Ready for Fall

Well, I've made it through my second August working at a university. Let me just say, it has been an eye-opening experience to be on the staff side of Opening these past two years rather than the student moving in. To anyone who has ever moved into the halls early, you should give the coordinator a hug- Early Arrival planning is quite a chore!

In the midst of the busy-ness, I have had a chance to meet up with some UNC friends that have moved to the area. My new favorite escape is National Harbor- some call it a fake city, but I think it's a great break to the hustle & bustle of city life. Here's a picture from earlier this week. On Sunday night, they showed Free Willy and on Thursday, they showed 3 episodes of Friends!


I've loved being able to reconnect with friends who I shared my Carolina experience with. I have really missed the feeling of community that I had at Carolina. I think college breeds deep relationships- and the people you spend your time with really do become your family.

The air is a bit cooler each morning and the humidity of summer will soon morph into crispness of fall. Bring on the warm sweaters and crunchy leaves!

Hot Summer In the City

This summer has been so much more cooler than last summer. The rain is ever present like last year, but the unbearable heat has yet to set in. This makes my walks with Sasha much more enjoyable. We usually walk down to the Capitol and the National Mall once a week. The rest of the time we just hang around the neighborhood- there's a few parks nearby that we frequent. Sasha is more than happy to meet new people, but she is still verrry hesitant around other dogs. I need to research some socialization strategies. Here's a recent pic of the cute pup.


The summer portion of work is coming to a close. I've prepared a calendar for the Fall semester and am planning various trainings set to occur the first week in August.

I've been feeling overwhelmed lately and am stressing about what's going to happen next. I'm still pondering the idea of grad school- counseling? social work? education? I just need to decide when & where. I'm really leaning towards returning to North Carolina, but who knows...

What I reallllly want to do is just take a year-long vacay and visit all my friends. I would get to go to New Orleans, Los Angeles, Chicago, France, Dominican Republic, and NC (of course!). Good thing the internet lets us "travel" without buying a plane ticket.

Mucho mucho love.

Kid Songs

So oftentimes at work I find myself singing "Rise and Shine" and/or "Baby Beluga". I'm not sure what the greater meaning of these occurrences are, but they seem to be amusing to me and some co-workers.

Please reminisce and enjoy.

March Madness continued into April and May...

Well friends, things have finally slowed down a bit. Here's the highlight of each month:

March: I had visitors almost every weekend!

April: UNC took home yet another National Championship trophy!

May: A good friend got married and I was able to spend a weekend at home in Charlotte. :)

All 3 months were a busy time at work. I spent many hours assigning interns to rooms and working with different AU departments to prepare for summer conferences. Rather ironically, my hours at work have decreased now that summer has actually arrived. Now it's on to preparing for student arrivals in August.

I'm still clueless as to what my next step is. It's nice to have my feet on the ground at my current job, but I want to be able to apply my experience to something new at some point. I'll keep you updated on when/what that may be. ;)

Sasha has grown alot! Last time we went to the vet, she weighed 7 pounds. That's quite a bit more than the 2.7 pounds she weighed on her first visit. I love her mucho. Our current favorite game is fetch. I throw a ball into the kitchen and she brings it back. She used to go get it and then take it to "her" carpet. But now she actually brings it back to ME!

That's my short and sweet update. I'll leave you with a photo from the wedding I went to last weekend.


Oh and if you're a fan of Taylor Swift and/or Coldplay, check out this video. It's a beautiful composition!

Oh the Madness of March...

This time last year I was in Savannah enjoying my last spring break. Now I'm hiring students, planning for summer conferences, and attending meetings galore. Luckily 2 friends from college came to visit last weekend so I don't feel too disconnected from the college years. Since it's been a while I'll give an update on a variety of subjects...

1. WORK: It is so much better than it was 2 months ago. I finally got over the negative enough to put my positive attitude back on. I'm getting along much better with co-workers and doing my best to develop positive working relationships. The more I think about it, the more I realize that I will probably always encounter people who want to shoot down my positive outlook on life. I definitely know that things are not perfect, but somehow happiness & excitement get me so much further than bitterness. :)

2. APARTMENT: Two words... cute & cozy. I've found a place for almost everything and even hung some pictures on the walls! I actually like living in a smaller apartment- less to clean and lower utility bills! My roommate and I are getting along well. It's nice to have someone to come home and talk to at the end of the day.

3. SASHA: She's a mess! I think she's about 7 pounds now (the first time I took her to the vet she was 2.7). So she's definitely growing! I have my moments of frustration- like when I'm trying to take her for a walk and she decides to lay down on the sidewalk or when she barks at me because she wants to play at 1:00am. NO Sasha! The moments of adorableness outweigh the frustration. Right now she's passed out on the rug outside my room. We go to the vet again on Saturday. Hopefully all is well.

4. LIFE: Lately, I've been debating what to do next... grad school? teach? something else? This week I spent some time looking at social work programs and researching DC charter schools. I just don't know what to do. I wish I could feel at peace with a decision. But right now all I feel is confused.

5. BASKETBALL: Go heels! My love for Roy's boys grows more each year.

6. THINGS THAT MAKE ME GO HMMM... I think I'm going to write a book about the strange things I see on the metro. Here's a couple:
- A man carrying a wireless microphone. Maybe he was rushing it to a local concert?
- A woman wearing one dress shoe and one tennis shoe. At first I thought maybe she had an injury, but couldn't she still wear matching shoes?
- I know there's more, but I can't think of them now...

Hope your March is as mad as mine. :)

<3 Michelle