1/8 Cherokee and a lot of freckles.
Christopher and I have been beating the heat with frequent trips to Ivy Lake.
Abed-nego has not been beating the heat by playing with golf balls with Christopher.
And I’d like to introduce you to the first zucchini of the summer, which will be made into zucchini bread. In about ten minutes.
I don’t think that I have mentioned on here that the Robinson family is extending.
Yep, we’re having a baby!
Here is my ultrasound from today. Nine weeks and six days! Due January 9th!
We decided last November that we felt ready to start trying come spring. So there you have it!
Sneak peak at Stephanie and Bernard’s wedding photos at Riverside Park
Last weekend, we went out to Grayson Highlands State Park again. Last time we went in August, the blue berries were ripe, it was hot hot hot during the day, and cold cold cold at night and morning.
This time, it was freezing all around. Here in Lynchburg, the weather has been nice, the trees have been fully green for over a month, it feels a lot like summer. Well, the Highlands were a different story. It felt like early March! Cold, breezy, bare trees… But, as always, it was an amazing trip and totally worth the four-hour drive. It is just interesting how different areas can be due to elevation–and, just so you know, Lynchburg is indeed in the mountains as well, just not that high up I guess.
Anyway, the main point of the trip was to celebrate my friend Kimmy’s 24th birthday. Kimmy and I have know each other since kindergarten, so it was tons of fun to show her around Lynchburg, take her camping, introduce her to the ponies, and all that.
Kimmy and her husband, Josh, at the campsite.
Kimmy and Josh hiking to find the ponies.
Christopher and Josh on a crazy rock-mountain that they climbed. I still don’t know how.
Christopher and a pony.
Me talking to a pony.
Group shot at an overlook.
HDR at the overlook.
More shots on flickr.
We spent last weekend in Chesapeake visiting family. I hadn’t been back since Christmas! And now a couple of shots of my niece and nephew.
I love that Matthew always wears a cowboy hat.
After dinner and helping with dishes some, I went outside to see Chris on all fours in the grass having a growling contest with Matthew. So silly. I jumped on Chris’s back for a “double monster,” but Sydney quickly wanted a turn and I gave her my spot. After a little while, I realized that Sydney had an accident…. Here is Chris crawling around in the grass, growling back and forth with Matthew, with Syndey clinging to his back, and she has peed on him, yet he didn’t notice yet. It was hilariouss.
We came home to see that my salvia has bloomed! Stokeddd! I’ll post photos some other day of our garden all coming together.
Christopher and I were feeling like an adventure today, so we drove out toward the Blue Ridge Parkway. Then we had the sudden idea to just head on over to Natural Bridge. Why not? In the nearly three years of living here in Lynchburg, we hadn’t been. After only about forty minutes of driving, there we were.
First, we drove through the Safari Park (which is much more expensive than it used to be) because Chris had never been! Everyone should drive through the park and feed the zebras, llamas, long horns, and all the other animals at least once.
We also got to feed giraffes. It was an unbelievably windy day, so my hair was one, big mess.
Also, we went by Foamhenge, a life-size replica of Stonehenge made of, well, foam! Don’t worry; this one was free.
By then, it was dinner time and we had major hunger. Off to the Pink Cadillac Diner, a “restaurant” with just half a star. It did have this giant gorilla, though, which made it all better.
[ More photographs ]
The cherry blossoms!
The time for planting is almost here and our yard was not ready to receive anything at all. A while ago, Chris and I decided that we would cut in a new flowerbed along the back fence in our yard. Last summer, we cut in a vegetable garden by the shed, which was incredibly difficult because we were just using a shovel and rake, the ground was super dry and hard, and there were all sorts of huge mystery roots. It took days in the heat of August, and we decided that next time (this time?) we would rent a tiller.
Well, the time came to cut in the new flowerbed and Chris kept reminding me, asking if we could do it, and I kept saying, “Later… later…” because I didn’t want to have to deal with the work again. I remembered last time. And I wasn’t entirely sure how to go about renting a tiller. In the end, Chris said not to worry about the tiller, that he’d just do it himself if I simply showed him where I wanted the flowerbed. How nice, huh?
That idea lasted for a few moments, but then I was actually kind of having fun with helping out. Chris did all of the shoveling, I bagged leaves and raked up little roots and clods of grass. It went a lot smoother this time. Few large roots and the ground was softer–probably because it had recently rained and we weren’t dealing with the same dry dirt as last summer.
So, as of yesterday, it was all cut in, but we need to do a little more raking. We filled up our trash can completely and decided we should probably take a break. Not completely finished, but really close. We did find a ton of bricks, though–easily ten–buried in the dirt. And two snakes!
Here is our yard as Chris got working yesterday. Since the grass looks so awful in the winter and early spring, we plan to plant some grass seed in the fall.
Chris also trimmed back a giant rose of sharon that needed some pruning, which our dog enjoyed devouring.
Our daffodils bloomed last week. The tulips of Rivermont are peeking their heads up. The cherry blossom tree in front of my house is about to burst into a thousand little stars that will dot my lawn when the deer stand on their hind legs to eat the cherries from low-hanging branches. It has been a long, cold, but not lonely winter.
We have come to the end of weekend four of our bathroom adventure. Seeing as we took it all back to the studs and none of us had tackled such a project before, complete with tiling, I think we did it quite swiftly. However, it has felt that it has taken forever because of all of the canceled weekend projects in between due to snow and life in general. We started the demolition on January 4th, so we have been tub-less and down a bath for over three months!
This weekend, though, has it brought it nearly to the end. I have been saying all along that this weekend would be the “fun” one because nothing should have been too hard aside from the tiling. Everything was difficult enough, though, and I learned a lot.
Let me remind you, internet world, what we started out with:
Behind the badly-weather wood and stained plastic insert stood crumbling, broken tile and rotting, foul wood. I don’t think that the “before” photographs quite show how awful it once was. I didn’t like showering or taking a bath because it all felt so dirty. The bottom the plastic enclosure did not even have caulking anymore where it met the tub, but instead horrible-smelling black mild dew. So gross. And rust-stained. And it was sooo hot because the radiator was really keeping it too toasty and the fan didn’t work since someone had blown insulation over top of it in the attic. I hated it all and was so embarrassed by it when family would visit.
We ran into a lot of surprises and there were times that I worried about ever finishing. I guess things just come up every step of the way when working with a 72-year-old house. But now it is nearly done, and I couldn’t be more pleased. I think we freshened it up a great deal while maintaining the cottage-y feel authentic to the house. Even though it took a long time, I think our weekends went rather quickly.
Weekend 1: demolition–took it back to the stubs and the plumber updated the plumbing.
Weekend 2: pre-liminary re-building–re-did the wiring, framed and put in the glass blocks, leveled the floor with concrete, took out the radiator, bought the green board and concrete board.
Weekend 3: re-walling–put up the walls and spackled.
Weekend 4 (this past weekend): re-prettying–sanding the walls, painting the walls and ceiling, tiling, installing the wainscoting, installing the molding, installing the shower faucets and handle, installing the lights, installing the mirror, installing the toilet.
Weekend 5 (next weekend): having a professional re-glaze the tub, installing the last two pieces of crown molding, painting the molding and wainscoting, and hooking up the sink.
More bathroom work, more insulation, more wiring, more green board, more spackling.
More done.
All of the green board is up and first coat of spackling doneee! It all feels so much better, so much closer, so much more like a real ROOM!
I also recently purchased this chalkboard from an Etsy store. It is made from old barn wood and sits perfectly on our kitchen wall in a bare spot that we simply were not sure what to fill it with.
With the snow melting, we’re back to renovating the bathroom! By Friday night, Christopher and my dad had completed the wiring (two new outlets, the new light fixture, the new ceiling fan, and fixed the light switch box), put up insulation, removed and capped the radiator, and put cement down along the edges to level the floor. We had hoped to salvage the old tile, but it had many cracks and was severely damaged by the radiator. Instead, we selected a nice laminate floating floor that will hold up well against moisture and look similar to the rest of the flooring. Not only is laminate incredibly inexpensive (less than $80 for the whole bathroom), but wood and bamboo floors are not suggested because of water issues.
Saturday brought a new day with new goals and another trip back to Lowe’s. Chris and my dad picked up the greenboard and concrete board. I’m not sure how they managed to carry all those boards–so heavy! Instead of putting in a window, we opted for glass blocks since, well, it is in the shower. Creating the frame was quite a pain because, as you can see, the original frame wasn’t even level. I was so thrilled to see the window finally uncovered. It let so much light in! I can’t express how dark and grimy our bathroom used to feel. Then they managed to get some greenboard up.
I picked up these knobs from Anthropologie to dress up the new vanity. They have a ton of great hardware. Kind of pricey, but very nice. These were $6 each.
We thought about shifting plans around and getting a clawfoot tub instead of tiling for about ten minutes. I wish we could, but it would just be too expensive. I know it will look great anyway. So, next weekend we will get back to work again, take a week off, and then hopefully be in our last weekend of work. And be done! I am planning a red ribbon cutting ceremony and everything. I think that my dad should be honored with the first shower because he has been such a big help through all of these projects.
As the upstairs bathroom project is coming kind of near a close, I keep thinking up new projects. Too many. Ahh! Home renovations are fun, but I could go broke with all of my ideas.
Another six inches of snow.
So, I like the snow and all, but it gets kind of ridiculously boring not being able to go anywhere. I thought I’d brave it last time and ended up getting my car stuck, causing me to never want to drive in the snow again. This snow, we got “just under a foot,” according to the news, and they didn’t plow our street until around 4:00 pm. No luck in getting out at all.
Fortunately, our house is within walking distance of a lot of great places to eat. Chris and I decided we needed out and headed down to The Caviler.
Afterward, we grabbed the sleds and headed over to Vista Ave, a very, very steep road in our neighborhood with trees on either side. This road is so rough that it has been closed down twice for the snow, making it awesome awesome awesome for sledding. So we thought. We took turns using the old traditional sled that belonged to Chris’s dad and also a green, plastic, modern sled that resembles a trashcan lid. Both worked great, but the newer sled did now allow for as much control and usually left the rider spinning.
After a few trips down the road, a snow plow truck came through. And as you can see in the last picture, this road is so bad and crazy that the snow plow actually got stuck! We never did see that situation come to a resolution and I sure hope that he isn’t still sitting there in his car. Poor guy. That road is nuts!
So, we decided to pack it up and head home when I had the bright idea of filming a sled ride from “my perspective.” I chose the green sled since it lends itself for a more crazy ride. Yeah. Bad idea. I spun out of control, cruised right over the road’s curb, flew straight down about six feet (at least!!!) into the woods. And ended up sitting on top and kind of inside of a little tree. You can see the video here.
It was so fun and crazy and I’m lucky that I didn’t slam into a larger tree. Goodness, this could have been so bad! I have bruises all over and am super sore, but I certainly cannot complain much.
And I plan to do it all over again tomorrow.
Lynchburg got about nine inches of snow, our second of the season.
Neko was not so sure about us going out into the white stuff.
Chris shoveling out a path in the back yard. He kind of looks like a marionette puppet to me.
Free museum day in Lynchburg!
We toured Point of Honor.
me: Hey! Look! A fortune on the floor… This must be from the fortune cookie that Neko [our cat] got into…. “Money isn’t everything. You can buy a doctor, but you can’t buy health.” What a horrible fortune to give a cat with leukemia!
I haven’t really been thinking about the fact that the year has indeed clocked over to 2010. Now I keep wondering how I will say it. “Twenty-ten” or “two thousand and ten.” The former is much short, but I don’t like it. So I won’t say it.
Here are my goals for 2010–not resolutions, just goals:
-Finish the Ed.S. after this summer.
-By the new year, have 3/4 of my doctorate coursework completed.
-Come up with an awesome dissertation topic.
-Maintain a 4.0.
-Write fiction or CNF at least three times a week–whether or not I feel inspired.
-Submit three manuscripts for publication.
-Politic with MFA department heads.
-Teach three English courses per sub-term for LUO.
-Try to teach English as an adjunct residentially with a local college.
-Work on my family history project.
-Get my family involved in my family history project–see, you guys didn’t even know I started one! Months ago!
-Get that bathroom remodeled.
-Exercise consistently.
-Eat healthily consistently.
And now… 2009 in photographs.
K for Katie at the apartment!
So much thesising happened.
Ice storm at the end of January.
After the worst job fair ever. Our worries for the days after graduation grow.
Snow in March! The next morning, I was offered a job interview in Tampa.
A few hours after my Tampa interview. I guess they decided that they didn’t have a position after all? It was for the best.
Mt. Pleasant. One of my favorite places.
Graduation! M.A. in English.
We got the jobs in Liberty’s education office on the drive to vacation at Pompano Beach (but this was taken in Key West).
And then we vacationed in Nags Head.
Chris was hired to teach English for LUO. We began our doctorates. And we bought a house in Lynchburg’s historic neighborhood, Rivermont.
Backpacking with ponies (Grayson Highlands).
Apple Orchard Falls
We adopted Neko in October.
McAfee Knob
Hosting our first Thanksgiving
I was hired to teach English for LUO. Snow in Lynchburg!
Building a gingerbread house with my niece and nephew, Sydney and Matthew.
I guess I should be updating about the new year, but I won’t quite yet. I forgot to post Christmas photos.
I gave Sydney and Matthew a gingerbread house.
The sound of dripping water, melting snow, collapsing ice.
It did not soften soon enough for us–stuck in the sludge at the corner of Riverside and Rivermont.
Two views of the one River, streaming James out to Richmond, formerly the ferry of Thomas,
Namesake of our city.
Fortunately, Lynchburgers are kind.
Two strangers and our neighbor helped to push us out.
I’m not leaving the house again for at least two more days.
…that it snowed?
Like, a lot. Over fourteen inches. Man, the last time I saw so much snow in Virginia was when I was nine.
Fortunately in Lynchburg, we seem to get at least one good snowy storm a year. Last year was seven inches. But, really, I don’t know when we’ll be able get out. Until then, it is time for Star Wars (particularly Empire), Lord of the Rings, and Indiana Jones. Epic-movie time.
By the way, I am LUO’s newest English faculty member. Pretty awesome, huh? I can’t wait to teach again.
Does that mean I am a professor or just an instructor? I don’t know, but it is better than being just a GSA. I’m still GSAing in the ed department, though–and happily doing so. Free tuition? Yes, please!
The other day, there were at least 100 vultures in trees and soaring around our neighborhood.
Chris surprised me yesterday morning with tickets to see The Nutcracker in Roanoke. I have always loved that ballet as a kid and looked forward to renting the movie each year and receiving a nutcracker as a present. We had a fancy dinner downtown and then walked over to the civic center for the ballet. Very exciting.
After spending years critiquing and analyzing literature, it is difficult not to apply it to most every area of entertainment. Movies do not go unpicked apart, and sometimes I’d like to turn the literary critic off in my mind, but I do think that it is good to constantly be analyzing. On the way home, Chris and I discussed all of the subtleties of the ballet that we noticed.
When I was younger, there was this oneee version of The Nutcracker that I loved and would rent every Christmas. Then the video store changed hands and I could never figure out which one it was. I was so disappointed and for years searched for that film without any luck. Well, after doing some online searching tonight, I finally found it. And watched it on Hulu. And was incredibly disturbed.
I could go on about how they adjusted the ballet far too much: playing songs out of order, not even having the Spanish dance be done with Spanish dancers, not having a Sugar Plum Fairy at all, and the Sugar Plum world being a kingdom ruled by the godfather–and the dancers all dancing in response to the crack of a whip opposed to out of, I don’t know, a magical existance?
What bothered me more than anything is how horribly creepy the godfather is as he seems to try to seduce Clara–thus, pissing off the Caviler–because this odd undertone of a tension in the ballet is something that I’d like to ignore. And I don’t think it is supposed to be that way. This movie, though, completely emphasized and highlight it.
Well, I know this is all not even worth writing, really. I didn’t finish watching it because I hadn’t sat down with intentions of watching the same ballet all over again. It is an old, silly movie, but it is interesting what you notice when you’re older.
We finally decorated our tree last Sunday
And I tortured the pets by pretending to hang them in the tree like ornaments.
Chris: You kind of looked like an iguana.
Kt: Add that to your list of things not to say to a girl.
Kt: What! There’s Monday night football now too?! All day Sunday and then all day Saturday for college football and Monday night too?
Chris: There’s always been Monday night football.
Kt: I didn’t know that….
Chris: I used to be allowed to stay up past bedtime to watch Monday night football when I was a kid. Hank Williams even sings about getting rowdy on Monday night.
Kt: Well, I didn’t know what they were getting rowdy about.
Chris: I guess the song did come before Monday night football.
In between the short rain splatters, we got our tree. 
I always knew that surf rack would be good for something.
Thanksgiving is over. Time for Christmas, then. Finally.
We have candles in the windows, but decided to put small wreaths in the windows and we’ll put a large, real wreath on the front door. So, we picked up some wreaths and bows from Michael’s, which I put together. Simple and so much less expensive to just attach the bow itself. Tomorrow, perhaps the tree?
I suppose Thanksgiving is nearly over and I haven’t updated in quite some time, so, might as well.
Last weekend, we had pre-Thanksgiving festivities with my family. Unfortunately, we forgot our cameras (rawr!), so I don’t have any pictures to speak of. Just a couple of shots taken on Christopher’s phone and a few videos, but nothing worth publishing. It was great to be home visiting with the family and we brought our new kitten with us–for some crazy reason. She cried for the first two hours in the car and then nestled on Mr. Rufus’s cage (our rabbit). It all is rather silly traveling with a dog, rabbit, and cat just for a couple of days. I felt like one of those circus wagons riding along the road and our’s happened to be part of the zoo. I’m glad that we brought all of them, though, because my niece and nephew really love the rabbit and the dog and got to meet the kitty whom they also fell in love with.
Now on actual Thanksgiving, Chris and I were hosting for the first time and his family came to Lynchburg today. We woke up to Neko and Abed-nego having a vicious dog-cat battle on our bed. Chris managed to take a video with his phone (is this the hey-Chris-has-a-phone entry or what?) and I posted it here for all the world to see if it so chooses. I think you have to have Quicktime. As you can see in the video, these fights are always started by the cat, she always goes for Abed-nego’s neck, and he always lets her win. How sweet….
We got up and I did last minute cleaning while Chris prepped the turkey. We brushed butter and herbs on the outside and stuffed the turkey with celery, onions, and herbs. The turkey stood prepped and popped in the oven around 10:30 am and we waited for family to arrive.
His family came in around 11:30 am, hellos and talks and how-cute-is-that-kitty and yes-Bendy-we-still-love-you and then we smelled it…. A hint of burning. The turkey–which we expected to be done around 2:30 pm–was completely done at 1:00 pm! So, we quickly made the rest of the sides (corn, broccoli with cheese, cranberry sauce, hand-made mashed potatoes, stuffing, and rolls). No, I’m not a casserole person. Sorry. Had there been requests, I certainly would have complied, but there were none. Anyway, we threw it all together while Chris and his dad carved the turkey.
p.s. How cute is my sister-in-law, Elizabeth?
Everyone seemed quite happy with the food, so I think it was quite the successful first Thanksgiving. Then, as we were doing dishes, someone (I don’t remember who) pointed out that we completely forgot to put the rolls on the table. Ahh! They’re the best part! After dinner and clean up and dessert with coffee, we rode around to look at the silly people camped out in front of stores and wandered through Wal Mart to look for silly people. Picked up Funny People from a Redbox, but turned it off about 20 minutes it. Too over the top. Sorry. Instead, we watched bits of Home Alone and Love Actually. And now it is time for bed.
Tomorrow: catching a movie and crazy shopping.
kt: The Guess Who also has a song like that.
Chris: Who?
kt: The Guess Who…
Chris: Ah, you got me.
kt: But I wasn’t trying to!
Chris: Oh
Blackwater Creek bike ride with Stephanie and Bernard!
Ahh, I love that my house is so close to the park. So awesome.
Chris and I hung some curtains in the living room. It has been a mostly brown room, so I thought some curtains would help bring in more color. I’m not much of a curtain person and don’t really plan to hang more in any other rooms. I like simple, open, bright windows.
With the curtains, new lamps from Ikea, and pictures, I think the living room has come a long way from when I first posted pictures of our house renovations.
We also got these antique-style, crystal door knobs to pull them back.
Mr. Rufus in the garden.
We planted the collards just for her, but she wasn’t interested.
Kitty loves to play. And killl.
Wouldn’t it feel nice to always be clasping a piece of artwork when opening or closing a door?
I am on the lookout for old doorknobs. I am happy to say that all of the doorknobs in our house are old, worn, and I believe original to our 1938 home. However, the backdoor does not have a door knob at all–just a big hole where one once was and metal plate around it. So, I’m trying to figure out how in the world we can find one to fit.
This past weekend, my dad and Chris were able to put a back light up along with a few other things. It is quite cute.
Chris drilling the hole into our brick…
And… Tada!
We have some significant home improvement plans coming up. We’re going to tackle the upstairs bathroom and it is going to go down hard and be a big pain and somehow we will tile the shower and then it will be awesome.
By the way, isn’t this kitchen from Design*Sponge amazing?
It kind of reminds me of my own, which makes me pretty happy. I guess that is why I like it.
Chris: What are those women wearing?! Oh… Babies….
I was having an off day. I suppose it was a “case of the Mondays” on a Tuesday since it is the first day of my work week. Nothing seemed to be going my way, but nothing was that bad. Just inconveniences.
I decided to try a new recipe to make up for it, so on the way home from work, Chris and I stopped by the grocery store to pick up a French baguette, artichoke hearts, and low fast cream cheese. I made a spinach artichoke dip with toasted slices of the French baguette. Yummmz.
Now the rain, which had me bummed earlier today, is actually quite soothing.
Hiked McAfee Knob today!
This weekend was supposed to be the peak of fall foliage for Lynchburg, so what better way to celebrate than to hike to one of the most photographed spot on the AT? McAfee Knob it was.
We hadn’t hiked the knob since last November. Late November. In the middle of a mild snow storm. It was a fun hike that day with an amazing view, but I knew it could be better. I knew in a different season, it would be more amazing. And today, it was.
We took a different route to get there this time, coming in from the back of 311, I suppose, and picked up a hitchhiker on the way (but don’t tell my mom). He had been on the trail for five weeks and came down from Maryland. He needed a ride to the parking lot to hike Dragon’s Tooth on his way south since he had gone into town for supplies. Since it is such a popular section of the trail, the parking lot was quite crowded, but we surprisingly did not run into that many people on the trail and were able to enjoy the summit alone for quite a while.
Here are some summative shots:
Closer to dangling my legs off, but just not quite there.
Christopher! The trees were awesomeee.
And a couple of HDR shots.
A local day hiker and a nice couple from New Jersey.
Pruning my spriggsss.
You know, it’s funny. I planted three salvia plants about four weeks ago. Salvia is supposed to like direct sunlight, though some can handle partial shade well. I went against suggestions and planted one in direct sun and the other two in partial shade, worrying all the while. Well, the one in direct sun is doing kind of all right whereas the two in partial shade are doing great in full bloom! Whaaat? I cut off the dying sprigs today, so that should help some.
Yesterday, we met Christopher’s family in Charlottesville for lunch. Right in the middle of a crazy rain storm. And as soon I stepped out of the car, I went right into a huge puddle. My shoe was completely soaked along with my pant legs. Grosss. To make things worse, someone hit his parents’ van in the parking lot while we were sitting down for coffee and didn’t leave a note. The bumper is so messed up that it didn’t look like they could open the trunk. Man, Charlottesville, we’re going to have a serious discussion soon if this keeps up. It was nice to see them, though.
I love our neighborhood and our walks and our trees with their orange leaves.
I would have a lot of difficulty moving away from this side of Lynchburg.
Neko and Abed-nego are laying on their sides, taking turns walloping one another in the face. They will do this for a little while and then take a nap together.
This is me at the end of the term for Educ 721.
This is me at midterm for Educ 623 and 701.
This is me at the beginning of the term for Educ 740.
Sub terms are confusing!
Abed-nego is at the vet right now getting his teeth cleaned. They were something awful. I can’t help but feel bad for the little guy because he was so excited to get in the car to go for a ride–and not so excited to be at the vet. I feel like I tricked him.
I am layin on yo billz.
Sipping on coffee with pumpkin spice creamer. Perfect for this weather: cold, dark, and damp with leaves blowing around.
We caved and turned on our heat, which has been quite the experience. I continually think that Chris is boiling water for tea or something because the radiators are such chatter boxes. But they are boiling water, right? So it makes sense? We had radiators in my dorm at Longwood (North Cunningham), yet I don’t remember them being so loud.
Speaking of the Cunninghams, Longwood has turned them into a student center! After 80 years, they are no longer dorms, which I find kind of sad, but glad that they weren’t simply torn down.
Today I spent most of my time cuddling under blankets with my puppy and kitty. Bunny wasn’t too sure about joining our party. Then Chris and I went by the record store to ask our record man about the J. Tillman album and continue the eternal search for Blonde on Blonde. No such luck. We had pizza at Waterstone and bought groceries. Exciting much? Yes, to me it is.
Last night.
Me: Our adventures are like the dates of middle schoolers.
Chris: Why?
Me: We get slurpees and loiter in parking lots.
I think that I am feeling a little closer to better now. Our vet is very happy to work with us and I am relieved that she is in favor of looking into new treatments. In a month, we are going to have the IFA test done, which will give her time to possibly fight the virus with her own immune system. With the IFA test, they will look at her blood cells and there is a 1 to 2% chance that she could just be a carrier of FeLV and actually be immune to the virus itself.
Then, if she does still have it, we are going to administer LTCI. The vet suggested that we conduct six month wellness check ups with lots of tests to monitor her and wait on the LTCI until she shows signs of declining. I don’t know if we should wait all the way or not, but we have a month to think about it anyway.
I love the kitty. I love how she takes breaks while eating to rub against me to say “thank you.” And I love how she runs all around the house playing at night, but jumps in bed to cuddle many times. I love waking up to her sharing my pillow. I love how she totally takes down cave crickets in a matter of seconds and eats their legs. Ha! I love how she bops Abed-nego on the nose to get him to chase her whenever he hangs his snout over the couch. I love how she follows me all around the house and of course Abed-nego follows her, so I continually have a parade at my heels. I love how she purrs and begs for cuddles during the day. She is the best cat, more than I ever could have asked for. Even if it gets expensive, she deserves a chance.
Sorry to be so cat-minded lately. It was a lot to take in on Monday: from happy new kitty feelings to sudden “are-we-losing-kitty?” questions.
In other news, my ring finger feels very odd. We took my wedding band and engagement ring in to get the gold re-roted (or whatever). Most people get it done every six months or every year for white gold, but I had never gotten my band done (two years and four months!) and it had been since June 2008 for my engagement ring. They needed it. I won’t get them back for about another week and a half. Erg.
“B term” is ending this week, so I’ll have finished my first doctoral class. Things are looking good with that. Pretty stoked.
It is rainy and gross today. No good. Although, I didn’t water the garden this morning so…
We just got back from the vet for Neko’s first check up. Things did not go well. Not at all.
As it turns out, Kitty has feline leukemia, which I suppose is much more of an immunity issue than cancer as the name suggests. I guess they called it leukemia because it was often paired with cancer. So, Kitty has a 15% chance of making it to four years of age: most die around two or three years.
Major disappointment, but what can you do? Take her back? They’ll just put her to sleep. We decided to try to give her the best life possible and know that her time will more than likely be quite short. She could go tomorrow or she could live beyond four years somehow. I worry so much because she has had a cold since we got her. We have her on antibiotics, but you never know when it will be or if she can combat it.
So, we brought her home and played with some mice, then curled up on the couch together. I really have never met such a sweet cat. She is the nicest ever. No exaggeration at all. Why does she have to spend six months in a cage and then suffer through feline leukemia? Just life, I suppose. I wanted to do the right thing and rescue a kitty. I guess some people wouldn’t have kept her, so I really am rescuing her in a bigger way. I hope I can keep her happy.
All seems well in the house with the pets. Everyone has established a system of manners. Puppy sniffs and licks kitty, but not too much. Kitty lets him know when she is ready to be chased and puppy watches her play with her toy mice, but does not take them. Kitty has been killing one cave cricket per night, paying her rent. I am pleased because I hate those things. They are one of the few bugs that I will actually kill along with ticks, mosquitoes, some spiders, and occasionally ants. All others, usually not.
Other than that, I’ve spent the weekend catching up on school work and cheering Chris on with his grading. Unofficial TA right here. We watched Sunshine Cleaning the other night, which was kind of disappointing.
A long-time friend, Kimmy, is now engaged to her boy Josh. I’ve known Kimmy since we were five and I think that we may be equally embarrassed that we speculated about our eventual weddings many times together in our younger days. I wish her the best and I’m sure her wedding will be beautiful no matter what she decides on. More importantly, I’m also sure that life after the wedding will be even more beautiful since Josh seems like a really nice, well-rounded guy.
We’re all growing up!
But does Tom’s shoes also have a one for one policy with bunnies?
Yes, Mr. Rufus put herself in that box.
Bringing home kitty.
I thought we agreed on naming her “Neko,” but Chris keeps testing out “Mittens,” which is typical of us.
Abed-nego was originally named “Camino,” like from Star Wars, but everyone just thought we were referring to something Mexican. Oh, people.
I didn’t know cats could be as nice as her.
Constantly purring, like a light saber.
Constantly rubbing against us.
I think she was glad to be rescued after spending six months in a cage.
Did I ever mention that on the way to Chesapeake we saw a bear in the bed of someone’s truck in Appomattox while we stopped to get gas?
bear on the rocks
The guy kept piling ice on. He shot it with a bow an arrow.
I still can’t decide if it is kind of sad or kind of awesome or kind of gross or kind of weird.
It does seem kind of small, though.
Our Chesapeake adventure has come to a close. There is never enough time to do all that I want, see all the people I miss. I try to keep family as my first priority, so we spent Sunday and Monday evening with my family. The kids just keep on growing and I feel like I am missing big parts of their lives, but every time I get big hugs anyway and they tell me that they love me.
On Tuesday, we visited Christopher’s grandparents. Later that evening, we had dinner with Kimmy and Josh and checked out their apartment. They have quite a cute little place. Ah, cities. Chris and I headed to the show where we saw Beach House and Grizzly Bear.
It was a really great show. Wonderful voices that I just couldn’t understand how they were real. And that bass player. Ugh. The amazing sounds! I didn’t know how Grizzly Bear could pull it off live, but with the help of loops, it was unreal. They had light bulbs hanging in mason jars all along the stage which would shine with the intensity of the music. I wish I could go back to Grizzly Bear world.
This morning, I ate with my parents and then went off off off back to Lynchburg. It is always hard to leave. I regret that I live four hours away. The drive isn’t terrible, yet is kind of exhausting. I wish it were only two hours. So much of Chesapeake is filled with great, wonderful memories, but other places are still associated with hurt. Chesepeake is complicated. Either way, seeing the mountains again is incredibly reassuring–relieving, even. Back to my simple life in Lynchburg. Luckily, I still get to see my family about once a month and we see Christopher’s once a month as well. It is hard having family in two separate places, but we get by.
Still can’t come up with a good name for Kitty.
Chris wants to name her something Japanese and I have no clue why. If she were a boy, I’d totally go Sailor Moon on her and settle with Artemis. Then again, Artemis was a female in mythology. Can I name a grey kitty Luna? I don’t really want to go with Diana for some reason. Ehh. These names aren’t even Japanese anyway–they’re just from Sailor Moon. Chris keeps saying Chibi. Or Ponyo. But I haven’t even seen Ponyo.
I, on the other hand, want classic kitten name, like Mittens. But Chris says Kitty doesn’t haaave mittens. And I agree. But Muppet sounds similar to Mittens. But it just isn’t quite there. And Chris says that we’ll probably just end up calling her Kitty half the time anyway–which is true. So, I suggested Maddy. Then I remembered that the dog next door is Madison. That would be too weird.
I’ve never had so much trouble coming up with a name for an animal. Hellppp!
Cuuuute face. Mine, not so much.
Later: NEKO!!! Duuuh.
October? Really? I always forget how many days each month has, so I was just certain that today would still be September. Here it is, though: October.
Planting the fall garden
The past week has been quite busy with gardening. We’ve planted or tended to something every day despite work and school. I never really cared for yard work, gardening, landscaping, and all of that when I was younger. My parents always did a great job piecing their yard together. Their gardens always looked great and all that I saw was how much of a pain it was to bag holly clipping (big owies!) and spread mulch. They had to get so much mulch every year–a truckload full dumped on our driveway–and I hated how endless it felt. But now that I have my own house that did not come with nice, well-kept gardens, Chris and I have had so much fun planning them out, tilling the dirt with a shovel and hoe, selecting our plants, and seeing it all come together. I can recognize that my dad and Chris did so much more work than me with that hedge, and I’ve had it rather easy just digging through the dirt and turning up the grass. It has been so much fun, though, watching the house come together. We’ve had it for almost three months now and I’d say it has been a complete transformation. So much better than I had hoped for!
This week has been busy school work-wise and then the intensive on Friday and Saturday. Ugh. I don’t know how I’m going to get my assignments done in time, but at the same time I know that it will. It always gets done. I always say that, and it always does. No matter how overwhelming, what needs to happen always happens. So, I just need to get going and not stop until I’m finished. And then… Chesapeake vacation for a few days. Sunday through Wednesday we’ll be in Chesapeake, so find me if you want to do something. Then on Thursday, it is back to work and we pick up kittyyy!
8 month old kitty we are rescuing from the humane society. We pick her up next Thursday.
Name suggestions?
Dear Christopher,
We need a cat. And this is why:
Third snake in a matter of a few days! I mean, I know this is just a garter snake and the other two were harmless black snakes, but I still don’t want them nipping at my heels in the house eventually (Genesis 3.15). Look at him hugging the wall! He is just trying to break in.
So, get that silver tabby from Petsmart. Your sister said we were allowed to get one. And Mr. Rufus loves cats. And so does Abed-nego. And so do you. And me too.
It has been an interesting past couple weeks for yard work.
Weeding the front flowerbeds and pulling up roots.
Taken with Chris’ enV touch.
Chris and I aren’t too big fans of bushes and the bushes we had were very oddly shaped and not taken care of. So… We just pulled them up. Instead, we are planting herbs and such to continue the whole cottage look. At this point, we have salvia and lavender planted. Soon we’re going to add lemon balm and perhaps rosemary. It looks so much better. I’ve read that deer won’t eat salvia or lavender, so our plants should be safe. Come spring, we’ll plant wild flowers along the back.
Salvia!
What a cold, wet, gross day. The good news is that I have parked in my driveway for the past couple of days, the first time I have been able to do so without being half-way in a bush and having to drop Chris off in the street. It is beyond nice.
Christopher’s parents and sister came into town last night for a visit to celebrate Chris’ birthday. He’ll be 24 tomorrow. This morning, we were stuck in Rivermont because the avenue was closed for the Virginia ten-miler. We took advantage of it by getting up early to walk down to Magnoli Foods and munch on muffins while watching the race. Elizabeth and I decided to run the Turkey Trot together this year–the children’s one-mile race, that is.
After talking to Chris’ aunt who is in the medical field, it sounds like Chris and I may have had swine flu about a week ago. Ha! Did I ever even mention that I had been sick? Well, I was. And I didn’t die. So, that’s good.
I’ve been thinking of the past a lot. Been thinking of undergrad. Been thinking of being 19 and dorm life. My dorm was built on a graveyard, land that the college didn’t actually ever buy. They kind of just took it….
I loved all of the history of that place. I was so real, but the streets felt utterly haunted at times.
A lot has changed.
And Chris had really, really long hair.
Girls in the dining hall and the library would tell him that he looked like someone famous.
It was a good experience and a big part of me misses it while feeling thankful to be where I am now.
Everything felt so far and impossible back then.
Longwood crosses my mind from time to time. I miss the campus, the big tree that turned bright orange in the fall, the bells that chimed every hour. I miss Main Street and High Street. The rest of Farmville and Prince Edward County, I could do without. But lately Longwood has been on my mind for different reasons.
Quadruple homicide. Some guy flew in from California to visit his girlfriend and ended up murdering four people. The police are having to use dental records to identify the bodies since they were so badly decomposed. It was a professor’s house, so it seems that everyone is assuming that one of the bodies is that of the professor and the other three are her family members. They do know, though, that one body is the professor’s husband and the other three are females.
There are a lot of dark secrets in Farmville. I could drive around town and point to various houses, stores, and so on and tell of the stories. One house where a man killed his wife. The building in which doctors supposedly conducted illegal abortions in the attic. The trainstation where the new bell fell on a girl and killed her. In fact, there is some connection between a relative of Thomas Jefferson and a raped and murdered slave. There are lots of stories, more than I know, and part of this is because it is such an old small town. I’m sure every city has its secrets, but, man, how eerie must all of the students feel? They caught him in the Richmond air port and he confessed.
The bodies were found at 505 First Ave. I know that street–I drove down it every day for two years. My first dorm backed up to it. I know that house. I feel terrible for the students. What is wrong with some people?
It has been an interesting weekend. My parents and grandma came to visit with plans to do some yard work. The house we bought came with a huge, out-of-control hedge that must have been–I don’t know–twelve feet tall. It had to go. So, my dad and Chris cut it down to about three feet with a chain saw and a trimmer. It was quite an adventure and a neighborhood event. At least five sets of neighbors came to check it out, say how happy they were to see it go, and compliment their work. The little boy next door even helped throw away some twigs. That is, until his grandfather pointed out that there was poison ivy in the pile as well. Ha! And now I can actually put my car in the driveway once the trashman picks up all the shrubbery. They also pulled up all of the bushes in the front yard, which were all mis-shaped, so we are planning out new plants to put in this fall.
My dad using the chainsaw and Chris pulling away the branches
My mom and I had some other serious work to do: apple picking. We went to Gross’ apple orchard in Bedford to get apples, which she plans to use to make apple butter. I have been wanting to go apple picking since we moved here over two years ago, so it was nice to get out there with mountains all around, wander through a country store, and pick out our fresh apples.
The orchard
I’m trying to not overload this blog with photographs. Here are my favorite pictures from Stephanie and Bernard’s engagement shoot this evening. I think they came out great if I say so myself.
The collison of summer and autumn.
We spent the day painting the hall.
Four hours of painting and all we have to show is one coat on the wood work,
but the hall and stairwell have six doorways and a window sooo…
I like our fall wreath a lot.
I really enjoy creating new traditions and following old ceremonies.
I look forward to the thought up putting up this same wreath every year from now on
as we welcome in the fall.
I am not a football fan. Hello, Sims 3. I guess.
After church, Chris spent the majority of the day on campus training for his English teaching position. I cannot express how grateful we both are that it all worked out. It has been mentioned numerous times that usually these positions are reserved for those with doctorates, and a big part of why he was able to get the job was because his thesis chair continually emphasized that he’d be working toward his doctorate. And, well, he is, which is another unbelievably amazing change this year. Ahh, I know I have gone over this already, but it really amazes me how wonderfully life has unfolded. Beyond grateful.
As Chris learned about all of his new, exciting duties, I cleaned up the house some, did some school work, and talked to my mom for about an hour. They are coming to visit next weekend with plans to do some house work and hopefully some play time as well. My mom, Chris, and I want to go apple picking. We always have projects to do around the house, especially with that monster hedge needing to be cut, but we should do fun things too. I’ll see what convincing I can do.
Our weekends are the best.
We have kept our windows open all week. The neighbors are building an extension to their house, so the wind smells of fresh wood. At night, the crickets create quite a ruckus and the house gets very chilly–a good excuse to cuddle up and share a blanket. It always reminds me of nights out in the mountains, under the trees, and the feeling persists in the morning. Cool with a smell in unique air. I’ve missed backpacking this summer and into the fall, we still have interference with each weekend. I have needed to see some trees. We both have.
Today we went to the Apple Orchard Falls Trail, which is about thirty minutes from our house. We decided against doing the whole loop because I just didn’t feel like going for six miles. Instead, we hiked out and back, taking a few detours with a total of 100 minutes of steep hiking. The ferns and vegetation were all quite full, seeming to go on forever. In a month, the forest will be a very different story.
My favorite boy.
This month, we reached two years and three months of being married. It has been good.
September 11th. Again. I never know how to feel all the way on these days–sometimes sad, sometimes angry, sometimes fearful. It is difficult to separate the reality of tragedy from the manipulation that followed. I’ll never forget where I was and how confused too–block one, Spanish two, 10th grade. And then I came home from school to find our furniture missing and my parents missing as well. They were just moving the office from our living room upstairs to the room over the garage. Ah.
I think that we may take to the Parkway to hike the Apple Orchard tomorrow. Maybe. I hear the hike is rather rough and long, but the loop boasts amazing waterfalls.
Today we went on a quest to find an autumn wreath for our door. First, we tried Farm Basket, but they didn’t really have too much. And that place is quite expensive. Instead, we ended up getting one from Target. I thought of making my own, but, really, it would have cost about the same and I’m not that into wreathing. Or whatever.
My cousin Zach has been in town visiting, so we had dinner with him, my aunt, and his sister. It was great to see him–he has been in Charleston since the summer because he joined the Navy. He is taking all sorts of science and math classes, like a crash course in high school physics completed in a week. It sounds like utter torture to me because I am far from being math or science-minded. That is what he is good at, though, and he got into the nuclear engineering program like his dad. He has a lot of potential, just wasn’t into the whole college thing, so I think the Navy will be really great for him. I have seen far too many college freshmen dragging their feet through school just to drop out and waste a lot of money because their hearts weren’t in it. In such a case, it seems a lot smarter to figure out a better fit.
On another note, I’ve been seeing and hearing people use the word “deconstruct” improperly in the media and in print. It is not synonymous with “analyze,” guys. Come on.
I have a major crazy headache. :/ I’m thinking of cuddling up and watching Stardust Memories. I adore the ending.
Sometimes I do feel like I’m on the wrong train.
The AC units off for the first time since we moved in, September breezes are making our little house more than comfortable. It is so quiet without the window unit hums.
Chris was given his teaching assignment for C term. Two courses. :) For a moment, there were some questions about possibly having to wait until D term because of silly paper work. It is all smoothed out now, though.
Went to work today… Did school work… Ate lots of lettuce…
After dinner, Chris mowed the lawn while Abed-nego and I sat in the backyard with him. Then we went for over an hour long walk down Rivermont, Peakland, and back again. Every street we turn down is lined with amazing, old homes. I love this side of town. Such a dream to live here.
Now we are home, watching the Presidential address on health care, hoping. Just hoping. So many people need help. I certainly know I could have used it while in grad school. Things are going better for us now financially, but, man, I could still use it.
“…who will blame him if he does pay homage to the beauty of the world?”
We’ll see how long that lasts.
You’d have to be something serious to share words with T.S. Eliot and Ezra Pound.
Finally finding time to read again.
Work is slow.
My doctoral classes are coming easy.
Things are good.
Wasn’t Virginia just beautiful?
My favorite
My eyes feel weird. Fuzzy.
Chris and I have been looking through old photos of Lynchburg on the historic society webpage, thinking of buying a few prints. It is amazing to see how the city has changed yet also to be able to recognize the houses on Rivermont despite the photos being well over a hundred years old. We thought of buying a few photos of postcards featuring Rivermont and downtown with plans to frame them and hang them on either side of the large doorway going into the dining room. Our living room has been needing some more pictures and decorations to bring it all together. In the end, Chris had the idea to check ebay to see if there were any postcards online and I am so glad that we did. The historic society demanded $7 to download a scanned copy of the postcards, yet we found the same ones on ebay for just $5, including shipping. Awesome to get an actual old postcard too. So, we have a couple thus far and plan to get a few more.
Today we picked up some frames for them, which were 40% off at Michael’s. That is the place to go for frames. Seriously.
We also went by Barnes and Noble where I had intended to buy Wuthering Heights. For some reason I have been wanting to read that and Jane Eyre. Never in my life have I felt any sort of desire to read these books or anything by the Bronte sisters, but they have been on my mind lately. Instead, I decided on To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf. I think that says something about me, but I’m not entirely sure what. I think I’ll pick up Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses when I finish this.
Today I have…
gone to church
had lunch with Charity, Andrew, Stephanie, Bernard, and Amber at Olive Garden
felt the need to go for a walk after Olive Garden–alfredo is too good
finished up school work for the week
spent a good portion of my time watching Planet Earth.
I still really hate the current Prius commercial. All those human bodies and human arms freak me out–especially with that terrifying sun! It reminds me of the end of House on Haunted Hill or whatever it was called. You know, with the souls of all the victims stuck in a blob. That movie really disturbed me.
OK, how about a walk to burn off some of those breadsticks?
This is me pretending to be sasquash.
Everyone has been talking about fall these days since the weather decided to suddnely change for good on August 31st. To me, though, it feels nothing like fall. I try to drink a pumpkin spice latte to get in the mood, wear hoodies, count the autumns passed in various locations and how it made me feel. I remember walking Abed-nego around Longwood’s campus in my orange sweater, hearing chants from students with a beer bong, but enjoying the lovely brick work and night fountains of the university. And Ruffner at night. And Grainger too. So many English classes. I loved Longwood and miss it, but am glad to be where I am in life.
As I was saying, though, I cannot convince myself that this is in fact fall weather. Instead, it simply seems to be a second spring. Spring is my favorite season. So, I take as many walks as I can and run as far as I can, enjoying the trees because once those leaves are gone, they are gone for a long, long time.
Hollins Mill
The first week of intensives is overrr! Now just four more class meetings. I honestly miss English classes a bit, but being in an actual classroom has been really great. We have some excellent professors here and I really feel like I could benefit from their knowledge and experience.
In undergrad and grad school, we quite often had that one middle-aged adult returning to school. I always felt bad for them since they seemed out of place among all of us in our early to mid twenties. Now, though, I am the young one in the class (probably the youngest) among all of the middle-aged adult students. It is difficult explaining my situation to most of the students. “I’m taking doctorate classes in education and also getting licensure. Yes, yes, I have an MA in English. Yes, I know I look young enough to be your daughter, but I am twenty-three.” It has been fun and I feel thankful to be completing my education now instead of having to go back later.
I’ve been rather busy with school work, yet managed to have dinner at Stephanie’s the other night as planned. We played video games, watched a movie, and talked about her wedding plans. They are thinking about setting their date for May and might look into an outdoor wedding. Of course, everyone knows that I am the big warner with outdoor weddings. Allllways have a back-up plan. Darn that tropical storm Barry. We got lucky, though, because I actually had considered changing the cermony site to where we had our reception–and where the ceremony ended up taking place–and I wasn’t disappointed at all. Perhaps extra stressed and uncertain at first, but I don’t think I would have changed much.
Rather soon we are going to take engagement photos of Stephanie and Bernard. Can’t wait to give them some quality shots. They’re so perfect for one another.
At some point tonight, I’ll be off on a run down Rivermont and then I’ll make an awesome salad for dinner. While we were moving and renovating the house, my diet was rather awful and we were not able to exercise at all. House work in the morning, work during the day, house work at night, and school work through the late night. I’ve been making a big effort to better my nutrition these past few weeks and I think it has gone well.
I want to pull up the bushes out front and replace them with blue berries this fall.
Ah, I just got back from a run at Blackwater Creek. For the first time, running on the trails did seem to help my shins. I rarely have issues with my shins, but they have hated me this week, and running on the dirt really seemed to help. So does going up hill, but who in their crazy mind actually enjoys running up hill? Not me.
I’m kind of stoked because I have exercised three days out of the four this week so far, just taking yesterday off because of my shins and major sleepiness.
Quesadilla night at Stephanie’s! Yayz! Intensive tomorrow. Not yayz.
The blogs died for a little while yesterday, but they are back. I’m not sure what happened or what changed to fix them even. This seems to happen about once a year or so. I did have 65 spam comments waiting to be deleted yesterday, so I wonder if that had something to do with it. Ah.
On the way home from work yesterday, we decided to go by Blue Marlin to pick up some salmon. The past few times that we have thought to get fish from Kroger, we just ended up walking away from the counter because it looked so bad and when we would buy it anyway, something didn’t taste right. I had heard that Blue Marlin, which is a market and a sit-down deli, has very fresh, great seafood that is also reasonably priced and it is on the way home, just about a mile from our house. It. was. amazing. The salmon looked completely different, it was bigger than the pieces at Kroger, and it tasted clean and fresh. To take advantage of the great weather, we grilled the salmon out back and had a dinner picnic in the shade while Chris told me of all the wonders of fish oil. Fall is coming indeed.
Afterward, we did the dishes and split a pumpkin spiced latte. We sat outside in the gazebo with our hoodies and talked of plans for Christmas. I had spent every Christmas trying to get Chris excited about the holidays without making any progress at all. We didn’t even have a tree last year because we were gone so much. This year, though, he is just as stoked as me to decorate.
Then we went to the grocery store… I did my school work… Exercised for 45 minutes… Passed out on the couch.
I have a ton of school work this week and then an intensive this weekend. Not looking forward to it. Agh.
I love lazy weekends. I guess it wasn’t that lazy. I slept in a little and then mowed the lawn while Chris took care of the weeds. He thought about tackling our hedge–which is huge and full of crazy out-of-control plants like roses, poison ivy, regular ivy, and tons of other variations of ivy and shrubbery–but I convinced him not to after some battles with the cutter. Those things are just scary.
Showered up and did a little unpacking and cleaning. Just a little. I wish I had done more, but I get so tired after mowing the lawn. Big time wimp right here. I know it. The weather was just too amazing to pass up, so we played with Abed-nego in the back yard some, then sat on our stoop out front watching a boy cardinal and a girl cardinal flirt around our bird feeder.
I made curry and rice for dinner and then cookies for dessert while Chris made me his version of a ginger bread latte. I’m excited for fall this year. Pumpkin spice lattes, pea coats, and scarfs like usual. I want mittens this year. Yellow mittens. The leaves changing on the mountains… Cool weather and burning lungs on runs. But I hate to see it all turn to winter and then my lungs really burn. Winter will be nice too, though, with the house to decorate. I’ll finally get to put a wreath on the door and place candles in the windows. Fake candles, I guess.
After splurging, we went for a run down Rivermont. We were out for an hour and Abed-nego loved it all. Now all I want is Rivermont Pizza after smelling that great scent of pizza being baked over a fire. Ahh. But I need to go to bed early so I can actually find a parking spot at work tomorrow. Last week it took an hour and a half. That can’t happen again or I’ll go crazy.
Yesterday Chris and I went up the mountain to check out Liberty’s snowflex, our new artificial ski slope. Chris thought that it actually looked really nice and was amazed that Liberty was able to build it without it looking cheap.
I was devestated.
I could not believe that they had turned this
into this:
I suppose that I simply have different priorities. To me, it seems better to maintain the trails and scenic views while saving the “extreme sport” money for academics, such as a new library. Sometimes I find myself irritated with schools spending so much on sports instead of research, but, then again, I’m not into sports at all. And larger schools are more concerned with sports than I was used to at Longwood. People constantly argue that it is the sports departments that bring in the money and attract the students. But what are we trying to accomplish with the establishment of the university in the first place?
At least we still have the monogram, which also has terrific views. It is even more accessible now with the ski slope there, yet I kind of think that is a bad thing. Work for your mountain views! You can’t just be given them!
My dog has discovered that he is a cat ever since we started leaving the blinds open when we go to work so he can bark at the neighbors and the mail man all day long. I don’t approve.
I’m too terribly frustrated to write anything else.
I’ll get over it all later.
Christopher and I got a package of goodies in the mail from Amazon.com. Well, a couple of school books, but Christopher also got a Chuck Klosterman book that he has been perusing Barnes and Noble for and I got Stardust Memories, my favorite Woody Allen movie. I think my favorite part of the movie is when he talks to the aliens and they blow him off.
In honor of this, I took a few photos of Christopher and then he took some of me in our hallway. I still need to get to painting the hall, but we have had a steady stream of family visiting and large school work assignments each weekend since we have moved in. In fact, tomorrow we are heading to Woodbridge for a couple of days to visit Christopher’s family. Then next weekend is our first intensive. Time, time, time. Where do you go? My weekends fill up fast.
Man, my Christopher is cutezzz.
I’m feeling the need for an adventure. One with trees and water and leaves and the possibility of snails and squirrels. Things can only be so rough when you are out and about with the possibility of snails and squirrels. I want to take some photographs too.
My Educ 721 text book waiting on the front porch when I came home, there was school work to be done for this evening, though. Erg. I didn’t feel ready to start classes again already. I hate that nagging at the beginning of the semester when the syllabus stands so daunting with so many assignments. I find myself growing anxious, feeling like I have fallen behind when there actually is nothing due. I did have a db due tonight, and I got to researching and writing and love love loving school work all over again. I hit submit and victory rang in my ears. Yesss, first assignment done. I love accomplishments! Why was I dreading this all day?
I sent a check off in the mail to pay our first mortgage payment. I feel reassured as our money is reducing a principle instead of simply going toward rent. I love not worrying about the future like I used to. A lot of hard work is in store for us in the next handful of years, but I know it will pay off and we will not be left stranded with wasted effort, something that I wasn’t so certain of before.
Is it weird that I can’t remember the majority of the day even though I got up at 7:00 am? We spent a while looking at Lynchburg city plans for mid-town (Memorial Ave/Plaza area). I really hope the city accomplishes half of what they have planned. It looks awesome. Mid-town has so much potential, but has become quite run down.
This afternoon we decided to go catch 500 Days of Summer at the Grandin before it went away. Chris drove, which was a bit of a relief, and we had pop corn for the first time in a theater since I-don’t-know-when. In fact, I don’t think I have gotten pop corn with Chris before. We caught a mantinee and it is a local theater, not a franchise, so it is nice to support local business.
I enjoyed the movie a bit. I could criticize the ending and so on, but, really, it was much better than your typical romantic comedy. I used to be so anti-movie for years, but since moving to Lynchburg with the dollar theater (and especially after discovering the Grandin), it has been kind of fun. The Grandin just feels so special inside.
After five years of college (six for Chris), life continually feels like it is shaping up and our studies are paying off. Chris got a second job on Friday that we have been trying at for over a year. Seriously. We applied in July 2008. He will be teaching Engl 101 and 102 for Liberty online with quite the high earning potential. I’m hoping that I will get hired for the spring, but it does take forever. We’ll see. Either way, this is a position that you must have a Master’s degree for and so it feels like it has paid off. Plus, it is great to be making some decent money. Things are looking up this year: we got the house, we’re working on our doctorates on a scholarship, “real money” is finally coming in aside from and on top of our stipends. Our situation is better than I could have imagined. For so long, it seemed like nothing was going our way. Little did I realize that we were just working toward something better and it would be all right.
Then this weekend my family came in for a visit. We had planned to grill out and I’d have a picnic with the kids since we don’t have enough tables or chairs, but it rained. Instead, I had a picnic in-doors in the living room with Sydney and Matthew.
Munching on fresh corn from the downtown market.
Eventually, the rain did stop, so we took the kids to Riverside Park where Sydney enjoyed the swings and Matthew played on the slide. We showed them the train and then walked along the trail, pointing out the train trussel, the James River, and Treasure Island. Sydney kept saying that we were in a real rain forest and Chris would lift her up to check out rocks, mountains, and moss and tell her about all the animals in the forest. Or rain forest, rather.
For dinner, we went to Mangia, which is a fifteen minute walk from our house, but we figured it’d be easier to drive with the kids, especially since we had done a bit of walking and hiking already. The food was great and the building was just beautiful inside.
Everyone left around 11 am today and I was sad to see them go, but Sydney assured me that she would come back again soon.
Today I went to a meeting about policies of conduct required for those working at Liberty.
Nothing new, really, but I was rather disappointed when someone asked about health care.
My position does not supply benefits, which, once again, is nothing new. Chris and I have been paying for a private health insurance plan for the past two years because you can’t just go without health insurance. I wasn’t counting on my job suddenly providing benefits. That wasn’t even the request–the person asked if we could personally pay for an insurance plan entirely ourselves and have the benefit of being part of a group.
The “no” isn’t what bothered me. What bothered me was the alternative suggested. They said no colleges offer health insurance to GAs–which, by the way, is far from true–and they suggested that instead we go without health care since it is expensive. They assured us that hospitals have to treat us if we get sick, so just go to the hospital, and deal with having to pay the bill for the rest of our lives. No big deal, right?
Perhaps I am overly sensitive to health plan conversations because of what is going on in Washington at the moment, but I was really frustrated to think that they considered this to be an ok alternative. I can’t just “go to the hospital” if I get sick. As a female, I have to go to the doctor for annual check ups and exams. I also have prescriptions that I have to get filled. Going without insurance and betting on not getting sick is too big of a gamble. What if I were to get with diabetes or some form of cancer or pnemonia?
About a quarter of my income goes to pay for health insurance. I worry that what I am paying for is partially useless. Being on a private health care program makes me vulnerable to being cheated even more than those on group plans and I worry about getting dropped for having to go the doctor too much or something.
We were also told at the meeting that we were trusted but watched. I wonder if this is being watched…. And if I am, well, these are things that concern me greatly and I’m not ashamed of that.
I honestly forgot about students coming back to the university. I really did.
I hate to reiterate the same idea over and over again, but this summer went by so fast that the idea of students being on campus had not registered in my brain until today. I went out to my car at work today to grab something before my lunch break and there were students everywhereee. My initial thought was “Whoa. What huge camp is staying in the dorms?” Then I remembered that students are back.
It made me incredibly sad because I won’t be teaching this semester. Like, really depressed. I guess that it may be good to take a break and I certainly will have practicums to do.
So, I was really busy at work today and didn’t get as much done as I wanted. I technically am doing the work of two people until the new person starts and takes over some of my work. Afterward, Chris and I had dinner, he went for a run after playing with the pets in the yard, and then we went for a walk. I’ve been achey all day. Aghh.
I get to see my parents, sister, niece, and nephew this weekend! I miss my Sydney and Matthew. They need to stop growing for a little while so I can catch up.
Boring entry. I guess that is what happens when I am sleepy.
I was bored after sitting around for two days with no school goals to work toward. I am ridiculous.
This evening, we are going to get some Mexican and wander around Target. We still need a lamp for the living room that doesn’t have oil-based paint on it.
Some pictures taken in our backyard last night. Pets and our garden.
Mr. Rufus in her usual spot
Abed-nego checking out the little fence I put up around our soon-to-be fall garden
Rose of Sharon and Crepe Myrtle in bloom
Feeling wide. Errr.
I need to go for a run or something.
My little sprouts reaching to the sun,
they want to grow.
I really feel like getting out and going for a walk. My brain is cooped up. Alas, Chris still has more paper-writing to do. Instead, I suppose I will do some laundry and such. We have really been enjoying our little walking loop. This huge historic building is right across the street from the entrance to our neighborhood. I think it used to be a Catholic school, but now it is open for events, such as weddings. Man, it would have been amazing to get married there–and probably incredibly expensive. Most of the time, deer are in the front yard munching away. There were four standing around when we went to take this picture, but they left us.
Fun Lynchburg fact for the day: Lynchburg was the capital of the Confederacy! It was only for a few days, though, right after Richmond fell.
I have spent the past few days finishing up the summer term. I have one more quiz to take either today or tomorrow, but other than that, I’m done with classes for two weeks.
This morning we went downtown to the community market and picked up some corn, a pepper, peaches, and potatoes. All locally grown right around the corner in Campbell county. The drive downtown is always enjoyable with windows down and the summer breeze blowing it. It was a perfect summer morning. Afterward, we headed to the grocery store to pick up a few other things for the week. Came home, made cinnamon buns, and Chris opened a new bag of Cafe Verona.
Our little garden is starting to take off. A few rows of seeds have sprouted and I suppose we will be able to plant them in a few more weeks. I have made a big to-do list for myself for the rest of the weekend and, well, I’m pretty stoked to get things together.
The simplicity of my days is comforting indeed.
From the moment that I considered applying to the Master of Arts in English program, I began speculating what I would do after completing the program. Perhaps naturally, it is quite obviously important to understand one’s goals and options before pursuing a degree, but this speculation quickly turned to an impeding panic. I was constantly trying to arrange a smooth transition from graduation platform, complete with my hooding by my thesis chair, straight into the workforce. I considered applying for Ph.D. in English and M.F.A. in Creative Writing programs, but I had a realistic view of the college job market for English dreamers: extremely bleak and highly competitive. With that out, I found myself in a dangerous position: I had extensive training and education in writing essays and interpreting literature but no Virginia teaching license.
By just knowing the right person at the right time, we obtained Education Grad Assistant positions and now we’re working toward licensure and an Ed.S. This degree program has me feeling much more relaxed about the future. I won’t be battling the demons of acquiring a teaching position without licensure and I am moving toward a doctorate, a goal that I have had for some time. I’m ecstatic to not be panicing about what I’ll be doing after finishing my degree while trying to keep my mind together as I face the challenges of actually completing the program in the first place. Also, with a Master’s degree earned, there are many side jobs available as options. I just need to know the right person at the right time. Obviously, I have a long road ahead of me with a lot of work, effort, and difficulties, and it will be some time before I am earning more of a steady, “comfortable” income, but this time I am not worrying like I did before. And I’m not anxiously looking to the future all the time, hoping to speed up time. I’m enjoying the moment because I’m not as afraid as I once was. I guess I’m trying to say that I’m grateful.
During the 2007 Perseid meteor shower, I sat outside at my aunt’s house up on the mountain.
During the 2008 Perseid meteor shower, I sat on the summit of Mount Pleasant and camped.
During the 2009 Perseid meteor shower–last night’s portion, at least–I sat in a movie theater and watched Star Trek. That is close, right?
I’m not sure what we’ll do tonight meteor shower-wise. Perhaps sit in our back yard. I just have so much school work to do.
I received my acceptance letter for the Ed.S. program today and signed up for classes. Chris too. I’ll be taking 12 credits, which is kind of a big load for postgraduate work. Weird seeing 700-level courses on my account. I remember taking all 101 courses not too long ago. I’m really excited to get going with it all.
I really need to get to school work. I have a crazy amount to do since it is the last week of the term and I have an evil, evil headache that has left me dizzy.
This morning I planted the seeds for our fall garden: carrots, broccoli, spinach, and radishes. I sat on our back patio planting them in our little “green house” container while Chris finished digging in the flower bed. Abed-nego lay in the shade by the gate and Mr. Rufus explored under the grape vines. Everything felt perfect–aside from the 90 degrees. After we raked out the extra roots and grass, I put up a small white picket fence made of plastic that is about a foot high. While I know it won’t exactly keep any deer or Mr. Rufuses out, it certainly makes the yard look nicer, especially considering the fact that nothing is planted yet. I’ve come to really enjoy all the small things in life as they come together. Just being outside together.
Chris and I decided a long time ago that we wanted to keep life well-documented. When we got married, we bought a photo album and agreed to the idea of piecing together and filling an album a year. As we began to take more and more photos, our first album was bursting at the seams within six months and we didn’t have any room to put in more inserts. After 18 months of being married at the turn of 2008, we decided not to buy a new album for 2009, but instead we would make one of the Blurb books, but still print pictures to keep in a box. Well, I have gotten so behind and figured that I really need to get caught up on creating that book.
So, today I was looking through pictures and, you know, Chris and I have had some really great times these past two years in Lynchburg. We have climbed a lot of mountains and seen beautiful views. When I look over the edge, I think of everyone that I want to share it with, everyone that I’d love to take up there. I begin imagining how it would happen and how they would react. But I know that it probably will never come to pass and so Chris and I think to ourselves, “Don’t forget this. Don’t forget this.” I don’t want to lose that memory, that image, that feeling. Perhaps that is part of why I am so eager to upload all of our photographs and to get prints made. Because I don’t want to forget. And it is sort of my way of sharing the views with everyone, even if people don’t care as much as I do. There is something amazing about driving on a gravel road, finding a hidden parking lot, hiking up and up and up to find a beautiful view. You have to work for it. And then you have to force yourself to leave it. At least I have the pictures and I know I won’t be moving away from Lynchburg any time soon. There is so much more to discover around here.
McAfee Knob a couple of days before Thanksgiving 2008.
Mt. Pleasant April 2009
Back from the Highlands. It was amazing. Usually we only have to drive an hour at the most to camp, but I had heard that Grayson Highlands State Park is most everyone’s favorite place. We ended up having to drive almost four hours, but it was definitely worth it.
We got up early, packed, drove on and on southwest, arriving in the park about 2:00 pm. Entering the trail, it felt unreal. Moss, ferns, streams, monstrous trees, wild flowers… Everything was just beautiful. Not to mention the blue berries and black berries that tasted perfectly ripe and sweet. After about a mile, we connected onto the AT and the trees disappeared so we could see the mountains all around.
After about another mile of hiking and berry-munching, we finally came to the big reason why I have been begging to go here for over a year. The wild ponies! They were all just grazing around, but didn’t mind being poked, petted, and all of that. The colts, though, were extra curious. Like the one who tried to eat my camera bag…
After pony time, we went through the fence to the Mt. Rogers National Recreational Area. We were surprised to find even more ponies and made friends with another colt. He stuck by us for the rest of the evening, even tried to eat Christopher’s backpack. As night fell, we watched the sunset behind Mt. Rogers and had dinner.
We decided to sleep without the rainfly on to star gaze. In the middle of the night, I woke up to Chris saying, “Go!” As it turned out, the pony came back to our camp in the night, poked the tent curiously and knocked the lantern on Chris’ head. We couldn’t get him to leave our tent and we were afraid he’d try to eat our tent in the night. We woke up Abed-nego and got him to bark the pony away. I felt kind of bad, but I don’t think the pony needed to eat our tent anyway.
In the morning, we found even more ponies in our camp munching on the grass.
This has been my favorite trip everrr and I really hope to go back and explore more. Maybe climb Mt. Rogers.
Today I…
-finished up all my work for the week at … work
-got my recommendation letter, vitae, and form turned into admissions
-talked to Mrs. Towles and Dr. Prior for a little while about life and felt happy to be around the familiar English faculty for a moment
-had a picnic in the courtyard for lunch with Chris
-somehow convinced Chris it would be awesome to go to the Grayson Highlands tomorrow to backpack
-made fajitas for dinner
-went for a walk with Chris and the pup and discovered a nice 30 minute loop. Down Rivermont Ave, onto Langhorne, onto Rivermont Terrace, back onto Rivermont Ave. So many amazing houses
-goingggg to bed and heading out to see those ponies tomorrow!
But not particularly in that order. But close.
Drinking coffee, eating Chris-made cookies. Yumz.
The perfect way to spend the evening with a monster storm heading our way.
Taking a break from yard work today–obviously. Yesterday we got most of our garden cut in with a shovel, hoe, and rake. In the process, we found some hard mystery object and never figured it out. I definitely don’t think it was a pipe, though. At all.
Well, it looks like our big change of plans will be going through afterall. It is kind complex and takes a lot of explaining, but this is basically what is going to happen.
I’m not getting a second master’s degree.
Nope. Instead… I’m starting on my doctoral work.
I’m in the process of applying for the Educational Specialist in Teaching and Learning program, which is like a curriculum and learning degree with a different name. All of the coursework is at the doctoral level, though, so in two years I will have my Ed.S. as well as initial teaching licensure and will have half of my doctorate completed. After that, I have a few options.
1. I could continue on at Liberty (while getting a teaching job around town, of course) and finish up my doctorate in two years.
2. I could finish up my doctorate at another school, also taking two years, maybe a little more depending on the school.
3. I could pursue a more concentrated specialty, such as in Reading, take a few additional courses, and be licensed as a specialist in another area.
So, this meets my main goal, which was getting my initial teaching license for English while moving up a level in education, not parallel (or a little downward). I’ll actually be making progress, moving toward my doctorate, which I have dreamed of for so long. And I can be a doctor by the time I’m 26 instead of getting another master’s and then moving on to a doctorate afterward.
And the classes I took this summer won’t go to waste because I will need them for licensure anyway.
A college within reasonable distance has an Ed.D. in English education and I’m really excited about that possibility.
I’m going to be in school forever. I figured that out when I started college. And I like that idea. Now I just wait to get accepted to the program, which I’m sure won’t be a problem since I exceed all of the requirements.
While we are not completely finished with the house, I figured it was about time to post some before and after pictures, so I took some shots of the main rooms of the house. We still need to hang more pictures, paint the hallway, and one day refinish the hardwood floors in the bedroom upstairs. But… I think we’ve come a long way so far.
The living room before:
Living room after:
Dining room before:
Dining room after:
Kitchen before:
Kitchen after:
Our bedroom before:
Our bedroom after:
Christopher’s parents came in for a day trip! We sat around the house for a little while and then had dinner downtown at Waterstone. Love that place. So good, so cheap. On a quest to start taking more pictures, Chris’ mom wanted a shot of us in front of our first house only to realize that their camera was broken. Instead, we used our’s. Here we are…
I like our house. It reminds everyone of their grandmothers’ houses, even the inspector. And it should: the french doors, the porcelain sink, the hardwood floors, the turning staircase, the coal chute in the basement… After all, it was built in 1938.
I just realized that we kind of match. Darn it. I hate matching because everyone always thinks I force him into it.
Chris’ dad wanted a new Facebook picture with Abed-nego. We thought teasing the pup with his ball would help him look at the camera. Not really.
And of course Abed-nego got what he wanted.
We’re really blessed to have two sets of very supportive parents. No matter what crazy ideas we come up with, I know both the Widens and Robinsons are there to encourage us.
My paper is submitted. My work for the week done.
I have a headache to the point of being nauseous and I somehow cut my toe open all along the bottom so a layer of skin is hanging off.
Today went by really, really fast. I can’t even remember most of it.
After days of rain, yesterday exploded with sunshine and reassuring breezes.
I didn’t finish my paper yesterday, but got a lot of research done. I have an outline compiled, so it should go quickly. After some yard work and school work, we headed over to Charity and Andrew’s house for dinner and game night. Stephanie, Bernard, and Lydia came over too. This evening get-together was the first time that we hung out with anyone since the Jones wedding–over a month ago. It was refreshing to be in a room where the topic of conversation was literature once again. And things of sanity.
We’re planning some sort of tubing trip soon within the next few weeks and also a camping trip. We may go to Panther Falls where there are numerous hidden camping spots that don’t require long hikes. Of course, I prefer to go backpacking, climb a mountain, find a summit, and camp, but this will be a relaxing trip with a fire, marshmellows, coolers, hot dogs, all of that. Then in the fall, Charity and Andrew are going to backpack with us.
Finally got my hair cut yesterday and I am so relieved. It had been since January. No joke. Chris is afraid of getting his hair cut, so we kept putting it off. Our hair cuttin’ lady does it perfect every time, though. No worries. Other than that, we went to school for a while to try to figure out some details about our program, but it seems like we’ll just have to wait a little longer. Then cleaning, school work, dinner, blah blah blah. Nothing exciting. I have a paper due tomorrow night that I’m not dreading too much, but I do need to focus on that alone today despite all of the other little things that are screaming at me.
(500) Days of Summer is coming to the Grandin Theatre next Friday. The movie looks typically untypical, you know, but I’m still looking forward to it. I think going to the Grandin is one of my new favorite adventures.
What was it that I just said about life not going according to plan?
It looks like I might be having yet another significant adjustment. Not too big of one and not a bad one.
It will be more difficult, but well worth it. I’ll be less vague when I know for sure.
And, no, I’m not pregnant. I know everyone always assumes that.
The Robinson household has been a little emotional lately. Both of them. See, whenever we go to Nags Head in the summer, we are going to a beach house that belongs to a member of Chris’ dad’s church. I guess the owner of the house was on vacation and went for a run on the beach. The sky was clear. It was a regular day. He was struck by lightning and died. The people who saw it happen found the man’s truck, broke in, and got his cell phone. They didn’t know who to call and the person happened to be a pastor, so he called Chris’ dad since he was in the man’s cell phone as “Pastor Burt.” The thing is that his family had not come down yet to join him in Nags Head for vacation. They had no idea. Chris’ dad had to go break the news. The man has two children–one in high school and one in college.
It is all so cliche to write, but it really can be over in a moment. Our days are numbered. So, go listen to “Do You Realize” and take his advice.
I spent my day in my office-closet. My office is indeed a closet, but it works. I listened to American Football while working on the SACS project. It all felt like junior year of high school. My life is not how I imagined it would be back then. I’m not saying that is a bad thing. I wonder how much of my expectations will come to fruition and how much will be unrecognizable. I think I have a plan that makes sense–then again, I always do.
Speaking of junior year of high school and being sixteen and wondering who I thought I was, here are a couple of pictures from 2003.
Backstage at BIG practice
Truly’s birthday party. Back when I still did things like highlight my hair and get my eyebrows waxed
I’m very grateful for my job. I really am. I don’t know how else I’d be getting certification without it. The only other way would be if Chris and I worked retail full time and took out massive loans for tuition that would be equal to or more than what we would make at work. Instead, we both work in the office, receive free tuition, and earn a modest salary. Now I just need to find a second job.
I finally got the upstairs bedroom floor cleaned. After it dries, we can start moving things around and feel more settled. Chris is off on a solo run and then we are going for a run together with the dog when he gets back. I’m so bad at running, but I always just keep on trying anyway. I used to ride my bike while he ran until I gave it a try my senior year at Longwood. We have been running together for three years now and it is still as painful as ever. Well, that isn’t quite true. I am simply bad now–I used to be really, really bad. But running down Rivermont is a lot more enjoyable than the back roads in Farmville or the same old circle around the apartment back at Stonemill.
I love my dog. I love my rabbit. I love my Christopher. I love my house. I love my job. I’m really blessed to be where I am.
Puppy-Bunny Outside Time has become an after-dinner ritual.
I like it.
Drinking out of that mug always reminds me that I didn’t get the job in Florida, which then makes me feel like a bit of a failure. I try to remind myself that I didn’t do anything wrong–that I know of–and they just didn’t seem to want someone who needed to re-locate. But, really, I am so glad that I didn’t get it because I didn’t want to move to Florida. If they had offered me the job, it would have felt strange rejecting it, so I’m glad I didn’t have to. Because I didn’t want to live down there. I’m not much a city Katie. Lynchburg has been awesome and it is where I want to stay. I just kind of wish they had never called me for an interview because it felt like I wasted my spring break when I was already pushed to the limit with thesis revisions. Why in the world did they contact me to begin with if they knew that they didn’t want someone re-locating?
Anyway.
Please no fat bunny comments. It isn’t fat–it’s fluff. Mr. Rufus balls up when she is held because it makes her feel insecure.
No matter how little or much I need to get done, there never seem to be enough hours in a day. I think I may be setting my bar a bit too high, though.
Intensives are finally over for the summer after seven weeks! This means that I can have a normal work schedule again and don’t have to juggle doing work for the faculty while keeping up the hospitality room. Plus, I have never been very good with crowds. After work on Friday, Chris made tofu tacos with rice for dinner. So good. Then we went to Target and such to pick up a fews things. There, we found Dr. Gribbin, the Comms dept dean, and we talked for a little while. I really miss the English department.
Saturday, I tried to sleep in, but woke up at 7:00 am like usual. Got to cleaning, Chris mowed the lawn, we did laundry. Then back to Target to get a few things that we forgot. We found a really nice curtain for our backdoor. It feels very Urban Outfitters-ish. The back door/stairs area down to the basement isn’t too fancy, so we figured putting a curtain up opposed to blinds might help to bring it together some. Plus, the window lets in a lot of heat. This might not be too much of an issue for other houses, but we don’t have central air, just two window units that we put in. However, it was 90 degrees yesterday and the house felt very, very comfortable. Not hot at all.
We grilled out for dinner and ate in our backyard. Abed-nego and Mr. Rufus ran around the yard. Chris pointed out that Mr. Rufus is smart enough to realize that our grass isn’t the kind of greens she likes–she enjoys hay. I pointed out that Abed-nego is stupid enough to eat it anyway and then throws up. Ah, I can’t wait to get started on a garden. I think we are going to try a fall garden with carrots, broccoli, and lettuce. We need to get started on that soon.
After dinner, we watched He’s Just Not That Into You, which everyone said was awful. I didn’t think it was great, but my expectations were low to begin with. It was all right, and I didn’t feel like I wasted part of my life on it. I do think that it betrayed some of the principles of the movie, though. Too many people had happy endings.
Anyway, I still need that hair cut and I don’t think it is happening today. Erggg. I want it short! Or, medium length!
Waiting for Chris to finish up his school work then going to bed.
Well, today was my birthday. Twenty-three on the twenty-third. I kept telling everyone that it was going to be the best birthday ever, yet I seemed to forget that I actually hate birthdays, particularly my own. I don’t know why I do all the way. I think part of the issue is that bad things always happen on my birthday. Too many parties gone wrong, I think, with dramatic pre-teens. I remember when I turned 18, Chris was away in Woodbridge and I had nothing to do. Kimmy, Jason, and I got smoothies and then ate at Fuddruckers. I bought a dvd on The Beatles for myself and watched it. I also bought Chris a Bob Dylan biography because I learned in first grade that Native Americans would give presents away on their birthdays instead of receiving gifts. I think that is the year that I officially decided to begin hating my birthday and a big part of that might have been pouting over the fact that Chris and I were stuck three hours away from each other.
Today, though, I found myself having a mid-20’s crisis. I’m closer to 25 now than 20. I feel like I should be further along in life. I mean, I just bought a house and all, and I do have one Master’s degree, but I wish I had a “big kid” job. An adult job. Just one more year of this, I suppose.
That leads me to more questions. If I get another degree after this one is finished–and I’m rather sure I will–I don’t want to get it from Liberty. I’m thinking about other colleges in the area for an Ed.S. or Ed.D. Reading specialist? Guidance counseling? School library? Doctorate? These are all things that I consider. But, man, I am really kind of tired of going going going all the time. And I’d like to start a family eventually. Yet, at the same time, I’d like to be done with school by the time we start having kids. So how do all of my plans fit together? I don’t know and that is part of my mid-twenties crisis. When does school end anyway? And am I getting there fast enough? I feel behind, but then I remind myself that I got my B.A. in three years, my M.A. in the typical two, and this last one will take a year and a half at the most–maybe even just one year. I am making good progress.
After work, Chris and I went by the apartment to gather some more things left behind. We stood in the empty den, our voices echoing for the lack of pictures hanging on the walls, and we remembered. We remembered everything. The goose who lost her eggs in the rain and never came back to the pond. The all-nighter that we had all of our Poetics books laying on the floor, trying to piece our first semester of grad school together. The morning that friends stayed over until 4:00 am because we just lost track of time together. The thesis nightmare that stole every second of our lives for a month straight. The past two years in the apartment were amazing. Grad school was insane. Stressful beyond belief, agonizing at times, but certainly worth the pain for the sake of growth. We made it and I know I learned a ton that will be helpful as a teacher. I’ll miss that little place for the sake of memories, certainly. It has been home. So strange to see it emptied out in little boxes, taken to a new home, one more permanent with character.
And that was my birthday.
My car is back and alive!
Yesterday I finally got my bike ride. Instead of biking to the grocery store, we rode down Rivermont to the East Randolph entrance to Blackwater Creek, rode to the end at Riverwalk, across downtown, then to Percival’s Island to the end of the trail. After turning around and coming home, it came to a two hour bike ride with three bike compliments given unto my awesome beach cruiser. I think I got much more of a work out than Chris since he has a light weight road bike and I rode a clunky yet beautiful cruiser–however, my bike is apparently much more comfortable to ride. Ah, love bike rides. I’m looking forward to many more around all of the neighborhoods and other trails.
Today we did more cleaning and then Stephanie took us to pick up our car. It wasn’t too big of a deal and a lot less expensive than I feared. While we were at it, we had them check our engine and windsheild wiper light. I had been assuring myself that nothing was wrong with my car and that all these lights were coming on as my car’s attempt to get in the mood for Christmas. That was partly true, but it is all happy now. The lights are off and I like it better than way.
Back to work tomorrow!
Another day that has not gone as planned. This morning, my car was making an awful metal on metal scraping sound, so I dropped it off at the VW dealership and got a ride home with Stephanie. We couldn’t find a ride to work, so I’ll just make up the hours another day. No big deal. I hope my car comes back to life though.
Instead of working, we got the house a little closer to normal. Mr. Rufus and Abed-nego played in the backyard. Soon we’re going to ride bikes to the grocery store. So nice to not be living on the side of the highway anymore.
Mr. Rufus and Abed-nego do not speak one another’s language.
Me in our rad kitchen with my birthday cake the other night.
The past couple of days have not gone as planned, but it has been good.
Yesterday, Chris and I got to work on organizing and cleaning the house. Then we picked up a few things at Lowes when his mom called to ask if it would be all right if they came for a visit. Of course, we were happy to have more family stay with us, especially since his dad had not seen the house yet. So, after running some errands, we gave the spare bedroom a third coat, showered up, and by then his parents and sister had arrived.
After showing his dad the house, we went to the Depot Grille for dinner and I had a great salad. Some of their food isn’t the best–it is just okay–but the salads are awesome. Then his aunt, uncle, and Austin came to see the house and talk for a while. By then, it was 10:00 pm and we still had a lot of school work due at midnight. We also manage to get it done somehow no matter how busy we are.
In the morning, Chris and his dad went for a run together down Rivermont and then were stoked to go to Biscuitville for breakfast, an experience that I had not yet enjoyed. It began to rain big time with flash flood warnings in Roanoke, so we knew that we really needed to pick up a dehumidifier for the basement and some tubing for the gutters. Before heading to the store, we were all in the van buckling up when I saw a huge flash. I could have sworn that someone flashed a camera in my face. We all looked around for a second kind of confused and then a the whole ground shook from thunder. Crazy.
Shortly following our Home Depot trip, Chris and I had to go to work where I caught up on some field placement emails. Exciting… Not really. Chris’ parents took us to dinner and I had another salad (I like green things). His parents surprised us with a new door mat and trash can since Abed-nego keeps knocking our’s over no matter what room we put it in or how many doors we close. Don’t worry, Mom. I am still using your thirty-year-old orange trashcan, but we needed one with a lid for the kitchen. Your’s is in the basement. Anyway, Chris’ parents also bought us a ton of Luna and Mojo bars and an ice cream cake for my birthday.
His parents left about an hour ago, at 9:00 pm, and now we are sitting here just the two of us in our house. Still so much organization to do. Maybe tomorrow I can get that hair cut.
Totally tired, but life is going to calm down more, I think.
We’re all moved in–for the most part. We still have some clothes to get from the apartment tomorrow and a few other odds and ends. Most of the boxes are unpacked. Finding places for our belongings. That’s the fun part.
Abed-nego is exhausted too, sleeping under a blanket on the futon, while Mr. Rufus is slowly getting used to walking on hardwood floors. She doesn’t get it; she just slides everywhere. I don’t know if she’ll ever figure out how to run on them, but the good thing is that in her confusion all she wants to do is sit on the couch with us.
I had been worried about cabinet space at our new house because it didn’t look like much. But, man, we have plenty. Originally, we had planned to get new wall cabinets, but then changed our minds because the ones here are huge. Forty-three inches wide! Instead, we just took the doors off, planning to buy new doors with glass in them eventually. I kind of like how it is now, though. Open, like shelves. It feels like its own little shop of my glasses and plates.
Another issue I saw was our bedroom. Since the house is a cape cod, the bedrooms upstairs are oddly shaped with nooks. I love them for that, but it also leaves the room rather narrow. We were afraid we’d have to put our bed in a nook right as you walk it, so it’d be like bam, bed, and then huge open space. Not good. Well, the nook turned out to be too small, but after insisting that we just try it, everyone finally let me put the bed in the center of the room (against a wall, of course) with the headboard against the window. What do you know. Perfect and we can still get into the closet and everything. People just need to trust me more.
Tomorrow we will do more organizing, give the guest bedroom a THIRD coat, buy groceries, finish up school work, and then I really want to get my hair cut. It is far too long and I haven’t even been attempting to curl it. The curls just don’t stick. I want to go shorter than usual. Then maybe a bike ride?
the summer night breeze
highlighted by fire flies
the neighbor behind us setting off left-over fire works
and his kids chanting, “Fire it up!”
here, sitting on my patio at my house
We painted the second bedroom upstairs last night. It has been strange doing all the house work, piecing our life together in a new home. I still can’t accept that it is my house. It doesn’t make sense. At the risk of sounding a little strange, it was weird painting the bedroom upstairs that will someday be the nursery. Some day, a day far off, but eventually. For a long time, everything has felt temporary. I guess that is apartment living. I didn’t know where we were going to end up, where we’d like. It is nice to have our place.
Tonight is the first night we are taking off since we closed on the house. We’re driving to a fancy theater in Roanoke to see Away We Go. Then more house work on Friday. Then moving on Saturday.
Yet another reason why I will miss teaching Engl 101 this fall: http://stufffreshmenwrite.tumblr.com/
Just a few more days until move in! Now if only I could get a Uhaul… And just a week left of intensives at work. Then I can go back to making my own schedule.
We finally finished the kitchen this morning aside from a few small things. It is the room that I have spent the most amount of time in. Days and days. I’ll make a big “before” and “after” post once we are finished.
The school work I do now is exactly what I expected and far from what was required for my M.A. in English–and far less rewarding. This is the process of becoming certified, I suppose. At the end of next week, I’ll be half-way done with my first two courses. Crazy. Ten left.
My parents left today, but I’ll be seeing them again in about five days when we do the actual big move to the house. Before we move in, I need to paint the kitchen and two bedrooms upstairs. The trim has already been done, and that is the hard part. Chris mowed the lawn today after we painted for a long while and we mused over ideas for the yard. I think we may try to build an arbor over our brick patio out back and cover it with vines. We do have grapes in our backyard, but the plant actually belongs to our neighbor.
The house is looking great and I feel very, very accomplished. Tonight I want to get a start on the kitchen after we finish school work. Then Dallas is coming over to the house and we’re going to walk to The Cavalier. Being on that side of town is amazing.
It has been one week since we closed on the house. I had been hoping that we’d be further along than we are right now with renovations, but I think I underestimated how long it takes to paint, especially the trim, which we are using an oil-based paint for. We have been doing work at the house in the mornings and evenings while going to work during the day and somehow doing schoolwork late at night. I guess I’m just running out of energy, trying to do everything all the time. I’d rather take my time and do it right rather than breeze through with a sloppy job.
We have been very fortunate, though, to get a lot of help. Christopher’s mom and sister came into town on Tuesday and left this morning. My parents are coming in late this evening and through the weekend. A lot of our friends have offered to help paint as well.
So, I like how it is all coming along and hope we can speed up a little. I think we should have everything done, moved in, and set up by my birthday. Twenty-three on the twenty-third.
Today we had the craziest run-in with a biker. We were driving to the apartment to shower before work in the left-hand lane. A biker was in the right-hand lane. You know, a bicycle, not a motorcycle. Anyway, he apparently didn’t realize we were in the other lane and merged without looking. We slam on the brakes; no one is hurt. However, he did start yelling at us, asking why we ran a red light. But we did not run a red light… A little shaken, but all right, we stopped at the next stop light. Of course, cocky biker rides up to our window and starts yelling again about how we ran a red light. We deny it. The light turns green, but he continues to yell anyway. Abed-nego barks a lot. Chris’ mom yells about how the light is green. Biker eventually rides off. Gee. I suppose he was just upset since he wasn’t sensitive to his surroundings and could have gotten hurt since he cut us off without looking first. But that was his fault. Ag. And we always trying to be very respectful of bikers and runners.
First day of working on the house by ourselves and, man, we did not get nearly enough done.
I spent the morning running errands and making phone calls. These things never seem to end. Then off to work for a while. After work, we ran more errands, picked up more supplies and the dog. We didn’t end up over the house until 7:30 pm. Abed-nego seemed unsure of what to do with himself in the yard alone. As we watched from the kitchen window, he sat there looking around. It was cute.
Then we heard it. Angry, fighting dogs as the neighbor’s dogs came outside. I ran out into the yard to find Abed-nego and another dog barking. It seems that Abed-nego doesn’t know what to do in a yard all the way, but he does know he is supposed to protect it. Well, after yelling at him some, the two dogs went from enemies to curious sniffers to friends showing one another their toys. I think they are going to be good friends. I also met our neighbor and ended up talking for a long while. We were invited to our first neighborhood get together–a luau in August.
We did about an hour’s worth of work and then went for a walk. We headed down Rivermont and walked to Riverside Park. It wasn’t too far at all and quite nice with all the fancy houses and fireflies with the setting sun. One dog came running at us from a mansion and I yelled for him to go home. And he did…. That worked. After our walk, we did some more work and now we are home doing school work.
Christopher’s mom and sister come in tomorrow evening to help with the house. I’m stoked to see them. We’ll definitely need to take them to Waterstone.
Things are going good.
Finished my school work for the week–well, last week.
Had a crazy weekend that flashed by.
Got a lot of house work done with a lot of help from my parents.
Now I can spackle! Who knew it was so easy to repair a wall?
And who knew bleach could hurt so bad. And a steamer could burn a hole in fingers so easily.
Anyway, we’re getting there. Always getting there.
Reminds me of a song by Jay Z…
I hate spending lots of money, but sometimes you just have to with a new house.
Things like sandpaper and 409.
We picked up an island for the kitchen.
Our kitchen doesn’t have much counter space and they’re on sale at JC Penny.
Tomorrow after work I think we’re going to start painting the trim.
It’ll be awesome. I’m telling you, this house is going to blow your mind when we’re done with it.
My fingers smell like grease.
Everything went well with closing. The seller waited until that morning to start packing, though, so he didn’t get out until around 6:00 pm and left what I’m guessing is six years’ worth of cleaning to do even though the contract said that the house should be broom clean. We’ve been scrubbing, sweeping, wiping everything. I’m at work right now, but I took down the kitchen cabinet doors (hopefully replacing those) and got a good deal of the kitchen wall paper down before I left. Things are becoming more fun the further we get along. I can’t wait to paint.
We have a lot of work ahead of us, but it is enjoyable to put my own touch on everything and know that I am doing a good job. As my dad said, with a little work the house “will turn into a diamond–or at least an emerald.”
Well, I guess I have one of those 72-hour headaches. Excedrin just isn’t cutting it. Oh well.
I have an old Rufus Wainwright cd in my car that I bought about seven years ago when I was 16. Yeesh. That is a scary number. Anyway, Chris and I were half listening to it when Rufus mentions having “mysterious bruises” and I said, “I have them!” I am always getting bruised up without a clue as to where they came from. Chris said he was wondering if I would say something about the lyric since I used to have it on my journal when he first met me. I had entirely forgotten about that. I suppose it is nice to know that a part of me has stayed the same through the years–and that part apparently is relating to Rufus lines about bruises.
I’m going to go buy some paint soon for the house. In 40 hours, I will have the keys and officially be a home owner.
Another crazy day. I spent my morning calling all sorts of people. Setting up utilities. Homeowner’s insurance. Home warranties. Edited a few photos and then off to work.
Aside from a quick trip to Sam’s to buy a couple of window AC units, I have been editing pictures ever since I got home from work. It’s going well. I have 46 photos in the flickr album and still a lot to go through on the first card followed by a whole different memory card.
Testing the light on Chris. Who could keep their eyes open with that sun? No one.
I still like it, though.
Vows
So many pictures that I want to share.
I’m exhausted and have been editing photos for about two hours after taking pictures for about six hours. I’d say that the day was a success and I am really proud of the work that we have produced so far. Not only was this our first wedding, but it was also the first time that we took pictures of other people.
Here are a few of my favorites so far. I have just been picking random photos here and there because I just have tons to go through–and that is a good thing.
I love how Chris looks totally into this:
It is 11:45 pm and I am trying my hardest to keep up with all the photo editing or else I know I’ll quit and not want to go back. I’ll be too excited with wedding photos and won’t want to back track to rehearsal pictures. Anyway, here are a few of my favorite shots from the rehearsal today.
Andrew and his niece
Andrew’s dad
Kids being bored and hot.
And Chris got a shot of me cooling down in the shade.
I like when our HDR photos don’t look HDR, just really detailed.
I feel like that is doing it “right” and not getting carried away. But maybe I’m wrong.
I also feel like we are trying to keep Charity and Andrew from seeing one another, like they are not allowed to be together until the wedding. Last night I had Stephanie and Charity over for dip-eating. Chris found a fancy theater in Roanoke that had a midnight showing of Army of Darkness, Andrew’s favorite movie. Andrew was stoked to find out, so he, Chris, and the newly-arrived out-of-town groomsmen went. And didn’t get back until around 3:30 am. I’m so glad we were having a girls night instead. I would not have been able to make it that long–not that I don’t like Army of Darkness, but I was falling asleep when Stephanie and Charity left at 12:30 am anyway.
Chris was able to find a suit yesterday and it was less expensive than I feared. The jacket isn’t exactly slim and so I’m trying to convince him to let me try to alter it. It simply is how blazers are supposed to fit, but we both just like them slimmer. Because we’re hip. And scene. He also got a nice pair of black dress shoes from J. Crew on sale. He didn’t actually have a pair in black. Chris is more a brown, gray, blue kind of guy, not black.
Today we’re off to buy a step ladder for me to use while taking pictures and then it is time for the rehearsal. I’m stoked. Tomorrow morning I am going to make some sandwiches for the wedding, then head over to the house we’re buying to measure the kitchen cabinets, then it is time to get those two married.
Yesterday was a bit crazy. We were on the road a little before 11:00 am to leave Nags Head and stopped by my parents for about an hour before heading home to Lynchburg. Got in around 5:30 pm to find that our ac had finally been fixed! It has been about three weeks, I think. Andrew’s bachelor party was that night and Charity’s bachelorette party started at 7:00 pm. Obviously in two different places and two different attendees and us with one car. So, I drove Chris downtown to Dallas’s house for the bachelor party and then headed to the other side of town for the bachelorette party.
I’m usually not good with bachelorette parties. In fact, I didn’t have one for myself because I dislike them so much, but Charity’s was tasteful and not at all awkward. I took the camera along to get Charity used to me constantly being in her face and also to get myself used to constantly being annoying. I got some nice shots despite the very low lighting and am getting more excited about shooting the wedding this Sunday.
Around 11:00 pm, I was beyond tired and had a terrible headache, so I left a little early, knowing that I had a bit of driving to do before I could actually get home. I went to get Chris and the boys let me crash their party for a little while. I only stayed for what felt like ten minutes to realize that it had been forty. I didn’t end up home and in bed until around 1:00 am.
The girls. Self-timed shots rarely come out as I’d like.
The bride
Intense game of Pictionary
I have so much running around to do today and so much school work too. Ag.
Well, beach time comes to an end today so we can head back and get to all the wedding adventures of Charity and Andrew.
But first it is photo time.
We ate at a restaurant at the beach with an osprey nest outside. Inside the nest were three little babies. So cute. I caught a picture of the mother bird flying off to pick up sticks. If you look at the larger version, you can see one of the babies protesting.
I’m thinking about adjusting the crop some to get the focus on the birds themselves more without the extra blue everywhere.
New band: Katie Elizabeth Anne Robinson
That way it is both of our full names.
I’m kind of kidding, but I recently found out that Elizabeth can play guitar quite well and she can sing great too.
We made it down to the beach house in Nags Head yesterday evening. I was able to spend part of Father’s day with my dad and had lunch with my parents before coming down. One of these days I will spend more than 18 hours in Chesapeake. I haven’t been there for longer than that since Christmas, I think.
Anyway. Abed-nego is in love with pools this summer. He jumps in and swims in circles. It has been good to see Chris’ family and to just sit around.
My classes started yesterday. I’m taking two and it has been quite the adjustment so far. With English, I did a ton of reading with a few large writing projects. In fact, last year at the beach house, I brought a backpack full of books on Vonnegut criticism for thesis research. Now I have started something new. This is going to be different with a lot of small assignments each week. It is a bit to keep up with since I am basically taking two 15-week courses in about 8 weeks. I need to make some lists. I’m very glad that I have started class during vacation so I can ease into it opposed to starting while working at school and taking care of house stuff. Monday, though, it is back to work and then on Thursday we close on the house. And the renovations begin. And the moving begins. And then the napping begins.
No festival today. And no backpacking tomorrow. Chris is turning into a big time bailer and plan changer. We had fun downtown anyway.
Chris suggested that we go antiquing downtown since we are on the look out for a new desk and perhaps some storage for our dining room. We didn’t find much aside from a bunch of old sewing machines. Half of the fun is just getting to explore those old buildings and guessing what they used to be.
Afterward, we walked down by Amazement Square and decided to grab some salads for a late lunch at the Depot Grille. The Depot Grille used to be a train station and has a nice atmosphere, but the food isn’t the best. This time, however, we learned that salads are the way to go. Inexpensive and very good. As we left, we came out just in time to see a train coming by and caught a few shots. In the photo below, you can see the building that was redone for Waterstone and also the Craddock Hotel.
More photos
Friday. So glad. I am pumped for this weekend and then beach house with the Robinsons. I need to leave in about twenty minutes to get the oil in my car changed.
Yesterday I ran some errands in the morning with Chris and then we went downtown to the record store. We didn’t pick anything up, but it is still nice to be there and feel like I was getting out. Afterward, I headed to work, worrying about Abed-nego because people are on ladders painting the trim at our apartment. I’m sure it was quite the task to keep him from realizing that. Work was work and I came home to get ready for everyone to come over.
Charity and Andrew cooked dinner for Stephanie, Lydia, Dallas, Chris, and I. It was good to see everyone because it had been a few weeks. The time is getting closer for everyone to go their separate ways. Dallas is headed LSU for his Ph.D. and Stephanie will probably be moving back to Ohio in the fall. It seems that we all hang out less during the summer since we have different schedules. In my mind, the summer is still beginning, but it really is getting close to July. That almost doesn’t matter because I’m done with my English M.A. and will be taking education classes. It feels different and much less intense. Not to mention that summer doesn’t mean no classes because I’m starting my summer school courses on Monday. I’ll be glad to get a head start and possibly be done with this whole thing next fall. If it works, I will have been in college for six years with a Bachelor’s degree and two Master’s degrees. I’d say I’ll be rather qualified to teach….
Our house listing finally says contingent for its status. So stoked. Still waiting to hear back about the appraisal, but I’m sure it went fine.
Two weeks and two days until we get the keys to this little house.
My project at work had its due date moved up. While I originally had two weeks left for my first due date, I now have until Monday. Today I worked super hard and fast and I think I am almost where I need to be for Monday. That’s a relief.
Making big plans for this weekend. Saturday is the Summer Solstice wine and farm festival in Amherst. Though I won’t be doing any wine tasting (sorry, I’m just not good enough), it’ll be fun to learn more about local farming. Then on Sunday and Monday I am hoping to go backpacking if the weather permits. After that, it down to Nags Head to the beach house with Chris’ family.
You know how a week ago I said a lot of the intensive students were throwing up? Yeah, well, now the univesity says that it has had its first case of the swine flu, which was brought in by a distance learning student. I need to get hazard pay or something! It isn’t a big deal, though, really. The student had a very mild case and was sent home. I’m reasonably confident that people really were just throwing up from the heat because the sickness happened on Monday and the ac was fixed on Tuesday.
Yesterday was a lot of fun. We took my cousin, Jacey, for a picnic to the James River Face Wilderness. Utilizing that picnic basket… It was hot, but just perfect under the trees. Then we came home and watched Juno. I can’t believe Jacey is going to be a junior in high school next year. And my sister-in-law, Elizabeth, too!
After yesterday and realizing today that June is indeed going to end, I just have to go backpacking. Every weekend something has come up, but no excuses–this weekend we will find a way. Maybe we’ll go Sunday and Monday since this Saturday is the wine and farm festival in Amherst. I really want to try some place new, like in Shenandoah.
Picnic at the James River Foot Bridge with Chris and my cousin, Jacey.
Rockface with water trickling. Kind of like a waterfall…
Other side of the dam
More photos
Ah, Saturday. I woke up this morning earlier than planned because some lady was going for a walk around our apartment talking really loud. Keep in mind that I’m on the third floor and this was about 6:30 am. She must have been yelling.
No car and no one to talk to left me so bored. I feel far too unproductive when I watch very much tv, so instead I cleaned and did laundry. Chris got back around 2:00 pm and we talked about the concert. He had a lot of fun, but I’m glad I didn’t go: it didn’t end until 1:00 am. I know I would have been far too grouchy for that. It is good to know, though, that Chapel Hill is just over two hours away. Lot’s of shopping there and many bands come through. Casiotone is coming in July and Grizzly Bear played last Thursday. They sold out before we could get tickets. :/ Maybe next time.
We had a late lunch and went to Target for a few things. We finally found a picnic basket for $14! If you remember, I had seen one at Magnolia, but it was outrageous–$70. Then off to Home Depot to pick up a new basil plant and look around. Conclusion: Ikea is cheaper and cooler. Good thing there is one in Woodbridge.
Pretty soon Chris is going for a run at Blackwater Creek and I’ll meet him at another entrance for a cool down walk.
I’m trying not to write about moving much, but it is the main event occurring in my life aside from work. I used to do the same thing with writing about school. Teaching, taking classes, and writing my thesis consumed my life and I had very little else to say concerning my days, making me feel really annoying. Plus, school is boring talk.
But I don’t have anything else to say so I’ll write about the house anyway. Deal. XD
We signed more papers yesterday for the bank and then our realtor helped us pick out new light fixtures–replacement light fixtures were part of the contract. They’re really nice. After talking to our mortgage broker and realtor, we’re learning more about how many people have expressed strong interest in our house. We’re lucky that we were able to move so fast. It was listed June 2nd and we had our offer in June 4th. Other buyers’ and realtors’ interests gives me even more confidence that we have gotten ourselves a great find. The house is just so lovely, full of character and potential, yet inexpensive. I mean, it is the price of the townhomes we were looking at two years ago, yet we could stay there forever if we want to. It is going to help shape our future so much and will help us to meet some of our goals that otherwise might be unobtainable. It seems Providencial.
Up next: pitching some small repairs from the inspection, the appraiser, the underwriter, and then closing on July 2nd.
Chris is in North Carolina with Patrick for a concert. I could have gone, but I knewI wouldn’t be able to leave until after work. So, I’m home alone with the pup and bunny, about to make some dinner. We haven’t been apart over night since we got married. We have always traveled together. But I’m not trying to make a big deal of it. I just worry about him driving alone to some place he isn’t familiar with. He’s doing fine, though.
Things I won’t miss about the apartment:
-The kitchen, bathroom, and hall floors are all scratched up and stained and always look dirty no matter how much I scrub them.
-Maintenance people who can come in without warning.
-The towel rack is always broken and falling because someone put a huge hole in the wall before we moved in.
-The neighbor who hates our dog.
-How absolutely unsymmetrical the den is. It is impossible to center anything because of the crowned ceilings that aren’t in the center of the room.
-Worrying about our dog barking.
-Having one bathroom when guests visit.
-The lack of storage.
-Carrying everything up three flights of stairs.
-Living on the side of the highway (literally).
-Not having any access to neighborhoods to bike ride.
-Knowing that our money is being thrown away on rent instead of invested.
-Not being able to paint.
-Not having a yard.
-Having to carry my trash a block away to a trash compactor shared by the entire apartment complex and always getting cut in line by someone who drives their trash over instead.
-People always breaking the trash compactor because they throw away crazy things, like upholstered chairs. Do you really think that is going to compact well and not jam the compactor?
Things I will miss about the apartment:
-Being literally five minutes from everything.
-Standing on our balcony with Chris and pointing out little creatures, such as turtles and fish, in the pond.
-Having a designated place for everything.
-The huge windows. All two of them…
-Being in our first place as a married couple.
I just got back from the home inspection. It took hours and hours–three to be exact. That man looked at every inch of the house and gave us a list of all of his concerns. We knew there would be some things, especially considering that the house is over 70 years old, but it is in rather good shape structurally. Most of our work will be cosmetic. Cleaning up the hardwood floors, painting, possibly putting in a new sink in the guest/office bathroom. The good news is the fact that the house is in such a nice area that we would definitely get back all the money that we put in. I’m so excited to get in there and get to work. It is going to be awesome when we are done.
Tomorrow we get started on more paper work before I go into work. The seller’s realtor made it a point to mention to our realtor that they have back-up offers in case we fall through. Psh. Whatever.
It was nice to have a day off of work. I’m such a wuss. Yesterday, no one threw up, but a girl did run in crying and I asked if I could help her. She said no, that she wanted to be alone. I shrugged and just sat there. Why run in on me if you want to be alone? Go to the bathroom or something. Education majors are weird.
Work was weird yesterday…. We’re having intensives on campus, so I am doing work in the “hospitality room” while making sure there are plenty of snacks and drinks for everyone. Apparently, the classrooms are really hot and people are getting sick from it. Like, throwing up from having terrible headaches.
I finally saw Doubt last night. I really liked it. Not something you’d watch over and over, but I enjoyed it. It wasn’t quite as complicated as I was expecting, but whatevz.
We got up early today to play tennis. I’m just so bad at it. No more, I say.
Well, back to work.
What a Sunday. Abed-nego has been really energetic lately since we haven’t gone for a run in a few days. We headed to Riverside Park to throw the ball for him and then played tennis with him on the court at Peaks View. He seemed to be having a lot of fun chasing the ball back and forth, and people were watching and laughing. Not sure if they were laughing at him or how terrible of a tennis player I am.
Came home and made dinner. Abed-nego had been hiding under the couch mysteriously much longer than usual. We pulled him out to find that a layer of the pads on his front paws was ripped and hanging off like a flap. Poor puppy. Immediately after dinner, we took him to the emergency vet and they fixed him up. Now he is mostly sore and sleepy, snuggling under the blanket.
p.s. Our ac is still broke.
I missed my niece’s third birthday party yesterday because we were waiting around town to hear back about the contract. :/ By the time we found out the good news, it was too late to drive back to Chesapeake for the party. After thinking of going back to Chesapeake for so long and now not being able to, Chris and I really felt like getting out. We both were in the mood to buy something. Something small. I don’t consider myself to be very materialistic, but sometimes it is nice to have something new. None of this, though! The perfect cure for wanting to purchase something is the wilderness.
We got on the Blue Ridge Parkway and drove toward Roanoke. We hadn’t ever actually taken that direction before. Not before long, we found an AT parking lot for the Thunder Ridge Wilderness. Last summer, we hiked the James River Face Wilderness along Matt’s Creek toward Thunder Ridge, so it was interesting to be on the other side. Pulled off and hiked the trail a little. We hadn’t planned this, so I was in flats and Chris in sandles. Chris had read that there is a river or something around there, and we heard rushing water, but our feet just weren’t prepared to explore that much. Quitting rather quickly, it was nice to see trees anyway. We drove along more and got some shots at an overlook, found the entrance to the Apple Orchard–which we have been wanting to check out for a while–and some other little small trails. You could spend so much time exploring on the Parkway. I guess that is the point of it. Chris must have said, “I’m so glad we’re staying in Lynchburg,” a million times. And I agreed with each utterance.
I’d rather find beautiful new places and have new photographs to be proud of than to buy new stuff any day.
Thunder Ridge Wilderness
This one reminds me of ET for some reason.
An overlook
He signed the contract.
I think it will feel more real once the listing goes from “active” to “contingent.”
A lot of emotion comes with purchasing a home. I’ve tried to keep myself from getting emotional, tried to remain logical, because houses can be swept up by another buyer quickly and if you are emotional, you can make bad decisions, like buying too much or purchasing a nice home in a bad area just because the interior is attractive.
Since Chris and I decided not to make our house search public until we felt confident, I guess I should explain how this all happened. I always keep an eye on real estate in Lynchburg to note the trends and the possibility of suddenly finding something. This whole “serious” house search was inspired by a cute ranch in a great neighborhood in Boonsboro.
For you non-Lynchburgers, Boonsboro is the “rich” side of town, which then turns into Rivermont (also quite rich) and then downtown. Boonsboro and Rivermont have beautiful old homes that are almost always well taken care of. In fact, Randolph College is on Rivermont Ave itself–and is a half a mile from our street. Lynchburg used to be full of millionaires and Thomas Jefferson even believed that it would be one of America’s major cities, right up there with New York, because of the ferry of Thomas Lynch (hence Lynchburg). It was a trading post. Because of the wealth, the houses have amazing architecture like I have never seen anywhere else. I’m not that well-traveled, but there are just hundreds and hundreds of amazing houses. So, I’ve always wanted to live in Rivermont or Boonsboro, preferrably Rivermont, though, because it is closer to downtown, has more character, and is closer to accesses to Blackwater Creek, our favorite park with 17 miles of trails.
Historic downtown Lynchburg is undergoing revitalization. The city has a big project to turn Fifth Street into an area similar to Richmond’s Carytown. This process will take a long time, I’m sure, but Rivermont is only going to continue to rise in value.
Anyway, the house in Boonsboro sold before we could get to see it, even. I was confused because this isn’t 2005. This is the year following the worst year for the housing market. I thought things were slow? I thought it was a buyer’s market? However, with an $8,000 tax credit for first time home buyers, our price range was moving very fast, especially in a high demand area like the ones we have been wanting to move to.
So, we looked in different areas, but the houses just didn’t feel quite right–or safe. Then a cute house in Rivermont popped up. It was only 809 square feet–smaller than our apartment–but we were determined to make it work because it was so nice inside. The shutters even had squirrel cut outs! But it was withdrawn before we could look at it because the owners found renters. Ugh! By this point, I was feeling ready to give up. Nothing else was for sale in Boonsboro/Rivermont within our price range. In fact, very little is for sale in that area this year and listings in our price range are incredibly rare. What were the chances of getting lucky yet again?
Then on Tuesday morning, I noticed a new listing…. A cape cod on a great street in Rivermont. Our realtor was out of town, but she had arranged a back-up. I called her Wednesday to request a showing. We set up an appointment for Thursday at 4:00 pm…. Four people saw the house on Wednesday. Three on Thursday (including us). It was cheaper than the house in Boonsboro and much, much larger than the small house in Rivermont. It felt perfect. It needs a little comsetic work, but nothing we can’t handle. We were even able to talk to the owner–who looked like Kurt Vonnegut! He really did! The owner is moving to North Carolina to start a restuarant. He used to be the cook at Longwood, which is where we went for undergrad. Everything felt just as it should and we knew that we were running out of time with so many people coming to see this adorable cottage of a home in a great area.
So, we put in our verbal offer. He accepted. And that is how we found our house.
I very much prefer this house to the ranch in Boonsboro and the small house in Rivermont. It has a lot of character and I have always loved cape cods–who hasnt’? I’m so glad that it worked out this way.
And now we’re still waiting to hear back about the actual hard copy of the contract. Things could still go wrong. He could not like the contract–though I really doubt it. We still have to go through the home inspection, but I don’t foresee any surprises.
Exhausted!
I got to the office today at 9 am like usual and started on my work. Our realtor called to set up a time to go through the contract, and we decided to meet at noon for my lunch break. Since we have one car, I had to pick up Chris and then we drove out to meet the realtor. It took about an hour and then the seller’s realtor came by to pick the papers up. We haven’t heard back yet, but we didn’t put anything in that wasn’t included in our verbal contract, so our realtor said not to worry. The seller’s realtor is just slow and non-responsive and never answers his phone.
Chris and I decided to eat fast food for lunch to perpetuate my feeling of skipping school. You know, like when you have a doctor’s appointment and get to eat bad food for lunch before going back to school. Then I dropped him off and headed back to work until 4:00 pm.
I came home to Chris and Andrew playing video games. Then Dallas called to set up dinner plans. We went to his house downtown where he cooked Indian food for dinner while listening to The Basement Tapes and we talked about plans for Andrew’s wedding (Chris and Dallas are groomsmen), our probable new home, Roman history, Pynchon, Baptists, Evangelicals, Parisians, people from Kentucky, and so on. I’m glad that the boys let me tag along.
So, now I am home and very ready for bed. But I’m sure Chris isn’t.
Chris and I are moving
in July
to Rivermont
just like I’ve been dreaming since we first arrived in Lynchburg.
This is like my dream house and the owner accepted our offer today.
It is in such a classy neighborhood and we can bike to Blackwater Creek.
It is going to be cheaper than our rent, including taxes and insurance.
3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, hardwood floors throughout, slate roof.
loves it!
Ah. Our second wedding anniversary. It sounds so small, like we regressed because we have been together for five years as of today as well.
I went to work today and seriously shredded paper all day. There is a wall of cabinets full of files to be shredded, so I made a little bit of a dent in that…. Tomorrow I am starting the SACS accreditation project. I think I’m going to be updating a database and writing reviews of assessments. I came home and Chris gave me a potted pink gerber daisy. Stoked to work on our garden eventually. As planned, we downtown to Waterstone for dinner, split crab dip and our favorite pizza. Picked up Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona and watched it.
Looking back on this past year together, I think we’ve grown a lot together. I wouldn’t say that our first year together was difficult, just hard because we were adjusting to graduate school. This second year, we better understand one another’s little quirks, so we look out for each other, communicate better, and have established our “manners”–as Flannery O’Connor would say.
I took some portraits of Christopher today, something I hadn’t done in a week or so. Everything has gotten so busy lately as I’m adjusting to my new job and figuring out some other “life” decisions. I need to get those up soon.
One of the portraits of Christopher.
We need to get a white sheet to hang up….
I have learned a bit about numbers today.
First, I was told that it was supposed to get into the 90s today, and our ac still isn’t fixed. Help, please.
Later, I learned that my credit score is in the “excellent” range. Awesome.
Then, I received an email to inform me that my Master’s thesis has been downloaded 31 times since I posted it to the library on April 28th. And I thought no one would ever see it.
Tomorrow is our two year anniversary. Two years of marriage, five years of being “together.” Chris is taking me to Waterstone for crab dip and pizza. Yummm. We did the fancy dinner thing last year at Crown Sterling, and it was fun, but I’m really just not too … refined, I guess. That is some good pizza and I am more than looking forward to it. I’ll save my anniverary blabber and year-two recap for tomorrow.
And now I’m off to Rivermont because life is better downtown. So pretty.
Today is Abed-nego’s birthday! He is now three years old.
As much as I love that dog, I find celebrating an animal’s birthday a little weird when people get too into it. Either way, we went for a run at Blackwater Creek and will probably give him some dog ice cream later on. Frosty Paws. It is left over from last year. Ha. I always forget to give him treats….
I saw a deer while running this evening. That makes two deer sightings in two days. They always remind me of Mr. Rufus because they just stare and munch. And then run away. Just like my bunny.
So, I spent the day making phone calls and trying to do some organizing. I have a meeting in the morning and then I may go to work afterward for a few hours. I haven’t decided yet, but I don’t have to if I don’t want to. This whole “set your own hours” thing is pretty awesome. My summer school classes start in about three weeks, and although I just graduated three weeks ago with a Master’s degree that was incredibly difficult to earn, I’m already excited to jump back into school mode. It is a lifestyle that I have gotten used to. I just might always be in school for the rest of my life, chasing some degree or another, and that is actually rather appealing to me.
We decided to take a night drive through downtown.
I love late spring/early summer nights in Lynchburg.
I saw a deer running along Rivermont Ave.
I’m really over basketball. Really.
We went to Blackwater Creek so Chris could run for about forty minutes. I walked some and we met up later to go for about forty more minutes. I wish I could keep up with him, but I’ve just come to the conclusion that this little Katie can’t compete with 2003 Cross Country MVP. Once again, I’m reserved for his “cool down” runs.
Came home and had spinach ravioli with a spinach salad with strawberries, bananas, and walnuts. Yumz. Then I ruined it all with a bowl of cookie dough ice cream.
I think we’re going to have a picnic at Otter Creek tomorrow on the rocks and let Abed-nego play in the water.
This morning was one of those days when you get up and immediately want to go back to bed. Major neck and headache.
I had another zombie dream, but this time I was stuck in a resort in Florida with them. Not fun.
I have a list of things I need to do, but nothing is as stressful as it was just a month ago. So glad to be done with my English M.A. It was the roughest two years of my life, really. I was pretty much constantly having a panic attack.
I think we’re going to have a “dog day”–by that, I mean that we are going to parks and such, trying to stay out of the apartment. Our ac is messed up again, so we want to be out of the maintience people’s way if they are able to come work on it today.
This is boring.
Day two of work. It’s been fun so far. Right now I’m helping to organize a residential intensive.
Came home and went for a run at Blackwater Creek. I can’t begin to explain how happy I am that we are staying in Lynchburg. I love this little town. The honey suckles are definitely in bloom, making for a great run.
After being away for so long, I had forgotten just how difficult it is to cook in our kitchen. Chris and I are top chef competitors, but no matter which of us is the main cook for the night, we always help one another. But, man, it is so tight in there that we are always running into each other and knocking hips and saying, “Excuse me,” and smacking one another in face with cabinet doors. I miss the kitchen at our apartment in Farmville.
This new job is going to be awesome. I set my own hours, just as long as I work the required amount. For the first couple of months, I am going to be helping with an accreditation project for the doctoral program. After that is complete, I’ll be setting up student teachers with their schools. No more paper grading or lecturing, which makes me a bit sad because I love teaching and building relationships with the Engl 101ers, but now it is time to do some work behind the scenes.
I decided to go ahead and get started on this next degree and signed up for two summer school courses. If I take two classes next summer as well, I’ll be ready to student teach fall 2010. That sounds so far away. Of course, there is always the chance that someone will hire me without student teaching, something that happens a bit and wouldn’t be too strange since I already have an M.A. in English and two years’ worth of classroom experience. I think I’m going to try to sub in the fall too.
The awesome thing about this new job–well, there are many, many awesome things about it–is that I can take classes for free in the summer too, which wasn’t an option with the English M.A. since they didn’t need us to work any during the summer. Everything is going great. I wasn’t sure about this plan at first because I just really wanted to settle into a career, but this is for the best in the long term.
After going to the office for a little while, Chris and I had salmon, potatoes, and a salad for dinner. So good. We picked up the new Grizzly Bear on vinyl from the record store downtown. Went to Target… Then to Sam’s where we loaded up on new food. Whenever Chris drives, the gods protest and dump ridiculous amounts of rain on the roads. Like, I-can’t-see-anything-because-it-is-pouring amounts of rain.
First day of work tomorrow and I am really excited to get started and make some moneyyy.
Chris and I picked up our dog and rabbit today from Chris’ parents in Charlottesville. We took Abed-nego for a run at Blackwater Creek and spoiled Mr. Rufus with cuddles and scratches.
We re-stocked on groceries and came home to find two fire trucks outside of our apartment! Our first thought was the dog and rabbit, and I started spazzing a little, not knowing what in the world was going on. As it turns out, some guy was trying to grill in the bed of his truck, which didn’t work out. So, everything at home is safe. Just his truck received some damage. Phew.
Back home in Lynchburg! It has felt so long, which I guess it has been 11 days or something.
Driving on 460 at night is such a familiar feeling. I used to hate it, but I’ve come to really enjoy it and feel nostalgic as long as the driving is done late at night. We enjoyed the late spring air and smelled the honey suckles. Whenever I take that right exit to stay on 460 West, I always think of Louise Edrich and Love Medicine because two and a half years ago, Chris and I were talking about that book on the way back to Farmville one day after a visit to Chesapeake to work on wedding plans. I think that is when we booked Lesner Inn for our reception.
So, we weren’t even in Chesapeake for 24 hours–barely 12–but we managed to see my grandma, had sushi with Patrick, and got on the road. It was interesting to sit with my grandma and her friends while they talked about blue grass. “Good music comes out of the mountains.” I’ve never known my grandma to care much about music. I don’t think she really does, but everything felt like an O’Connor story. Right from the moment we arrived to find her out back digging a hole in front of her field of seven and a half acres, saying, “We’re plantin’ a nursey.” It depresses me that the feild is just over-grown grass, empty of barns and animals now, but I suppose that things simply change. My grandparents’ farm was such a big part of my life for a long time. Ah.
But. We’re back home now, and after being gone so long, I’m relieved. Tomorrow will be fun–we’ll go for a run downtown, re-stock on groceries, re-organize our books, and meet some friends for Ashley’s going away party. I’m so happy for Ashley. She found a job and is moving to Boston. Then on Monday we are meeting up with Chris’ parents to get our pets back. The apartment feels so empty without my puppy and bunny. How will I sleep without them?
Today is the last day of vacation. I think we are heading home tomorrow. It has been great to get away and not worry about what is going on in life back home. I swam in the ocean, ducked under huge, crashing waves, and floated over soft, rolling waves. I hadn’t swam that far out in the ocean since the summer before senior year of high school. Six years ago. It felt good to get some salt water up my nose, but Chris just worried since the waves were rather rough.
Honestly, though, this makes me miss home incredibly. And by home I mean Lynchburg. I’m glad that it seems we are staying there, and I really don’t want to leave. It has so much to offer–little traffic, safe downtown that is thriving, a record store, beautiful historic houses, really great schools, the most amazing parks, and not to mention the mountains. It is only an hour to Charlottesville or two hours to Richmond if you want to go to a larger city for the day or want to go shopping. I hope we can stay. I have house dreams boiling big time in my brain, but I suppose that we just need to wait and see. The payment would be the same as our rent, though! Ahh!
By the way, I did end up receiving an A on my thesis, so I got straight A’s for the semester and graduated with a 3.66. Awesome.
Goodbye to warm, blue Key West water.
Hello to warm, blue Atlantic water.
Back to lounging, reading, and relaxing.
During this trip, I’ve come to realize that Chris and I never get annoyed with one another,
which is surprising since we are both very critical.
And I honestly am missing my mountains.
I really do love Virginia and don’t know how I would cope without it.
K. West for Key West, not Kanye West.
Man, some bot is going to pick up on the key word “Kanye West” and leave me lots of spam comments. Same thing happened a lot during the election.
So, we got up early and drove four hours down to Key West. It was Chris’s first time down there, and he really just loved it once we made it. Had lunch at Sloppy Joe’s, and he was pumped by all of the Ernest Hemingway photographs everywhere. And his skis from the Swiss Alps. Awesome. I had never realized how much of the island hypes up Hemingway, probably because the last time I was there (at age 12) I didn’t really know much about him. Now he is really one of my favorite authors. I wish the island were just one big celebration of literature and that we could all just forget about Jimmy Buffet. Ugh.
Of course, we paid a visit to Hemingway’s house, which is just gorgeous, and found ourselves far too excited about chasing the six-toed cats around. My favorite cat was laying on Heminway’s bed, and as a Google search revealed, he really does just lay there all day long, licking his toes.
Here are some of my favorite photos of the day:
Chris at Hemingway’s house.
Meh and one of the fourty-five kittehs.
Where Hemingway wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls.
Today we, like tourists, took a fan boat ride through the Everglades. I saw alligators and cute birds and panthers and wolves.
I had an intimidation contest with a peacock and lost when he turned his tail at me and then I freaked out.
All right, I better stop using up all of the pictures or else Chris will have nothing to post.
Vacation has gone well so far–just the right amount of action and rest. The water at the beach is absolutely blue and warm. I didn’t actually get in today because it rained, but I plan to at some point tomorrow. I’ll probably put up some photos tomorrow as well.
I’m still waiting on my final grade for the thesis, but I have received A’s in all of my other classes. I don’t see why I wouldn’t get an A on my thesis. I was the first person to have it posted in the library (which you can access here if you want), I had a tough committee yet they all really liked it, and I worked quickly and efficiently. It’d be nice to finish this all out with straight A’s, which I think is probable.
I’m trying to relax, but am anxious to begin my new job. I spend too much energy looking to the future. I’m nervous to start working in a new department. I’m so accustomed to the English hall. I’d like to also find a second job, yet I know it’ll be a good situation once I get adjusted.
Key West on Tuesday. 
I miss my dog
and my rabbit
I know Chris’s parents and sister are more than spoiling them, though.
We’ve been checked in for about six hours now, and have checked out the pools, gotten food, taken photos, and so on. The place is great, and I am all set to relax without any worries. Last time I had a vacation during our honeymoon almost two years ago, we were fretting over the future, unsure of what to expect when we got home. Plans weren’t going as quickly or as smoothly as we had hoped. It all worked out fine in the end, but this time I have my job set up and know everything will transition smoothly. I won’t even have to go a week between paychecks.
Chris and I got jobs today at the school.
A back up plan? More school? I don’t know, but I’m excited in a lot of ways.
Basically, the university’s education department hired us as research/office assistants. Free tuition… So, I guess we’re going for the education M.A. unless we can find something else before then. Jobs don’t really exist in the economy right now, so at least we’re working toward something on a low but livable income. Right? We’re going to try to teach adjunct at the university on the side.
I start next Tuesday when we get back from vacation. Chris starts July 2nd.
Elizabeth showing Chris (and Abed-nego) how to play lacrosse.
I refused to look into HDR photography for a long while. For growing up around computers, I really tend to resist technology. Besides, HDR kind of goes against my editing philosophy: Photoshop is great to touch up images, but I’m not trying to create high tech advertisements with little cheap tricks. I like my pictures to remain natural. Otherwise, I feel like I’m cheating. People just go way over the top sometimes, sharpening images so much that people’s skin looks reptilian or upping the saturation to a ridiculously fake extreme or air brushing to the point that the person looks like an alien.
However, Chris has been wanting to give it a try, especially since we’re doing Charity and Andrew’s wedding, and Andrew mentioned that he kind of likes HDR sometimes.
Today Chris pulled out the camera and took a few shots from the balcony. He didn’t have the tripod out, so the images don’t align exactly. I did the editing. Not bad, I’d say.
We wanted another attempt. As the sun just began to set, we headed to the Wyngate and took these photos overlooking Liberty’s campus and Williams stadium.
I’m actually kind of proud of it. The crazy part, though, is the amount space these files take up. The above full-sized photo is 314 MB! I had to resize it to 700 pixels in width just to get it to load on Flickr due to their 20 MB limit. Looks like that external hard drive is going to get some use.
Busy busy busy.
I feel like I need a couple of days to sit and do nothing, but then I’d just feel unproductive. I get bored with summer rather quickly. Chris and I are continuing the summer job search today and getting things in line to go out of town. Tomorrow, I think, we’re heading up to Woodbridge to see his parents for a couple of days and drop off the pets, then down to Chesapeake Thursday night to leave early on Friday morning for vacation! I am so excited. Then I can just do nothing. When we come back, it’ll be lots of summer working, “real” job searching, and arranging to re-locate if necessary.
We went to see Watchmen last night with some friends. All I can say is that I’m glad I only paid a dollar to see it. I really liked some of the themes, issues that we must deal with. The question of time. The savage nature of humanity. The value of life. And so on. But, man, it went downhill and just didn’t come back. “I’m going to another galaxy where things aren’t quite as confusing.” What a cop out.
Well, it is Mother’s Day and so far I have been a terrible daughter. Since I’ve been living away from home for the past four years, being around family on holidays isn’t always a given, but I even saw my mom today and forgot to wish her a happy Mother’s Day. When they were on the way over, I kept trying to remember to say it, but once everyone got inside, I was thoroughly distracted.
So, mom, since I know you read this, happy Mother’s Day!
Now let me tell you why my mom is awesome. She puts everyone before herself and continues to make sacrifices for them even when people take advantage of her. She has always been so supportive throughout my entire life even when she didn’t fully understand why things were important to me. She is always optimistic and encouraging, always supporting every decision I make, yet is sure to ask those important questions. When I was younger, finances got tight and although my mom had previously been a successful high-ranking secretary for the the city of Virginia Beach, she didn’t go back to work in an office because she wanted to be sure that she would definitely be home when my sister and I got home from school. Instead, she went to work at McDonalds and endured grease burns while going to night school to become a vet assistant. My sister and I would walk to McDonalds in the summer and I’d get a Mcchicken sandwich, happy to know that my mom was still making me lunch and she knew that it was me ordering it because I always get chicken sandwiches everywhere I go if possible.
My mom has continued to do everything she can for my sister and me. This weekend was Mother’s Day weekend, but she didn’t even think of herself. Instead, she sat in the heat through a long, boring graduation ceremony because she wanted to celebrate my accomplishments. Then she even went out of her way to pick up a cake for me, making sure that she got whipped icing just because she knows it is my favorite. So, thanks, mom, for all the things you do. They don’t go unnoticed! I hope that I can make you proud and never disappoint you.
After everyone left, Chris and I have enjoyed the fantastic weather by driving around on back roads looking for a dam. We did eventually find the dam, but on the way we also discovered this old abandoned barn, which made for some nice shots.
It is true. I have graduated.
I am now a Master of the Arts of English.
And I have photographs to prove it.
Do I not look like a cult leader?
In the morning at 7:30 am. When our spirits were still high and the hat hair hadn’t set in.
A handful of the graduate students and our special yet awkward graduate student sleeves.
Still waiting to walk. For two hours.
We made it!
Kirsten and I with our thesis chair, Dr. Schmidt.
*The lighting in the gym was awful*
Melissa took this one–me receiving my hood from my thesis chair.
That is more than enough, I’m sure. More on flickr.
Sometimes I find that it is the middle of the day and realize that I haven’t drank anything yet.
Sometimes I’m amazed at how rude people can be.
Sometimes I get really excited about possibilities and then get incredibly discouraged thinking that I don’t have a chance.
Sometimes I’m just all right with any little thing that life throws at me, and I take it in stride.
Sometimes I graduate.
Sometimes I write stupid blogs and question myself before hitting “publish,” but then do it anyway.
At all times, though, punctuation goes inside the quotation marks.
I can’t get myself to just submit my final paper. It isn’t due until midnight, so I keep wanting to revise, yet I feel done. Just done.
I’m pretty sure that I live in a rain forest. It will suddenly start pouring for about ten minutes and then stop. Gloom gloom gloom. I wonder if the sun will ever come back. I’d like to think of Abed-nego as a spider monkey and Mr. Rufus as a … panther. We live together in a tree house in the rain forest canopy. The rain is making me all achy like an old person.
Speaking of old people, I have a pot of vegetarian chili simmering on the stove top that I can’t wait to get into.
Another cold, wet, rainy day. I don’t mind the rain; it is refreshing. I worry about Saturday (graduation), though. The forecast is not looking too good. What happens in that case, I wonder?
Slowly creeping toward the end. Tomorrow I submit the 101ers’ final grades and I also submit my last paper. Then it is done.
I got really lucky this semester. I usually get very sick in the fall as it is beginning to get cold and in the spring as the weather is changing. I didn’t get sick once this semester, which really is amazing. However, I have had a headache for about a week straight now from all the pollen and I can’t really hear well out of my left ear. Hm. If that is all the sickness I have to endure for the semester, I’ll take it.
Today Chris and I were both really feeling the need for sushi. We headed to King’s Island and split a California roll and a spicy tuna roll. After we finished up, our waitor said, “I will bring you your good fortune,” as he went to get our fortune cookies. If only it were that easy.
So, I have a little bit of revising to do, but instead I think I’ll listen to music and clean. Do some laundry. That sort of thing. Life has felt like it has been falling apart through all the stress and panic of the past two months. I don’t know what to expect and I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t care.
Well, yesterday was the GSA party. Obviously.
Most of the second-year GSAs made it and we sat around talking about memories. As promised, Mrs. Towles told an embarrassing or funny story about each of us. Mine was that I am short, of course. She joked on the fact that I pretty much always use a power point in my lectures because I can only reach half of the white board. It’s true. Every once in a while I’ll stand on a chair to write on the board.
Then we gave her a tree, which she really seemed to like a lot. Then it was time for lasagna and more talk of the past. And how weird Las Vegas is. I decided to write a paper on the simulacra of Vegas. Too bad I’ve never been there. Or maybe not. We didn’t end up leaving until almost 9:00 pm, and it was just pouring on the way home. I was actually a little scared, but we made it.
After saying so many times “It’s almost over,” I still can’t reconcile it in my mind. It was strange that this was the last time that I will see many of the students. I have an exam to take tomorrow, but that will mostly be it aside from graduation. Grad school has completely consumed my life for the past two years. It is all I have thought about. There has been no “life” outside of it unless you count backpacking, which has been our only way to get ourselves to stop thinking about school for just a little while. I’m sad to see it end, but ready to move on. I wish we could stay in Lynchburg with all of our friends and keep teaching at the university. Alas, it is time to go onto something else somewhere else.
GSA party at Mrs. Towles’ house!
Free lasagna!
Anne, Bri, and Amber on the couch. Ellissa and Mrs. Tolwes. Dallas and Ryan on the other couch.
We gave her a tree!
Her house is so awesome.
Ryan, Stephanie, Lauren, Ashley, Travis, Jessica, Eric, and Amber.
And Bri, Charity, and Ellissa.
We decided last night that our main goal today is just to have fun and maybe work in some school work later.
This past week has been very frustrating with some terrifying conflicts (that weren’t our fault), but it looks like these issues will just be annoying a little bit longer and work out fine in the end. It’s tough to graduate–by the way, my “cost to graduate” has gone up to over $500 now because we had to pay $55 each to submit out theses to the library, a requirement. Good thing we got a raise this year.
Today we plan to go downtown to the market. I want real strawberries that aren’t artificially huge due to hormones so they taste like nothing. I want ones that are red all the way through. Chris wants to pick up some local honey comb. All available at the market! Then we’re going to apply for summer jobs at a couple of places.
After that, who knows. Maybe a walk at the park. Maybe we’ll go to Farmville and walk on their rails to trails.
Tomorrow is the end of the year party with Towles! I have already missed two other faculty sponsored parties due to the aforementioned “conflicts” that have been nagging us. So time consuming. Not this time. I’m going to eat lasagna.
Today was my last day teaching as an English GSA. Well, I just gave a final, but it is the last time that I’ll see those kids.
The experience of teaching 101 has been just amazing. The students taught me so much about myself, writing, teaching, and public speaking. I’m not the same Katie who sheepishly directed students to their sections back in August 2007. I hope that someone can recognize the value of this experience and give me a decent job.
One of the other GSAs shared a quote from a paper. The paper was supposed to be analyzing an Indiana Jones poster, but instead the student just gave a summary of the movie. The paper ended with a comment akin to this: At the end of the movie, the high priest of evil falls into a pit of cockatiels.
Wow. Cockatiels? Really? Just amazing. It totally made my day. I made this picture on Paint as my response:
I also found this video clip and thought it was too hilarious NOT to post.
OK, OK.
I changed the layout from the cool hot air balloons to this typical K2 because I somehow messed up the comments. I don’t know what I did, but apparently they weren’t working. They should now. I think. I sure did like those hot air balloons…. Oh well.
I’m currently going a little crazy over my last paper to write. Well, there is one more on top of this, but I already have a full-length rough draft. So, I mostly need to gather more source material and elaborate on my claims, but I’m just so tired of it all.
Blah blah blah. School school school.
Thing is, though, I’d much rather be doing this than math problems.
“I think I’m too cynical to ever have a good symbol.” -Chris
I heard a little girl tell her father, “I need water.”
I couldn’t stop myself from adding, “And maybe somebody’s daughter.”
Chris and I just spent about an hour going through everything in our apartment and car looking for a misplaced wallet.
Everywhere. It just didn’t make any sense. Then Chris found it. In our trash. Grosss.
I like to think of myself as a relatively clean person. But, man, trash is so sick. I think it has something to due with wet stuff that isn’t supposed to be wet.
I spent some time in the office today talking to Charity about her wedding plans and such. It really is coming together, and I just can’t wait to take the photos. Stoked! And scared to mess it all up!
Anyway… It is only 5:30 pm and I’m feeling all right. Tomorrow is my last grad class eveerrrr. For my M.A., at least.
This is a photo taken on our camping trip from a few weeks ago.
The controlled burning of Cold Mountain…
It took Chris a while to convince me that it was good enough to post,
but I like it now.
I’d give a lot to be back there right now, not moving on with all of these responsibilities and worries.
School, work, teaching, grading, finding more work. Blah.
I wish this weekend had been more play and less work.
Complain complain complain.
Next weekend will bring more fun times–I think.
This coming week is going to either be very relaxed or very insane.
I haven’t decided yet.
It is 87 degrees in our apartment, and we only have one fan, but I refuse to turn on the AC.
Lynchburg has been nice lately. The trees on the top of the mountains are all green finally. Yesterday, Chris and I had some good finds at the record store. Ziggy Stardust and the E.T. soundtrack for a dollar! We talked to the owner for a little bit. He’s really nice and used to be an elementary school teacher.
Then we had everyone over to watch Burn After Reading, which just made me feel sad. I demanded to watch Cinderella afterward.
Today I picked out new glasses frames from a bargain rack at Pearl. Much, much cheaper than the other place, so I should get those on Monday or sometime soon. I’ve been needing a peach shake lately because of the perfect weather, and we almost tried to get one at the Sundae Grille, but put it off. I don’t remember why. Just wasn’t feeling it. Instead, we headed to Magnolia Foods. They have this really cute, round picnic basket with everything in it you could possibly need: glasses, a knife, napkins, a cutting board, and more. We thought about that for a moment too, but just decided to, once again, put it off. Maybe for my birthday or something. I don’t know. I’ll probably go back next week at some point and apply for a summer job there. They’re hiring and it is a nice little deli/grocery store. The only thing is that it is close to downtown, about 15 minutes away. But, really, I’m just so spoiled with everything literally being around the corner from my apartment. 15 minutes is not that long of a drive. I wish that we lived downtown. So nice.
In other news, I hate headlines. Always go on and on about this swine flu. I just want it to go away. I don’t want to have to worry about getting sick from pigs and dying and all of that. Blah. Fallen world, I suppose? Can’t it just breeze over like the bird flu? 2005 was scary: bird flu and Katrina. At least there aren’t any big hurricanes coming through. Yet.
Ah, the weekend.
Two weeks until graduation. I can’t believe it still.
The past two years have flown by in many ways, but have been filled with so much stress and hard work.
Adjusting to grad school the first semester, I had to pull an all-nighter each time that a paper was due.
The challenges just kept growing, though, especially with the thesis this semester. But it is all done now. All 87 pages of it.
I’ll be sending it off to get bound soon. Then all you people can look it up on the databases and read it and learn about Vonnegut’s apocalypses. Or not.
Right now, life has a lot of potential: there are a lot of possibilities that remain, and I want time to hurry up so I can find where I’m going to be living, working, all of that.
However, at the same time, I am afraid that I won’t like what I’m going to find. Then there won’t be any way out.
I mean, I am very flexible, and I know happiness isn’t limited to where I work.
But I just don’t want to end up stuck in a dead-end job. And I don’t want to sell something I don’t believe in. You know?
When it comes down to it, I just really want to teach.
Catharsis is lacking at times.
Dates I’m looking forward to:
May 9-Graduation
May 16-vacation in Florida
June 1-statewide teaching job fair in SC. Come oooon, Greenville.
Chris took this picture yesterday.
As long as I have plenty of seed to offer, the finches are my friends.
If not, they couldn’t care less about me. Oh, finchies.
Approaching the end of the year and I’m feeling all right.
My committee has approved of all of my thesis revisions,
so I am collecting their signatures today and submitting it to the library.
It’ll all be over.
Chris: I couldn’t resist and got Ruffles and ranch dip, but I got carrots too so maybe we’ll be healthy.
Kt: Yeah right. I’m going in that bag Mr. Rufus style.
I went to the eye doctor for the first time in two years.
The doctor thought I was in high school.
I explained that I was within a couple of weeks of finishing up my graduate degree, and he looked confused.
When will people learn that short + skinny doesn’t always = teenage? I got see a picture of the inside of my eye, which looks like a super galactic nebula black hole with a shining light in the center.
I learned that my right eye is not aligned properly–whatever that means–but it isn’t bad enough to do something about it.
Is my face lop-sided? I didn’t get that impression.
I decided that glasses cost too much and instead decided to wait and go somewhere else to pick out a frame. If I have to spend $270 (which I don’t plan to), I should at least get something that I really like. Right?
Then I went to the office early. Chris had a meeting. Thesis-life is going to be okay.
I studied. Went to lit crit where we talked about Twitter. And the blogosphere. And I was embarrassed to admit that I have one.
After class, Chris needed to buy a book for his O’Connor paper, so we headed to Barnes and Noble where we split a frap in celebration of the revival of the thesis. While sitting there, a lady announced over the speaker that Dan Brown had just posted the release date of his new book! Reserve your copy today! What is our world of literature coming to?
So, here I am, ready to do O’Connor research and dig into some more of these freshmen papers.
My toe nail is still blue from when I dropped a shampoo bottle on it in the shower about a week ago.
I’m sure you all needed to know that.
South Carolina sent me a letter today saying I’m cool enough to teach English to their middle schoolers and high schoolers. Shoot, Virginia. Why don’t you recognize?
This week has been more stressful than I can even begin to describe. Chris has been working on thesis revisions non-stop–and I mean non-stop. So, I’ve tried to be a good cheerleader and a good cook while also doing my own work. Today, we knew that we just had to do something outside or we might go crazy.
We teamed up with Dallas and Andrew, packed a picnic, and headed to James River State Park to check out Charity and Andrew’s possible wedding site. Is it strange to do this activity with all boys? It seems a little flipped to me. The thing is, though, Chris used to be forced to hang out with all girls all the time (Stephanie, Charity, and me), and now things are finally more even.
Anyway. It was a lot of fun and green and mountainous and we had a yummy picnic of fresh, local bread, French cheese, chicken, and mineral water.
More photos–we took a bunch of the site to show Charity.
Mewithyou beat us to writing a song titled “Everything was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt.”
After all these years, I didn’t have their full album, so I never knew.
Damn.
By the way, one committee member down, two to go. That sounded like a hit list…. I merely mean those approving of my thesis revisions. Otherwise, I would have said, “So it goes.” But it doesn’t go.
Our local hiking store is closing. I can’t say that I didn’t see it coming, but it still is sad. The owner was really nice and he is the one who told us about Mt. Pleasant Scenic Area.
The economy is really bad for everyone, yet it still stings knowing that someone else’s dream is going down the drain. Part of the problem, I think, was that the products he carried were too expensive. They were more mid-grade, and I could always find what I needed drastically cheaper through REI. For example, we really wanted to buy our tent from there just to support local business, but the cheapest equivalent that he had was $200 more than the one we got from REI. I simply can’t afford to just throw away $200 like that. We found the same situation with many other products that we needed.
I watched the store go from a backpacking-based store to mostly just clothes. They still carried backpacking equipment, of course, but not much. Running a business is complicated stuff. If you don’t have the money, you can’t stock on everything.
I wonder if things will ever get better. In time, I suppose, but life certainly feels troubling.
As I was reading for my O’Connor class, Chris read this article aloud to me, pointing out the frustrations of graduate students in this terrible job market. The article basically suggests that graduate degrees in the humanities (including English) are not really worth it all the way. It explains that 50% of all graduates of Ph.D. programs in humanities never find tenure-track jobs at universities or colleges. It is heart breaking in a lot of ways.
However, there are many reasons to go to graduate school for a Masters in English that are in fact valuable.
1. If you have a T.A. position, it provides work experience while needing to either take out a small amount of loans of none at all while deferring previous student loans from undergrad. I think that I have learned just as much being a T.A. as I have in my grad classes themselves. Not only have I learned about teaching and communication from teaching English 101, but my writing skills and understanding of grammar have improved tremendously.
2. It provides a chance to earn a higher G.P.A. Many people find that their grades improve in graduate school. I did well in undergrad and didn’t really need a clean slate, but my G.P.A. has improved by over a half of a point. A higher G.P.A. is always a good thing.
3. You have the chance to make more connections. At the graduate level, faculty members often see grad students more as peers since grad students are held to a higher level of academics. As a result, better connections can be formed. Coming out of undergrad, I had three letters of recommendation from well-meaning professors. Now, though, my letters are stronger with more specific comments on my work skills, intelligence, and character. I believe that an employer could call my references and be very impressed with what my references have to say. In fact, I have been told by two different employers how happy they were with my references.
4. It provides a chance to hone in on your skills. I can’t express how much I have learned in graduate school. I have a better understanding of both literature and writing. How many job descriptions demand good communication and writing skills?
5. If you are going into education, an M.A. in English in fact makes you more employable. During an interview, one school administrator told me that I would be at the top of the list of candidates if I just had certification because they really like hiring people with Master’s degrees in their subject area.
In the end, degrees in English simply aren’t that employable to begin with. If you can’t find a job with your B.A. in English and you have the chance to get your M.A. in English more or less for free with a T.A.ship, then I would suggest that you just go for it, knowing that you will once again have difficulty finding a job after graduation despite your graduate degree. I wouldn’t suggest it without a T.A.ship, though. It isn’t really worth it to go into large amounts of debt or to give up a sturdy job because the teaching experience with a T.A.ship seems essential to me. This isn’t because English is a bad degree or anything, but because jobs are demanding more and more specific degrees with designated career tracks. Earning an M.A. in English, though, can help with the previously mentioned problems. I didn’t think that I wanted to teach going into grad school, but I have found that I really, really love it. So, I suspect that this degree will help with finding employment in that area. Maybe just not right now. Because no one finds jobs right now.
Finally got back out there this weekend.
This time, we hiked the Mt. Pleasant Loop backwards.
Last time, we crossed this stream (below) quite easily back in August.
With all of the rain we’ve been getting, it was flowing quite heavily and became more tricky.
3.3 miles up to this amazing view. Snapped some shots. Got some sunburn and hiked down 4 miles to the lot.
About a mile into the Hotel Trail (which leads up to Cold/Cole Mountain), we camped here. There are so many great spots with one huge fire pit. Of course, we didn’t have a fire, but it’d be fun visit with friends. On the way, we noticed lots of areas had been completely scorched. We met a worker who confirmed our thoughts that it had been a controlled burning. Our area, though, was quite clear.
We enjoyed a warm meal for the first time. This has been our sixth trip and each time we have just eaten bars, chewy snacks, and other treats of sorts. We got a burner for Christmas this year, so we had full, happy tummies.
Then we just relaxed and laughed and got more sunburn.
After eight and a half miles of hiking, I found myself exhausted.
In the middle of the night, Abed-nego decided that he had to go to the bathroom–right away. I leashed him up and tossed him outside. He immediately began growling, and we heard some animals chatter. After he finally went, I pulled him back in the tent and told him how dumb he was being. Dachshunds are too brave for their own good sometimes.
Come morning, we opted out of making oat meal and tea for breakfast. Instead, we just headed back to the car and came home. It was a really fun trip. I got to see my favorite peak and then just lay in the grass at the campsite and ate good food and drank a lot of water. A lot of water. Felt the night wind. Admired the clear night sky. Didn’t worry about a darn thing that had to do with school or work or life.
More photos on Flickr.
I still have more to add later.
The Troll 2 party was awesome. According to Chris, it was the best screening of Troll 2 yet.
I think I agree.
Spice cake cup cakes with cream cheese icing.
I ran out of green stuff and got lazy with the icing with this batch. Oh wellz.
If someone is willing to sit through that whole movie and laugh with you, then they can only be but so bad.
Camping plans are changing some. The weather out in Damascus isn’t looking as clear, so we’re going to head for Mt. Pleasant Scenic Area instead. I’m a little bummed, but we’ll just try again another time. And Mt. Pleasant has been my favorite place so far. We’ll probably do the loop, then camp on the Hotel Trail, hook onto the AT in the morning, and finish out the rest of the second loop in the morning. That way it’ll be different than our other trips.
Ah, I can’t wait for summer.
Slumdog Millionaire was satisfactory.
More than that. It was great.
And I knew the answer to the final question thanks to my Man in the Iron Mask days with Kimmy and Jessi.
Now I want to adopt a troubled Indian child.
I took the M.A. exit interview yesterday, then wrote my response paper and revised until around 10:30 pm or so.
Today, I went to lit crit and cheerfully received congratulations for my defense. It is nice to feel support from the faculty. Really, the acceptance I’ve enjoyed has been invaluable.
These days, though, I find myself so frustrated as I work hard and do my best, but don’t see it paying off.
Maybe it will eventually–it probably will–but I’d like to just know what to expect.
How boring of a job will I have to get in the mean time? And will we be able to make it with just one car?
I don’t know what it is all for sometimes.
The weather is grogeous, though, and we’re planning at least a one night camping trip this weekend.
So, I’ll go change out of my school clothes and go for a run at Blackwater Creek.
It is double-date night with Charity and Andrew to see Slumdog Millionaire at the dollar theater,
and tomorrow night we are having that Troll 2 party. Time to make green food.
I interlibrary loaned a book for O’Connor.
It came from Hampden-Sydney.
A part of it felt like home.
I got my stufff today.
It is costing us $400 to graduate. Goodness!
This is a photo of me in high school reading Slapstick!
I guess not much has changed.
Today I defended my Master’s thesis on the Apocalypse in the novels of Kurt Vonnegut.
It was successful and I just have some minor revisions to make.
In some ways, I am relieved to have it back with more work to do.
I have both cursed this thesis and loved it. Ah. It is almost over, though.
Afterward, we met some friends for dinner.
I’m planning a Troll 2 party for this Friday. Indeed.
What a long, long day.
My curls can never last through the hours, especially with wind and rain. Bah.
There certainly are not many Mondays left before graduation. I had submitted my application and tomorrow I plan to purchase my new gown (with special sleeves and pockets!), tassel, STOLE (yes, dad, I get it now), and white hood. I was so excited to get my hood during undergrad–it really does feel special. Now I’ll have two. And maybe one more in a handful of years. Who knows.
I’m excited to do this all over again, yet it feels insignificant at times.
I mean, I have worked very, very hard, and I have grown a lot. A lot a lot.
But there’s something about having a job lined up that makes it feel more worth it.
Still, this is not the end of education for Katie Robinson.
No, no. There are plans. Even if those specific ones don’t work out,
I’ll make new ones.
Researching for my O’Connor term paper while watching a Leonard Cohen tribute concert.
What a ladies man at the Chelsea Hotel.
“And she feeds you tea and oranges / That come all the way from China”
I just feel like creating today, but not the things that I am supposed to.
Collecting wet cherry blossoms this morning
to rescue them from the grass.
“He took a long time to believe them because he wanted to believe them. All he wanted was to believe them and get rid of it once and for all, and he saw the opportunity here to get rid of it without corruption, to be converted to nothing instead of to evil.” Wise Blood, Flannery O’Connor
One month, one week, and one day until graduation.
My thesis has been forwarded to the committee today.
Now I just wait until the defense.
I don’t feel as relieved as I should—I want to do more work on it, improve it more.
It never feels over.
I graded all of my students’ papers.
I don’t have too much to work on right now.
I don’t know what to do with myself,
so I’m updating everything that I can think of saying just that.
I suppose I could read more Still Life with Woodpecker.
I needsa haircutz.
Chris took that picture.
People’s tendencies never change all the way, it seems. That can be for good or bad–depending on the tendency.
I hope to be a person full of inspiration, motivation, and grace. I don’t know if I am.
Yesterday we met Chris’ family in Charlottesville for dinner. Elizabeth is turning 16 in a couple of days. I remember when she was only 11. Time has gone by so fast. I remember my Uncle Doug told me when I graduated from high school that life would just breeze on from then. I couldn’t understand because as a teenager, life just seems to drag. In many ways, I felt mature enough to handle my life as an adult, but I was stuck in algebra class. Then I graduated and he certainly was right.
This is my last day of thesis revisions. I must get it done today and sent off to the committee so I can defend as early as April 6th. I’m in good shape for that, I think, and I’m proud of the research that I’ve done. I have completed so many agonizing drafts, but it keeps improving. So it is worth it.
Whether we stay in Lynchburg or move, my goal for the summer is to re-do our office. Get rid of our l-shaped desk, perhaps even give the spare bed back to Christopher’s parents…. Guests have only slept in it about four times in the past two years. If anything, the trouble will simply be finding new ways to store all of our “extra” yet necessary items, like boxes of wires. I’m hoping to create an environment more conducive for writing and reading. Like Marianne.
The tulips are blooming.
And I am happy.
Downtown Lynchburg
And my dinner–General Tso’s tofu.
My new favorite song of all time for now is Animal Collective’s “Bluish.”
I know that is a contradiction.
And I am thinking of how I would make a map out of that sentence. Make me stop!
Unfortunately, my lap top’s speakers can’t quite muster up the strength to put out the amazing bass. Ahhh.
With life going the way it is, I’ve come to the point to just say whooo cares. As long as I can pay my bills after graduation in May, I’m fine. I can recognize beauty in music, literature, the evening sky, and the newly blooming tulips downtown. These thoughts keep me content. Nothing is promised in this world. No matter how hard I work or how many years I make sacrifices to stay in school, I am not garunteed that it will all pay off. I’m just thankful that I don’t have too many financial responsibilities, like a huge mortgage, during this economic crisis.
And maybe a little bit of this provides affirmation that I can still accomplish some of my previous hopes.
Job fair today in Charlottesville for private schools.
Fifteen copies of my resume. Zero interviews.
How can I compete with Ivy Leaguers returning to their alma mater?
How can I argue that I am competent when they all know the Headmasters on a first name basis?
Chris and I walk out onto the downtown Charlottesville Mall.
Needing lunch, we stop by an eatery. I can’t even afford a salad.
Nothing like Charlottesville to make you feel inferior.
People collecting signatures for a petition.
We walk past.
No one approaches us even though we are dressed in our finest suits.
Everyone else, though, they talk to.
With his head in hands, Christopher says, “I feel like the Invisible Man.”
I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids–and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me.
But we agree and know that we could never compare ourselves to those who truly have lived through the pains of invisibility. Don’t think we attempt to dilute this.
Tired of kicking around the hotel in vain, we go to the Gravity Lounge.
Virginia Festival of the Book is taking place that day,
and to our luck, we find a free lecture on Jack Kerouac’s America.
Immediately, we are seen and someone hands us an evaluation.
And I recognize myself there.
The lecture is familiar. We hear the words and know the themes.
Familiar. Refreshing.
We talk to the professors after the lecture and we continue to recognize ourselves.
I am not a commodity.
Neither are my dreams.
