It's been a long time

Time is a funny thing. The way my schedule is right now, sometimes I feel like I have a lot of time, and other times I feel so rushed. In general, though, I feel so happy with the right now and the soon to come.

So, the updates. What have we been doing since the Kirkland Triathlon I told you about way back when?

Well, with the start of October came my first day of grad school in the College of Education at UW. So far I'm absolutely loving it. This quarter I'm learning about science educational methods, historical writing of teaching and curriculum theory, and the role of nonprofits in youth education. Next quarter I will have courses on reading comprehension, multilingual socialization and learning, and business strategy for the natural environment (through Program on the Environment, my old program).

As most of you know, when I started grad school I went to half time at my job. That's been hard, as I've worked to build a program over the last two years, and now I have to let go of things. I was stretched to the limit trying to get everything done, including a sea level rise display I organized for 350.org's International Day of Climate Action. Now things are calming down a bit.

But, the big news. I've accepted a graduate student appointee position at school. Being a GSA is the way to go for grad school, since I'll be paid a salary and receive free tuition and health insurance. I'm really excited - I'll be reviewing applications for undergraduate admissions.

There have been a lot of ups and downs this month, but, luckily, we also had some fun in October and early November. We:
- Took engagement pictures!
- Had a great day trip to Dave's family cabin north of Seattle. They have been working really hard to fix things up, and rediscovering a relaxing family retreat. While there, Dave and I walked over to use the neighbors' rope swing. Here's my favorite pic of the day:
- Saw "Where the Wild Things Are" and got a really awesome crown.
- Whiled away a few weekend mornings at one of our local coffee shops sipping lattes, reading, and playing Scrabble.
- Did some manual labor! The sea level rise display faced some of our heavy fall storms, so I spent a good bit of time pounding stakes into the beach. I also enjoyed a work party at the park, and Dave spent another day at the cabin with his family.
- Visited Craven Farm on a lovely, rainy Sunday afternoon to partake in their Halloween festivities. We grew a ton of pumpkins ourselves, but Dave let me buy one very darling little pumpkin, and we enjoyed some delicious cider and a pumpkin cookie. It's fun to see our wedding venue in different seasons! Hopefully it won't be quite so muddy in August...
- Saw a great performance of "Waterlines" by Stokles Towles at Noodleworks by Uwajimaya. Stokley is part of a panel I am helping to organize that features artists from the Water Calling Series.
- Watched a lot of The Tudors and Lost. Netflix instant streaming to XBox is dangerous.
- Returned to E.E. Robbins to look at wedding bands. I think we've picked mine - it involved sapphires. Tehehe.

There are a lot of exciting things coming up, too. I'm looking forward to several fun get togethers with friends (a girls' sleepover, a vintage holiday show at Craven). I know Dave can't wait to start cooking up Thanksgiving food (Tofurky - yum!), and we're planning a fun Christmas tree-acquisition outing for later that weekend. Soon enough I'll be through final projects, and we can enjoy the holiday festivities.

Thanks to everyone for their continual support. Have a happy start to the holiday season!