Quick Successions: New Mexico Edition

Brian and I are considering moving and so we thought we would do ourselves a favor and get rid of excess items that we don't want to pack and haul off. We made about $300 selling unwanted textbooks from Brian's recently completed master's program.  We also sold some of our excess furniture and made another $600.  A couple of Saturdays ago we had a yard sale and raised just over $200.  We still have some things to take to Kid-to-Kid of Hannah's that we will get a little money for and we have all of our change jars.  When we finish, we will have gotten rid of a lot of stuff just cluttering our house and we are on track to make close to $1500. Amazing.  This picture is of Hannah in her walker helping at the yard sale by staying in the shade close to momma. 

I was asked to give one of the transition speeches to the new teacher education cohort at BYU.  They have a reception every year to welcome the new people into the program and allow the outgoing people to present their research. A person from two cohorts ago gets invited to speak with a faculty member. This is Hannah and I after I finished speaking. 

As a scholar, a lot of my research questions lead me to collecting and studying narratives. There is a large community of narrative researchers and a lot of kinds of narrative research.  A while ago a group of scholars started a conference called Narrative Matters. They hold the conference every other year in various locations.  Last time it was in Quebec, Canada.  This time is was in Paris.  I wrote a proposal to be in this conference at the urging of my BYU supervisor.  About 600 people applied this year for no where near that many spots.  Strangely enough, they picked my proposal and I got to go to France for a week.  I spent time at the conference, because that is what academic people do, but I also got to go and see a lot of fun stuff.  I was in Paris about two years ago in August and I am going back again this August. Brian and I (and now Hannah) really love France. 

Brian finished his master's degree and graduated over the weekend.  The first picture is of him walking and the second is of him turned around afterward so I can see him. This June will be our 10th anniversary and it will also be the first year since we have been married where neither of us has been in school. We actually applied to PhD programs and got accepted but we are so tired of school we are having a hard time bringing ourselves to commit to another 4-5 years starting in September.  We also have reservations about pursuing education at the doctoral level while Hannah is so young. But then, if we don't go soon, we fear we never will. For now, we are just celebrating Brian's victory and waiting to know the best thing to do.

Hannah went to her first academic conference this week.  She did really well at the meetings, except for the very last one.  She cried and cried until we took her home.  I am sure she is looking forward to the next conference in Paris.

Brian's parents came to stay with us after Hannah was born because I had a hard time finding a babysitter for such a little baby.  They ended staying here most of the time from October until March, with intermittent short breaks to check on their house and so forth.  Hannah is playing with her grandmommy here. 

   When I was growing up, there were a lot of baptisms in my family for cousins.  This is Hannah just before attending her first cousin baptism.