expectations

The dog room, formally our box-of-a-bedroom has a great view of our backyard. Right now it's completely green and shaded and the wind is softly blowing through. it's quite nice. I love watching the ripples of shadows across the grass as the wind moves the trees. Something's been falling from the trees that remind me of little tiny green helicopters. I'm not sure what they are. I've also never seen so much fall from trees in the spring. But I guess that's because I've not experienced too many real springs.

I finished Great Expectations. It was just as weird and I remember it being in 9th grade, but I think I appreciated it more. This is really all I remembered about it beforehand:

Good ole Miss Havisham

I'm in a strange mood today. Kind of pensive. Kind of dreading that this is my last TRUE week off. I really like real time off. It's been good. And lazy. I like lazy.

The other day I asked Charlie if it would ever make sense for me to work with him part-time on the farm. We were talking about this awesome girl one of his friends knows who drives a tractor and has her own sugar-cane land. She makes 6 digits. So I asked him if it would ever make sense for me to work with him.
He laughed at said, "welllllllllll you're sort of a girly-girl..... soooooo"

He's right. I'd never last working outside in 100degree weather weeding and being dirty. But I do like the idea of working with him. I really like helping with the chickens when I go to work with him. I could probably get used to it and start reaching under the hens for eggs instead of just getting eggs from the empty boxes. I could probably feed them or empty their water bins or something. probably. you think?

I have to be honest. I'm nervous about being a real dietitian nutritionist! nervous! What if I'm actually not good at it? Just let me stay home with Charlie. If he gets to stay home, I should too. I'll feed the ducks and chickens and dogs. That's practically what I've spent two years and entirely too much money on, right?!

womp womp

it's been raining here for like 2 weeks. and it hasn't rained this much in the entirety we've spent in minnesota until this point. but i think i like it.

punkin threw up on her bed today. i gagged a LOT while i was cleaning it up. about as much as i gagged when i changed caleb's diaper. that doesn't give me strong hope for being a mother. susan said it's not gross when it's your baby. i don't believe that. just like i don't believe i will automatically think my baby is pretty. i've seen some pretty ugly babies.  i think i'll know if i have one. that doesn't mean it will stay ugly. it just means it's an ugly baby. it happens. it also doesn't mean i won't love him or her.

i got to see the review for the course i helped TA. OMGoodness. wow. brutal honesty. i've never seen how very honest students can be and how you may have no clue something is bothering them about the class.  i suppose i am the same way in classes. but wow. i don't think i've complained on here how CRAZY one of the professors was... but if she didn't know it before, i'm pretty sure she better admit to it now. brutal is the only word i can think of.  wow. i almost felt uncomfortable reading some of the comments even though i agreed with them!

i may or may not have a cleaning job for the summer. every day after work. part of me -really- hopes it doesn't work out so i don't have to go to work after a full day or work. but the other part of me thinks it would be -really- nice to have at least enough dollars this summer to go out to eat or to drive up to duluth and canada for a weekend. so i think that may make it worth it. especially since i'll have weekends off.  AND it will keep me in air conditioning an extra hour every day. (we don't have that in our apartment). (yeah).

this is a pretty random post.

okay. i think i'm finished.

picture montage

I suppose I could do a little more of a picture re-cap.

These are my two faculty advisers who I have had the privilege of
workingwith over the last two years.  I am SO appreciative of everything
they have taught me and done for me!
This was after my Masters Defense! I passed!

I was nervous, but it went really well. Probably in part because of my
lucky- London shirt (Thanks mama and Stacy!)

Caleb and his family came up for my graduation--
Caleb got to try his very first soda. He loved it.

Baby Asher was a good little baby like always!

Again, Here is Aida, my faculty advisor and the director of my program.

Blowing bubbles with mama and papa

Uncle Chagee is SO good with the kiddies

Caleb got a Monster-Schoolbus at the train store. He loved it.

We went to the zoo the morning of my graduation

Here, Caleb tells us his favorite animal at the zoo.

Punkin was wishing me good luck at graduation.

My daddy :)

Some of my best friends from school. Christinia, Kate and I
had almost every single class together.

Celebration dinner!

Thanks for coming, Susan!!

And family!  (We missed you Mama and Stacy!)

He's just so handsome. 

Him, too.

Mom... this wahooooo was for you! 

He's a great papa

He's MAD and HAPPY!

This is my graduating class!  I love these people!

oceans

this song really spoke to me at church today. maybe it will speak to you, too.

man. where have i been (again)? i've been so busy.  good busy. but busy.
i graduated! woop! kind of. i participated in commencement, completed and passed my masters project, and finished all my classes.

i have things left, but it feels good.

dad was here all of last week, which was really fun.  i was able to go up to bethel and have lunch with him a few days. susan, alan, and the kids were up for a few days which was also really fun.

oh!  LSU just won the SEC baseball championship in TRUE tiger-style. read: dramatic.

today makes exactly 3 months until we move south.  i'm excited.

i'm also sad because i really really like the church we've found here and the people in it... but i've been withdrawing for at least a month or two. i can't stand the thought of getting closer when i know it's not going to last. i'm dreading finding a new church home again, too. real life has been such a natural place of rest for us. it's been exactly what we've needed.

He does that for us, you know?  provides us what we need when we need it.

I've had an eventful day so far. I've vacuumed, freshened up our living room rug, done laundry, washed the puppies' bed, went shopping (and got a new skirt and pair of pants for my internship this summer), and went to the library and got a couple of books.

I feel so antsy since things are slowing down a tiny bit for me. I feel anxious like I should be doing more. I'm sure Charlie won't mind if that means I'll clean more :)

Oh, I also picked out my outfits for my defense on Friday and for commencement. Yeah. Overboard?

I rented "Great Expectations" and "Sense and Sensibility". Thoughts?  I was hoping that I'd be really randomly lucky enough to get "The Great Gatsby", but of course it's probably rented until the end of the year.

How are we going to fit our entire house into our vehicles and a trailer to move back? Charlie doesn't think we have very much stuff. I'm pretty sure we have toooooo much stuff. Come by our house. Maybe I'll just give you some stuff. Please?

I can't wait to see my nephews again this weekend!!! Ugh!!

Look!

Asher has doubles in size in a week!

And Caleb's a COOL MAN! A cool little Galbo-man!
I'm sorry. He's mini-Steve-Galbo.

getting closer

I just need to take my final exam for my online class. I just don't want to. there's not very many points available in the class, but I should just take it, huh? make me take it!

after that, I just have my defense on Friday! and then I'll actually be finished with classes for the semester. that will be cool.

I'm not feeling super-motivated today.

come on, stephie.. MOVE IT.

(ALSO... let me just say I so appreciate this woman for raising such a great man for me to marry. Haha who is NOT pictured in this photo :)


and for these two for making me an aunt. and for having the cutest kids ever.

PS... Crystal. I can't find you on facebook anywhere! We need pictures of you! :)

and this one for mommy-ing moomoo.

I know a lot of great mamas

Especially my own!  I love you, Mama Jane! You're patient (you listen to me talk and talk and talk when I need to), you're wise (about everything), you're lovely (you always know what to do or say), you're selfless (you've given yourself to dad, susan, me, and stacy as well as to each and every one of your kids), and you're gracious. I'm SO lucky to have been raised by you. (Oh! And you're funny. You always make me giggle).

yin and yang

(or is it ying and yang?) (you get my point).

my heart feels full right now.

of all sorts of emotions.

sometimes i wish i could turn off the switch where i let situations in other people's lives affect me.

but that wouldn't be good either, would it?

Ode to Childhood Sunday Afternoons

Big navy bows to

top off the perfect 

hair-curling job

mom did before church.

Just enough 

Mary-Kay blush to make me feel

like a "big girl" ready for 

the Bible lesson.

White, itchy hose

that help my feet slip into the 

little

   black
      shiny Sunday shoes with a brass clasp.

And then, coming home
to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich
and the most comfortable play clothes
I've ever worn, which take me back into my world
of jump ropes
    and dirt
        and hide-and-go-seek with the neighborhood kids.

how can you tell if you're tired and have allergies or if you're getting sick?

so remind me...

when comes the part of life when you never have a bad day

and you're never moody or emotional

and people are always kind and respectful to you

and you never roll your eyes at people

and you're always communicative and articulate?

It haaaaaasn't happened for me, yet.

FINE.

There is really, truly NOTHING in the world I want to do less right now than go volunteer at the free clinic.

NOTHING.

This better mean God has a specific reason for me going tonight.

YOU HEAR THAT?

Okay.

I'll go.

10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1

tomorrow is my last day of CLASS for graduate school.

granted, i'm FAR from finished, but tomorrow is my last day of classes. i have a presentation in both of them, so that's only appropriate.

then. it's
-1 clinical training day
-1 weight loss clinic training
-1 more meal with my cohort
-1 oral defense for my masters project
-1 final for an online class
-1 paper
-1 graduation :)  (well. commencement. i won't be official until september.)
-1 conference in Kansas City
-1, 10 week rotation at a hospital
-a few nights at the PNC
-a few mornings at the weight-loss clinic
-1 final CMP meeting (including a presentation)
-probably several things i need to complete and turn in such as a master list of competencies

-and then we head south, ya'll.

there's also a few fun trips and visits with people interspersed in there. which will make the time not only fun, but fly by.

yeesh, people. this is happening!  all of this in the next 3 months, 19 days, 18 hours, 10 minutes and 10 seconds, according to my count-down app.

AWOL

Soooo someone dropped off the planet!  (Sorry, that someone was me!) We made a spectacular trip down to Arkansas to celebrate my little sister's graduation from college!

Good thing we were there to celebrate HER rather than all the pomp and circumstance, because the morning of graduation she woke up half-dead and had to go to the emergency room. Bronchitis.

But you know what? She's still a college grad and still has everything in the world to be proud of! I didn't mind hanging out with her on the couch, watching TV, and appreciating the new stage of life she's just entered.

Way to go, Stacy!  Way to go!

(PS I also go to squeeze my nephews sooooooo that was fun. Caleb slept in Charlie and my room Friday night at the hotel and when he woke up upset in the middle of the night I couldn't stand it and put him in bed with us. Best night of sleep I've ever gotten with 25 pounds of drooling cuteness, hands and arms in my face! AGH!!!!)

I am so tired today.

Something that 2.5 cups of coffee and one chia tea latte couldn't fix.

I am SO SO SO excited for my cuzzy Ashleigh!  She's getting hitched to a real nice guy. And they're going to live happily ever after.

And she's going to be a PRINCESS at her wedding. I just know she's going to be stunning!

And I'm also selfishly excited that now I can be prettymostly sure that we'll be there for the wedding and wedding festivities. At least I hope we will be there for most of them! Yaaaaay!