I just went blog crazy today! I have another blog that I created a while ago with the intention of using it as a "drawing board" for my architectural designs and ideas, but have just never gotten around to doing anything on it. But rather than work on homework tonight while I'm at work I decided to update the blogs. So lucky for you, you get new posts to read and even a new blog to check out. The link to the other blog is on the right of the screen under the "links" heading
Bob only lasted two days. We had some warmer temperatures which made him tilt and eventually crumble to pieces as he hit the ground. But luckily Kelly was able to get some better quality pictures of him in the daytime. I would get a photo of the aftermath of Bob, but the rainstorms we had come through a couple of days ago took care of pretty much all the snow we had accumulated, including Bob. 
I thought I would give a quick update on the end of semester for me, but the semester hasn't ended yet. However, I feel like I'm done because I just presented my studio project today and that is by far the biggest load off my shoulders as far as the end of the semester goes. I've also finished my steel construction class so this semester is, for all intents and purposes, over. Well, except for the set of construction drawings I need to do in my AutoCAD class and the landscape architecture portfolio for my site design class. But those won't be that hard. Anyway, so far my project in studio went well. In my critique/presentation they really thought that everything sounded good from my presentation and that the drawing read well. They offered some good feedback on the overall form of the building but going into detail here won't really help if you can't see what I'm writing about. Finally in my steel class I'm not sure what my grade was on the final exam but overall I ended up with an A. I'll let you know how my other classes turn out.
So as I was finishing up that last blog I realized that it was a bit of a downer. So I thought I'd do a bit of a more light-hearted post now...just a few quick things that have been making Brian and I laugh lately!
Dainen Peterson (and Elise and Jaaron too)
One of the new apartment coordinator couples this year are the coolest people ever. We LOVE them. We also love their little boy Dainen. He is a super cutie! Not only is he cute though but he also has the sweetest personality. We usually get to sit next to them at church and Dainen is just so funny with his snacking. Just this last Sunday we came in a few minutes late (which is very unusual for us of course) and went to sit next to them. When we got there I gave Dainen a quick wave and he looked up and gave me the sweetest wave and then crawled over his parents to come sit with me and Brian. We fed him cheerios the entire time which of course makes us pals and played games with Brian and his funny faces. Dainen is just a super cute and fun kid who brightens my day. To describe him I'll relay a story Jaaron told us. Dainen was at swim lessons. Things were going well. Then at one point the swim instructor looked over a Dainen. He pointed at her with his finger and then motioned for her to come over with his fingers. To me that is the funniest image. This little kid pointing at an adult and having such authority to have them come over to him. It don't know about you but it cracked-me-up!
Evie Rippy (and her parents too)
Another person that's got me giggling everyday is little Miss Evie Rippy. She's just the sweetest little girl who can give the best smiles. Stacey and Jeff are kind enough to let me steal her whenever I go over there. She's just a little bundle of joy. She's my girl. We love to go over there and play with her, and if ever she's a fussy I just sing the Nutmeg library to her and she quites down (possibly to shut me up) but it works so who cares. The way I feel about Evie can be summed up by a quote from Elliot on Scrubs "I'm gonna go hold the crap outta that baby."
So, yes, there may be a pattern. But it's no secret that I love babies. And since it will be awhile until Brian and I allow ourselves to have one of our own, I will be using and abusing (in a loving way) these two sweet angels.
There are other things in my life that are good and happy, but most of them have to do with Chemistry and my daily expanded knowledge of the subject...which is boring to most people. Just wanted to let you all know that while things are a little boring and kind of sad around here sometimes, there are lots of good things going on too!
This Friday I went and visited with Skip Paznokas (yup, that's his name) he's the guy in charge of science majors who want to teach high school sciences. I had heard about this opportunity at another university called a Masters in Teaching and wanted to see if it was an option here at WSU.
Basically a Masters in Teaching is the golden ticket for me...the cake with all the icing on top. With a MIT (that's short for Masters in Teaching) I would be able to get a BS in Chemistry, without having to take all those crappy, waste of time (no offense to any Ed. Majors out there) education classes, and then spend one concentrated year earning my teaching credentials and wind up in the end with not only a BS in Chemistry but a Masters degree to boot. I'll be it it's not a masters in Chemistry but that doesn't matter, just the fact that it's a masters in anything is enough to make me more marketable and bump me up a pay grade. I will be doing a Chemistry Endorsement for my MIT which means I have to take one more Biochemistry class (the lab corresponding with the lecture I took) and then I'll be set. Skip also recommended doing a general science endorsement, so that I can teach other classes too. But he said that I can always add on endorsements as I go. This was good news because the general science endorsement would require I take more classes than I really have time for...classes like astrology, and geology and who has time for those?1?!
So this is good news and bad news. It means that I definitely know what I'm going to do with my life and have laid out the breadcrumbs to follow the right path but it also means that I'm definitely going to be in school for five...count em' people...five more semesters. Which sucks. I'm really ready to be done with school now. I'm tired of the constant studying and the endless string of busy days and no fun. But don't start panicking now people...I will not give up. I (well, Brian had a part in it too) have made this decision to get my degree and not give up until it's finished, so I'm not going to give up. I promise. It just feels sometimes like we're stuck in this no-man's-land between being kids and being adults. Because no matter how old I am, if I'm still in school somehow it doesn't really feel like I've grown up. And I want to grow up, I really do. I want to finally get out of this state of being and become that person I was destined to be. It just appears that it is going to take me a little bit longer than expected.
But that's okay, because when I'm all done with this it will be worth it. Stacey and I were talking about all this is other day and she said "just think about all the paper work you and Brian will be hanging on your walls...". And so I guess I can hang it all up on my walls, and looking at it I'll be able to remember and (hopefully) be happy about the journey that I took in getting there.
In case you've been wondering, Kelly and I are still alive. Yes, we have been busy. No, we haven't been so busy we couldn't have written a post here and there. No, we haven't forgotten about you all. School is going well, except for all the homework we have to do. Kelly wins here because my homework consists of, in her opinion, drawing pictures and playing on the computer while Kelly's consists of MathCAD and P-Chem. Anyway, I thought I'd just take 5 minutes and write a quick post to let you all know we are ok. But if you have more time you want to spend thinking about how cool I am, check out this website: http://www.courtyardhousing.org/. This is the project I'm working on in my studio class and therefore accounts for about 50% of my day, everyday.
