Winter Term

When I tell people I work in Agricultural Education and General Agriculture at Oregon State University, I usually get asked the follow up question: "So, what do you do?"

Honestly, it depends on the day...but it really does depend on the term. I have only been on the job since August, so I haven't seen the rhythm of an entire year yet. I can, however, talk in broad, sweeping strokes.

Fall term I was part teacher educator/ part leadership educator. I taught two classes. First, I taught a graduate course for our student teaching cohort (future high school ag teachers) called "Laboratory Pedagogy" which covered topics related to teaching in non-classroom settings (i.e. metals lab, greenhouse, field trips). A fun 3 hours with 12 students every Monday afternoon.  I was also the instructor for the capstone course required of our General Agriculture majors. This writing intensive course came with pretty open parameters so I made it part leadership development and part career/life skills. Both classes were good experiences for me, but both classes would be thoroughly revised if I am to be the instructor again.

This winter I am part researcher/ part teacher educator. I am coordinating the seminar that our student teachers come back to OSU for every other Friday while they are out student teaching. While it means I ONLY teach every other Friday, it means I teach ALL DAY. I have a strong need to be organized so I have planned out all four seminars and all of the due dates ahead of time. Maybe that will make the term run smoothly. We'll see. I will also spend some time on the road visiting student teachers. They are scattered pretty far (see previous post for a map) and need to be visited a total of 6 times during the year. So far, two down and 4 to go for each of them. There will also be some road time to get in the second round of interviews for a grant funded study on the CASE curriculum. And the term ends with State FFA Convention during our spring break. The host site rotates each year so we are heading to Medford for this year's Convention. That is also when worksamples will roll in and need to be graded in one weekend. (We should discuss the nightmare that is WORKSAMPLES sometime, but today isn't the day.)

Spring term I will be part leadership educator.  I will be developing a new course for us called "Team and Organizational Leadership" during spring term and am excited and challenged by the idea. I will also be part conference attendee starting at the end of winter term and carrying into the summer. (That conference part was said a little tongue-in-cheek, but not really.) I have trips to Orlando (March  2-4), State Convention (March18-21), New Orleans (April 8-12), Fresno (April 20-22), Coeur D'Alene, ID (May 24-27), Hood River, OR (June 22-24) and Denver (July 10-13).

I also do advising for some of the students in the department. I also co-advise a fun bunch of college kiddos in a student organization: Collegiate FFA. I have also picked up a faculty/staff fitness class everyday (weightlifting 2 days a week and water aerobics 3 days a week), grad and career group on Tuesday nights (with some other G&C fun stuff mixed in on Friday's, Saturday's and Sunday mornings during the term), a Tribe for Dox meeting on Thursday evenings, Weight watchers meetings once a week, and a WIC (Writing Intensive Course) seminar for the next five Tuesdays.


That's what I do. And, I gotta say, it makes me a little tired to think about it all. I'm gonna take a nap now.

Living in the Window

I am living in a window. 

I had a back surgery in July 2003. Yup, at 24. I wish it was a cool story, but I didn't do anything grand. I was working at a garden center during my masters program and picked something up wrong. It hurt all spring and through the summer. I went to a chiropractor. I babied it and it got some better. Then I bought a house. I moved things in and when I woke up the next day, I couldn't feel my right leg. At all. After rounds of doctor visits and an MRI, it was decided surgery was my only option. When I had it done, Dr. Nitka said "I give it 1-3 years before you are having another surgery. That's just how these types of injuries work." I didn't really believe him. I had the surgery, took a couple weeks off work (with some of the best colleagues I will ever work with picking up the slack -thanks guys!) and figured I could work hard and be vigilant about protecting my back and all would be okay.

I had another back surgery in October 2007. (If you are quick with the math you will see he was right on... 3 years). Didn't do anything crazy this time either. Went for a hike in Rock Bridge State Park on Labor Day and woke up the next day with shooting pain and no feeling in my leg. Dang! We tried to avoid surgery this time, too. I did it all. Steroids. Physical therapy. A nerve block procedure. Nothing worked and it was decided I needed surgery. This surgeon gave me options: I could do another small procedure and be back in 1-3 years or I could remove that disc, and fuse my two vertebrae, buying myself 3-10 years. After a whole lot of discussion, it was decided to fuse. (I was just beginning a 3 year PhD program and the thought of having another surgery during that was definitely a motivating factor). So I did it. Four screws and two rods holding L4-L5 together, with six days in the hospital, a month at Amy's house and two years of not feeling like myself at all (I put on 40 lbs and was both depressed and fairly miserable). I got over it. I am losing the weight and starting to feel like my old self. 

The surgeon who did the second surgery guaranteed me two things: 1) I would not longer have any issues with the L4-5 disc (because he took it out!) and 2) I would have an issue with the next disc above or the disc below and be back on the operating table in 3-10 years. Again, if you are quick with the math, you can see what I mean when I say "I am living in a window". I have passed the 3 year mark. It is a waiting game.

Dancing Queen

I mentioned that I went to my niece D's dance recital while I was home. I wasn't planning on videoing, but we were so far in the back that still shots wouldn't work. So the video doesn't start at the beginning. Sorry. Bad auntie! FYI: She is the super skinny one.... at the beginning of the video you can't see her for the boy, but for most of the video she is on the far left of your screen on the middle row. Enjoy :-)

Happy and Sad

The holidays are over. My vacation back home has come and gone. The winter term has begun. And that all makes me happy. And sad.

I had a great time at home.
We celebrated KatieBug turning one.

I got to see Desiree dance in her first dance recital. I had dinner with my college roommate Leigh and her husband Cord (I never get to do this enough!). I hung out with "the boy" and got to meet his family. I celebrated Christmas and ate a phenomenal dinner with the family. I ate out a LOT (Stag and Doe (x2), Floyd's, Bojangles (x3), No Name Pizza, Gary's, Royal James, Chic-Fil-A, Porky's, The Spot...see that's a lot). I watched A LOT of football. I went for walks with dad. I rang in the New Year with the whole gang around a backyard fire. I got to shop and get a pedicure with my mom. I played with the nieces and nephews. I got to see snow (on Christmas day)!  We grilled out with that snow still on the ground. Check out the snowman my niece Emily made with my brother.

It is weird living this bi-coastal (almost double) life. On the one coast, I am a daughter and friend and aunt and sister. There are always people around and something non-work related to do. It's great and so easy to fall back into those roles. One the other coast, I am a friend, a member of some groups, a health nut, and a professional. I go home to my empty apartment and eat dinner alone.

I have decided I am a true "grass is always greener" person. When I am in NC with family and living out of a suitcase, I appreciate all of the people and things to do, but I crave peace and quiet... and to be in my own space with my own things. When I am in my apartment in Corvallis, I appreciate the peace and routine, but I crave all the people I have left behind. I spent the whole break craving the productivity of sitting behind my desk and checking things off of the ol' to do list... and as I sit behind my desk working, I choke back tears for the people I have left behind.

See: Happy and sad.

Love this

I saw this post by another blogger and just had to share

Back on the Right Coast

Sorry for the lack of blogging.... but I am spending time on the "right" coast with friends and family. I will be back to blogging from the wrong coast after the New Year.

Merry Christmas.

31 is the new 29

I turned 31 yesterday. And, it wasn't so bad.

Now, to fully understand why my 31st birthday NOT being an issue is truly blog worthy, I must take you back to this time last year.

I was freaking out! I did NOT want to turn 30. Mostly because I am a thinker an over thinker. I was comparing myself to the people around me in graduate school and the friends with whom I had graduated high school and it seemed like they were all a little farther ahead in the game of life. Everyone seemed to be married. Most had kids. Many owned homes. And I was turning 30 while still in grad school, boyfriend-less, and renting a room in a house.

So I did what anyone would do... I went to CABO. My sister was in desperate need of a vacation as well so we packed up, found a warm destination, and spent 6 days in January reading, sunning, drinking, swimming, whale watching, snorkeling, eating and just NOT being a grad student (me) or an overworked, mom and wife (sister).

I know it's not healthy to compare myself to others. And, in this situation it was meaningless. I was still in school, but I was getting a PhD - pretty cool. I had owned a house... a house I loved. I sold it to move away to grad school. I had been in a couple long term relationships, but the truth is that I had just not found the right guy. And, kids... well, let's not go there, but suffice it to say I am thankful that I was able to go through the madness that is graduate school and academic job hunting without the worries of parenthood.

So my 31st birthday came yesterday and was actually quite enjoyable. (I think it is the "funnest" day to be on Facebook and enjoyed birthday wishes from friends and family.) I got to talk to my mom, my dad, my sister, and my brother (an an attempt at birthday wishes from my 2.5 year old niece). I had a great catch-up phone call with Claire Cook! I had a productive day at work with well wishes from colleagues. I got my hair cut and ended the day at dinner with friends.

God really does know what he is doing. Why do I insist on measuring him against some crazy, self-imposed timeline?

Brooke Fraser

Despite the hectic pace at the end of the term and the crush to both finish classes (read: grading) as well as have two papers ready for the Western region deadline (Dec 20), I have decided to try and have a life. Ambitious, I know. That meant holding to my decision to attend a Tuesday night Brooke Fraser concert at the Douglas Fir in Portland with my friend Trina. The show rocked! (And Brooke blogged about the show, too.)

As recently as October, I had never heard of Brooke Fraser. I committed myself to go to the show and then decided I should download some tunes so I would know what I had gotten myself into. Brooke is sometimes described as pop, but there is no way you can listen to her music and not know what she believes. If you don't know Brooke's music, listen to some and you will love her. She is multitalented - writing the songs, playing the keyboard and multiple guitars as well as providing the vocals on the songs. It was a true artist show. She is touring on her new album FLAGS. You should own it :-)

Sorry about the generic photos. I took some at the show, but with no flash photography, they didn't really turn out. And that is a shame because one of them featured the accordion.

Civil War

This weekend was the Civil War in Oregon... when the Beavers face their arch rivals... the Ducks. There is more hype for this game than most any game I have experienced. On the line this year was a birth in the National Championship game if the Ducks won. If the Beavers won, they became not only bowl eligible but also "Giant Killers".

This year's game was hosted in Corvallis and it was the College Gameday Game (apparently their are people on the planet who do not know about College Game Day so here is the explanation: The crew -Chris Fowler, Desmond Howard, Lee Corso, and of course, Kirk Herbstreit - of ESPN take their show on the road and do nationwide pre-game coverage from a college campus. Students come, cheer in the background, and hold up some hilarious and borderline inappropriate signs. They commentators talk about all the big games of the day and predict a winner.

I did not go out to the quad at midnight when the fun apparently kicked off (though not officially until 4:30am), but apparently Beavers know how to do it up right.  While walking across campus on Friday, I did manage to catch Kirk on set shooting some early segments.

So the game didn't turn out like we wanted UofO won 37-20, but the Beavers definitely did not let the Ducks play their game. And I loved the new throwback uniforms....especially the gloves.

Go with the Flow

I don't want to stress. I don't want to wake up dreading my to-do list. I don't want to seem short and snippy with everyone around me because they are interfering with my ability to get work done. I don't want to lay awake at night - unable to sleep - because the term has reached that critical point where all the work needs to be done at one moment.

But I do.

I wanna be a go with the flow person. I wanna truly believe that it will all get done. I want to lay down at night knowing that I worked all day and was productive and that, even though it did not all get done, it was good enough. I want to be nice to people, even when I have a lot on my plate.

How do I do that?

My StengthsQuest results indicate that I am an Achieving, Deliberative, Focused, Competitive Learner. I think that people with this combination should come with warning labels. We are, by nature, focused on checking things off the to-do list and doing it better than anyone else.

NOTE: Among a group of my Missouri friends, we talked about "being a duck" and letting the small things just "roll off your back." Since we are in the middle of the build up to the Civil War game between OSU and UofO, and College Gameday is setting up out on the Quad today, I don't think I can use the term "Be a DUCK." I could say "Be a BEAVER".... but I don't know if it has the same connotation.