23

Last week I celebrated my 23rd birthday. What a strange age to be - glorious to still be in the prime of youth and potential, scary to be old enough to begin facing so many of life's changes and transitions. To think of what I have done since my last birthday is quite a thrill...and makes me want to take a nap, too! Planning a wedding, graduating from college, getting married, moving (several times!), starting school and beginning teaching...and not least of all being away from Michael. I've learned to take one day at a time except when making to-do lists for the next week - our society is so overambitious as a whole that it is sickening to think of the disappointment and depression that could be avoided if more people would just be reasonable! No human being can accomplish a task that takes 10 hours in 5, no matter how well organized or OCD they may be, and multitasking takes away from EACH task you are trying to multitask on! So: a lesson I'm thankful to have learned and that I am forced to relearn several times a week!

2010 has been a good year so far. I am just about over the mid-semester hump of my second semester here at UIC, and it is crazy to think that I am almost halfway finished with my Master's. Well, let me rephrase that: halfway done with the coursework for my Master's! The work for the M.A. exams hasn't even begun yet and will do so towards the end of this semester when we choose our subjects for the exams we will need to pass to receive our degrees in April of 2011. I am anxious but more excited than anything, because that means I'll get to dig into a subject of my own choosing (or three, haha) and read all kinds of great books (and some not-so-fascinating articles for research...). The end of the schoolyear will hearken in a period packed with reading French literature and making annotations and writing bibliographies - and one that I want to savor, stressful as it will be to balance all of this work with traveling in the summer and Michael once he is back. God is so good and I am so thankful to have this opportunity; I don't want to risk wasting it and so I try to find one thing each day - whether in my teaching or in my classes - that makes me "tick" and get excited about French. It isn't that hard most days, but some, like last Tuesday when I literally cried in front of my students before my class started (mostly from an overloaded and overwhelmed head and spirit!), are not so easy. And that is just the road I - and we, being Michael and I - are on and I try to embrace it, even with its thorns and imperfect moments.

Below, as usual, I will post some pictures from the past few weeks in hopes of providing a somewhat-sufficient visual update from recent events :-)

1 foot of snow the week prior to Valentine's Day!


The flowers that Michael was so sweet to surprise me with the Friday before Valentine's Day :-)


Kyla, Sarah K, me, Sarah B, and Ellen at my birthday dinner at Bucca di Beppo last Saturday - 17 wonderful people gathered around that table and I was blessed by each person's presence and friendship.


My wonderful, darling neighbors - Amelia, Katie, and Michele. They have helped me through so much in moments when I needed a friend to just sit next to on the couch and watch something mindless on TV while enjoying a glass of wine and restoring conversation.


I hope that this post finds you all thankful for blessings, for challenges, and for another day to use the skills God has given you.

2nd semester - "Spring" 2010

As you can see, I have put the word "Spring" in quotation marks due to the fact that when I arrived back to Chicago to start said "Spring" semester, it was a cozy 10 degrees outside! So I don't really think we can call it that...yet. I am hoping that by the time "Spring" Break rolls around, we will be having temperatures at least in the 50's. However I must admit that this past week we have had particularly mild weather in the mid-30's and 40's...but I think that is ending for another few weeks, the lows for the next few days are gradually making their way down to a single-digit 8!

The semester has started out well, although it is extremely busy. Last semester was, too, but since I am teaching not one section but two this time around, and taking two graduate classes that will require a bit more work than my first two, time organization is paramount. I've found, at least so far, that it's actually even easier this semester because I am forced to use my time wisely. I've also discovered that because I've - at least until now - managed to remain organized and stay on top of things, I have a very good and regular sleep routine even! I'm teaching a 104 class which has been fun since I was teaching 103 last semester and thus have some of the same students. Either way, it is in their best interest to participate and do well this semester, since 104 is the last class for the "basic language requirements" for undergraduate degress at UIC...so if they don't pass this time, they're in for more than they needed to in the first place!

Michael is doing well. We just "celebrated" our 8-month anniversary of our wedding yesterday, which is hard to believe on one hand...and on the other not too much of a surprise. It will be so great to celebrate our first year anniversary together this May, and I'm relieved that we are finally at least WITHIN the year 2010, when he and I will be reunited!!! I am in the midst of beginning the reservations for that two week trip in May, when we will also get to attend a wedding at Hampton Court Palace outside of London, which should be absolutely fabulous. (It also gives me an excuse to buy a new dress, so that's not all bad, either!)

I hope that this new year is going well for you. Chicago is a great city and I'm happy to be here, learning all that I am about teaching, French, history and myself. God is good and has been faithful in teaching me patience amidst showers of blessings and challenges. May He be gracious to you also, and may you remember to focus on the blessings in your life rather than the obstacles.

Below are some pictures of the past week. (Sarah's, B & K on B's 24th birthday, Cécile at the party, Amy & me at Sbucks, and Baby Vienna showing off her new skill of sitting up...and her well-practiced skill of looking like an angel.)

There and back again.

Today has been an absolutely stunning day on Camano Island. Every time that I looked outside of the windows it seemed that the sky had painted itself into an even more beautiful pattern of clouds, greys, blues and whites. I love how even when one is literally running up and downstairs constantly all day, or sitting at the computer gearing up for a new semester, views like today's can still grab your attention and hold it for long enough to almost rejuvenate one's being. Unfortunately even a view like some that I saw today can't replace sleep...

It's been a great four weeks here in the Pacific Northwest. I fly back to Chicago Saturday afternoon, and will start into the new semester of teaching and grad classes next Tuesday. I never leave feeling quite as rested as I'd like, but I've made a point this week to really make sure that I can have most of my time at home. The stress of packing and anything that needs to be shipped off are more than enough without the normal comings and goings to and from the island to town. Unfortunately that means that certain friends I had hoped to see or spend more time with, I wasn't able to and if that is you I am very sorry. I am thankful for the people that I did get to see and please know that if you were not in my arms for a hug, you are in my thoughts and prayers! I'll be home for over a month between June and August (probably closer to two now that I've typed that out!) so there should be ample opportunity to catch up with people then.

While home, I was of course able to see many friends, but it is above all a time for family during the holidays. I spend quite a bit of time with Michael's family and some with mine, too! It seems like I am always arriving home during the final push of my dad's Celtic Christmas tour, which is a mixture of very fun and very stressful emotions. This year, though, we had lovely little Vienna to bring joy to all around; the violinist that he is now working with, Wendy Goodwin, has a 7-month old baby girl who traveled with them for the entirety of the tour. She is one of the most darling little humans I've ever set eyes on and her laugh would probably almost charm Scrooge or the Grinch right out of their socks! Here we are while the concert was happening at my parents' church, St. Aidans. What a doll.
I was blessed to see many friends, like I said. Here is a picture of two of my oldest, dearest friends (not old just longtime!) Amelia and Laura. What a joy it is to catch up on one another's lives and get to laugh and enjoy each other's company...even if it isn't nearly as often as we'd all like!
For Christmas Eve, my parents and I headed down to Lynnwood to have dinner with Michael's family. We had a great time, although Michael was missed.For Christmas Day, we had our good friend Kathy, my grandpa Dale and his friend Lynne, my Uncle Kirk and his girlfriend and my parenst and I. We had a fun time trying to whistle some tunes with a kit that Lynne had brought, but mostly just enjoyed a wonderful meal and being together. I look forward very much to when Michael can share all of this with me!For New Year's 2010, Jes, who is my closest friend apart from Michael, came up for a quick visit from San Ramon, CA. She is a great guest and so much fun to have around. We weren't able to do many exciting activities, but we got some good catching up in and had a fun little get-together with Kathy and my parents on New Year's Eve. We shared it with Kim & Rebecca, Bob & Dawn, Amelia (who was in a previous picture - popular!) and Nancy. Low-key but we had some good laughs ringing in the new year and fresh decade.I pray that this finds you all well and committed to your New Year's resolutions. I haven't really written mine out yet, but they are certainly materializing. I anticipate the coming semester with significantly less stress and doubt, though it will be no less challenging than the last. I will be focusing and working much more in my graduate classes this time around, however, which will be nice, since that is what I am there to do! I'll be teaching two sections of French 104 additionally so it will be busy...but then in the spring, I'll get to see Michael! Only 4 more months to go...

The holidays are here!

For Thanksgiving this year, four of us TA's went to Sarah K's home in Muskegon, Michigan, so celebrate the holiday with her family. Benjamin, Cécile, and myself all crammed into the backseat of Sar's sister, Danielle's, Jetta for the 3-hour trip over and had a great time, although we were all exhausted from the long stretch of the semester! The night we arrived, the night before Thanksgiving (Wednesday) we went out to the local bar to celebrate with some of Sar's highschool friends and had a really nice time. Nothing crazy but it was good to get out!Thanksgiving morning we all got up and started helping Sarah's mom, Mary, cook the big meal. There were 9 of us for the dinner in all so it was a good group - not too big, but not too small, either! The food was delicious, and I got to talk to Michael for almost an hour and a half that morning so that is always a plus. It's very strange to not have him here during all of these "firsts" for us...I guess that we'll just have our firsts again next year!In Chicago during the month of December, there is a German Christmas market that is called the "Christkindlmarket" and I actually went twice last week - once with one of my neighbors, Amelia, and once with the Sarah's. The second time, pictured here, it was 20 degrees and there were loads of people there - but we still had a great time!
Last week when I picked my mail up from my box outside, there was a letter from one of my best friends in it saying how thankful she was for my friendship and how much she admired me for what I was doing. She had written it on Thanksgiving Day. Little things like that that come at unexpected times are some of God's best and most beautiful work, I think. That card completely rejuvenated me after a long day during the last week of classes this first semester, and gave me the encouragement that I needed in order to stay going strong for the last couple of days. It's been a great past few weeks, but I've been struggling with feeling like I am not teaching at the same level that I was initially. I think it is due to a number of things, but I know that one of the biggest reasons is that I am just burnt out. Going straight from college into grad school, while I am really glad that I did so, is pretty exhausting and I am certainly feeling that now! Luckily, we only need to be in the office Tuesday evening and Friday afternoon, and I only have one final exam on Thursday afternoon, so I am almost there!

I'll head out for Seattle on Saturday the 12th, where Michael's family will pick me up at the airport for a few days with them until my parents arrive home from my dad's "Southwest" portion of his tour in New Mexico and Texas. I cannot wait to share some moments with both my in-laws and my parents, and look forward to having almost a month of relaxation in the place in the States that I love the most. Also, my best friend Jes is coming up for a few days and New Year's this year, so I am really looking forward to that! I will miss Michael during this time and it will indeed be strange without him, but hopefully his mom and I have sent him enough in our packages to remind him we are here thinking of him and missing him and that he is so loved this Christmas. Next year will be an amazing time and I cannot wait, but we need to live as much in the present as we can, no matter how much we want it to be a year from now!

God bless all of you; I pray that this holiday has started out full of gratitude for both the joyful and challenging moments that have touched you this year. Hallelujah - a Child is born!

French TA function fotos :-)

Several joyous ladies - these pictures were actually taken in reverse order, so infer from that statement what you will. Here are Virginie & Cecile (Cecile is a TA and Virginie her best friend visiting from France) and Sarah K and Sarah B, who I spend probably about 80% of my time with.
The "rookie" women TA's for '09-'10 - Cecile, Sarah B, Sarah K, Lorelei, and myself.
Seth, a German PhD student, Benjamin, a 2nd year French TA from Paris, and myself.
Sarah B, Ellen, a 2nd year French TA, Kyla, the girlfriend of one of the 2nd year French TA's (who is herself a brain, studying science...) and Kat, Sarah B's sister (in case you didn't catch a resemblance...).
The cheese spread.
Bread, Nutella, and many cheeses - what else could one need?
Kyla telling a story to Virginie and Marta, a German TA from Germany. (Not sure where in Germany)
Johnny, Kyla's boyfriend, Ellen, and myself - starting out the evening with heavy convo apparently!

All in all it was a fabulous time with friends and food. Thanks to Sarah B and her roommates for hosting us all!