12-23-10

Today we drove to the Pacific. On the way we stopped to check out the local fauna. There were dozens of these under the bridge over the Rio Tarcoles. We parked and walked to the bridge and looked down... Woah!

It's beautiful here. Stunning. The house is amazing and the ocean is in the back yard. Coconuts are germinating right on the beach.

I was overwhelmed with the beauty of the rocks and the waves, and spent all afternoon playing in the surf. In my clothes- the airline lost my baggage. It got shipped to Mexico so I await...

12-22-10

In flight to Costa Rica!

12-22-10

Oh gosh, we woke up this morning in snowy Chicago, took a shuttle to Midway and a flight to Atlanta. In the international terminal there was a going away party for the troops. There was food and a band and Boy Scouts giving out goodie bags. Very moving.

Dan and I tried to walk the entire airport but only got concourses A and E done in an hour. Big airport, Hartsfield International.

So now, unbelievably, I am on the flight to Costa Rica using the in-flight wifi. Cool! We are all well, excited about what adventures lie ahead.

12-21-10

Today we drove to Indianapolis first to drop off Frisbee with his cousins Roxie, Maisie, Bliss, and the kittens. It was really snowy up there too. Then we headed for Chicago and checked into our hotel. We went to dinner at Giordano's -one of Dan's favorites from college days. We are up late waiting for Jes's flight from Denver to land. Tomorrow, Costa Rica!

12-20-10

 

 

 

 

Still ice. Squirt doesn't seem bothered by it, but he did help clear a path from the house to the studio. Spent the day packing for our trip. It snowed again this evening. Crazy weather. I'm looking forward to summer in two days. Summer in Costa Rica!

12-19-10

 

Squirt came in the house this afternoon with a 3 foot long icicle. I tried to take a picture of him with it, but my macro lens was still on the camera and I just got his beautiful face. He was giving me a smirk because he thought it was really stupid to stand outside with an icicle for a photo. "Don't put this on Facebook" he said. I didn't. This is a blog!

12-19-10 ice sculptures

 

 

 

 

The ice has stayed frozen on the trees and today I knew I had to make some art from it. Spent the day doing odd things to get ready for our trip. Shopped, wrapped presents, boxed up things for shipping- which I will have to do tomorrow. Aren't these beautiful?

12-17-10

 

 

Another cold cold day in Kentucky. Dan scraped the car for me and I actually braved the icy roads to go turn in my annual review binder. On the way home while at the grocery I got a call from a colleague in Virginia. The National Science Foundation is very very close to funding our million dollar grant proposal. They wanted very minor changes and explanations about our budget so that they could "move the proposal forward." I hope that means what I think it means. Luckily I was able to get my grants person on the phone and make the changes before the end of the working day. Also got another NSF grant proposal finished today. I've got two proposals going in next month and possibly one being funded any day now. So exciting!

So, the photos. Isn't the one of Aza and Dan and Frisbee adorable? They didn't see it coming. They had just said to me, "When are you going to update your blog? You haven't updated it in 2 weeks! We want to see it!" So, I went and got my camera. Squirt was lying on the floor in front of the wood stove getting warm, but he didn't want a photo of that on the blog. It's so cozy in the living room when the fire is blazing. But there aren't enough nice places to sit.

Oh, the coffee. Squirt must have decided that his energy drinks were too expensive. He got in the car and drove to the store and came home with this gallon of ground coffee. I got his goat by saying, "Why did you buy decaf?" just to watch him freak out a bit. Still working around the clock on this video project. He made six cups and drank them black in one sitting. ok....

12-16-10

 

 

 

We had an ice storm. Squirt spent a couple hours trying to get all the ice off the driveway, bless his heart. Aza cleaned the kitchen and it looked so good I just had to take a photo of it. I've got awesome kids. Found out today that Squirt got a 4.0 this semester!!! YAY! And Aza got officially accepted to the master's program at UK. I worked from home all day on my new course I'll teach spring semester. It's called spring semester but since it starts in the dead of winter it's more like winter quarter was when I was back at Auburn. It was a very productive day.

12-14-10

 

LONG day. Had breakfast at Magee's Bakery at 7:30am to interview a candidate for our new department. We act fast! Then I gave a final exam. Then I had a department meeting. Then I had a college faculty meeting. Then we interviewed the candidate again. Whew! Then, on the way home I had to go to the grocery. Squirt really wanted me to survey his favorite beverage so he could do a price comparison. He's been burning the midnight oil working on a special project for the university- a video about STEM education, ironically enough. So, these energy drinks are pretty expensive. I could use one this evening. Exhausted by 8pm.

12-13-10

 

Ok, I know this is not a great picture. But it represents a great day. First, we had a lot of snow last night so my review session was postponed until 11am. Good. Then I worked all afternoon until 2:30 when we walked across the street to the University Senate meeting. Me, Mags, Miss March, CJ, Miss January, and my hall next-door-neighbors J&B. Oh, and the Dean and the department chair and an Associate Dean. We were going to sit in on the senate vote on our new Department of STEM Education. Google that. You won't find much. We are going to be the second real STEM Education department in the USA. The other one is in Massachusetts and the one at ODU that they call one really isn't. It's about fashion merchandising and stuff.

The vote was in favor! The motion carried! Now for a stamp of approval from the Provost (who was at this meeting with the President of the university)and we will be a new department.

Ok, so this picture. We went out to dinner to celebrate at my favorite restaurant in town. Afterwards I just had to capture the moment with my iPhone, which takes sucky photos indoors at night. These lovely ladies are all Dr. So-and-so with Ph.D.s from fancy universities, but to me they're my friends, colleagues, and "sisters of STEM."

12-12-10

 

 

 

We got a bunch more snow. I went outside and set my camera to manual focus and focused somewhere in the air and took flash photos. The Dean of the College of Education had a party this afternoon and it was actually really nice. I had a good time. Talked to some folks I don't see too often, ate some delicious food, and really enjoyed myself. The only thing I didn't like was picking out an outfit. I don't own ANY holiday outfits.

12-11-10

 

It is so cold in this house, I've had to sleep in a hoodie this week. Actually, it's a nice thing sleeping in a hoodie. Here are the benefits:
1. Your head stays warm which keeps your whole body warmer because you lose a bunch of thermal energy from your head.
2. It covers your ears so you don't hear the sirens and trains and squeaky floors as much.
3. Your hair stays neater and you might be able to skip a hair shampoo in the morning.

My friend Mags had a party tonight and we had so much fun. Awesome food, great friends, candles everywhere, cozy house. She had chili and just tons of other things to choose from. I ate three chocolate covered marshmallow dreidels. Mmmmm....

12-9-10

This day was SO freaking busy. I had meetings with students all morning, taught a class, had more meetings in the afternoon, graded two groups on their Unit Presentations (see photos), taught another class, and came home at 7:30pm.

 

 

12-8-10

 

I had a close encounter with this machine today. A torture machine controlled by someone who must be a masochist. She took obvious joy in putting me in the thing and then having "a chat" before taking the picture and releasing the clamps. I came home and lay on the bed and just cried. I felt like I'd been attacked. It's normally not that bad.

12-7-10

 

This is where I work. It used to be a high school way back when, but now it's the College of Education. Appropriate. I've been having lots of meetings across campus lately and doing some walking to get there. Walking back to my office today I was just taken by surprise at how pretty my building looks. Now if Lexington would only bury all the overhead wires the scenery would be prettier.

12-5-10

So, if you're looking for a great little get-away in Eastern Kentucky, here's the number to call. Ask for the Serenity Falls Cabin!

 

Here I am saying goodbye to our weekend getaway.

 

Portrait of my husband in the snow.

 

We got home after having Sunday Brunch at Doodles, one of my favorites in town. Our home was nice and snowy too. Spent the day recovering and settling in again. Tomorrow work starts up again with lessons to prepare, assignments to grade, meetings to attend. Yuck.

 

12-4-10

We left yesterday afternoon and arrived here late. Had dinner at the Lodge of the Natural Bridge State Park. It snowed all night and we woke up to a most beautiful forest. Here is the front of the house, seen after ascending 170 steps up a steep path crossing a creek.

 

And here is the back of the house, as seen from a rock wall that rises from two sides. Serenity Falls exists here in spring.

 

The inside of the house is cozy- a small kitchen, a small living room with a wood stove, and a small bedroom surrounded by windows on three sides. Upstairs is a loft with room for two double beds. A good size for a family. Perfect for two!

 

This is the view we woke up to out the bedroom window. A winter wonderland.

 

12-3-10

I felt better today and went to school for a meeting. Came home, ate lunch, and started packing for our little weekend getaway.

The tow truck came to get Aza's car. It's gone now. No more crunched up car in the driveway to remind us of her close call.

 

 

 

Now to get on the road... to a cabin in the woods... with a wood stove and hot tub surrounded by wilderness in the Red River Gorge. No grading, no writing, just relaxing with my husband of 25 years.

12-2-10

 

I canceled my class this evening.
Started feeling poorly around 10am during my first class, then came home and slept all afternoon.
It snowed again today- very pretty. I'm feeling a little better this evening but something isn't quite right. My vision is blurry and I can't type well. Spacey.
In 1.5 years of college teaching this is my first time canceling class. I'm sure my students don't mind a little break.

12-1-10

 

Today.
First day of December.
It snowed.
Mailed off three birthday cards.
Got vaccinated for our trip to Costa Rica.
Drove to school with Aza, who had an all-day meeting.
Graded lesson plans.
Set up a cool lesson on electromagnetic induction.
Had a meeting with four people in the Science Library about distance learning.
Learned that my DL course in the spring was not set up properly by someone.
Came home with Aza.
Made tomato and cheese sandwiches for dinner.
Graded more lesson plans.
Gave up on grading lesson plans.
Uploaded this picture.
Went to bed.

11-30-10

 

The day started off very normally except for the rain. I didn't want to walk to the bus stop in the rain, so I drove to school. Pretty wimpy of me, but I'm glad I drove, considering. Today is Dan's and my 25th wedding anniversary so I was feeling sunny in spite of the dreary rain.

I was formally observed teaching this morning, which turned out to be fine because I taught a really wonderful lesson and the students were highly engaged. Many of them stayed after class to tell the observer nice things about me (I can only assume...)

However, during a faculty meeting a text came through from Aza. She had been in a car wreck. She was fine. The car was not. Stunned and shocked, I managed to get through the rest of the faculty meeting then rushed home to hold my baby girl.

 

This is the airbag that saved her precious head from the windshield, which was shattered.

 

We spent the evening together. Dan picked up some BBQ for dinner and we huddled together in the rainy night, thankful for 25 years of blessings. I was thankful to have our daughter safe and sound at home with us.

11-27-10 continued

 

And.... so I get a desk to work on in my new basement studio! Now for some electricity so I can plug in my lamp!

11-27-10

 

 

 

 

Today we bought a new desk for my home office. It took a half a day to find it, bring it home, take apart my old "desk", assemble the new one, set it up and organize all my computer equipment, etc. Good results.