Modes of Distraction

Things are looking up for my UnResolution.

Today I received the best kind of reason to focus on something other than school: my best Tallahassee friend is engaged and…the best part…wants me to help plan her wedding. [Insert massive girly squeal here.]

Better yet is that Bride-to-Be and I are eerily similar (we’re even neurotic in similar ways), so planning her wedding will come awfully close to being the stress-free version of planning my own wedding (which I loved doing, by the way).

There are only a couple of things in our way, though: those pesky little prelims (aka 12-hour exam from hell). We were both planning to do our preliming in February, but it looks like mine might get pushed back to March or April due to some health problems my committee chair has been dealing with.

But after we get that teeny weeny thing (exam from hell) out of the way, I will be more than happy to spend my free time helping her plan her wedding. Wasn’t it nice of her SO to propose to her for me?  He’s such a nice guy! (What, you mean I might not have been the reason for the proposal?  I suppose that might be true.  But it was a nice thing to do anyway.)

In the meantime,  I’m maintaining a life by taking a beginner’s knitting class this Saturday and the next.  Even though I already know how to do the skills being taught, I am primarily a visual learner and hope to refine my skills by seeing how someone more experienced than me does things.  Then I can go on to become the knitting pro I fully expect to be.

Plus it’s fun.  And a good excuse to knit. And a good way not to focus on school.  

This UnResolution thing just might stick (for at least a month or so).

Also?  The Hubs found a heads-up penny the other day.  So we’re good.

Warm Feelings

I feel as though I’ve been cheated.  Tricked. Bamboozled.

But kind of in a good way?

I left Tallahassee last Friday to head North for my semi-annual Christmas shopping weekend with two of my closest friends, Amy and Beth. I had been looking forward to this weekend for months, longing for it, needing it. These girls know me in a way that no one in Tallahassee does (with the obvious exception of The Hubs).  They know me through and through, the real me. So I knew that visiting them would be the relaxing, fun-filled weekend that I so desperately needed.

And it was.

The excitement began when I drove into Amy’s home-state and was greeted by fields covered in snow…beautiful, white snow.  I was reminded that it really is almost Christmas, and I couldn’t help but crank up the holiday tunes all the way to Amy’s house.

We didn’t have any finite plans (except perhaps a visit to Anthropologie, which I was thrilled about) – just to shop and spend time with one another. Amy and I got to see Beth’s adorable baby bump for the first time (so exciting!), we enjoyed a scrumptious dinner at P.F. Chang’s, plenty of shopping, a trip to the movies (Four Christmases is dang funny).  But mostly we just hung out.  

The conversation never stopped.  It began without any of the awkwardness often associated with visiting friends you haven’t seen in months, or even years.  And it continued until I resignedly left on Sunday.

It was a good trip, and, despite a long and awkward drive home, I felt rejuvenated.

Unfortunately, the revitalization of the girls’ weekend was short lived when the trickery began Tuesday morning.

[We won't even talk about Monday, which was lost to the dreaded world of grading and averaging and responding to annoying student emails.]

After almost finishing my Christmas shopping over the weekend, I planned to get the last couple of items on Tuesday and wrap everything (an activity I love) the rest of the day.  It felt great to have a day revolving around Christmas and  the presents I am already excited about giving…until the temperature started rising.

I quickly found myself rolling down the windows in my car, but soon that wasn’t even enough. I reluctantly turned the a/c on and pushed up my sleeves (which were only 3/4 length to begin with). By the time I returned home, I had broken a sweat and found no comfort in my by-then stifling apartment.  I opened all the windows and turned on the ceiling fans, and as a gentle breeze drifted through my house, my Christmas spirit drifted out.

The snow began to seem like a dream, heightened by my friends in Kentucky talking about their harsh weather and snow days. I looked to my right and saw my beautiful Christmas tree with the lopsided star and packages underneath.  But to my left was an open window, cooling down my apartment.

This isn’t Christmastime.  It’s some kind of trickery.  

And it already has me itching to head north again.

Shower-in-a-Box

My friend Katie is having a baby.  I know I’ve mentioned that fact on this blog before.  I’ve probably also mentioned that she will be the first of our group of friends from college to become a mom. The only slight downside about the impending arrival of Maddy is that, because Katie and her husband Bryan currently live in west Texas, our group of friends couldn’t throw her the amazing baby shower she rightly deserves. So, we decided to send her shower to her in a box.

It began with the outside of the box informing her that she was receiving a “shower-in-a-box” from Tara, Tina, Beth, and I.  When she opened the first of the two boxes, she saw this:

We invited Katie to her own shower, so she’d know to show up.  Then she had instructions informing her that the first box contained gifts from each of us individually.  This is what I sent:

Katie has been known to self-decorate shirts with iron-ons before, so I decided to max out my creativity by making some one-of-a-kind onesies for Maddy.  The one in the middle is my favorite.

This is what Tara, Tina, and Beth sent, respectively:

The she got to open the second box, which contained collective gifts from the four of us:

Maddy’s due date is October 10, so she will be here for Halloween.

On the left is the world’s softest (and cutest) blanket.  On the right is a cute hooded towel.

And then the “big” gift:

I swear it’s cuter than it appears!  We know Katie loves monogramming, so we figure Maddy will, too. Even though this is technically a diaper bag, it’s versatile enough that Maddy will be able to use it for whatever she wants.

I was so excited when Katie picked up her packages yesterday.  I love the “reveal” of knowing a secret that will make someone happy.  And, sure enough, Katie loved everything (yay!).  I hope that it’s all super helpful for her and, if nothing else, shows her how much we love and miss her…and that we can’t wait to meet Maddy!

So that’s the fun secret I’ve been wanting to tell you about for weeks and weeks.  Got any fun secrets you want to share with me?

Thank you, Nie

There’s something I’ve been wanting to share with you all for a while now but have been unable to find the words, and I feel that even now I will probably not convey the subject with as much emotion as I’d like to.  So bear with me.

A few months ago I mentioned that I had become enamored by this blog, written by a woman I have never met. That blog’s author then began writing on a collaborative blog, which I also began reading. I found myself drawn in by the honesty and humor expressed by the women of this blog and I looked forward to seeing each new post.

Now, let me get off topic for a minute and admit that I am a bit of a technology dissenter.  Don’t get me wrong – I recognize the myriad opportunities the internet has opened for us.  But I have been turned curmudgeon by my students who text during class and the new generation that doesn’t know how to hold a face-to-face conversation because what they know best is IMs and text messages.  So my blog-lurking, for the most part, has been restricted to reading about people I know in order to keep up with their lives rather than venturing into the wider world web.

Then, a couple of weeks ago, one of the women on my newfound blog addiction posted that her sister-in-law and her husband had been in a private plane crash. The deep-felt emotion of the blog post penetrated my technology-hating psyche.  I found myself crying for people who not even Kevin Bacon could connect me to through six degrees (okay, maybe he could; Kevin Bacon’s creepy like that).  It turns out that Stephanie (affectionately known as Nie), the woman injured in the plane crash, had her own quite popular blog, Nie Nie Dialogues. I felt compelled to explore Nie’s blog (somehow I feel like I know her well enough to call her Nie at this point). I was amazed at how much her words and pictures let me into her world.  I felt like I knew her, not just some blogosphere representation of her. I was inspired by her zest for life and found myself hoping that I will one day instill the same appreciation for every day that I know she has given her children – from capturing so many moments on film to throwing fancy dinners for her children to celebrate the beginning of school (complete with crowns and family mottos).  I couldn’t help but cry knowing that this inspirational, passionate woman was in a coma.

Nie’s blog directed me to her sister’s blog, C Jane Run, which would become the official site of Nie and Mr. Nielson updates. From C Jane’s updates, I immediately knew how truly and honestly loved and adored Nie is.  On top of keeping the world updated regarding Nie, Mr. Nielson, and their recovery, C Jane is caring for three of her children.  I can only imagine how hectic her life must be right now, not to mention full of questions regarding what the future holds.  But she clearly attacks each day with vigor, trying to do the best for her sister’s children as well as her own child and husband.

I am inspired.  Plain and simple.

And I am not the only one.  The outpouring of support has been astounding.  If you have lost faith in the inherent goodness of humanity, start reading these blogs.  DesignMom decided to hold an auction on her blog with proceeds going to the Nielsons’ recovery fund.  So many people liked the idea that, at last count, there were more than 300 auction opportunities spread over countless blogs.  And it’s not for the stuff.  It is amazingly clear that people want to help, many of whom, like me, didn’t even know Nie before the accident. I am brought to tears just telling you about this.

More that anything I feel a renewed sense of God’s holy spirit.  How can anyone now believe in the goodness of our Creator when they see something like this?  He is amazing.  And never in my life would I have expected to be so reminded of his awesomeness by the blogs of women I have never met. But I have been.

So, in the hope of introducing others to the astounding story of Nie, my blog will be sporting a “c me read c jane” button, which you can click to find out more about Nie and her family.  Then, when Nie is able to once again begin telling her own stories, I will add an “I read Nie Nie” button.  I can’t wait to see that button on my blog.  And I can’t wait to be able to directly thank Nie for the gifts she has given me.  She reminds me everyday to wake with an ardor for life – tackling each day, whether mundane or extraordinary, with equal zeal.

Big Dumb Gustav

Just a week after TS Fay, Hurricane Gustav has already started negatively affected my life, even though he hasn’t even made landfall and he’s not supposed to directly affect Tallahassee.  But because of the impending threat of storms he will bring, my friend Jen, who was kind enough to spend the weekend with me, was forced to leave this evening rather than tomorrow.  So she’s driving back to Montgomery in the dark, and I’m already missing my friend.  Big dumb Gustav.

Despite Jen’s unexpected early exit, we’ve had a marvelous weekend. Bless her, I dragged her all over town shopping (not that she minded too much of course!).  It was so nice to be able to shop with someone who actually wanted to be there and who could be trusted to provide an honest opinion of things I contemplated buying.

We ended our shopping today by visiting the benefit for the flooded shops of Lake Ella.  I’m quite sad to know that Polka Dot Shoes is not going to reopen, but I was happy to patronize the shop one last time.

After our mad dash shopping trip, Jen and I came home, forced Dave to fix us yummy bratwursts for dinner, and watched a movie with our feet propped up from our terribly taxing weekend.

But tomorrow it’s back to the real world, unfortunately.  It’s time to catch up with all of the work I ignored this weekend.  Boo.  I wish the rain of big dumb Gustav would wash my to-dos away, too.

From Beach to Bust(ed)

This Saturday I headed to Destin to visit my friend, Katie, who was vacationing there with her in-laws.  The day was perfect for the drive and I made good time, until I got off of I-10 that is.  At that point I became one of seemingly hundreds of people driving into Destin, with just as many driving out.  It was a tedious 40 miles.  But it was well worth it when I got to my destination and got to see my 6-months-pregnant friend.  I so miss being around people like Katie who know me so well.  

I especially miss going shopping with them, which is exactly what Katie and I did.  We headed to the outlet malls where I found some pretty daggum good deals, for both Dave and myself.  But perhaps the most fun was shopping for baby clothes for Maddy (the yet-to-arrive Williams baby); it’s nice being able to shop for tiny, adorable clothes but not being the one spending money on it!

After out shopping extravaganza, we headed to the beach with Bryan’s family, where we just relaxed, conversed, and of course took the requisite photo:

After watching some parents being cited for allowing their underage daughters to drink on the beach and seeing two catamarans (one of which Katie and crew had been on the previous day) fall over and have to be towed in, we headed in to get ready for dinner.  Bryan’s sweet family (really, they were amazingly kind to me – even letting me crash on their couch!) then treated me to dinner at a fantastic seafood restaurant, after which I demonstrated my consistently mediocre putt-putting skills.  The night ended with late-night girl talk (also something I seriously miss).

In the morning, the Williams families headed home and I met another long lost friend, my best friend from high school, Amy, for breakfast.  It was so good catching up with Amy, and I even got to see her family, which was one of my second families throughout high school.  It was a much needed reunion.

Unfortunately, the reunion ended and I had to head home to a stack of papers waiting to be graded.  But as always, my darling husband rescued me from my undesired task and whisked me to the movies, where we saw Dark Knight.  It was very good and, despite my skepticism at the reviews surrounding Heath Ledger’s performance, he truly stole the movie and made it more than just a comic book movie. 

When we got back, though, there was no escaping from the grading, which has basically been my life for the last couple of days.  The process culminated today when I was forced to confront a plagiarizer.  More than any thing else, plagiarizers infuriate me.  It’s such a stupid mistake! Luckily she took it well and now I get to concentrate on my next trip to the beach.  This Sunday we get to head to St. George Island with our Altmaier clan.  I can’t wait!  Let’s hope I don’t have to bust any more students in the meantime.