The End Has Arrived

It sure feels that way and I love it.

Today is my sweetheart's 22nd birthday. I know, we're young. Over six years together and I can't believe how amazing he's been to me. I hope his birthday is as excellent as he is. This morning I got up at 6am to go buy cake mix and bake him a cake while he was sleeping. 

My front-heavy graduate course load is nearing it's end. Today is my last day! Well, it's my last day with twelve credits at least. There will still be classes but the worst is over and I'm excited. I'm ready to start cooking and reading. 

Around the internet, I'm loving:

• Looking at Pioneer Woman's recipes
• Perusing beautiful photos on Pinterest
• Playing with Instagram on my iPod Touch (if you have it, friend me so I can see your photos! I'm allisonmseward)
• Diigo keeping track of my "must try" recipes
• Playing Words with Friends (sewardam to any who play)

I'll try to keep Instagram photos to a minimum but while I've been busy these last couple of weeks it's been much more convenient than carrying my Nikon around. Hopefully I'll be back in amateur photographer mode soon.

Tomorrow I'll be catching up on all the blog posts again. Looking forward to hearing about your weeks!

Past Meets Present

Tonight I'm heading to the hometown once again to perform in an alumni band concert at my high school alma mater. That's why there's a grin on my face. I played saxophone all four years in high school and was first chair in one band or another for three of those four years.  It was such a big part of my life in high school and it was a shock to lose that in college. I haven't touched my alto in a little over three years (I played in a concert band my freshman year in college). 

It was a transition. After all, my friends in high school I met in band, all of my free time was spent playing at a game, concert, or musical, and that's even where I met my now-fiance. I can't imagine what my life would be at this moment without my experience with music. 

I'm excited to go back and remember a time that both my dad and my mom could be there for me and when friends were easy to keep up with because school was a breeze... Yet I'm happy to be where I am today. 

Did you have a big event in high school? Was it athletics? drama? band? 

Do you ever wonder how your life would be different if you had or hadn't done one little thing? 

(I actually didn't want to be in band in middle school when they were asking students to try out, not at all. In fact, I only tried out instruments because it got me out of home economics class. I ended up trying a flute and being good at it and that set my life on a completely different course. Strange the way things work out.)

Happy Memorial Day!

Yesterday evening we headed back out to the Lake for dinner, kayaking, and canoeing. Wow, my arms are telling me I need to get to the gym more!

It really was a beautiful, hot day and very much needed as a break. 

Hopefully we'll be able to take a few breaks again once my graduate summer courses area over!

On our way home we stopped by the local farm market and ended up buying some honey. Ahh.... I love markets in the summer time!

Games, Weekends, and a Lake

While Monday through Thursday can be over-the-top busy Friday is perfect. During these summer courses, the Education Masters program doesn't have Friday classes which means every weekend is a three day weekend. I've always wondered what a difference it would make if we worked one less day and relaxed more and, well, it's amazing. 

Although every evening this week I did get some fun time in with Noah and friends. 

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Yesterday, a half hour before class the girls from the apartment downstairs invited me to come join in on a water balloon fight. That was so kind of them! I told them next time I would fill up the balloons.  We had a lot of fun and I had just enough time to get to class in an orderly fashion.

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On Tuesday night my friends and I were hoping to go to Trivia Night at a local restaurant but by the time we got there (half an hour early!) the tables were already full. Instead we went to a local ice cream joint, Kline's, and enjoyed some cones and milkshakes. Then we went to a girl's townhouse to play Sequence, a new board game.

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On Wednesday night I treated Noah to Cici's Pizza because he finished a book. I love reading but he doesn't and at the beginning of summer we made a deal, if he finished reading a book that he'd been working on for over a year I would take him out to a place that I normally would refuse to go to. He finished and it was worth it! How's that for some positive reinforcement?

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Today, after a week's worth of indecision I decided to buy an iPod Touch. I'm doing research on the use of ipads and ipods in a classroom as part of a course program for my Masters. It caused me to debate about buying one to test out apps for science, education, and math and of course for self enjoyment. It's actually plugged in as I type and while that means all my birthday money (and a bit of personal) is gone, I can hopefully get a real feel for using it for educaitonal purposes.

I am a LOVER of technology and I think it is one of the absolute best way to engage students. The more I can do in my class related to it and their interests I think the better off we'll be.

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Tomorrow I'm going with Noah and his family to clean up their lake house. I'm so excited for canoeing and relaxing on a wrap-around outdoor porch. It just screams summer! 

Have a wonderful weekend and I am looking forward to reading your posts today!

Graduate School

It seems like I'll often be catching up on posts over the weekend (like last week). I hope you don't mind getting all your comments at one time, but it's proving to be rather difficult to receive personal internet time aka procrastinating on homework time. 

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Classes are keeping me really busy and it's 11pm at night now! Whew! These days are so long. 

Although my fiance and I did find time to play Things for an hour and a half with some friends yesterday.  Noah has orientation for his summer job on thursday but if he doesn't work the weekend we may be going to our hometown to do a cleanup weekend on his family's lake house. I'm kind of crossing my fingers on it because I think canoeing around a lake is a perfect way to relax in summer. 

I hope your week is wonderful and know that I'm still thinking of you, I haven't forgotten! 

Breathe

Ahhh. I've been using these summer mornings to work on friendship bracelets, drink coffee, finish reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and just breathe. 

I'll write a review for that book tomorrow. :)

This afternoon will be spent picking up books for my grad school classes which begin in a matter of days and we'll also be going geocaching with some friends! 

I'm loving this week's worth of downtime between graduation and graduate school. It was much needed and very appreciated.