A few good things I am excited about right now:
1. It's baseball season! Baseball is definitely my favorite sport. I enjoy watching college football also, but I've always been more of a baseball girl. The Braves have been my team since I learned what a baseball was, though I consistently support the Red Sox when the Braves don't make it to the postseason (which is often in recent years). Jeremy and I have been going to more games in the past few years, and Turner Field is a place I just can't get enough of.
2. Car shopping. Jeremy and I have decided that before we start talking about the baby thing, we will have to have a family-ready car. The two-door Honda Civic just won't cut it with a carseat in the back. It's paid for, which is fabulous, but we have started looking for something four-door. If I weren't driving 40 miles (one way) to work every day, I would trade with my sister for the Trailblazer (again). Instead, we are going to sell the Civic and probably buy either a Honda Accord or an Altima, sticking with a 4-cylinder model so I can afford to buy gas. I am leaning toward the Accord, and I found a great deal on one, so I am hoping my car sells quickly.
3. Spring weather. I am so excited to trade closed-toe shoes and sweaters for flip-flops and capris! Mom bought me some Reef sandals this weekend, and though I was skeptical of spending $40.00 on what are basically flip flops (I usually stick with the always-economical Old Navy ones for $2.50!), I am absolutely in love with them. I imagine I will quickly get $40.00 worth of wear out of them.
4. Vacation-planning. Jeremy and I didn't really take much of a vacation last year, so I am trying to find us a couple of good, relatively cheap trips for this year. At the top of my list right now is Savannah, GA, so I am trying to convince Jeremy that he will actually enjoy it. I can waste a significant amount of time on expedia just looking at hotel reviews, so planning is half the fun anyway. Also, my sister is spending the summer at the beach doing mission work with a group from her college, so we will be heading down there with my mom.
5. Landscaping. Now that it is getting warmer, it is time to start thinking about our yard. We moved into the house in November, so we were stuck with the yard for the winter, but Jeremy has been making big plans for lots of changes this spring. I am excited to get started, and even more excited to enjoy the finished product. The yard is the only thing we haven't really touched, so when it's done I think it will feel like the house is truly ours.
6. Economic stimulus package, because anytime the government wants to hand me money to boost the economy, I'm all for it! We have big plans for our $1,200.00, mostly related to number 5, above.
Those are just a few things on my list, but on this drab Tuesday, I needed to remind myself of some of the things I am looking forward to! It has made the day slightly better.
4.01.2008
3.28.2008
The background on my computer at work is now this picture:
This is Petey Grace, our newest family addition. She is slightly dopey at times, but always cuddly and sweet. She's still a puppy, and her clumsiness cracks me up. She's very adoring of her "parents" (Jeremy and me), so I can even excuse the fact that insists on sleeping between us and takes up approximately one-half of the bed! I love my dogs, by the way.
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This is Petey Grace, our newest family addition. She is slightly dopey at times, but always cuddly and sweet. She's still a puppy, and her clumsiness cracks me up. She's very adoring of her "parents" (Jeremy and me), so I can even excuse the fact that insists on sleeping between us and takes up approximately one-half of the bed! I love my dogs, by the way.
Just the Usual
I realize I have not been using this blog to its full potential...and I still haven't even told anyone where to find it, but maybe one day I will find some blog friends! As for now, I will keep trying to write when the urge strikes, with the comfort that I don't have to edit my thoughts too much. Life is still extremely busy for both Jeremy and me. We are both working extra jobs- his at the high school on Wednesdays and my teaching. I guess people think we are struggling for money and are forced to work two jobs to make ends meet, but that's not really the case at all. I think we are just so accustomed to being busy all the time, we find productive ways to use our extra time. As for me, teaching college is something I have wanted to do pretty much since I entered college myself. I do have to admit, though, the extra income is welcome, and it is nice to be able to do the things we want without having to struggle. I was a little apprehensive about that aspect when we bought the house in September, but it's actually working out nicely.
Speaking of teaching, the semester is on the downhill side now. Spring break has come and gone. It was nice to have a break, but it's still shocking to remember that spring break means nothing outside the education environment. The office was relatively quiet last week, though, which was a welcome change. There is just over a month remaining until I give my first final exam, which is kind of exciting. I have enjoyed this first semester for the most part, but I am truly ready for the end right now. It has been an adjustment period for me, and I have been trying to learn how the system works and figure out exactly how I want to run my class. Beginning with the summer class, I intend to implement a few changes and truly make the class mine. Also, for the summer and fall at least, I am only teaching American Government. Someone else is going to teach the State and Local course, which is great because I didn't care much for it! I am going to try online instruction in the fall, so I will be offering one American Government course online and one on campus. Teaching has been a bit of a challenge this first semester, but overall, I think it is something I will enjoy. The good thing about adjunct instruction is that I am only contracted semester to semester. When it is not fun anymore, I will just find something new to do....maybe with a little better pay next time!
I guess the thing I am most excited about right now is my youth group. Three of our girls are beginning confirmation classes this Sunday, and in about four weeks they will be baptized and become church members! I am thrilled with how receptive the girls were to the idea, and I have to admit, it feels like a little validation for me as an instructor. I feel like maybe we've actually gotten through to some of them and we're making a difference in their lives. Those kids, particularly the girls, need something to hold onto through all they have to deal with, and I hope they can find it in the church. God is good, and I know He is using us all the time, even in ways we can't see!
Speaking of teaching, the semester is on the downhill side now. Spring break has come and gone. It was nice to have a break, but it's still shocking to remember that spring break means nothing outside the education environment. The office was relatively quiet last week, though, which was a welcome change. There is just over a month remaining until I give my first final exam, which is kind of exciting. I have enjoyed this first semester for the most part, but I am truly ready for the end right now. It has been an adjustment period for me, and I have been trying to learn how the system works and figure out exactly how I want to run my class. Beginning with the summer class, I intend to implement a few changes and truly make the class mine. Also, for the summer and fall at least, I am only teaching American Government. Someone else is going to teach the State and Local course, which is great because I didn't care much for it! I am going to try online instruction in the fall, so I will be offering one American Government course online and one on campus. Teaching has been a bit of a challenge this first semester, but overall, I think it is something I will enjoy. The good thing about adjunct instruction is that I am only contracted semester to semester. When it is not fun anymore, I will just find something new to do....maybe with a little better pay next time!
I guess the thing I am most excited about right now is my youth group. Three of our girls are beginning confirmation classes this Sunday, and in about four weeks they will be baptized and become church members! I am thrilled with how receptive the girls were to the idea, and I have to admit, it feels like a little validation for me as an instructor. I feel like maybe we've actually gotten through to some of them and we're making a difference in their lives. Those kids, particularly the girls, need something to hold onto through all they have to deal with, and I hope they can find it in the church. God is good, and I know He is using us all the time, even in ways we can't see!
2.26.2008
Encounter Weekend 2008
This past weekend was our annual youth trip to Gatlinburg for the Northeast Alabama United Methodist Conference's winter retreat. Encounter 2008 was a mostly a success, though it did not even begin to compare with last year's amazing conference. The speaker started off slow, but he had a good message in the end. Steve Fitzhugh, last year's speaker, had so much energy and enthusiasm for his message that you couldn't help but be inspired. Steve could make you laugh uncontrollably, then bring tears to your eyes three minutes later. Bart Campolo, who spoke this year, didn't bring quite the stage presence (then again, he's not a very large, black former NFL player!), but he did ultimately present a good message. He was also straightforward and obviously was not trying to please everyone with his message, but was speaking what he truly believed. I respect that, as I struggle to find the courage to do just that at times. The youth said they had an all-around better time last year, but I hope they got some new inspiration out of this conference as well. We discussed some of the ideas presented on the way home, and it seems like some of them really understood, even though it was much more understated than they are used to.
Bart has a big emphasis on missionary work and giving to those in need, whether it be the giving of your time, money, material possessions, or just love. One thing he said resonated with me particularly, because it's something I have felt for a long time, I just didn't know how to adequately express it. He stressed that it is important to remember that we don't have the things we have (wealth, jobs, health, etc.) because of anything we have done to deserve it, or because God has "blessed" us more than others. We simply were lucky enough to be born where we are, with the advantages we have. People in Africa or other third-world areas did not do anything to deserve the life they live, and we are not in any way "better" than them...basically just lucky to live in a place with all the opportunities that are available to us.
I recently read The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (great novel, by the way!), which puts this idea in a great perspective. It's about a family of missionaries who go to live in the Congo and convert the Africans to Christianity. You can probably imagine how things don't go quite as planned, and the missionaries themselves are actually the ones who emerge the most dramatically changed.
Anyway, good trip this year, and looking forward to some new ideas we have going on with the youth. I love this time of year, because we are all still pumped up from the conference and everyone feels good about their walk with Christ. I have been talking to one of the girls in youth about confirmation classes to be baptized and join the church. I am really excited about her taking this step...it makes me feel like we are doing some good and actually getting through to at least some of them!
Bart has a big emphasis on missionary work and giving to those in need, whether it be the giving of your time, money, material possessions, or just love. One thing he said resonated with me particularly, because it's something I have felt for a long time, I just didn't know how to adequately express it. He stressed that it is important to remember that we don't have the things we have (wealth, jobs, health, etc.) because of anything we have done to deserve it, or because God has "blessed" us more than others. We simply were lucky enough to be born where we are, with the advantages we have. People in Africa or other third-world areas did not do anything to deserve the life they live, and we are not in any way "better" than them...basically just lucky to live in a place with all the opportunities that are available to us.
I recently read The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (great novel, by the way!), which puts this idea in a great perspective. It's about a family of missionaries who go to live in the Congo and convert the Africans to Christianity. You can probably imagine how things don't go quite as planned, and the missionaries themselves are actually the ones who emerge the most dramatically changed.
Anyway, good trip this year, and looking forward to some new ideas we have going on with the youth. I love this time of year, because we are all still pumped up from the conference and everyone feels good about their walk with Christ. I have been talking to one of the girls in youth about confirmation classes to be baptized and join the church. I am really excited about her taking this step...it makes me feel like we are doing some good and actually getting through to at least some of them!
1.30.2008
I haven't done so well with my resolve to actually keep up my writing in this blog, but I haven't told anyone where to find it yet anyway, so I guess no one can be disappointed in me! Maybe one of these days when I have something worthy to write about I will let people in on my little secret. Things have settled into a routine lately, but Jeremy and I still both extremely busy. The week has become very exhausting for me, but weekends are my release. I have become very stingy with my time on the weekends. The best ones are when I have Saturdays entirely free to do whatever I want, or nothing at all. Working every weekend at Talk of the Town for so long got very old, so I still appreciate the pleasure of actually having a weekend the way it was intended to be! I have settled into a basic Saturday morning routine. I get up early, around 6:30 or so, because that's when the dogs get up (they don't understand the concept of the weekend, unfortunately). After I take care of them, I usually settle on the couch for awhile with a book and either a good movie on HBO or some tv on DVD (currently watching: Gilmore Girls, Season 2 and The Office, Season 3) until Jeremy gets up around 10:30. Those mornings are probably my favorite time of the weekend...there is a peacefulness and stillness to the house and the neighborhood early on Saturday mornings, and it does wonders for my state of mind (which tends to be stretched a little thin by the end of the week). Anyway, the final new addition to my Saturday morning routine is that I now cook breakfast almost every weekend. I know, it doesn't sound like a good thing if you know my history in the kitchen, but it's not bad at all, I promise! And it's actually improving all the time. Friday nights and Saturday mornings are virtually the only time Jeremy and I are home together all week, so we try to take full advantage of it. This is just a small change in our lives that's come about since we've moved into the new house, but overall, I am loving our life and our home right now.
1.16.2008
Everyday Life
The first few weeks of the new year have turned out to be busy ones for us. My new schedule does not allow for much time at home, but I have determined that as long as I have my weekends free I will be okay. The weekends have become my sanctuary for the week's required "me" time. I have started teaching classes in government on Tuesday and Thursday nights, and I think I will enjoy it once I get over my nervousness. One of the classes is a fun group; they really put me at ease and seem to enjoy the subject. I hope they learn something from me, even if it's just an increased awareness of current events and the knowledge that there are so many important things going on every day in the world outside of north Alabama. I think many of them will challenge me as well. I am going to have to strive to keep myself knowledgable about all important current events, whether or not I find them interesting. Election 2008 should provide some good material and a good opportunity for debate that will hopefully keep the students' attention easily. Even with our hectic schedules and struggling to find quality time together, Jeremy and I are enjoying life and making the most of every day.
1.02.2008
Endings...and Beginnings
Well, the holidays are officially over. I have to say they went by much too fast for me. As usual, everything snuck up on me around the second week of December and the next few weeks were a whirlwind. It's always fun to remember how much I love this time of year. We didn't get a whole lot of time off work, but thanks to some crafty maneuvering with my coworker, we were able to get a few extra afternoons away from the office. I miss being a kid and getting a glorious two weeks off at Christmas. Of course, that always went by too fast too, so I guess I am just never satisfied.
Christmas Day was packed full, as it has been for the past few years. The hasty Christmas wedding went better than I was expecting, although we were all too exhausted by that time to enjoy too much celebration. Jeremy and I exchanged our gifts on Christmas Eve this year. Since Christmas Day is so busy and rushed, we thought sitting down to enjoy a little time together the night before would be fun. I have never been a fan of opening presents early, preferring to wait for Christmas Day, but it did work well and gave us more time together. It's possible a new tradition has begun in the Hughes household. Of course, within the next few years, we will hopefully have a little one to share Christmas with, which will totally change the holiday for us....but it will be so much fun!
Anyway, now it's all over and it is time to get back to work. I start teaching at Northeast Community College next Tuesday, and I feel so unprepared. I think once I get started I will relax a little, but right now it feels like the first day of high school all over again (which was not a very pleasant feeling the first time around). I keep reminding myself this is what I wanted to do when I got my M.A., and I am actually doing it...at least my degree is going to be good for something!
Christmas Day was packed full, as it has been for the past few years. The hasty Christmas wedding went better than I was expecting, although we were all too exhausted by that time to enjoy too much celebration. Jeremy and I exchanged our gifts on Christmas Eve this year. Since Christmas Day is so busy and rushed, we thought sitting down to enjoy a little time together the night before would be fun. I have never been a fan of opening presents early, preferring to wait for Christmas Day, but it did work well and gave us more time together. It's possible a new tradition has begun in the Hughes household. Of course, within the next few years, we will hopefully have a little one to share Christmas with, which will totally change the holiday for us....but it will be so much fun!
Anyway, now it's all over and it is time to get back to work. I start teaching at Northeast Community College next Tuesday, and I feel so unprepared. I think once I get started I will relax a little, but right now it feels like the first day of high school all over again (which was not a very pleasant feeling the first time around). I keep reminding myself this is what I wanted to do when I got my M.A., and I am actually doing it...at least my degree is going to be good for something!
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