boiler up, y'all.

This is is view from my computer monitor these days. The students are coming back and this is our "tax season" as we buckle down cranking out final details for programs and prepare to make guest appearances at other folks' programs.  This is the time of year where we stand in fromt of students, behind tables and up to eat between meetings and tasks.  We will share "the work we do" over and over as we try to woo new students to give us a shot and other students to stick with us.  You know how runners always talk about trusting the training? This is it.  This is our work.  This is the training; marathon is next week.  Trust the training.  The students are coming... Boiler Up! We are changing lives here, people.

*So if this life was a dry quirky comedy movie and I was the nauseating and over the top boss-type character, then I think I just wrote the draft for a team meeting speech. Shall I try it out on my colleages and with a straight face too?

INTERACT: What are you training for these days?

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”-Albert Einstein

I love moving. Not the actual physical act of moving- I hate that. Watching people move your stuff//realizing that I have too. much. crap.//tapping into my control freak tendencies//"oh no, don't..drop..that thing that to you is nothing, but to me is...EVERYTHING" No I do NOT love that.

But I love the way moving make me FEEL things. Sentimental about leaving behind a place and the memories that it contains...Hopeful about the new empty place just waiting to store all. that. crap. and new stories laughs and experiences. Everyday is a great day for a fresh start and moving is a helpful reminder of the ability to make a fresh start and the importance of a clean slate.

The past few weeks I've been moving my office from one side of our suite to the complete opposite side. The office is a bit bigger, and in a more strategic location for purposeful student interaction, so I couldn't turn down the possibility. It's my good friend, CR's old office and I have to admit, it feels a little weird to be moving into her space- but it reminds me of all the laughs we had in there. (miss her!) My friend, Tiff, told me once that "all changes carry with them a grieving process," and even though I'm merely shifting my items a few feet away, I am leaving A LOT behind...like the temporary feeling you get when you're a VISTA, being able to holler out to students, "come on back!" and my very. first. 40/wk. nameplate bearing. office. That's a lot.

my old office

I was meeting with one of my students last week and when I told her that I was moving she asked if I was excited. I told her that I thought it was a good decision, but that I didn't really like change sometimes. She laughed and said, "that's ironic, because your whole job is about change."

I'm glad to have moments that forced me to physically interact with my things and my work and to really reflect on the going ons in my space and the positive change that took place. I'm hopeful and eager to see what stories my new space will live to tell.

my new space just waiting for you to come in and help me put all. my. crap. away.

INTERACT: How do you feel about moving?

Reflections on my first week on the job..

As you can tell, I have officially started work at TCU and I've good the faculty/staff car decal to prove it. What a whirlwind week! Even though it has been kind of crazy, it has been SO GREAT to get back in the higher ed working groove. My first day was Tuesday and I already had meetings to go to which was really energizing and great to meet some people. My supervisor couldn't be more kind and welcoming. I have printed out a TCU map and hung it in my office and I am highlighting buildings as I learn what they are and how to get there. This, my friends, is called motivation. :)

I have been eating nothing but oatmeal and vegetarian chili until I get some money for groceries and I was getting a little lonely without usual friends and cable, so when my friend, Matt, popped into town on Wednesday for a meeting- I was THRILLED that he decided to stay and take me to dinner. As I drove there, I discovered how close work REALLY is to downtown and it blew my mind that I could just GO to these places on a whim. Thanks Matt, for the beers, food, and good conversation. How cool when friends pop in just when you need them.



This week, I met some student leaders, decided that I am really going to like working with KAte (the other VISTA), had lunch in the caf every day, taught my first Community Action class, got to bounced ideas off my supervisor, learned some website things, and "may" have worked out a negotion with a colleague to trade my solid purple chairs for his polka dot chairs. In addition to the work I will be doing in my office, I will also get to work with the sophomore transistions team, women's programing, and be a staff partner for a connections class (first year experience). How great!

Oh, and I met a couple of people to hang out with that I have some things in common with. So pretty much a good week.

Hanging in ABQ with the mountains and some like minded folks.

Why are there mountains behind me? Well that is because last week I was in Albuquerque, New Mexico for a Public Service Orientation. As an Americorps*VISTA, it is a requirement to go to this regional training to discuss poverty, capacity building, and how we fit into the mission of VISTA. It was truly a great time and so refreshing to be surrounded by people about to embark on similar journeys as myself. I made some dear friends with whom I'd love to keep in touch.

We stayed at the Hilton and aqttended seminars during the day that looked a little like this:


The weather was wonderful and the conversations were phenomenal. I of course took on a role in the evening as entertainment coordinator..I am a born planner. It was really neat to see all the connections that people were making with one another; we all remarked on how it felt like freshman orientation all over again. I was pleased to have the best roomie of the bunch, Lindsey. It was so fun to stay up chatting with her about her experiences and expectations for the year.



As VISTAs we took an oath of service (the same as military) at the end of the training, which was really interesting to me as someone who isn't really known for my patriotism. But let's be honest: what a great time in history to serve my country in terms of fighting the war on poverty. We are all so interdependent on one another and I am always glad to make relationships that remind me of that.

INTERACT: check out the photos from my trip and leave some comments. Check out the photos by clicking this link!

Cow Town Is Coming: Prepare for Branding

alternate title for this post: "This one's for you, Candice."

So, upon hugging me goodbye (for what may be the last time for a while), my friend requested that I put more personal updates on my blog. While I think we definitely have a difference of opinion about what is personal, i know what she means. She wants me to update more on the goings on in my life..which is understandable. SO, since I do not have pictures of my unborn children to post, I shall tell you the update on my upcoming move to Ft. Worth. So without further adieu, Candice, this one's for you:

Habitat:I have found an AWESOME 1 bedroom 625 sq ft apartment 10 minutes from campus for a phenomenal price of $399 a month (300 of which will be paid by TCU). This apartment find is a RELIEF and while I always like myself better when I have a roomie (I like the idea of being forced to be considerate of another), I have decided to live alone. I think its a good choice for the current season and I really look forward to quiet contemplative times of being, as well as Pizza Nite 3.0!

Up Next:I will be headed up to Fort Worth on the 6th and 7th of August for an Orientation to my position type of experience. I'm really looking forward to this b/c I have the opportunity to meet Kate, my new Americorps colleague and recent TCU graduate. It will also be really enlightening to speak with Amy (the current VISTA) about the day joys and challenges of the position.

The Big Move:JT and friends will be loading up a UHaul with many of my personal belongings that I have not seen in a year and bringing those things to my apartment for move in. I look forward to spending that weekend unpacking, reuniting with my matching dishes that Hannah bought me, writing lists, visiting a church I have been cyber-stalking, and settling in, before I go back to Waco to crash before my work officially starts.

The Oath:August 25th, I head to Albuquerque, New Mexico to attend Americorps* Public Service Orientation, to learn some things, make some friends, and take my oath of service. Following my oath, my year of service will officially have begun..da da duuuuuum...what do you think about them apples?...mmm I love apples...

COMING UP IN THE BLOG: Tales from a Birthday Scavenger Hunt...
here's a teaser photo taken towards the end of my birthday evening...

working working working....

I am writing a proposal to present at this:



See you on the flip side of that. I miss you, and I have lots to tell you, so check back soon!

I'm graduating!!!!

SO, now that the papers and exams are FINALLY complete- I can breathe AND blog.
I am about to be a MASTER. My plan- get a job and buy myself a pipe to celebrate. (You just SEEM like a Master when you're smoking a pipe.)

Here's the skinny- I graduate May 17th from Baylor University with a MSed in Student Affairs Administration. I passed my comprehensive case study on the first go round (My cohort was the first in Baylor history to all pass on the first round.)

Job search:
I have been on two on campus interviews. One of those decisions is still pending while the other gave me the boot.
I have a phone interview scheduled for next week and another on campus interview scheduled for the week after graduation. Plus I am applying-applying-applying!!!


Prayer:
Please pray that I finish my assistantship with integrity (I have 7 hours left).
Please pray that I find a part time job in the interim, because I have bills to pay AND my student loans start again.
Please pray that God allows me to find a position that utilizes my strengths and allows me to be financially secure and helps me to be developed as a professional.


Let me know if there is any praying I can do for you.

Chuck Norris wouldn't apply for a Student Affairs job....

He would just take it- b/c everyone knows that Chuck Norris is the reason Waldo is hiding.

So- As of this very moment I have officially applied for 9 jobs. It's a daunting tack but you just have to sit down and start applying. I recieved a sudden jolt of confidence after I was offered interviews from two different positions at the same school where my best friend will soon be working. So, I applied to a few more places and hopefully I will continue to have a quick turn around of interview offers/declines. We all know how much I love feed back.

As I sit on the computer typing my "hire me please; I'm the greatest ever and oh-so-qualified" coverletters, I noticed that the "recreational TV" (praying for your Lenten choices, Tif) in the background is showing an episode of CSI. I know nothing about the plot, but I found myself getting over-annoyed by the constant use use the word "dorms." I looked sternly at the television and stated, "Residence Halls- not Dorms." THIS is how I KNOW that it is time for bed.

Speaking of bed- "Dormatory" comes from the Latin- "dormere=to sleep." Here's the deal- residence halls should not only be a place where students sleep, but a place where they LIVE. (I'm such a higher education nerd.) BUT o-so-hireable.