Sunday, November 27, 2011

Rambles....

Two weeks....I can do this. One more week (4 days) of lecture, five final exams and then a month of vacation during the Christmas season! I cannot wait. Life continues to be moving swiftly. Such a beautiful time in our lives yet so, so busy.

A big contributor to our crazy schedule is Cade's baseball. His select team has done amazingly well for their first season! Last week they won the Super Series State Championship!! I never thought that I would be traveling, staying in hotels to watch my 7 year old win a state championship! There really are no words to watch your child achieve that doing something he loves so much. We've made some amazing friends through the Spartans and we really are blessed to share this experience with wonderful people. Next weekend the SA Spartans are headed to the Super Series World Series. They have only been together since June so this is pretty incredible! This will be the last tournament for the Fall. I cannot even imagine how crazy the Spring will be with the heavy season for select ball and a competitive Spring at Little League too. I just think we are busy right now.

I have once again taken on too much. I know this about myself yet I just don't know how to turn down an opportunity. I have been asked to join the Honor's Academy and soon will be advising a case load of honor students and teaching in the Honor's program. An amazing opportunity....but more work. I have taken on way too much photography business lately. I just can't miss out on meeting a new family! I am going to have to slow it down...right after the wedding I shoot on New Year's Eve....I can't believe I signed that contract! It has been interesting trying to schedule shoots around everything else but I've done so and unintentionally 2011 will probably go down as my most profitable yet...which is bad, bad for my CPA husband. My business is supposed to help our taxes and show a loss. I am about to have to purchase a new Macbook Pro and some lenses for some write-offs...darn the bad luck ;).

Camy is as precious as ever. She is talking so much and everyday presents us with a new phrase. She is "my best girl" and my constant shadow. I thank God everyday for the gift of my camy girl.

Michael is doing well in his new position. He is learning the ropes of the banking realm and has been wined and dined by most banks already. He just finished up year end close and just needs to finish up the yearly audit and things will look a little easier for him after the holidays. It stinks that this is his busiest time of year but just the way it goes. We spent two weeks trying to figure out how to go on a trip for a few days in December. Pathetically, we could not come up with a string of days we could be away during December. We will try again in May.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I really enjoyed the days with my family. We even finished all our Christmas decorating! Can't wait for the best time of the year!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

The Dossier

I have not blogged in ages and for that I am regretful. We've been living life, fully....in the fast lane....and while I am making the memories there is just not time to document those memories. There are pictures and come February there will be a retreat and I will scrap those memories appropriately. That makes it ok for me.

However, today is such a significant day in my professional life...anti-climatic in many ways....not something to pop a cork for (yet) but after 6 years of working on it, the final day deserves a blog, at least.

It takes 6 years of tenure-track teaching, hours of service, publications, peer reviews, classroom observations, chair evaluations, student evaluations, justification upon justification to even apply. Today I turned in my Tenure Dossier. All 762 pages. I should have taken a picture of it, huh?!?! I said a little prayer and placed (more like dropped) it on my Chair's desk. It is out of my hands now. It will travel its way through the Chair, Tenure Committee, Dean, Vice-President, President and finally the Board. Let's hope it's approved. I won't know until late summer/early fall if I have been granted tenure. For us in academia tenure is a big deal, huge in fact.

Wouldn't you know that the year I am up for tenure is the year the Board decides to review the worth of it. Yeah...fun! As an officer of the Faculty Senate, I have given that my best fight. We've stood strong on the issue and as of now, it remains in tact. Maybe I just got in under the wire?

So here we go, waiting on that decision that is months away.

About Me

Texas
Live, Laugh & Love...that's my battle cry! I love this life I've been given & blessed to share it with my handsome hubby, MW, my sweet son, doodle bug, and beautiful sissy belle!