read 1666 pages
write 2 5-page book reviews over 535 of those pages
write 1 journal over 301 of those pages
take 10 quizzes over the remaining pages
take 1 interview
take 2 final exams
do 1 presentation
take 1 other quiz
Actually most of these things are due by May 7th, and I'll be out of the country for 11 days. That means it's actually 31 days to do everything except take the 2 final exams and read 298 of the pages and take 3 of the quizzes. Oh, how I long to graduate.
"...yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior." -Habakkuk 3:18
Friday, March 27, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
A Glimpse of My World
This is what's been happening where I'm from:
Mt. Redoubt erupting. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
That's right, Mt. Redoubt finally blew its top. People have been predicting its eruption since January, and it finally happened. Ash is falling on my hometown as I type this. The last eruption cycle was in 1990. I was in 5th grade and I can vaguely remember the streets covered in ash and my school passing out breathing masks before we left school on one of the days it erupted.
Mt. Redoubt is located about 50 miles west of Kenai (my hometown), directly across the Cook Inlet. The current eruptions have spewed ash almost 12 miles into the air. In 1990, a Boeing 747 flying from Amsterdam was caught in the plume, all engines failed, and it had to emergency land in Anchorage. Mt. Redoubt is the highest mountain in the Aleutian Range at 10,200 feet, and is an active volcano, this being its 4th eruption cycle. Currently, it has erupted five times since Sunday evening (Alaska-time...GMT -9).
Mt. Redoubt, letting off steam on March 15th. Photo courtesy of the Alaska Volcano Observatory.
Some of you might be wondering what the big deal is. I mean, it's just some ash, right? No. The 1990 eruptions caused $160 million in damage. Ash can cause problems for people with respiratory problems, and can also harm skin and machine parts. This presents a problem when ash lands and is then stirred up by wind or vehicles because the ash then gets into car engines, therefore causing damage. School is probably canceled today. We never get snow-days, but we have been known to get ash-days!
A photo I took in 2005 from my hometown. Mt Redoubt is on the right.
Edit: So apparently ash didn't actually fall on Kenai...between the ash being 12 miles in the air and all the wind that they've been having, it all blew north. Guess nobody got the day off of school, after all.
Mt. Redoubt erupting. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
That's right, Mt. Redoubt finally blew its top. People have been predicting its eruption since January, and it finally happened. Ash is falling on my hometown as I type this. The last eruption cycle was in 1990. I was in 5th grade and I can vaguely remember the streets covered in ash and my school passing out breathing masks before we left school on one of the days it erupted.
Mt. Redoubt is located about 50 miles west of Kenai (my hometown), directly across the Cook Inlet. The current eruptions have spewed ash almost 12 miles into the air. In 1990, a Boeing 747 flying from Amsterdam was caught in the plume, all engines failed, and it had to emergency land in Anchorage. Mt. Redoubt is the highest mountain in the Aleutian Range at 10,200 feet, and is an active volcano, this being its 4th eruption cycle. Currently, it has erupted five times since Sunday evening (Alaska-time...GMT -9).
Mt. Redoubt, letting off steam on March 15th. Photo courtesy of the Alaska Volcano Observatory.
Some of you might be wondering what the big deal is. I mean, it's just some ash, right? No. The 1990 eruptions caused $160 million in damage. Ash can cause problems for people with respiratory problems, and can also harm skin and machine parts. This presents a problem when ash lands and is then stirred up by wind or vehicles because the ash then gets into car engines, therefore causing damage. School is probably canceled today. We never get snow-days, but we have been known to get ash-days!
A photo I took in 2005 from my hometown. Mt Redoubt is on the right.
Edit: So apparently ash didn't actually fall on Kenai...between the ash being 12 miles in the air and all the wind that they've been having, it all blew north. Guess nobody got the day off of school, after all.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Hurricanes Game
On Wednesday night, Shannon and I took a much needed break from the insanity of midterms and we went to a Carolina Hurricanes hockey game. We probably shouldn't have, since we both had a midterm the next day, and we missed small group in order to go. But...tickets were only $12 each, and I'd never been to a professional anything game, and Shannon had never seen a real hockey game. So, we got tickets for the two of us and my sister and brother-in-law (who's a hockey nut) and we went!
My and Shannon's tickets...all $24 worth! The New Jersey Devils used to have a guy from Alaska on their team...but he no longer plays for them. That was a bummer to learn!
This is the view you get for $12 a ticket!
My sister, Rachel, and I outside the RBC Center, wearing 'Canes red.
Shannon (who didn't get the memo about wearing red) and Lucas.
The 'Canes are in red and the Devils are in white...interesting since in basketball the home team wears the white uniform.
The game was fun and the Hurricanes won 4-2. There were a ton of people there, but nothing compares to the Auburn-Alabama football game that we went to back in 2007.
As far as school goes, Shannon has finished his midterms. I've taken one and have one to take tomorrow (yes, on Saturday) and one to take on Tuesday. Then I have about 70 more pages to read in order to take a quiz by Thursday. And then on Friday I'll be reading and memorizing so that when Shannon's dad and stepmom come into town next weekend we can have some fun! And then we'll be finishing up the packing and preparing to head to Turkey in April. 62 more days of insanity.
My and Shannon's tickets...all $24 worth! The New Jersey Devils used to have a guy from Alaska on their team...but he no longer plays for them. That was a bummer to learn!
This is the view you get for $12 a ticket!
My sister, Rachel, and I outside the RBC Center, wearing 'Canes red.
Shannon (who didn't get the memo about wearing red) and Lucas.
The 'Canes are in red and the Devils are in white...interesting since in basketball the home team wears the white uniform.
The game was fun and the Hurricanes won 4-2. There were a ton of people there, but nothing compares to the Auburn-Alabama football game that we went to back in 2007.
As far as school goes, Shannon has finished his midterms. I've taken one and have one to take tomorrow (yes, on Saturday) and one to take on Tuesday. Then I have about 70 more pages to read in order to take a quiz by Thursday. And then on Friday I'll be reading and memorizing so that when Shannon's dad and stepmom come into town next weekend we can have some fun! And then we'll be finishing up the packing and preparing to head to Turkey in April. 62 more days of insanity.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tea Time!
Today was a fantastic day. I finally got the tea kettle that I ordered with birthday money that my mom sent me. I ordered it probably about 2 weeks ago and the estimated arrival date was mid-April. So, I was excited to see it come today!
Then, after I got the tea kettle, I ran into my friend Jonathan who said he had something for me...tea from Poland from my friend Lindsay! I was so, so excited. I think it's really funny how when you live overseas you want people to bring you stuff from America, and now that I'm back in America, I want people to bring me stuff from overseas! Anyhow, here's to many more hot cups of caramel and "taste of London" tea, with hot water from my new kettle! Thanks, Mom and Lindsay!
A new tea kettle, Dilmah caramel tea, and Lipton "Taste of London" tea, my all-time favorite.
Then, after I got the tea kettle, I ran into my friend Jonathan who said he had something for me...tea from Poland from my friend Lindsay! I was so, so excited. I think it's really funny how when you live overseas you want people to bring you stuff from America, and now that I'm back in America, I want people to bring me stuff from overseas! Anyhow, here's to many more hot cups of caramel and "taste of London" tea, with hot water from my new kettle! Thanks, Mom and Lindsay!
A new tea kettle, Dilmah caramel tea, and Lipton "Taste of London" tea, my all-time favorite.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Can You Think Of...
...six good reasons to work someplace where they host lots of weddings and you have to stand on your feet for hours on end, deal with people drinking more than they should, and deal with sometimes lazy coworkers? I can:
When the bride spends $3000 on flowers, even her family doesn't want them all!
When the bride spends $3000 on flowers, even her family doesn't want them all!
Saturday, March 7, 2009
A Quilt from Joyce
Can you see the stitching? Joyce did it all by hand.
I've been meaning to post about this quilt for a couple of months now, but as I think you all know from my previous post almost 3 weeks ago, I've been a bit busy.
When I moved to North Carolina in August 2006, I stopped at my dad and stepmom's for a couple of days. While I was there my stepmom, Joyce, asked me to pick out a pattern for a quilt. So, I picked one out, said I wanted it to be blue, and told her that I wanted a full-sized one, since that's the size bed I was going to buy. A few months later, after I was engaged, I had to request her to up it to a queen since there would be two of us sleeping under it now!
The pillowcases don't match, but the colors are so beautiful!
Fast-forward to January 2009. On my way home from a trip to Chattanooga to see a friend, I stopped in to pick up the quilt that Joyce had been working on for the past year. I don't think I've ever had anyone work so hard and diligently on any one thing for me! (Well, unless you count the rebuilding of my car...that took a lot of work too.) I couldn't believe how beautiful it was! And neither could Diana...she said that she almost asked Joyce to make her one! Anyways, the quilt is proudly displayed on our bed for all to see. We absolutely love it, and every time we climb into bed and feel it around us, we're reminded of all the hard work that went into it. Thanks, Joyce!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Where I've Been
So, every time I sign into blogger to check out my subscriptions, I'm vividly aware of my "Last Post: February 3rd" glaring me in the face. But I just haven't been able to bring myself to fix it. You see, this semester is going to be the death of me, and probably of Shannon too. I am a full-time student for the first time since we've been married (I did three semesters of part-time before entering this current semester). I'm also working a lot less, so I thought that you know, things would equal out. But no. I'm swamped. I spend my weekends working and my weekdays, well...I've been doing a lot of reading.
I have to read 15 books this semester. It's insane. I have to read all of 13 of these and about half of the other two. Plus I have midterms, finals, four book reviews, weekly quizzes, and weekly papers to write over my readings. And, did I mention that for one of my classes I'm opting out of writing a research paper and taking an automatic "no-better-than-a-B"?
In April Shannon and I are going to Turkey for 12 days. Shannon has some job offers on the table and we've never been to that part of the world, so we thought a trip to check it out would be wise.
My brother graduates from high school in May, and I'd really like to go watch him graduate. The only problem? He graduates about 36 hours before the rehearsal for my own graduation. If I make it to his graduation is still TBD.
In June we're going to Hawaii for 13 days. I absolutely can't wait, because hopefully it'll be the first real vacation we'll have had since our honeymoon in August 2007.
In July we'll be headed to Richmond for a week. Then we'll get to come back and have normalcy for approximately three months before the insanity begins again.
In November we'll head to Louisiana for almost a week. Then we'll return and pack up all our stuff. Then we'll head to Alabama for Thanksgiving and the weeks before Christmas. We'll head to Alaska for Christmas and my birthday, and a couple more weeks. Then it's back to Alabama to pick up our car and head to Virginia for two months. By then it will be the end of March, and we'll head back to NC to spend some time with my sister and brother-in-law, and then a week with my dad and stepmom. And then we'll head overseas for Shannon's new job!
Now, this timeline is speculative. But still...I'm a little stressed out just thinking about it. Will we ever get "normal" lives? Unfortunately I think the line of work we've chosen flies in the face of normalcy, but still...I guess I'm really looking forward to those three months between July and November when all we're doing is working and get to come home at the end of the day and read a book or play a game without worrying about homework or applications or doctor appointments.
So, there you have it, folks. Sorry I haven't been better at updating. You can expect another post after I: read 200 more pages and take four quizzes that I'm behind on,and read 160 pages and write three reviews on the reading. I need to have all of this done in the next two weeks. Hopefully I'll get to posting again before I actually finish it all. But if not...you know where I am.
I have to read 15 books this semester. It's insane. I have to read all of 13 of these and about half of the other two. Plus I have midterms, finals, four book reviews, weekly quizzes, and weekly papers to write over my readings. And, did I mention that for one of my classes I'm opting out of writing a research paper and taking an automatic "no-better-than-a-B"?
In April Shannon and I are going to Turkey for 12 days. Shannon has some job offers on the table and we've never been to that part of the world, so we thought a trip to check it out would be wise.
My brother graduates from high school in May, and I'd really like to go watch him graduate. The only problem? He graduates about 36 hours before the rehearsal for my own graduation. If I make it to his graduation is still TBD.
In June we're going to Hawaii for 13 days. I absolutely can't wait, because hopefully it'll be the first real vacation we'll have had since our honeymoon in August 2007.
In July we'll be headed to Richmond for a week. Then we'll get to come back and have normalcy for approximately three months before the insanity begins again.
In November we'll head to Louisiana for almost a week. Then we'll return and pack up all our stuff. Then we'll head to Alabama for Thanksgiving and the weeks before Christmas. We'll head to Alaska for Christmas and my birthday, and a couple more weeks. Then it's back to Alabama to pick up our car and head to Virginia for two months. By then it will be the end of March, and we'll head back to NC to spend some time with my sister and brother-in-law, and then a week with my dad and stepmom. And then we'll head overseas for Shannon's new job!
Now, this timeline is speculative. But still...I'm a little stressed out just thinking about it. Will we ever get "normal" lives? Unfortunately I think the line of work we've chosen flies in the face of normalcy, but still...I guess I'm really looking forward to those three months between July and November when all we're doing is working and get to come home at the end of the day and read a book or play a game without worrying about homework or applications or doctor appointments.
So, there you have it, folks. Sorry I haven't been better at updating. You can expect another post after I: read 200 more pages and take four quizzes that I'm behind on,and read 160 pages and write three reviews on the reading. I need to have all of this done in the next two weeks. Hopefully I'll get to posting again before I actually finish it all. But if not...you know where I am.
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