Quick Successions: New Mexico Edition

Things have been busy around here. I have been doing my comprehensive/qualifying exams so I can advance to doctoral candidacy. I scheduled with my mentor to do this during a particular week and she went the questions a week early. So I just kept them and wrote my responses. It was a hard week because I had crammed stuff into in thinking the next week would be the exam. But I went to the workshop I signed up for and did my visiting teaching for church and taught my Sunday school lesson, and did my exam. Basically your committee gives you questions and you write long papers responding. In two weeks, I have the oral part where my full committee gets to grill me about what I wrote. I was right in the middle of my exams during Valentines' Day.  We went to the Boy Scout Fundraising dinner like we usually do. I gave Brian chocolates and an Obi Wan action figure. He gave me Downton Abbey season 5. I ordered Hannah a cash register and it came in time but I forgot to give it to her on V-Da...

We have had rain and snow on and off for about a week. Not much accumulated because of the rain, but temps have been cold and icy. We took Hannah and her new toboggan into the backyard where we took turns pulling her and letting her slide down the mildly sloped part. She didn't last too long, though, eventually wanting to come in and go shopping for hats and gloves. I have these things for her ,but heretofore she has not deigned to wear them. Maybe she will be more amenable now? ...

Hannah is at a point where she likes to do projects and such. My time has to be carefully planned so that we can make things and when we do, we have to do things that are easy. I was a craft store and I found this foam post office that is supposed to be sort of a Valentine's Day box and it was 60 percent off, so I bought it. When I brought it home and gave it to Hannah she clapped and cheered, saying "Oh this is just what I always wanted! I love it sooooooo much!" And then she paused and said "What is this?" It was very hilarious. We had a good time reading the directions and determining when to follow them and when to do something creative. Her attention lasted through the whole thing. She put the creation on the piano and she shows it to people as something that she has made.

So Christmas Break was not very interesting after I got sick. I mostly laid in bed watching Downton Abbey  seasons 1-4. When I finally did get better, I went to Utah. The purpose of my trip was to work on a project with a professor at a university there. Brian and Hannah remained in Kansas. When I came home the garage was clean, the house was in good shape, and my child was bathed and fed, so they must have been busy while I was away.  I taught junior high in Utah for about 10 years. People always congratulate me for being brave and tough to teach adolescents, especially middle level ones, but I really had fun doing it. There were times that were hard, but in general, it was great. I left teaching so I could pursue doctoral work because it was a goal I had for a long time that was incompatible with classroom teaching. If you just want a PhD attached to your name, there are programs you can do where you can do class online or at night, but if you really want to participate...

New Year, new us.... Not really. I have no pictures of New Year's Eve. I have been battling one of the worst bouts of influenza of my adult life. I started to feel sick on Monday, December 29 and then woke up Tuesday in agony. I did not leave the house at all that day. Instead I sat in bed catching up on the BBC/PBS series Downton Abbey. I had academic work to do, but I didn't do it. Wednesday was an awful day too. I did manage to make the New Year's oriental inspired food, but I did not eat much of it. Thursday was bad, but manageable. Today was not too bad. I plan to be better just in time to go back to work on Monday. We did get the tree down and the Christmas decor has been put away. On Saturday we were invited to a graduation party for the girl who babysits Hannah during the week. We were able buy a present for her. I anticipate being well enough to go tomorrow. I no longer have a fever and seem to be drying up. I think I have a picture of Hannah and I making O...

This year we stayed in Kansas for Christmas again. On Monday and Tuesday before the break my friend's little girl came over to play. She arrived at 7:30 a.m. and was there until after 5 both days, so she and Hannah wore each other out having a good time.  Christmas Eve we bought pizza, sang carols, watched Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, and then opened about 3 presents each. Brian let Hannah help wrap my gifts and I love how she wrote on my presents so I would know that they were from her.    After we opened some presents and cleaned up the house, we left Santa some Oreo cookies and some fruit snacks and then we wrote him a letter. Hannah was adamant that since we didn't have a chimney he was going to have to come through the back yard and come in the door from the patio. We set out the cookies and got ready to go upstairs and then she STOLE one of Santa's cookies for herself. He forgave her though and stopped anyway. Here is the letter we ...

We are ready for Christmas. Hannah helped me decorate this year. She also helped me make gingerbread cookies where she rolled the dough herself. The tree is up and trimmed. We went with a real one this year. They are so much cheaper in Kansas than they were in Utah, which we find odd. This beauty is 8' tall and sturdy enough for more of our ornaments then the artificial one we used to have was. New presents keep appearing from family every day. Hannah finds them, counts them, and sorts them, just like I taught her. The stockings are hung by the chimney with care. Brian and I are the snow people and Hannah is the little bear.