Felt like the first day of school

The last time I had a real first day of school was the Fall of 1999 when I began my bachelor's degree program. Terese was two months old. It's hard for me to remember what life was like back then, really. So much has changed.

This first day comes two more kids and ten years later. But some things remain the same - for instance, I still have to park and ride the stupid shuttle bus because there is still nowhere to park on campus. I still walk the same path to class, the lecture halls still look the same. Textbooks still cost a fortune. At 28, am I among the oldest students in class, because apparently all the BBA grads just decided to stay in school this year instead of looking for a job. The MBA program at UNM admitted 23% more students this fall than last year.

As for my classes, which are all Mgt ___, I am taking Interpersonal and Team Dynamics and Statistcs for Management. The first class I think I am going to really like. The syllabus looks like a piece of cake for starters, and the professor is very laid-back and funny. My very favorite part was when he said we would have no out-of -class group work, score!! I used to hate that. As for Statistics, let's just say I need to remember caffeine. It's from 7-9:30pm, and the professor still has a lingering European accent from when he moved here 50-something years ago so he sounds like the priest from The Princess Bride on occasion.

And so it begins!

OH! I almost forgot, the girs started school too :) Terese is in 5th grade, her last year of Elementary school, I can't believe that. And Audrey is in 1st grade this year. They are both happy with their teachers and so far liking their classes. Here they are on their first day, 8/20.

So, I can quit complaining now

I am officially a UNM student again!! I've registered for my two classes this semester, gotten my ID and parking pass, all I need is my books! Now check back in a few weeks to see if I'm still so excited :)

Old Friends

This past weekend, Audrey and I flew to Kentucky to visit our friends Stacy and Kylee. Stacy and I worked together in the past, and our girls are close in age and became friends too. They moved away (and made me cry!) right after Jacob was born, and we've missed them! I kinda invited myself over for a visit, and Stacy graciously put us up for the weekend. We had a good time and it was so great to see them and catch up.

For whatever reason, I didn't get a whole lot of pics, and not one of Stacy and I. But here are a few:

Kylee's birthday was on 8/1, in this pic are (from left) Kaden (Kylee's brother), Audrey, Kylee and then a few kids from the neighborhood.

The kids just kept comin'!

Playing on the swingset after swimming

On another note, I STILL have not been admitted to UNM, even though classes start on the 24th. I have a feeling I will be registering at the last minute.

Brian and I are off to Washington state over Labor Day weekend to see DMB play at the Gorge, which is about two hours east of Seattle. We have to feed our addiction! Compared to all the traveling we've done in past years, one long weekend of concerts is pretty tame :) We can't wait, but I sure am gonna miss the kids! Being away from them this past weekend, especially Jacob, was hard. I'm hoping their grandparents can keep them busy and distracted!

So, I'm a pretty patient person

But waiting to hear from UNM is driving me nuts. It has been 4 weeks and 1 day (but who's counting) since I turned in my completed app. I am a planner! This whole "watch the classes you want fill up" thing is not working for me!

Ok so now that I got that out, I wanted to share this funny pic of Jacob and Audrey in the sprinkler. I love his face here, he's so funny. And I can't believe how tan Audrey gets in the summer while the rest of us just burn. Not fair!

Grad school, here I come...(hopefully)

I've applied to the UNM Anderson School of Business, where I got my Bachelor's, for their MBA program. I had to take my GMAT (graduate management admission test) on Wednesday, after only studying for 4 days (long story). I needed a 500 and got a 570. The highest you can get is 800, and over 700 is rare. So 570 isn't stellar, but I'll take it! It was pretty tough and I'm glad to have it done.

I say hopefully because my application was a little late, and so I'm not guaranteed to have it reviewed in time for the Fall semester. The admissions director was hopeful but made no promises. Worst case scenario, I have to wait until Spring '10, but that's 6+ months away still and I'd like to get the ball rolling! I'm looking at 3-31/2 years to finish going part-time as it is.

I'm getting excited about the idea of going back to school though, and at the same time wondering what I am getting myself into! I've got enough on my plate as it is, but this is a goal I can't leave unattained. I'll be taking two classes per semester, so at most 2 nights per week, and I'm going to try and work it out to one night whenever possible. That will make for a long day (work, then school 4-9:30pm), but hopefully will be easier on the kids and Brian.
Wish me luck!

Dear Terese,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

I am late in posting this here, but wanted to tell you how proud I am of you. The last 10 years has gone by so very quickly...it's hard for me to grasp. At 10:53pm on June 9, 1999 you made me a mother, and Brian a father. We have learned so much from you, about being parents, being responsible, being a good example. Only time will tell how we're doing, but based on what a smart, funny, kind and good person you are, I'd say you've toughed out our inadequacies pretty well :)

You are a wonderful kid, a great big sister, and an important part of our family. We love you so much and can't wait to see what the future brings you!

Your sleepover buddies!

Family

We're back from the beach! We had a great vacation. The gulf water was warm, the weather was good, and it was awesome to stay right on the beach. It was wonderful to see family that we haven't seen since 2001, and we even managed to get a few good group pics. All of the kids had a fabulous time too - we went to Schlitterbahn water park in Galveston one day and they played and swam till they dropped. We also went to the Rainforest Cafe, and Brian and I even got out alone for dinner one night. It was hard to leave the ocean and come home!

Here are some more pics from our trip. There are hundreds, so I'll just post the highlights here!