Teacher perks

My students treated me to a latte and croissant this morning! Yahoo! I love this job.

More wedding pictures

Since no one wants another picture of my desk and stacks of papers, here is Sandford Hall in Mitchell, NE.

Battleborn

I don't know how many times The Killers have put out an album when I need it most, but they've done it again. This was my western Nebraska road trip soundtrack. Love LOVE Love.

Scottsbluff National Monument

Hiked this before getting a **spray tan**

My old roommates got married

Wyoming

Birthdays, publications, and passing the comps

What a weekend, or "what? A weekend?"

So, for once I was able to nearly execute a too ambitious plan of preparing not only for the coming week, but also the next. It did involve an alarm clock and two trips to Starbucks, but I was super productive, and I managed two rounds of sand volleyball and a picnic! Seriously, despite the intense reading and thinking, it was a great weekend in gorgeous late summer Flagstaff. I look forward to reaping the rewards of my hard work, and enjoying my good friends' wedding in Nebraska this weekend.

Working on a sunburn

Today was the beginning of zero-weekend mode in grad school. 6:15 alarm, at my desk by 8:00. Yet, an outdoor study study session at this elevation will immediately result in this type of sunburn, better known as farmer's tan. Eeww.

Veggie day!

Every Thursday this summer I have been picking up my veggie share from the Community Supported Agriculture. It's been a lot of fun trying new vegetables that I might have turned my nose up at otherwise.

TGIWednesday

Reasons I love Wednesday...

Workee, no coffee

I spent a few hours reading about language assessment today.

By the way, a book review that I coauthored will be available soon! I'll link it!

Sunday stroll

As a child, I definitely would have named this structure as "the naughty one" or something to that effect. I was fascinated by power lines and their supports.

Beautiful view from the parking garage

Surprise?

What happened to my writing style?

What a week.

It would seem that a week shortened by Labor Day would go faster, not slower than a regular week, but not in my world. I made a few choices involving boyfriends and parking passes. I got swept up in the white water that is grad school. My TA position at the PIE is a big commitment. My grad classes are intellectually demanding, not to mention that I devote almost entire weekends to doing the readings and projects for them. The rest of my life (not that I know what that is) functions around eating, gym time and thinking about the PIE or my classes. 

My aunt is notorious for coming home from volleyball with tears in her eyes. My grandma often quotes here as saying "If I didn't have swing choir, I don't know what I'd do." In an ironic twist of fate --as she and I had the same coach and same tears-- I now find myself wondering if I could survive without my weekly PIE volleyball fix. It's often the highlight of my week. I can destress, sweat and enjoy a little fame. It's nice to be able to just enjoy being a person. Not a teacher, not a student, just a person who likes to hang out with international students.

When I'm not playing volleyball, sometimes I'm ruining surprise parties. Today I did that. I showed up at exactly the wrong time, and I had to make the choice to run, hide, or just lose a lot of face. As I was walking up to the door, I hear the surprisee coming. Not being a close friend, I knew I would be extremely out of place. With nowhere to go, I just attempted to be as weird as possible, and get her to the real surprise as quickly as I could without doing too much explaining. OMG. How embarrassing for someone who is as punctual as I am. I was late one time, and this is what I get. Anyway, the party was a lot of fun, I made fun of myself, and everyone seemed to have a great time. Actually the surprise was still good. My presence was just disorienting enough to accentuate the whole mystery of it all.

Life isn't smooth sailing. Every single day, we have to handle situations with grace and humility. Unfortunately, we don't do the right thing every time. Sometimes I really want to put my foot in my mouth or time-travel back just a few minutes and try again, but I can't. We don't get a re-do, and I think that's something I'm working on this week. We can't re-do the situation, but we can learn something and do it better next time.

Thursday

I snapped this pic before watching one of the coordinators teach at PIE. What a week.

Grad school food

Preparing some potatoes for lunch-on-the-go. Gourmet? No. Cheap? You bet.

Clouds at my office

This giant cloud was peeking in my office window today. I miss NE thunderstorms.

No, we don't carry that as a size for WOMEN

Ways to embarrass a woman in a shoe store...

Actually, I like these men's shoes. They are the right size, even if society thinks that it's a size for men.

Views

The clouds are rolling in over the PIE offices.

Detox tea

The best thing about tea is that, when it's hot, you have to slow down to drink it.

Friends

I love them.