So it's been days of orientation, days of inservice, and I have an all-day division meeting tomorrow. It's exciting to get familiar with a new school, meet new people, and all that stuff, but it's also exhausting. It took me three hours to get my office unpacked and put together yesterday because people kept stopping by to introduce themselves and chat. I've come every day wrung out like a dishrag, and classes haven't even started yet. Eeeesh. Still - high class problems, you know?
My department has over thirty people in it - that's more than four times the size of my last department. It's fascinating to meet everyone and see this little subculture at work without having any preconceived notions. Some things just seem so obvious from the get -go.
I can see the department cynic who questions everything. I can see the faculty member who expects the department to be her whole social life. I see the
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Friday, August 23, 2013
Home Safe
One week ago, we were sweeping the empty floors of our Tonica house, anticipating our drive to Midland the next day. We were soaked in sweat, bone-weary, and sad to be leaving the best house we ever lived in.
Tonight, we are comfortably settled in our little rental on Gary Street. After six days of pretty constant effort, the main floor looks like a home and not the final scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
The house is small but comfortable, and as usual, Suzy has worked her feng shui magic to make it look better than it actually is. The neighborhood is quiet and tree-lined with a couple of parks just around the corner. The girls' school is a mile away, and, all in all, it seems pretty nice.
I started work on Monday and went through three-days of new employee orientation. There was lots of good information, and I'm sure I'll remember at least 18 % of it. Comparatively speaking, Delta is huge. Its campus, its enrollment, its number of employees -- there's a lot to take in. But my overall impression is that people really strive for excellence there. IVCC was a pretty disheartened place over the last couple of years with its massive budget shortfall and all the resultant cutbacks and resentment. It's a huge relief to be in this bright, well-staffed, well-designed place where people take pride in what they do.
Anyway, the point is that we are here. We are on the other side of THE MOVE, that event that we have been both praying for and dreading. We had a ton of help and had some miraculous things happen that allowed us to get here on time and in one piece. Thanks to all of you who sent good vibes and/or prayers our way. We felt the difference for sure.
On the clutter front, we took five boxes of books to the Midland library today as well as a ton of old VHS tapes and a box of bricabrac to Goodwill. This is just the first step. We will have less stuff in a year than we have now, I guarantee it.
Tonight, we are comfortably settled in our little rental on Gary Street. After six days of pretty constant effort, the main floor looks like a home and not the final scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
The house is small but comfortable, and as usual, Suzy has worked her feng shui magic to make it look better than it actually is. The neighborhood is quiet and tree-lined with a couple of parks just around the corner. The girls' school is a mile away, and, all in all, it seems pretty nice.
I started work on Monday and went through three-days of new employee orientation. There was lots of good information, and I'm sure I'll remember at least 18 % of it. Comparatively speaking, Delta is huge. Its campus, its enrollment, its number of employees -- there's a lot to take in. But my overall impression is that people really strive for excellence there. IVCC was a pretty disheartened place over the last couple of years with its massive budget shortfall and all the resultant cutbacks and resentment. It's a huge relief to be in this bright, well-staffed, well-designed place where people take pride in what they do.
Anyway, the point is that we are here. We are on the other side of THE MOVE, that event that we have been both praying for and dreading. We had a ton of help and had some miraculous things happen that allowed us to get here on time and in one piece. Thanks to all of you who sent good vibes and/or prayers our way. We felt the difference for sure.
On the clutter front, we took five boxes of books to the Midland library today as well as a ton of old VHS tapes and a box of bricabrac to Goodwill. This is just the first step. We will have less stuff in a year than we have now, I guarantee it.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Our Shame
So here it is: our stuff won't fit in a 26 foot truck.
In fact, it wouldn't fit in a 26 foot truck, a completely packed pickup truck bed, and a large trailer loaded Beverly Hillbillies-style. Nope. After all that, we still had to rent an additional U-Haul truck, a 15 footer, to empty the Tonica house of all our belongings.
Frankly, it was embarrassing. We had close to thirty people helping us pack, and, while that made a lot of work go very quickly, it also means that a third of our ward was witness to our shame - we have too much stuff. I could see people looking at the truck and talking in hushed tones. I know they were saying, "There's no way they're going to get all of these things on that truck." and "I just can't believe they have this many plastic tubs. How long have they lived in this house?" Eeeesh.
It's not like we're hoarders. We don't have feral cats living in our house. I don't have a room full of empty milk cartons and Christmas lights. We've never needed a snow shovel to carve a path in the stacks of newspapers from the door to the kitchen. All of you who have been to our house know that it was clean, orderly, open, and neat.
No, the problem is not that we can't control our belongings. The problem is that we had a very spacious house. Again, most of you know that it wasn't some ridiculous, look-at-me-look-at-me McMansion. It was just a roomy ranch with sizeable bedrooms and closets and a cavernous basement with all the storage space you could shake a stick at. This is the thing I have learned from this experience: unless you consciously choose to do otherwise, you will generally fill up however much space you have. If you have a little, you'll fill it. If you have a lot, you will fill it too. We had a lot of space and so, over the last four and a half years, we have slowly but surely filled up the space we had.
It's all well and good when it's in orderly, labeled stacks in the basement, but when it's spread out on my lawn and driveway as though my house drank Tijuana tap water, it becomes clear that it's a problem.
We are moving again within a year. We are renting a small (!) three bedroom house for 9-12 months until we find something more permanent that we want to buy. Consequently, we will not be opening or unpacking most of these boxes. They'll go straight the basement and stay there until it's time to move them to another house. More than that though, I want to downsize what we have. Suzy and I both made stabs at getting rid of excess during the packing process. While I got rid of a box or two worth of things, the last couple of days has made me rethink what kinds of stuff is really important to keep. The question is no longer, "Do I like this object?" The questions now are, "Do I like this object enough to haul it up steps, into a truck, out of the truck, and down some other steps? Is it really important enough that it's worth hanging onto? Would I miss it in two weeks or two months or a year if I just got rid of it today?"
I'm even reconsidering my devotion to physical copies of books. Now you know I loves me a good, solid book in my hand. However, it occurs to me that after I read a book, I put it on the shelf and it sits there. Rarely do I actually go back to it and reread it or check it for information. Most books I read once and then it sits on my shelf like a trophy, like the head of a gazelle after a safari. I think most of my books sit on my shelf as a kind of sign to visitors saying, "Why, yes, I AM an English major! Read a lot? Do I ever! Smarter than you? Oh, I wouldn't say that..." You know what I mean? Why do I need shelf after shelf of books? For the most part, I don't.
So, I don't know what we'll actually do in terms of downsizing over the next year, but I do know this: my goal is to not buy another physical book, DVD, or CD for at least the year we are in the rental. I will not add anything new to my stacks of stuff this year.
The CD thing is covered. I don't think I've actually bought a CD since 2011 or something - and that was just because the physical album was cheaper than the digital version on itunes. (Eddie Vedder's Ukulele Songs, if you must know.) So that won't be a big deal, but I will also get rid of the giant, heavy tub of old CDs that I have already burned to itunes long ago. Why am I still carrying them around? Insurance? Just in case the INTERNET crashes and itunes disappears? Whatever. If the zombie apocalypse comes, having a hard copy of Matthew Sweet's Girlfriend album will probably be the least of my worries.
Books? Easy. Library or Kindle. As much as I love them, I don't need the physical object of a book in order to enjoy them. Or if I really want to hold the book itself as a I read and not just the Kindle, why do I need to own the thing and carry it around with me ever after? Why not just check it out from the library and turn it back when I'm done? There is no need for me to buy a brick of paper just so it can sit on a shelf.
What's more, I'm going to go through the books I have and really evaluate whether not I need to keep them. I have a copy of Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game that was a gift from the excellent Clark Draney when I left Twin Falls. That stays. My copy of Ann Patchett's State of Wonder, a book that I pretty much forgot as soon as I was done reading it? Goodwill can have it. If I don't absolutely love it or need it, I am going to let it go and find another home.
It is time to pare down, my friends. Less is the new more.
It's late here. We are holed up in the Best Western in Midland, Michigan. Tomorrow I'll get up early and head over to the rental house and start moving stuff in. Whatever ward members are going to show up will do so around ten. Honestly, the thing I worry about now is what all these new people will think when they see the new family pulled up with three separate trucks at a house that's not much bigger than an IKEA model apartment. I have a feeling we are going to be the subject of stories both back in Illinois and here. Bleh.
Here's my new living space goal:
Maybe after Parker graduates high school.
In fact, it wouldn't fit in a 26 foot truck, a completely packed pickup truck bed, and a large trailer loaded Beverly Hillbillies-style. Nope. After all that, we still had to rent an additional U-Haul truck, a 15 footer, to empty the Tonica house of all our belongings.
Frankly, it was embarrassing. We had close to thirty people helping us pack, and, while that made a lot of work go very quickly, it also means that a third of our ward was witness to our shame - we have too much stuff. I could see people looking at the truck and talking in hushed tones. I know they were saying, "There's no way they're going to get all of these things on that truck." and "I just can't believe they have this many plastic tubs. How long have they lived in this house?" Eeeesh.
It's not like we're hoarders. We don't have feral cats living in our house. I don't have a room full of empty milk cartons and Christmas lights. We've never needed a snow shovel to carve a path in the stacks of newspapers from the door to the kitchen. All of you who have been to our house know that it was clean, orderly, open, and neat.
No, the problem is not that we can't control our belongings. The problem is that we had a very spacious house. Again, most of you know that it wasn't some ridiculous, look-at-me-look-at-me McMansion. It was just a roomy ranch with sizeable bedrooms and closets and a cavernous basement with all the storage space you could shake a stick at. This is the thing I have learned from this experience: unless you consciously choose to do otherwise, you will generally fill up however much space you have. If you have a little, you'll fill it. If you have a lot, you will fill it too. We had a lot of space and so, over the last four and a half years, we have slowly but surely filled up the space we had.
It's all well and good when it's in orderly, labeled stacks in the basement, but when it's spread out on my lawn and driveway as though my house drank Tijuana tap water, it becomes clear that it's a problem.
We are moving again within a year. We are renting a small (!) three bedroom house for 9-12 months until we find something more permanent that we want to buy. Consequently, we will not be opening or unpacking most of these boxes. They'll go straight the basement and stay there until it's time to move them to another house. More than that though, I want to downsize what we have. Suzy and I both made stabs at getting rid of excess during the packing process. While I got rid of a box or two worth of things, the last couple of days has made me rethink what kinds of stuff is really important to keep. The question is no longer, "Do I like this object?" The questions now are, "Do I like this object enough to haul it up steps, into a truck, out of the truck, and down some other steps? Is it really important enough that it's worth hanging onto? Would I miss it in two weeks or two months or a year if I just got rid of it today?"
I'm even reconsidering my devotion to physical copies of books. Now you know I loves me a good, solid book in my hand. However, it occurs to me that after I read a book, I put it on the shelf and it sits there. Rarely do I actually go back to it and reread it or check it for information. Most books I read once and then it sits on my shelf like a trophy, like the head of a gazelle after a safari. I think most of my books sit on my shelf as a kind of sign to visitors saying, "Why, yes, I AM an English major! Read a lot? Do I ever! Smarter than you? Oh, I wouldn't say that..." You know what I mean? Why do I need shelf after shelf of books? For the most part, I don't.
So, I don't know what we'll actually do in terms of downsizing over the next year, but I do know this: my goal is to not buy another physical book, DVD, or CD for at least the year we are in the rental. I will not add anything new to my stacks of stuff this year.
The CD thing is covered. I don't think I've actually bought a CD since 2011 or something - and that was just because the physical album was cheaper than the digital version on itunes. (Eddie Vedder's Ukulele Songs, if you must know.) So that won't be a big deal, but I will also get rid of the giant, heavy tub of old CDs that I have already burned to itunes long ago. Why am I still carrying them around? Insurance? Just in case the INTERNET crashes and itunes disappears? Whatever. If the zombie apocalypse comes, having a hard copy of Matthew Sweet's Girlfriend album will probably be the least of my worries.
Books? Easy. Library or Kindle. As much as I love them, I don't need the physical object of a book in order to enjoy them. Or if I really want to hold the book itself as a I read and not just the Kindle, why do I need to own the thing and carry it around with me ever after? Why not just check it out from the library and turn it back when I'm done? There is no need for me to buy a brick of paper just so it can sit on a shelf.
What's more, I'm going to go through the books I have and really evaluate whether not I need to keep them. I have a copy of Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game that was a gift from the excellent Clark Draney when I left Twin Falls. That stays. My copy of Ann Patchett's State of Wonder, a book that I pretty much forgot as soon as I was done reading it? Goodwill can have it. If I don't absolutely love it or need it, I am going to let it go and find another home.
It is time to pare down, my friends. Less is the new more.
It's late here. We are holed up in the Best Western in Midland, Michigan. Tomorrow I'll get up early and head over to the rental house and start moving stuff in. Whatever ward members are going to show up will do so around ten. Honestly, the thing I worry about now is what all these new people will think when they see the new family pulled up with three separate trucks at a house that's not much bigger than an IKEA model apartment. I have a feeling we are going to be the subject of stories both back in Illinois and here. Bleh.
Here's my new living space goal:
Maybe after Parker graduates high school.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
T-minus...
Tomorrow we pack the truck. I'm so sick of packing, it's not even funny. I am astounded at the amount of crap we have accumulated. It makes me want to live like a monk. A bed, one plate, one fork, one really well-equipped DVR.
For the record, the rest of the reunion was terrific. There was more eating, joking around, storytelling, and overall good times. One of my favorite moments was listening to SIL Shauna recreate the insurance commercial with the camel and shout, "Hump dayyyyyy!" at the top of her lungs. Made me laugh.
Anyway, we came home Saturday night, went to church on Sunday, and started the last big push on Monday. We've been going full-tilt since then, and I've kind of had it. Packing to move is about the only thing I hate more than painting. It kills my soul. I'm just a husk at this point. Erg.
We've had a lot of help from our ward. A strikeforce squadron of Relief Society ladies came and packed the living heck out of our kitchen and food storage. We've got a Navy nuclear engineer who has appointed himself our logistics officer and plans to direct the packing of every box into the Uhaul. The youth of the ward are coming tomorrow night along with a bunch of the Elders quorum to move stuff, clean, and keep us civil with each other. (Thank heavens for the civilizing influence of other people. Without them, I'm pretty sure all three of our kids might have ended up sold to the gypsies this week, and Suzy and I might not be speaking to each other.)
It's weird to think that 48 hours from now, we will be in Midland to stay. That's hard to wrap my mind around. (Although, we may not be able to say goodbye to Tonica forever. There's a lot of uncertainty as to whether or not all our junk is going to fit in the truck. There may be stuff left over - in which case....what? We're still trying to figure it out.) One way or the other, I'll be at work on Monday morning. That's nuts.
Wish us luck.
For the record, the rest of the reunion was terrific. There was more eating, joking around, storytelling, and overall good times. One of my favorite moments was listening to SIL Shauna recreate the insurance commercial with the camel and shout, "Hump dayyyyyy!" at the top of her lungs. Made me laugh.
Anyway, we came home Saturday night, went to church on Sunday, and started the last big push on Monday. We've been going full-tilt since then, and I've kind of had it. Packing to move is about the only thing I hate more than painting. It kills my soul. I'm just a husk at this point. Erg.
We've had a lot of help from our ward. A strikeforce squadron of Relief Society ladies came and packed the living heck out of our kitchen and food storage. We've got a Navy nuclear engineer who has appointed himself our logistics officer and plans to direct the packing of every box into the Uhaul. The youth of the ward are coming tomorrow night along with a bunch of the Elders quorum to move stuff, clean, and keep us civil with each other. (Thank heavens for the civilizing influence of other people. Without them, I'm pretty sure all three of our kids might have ended up sold to the gypsies this week, and Suzy and I might not be speaking to each other.)
It's weird to think that 48 hours from now, we will be in Midland to stay. That's hard to wrap my mind around. (Although, we may not be able to say goodbye to Tonica forever. There's a lot of uncertainty as to whether or not all our junk is going to fit in the truck. There may be stuff left over - in which case....what? We're still trying to figure it out.) One way or the other, I'll be at work on Monday morning. That's nuts.
Wish us luck.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
The Days Go On
Yesterday was the tubing activity here at Daypalooza 2013, and I was not looking forward to it. I'm kind of a wuss when it comes to comfort and tubing conjured up images of being on a fast, rocky river in a black rubber inner tube and either frying or freezing. I had pretty much decided I wasn't going to do it - Maryn had already punked out and there were clouds and a chilly breeze all morning. But then my BIL Ryan asked if I'd be in charge of his son, Max, because neither Ryan nor his wife wanted to go. So, I was committed - not happily.
But here's the thing, I'm confident now that when I look back on this week in years to come, the tubing trip will undoubtedly be one of the highlights. I'm glad I went and I'd happily go again. The river was almost hypnotically slow and smooth, the tubes were big and comfortable, the sky turned a hard, intense, summer blue, and the company was excellent. Suzy and I had talked about how the main problem with our hotel is that it doesn't have a central gathering place where the adults can talk and hang out. Well, the river turned out to be it - two hours of uninterrupted time to talk and joke. No cell phones, no running back to the room to check on whatever, no quick trips to the store for another loaf of bread. Just me and some of my in-laws talking about anything and everything under the sun (literally).I loved it and I am glad that circumstance made me get over my wussiness and get out on the water.
Day before yesterday was the all-family lunch at the Cold Water Cafe. The entire family is present this year, and we all wedged ourselves into a little place in downtown Beulah. It won't win any awards for ambiance and the waitresses were more than a little harried, but my Smokey Mountain Chicken Sandwich was big enough to both have its own zip code and be seen from the International Space Station, so by the time it arrived, I was happy. Having everyone there was chaotic and joyous at the same time. It was loud and remarkably hot, but worth it all the same.
Maryn and Avery are enjoying being with their cousins like nothing else. Several of the tween and teenage girl cousins are even staying in their own room together (a room that smells like nail polish, fruity lotion, and estrogen, by the way) and so are deliriously happy. In a way, it's kind of poetic, especially for Maryn, because she's had so many years in Tonica of having no one really get her, you know? Her quirky, smart-but-nerdy sense of humor, her love of crafts and jewelry, her interest in theater and performing have all made her a curiosity more than anything else at school. Here with Larae, Hallie, and the others, it's as though she's finally come home to her people. I think it's a nice way for her to mark the end of her time in Illinois with a week of kindred spirits in Michigan.
On the down side of all this cousin love is the fact that normal things that parents like such as having your children remember to wear shoes, to bathe, to come when they're called, etc. aren't really happening. We don't want to harsh the girls' mellow at this reunion, but at the same time, they still have to behave like human beings (that belong to the Brown family) and not just go native while we're here, you know?
Anyway, the other big highlight to yesterday was Avery and Suzy winning the first ever Day Family Reunion Chopped Championship. SIL Melanie and others put together a cooking competition like the show Chopped - a bag of secret ingredients and a time limit for contestants to put it all together. There were two rounds, desserts and appetizers, and our own little A and S ended up the winners out of the entire family. The prize was an embroidered apron that declares them the 2013 champions. It was fun to see them win, but it was equally fun to see the whole family playing together.
My other favorite moment of the Chopped competition was when BIL Ben brought nephew Braden over to congratulate Suzy and Avery. I guess B had a tough time when his team wasn't chosen as winner for the first round. He's a very competitive little guy, but here he was, at our door, saying congratulations. I was really proud of him. (Impressed with Ben too. That's some good parenting at work, I think.)
Today is Thursday and it's about nine o'clock in the morning at I write this. In about an hour, we'll gather in the parking lot and head out to Sleeping Bear Dunes to play in the sand, collect rocks and fossils, and wear ourselves out in the sun and wind. Tomorrow? Karaoke!
But here's the thing, I'm confident now that when I look back on this week in years to come, the tubing trip will undoubtedly be one of the highlights. I'm glad I went and I'd happily go again. The river was almost hypnotically slow and smooth, the tubes were big and comfortable, the sky turned a hard, intense, summer blue, and the company was excellent. Suzy and I had talked about how the main problem with our hotel is that it doesn't have a central gathering place where the adults can talk and hang out. Well, the river turned out to be it - two hours of uninterrupted time to talk and joke. No cell phones, no running back to the room to check on whatever, no quick trips to the store for another loaf of bread. Just me and some of my in-laws talking about anything and everything under the sun (literally).I loved it and I am glad that circumstance made me get over my wussiness and get out on the water.
Day before yesterday was the all-family lunch at the Cold Water Cafe. The entire family is present this year, and we all wedged ourselves into a little place in downtown Beulah. It won't win any awards for ambiance and the waitresses were more than a little harried, but my Smokey Mountain Chicken Sandwich was big enough to both have its own zip code and be seen from the International Space Station, so by the time it arrived, I was happy. Having everyone there was chaotic and joyous at the same time. It was loud and remarkably hot, but worth it all the same.
Maryn and Avery are enjoying being with their cousins like nothing else. Several of the tween and teenage girl cousins are even staying in their own room together (a room that smells like nail polish, fruity lotion, and estrogen, by the way) and so are deliriously happy. In a way, it's kind of poetic, especially for Maryn, because she's had so many years in Tonica of having no one really get her, you know? Her quirky, smart-but-nerdy sense of humor, her love of crafts and jewelry, her interest in theater and performing have all made her a curiosity more than anything else at school. Here with Larae, Hallie, and the others, it's as though she's finally come home to her people. I think it's a nice way for her to mark the end of her time in Illinois with a week of kindred spirits in Michigan.
On the down side of all this cousin love is the fact that normal things that parents like such as having your children remember to wear shoes, to bathe, to come when they're called, etc. aren't really happening. We don't want to harsh the girls' mellow at this reunion, but at the same time, they still have to behave like human beings (that belong to the Brown family) and not just go native while we're here, you know?
Anyway, the other big highlight to yesterday was Avery and Suzy winning the first ever Day Family Reunion Chopped Championship. SIL Melanie and others put together a cooking competition like the show Chopped - a bag of secret ingredients and a time limit for contestants to put it all together. There were two rounds, desserts and appetizers, and our own little A and S ended up the winners out of the entire family. The prize was an embroidered apron that declares them the 2013 champions. It was fun to see them win, but it was equally fun to see the whole family playing together.
My other favorite moment of the Chopped competition was when BIL Ben brought nephew Braden over to congratulate Suzy and Avery. I guess B had a tough time when his team wasn't chosen as winner for the first round. He's a very competitive little guy, but here he was, at our door, saying congratulations. I was really proud of him. (Impressed with Ben too. That's some good parenting at work, I think.)
Today is Thursday and it's about nine o'clock in the morning at I write this. In about an hour, we'll gather in the parking lot and head out to Sleeping Bear Dunes to play in the sand, collect rocks and fossils, and wear ourselves out in the sun and wind. Tomorrow? Karaoke!
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Blogging the Reunion
Booking hotels always gives me anxiety. You never know what you're going to get. Photos can be manipulated, customer reviews can be faked, and the low, low price they offer never includes the additional 30 bucks in taxes. You're never sure about the neighborhood where they're located, and there's always the possibility of getting some dirty fleabag in ghetto central. That's exactly what happened to us the last time we traveled to Idaho. We stayed at some filmy, funk-laden Rodeway Inn somewhere next to the railroad tracks in nowhere Wyoming. I was aiming for affordable and ended up traumatized.
So I'm not a fan.
On the bright side, it's always a happy surprise when you take the chance and end up with something that doesn't utterly suck. So we're at a Comfort Inn in New Buffalo, Michigan and it's not horrible.
The once-every-three-years Day Family reunion officially kicks off tomorrow in Beulah, Michigan on the sandy shores of Crystal Lake. Because Beulah is a long ol' drive from our beloved and soon-to-be-abandoned Tonica, we decided to break the drive up and get a few hours down the road tonight. Suzanne taught her final class and turned in her grades this evening, and as soon as she was done, we got on the road and headed out. Now we're all sitting in room 307 laughing at people falling down and getting hit in the crotch on America's Funniest Home Videos. Ah, hotel life. You eat things and watch things you would normally never consider.
Anyway, tomorrow at two is the family lunch that officially starts things off. It's supposed to be a little cool at the beach this week so we''ll see what ends up happening. But if it's anything like last time, there will be boating, swimming, sandcastles, ice cream, skits, ladder ball, picture taking, all-out-gonzo-insanity featuring Jeff Day and Shauna Pierson, and other Day family staples. This is our one week of vacation this summer, and everyone in my family is looking forward to it.
I'm not making any promises, but I will try to update daily on the goings on in Beulah. Stay tuned!
In other news, today was my last day at IVCC too. It was quiet, uneventful, and a little sad. I took care of my final grades, passed a few projects off to other people, said goodbye to a few folks, and then turned in my keys, ID badge, and parking pass. I signed a resignation form and walked out the front door. I felt a little melancholy because, for better or worse, this place has been where I've spent the majority of my waking hours for almost half a decade. Some people are utterly unsentimental about work. However, I am not one of those people. I'm pretty sappy and misty about stuff, so even though there was a lot about IVCC I didn't like and even though I am completely enthusiastic about starting at Delta in two weeks, I am a little sad to be leaving IV. Ah well. So it goes.
This week isn't time to be thinking about work anyway, old or new. It's time for tubing, karaoke, and games. Work will come soon enough. No need to rush it.
So I'm not a fan.
On the bright side, it's always a happy surprise when you take the chance and end up with something that doesn't utterly suck. So we're at a Comfort Inn in New Buffalo, Michigan and it's not horrible.
The once-every-three-years Day Family reunion officially kicks off tomorrow in Beulah, Michigan on the sandy shores of Crystal Lake. Because Beulah is a long ol' drive from our beloved and soon-to-be-abandoned Tonica, we decided to break the drive up and get a few hours down the road tonight. Suzanne taught her final class and turned in her grades this evening, and as soon as she was done, we got on the road and headed out. Now we're all sitting in room 307 laughing at people falling down and getting hit in the crotch on America's Funniest Home Videos. Ah, hotel life. You eat things and watch things you would normally never consider.
Anyway, tomorrow at two is the family lunch that officially starts things off. It's supposed to be a little cool at the beach this week so we''ll see what ends up happening. But if it's anything like last time, there will be boating, swimming, sandcastles, ice cream, skits, ladder ball, picture taking, all-out-gonzo-insanity featuring Jeff Day and Shauna Pierson, and other Day family staples. This is our one week of vacation this summer, and everyone in my family is looking forward to it.
I'm not making any promises, but I will try to update daily on the goings on in Beulah. Stay tuned!
In other news, today was my last day at IVCC too. It was quiet, uneventful, and a little sad. I took care of my final grades, passed a few projects off to other people, said goodbye to a few folks, and then turned in my keys, ID badge, and parking pass. I signed a resignation form and walked out the front door. I felt a little melancholy because, for better or worse, this place has been where I've spent the majority of my waking hours for almost half a decade. Some people are utterly unsentimental about work. However, I am not one of those people. I'm pretty sappy and misty about stuff, so even though there was a lot about IVCC I didn't like and even though I am completely enthusiastic about starting at Delta in two weeks, I am a little sad to be leaving IV. Ah well. So it goes.
This week isn't time to be thinking about work anyway, old or new. It's time for tubing, karaoke, and games. Work will come soon enough. No need to rush it.
Sunday, August 4, 2013
July
It's been a month since my last post, but in my defense, it's been a busy month.
Since the beginning of July, we got our realtor over here and made plans to sell, did a bunch of projects over the course of a week to prep the house, put the house up for sale, had four showings, ended up accepting an offer for almost 5K over what we were asking after 48 hours of being on the market, passed our appraisal, passed our home inspection, signed limited power of attorney over to our lawyer so he can take care of our closing, spent a weekend in Midland agonizing over rentals, applied for the one we decided was best, got accepted for it, and packed 75% of our house.
Do I need to point out that I am freaking exhausted? My bones feel like they're made out of lead and my muscles feel like they're just so many thin, sun-baked rubber bands.
Tomorrow I have to teach what will hopefully be my last lesson to the teenagers for Sunday School. Then I have to read and grade a stack of papers so I can figure final grades which I will submit on Monday. Once I get that done, I will turn in my ID badge, parking pass, and keys to HR, and I will no longer be an employee of Illinois Valley Community College. That night, after Suzy finishes teaching her last class, we will probably drive a few hours so we can get a leg up on our trip to Beulah, Michigan for the once-every-three-years, week-long Day family reunion. There's a lunch at 2 p.m. on Tuesday that everyone's supposed to attend, and since we don't want to leave at 5:30 a.m. that morning, we need to get on the road Monday evening.
Saturday, once the reunion wraps up, we will drive over to Midland and drop off one of our cars so we don't have to tow anything when we move. Once that's done, we'll turn right around and head home. Supposedly, we will be in good enough shape to get up and make it to church the next day. If that actually happens, it will be our last Sunday in the Ottawa ward. Then we'll spend the next few days finishing up the packing so that when our 26 foot U-Haul appears on Thursday the 15th, we will be ready to just load it up and head off for Midland on the 16th. Hopefully, we'll have plenty of people to help on both ends of the trip. Hopefully, we'll be able to fit everything in one trip. Hopefully, the truck and van run smoothly and everyone makes it safely.
Whew.
It's a lot to do, and it feels a little overwhelming. But we are remarkably blessed in how the sale of the house has gone, and more than anything else, I need to remember that all of this is a direct (though unexpected) answer to prayer. We pretty much begged for this exact series of events for six months. Now that it's happening, I should just be grateful, keep my mouth shut, and keep packing boxes.
Since the beginning of July, we got our realtor over here and made plans to sell, did a bunch of projects over the course of a week to prep the house, put the house up for sale, had four showings, ended up accepting an offer for almost 5K over what we were asking after 48 hours of being on the market, passed our appraisal, passed our home inspection, signed limited power of attorney over to our lawyer so he can take care of our closing, spent a weekend in Midland agonizing over rentals, applied for the one we decided was best, got accepted for it, and packed 75% of our house.
Do I need to point out that I am freaking exhausted? My bones feel like they're made out of lead and my muscles feel like they're just so many thin, sun-baked rubber bands.
Tomorrow I have to teach what will hopefully be my last lesson to the teenagers for Sunday School. Then I have to read and grade a stack of papers so I can figure final grades which I will submit on Monday. Once I get that done, I will turn in my ID badge, parking pass, and keys to HR, and I will no longer be an employee of Illinois Valley Community College. That night, after Suzy finishes teaching her last class, we will probably drive a few hours so we can get a leg up on our trip to Beulah, Michigan for the once-every-three-years, week-long Day family reunion. There's a lunch at 2 p.m. on Tuesday that everyone's supposed to attend, and since we don't want to leave at 5:30 a.m. that morning, we need to get on the road Monday evening.
Saturday, once the reunion wraps up, we will drive over to Midland and drop off one of our cars so we don't have to tow anything when we move. Once that's done, we'll turn right around and head home. Supposedly, we will be in good enough shape to get up and make it to church the next day. If that actually happens, it will be our last Sunday in the Ottawa ward. Then we'll spend the next few days finishing up the packing so that when our 26 foot U-Haul appears on Thursday the 15th, we will be ready to just load it up and head off for Midland on the 16th. Hopefully, we'll have plenty of people to help on both ends of the trip. Hopefully, we'll be able to fit everything in one trip. Hopefully, the truck and van run smoothly and everyone makes it safely.
Whew.
It's a lot to do, and it feels a little overwhelming. But we are remarkably blessed in how the sale of the house has gone, and more than anything else, I need to remember that all of this is a direct (though unexpected) answer to prayer. We pretty much begged for this exact series of events for six months. Now that it's happening, I should just be grateful, keep my mouth shut, and keep packing boxes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)