! It was a great day.
Now, I need to figure out how to pack and all that kind of stuff. I cant believe that I leave so soon! I did find out that I will know a few people in my program though so that makes me feel so much better!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Smokey Bones
To me, Smokey Bones sounds like a pirate name. ARRRRG!!
But in real life, it is a BBQ restaurant, and it was pretty good! I had Fire Stix which were cheese fries with bacon and some BBQ sauce and other things on top. The BBQ sauce made it really really yummy and unexpected. I really liked them!
Danny had broccoli and cheddar soup and grilled chicken. We think that they left out the rice that the chicken was supposed to be on and just gave him more broccoli on the side, but I suppose thats ok. He cleaned his plate, declared his meal a success, and helped me with my Fire Stix.
The only weird part of the meal was the lighting. When we came in, it was good. But then the electricity went off for a few seconds and it made the lights really bright. That was all fine and dandy until they turned the lights all the way down. I could not see. Weird. But these lighting problems have nothing to do with the food or the dining experience (at least the usual one) and overall we liked it!
But in real life, it is a BBQ restaurant, and it was pretty good! I had Fire Stix which were cheese fries with bacon and some BBQ sauce and other things on top. The BBQ sauce made it really really yummy and unexpected. I really liked them!
Danny had broccoli and cheddar soup and grilled chicken. We think that they left out the rice that the chicken was supposed to be on and just gave him more broccoli on the side, but I suppose thats ok. He cleaned his plate, declared his meal a success, and helped me with my Fire Stix.
The only weird part of the meal was the lighting. When we came in, it was good. But then the electricity went off for a few seconds and it made the lights really bright. That was all fine and dandy until they turned the lights all the way down. I could not see. Weird. But these lighting problems have nothing to do with the food or the dining experience (at least the usual one) and overall we liked it!
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