Getting into the Grind

I realize I am overdue for a post. As you can imagine (or may know), Grad school is nothing near easy. I am no where close to getting into the "nitty gritty"of the real experience, I am simply overwhelmed by the amount of reading required. Writing papers and research proposals has not been added onto the pile just yet.

So far, teaching is my favorite part of my week, mainly because it is the easiest! Haha I look forward to creating my lesson plans, powerpoint presentations, and coming up with different activities for each class. It's something that I have flexibility over and can express myself in the most.

Reading has been my biggest feat; articles haven't been SO bad, it's these books that just don't speak to me. I am still waiting on a few to come in from Amazon which is only slightly frustrating. Usually, I enjoy reading, but these books have nothing leisure about them. However, Zoey certainly likes to encourage me in my reading by keeping me company when I do read. Or it may just be that she misses me all day when I am gone! Perhaps a mixture of both?

I am doing my best to find "me" time and discover activities I enjoy alone (or with others). I tend to watch a lot of movies. This past Friday night I went with a colleague to "First Friday" in Lubbock. Every first friday, there is an art trail. It's really cool and a very community-friendly idea. Local artists, of all types, convene in one of many buildings along this trail. A trolly carries you from place to place so you can stop and look at all of the beautiful art and maybe buy something you fancy. THIS Friday I am VERY excited to go to DayGlow, the World's Largest Paint Party!! I think it will be a very nice reminder that I am still young and sometimes, I should act like it. Also, I will be attending my FIRST Red Raiders Football game on Saturday- very excited to see if it can live up to Pirate Nation!!

I've been missing my lady pretty hard. We have been doing really well with this extra distance built into our relationship. Almost 15 months strong!! We depend quite heavily on our Skype dates, scheduled twice a week and our usual morning/goodnight text messages. With my schedule being so heavy in the office and with reading/teaching it is sometimes hard to catch a break for a phone call. She has been super awesome at being understanding of my demands and I do my best to compensate for all of that. We are shooting for her to visit in early October (events on the list so far: Palo Duro Canyons, First Friday Art Trail, and Llano Winery). Then the plan is for Thanksgiving to be in NC, as well as Christmas. All contributions to our travel costs are welcome :D

I'll do my best to post again within the 7-day week. I certainly cannot guarantee anything though. Have a great week and leave me comments!!!