Who Did You Expect To Be?

Have you started listening to Laura Tremaine's podcast yet, 10 Things to Tell You?  If you haven't you are really missing out.  The episodes are short, but so thought provoking.  Some of the topics are light (how do you read?) and others are a little deeper, like this week's prompt.

Who Did You Expect To Be

Workin' It Wednesday: Gearing Up for Back to School

We are halfway through the week!   This Wednesday I'm linking up with Shay and Erika for Workin' It Wednesdays.  This month's topic?  Gearing up for back to school!

Now, I know you're thinking "wait a minute, she doesn't have kids".  Yes, this is true, but I work in education, so mentally for me, January 1 is not the beginning of a new year, labor day is.  I consider January to be the middle of the year #academicproblems

To get ready for a new school year, I get myself a new planner.  For the past couple of years I have used a Passion Planner, which I loved.  But I wanted to try something new and this year I am trying The Simplified Planner and I didn't think it was possible, but I love it more than the Passion Planner #Iknow

Workin' It Wednesday

Hello Wednesday, how are you?  Shay and Erika have started a new monthly link-up.  Last year it was the Stranded! series.  This year it's Workin' It Wednesdays.  The theme for January is New Year's Goals.  I went in depth about my goals last Wednesday.  If I had known about the link-up then, I would have waited a week, but that's ok.  I'll just do a one week follow-up about how I'm doing.

Goal One: Work Projects

Hmmm, it might be a little early for this one, ha!  I am feeling better at work though, I have fewer appointments and more time to devote to projects, which has been good.  It's a crazy time of year though so I have some things that I have to prioritize right now.

 

Goal Two: Use My Planner

I am!

Taking a page from my friend's book, I have started using my monthly pages as a meal planner/tracker.  I also have gone through and updated some wedding related things to remind me to get stuff done.  I really need to move on a florist.  Sigh.  I don't know why I'm dragging my feet about that one thing.

 

Goal Three: Get My Workouts In

With the exception of last Thursday, I worked out every day.  Woohoo!

 

Goal Four: Finish my Certificate Courses

Hmm, it's a little early for that one, but I am staying on top of my homework.  This current module is about technology and higher education.

 

Goal Five: Enjoy Life with Phillip

Still laughing!  We have a great time together.   Every Saturday night is date night.  We play Mario Kart or cards.  We can be competitive, but we have fun.  At the end of the day, there is no one I would rather come home to.  Some fun wedding things coming up: cake testing in 2 weeks!

 

Goal Six: Explore Dallas More

Nothing there yet....sorry!  But we are definitely going to a Maverick's game at some point in the near future.

 

Goal Seven: Read More

Working on this one!  I finished Daughter of Empire and just started At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen.  If I want to reach my goal of 50 books this year, I'll need to read about a book a week!

How are your 2017 goals going?  Come back Friday for Friday Favorites!

xoxoxoxo

What's Up Wednesday

Hi y'all!  Welcome to What's Up Wednesday, our last What's Up Wednesday of 2016. Can you believe it?  2017 is right around the corner.  2016 was quite a doozy, wasn't it?  Let's get to it, shall we?

What We're Eating This Week

Monday night we had slow cooker chicken tikka masala and it was soooo good.  It was a Weight Watchers recipe but you'd never know it.  We loved it and Phillip took it for lunch on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Tuesday night was fish and roasted cauliflower.  Tonight we're packing so we're heading to one of our local favorites, Terra.  Thursday night we'll be at the airport.  My goal is to find a sandwich or something I can eat on the plane.  Friday night is pizza and games at my brother's house.  And then Saturday night is Christmas Eve at my uncle's house and I am so looking forward to the antipasto. 

What I'm Reminiscing About

This time last year we were getting ready for our trip to Las Vegas.  We had such a good time.  The Grand Canyon, the Hoover Dam, the Strip, our amazing hotel suite at the Elara, the Prince Tribute Show, we had a blast.

What I'm Loving

I am still in LOVE with this perfume.  Elizabeth and James Nirvana Bourbon, oh my goodness.  I love this scent so much.  I haven't been this hooked on a perfume since I discovered Burberry Brit.

What We've Been Up To

December has been crazy!  I battled bronchitis (and won) and drank copious amounts of tea in the process.

I wrapped up the first of my 6 classes in my grad certificate program - and scored an A.  Woohoo!

We enjoyed soaking up all the joy that is Christmas in Dallas.  We sure do love living here.

We celebrated Christmas a little early and I got this amazing cookbook.  Can't wait to try the recipes!

My love for Pure Barre is well documented.  Apart from the week I had bronchitis (I didn't want to be that person in the studio coughing through the whole class), I made sure to get in a good number of classes.

What I'm Dreading

The end of Winter Break!  These two weeks off go by so fast.  I love the time to rest and recharge for the new semester, but it goes so quickly.

What I'm Working On

Some bloggy stuff, some reading, packing for our trip to Rhode Island, some projects at work.  January promises to be busy!  I've also discovered instagram stories and I am loving it!

What I'm Excited About

A whole week in Rhode Island with this peanut!  She's super excited Auntie Nichole and Uncle Phillip are coming to stay with her.  We have plans.  She is strangely excited that we are going out to breakfast on Friday.  #shewonteatanythingthere #bananasandayogurtpouch

What I'm Watching/Reading

The new season of Top Chef has started!  Yay!  And it was filmed in Charleston, a city on my wishlist of places to visit.  And let me tell you that watching this show has not diminished that desire one bit.  In my opinion, the ones to watch are Sylvia and Brooke.

The other show we are into around here is the Great American Baking Show.  We watch the British version on PBS, so of course we were on board for this one.  I love watching what they create and the technical challenge is my favorite of the three challenges.

What I'm Listening To

When I'm not listening to Christmas music, I've been heavy into podcasts lately.  Here are some of my newer finds:

Stuff You Missed in History Class
Stuff Mom Never Told You
The Weightlist
 

What I'm Wearing

vest | top | skirt (similar) | boots (similar) | watch | purse (similar)

cardigan | top | jeans | boots | earrings | necklace (similar) | watch

top (similar) | scarf (similar) | shoes | pants | watch

top | jeans | watch | necklace

What I'm Doing This Weekend

It's Christmas y'all!  Lots of plans to see family and enjoy the holiday.

What I'm Looking Forward To Next Month

A new year!  I'm looking forward to everything that 2017 holds, especially getting to marry the most amazing guy.  Starting January though, I need to focus on my fitness and nutrition.  There's some toning up and a little more slimming down I want to do in preparation for the wedding and honeymoon.

What Else Is New

Stay tuned in January for another giveaway!

What Is Your Favorite Memory From 2016

Of course!  I mean, technically it was 2015 since he proposed on New Year's Eve, but we started 2016 engaged and it was the most amazing moment.

That's it!  The last of What's Up Wednesday for 2016.  Thanks for coming along with me on this little journey.  I look forward to sharing more with you in the new year.

May you and yours have a wonderful holiday season.

See you all Friday for Friday Favorites!

xoxoxoxo

I'd like to thank the Academy...

This week I attended a fundraiser for my high school.  It was a winetasting event and it was a lot of fun.  I probably spent a little more than I initially intended, but it was for a good cause and one that I support every year.  I get requests from my undergraduate school (Fairfield U) and from my graduate school (Ohio State) for money fairly frequently.  I occasionally give them a few dollars.  Both of those schools have huge endowments though and the money I give to my high school goes further than it would elsewhere.

I had the incredible good fortune through scholarships and financial aid to attend BayView Academy in Riverside, RI for junior high and high school.  BayView is a private, Catholic, all-girls school.  And they do amazing things there.  I was an incredibly shy child.  Around family I was fine and around friends I had known since kindergarten I was fine.  But if I were to go out somewhere to a store or library and needed to ask a question or ask for help, I became petrified.  To this day I still have moments of anxiety if I need to make a phone call.  I'm better in person.  I would have been fine at the public high school in my town, but I don't know if I would have done as well as I did in the environment at BayView. 

BayView was founded by the Sisters of Mercy.   The Sisters of Mercy were founded by Catherine McAuley in Ireland in 1831.  They help those in poverty and those who lack education, particularly women and children.  The faculty and staff there taught me to be me and to be proud of who I was as a Catholic and as a woman.  Yes, we had to take religion classes, but those weren't just Catholic doctrine classes.  There were also courses on World Religions, Ethics, and Social Issues.  We were also encouraged to take sciences.  They now host a Women in Science and Engineering conference.  I haven't even begun to talk about the artistic legacy of the school.  

Back in sixth grade, when I took the entrance exam and crossed my fingers I had no idea that I would be part of such a legacy.  That my years at BayView would have such a profound impact on how I looked at the world and my place in it.  So when I can, I give back - with my time and with my wallet.  I know that my contributions will help the school continue in it's mission.

 

Halfway Through

I am almost halfway through another semester - school for me, not work (but that semester is almost halfway through as well). I'm taking three classes this Fall. Fortunately two of them are online so I only have to drive up to Denton for class one night a week. And this week it was canceled. Boy that feeling never gets old. It's almost akin to hearing "Snow Day". I've been crunching numbers and looking at my degree plan. I was going to meet with my advisor tonight to turn in my NC State documentation so we can get the official transfer of courses done, but she's the one who canceled class. It'll have to be next week. I'm hoping to map out with her the rest of my coursework and file my degree plan. Last time she and I met we discussed my potential dissertation topic. Rather than a study, I asked if I could do a historical analysis of a topic in education for my dissertation and she said yes. Oh happy happy day. This means no IRB! No SPSS or SAS! Heavenly words to my ears. I'm very excited about the possibility of finally merging my love of history (and my undergraduate major) with my current field of study. If everything goes according to plan, I should finish coursework next December and then start writing after that. My own personal drop dead date for writing is for it to take no longer than a year. As a procrastinator this worries me. I do better on a deadline. My writing is better that way. But I also know I want to be finished so that may light a fire and hopefully I'll be done in summer. If I can start reviewing literature this summer, then I may be able to pull off finishing in Summer term. We'll see what happens.

Procrastination Station...Come on in...

I'm attempting to write a book review for a class tomorrow. I'm about 1/5 of the way through and I have no motivation to finish. I will finish, I'm just going to do a bunch of other things first. I need to make more iced tea as I seem to have run out. I need to dust the spare room. The carpet guys were here today to replace the padding you see, and now it's dusty in there. Oh, I should also fold the laundry sitting in the dryer. I need to do another load this weekend and I'll need a free dryer for that. I could also wipe down the kitchen counters, sink, and stove. I already swept the floors.

I also cruised craigslist to see what apartments are available in Boston. Wishing very much lately that I was there rather than here. I think it's a sign. The Passion of the Christ was on. I really wanted to watch that as I've never seen it. I know, I know, I know. But I saw that the station was playing it again later, so I set my dvr to record it. I'll watch it tomorrow night. I could very easily have sat down and watched tonight though. In the end, I suppose I'll just make the iced tea and get back to writing the book review. The review is supposed to be no longer than 1200 words, so it's not like I have pages of writing ahead of me. Time to buckle down and get it done. Then I believe I will treat myself to a very much deserved glass of wine or maybe whiskey. I'm thinking it's a whiskey kind of night.

Sunny Saturday

We're enjoying a sleepy, sunny, Saturday here in Texas today. After some wild weather including hail and 50 mph winds this week, this blue-sky 70 degree day is perfection. I went to AquaFit, tackled a little homework, did some house cleaning (open windows and ash from the wild fires blown in by those 50 mph winds require some dusting!), and napped for a bit. As you can see from the picture, Jack is in his favorite spot. Since the weather is nice, when I'm home I open the sliding glass doors to the balcony and he just curls up there and is content for hours. Kate is napping on the window sill in the bedroom.

I am counting down the days til my cruise! My friend Karina and I are headed out on a Bahamas cruise in May. I am so excited and in desperate need of a vacation. Six weeks after I get back from Miami/the crusie, it's off for a long weekend home. I haven't been home since October, so I am super excited about the visit. I've been missing home a lot lately and have been pondering what my next move will be when I'm ready to move on from Texas. I've loved these last four and a half years in the South. I've met some amazing people who I hope to keep in touch with for a long time. I've worked for some great people who have taught me a lot about the professional that I want to be. I've enjoyed the weather and the snowless winters (for the most part). None of them are home though and my mother will probably do a dance in the street when I say this, but I think I'm ready to go home.

I don't know what sparked my wanderlust. I'm going to assume it's from my dad. I have a sneaking suspicion that if he had had the opportunity once upon a time, he would have had a similar life to mine. Not the job per se - I can't picture my dad sitting still long enough to do what I do - but the trying new cities, seeing what fits, and then trying something new. I've lived in nine states. I think the wanderlust is ebbing. Especially since I live in one of the most vibrant parts of the country. I don't know if I'd go back to Rhode Island, but I'd definitely live in Boston or outside the city somewhere. In a heartbeat. Close enough that I can go home whenever I want. I miss my family. My immediate family yes, but you're talking to a girl who was raised on Sunday dinners at grandma's with my extended family. We don't do that anymore, but I've missed more get-togethers with them over the past four years than I'd care to admit or wish that I hadn't. So it's kind of simple really. Home is where the heart is and my heart is about 1800 miles away.

Not Gone

Ah, faithful readers, I haven't disappeared completely. I've just been swamped with packing, prepping to move, end of semester wrap-up (both at work and at school), etcetera, etcetera, etcetera...

The apartment is almost completely packed with the exception of pots and pans from the kitchen and the rest of my closet. I've actually run out of room to put the boxes that I've packed, so I will be taking my bed apart this weekend and using the extra space to stack the rest of the boxes. I will be sleeping on the couch for the next couple of weeks. Fortunately, I have a very comfy couch.

Updates on the random stuff:

The injured foot - it's doing better. I go back to the doctor on Monday for a follow-up. It doesn't hurt to walk or climb or anything, just side impact hurts (it's an oddly placed fracture, go figure). I'm hoping he gives me the all clear to work out again.

School - semester is done, I managed another 4.0 and I learned that UNT will accept the classes I took at NCSU, so I will be able to complete my doctoral degree in Texas.

Work - just trying to wrap everything up and make sure I leave everything in good order for the next person.

Jack and Kate - are handling all the boxes and chaos as I expected. Kate is curious about everything and Jack is content so long as there is still a place to nap.

And finally - today is D's birthday! He has the best birthday gift of all - two whole weeks off from school (translation - two whole weeks of leisure time). Happy Birthday!!!

Odds and Ends

I don't want to harp on this too much given the devastating flooding in my home state of Rhode Island, but the weather here in North Carolina has been gorgeous the last couple of days and it's only going to get better - 80s and sunny for the foreseeable future.

D came to visit last weekend and it was so so good to get to spend time with him. It's hard when the person you love lives so far away, but we're making it work for now. We saw Alice in Wonderland, which by the way, if you have not seen the movie yet you need to go to your local cinema right now and see it. That's an order. We had dinner with some of my family on Sunday. That was a lot of fun and any Sunday I get to see family is a good Sunday. The fact that D was there too just made it better. I had to sneak in some homework over the weekend as I had a paper due on Monday, but it was nice just being in the same place with him. He's just the best and I am very lucky.

School is winding down for the semester - woohoo!!! The bulk of my work for history is done, I just need to finish my org theory group project and I can basically consider the semester finished. Unfortunately I hate group work. Loathe it actually, so I'm trying to make the best of it. Most of the schoolwork I will be working on this weekend will be related to that project. Other plans for the gorgeous impending Easter weekend? Maybe a little shopping, a pedicure, an Easter luncheon with some of my fellow doctoral students (the recipe I'm making for Sunday will appear here on Thursday, so stay tuned).

Wednesday Day Book - school edition

Outside my window … I can see the engineering building (I think it's the engineering building)

I am thinking … that it's time I seriously start to consider dissertation options

I am thankful for … the opportunity to continue my education

I am reading … Reframing Organizations. It's written by Bolman and Deal. I had to read a previous edition for my Master's program. It's a pretty good read.

I am hoping … to do as well this term as I did last term

On my mind … what on earth am I going to do for my presentation next week

I'm learning … that I have little patience for people who do not pay attention

Noticing that … the construction on Hillsborough Street is getting more intense, not less

From the kitchen … asparagus, potatoes, and a vegetarian option

Around the house … I need to vacuum and do laundry

One of my favorite things … my classmates in my program. They are really nice people.

New Semester

So those of you that have been following along know that I was toying with the idea of not going back to school in the Spring. As is a woman's prerogative, I changed my mind :) I started classes this week and am really looking forward to my classes this term. On Mondays I have Organizational Theory. This was one of my favorite courses when I was working on my Masters degree. We're using a newer edition of a book I've already read (and still own). Unfortunately we are now two editions removed so I needed to buy a new copy. The content is pretty much the same, but the examples and cases in the book have been updated.

The second course is History of Higher Ed. I'm happy that I am getting a second crack at this course because I was not a fan back in my OSU days. I was so eager to take this class. Being a history major and all, it was a combination of the two things I loved. The bad news was that we had this really cranky professor who didn't seem to like us very much. At one point he accused us all of plagiarizing (a completely unfair, untrue, and unjustified accusation). It really soured the whole experience for me. I'm happy that I am getting to take this course again.

So my books are ordered, my pencils are sharpened, and I am ready to go.

Mid-term

Oh I just don't know y'all. I wish I could audit classes. I like doing the readings and I like being engaged in class and participating in discussion. I'm just not motivated to do research or any writing whatsoever. I know I'm only one semester in, but I feel like it would be a huge wast of time, money, and effort to continue on when I drag my feet about every little thing. So I'm thinking maybe getting my doctorate isn't for me. I think perhaps if I had gone right on to my PhD after I finished my Master's it would be different. If I could go full time and devote my whole life to doing the work, I could probably do it. I'm older now though and I'm not going full time and there are a myriad of other things I would prefer to do outside of work than research and write. So I may take a hiatus from school after this term and reassess my goals and priorities. We'll see.

Hiatus is Over

I didn't mean to stop blogging for the past couple of weeks. Life managed to intervene and my focus has been elsewhere. For the first time in over 8 years I have set foot in a classroom. I've always loved school and learning. So I am excited about being back in classes. I just finished my second week at NCSU. My Finance of Higher Education class combines some basic economic theory with policies and practices of funding in higher education. For all the talk about economics in the class, it's actually kind of interesting. Research Methods is interesting too, but it's going to be a lot of work. I have to write Lit Reviews for both classes which means a lot of extra reading on top of the weekly class readings. Oh, yeah, and I have to start my research.

For those of you who have been following along, I have struggled with my research topic. I didn't know if I wanted to go back to student behavior or maybe look at student perceptions of privacy laws, I just was undecided. In class on Monday, the professor explained that it should be something you have an interest in, but don't expect a bolt out of the blue and a flash of inspiration. Dang, if that's not what happened to me. Having worked with performing arts students at several institutions and having been a dancer myself, I want to research the experiences of performing arts students. I don't want to go into too much detail as it's still early and I need to do some preliminary work, but I'm excited about the topic, which is important if I'm going to live with this for several years.

Work has also picked up lately - my students started their first week of classes at Duke this week and there have been many e-mails and phone calls and questions. Not that it's a bad thing, I've just been burning the candle at both ends and I haven't really sorted out my new school/work routine yet. My goal for this weekend since I have no errands to run and no plans to speak of is to get my homework schedule straightened out and caught up on all the reading from last week and this coming week as well as start searching the library resources for information on my topic.

Busy busy busy, but isn't "back to school" time always like that?

Accepted

I am in! I received my letter of acceptance from NCSU yesterday. Starting in Fall 2009, I will be a doctoral student in Higher Education Administration. And another red school. All of the schools I have received degrees in have had a shade of red as their school color. Its not intentional, but a fun coincidence nonetheless. I am very excited about going back to school and have some trepidations as well. I'm super nervous about writing my dissertation. There are a couple of reasons for this: 1) I have no idea what I am going to research; and 2) that is a lot of writing. The longest thing I've ever written academically (and non-academically) was 45 pages. A dissertation is about three times as long, at least. I need to put that out of my head for now. Fall registration is right around the corner and I am swamped at work. I can't lose my head worrying about school when I haven't even started yet. For now, I am going to revel in the excitement of being accepted.

Tuesday Night Music Club

Ah, my poor Red Sox - they were so close, but came up short. At least they didn't lose to the Yankees. The pain was eased by the fact that the Patriots trounced the Denver Broncos last night :)

Students were able to get into the system today and start to plan and get their schedules ready for registration next week. It went well, no major issues, no complaints, and it will be interesting to see what happens when they actually try to register en masse.

I take the GRE in 4 weeks. I have 4 weeks left to cram for the math portion of the test. With registration and working nights at Target, I haven't really had time to study. I may just not turn on the computer when I get home tomorrow night and hunker down at the dining table and study for a couple of hours. I still need a research idea. I know what area I'd like to study (FERPA - aka the student records privacy thing),I just don't know what to focus on. If I get through a substantial amount of math tomorrow, I may treat myself to some time browsing FERPA on the internet to see if inspiration strikes.

Nervous

Okay y'all, for those of you who read posts from the summer, you know that we had a major upgrade of our student information this summer. Overall the upgrade went well. Some complaints, seniors hate it, whatever. I wasn't nervous about it until now. Student registration for Spring starts in a few weeks. THIS IS MY JOB. This is what I do everyday - I oversee all student registration. This is the first major registration in the new system. It's only my second major registration overall. I have a sinking feeling that all is not going to go off with out a hitch. There will be hitches. How big? I don't know. Hopefully not so big that we have to shut down registration - that would just not be good for so many different reasons. So I'm a little stressed about this.

In other nervous news, I've signed up for the GRE (finally). November 19, 2008 is when I will be taking the test. This gives me roughly 6 weeks to further shore up my math skills. My application materials are due January 20. Once the GRE is taken I will be 90% done with the application. I also need to write my "about me" piece which also should include my research focus. Ummm, yeah, don't have one yet. I have no clue what I want to research when I go back to school. Yes it will be education related, and most likely registration/records related, but what? Any ideas? Inspiration hasn't struck and it needs to...soon.

Back to School

Ugh. That pretty much sums up today. I could go into detail about waitlists and queries and level loads, but I'm exhausted just thinking about it. Suffice it to say that I looked up at the clock at 2:50pm this afternoon and thought, "Oh. My. Gosh. Where has the day gone?" I very rarely get days like that anymore. I used to have them all the time when I worked in Student Affairs. Catastrophe upon catastrophe can do that to you. Since I've moved to registration however the catastrophes tend to be few and far between.

It was the first day of school and though there was no discernible difference on my 0.7 mile trek to work, it was clearly evident by the empty shelves and dearth of carriages at Target last night. First day of school for K-12 kids and first day of school for Duke. Fortunately the Olympics are over and I can resume my normal sleep habits (poor as they are).

My top five Olympic moments:
1. The 4x100 free relay when Jason Lezak chased down Alain Bernard to give the Americans the gold and to keep Michael Phelps' gold medal hopes alive.
2. Michael Phelps beating Milorad Cavic in the fly. By .01. One one-hundredth of a second! The look on his mom's face as she sunk to her seat in awe and shock had me tear up.
3. Shawn Johnson finally getting a gold for the balance beam. Yes, Nastia is good, but she comes across as cold and haughty. Shawn is just a ray sunshine and she was always positive.
4. Sanya Richards chasing down the Russian runner on the last leg of the women's 4x400 relay. It was just a great track moment.
5. Dara Torres at 41 winning a silver medal in the 50m freestyle. She missed out on gold by .01. Point oh-one. Did I mention she's 41?

Next up? Vancouver in 2010. In the meantime, next up for me? I need to hit the books. I am way behind in my GRE studying. The math is not going to come back to me by osmosis. I should have gone out on a second date with the math whiz. At least I would have had a tutor. Just kidding. Not about the math whiz part. He was a math whiz, and I usually go for the academic type, but he was a little older than the guys I usually date and when you have to worry about whether he's older than your mom, it gets a little weird (he wasn't older than my mom, but he was pretty close).

Thoughts on the Olympics? What were your favorite moments?

Sibling Rivalry

If you started reading this post in hopes of hearing about an argument I had with my sister, you'll have to live with disappointment. I have been slowly introducing Katia to Jack and since yesterday have allowed them to mingle with the exception of bedtime. Katia is a little exuberant for Jack's taste, but he is tolerating her okay. He only gets upset with her if she surprises him or if she gets in his face, especially while eating. Katia just wants to play. They'll figure it out.

Other news...I have decided to apply to North Carolina State University to get my doctorate, my EdD to be specific. NCSU is the only school in the area that has a program in higher education administration. Duke doesn't offer many options for degrees in education and UNC only offers programs in K-12. So, State it is. This means that I need to retake my GREs as my scores are too old. I'm a little wary of the test as I don't remember any of the math stuff. I'm not worried at all about the verbal and the writing, just the math. I've picked up a couple of prep books and will be cracking the spine on those later today. I'm hoping to be admitted to NCSU for the Fall of 2009.

I'm also planning my summer vacation - I'm looking at flying in on August 1 and staying until August 10, so keep those dates open, I'm coming to visit :)