Rather blustery day

It is currently pouring down rain outside my window.  I can hear a little bit of thunder but I can see the storm will pass quickly.  I can see the sun on the other side of the clouds so I'm not concerned.  There is something about a thunderstorm (even if it happens in the middle of November) that is refreshing (except when I have to walk in it).  I finally feel the motivation I have needed all semester.  Even though I'm not outside, I feel like the rain is washing away all those negative vibes I've been carrying around all semester.  Seeing the sun peek through the clouds gives me hope.

*scratch that whole stinking paragraph.  It's more than just thunderstorm, the wind sounds like it's trying to tear my house apart.  My swing is shattered on my deck at the moment and there is crap flying all over the place. And speaking of crap, Porter just did so on my rug because he's afraid of the wind.  Ugh... so much for feeling relieved!*

I was starting to feel better from the weather change last week, at least until I had to spend the day outside yesterday with my practicum.  It was so cold out and now all of us are sick.  I'm not as bad off as some of the others, but I can definitely tell something isn't quite right.  I can't wait for next week to have some time off for myself! I think I'll feel tons better when I can spend some time to relax and recover.

Not much new going on here.  I found out today I got another TA position in the spring.  I'll be teaching the intro to psych labs... meaning I have five sections instead of the two I have this semester.  I think it will be fun, though, to actually get to teach instead of just being a tutor.  I have a presentation later this week that I'm actually kind of looking forward to.  We have to diagnose a celebrity and present on the diagnosis.  I chose to write on Dr. Gregory House *swoon*  I think it's going to be fun... and it gives me an excuse to post tons of pictures of his hotness for the entire class to see!

That's all for now.  Motivation level is slowly moving back towards the E.  Oh well, it was nice while it lasted.

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Good news/bad news

So which would you prefer first? Hhhhmmmm, well, since I can't hear you (obviously) I'm going to have to pick. Haha!

We'll go bad first. I wouldn't want to end this on a bad note would I? Of course not! So here goes.

We are suppose to close on our house this coming Sunday. I have been so excited to close on the weekend so I can clean the house before we move our stuff in it. Also, almost every weekend in August is packed so I was happy to have the close on a free weekend. Well, our mortgage broker contacted us today and said he is still waiting for the auditor to look at the house. Unfortunately we cannot move forward until that happens and there is nothing any of us can do to speed up the process. We will probably have to put off the closing, but for how long I have no idea! Our lease is up at the end of August and I have to work/get ready for school/wedding stuff so I really need this to happen fast. The last thing I want to be doing two weeks before my wedding is moving!

OK, so on to the good news. Remember how last semester I was a TA? Well I had what is called a "half TA" last semester. I expected the same thing this semester (half tuition coverage and a nice stipend). I found out today, though, that I got a full TA (full tuition coverage and twice the stipend)!!! It's also in the psych stats class which I really really wanted to teach. I figured I would get the intro class, but nope! I'm excited to get to teach something different and very happy to not have to worry about tuition! Matthew is happy because my income will be close to matching his for the semester so financially we will be much better off.

It appears as though (most) things are falling into place. We only have a month left before the wedding (AAAAAHHHHH) and so much to do but it will all be worth it in the end :)

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Success!

The video was a somewhat success. They laughed at it at least, so I didn't feel too bad about it. After the video, I said "Now some of you probably think I'm the coolest TA ever for showing you that, and the rest of you think I'm a dork, but whatever" and they laughed. I also told them to get in groups and anyone who didn't get in a group would have to go to the front of the class to debate Edward vs. Jacob. They laughed again, but they definitely formed groups and actually got into the assignment! It took me a while to get their attention after they had been at it. It made me so happy!

In other good news, Matthew and I picked out a reception site today! I have the DJ, the caterer, the photographer, and the videographer, but no where to put everyone. Problem solved :) It is a vineyard very close to the church, so my guests will not have to travel very far. It also has an amazing view of the Castle. I plan on making that a common theme through the wedding since the church is right across from the castle. I'm so excited! I feel like things are slowly coming together. September 4th will be here before I know it!

I've posted this picture before, but here is the castle I keep talking about. For more pictures, click here to see the photo gallery on the website.

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Group Work

I'm teaching my third lab tomorrow. I learned last week that my students can't follow directions, and also do not like working in groups. Unfortunately for them, they will be required to work in groups at the end of the semester... so I'm making them form groups for every lab :) haha, they are probably going to hate me, but whatev.

In order to inspire them to work together, I'm going to show this video tomorrow. I'm uber excited about it. I'm going to start by telling them I'm going to show them a video of two mortal enemies who were able to find common ground and work together. I'll let you know how this goes....

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First day

First, I want to let you know that Matthew is doing MUCH better. He can actually talk to me now to where I can understand him, and he isn't hurting as much (just a little sore still). His cheeks are starting to puff up too, but the dentist said that would be at its worst on day three. He has basically stayed in bed sleeping since we got home yesterday, but I think it is exactly what he needs. I'm going to try to get him up this afternoon to eat something and probably take a shower. It will make him feel better!

So today was my first day as a teacher at UK! Well, a teaching assistant, but whatevs. I have my own lab to teach, and during that lab I get to show the poor unsuspecting undergrads how to write research papers and proposals in APA style. It will be a pain to grade everything, but it will be excellent experience. My class today was just to go over the syllabus and do introductions. It lasted approximately 15 minutes.... oops. They were not a talkative bunch and didn't ask questions. I even did an icebreaker, but that went really fast too. I don't think they minded too much though haha and I was happy to get home early to look after Matthew.

Oh yeah, on my walk on campus back to my car, I saw this creature scurrying across the lawn...


Yep. I saw an opposum on campus in broad daylight. I thought they were nocturnal? Of course the one I saw was real... this one happens to be a Webkinz, which apparently the only place you can find a Webkinz opposum is at Cracker Barrel. How do I know this you ask? Because I bought one. Yep. I bought a stuffed opposum at Cracker Barrel. For my dad. It's still hanging by its tail from the ceiling fan in his living room. Don't believe me? Here's proof:


And don't ask me why I bought my dad an opposum. Sometimes, it's just better not to know...

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