MAJOR FAIL

So, it's been months and months since my first attempt that starting this blog thing. I'm just not very good at this, but I want to be, so I'll give it yet another shot. Quite a bit has happened in the past 5 months - and a few things have been crossed off the my monster list!

The first big change - I got a new job! I was working as a graduate assistant with a two-year contract, and it is my original goal to get a new job towards the end of that contract. The university had other plans, however, and gave me a full time position in mid-December. This has been great is so many ways, but mostly because having a full-time salary instead of a stipend has eased many financial burdens we were facing at that time. I still get the benefit of tuition remission and getting to work with the students I've come to know and love!

Another big item completed on the list is our upcoming move. We have decided to move into a new apartment that is much closer to the university and will hopefully be closer to Joe's new job as well. He is applying for a promotion that would enable him to transfer stores. This new store just happens to be less than a mile from our new place, so that would work out wonderfully. The apartment is also bigger than our current place, with an extra bedroom and bathroom that we didn't have before. The apartment is on the first floor, which is awesome, and the patio overlooks a small pond with ducks swimming around and a nature trail right across the way. We also purchased new living room furniture for the place - yet another item crossed off the list!

Graduate school is going very well, I have a 4.0 so far. We'll see how long that lasts, but I am keeping my goal is having a 3.75 or above. I'm about halfway done with my actual courses, and then I'll start my thesis hours next spring if everything goes according to my plan.

Now that the weather has warmed up, I plan on tackling some of the local tourist items on the list.

Next update: my service trip to Boston! It deserves its very own blog post.