New Laptop!

I'm writing this on my brand-new laptop! I decided sometime in the summer that it was probably time to update, since I got mine in 2003. A new laptop seemed like a good way to spend my graduation money from the Cooks, but since I wasn't working over the summer I had to wait for some good cash flow before I could make the purchase. That turned out just fine, because it gave us time to look. Mark actually did most of the looking, and he picked out this one for me. It had some features I was looking for, like a built-in webcam and a number pad. Plus, it was on sale for a great price in August when he found it. I couldn't afford it yet, and I was checking the price about once a week. Sure enough, it went back up to the original price ($100 more). Thankfully, buy the time I was ready to buy, it was back on sale! With Mark's Amazon prime, I got it in two days! Although all we've done so far is install anti-virus and a trial office suite, I can certainly tell a difference with the speed. It's great! Of course, it has Windows 7, which I haven't used much prior to this, so I'll have a little learning to do. Mark's planning to get a new desktop, too, but his will be a little pricer, so we're waiting a little longer. (And, his current computer isn't 7 years old already). I guess I might have also been dragging my feet on making my upgrade because Pop-pop bought me my first laptop before I started college. It was pretty top-of-the-line, and it's met my needs for a long time. I think, though, that he would have wanted me to get the new one. I guess having an emotional attachment to a laptop isn't too strange, right?

Football Game

Last night we went to the first BGSU home football game. I was able to get free tickets, and we decided we should check it out. It seemed to be a pretty big deal--tons of tailgaters, a sea of orange school spirit, crazy parking...We actually walked over, to avoid that whole mess, and were there in time to see the pre-game show from the marching band (unfortunately, we weren't on the side they played to). BGSU scored early in the game, and when we left after half time, BGSU still had the lead (they did win--Mark checked later). The halftime show (Bohemian Rhapsody) was entertaining, too, and it was "band day" so a bunch of high school bands came out to play a couple of things all together. The whole thing reminded me of high school--football games, marching band competitions...Although we're not at all into sports, and even though we might not go again, we had a good time. I did take some pics with my phone, so if I figure out how, I'll post them here later.

Out and about

After another crazy week, I was able to get out and do some fun things in the area. Two of my colleagues invited me to join them at the Greek Festival in Toledo on Friday night. There is music and dancing and some other activities, but the main thing is the food. Everything I tried was great! We also got to tour the church, which was beautiful. There were huge stained glass windows and detailed paintings inside. It was fun to spend some time with people outside of the office.

Also this weekend in Bowling Green was the Black Swamp Arts Festival. It seems to be a very popular event, and I actually required 2 of my classes to check it out. I figured it was only fair for me to go, too! :-) Mark's professor was playing with a jazz group on one of the stages there on Saturday morning, so we went to listen to that for a bit, then walked around. We didn't buy anything, but it was a nice atmosphere. Definitely something to check out if you're ever here the second weekend of September.

We also drove up to Toledo on Saturday afternoon to do a little more clothes shopping. I think we've been able to get most of what we'll need until the winter. (Although I'm still looking for a pair of khaki's to replace my worn-out ones...I've been looking for over a year now.) We had lunch at Steak and Shake while we were up there, too.

Otherwise, things are going along as expected. We're busy, but mostly enjoying what we're doing. I've got great students and colleagues, and Mark is really having fun teaching. I do still feel like I haven't gotten my routine figured out, but I think things are working out okay despite my feeling frazzled on a regular basis. I still hope that will pass with time.

Hooray for Long Weekends!

Don't get me wrong--I am absolutely thrilled to have the job teaching. But I've felt behind and stressed since day one, and I'm thankful to have this long weekend to recuperate and hopefully work ahead. I guess it might just be my personality, but I feel uncomfortable if I don't have some idea of what I'll be doing a little down the road; so flying by the seat of my pants is not working for me. (Well, maybe it's not that bad, but I do feel like each day so far has been pretty hectic.) In any case, I think as I go along, it'll get better. And, I do have great students and helpful colleagues, so it's going to be a great semester.

Besides trying to get some rest and get some work done, Mark and I had plans to do some shopping. He got paid yesterday (hooray!) and he's been needing some new clothes. We drove down to the mall in Findlay and got some things there, including a mini-fridge for his office. (That should make sack lunches more appealing). We're also planning to visit some used car lots and start shopping for our next car. Since we sold the Mustang, we'd like to buy something bigger that Mark can use for transporting his equipment.

In other news, we finally had some work done in the apartment that we'd been waiting for. They repaired the siding by our back door. In the bathroom, we got a curved shower rod, so our shower is now extra roomy instead of extra narrow. And, we got a brand new toilet. The bathroom's really taken a step up!

A Hectic Start

Well, the first week is halfway over, and it's been crazy so far! We're both really happy to be doing what we're doing, but it's always difficult to re-adjust to the busy school schedule after having the summer off.

I've met all of my students, and I'm starting to get to know them. It's really fun to be back in the classroom, although I'm still a little overwhelmed by figuring out the new classes. Thankfully, everyone in the program is really helpful, and I enjoy working with them. I am, however, looking forward to next week, when I hope to feel more settled in. Overall, other than being tired, it's going pretty well.

Here it comes!

Yep, the beginning of the school year is just around the corner. And I'm thrilled to be working full time in the ESL Program. I'll be teaching 4 classes, and since I just got hired a few days ago, I've been pretty busy trying to get ready. I feel like there's a long way to go before Monday, but I'm sure everything will work out fine in the end. On that note, I ought to get back to work, but I wanted to share the good news!

One month later...

We moved in one month ago today! On one hand, its hard to believe we've been here that long; on the other, we feel pretty at home here already. I haven't written much because there isn't much to report. We've enjoyed having our cable TV to help keep us entertained in our abundant leisure time (we're hooked on HGTV's "House Hunters"). I've pretty much adjusted to doing laundry at the laundromat. We've been walking most evenings (and really enjoying the cooler weather!).

Last week, I helped with placement testing for the ESL program on campus and had a great time. I get to go back for more on Monday, which is great. Mark has signed up for classes and will have orientation next week; so for him, this is the last weekend of summer.

This afternoon, we drove up to Toledo to go to Target, Best Buy, and Steak-and-Shake. We had a gift card for Target, which we used to buy some new bath towels. At Best Buy, we browsed for laptops because I've finally decided it's time for me to get a new one. I've had mine for 7 years, and it's really too slow to handle today's internet. I'll probably wait another month or so, but we thought it would be a good time to start shopping around.

I imagine we'll have lots more to post once school starts!