We're getting closer and closer! This baby could literally arrive any day now! I had my 38 week doctor's appointment this past Monday and it couldn't have gone better. Still measuring right on track, everything is progressing, baby's heartbeat has slowed down some (which is good!) and is now in the 130's and I even lost a little bit of weight!
It's hard to imagine that after 9 long months, we could be meeting this little one anytime. It's been a long nine months, but at the same time, they've flown by. Looking back, I would have to say that this pregnancy has been pretty easy over all and I was blessed with no complications. I've come to really treasure the moments when I can feel Baby Z kicking and moving inside of me, even when they are a little painful! And although I'm ready to hold this little one in my arms, I'm going to miss those kicks!
This has also been my last week at work before I take my leave. This week I've been feeling pretty anxious about the baby coming, but not necessarily because of the fact that the baby is coming. Austin has been having some car problems and not always being able to start his car! So I think I was worried that the baby would come while I was at work and Austin wouldn't be able to make it to the hospital right away! Hopefully next week I'll be able to relax at bit at home, with Austin, and wait for the baby to come! I have to admit though that I'm ready to be done working. I have a hard time concentrating on anything and it just gets pretty uncomfortable sitting at my desk all day. The fact that I'll be leaving UNO for good hasn't really hit yet. I'm too distracted with the pregnancy that I don't think it's hit me that I won't be returning to work. But when it does, that's really going to be hard.
Otherwise, life has been pretty boring. We're just slowly getting things packed up but mostly just anxiously waiting for the baby! The next post I make will probably be after the baby comes! Exciting times! :)
Showing posts with label UNO. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UNO. Show all posts
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
My thoughts on our new adventure
Three years ago, Austin and I made the decision to move to Western Iowa when Austin accepted his first teaching position at Riverside. At the time, it was a huge decision for us. We were newlyweds, I had a great job and we were living in an area where we had been throughout our college years. We were comfortable where we were. In fact, you can go back and read old blog posts from that time to see how we came to the decision to move and what that all meant for us.
I'll admit right here that while there was some excitement over our move, especially for Austin to start his first teaching job, I was somewhat leery about moving to Western Iowa. After Austin had officially accepted the job, we came out here to start looking for apartments. I really wasn't impressed by what I was seeing and had some doubts about if this was the right decision or not. But we found an apartment we liked, in time I found a great job in Omaha and we started to make this our home.
Now if you were to ask me if I think we made the right decision three years ago, I would say absolutely. This is where we were meant to be at this time. We've developed some great friendships with people and have some very supportive communities that we belong to.
My co-workers at UNO became close friends very quickly and have made going to work for the past two years feel nothing like work. :) I've been blessed to work with such a great group of people and in an environment where we can have fun together both at the office and outside of work.
The staff, students and parents of the Riverside School District have also been of great support to us. They welcomed us into their community with open arms. Again, I say that we've been blessed to get to know many of them throughout different events and activities. We actually moved to Oakland after our first year out here and being a part of this district has been great. Austin has really been able to grow the vocal music program from the ground up over the past couple of years and that would not have been possible without the support of the community.
I would also say that we've been extremely blessed to be a part of the Grist Mill Theater community. After participating in the production of "Annie" last summer, we made some great new friends. This group of people is one of the best that you'll meet. Welcoming, supportive, fun. It was a great experience that left us with some great new friendships.
When we had family or friends come and visit us, many of them would say how great of a community we're apart of and how lucky we are to know such great people. And I would agree. Austin and I are both so grateful for all of these friendships and the support we've gotten over the past couple of years. It's meant a lot to us.
The one downside - and I mean it, there is literally just one - of living in Southwest Iowa is the distance to our families. It's a five hour drive to my parent's home in Minnesota and a four hour drive over to Austin's parents in Eastern Iowa. This has been hard for us as family means everything to both Austin and I. And I know I should feel lucky that we don't live any farther away than we already do! I think five hours is definitely my limit.
And so we've always said that at some point, we want to get closer to our families again. Especially when we decided we wanted to start a family. But deciding if now is the time to leave Riverside hasn't been an easy decision. We tried (unsuccessfully!) to convince our families to move here so we wouldn't have to leave! :) But in the end, we want to be closer. And with a baby on the way, Austin started applying for jobs.
I do want to say here that Austin wasn't going to apply for just any job. We weren't looking to leave Riverside because we didn't like it - nothing could be further from the truth. He was only going to apply for jobs that put us closer to family and that would potentially be in larger school districts. We were also looking for larger areas so that finding a job for me hopefully wouldn't be too difficult.
And there were some jobs that fit what we were looking for, mostly back in Eastern Iowa. He applied early and we didn't really think we'd hear back from any of them that quickly. Soon I had left for Minnesota for two weeks for work and that's when things started to happen.
On the Wednesday of the first week I was gone, I had a text from Austin saying that Dike-New Hartford had called him and wanted him to come interview Thursday - as in the next day! And while I thought "hm, that's really fast!", I was also excited. For those of you that don't know, DNH is located about 20 minutes west of Cedar Falls and Waterloo - where we lived before moving here. In fact, my old job at Kruger Seeds was actually located in Dike! So this is all very familiar territory for us. The Cedar Falls/Waterloo area, being just 30 minutes south of Wartburg, is about as close as we're able to get to halfway between our families. The drive is three hours up to my parents and just two hours down to Austin's.
So Thursday, Austin drove over to Dike for his interview and I anxiously awaited his call to hear how it went. Finally he called and told me all about it. He said he really like the people he met with, thought he could get along with them really well and thought the program would be a great program to come into. He also said that they were doing more interviews on Friday (the next day) but were hoping to have an offer out to someone by Friday evening. Well, in our experience, these things tend to get stretched out and so we weren't expecting to hear from them right away.
Well Friday comes and before the day is over, Austin is calling me telling me DNH has offered him the job. And that they want an answer by Monday. Well I'm not sure how Austin was feeling but I was a little bit shocked! That wasn't much time for us to consider everything and the worst part was that I was still in Minnesota while Austin was back here at home. Not being together to make such a big decision was frustrating.
We spent a lot of time on the phone that weekend, going over everything. The benefits of taking the job, the stress of moving with a newborn, me having to find a job, being closer to family, taking a look at the district and seeing if it's a place where we could stay for a long time... etc. It was a lot of back and forth. In the end, it's about putting it all in God's hands and letting Him guide us to the right decision. The only problem was that a weekend isn't a lot of time to try and listen for an answer.
In the end though, a decision was made. Austin called me on Monday and said he was going to accept the job. Looking at the position and the school district, he felt comfortable in saying that it feels like the right fit and a place where he can continue to grow professionally. And that's really all that matters. Everything else surrounding the move will fall into place in due time. I'm confident in saying that God will help us.
And so that's where we are today. We're moving back to the Cedar Valley. The place where we went to college, where we met, where we got married and where we started out together. We're both very comfortable in the area and that's helpful to us as we start to plan our move back. We'll be able to get involved in a new community with the school district and we're also looking forward to going back to a community that we were a part of - a community at Zion Lutheran Church. Austin directed the choir and the bell choir there for two years before we moved and we're both looking forward to being back to such a great church family.
We're excited. We're excited about the move, about the new possibilities and new adventures that will come our way. There's a lot to be nervous about it as well, but definitely a lot of excitement. But there's also a lot of sadness. Leaving this area is going to be hard. Maybe even harder than we're anticipating. There are going to be some hard good-byes. Some of which have already started.
Austin and I will both agree that we will treasure our time that we've been out here. We've grown as individuals, as a couple and professionally. I know that we were meant to be here for the last three years. We've learned a lot and done a lot. We've met some amazing people. It's been a great experience.
But now it's time we make that next step. We're starting a family. We're ready to start settling down in a place. We're ready for new adventures. And there are sure to be some adventures in our future.
I'll admit right here that while there was some excitement over our move, especially for Austin to start his first teaching job, I was somewhat leery about moving to Western Iowa. After Austin had officially accepted the job, we came out here to start looking for apartments. I really wasn't impressed by what I was seeing and had some doubts about if this was the right decision or not. But we found an apartment we liked, in time I found a great job in Omaha and we started to make this our home.
Now if you were to ask me if I think we made the right decision three years ago, I would say absolutely. This is where we were meant to be at this time. We've developed some great friendships with people and have some very supportive communities that we belong to.
My co-workers at UNO became close friends very quickly and have made going to work for the past two years feel nothing like work. :) I've been blessed to work with such a great group of people and in an environment where we can have fun together both at the office and outside of work.
The staff, students and parents of the Riverside School District have also been of great support to us. They welcomed us into their community with open arms. Again, I say that we've been blessed to get to know many of them throughout different events and activities. We actually moved to Oakland after our first year out here and being a part of this district has been great. Austin has really been able to grow the vocal music program from the ground up over the past couple of years and that would not have been possible without the support of the community.
I would also say that we've been extremely blessed to be a part of the Grist Mill Theater community. After participating in the production of "Annie" last summer, we made some great new friends. This group of people is one of the best that you'll meet. Welcoming, supportive, fun. It was a great experience that left us with some great new friendships.
When we had family or friends come and visit us, many of them would say how great of a community we're apart of and how lucky we are to know such great people. And I would agree. Austin and I are both so grateful for all of these friendships and the support we've gotten over the past couple of years. It's meant a lot to us.
The one downside - and I mean it, there is literally just one - of living in Southwest Iowa is the distance to our families. It's a five hour drive to my parent's home in Minnesota and a four hour drive over to Austin's parents in Eastern Iowa. This has been hard for us as family means everything to both Austin and I. And I know I should feel lucky that we don't live any farther away than we already do! I think five hours is definitely my limit.
And so we've always said that at some point, we want to get closer to our families again. Especially when we decided we wanted to start a family. But deciding if now is the time to leave Riverside hasn't been an easy decision. We tried (unsuccessfully!) to convince our families to move here so we wouldn't have to leave! :) But in the end, we want to be closer. And with a baby on the way, Austin started applying for jobs.
I do want to say here that Austin wasn't going to apply for just any job. We weren't looking to leave Riverside because we didn't like it - nothing could be further from the truth. He was only going to apply for jobs that put us closer to family and that would potentially be in larger school districts. We were also looking for larger areas so that finding a job for me hopefully wouldn't be too difficult.
And there were some jobs that fit what we were looking for, mostly back in Eastern Iowa. He applied early and we didn't really think we'd hear back from any of them that quickly. Soon I had left for Minnesota for two weeks for work and that's when things started to happen.
On the Wednesday of the first week I was gone, I had a text from Austin saying that Dike-New Hartford had called him and wanted him to come interview Thursday - as in the next day! And while I thought "hm, that's really fast!", I was also excited. For those of you that don't know, DNH is located about 20 minutes west of Cedar Falls and Waterloo - where we lived before moving here. In fact, my old job at Kruger Seeds was actually located in Dike! So this is all very familiar territory for us. The Cedar Falls/Waterloo area, being just 30 minutes south of Wartburg, is about as close as we're able to get to halfway between our families. The drive is three hours up to my parents and just two hours down to Austin's.
So Thursday, Austin drove over to Dike for his interview and I anxiously awaited his call to hear how it went. Finally he called and told me all about it. He said he really like the people he met with, thought he could get along with them really well and thought the program would be a great program to come into. He also said that they were doing more interviews on Friday (the next day) but were hoping to have an offer out to someone by Friday evening. Well, in our experience, these things tend to get stretched out and so we weren't expecting to hear from them right away.
Well Friday comes and before the day is over, Austin is calling me telling me DNH has offered him the job. And that they want an answer by Monday. Well I'm not sure how Austin was feeling but I was a little bit shocked! That wasn't much time for us to consider everything and the worst part was that I was still in Minnesota while Austin was back here at home. Not being together to make such a big decision was frustrating.
We spent a lot of time on the phone that weekend, going over everything. The benefits of taking the job, the stress of moving with a newborn, me having to find a job, being closer to family, taking a look at the district and seeing if it's a place where we could stay for a long time... etc. It was a lot of back and forth. In the end, it's about putting it all in God's hands and letting Him guide us to the right decision. The only problem was that a weekend isn't a lot of time to try and listen for an answer.
In the end though, a decision was made. Austin called me on Monday and said he was going to accept the job. Looking at the position and the school district, he felt comfortable in saying that it feels like the right fit and a place where he can continue to grow professionally. And that's really all that matters. Everything else surrounding the move will fall into place in due time. I'm confident in saying that God will help us.
And so that's where we are today. We're moving back to the Cedar Valley. The place where we went to college, where we met, where we got married and where we started out together. We're both very comfortable in the area and that's helpful to us as we start to plan our move back. We'll be able to get involved in a new community with the school district and we're also looking forward to going back to a community that we were a part of - a community at Zion Lutheran Church. Austin directed the choir and the bell choir there for two years before we moved and we're both looking forward to being back to such a great church family.
We're excited. We're excited about the move, about the new possibilities and new adventures that will come our way. There's a lot to be nervous about it as well, but definitely a lot of excitement. But there's also a lot of sadness. Leaving this area is going to be hard. Maybe even harder than we're anticipating. There are going to be some hard good-byes. Some of which have already started.
Austin and I will both agree that we will treasure our time that we've been out here. We've grown as individuals, as a couple and professionally. I know that we were meant to be here for the last three years. We've learned a lot and done a lot. We've met some amazing people. It's been a great experience.
But now it's time we make that next step. We're starting a family. We're ready to start settling down in a place. We're ready for new adventures. And there are sure to be some adventures in our future.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Marketing & Branding
So we're currently hiring a new Director of Marketing here at the University of Nebraska Omaha. We're actually creating an entire Office of Marketing - something we've never had before, which really amazes me considering the size of our university. So I've recently been sitting in on these interviews and some of the discussions have made me think.
One of the bigger issues that we face here at UNO is a branding issue. We don't have a brand. We rolled out with some new logos within the past year and that's been a good start but it's not enough. We need to have a defining brand that when people hear or see it, they know - UNO. Like Nike or Pepsi. Or other universities like Texas or Nebraska Lincoln. They have well known brands. This is what we lack.
It also made me think about Wartburg. Now Wartburg is obviously is a little bit of a different class than UNO because of size and private versus public, but one thing that Wartburg does right is that it has a brand. Be Orange. There were some shirts that I saw recently that the Wartburg Ambassadors were wearing that said: "Be Orange. It's a Wartburg thing" And that's so true. (By the way, can I get one of those!?) Anyone who knows Wartburg knows 'Be Orange'. They've done a great job marketing that, using it everywhere and for an extended period of time.
Before I started working at UNO, I worked as a marketing coordinator for Kruger Seeds. I really enjoyed that work too. I loved the planning and the variety. And while I was there we even were able to do some re-branding. Kruger changed their logo and came up with a brand. And while I wasn't a part of the team that presented those ideas, I was involved in some of the process. And it was really great. With their old brand, you would ask dealers what is Kruger Seeds? And they wouldn't be able to get you a straight answer and everyone had a different answer. With the new logo and the new branding, we could ask any dealer what is Kruger Seeds? They would all answer 'First Class Seed. First Name Service.' Within a year, we could see this change. It was amazing!
Sitting in on these interviews and talking about what needs to be done here at UNO gets me excited. Talking about branding and what that means to UNO. I love it. I've forgotten how much I love that part of marketing. I will tell you that since I've been out of school for a while, I might not know as much as I would like about branding specifically and marketing, but I feel like this is something that I would maybe want to do in the future. These discussions make me want to go back and read and learn more. I want to be a part of these conversations.
I guess this post leads back to that 'age old question' of "What does Liz want to do with her life? What is her calling?" I love working in higher education. I love the work I do with students and getting them excited about going to college. But I also love marketing and branding. Am I better at one or the other? Who knows. I might say I'm more comfortable with higher education mostly because I'm doing that right now. Maybe I need to combine the two and start searching for work in higher education marketing.
Either way, this post mostly just serves as a place for me to write down some of the thoughts I've had. I guess if you have any suggestions or recommendations, I'm all ears. :)
One of the bigger issues that we face here at UNO is a branding issue. We don't have a brand. We rolled out with some new logos within the past year and that's been a good start but it's not enough. We need to have a defining brand that when people hear or see it, they know - UNO. Like Nike or Pepsi. Or other universities like Texas or Nebraska Lincoln. They have well known brands. This is what we lack.
It also made me think about Wartburg. Now Wartburg is obviously is a little bit of a different class than UNO because of size and private versus public, but one thing that Wartburg does right is that it has a brand. Be Orange. There were some shirts that I saw recently that the Wartburg Ambassadors were wearing that said: "Be Orange. It's a Wartburg thing" And that's so true. (By the way, can I get one of those!?) Anyone who knows Wartburg knows 'Be Orange'. They've done a great job marketing that, using it everywhere and for an extended period of time.
Before I started working at UNO, I worked as a marketing coordinator for Kruger Seeds. I really enjoyed that work too. I loved the planning and the variety. And while I was there we even were able to do some re-branding. Kruger changed their logo and came up with a brand. And while I wasn't a part of the team that presented those ideas, I was involved in some of the process. And it was really great. With their old brand, you would ask dealers what is Kruger Seeds? And they wouldn't be able to get you a straight answer and everyone had a different answer. With the new logo and the new branding, we could ask any dealer what is Kruger Seeds? They would all answer 'First Class Seed. First Name Service.' Within a year, we could see this change. It was amazing!
Sitting in on these interviews and talking about what needs to be done here at UNO gets me excited. Talking about branding and what that means to UNO. I love it. I've forgotten how much I love that part of marketing. I will tell you that since I've been out of school for a while, I might not know as much as I would like about branding specifically and marketing, but I feel like this is something that I would maybe want to do in the future. These discussions make me want to go back and read and learn more. I want to be a part of these conversations.
I guess this post leads back to that 'age old question' of "What does Liz want to do with her life? What is her calling?" I love working in higher education. I love the work I do with students and getting them excited about going to college. But I also love marketing and branding. Am I better at one or the other? Who knows. I might say I'm more comfortable with higher education mostly because I'm doing that right now. Maybe I need to combine the two and start searching for work in higher education marketing.
Either way, this post mostly just serves as a place for me to write down some of the thoughts I've had. I guess if you have any suggestions or recommendations, I'm all ears. :)
Monday, July 23, 2012
Dog Days of Summer
I realize that I haven't written a blog since last month. And I really don't have any excuses. With Annie over, we had all of our free time back! Maybe I just haven't written because nothing too exciting has happened since Annie... well that's not completely true either. :)
With Annie over, Austin and I were both excited to have our evenings and weekends back. But that first week or two right after the show, I have to admit: I was bored! I couldn't remember what I use to do with all my free time before Annie! I wasn't even sure what I wanted to do with my free time now! But that has past and I'm back to enjoying my free time again. I do still get a bored a little easier but I'm trying to enjoy doing nothing while I can... as people keep reminding me - whenever we decide to have kids, our free time is completely out the window! :)
Over the week of July 4th, Austin and I traveled up to South Dakota for a family reunion! My cousin and her family had recently moved there where her husband is the director of a bible camp. The camp is right on the lake, along with a retreat center - which is where we stayed. We were so excited to head up there to have a mini-vacation and to spend some time with the family. However, we ran into a little bit of a problem about 20 miles outside of Council Bluffs.
Yup. We got a flat tire... It was the first time either Austin or I had ever gotten a flat tire so we weren't entirely sure of our skills to change a tire. We did have a spare in our trunk but we called a tow truck to come and help us out. Well it was close to 100 degrees outside and after waiting in the heat, Austin decided to just try and figure out how to change the tire. At this point, a state trooper had pulled over to make sure we were okay and see if we needed any assistance. He helped Austin get it all started but then told us he had to leave because a man up the road was threatening to jump in front of traffic... yeah.
Austin got the spare on successfully and we had called up to a place in a small town just up the road and they had the tire size we needed! So we slowly made our way there, got our new tire and $150 later, we were on our way! Luckily we didn't run into any other problems on the way there!
Once we made it to South Dakota, we enjoyed a few days relaxing on the lake and hanging out with family. We had a lot of fun. We went paddle-boating, tubing and playing on the water toys, that you can see in the picture below.
We had a great time and it was hard to leave! I think everyone agreed that it would have to be something we should do every summer! :)
Since then, we really haven't done to much. Austin is still enjoying his job at the airport, mostly I think because it gets him out of the house! He's also been working with students doing voice lessons and next month, he'll be taking some students to All-State camp back at Wartburg. I think Austin is ready for school to begin again and start working with all of his students for another great year at Riverside!
For me, the summer is also going well at work. Orientation days are definitely the busiest but the free lunch makes up for the early morning those days. :) I can tell that fall is starting to get closer because college fair invites have started coming in and soon I'll be scheduling high school visits again. I've also been working on creating our new books for the school year. These are the books that we give out at college fairs, high school visits and campus visits. I've really enjoyed doing this and it's helping me keep busy. Another exciting thing is that our entire office will be heading to Denver in October for the National Conference for Admissions Counselors. I'm so excited to get back to the great city of Denver and to hopefully learn some new things!
I think that's about it for us. We're just trying to get by in this heat wave that's hit the US. I hope you all are staying cool as well! Enjoy the rest of the summer before it's gone! :)
With Annie over, Austin and I were both excited to have our evenings and weekends back. But that first week or two right after the show, I have to admit: I was bored! I couldn't remember what I use to do with all my free time before Annie! I wasn't even sure what I wanted to do with my free time now! But that has past and I'm back to enjoying my free time again. I do still get a bored a little easier but I'm trying to enjoy doing nothing while I can... as people keep reminding me - whenever we decide to have kids, our free time is completely out the window! :)
Over the week of July 4th, Austin and I traveled up to South Dakota for a family reunion! My cousin and her family had recently moved there where her husband is the director of a bible camp. The camp is right on the lake, along with a retreat center - which is where we stayed. We were so excited to head up there to have a mini-vacation and to spend some time with the family. However, we ran into a little bit of a problem about 20 miles outside of Council Bluffs.
Yup. We got a flat tire... It was the first time either Austin or I had ever gotten a flat tire so we weren't entirely sure of our skills to change a tire. We did have a spare in our trunk but we called a tow truck to come and help us out. Well it was close to 100 degrees outside and after waiting in the heat, Austin decided to just try and figure out how to change the tire. At this point, a state trooper had pulled over to make sure we were okay and see if we needed any assistance. He helped Austin get it all started but then told us he had to leave because a man up the road was threatening to jump in front of traffic... yeah.
 |
| My hero! |
Austin got the spare on successfully and we had called up to a place in a small town just up the road and they had the tire size we needed! So we slowly made our way there, got our new tire and $150 later, we were on our way! Luckily we didn't run into any other problems on the way there!
Once we made it to South Dakota, we enjoyed a few days relaxing on the lake and hanging out with family. We had a lot of fun. We went paddle-boating, tubing and playing on the water toys, that you can see in the picture below.
We had a great time and it was hard to leave! I think everyone agreed that it would have to be something we should do every summer! :)
Since then, we really haven't done to much. Austin is still enjoying his job at the airport, mostly I think because it gets him out of the house! He's also been working with students doing voice lessons and next month, he'll be taking some students to All-State camp back at Wartburg. I think Austin is ready for school to begin again and start working with all of his students for another great year at Riverside!
For me, the summer is also going well at work. Orientation days are definitely the busiest but the free lunch makes up for the early morning those days. :) I can tell that fall is starting to get closer because college fair invites have started coming in and soon I'll be scheduling high school visits again. I've also been working on creating our new books for the school year. These are the books that we give out at college fairs, high school visits and campus visits. I've really enjoyed doing this and it's helping me keep busy. Another exciting thing is that our entire office will be heading to Denver in October for the National Conference for Admissions Counselors. I'm so excited to get back to the great city of Denver and to hopefully learn some new things!
I think that's about it for us. We're just trying to get by in this heat wave that's hit the US. I hope you all are staying cool as well! Enjoy the rest of the summer before it's gone! :)
Friday, March 2, 2012
Future planning?
Life here at the Zaruba's is going pretty well these days. We had a pretty great day last Friday actually. I got a call about mid-morning from Progressive letting me know that the other insurance company had accepted liability for the accident! This in itself was awesome news!! But what made it even better was the fact that our car repairs hadn't been finished yet so the bill was going to get sent directly to the other company - we didn't have to pay a dime! I was one happy camper. And then to make things even better, we were able to pick up our car on Friday afternoon - repairs were done and it looked as good as new! It was a relief to have this all taken care of and we were so blessed that everything worked out in our favor.
Last weekend was pretty busy for both AJ and I - we each had to work all day Saturday. AJ was working with Riverside's speech team and they had districts all day. The great news is that they did have a couple of students make it to State so they'll be heading over that way soon. I think AJ is going to continue to help out with the speech team, especially within the area of Musical Theater. I think he really enjoys working with these kids and he's talked about getting more involved next year.
I on the other hand, was busy all day in Omaha working at our Housing Showcase on campus and then later Saturday night at our Dual Enrollment Hockey Event. It was a long and exhausting day, especially after being on my feet all day. I can tell you that AJ and I both slept soundly on Saturday night!
Our classes at FPU are continuing to go well. We took a big step this past week and cut up all of our credit cards. That was a little hard for me to do. We had recently taken them out of our wallets and locked them up in our safe-box, but I liked having them there in case of an emergency. But as Dave Ramsey teaches us, we should really have an emergency savings account instead of using credit cards. And so that's what we're working towards. We are still learning a lot each week; this class has been very beneficial. I would encourage anyone who has ever considered taking this class to do it. Or if you haven't considered it but would like to feel more financially secure, this is the class to take. It has been well worth the time spent so far.
In a couple of "great news" stories... our clans-baby is officially one year old now! It's hard to believe it - even more so for his mom and dad I'm sure! :) He celebrated his birthday party last Sunday but since AJ and I were both so exhausted from working on Saturday we were unable to attend. Hopefully we can make it up there soon to see the little man and of course his parents. :) I also had a very close and dear friend of mine get engaged recently! After the phone call I was literally jumping up and down! I am so excited for her and her new fiance as they start this adventure of wedding planning and the journey of marriage together. I wish them both a lifetime of happiness! :)
Other than that, AJ and I continue to have conversations about our future. This is something that we discuss quite often actually. We talk about when we would like to start having kids possibly, where we see ourselves in five years, etc. The thing is that every time we talk about our future, it always seems to change. I shouldn't be surprised but sometimes I feel like it can be discouraging. I know that all of our talks of future plans are just that - plans. Plans change. And with so much unknown about the future, it's hard to set any plan in stone. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't like it to be so.
With each discussion, it seems one of us always has a change of heart about something. But this is always a reminder about the compromise of marriage. Finding a "plan" that we can both agree on. Talking about a future we're both happy about. And most importantly, remembering that things are not always going to work the way we want them to. Things are going to change, our plan is going to change. We have no control over many of these things. Most important we need to remember to trust God. To ask Him what He plan for us is. What His future for us looks like. And we must remember to be quiet long enough to hear what He is telling us.
Last weekend was pretty busy for both AJ and I - we each had to work all day Saturday. AJ was working with Riverside's speech team and they had districts all day. The great news is that they did have a couple of students make it to State so they'll be heading over that way soon. I think AJ is going to continue to help out with the speech team, especially within the area of Musical Theater. I think he really enjoys working with these kids and he's talked about getting more involved next year.
I on the other hand, was busy all day in Omaha working at our Housing Showcase on campus and then later Saturday night at our Dual Enrollment Hockey Event. It was a long and exhausting day, especially after being on my feet all day. I can tell you that AJ and I both slept soundly on Saturday night!
Our classes at FPU are continuing to go well. We took a big step this past week and cut up all of our credit cards. That was a little hard for me to do. We had recently taken them out of our wallets and locked them up in our safe-box, but I liked having them there in case of an emergency. But as Dave Ramsey teaches us, we should really have an emergency savings account instead of using credit cards. And so that's what we're working towards. We are still learning a lot each week; this class has been very beneficial. I would encourage anyone who has ever considered taking this class to do it. Or if you haven't considered it but would like to feel more financially secure, this is the class to take. It has been well worth the time spent so far.
In a couple of "great news" stories... our clans-baby is officially one year old now! It's hard to believe it - even more so for his mom and dad I'm sure! :) He celebrated his birthday party last Sunday but since AJ and I were both so exhausted from working on Saturday we were unable to attend. Hopefully we can make it up there soon to see the little man and of course his parents. :) I also had a very close and dear friend of mine get engaged recently! After the phone call I was literally jumping up and down! I am so excited for her and her new fiance as they start this adventure of wedding planning and the journey of marriage together. I wish them both a lifetime of happiness! :)
Other than that, AJ and I continue to have conversations about our future. This is something that we discuss quite often actually. We talk about when we would like to start having kids possibly, where we see ourselves in five years, etc. The thing is that every time we talk about our future, it always seems to change. I shouldn't be surprised but sometimes I feel like it can be discouraging. I know that all of our talks of future plans are just that - plans. Plans change. And with so much unknown about the future, it's hard to set any plan in stone. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't like it to be so.
With each discussion, it seems one of us always has a change of heart about something. But this is always a reminder about the compromise of marriage. Finding a "plan" that we can both agree on. Talking about a future we're both happy about. And most importantly, remembering that things are not always going to work the way we want them to. Things are going to change, our plan is going to change. We have no control over many of these things. Most important we need to remember to trust God. To ask Him what He plan for us is. What His future for us looks like. And we must remember to be quiet long enough to hear what He is telling us.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
I have no fancy title for this one...
You know, sometimes I'm just not good at keeping up with regular blog posts. Not that it really matters because I don't know who really reads these. But I feel like sometimes I have so much to say that I'll have like three blog posts I'll want to put up all within like three days. Other times, like now, I have nothing to say for a month. Oh well, such is life I suppose. We don't always have blog-worthy events going on at home!
But since it has been a month, I figured I better update you all on our life! January was a good month for us. Nothing too big or exciting but I would say a pretty good start to the new year. AJ got quickly back into the swing of things at school, preparing for upcoming solo/ensemble contest and then large group contest later down the road. Although I think I speak for AJ and probably all the kids at school, that because of the mild winter we've been having, they're a little disappointed that they haven't had any snow days yet this year! But who knows, winter could definitely still come and surprise us! We'll just have to wait and see.
AJ did get some exciting news a couple of weeks ago though about a possible summer job! There is a community theater in Macedonia, which is just about 10 minutes down the road from Oakland and part of the school district. They are putting on a summer production of "Annie" and want AJ to be the musical director! It should be a great gig for him too! The performances would be at the end of June so he'd be able to get some extra cash and still have the month of July to relax and enjoy his summer vacation. Plus, AJ is is exciting for the experience, to meet some new people, network and to get in some practice before he has to put on another musical next fall at the high school.
AJ also got some other news a couple of weeks ago, although I'm not sure this one is as exciting. AJ has to get his wisdom teeth removed. They've been bothering him for a while and I think he's ready to have them out! So we go in this Friday for the procedure. And then I will get to spend all weekend taking care of him! :) I'm a little excited to see if he swells up and looks like a cute chipmunk! haha But in all seriousness, your thoughts and prayers would be greatly appreciated that the procedure goes well and for a fast recovery! We all know how much AJ loves to talk so hopefully he'll be back up and talking again shortly afterwards! :)
Things at my job are going great right now as well. It's starting to pick up and get busy again. I'll be visiting high schools here starting next month and doing some college fairs in March. While the spring is definitely quieter than my fall travel season, I'll still be plenty busy. Another great thing about my job is that I still have my job! When I first started, a year ago as of January 18th (woot!), it was only for a one year temporary position. Thankfully it was extended for another year and hopefully I'll even be hired on in a full time position - at least that's what we're working on! :) I also have to say that I've been very thankful for the mild winter so far. With my drive being a lot longer than AJ's into work, I'm glad we haven't really had any nasty weather. It's made my commute much more easier!
AJ and I are also trying to get a head of our finances. Even after two years of marriage, there are still things that surprise us, or that we argue about when it comes to finances. I think it's probably a struggle for a lot of people. So we're taking some financial planning courses. Maybe you've heard of Dave Rasmey, but he has these Financial Peace University courses that are taught all over the country. And there's actually a class taking place at the church in Oakland that we attend. So starting tomorrow, Feb. 1st, we'll be attending a 13-week course. It should be pretty interesting and hopefully we'll learn a lot and get a lot out of it. Maybe we'll even figure out how to do our taxes! I have to say that when this time comes every year it makes me nervous. I hate filing taxes. You never know what to expect. And this year is even more difficult with me working in one state and living in another. I think the whole process is entirely too difficult for the average person to understand. So I think AJ and I might just bite the bullet and meet with someone to help us this year.
Well, that's about it. That's all we've been up to recently. More to come as soon as more happens. :)
But since it has been a month, I figured I better update you all on our life! January was a good month for us. Nothing too big or exciting but I would say a pretty good start to the new year. AJ got quickly back into the swing of things at school, preparing for upcoming solo/ensemble contest and then large group contest later down the road. Although I think I speak for AJ and probably all the kids at school, that because of the mild winter we've been having, they're a little disappointed that they haven't had any snow days yet this year! But who knows, winter could definitely still come and surprise us! We'll just have to wait and see.
AJ did get some exciting news a couple of weeks ago though about a possible summer job! There is a community theater in Macedonia, which is just about 10 minutes down the road from Oakland and part of the school district. They are putting on a summer production of "Annie" and want AJ to be the musical director! It should be a great gig for him too! The performances would be at the end of June so he'd be able to get some extra cash and still have the month of July to relax and enjoy his summer vacation. Plus, AJ is is exciting for the experience, to meet some new people, network and to get in some practice before he has to put on another musical next fall at the high school.
AJ also got some other news a couple of weeks ago, although I'm not sure this one is as exciting. AJ has to get his wisdom teeth removed. They've been bothering him for a while and I think he's ready to have them out! So we go in this Friday for the procedure. And then I will get to spend all weekend taking care of him! :) I'm a little excited to see if he swells up and looks like a cute chipmunk! haha But in all seriousness, your thoughts and prayers would be greatly appreciated that the procedure goes well and for a fast recovery! We all know how much AJ loves to talk so hopefully he'll be back up and talking again shortly afterwards! :)
Things at my job are going great right now as well. It's starting to pick up and get busy again. I'll be visiting high schools here starting next month and doing some college fairs in March. While the spring is definitely quieter than my fall travel season, I'll still be plenty busy. Another great thing about my job is that I still have my job! When I first started, a year ago as of January 18th (woot!), it was only for a one year temporary position. Thankfully it was extended for another year and hopefully I'll even be hired on in a full time position - at least that's what we're working on! :) I also have to say that I've been very thankful for the mild winter so far. With my drive being a lot longer than AJ's into work, I'm glad we haven't really had any nasty weather. It's made my commute much more easier!
AJ and I are also trying to get a head of our finances. Even after two years of marriage, there are still things that surprise us, or that we argue about when it comes to finances. I think it's probably a struggle for a lot of people. So we're taking some financial planning courses. Maybe you've heard of Dave Rasmey, but he has these Financial Peace University courses that are taught all over the country. And there's actually a class taking place at the church in Oakland that we attend. So starting tomorrow, Feb. 1st, we'll be attending a 13-week course. It should be pretty interesting and hopefully we'll learn a lot and get a lot out of it. Maybe we'll even figure out how to do our taxes! I have to say that when this time comes every year it makes me nervous. I hate filing taxes. You never know what to expect. And this year is even more difficult with me working in one state and living in another. I think the whole process is entirely too difficult for the average person to understand. So I think AJ and I might just bite the bullet and meet with someone to help us this year.
Well, that's about it. That's all we've been up to recently. More to come as soon as more happens. :)
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
December already?
I've decided it was time for another update blog post. I mean, I know how much you all love these! ;-)
November came and was quickly gone again. Sometimes I can't believe it's already December! But November was still a fairly busy time for us. I was busy finishing up my high school visits and AJ was busy preparing for his all-school talent show. I spent some time up in Minnesota for a friend's baby shower and it was so good to see my high school friends. We always have a great time whenever we can get together! But you can tell we're all getting older as our gatherings now include babies! :)
The all-school talent show went great for AJ and I think he was really pleased with all the acts and how well all of his students did. And then we even had some visitors! Amber and Ariel came over and the three of us (we left AJ at home...) went to go see Breaking Dawn. We've seen the last two Twilight movies together so it's become a fun tradition for us!
And then it was already Thanksgiving! We spent the weekend up in Minnesota with my family. It was great to not only have some time with just our immediate family, but to also spend Thanksgiving day with our extended family as well. And again, you can tell we're all growing up as we now have little ones to entertain us throughout the day. :) AJ especially had fun playing Ring-Around-the-Rosie with them! We spent the rest of the weekend relaxing and enjoying our time off from work. We did do some Black Friday shopping - but not until later in the morning! And seeing some other friends while we were home as well. Overall, it was a great weekend! And plenty to be thankful for!
And now it's December! We welcomed December with a bit of snow on the first but nothing that really stuck. And then that first Saturday we had quite a bit of snow! It was one of those really beautiful snowfalls with the big fluffy flakes. Unfortunately, we were in Omaha for the day as I was at work and we had some shopping to do. Luckily though, we didn't run into too many problems on the drive home. Now however, all of snow has melted! And I must admit, I don't like it. I'm a big fan of having a white Christmas! Must be the whole growing up in Minnesota thing... :) But I need to have snow on Christmas. And from what my parents tell me, they don't have any snow back at home either! So here's hoping that we do get another snowfall that sticks - here, in Tipton and in Minnesota! Give me snow! :)
On Dec. 2nd, AJ had his Middle School Winter Concert. The fun part about that is that he had family that came over to surprise him! I knew ahead of time and it was fun to see his surprised face at the concert! His Mom, Grandma, Aunt Lisa and Amber all came for the concert. It was fun to have AJ walk around the corner and see them standing there! We are so blessed to have such amazing family that supports us so much! The concert itself was also amazing! Especially for a middle school concert, the sound was very good. The students were engaged and focused on what they were doing! AJ definitely knows what he's doing. I think his family were very impressed with the quality of concert it was as well, for being a middle school concert.
This past weekend we had some guests come and hang out with us! My friend Amanda and her baby Thor drove down for the weekend! The visit had been a long time coming and we were so happy it finally happened! We had a fun-filled weekend of playing with Thor and getting in some quality clans-people time! :) On Saturday we spent most of the day in Omaha at one of the malls. Amanda wanted to take Thor to see Santa! And the pictures she got were priceless! Definitely worth the 45 minutes we spent waiting in line! We all got some shopping done and ended the day at the Cheesecake Factory - which made my husband very happy! :) On Sunday we all just relaxed and didn't really do much of anything! Although we did give Thor a bath and taught him how to splash... haha They drove back home yesterday (Monday) and it was sad to see them go! We had a lot of fun! And we got a pretty good idea of what it's like to have a baby around 24/7! :) Not quite sure if we're ready for that yet... haha
Our string of visitors didn't stop there however! Yesterday we also welcomed my parents into town! They came down to see AJ's concert last night! It was wonderful of them to drive down and always great to see them! Plus, it was the first time my mom had seen our new apartment! After the concert we all went out for dinner and definitely had a good time! No offense to my sister and brother, but it was nice to spend some quality time with just AJ and my parents. I'm not sure we've really ever gotten the chance to do that. And it was really great. Again, we are truly blessed to have such supportive families! :) And today, before they headed back home to Minnesota, they drove into Omaha to see where I work and walk around UNO's campus! It's always fun to show off the place where I work and tell them about campus! :) I was even treated with a Jones Bros Cupcake before they left! Lucky me! And AJ... we of course bought one for him too!
So, as I mentioned, last night was AJ's High School Winter Concert - and his last concert for the year. The concert was incredible! It's been amazing to see how far the choir has progressed in just one short year! AJ has tripled his choir size and you could definitely tell the difference in the concert last night. Their sound was so good and the level of singing has definitely improved. AJ just has a way with students and knows how to get them to focus on what they're doing and to really put on a great show. The level of one of the songs they did was so impressive - it was a very difficult song - an All-State song, especially for such a young choir like AJ's but they did outstanding! Like I said, they've come a long way in just one year and it'll be exciting to see how Contest will go this spring and what will happen next year! It was a great concert!
I was thinking last night during the concert about when AJ first got offered the job at Riverside. I remember thinking that after he accepted the job, even though I somehow knew it was the right decision, I couldn't imagine leaving Northeast Iowa... I couldn't imagine living in Council Bluffs, in a place that was so foreign and far away from our family and friends. It was hard for me to picture what our life would be like here. But last night, as I watched AJ conduct the choir and watch how the kids responded to him, I can't imagine us being anywhere else right now.
Yes we're far away from our family. But this is where we're suppose to be. I know that without a doubt. This job at Riverside has been the perfect job for AJ. It's allowed him to really build up a program. It's allowed him to start making a name for himself. It's helped him to really develop his teaching skills and styles and to develop the program. We're in a community that has welcomed us with open arms and one that simply adores AJ. I love tagging behind AJ after a concert to listen to all the amazing compliments he receives from parents and members of the community. I love hearing AJ come home and tell me the nice things that the principal said to him that day after observing his class. I love reading emails that AJ gets from mentors or parents that talk about how they've never seen a skill and energy level like his from a second year teacher. I love being able to be so proud of my husband.
Not only has this place been great for AJ and his career, it's also been perfect for mine. I remember having to leave Kruger, a place where I've become comfortable and try to figure out what I was going to do over here. I remember applying for job and job, just trying to find anything. And then I was lucky enough to interview at UNO for the Admissions Counselor position. Getting in to admissions work in higher education is something I've always wanted to do since I graduated. I worked as a student in Wartburg's Admissions Office and loved it! But it can be hard to get into the field without having experience! So I have been so grateful for the opportunity I've been given here at UNO. And I believe that this job has helped me realize that I want to continue my career in higher education. Trying to figure out what I've wanted to do with my life has been a struggle of mine since college. And while I still don't know entirely what I want to do in life, I know I would like to stay within education - specifically higher education. And that's a good feeling.
I know I say this a lot, but God really does know what He's doing. It's just always amazing when you think back over the past year or two and you can see how everything has fallen into place exactly like it's suppose to. Looking back and and then looking at the present, seeing everything is how it's suppose to be, it makes going through those rough patches easier. It's helpful to know that those rough patches are sometimes necessary to make you stronger or to help get you to the place you are now.
Everything just takes time. Time and patience. And that's something that not a lot of us have. God's timeline is much different than ours but His is the one that counts. And it's always good when you can finally see that.
So, I strayed a bit and didn't just keep this an update blog but hopefully that's okay. :) And anyhow... right now I think AJ and I are both looking forward to Christmas break! One thing I love about my job is that we get the week off in between Christmas and New Year's! And since AJ also has a break, this means that we get some extended time with our families!! Which we love!! :) So next week we'll be heading to Tipton for a Zaruba Christmas and then the following week we're driving up to Minnesota for a late Reedstrom Christmas. It should be a great, fun and relaxing time! Now if it would just hurry up and get here! :)
November came and was quickly gone again. Sometimes I can't believe it's already December! But November was still a fairly busy time for us. I was busy finishing up my high school visits and AJ was busy preparing for his all-school talent show. I spent some time up in Minnesota for a friend's baby shower and it was so good to see my high school friends. We always have a great time whenever we can get together! But you can tell we're all getting older as our gatherings now include babies! :)
The all-school talent show went great for AJ and I think he was really pleased with all the acts and how well all of his students did. And then we even had some visitors! Amber and Ariel came over and the three of us (we left AJ at home...) went to go see Breaking Dawn. We've seen the last two Twilight movies together so it's become a fun tradition for us!
And then it was already Thanksgiving! We spent the weekend up in Minnesota with my family. It was great to not only have some time with just our immediate family, but to also spend Thanksgiving day with our extended family as well. And again, you can tell we're all growing up as we now have little ones to entertain us throughout the day. :) AJ especially had fun playing Ring-Around-the-Rosie with them! We spent the rest of the weekend relaxing and enjoying our time off from work. We did do some Black Friday shopping - but not until later in the morning! And seeing some other friends while we were home as well. Overall, it was a great weekend! And plenty to be thankful for!
And now it's December! We welcomed December with a bit of snow on the first but nothing that really stuck. And then that first Saturday we had quite a bit of snow! It was one of those really beautiful snowfalls with the big fluffy flakes. Unfortunately, we were in Omaha for the day as I was at work and we had some shopping to do. Luckily though, we didn't run into too many problems on the drive home. Now however, all of snow has melted! And I must admit, I don't like it. I'm a big fan of having a white Christmas! Must be the whole growing up in Minnesota thing... :) But I need to have snow on Christmas. And from what my parents tell me, they don't have any snow back at home either! So here's hoping that we do get another snowfall that sticks - here, in Tipton and in Minnesota! Give me snow! :)
On Dec. 2nd, AJ had his Middle School Winter Concert. The fun part about that is that he had family that came over to surprise him! I knew ahead of time and it was fun to see his surprised face at the concert! His Mom, Grandma, Aunt Lisa and Amber all came for the concert. It was fun to have AJ walk around the corner and see them standing there! We are so blessed to have such amazing family that supports us so much! The concert itself was also amazing! Especially for a middle school concert, the sound was very good. The students were engaged and focused on what they were doing! AJ definitely knows what he's doing. I think his family were very impressed with the quality of concert it was as well, for being a middle school concert.
This past weekend we had some guests come and hang out with us! My friend Amanda and her baby Thor drove down for the weekend! The visit had been a long time coming and we were so happy it finally happened! We had a fun-filled weekend of playing with Thor and getting in some quality clans-people time! :) On Saturday we spent most of the day in Omaha at one of the malls. Amanda wanted to take Thor to see Santa! And the pictures she got were priceless! Definitely worth the 45 minutes we spent waiting in line! We all got some shopping done and ended the day at the Cheesecake Factory - which made my husband very happy! :) On Sunday we all just relaxed and didn't really do much of anything! Although we did give Thor a bath and taught him how to splash... haha They drove back home yesterday (Monday) and it was sad to see them go! We had a lot of fun! And we got a pretty good idea of what it's like to have a baby around 24/7! :) Not quite sure if we're ready for that yet... haha
Our string of visitors didn't stop there however! Yesterday we also welcomed my parents into town! They came down to see AJ's concert last night! It was wonderful of them to drive down and always great to see them! Plus, it was the first time my mom had seen our new apartment! After the concert we all went out for dinner and definitely had a good time! No offense to my sister and brother, but it was nice to spend some quality time with just AJ and my parents. I'm not sure we've really ever gotten the chance to do that. And it was really great. Again, we are truly blessed to have such supportive families! :) And today, before they headed back home to Minnesota, they drove into Omaha to see where I work and walk around UNO's campus! It's always fun to show off the place where I work and tell them about campus! :) I was even treated with a Jones Bros Cupcake before they left! Lucky me! And AJ... we of course bought one for him too!
So, as I mentioned, last night was AJ's High School Winter Concert - and his last concert for the year. The concert was incredible! It's been amazing to see how far the choir has progressed in just one short year! AJ has tripled his choir size and you could definitely tell the difference in the concert last night. Their sound was so good and the level of singing has definitely improved. AJ just has a way with students and knows how to get them to focus on what they're doing and to really put on a great show. The level of one of the songs they did was so impressive - it was a very difficult song - an All-State song, especially for such a young choir like AJ's but they did outstanding! Like I said, they've come a long way in just one year and it'll be exciting to see how Contest will go this spring and what will happen next year! It was a great concert!
I was thinking last night during the concert about when AJ first got offered the job at Riverside. I remember thinking that after he accepted the job, even though I somehow knew it was the right decision, I couldn't imagine leaving Northeast Iowa... I couldn't imagine living in Council Bluffs, in a place that was so foreign and far away from our family and friends. It was hard for me to picture what our life would be like here. But last night, as I watched AJ conduct the choir and watch how the kids responded to him, I can't imagine us being anywhere else right now.
Yes we're far away from our family. But this is where we're suppose to be. I know that without a doubt. This job at Riverside has been the perfect job for AJ. It's allowed him to really build up a program. It's allowed him to start making a name for himself. It's helped him to really develop his teaching skills and styles and to develop the program. We're in a community that has welcomed us with open arms and one that simply adores AJ. I love tagging behind AJ after a concert to listen to all the amazing compliments he receives from parents and members of the community. I love hearing AJ come home and tell me the nice things that the principal said to him that day after observing his class. I love reading emails that AJ gets from mentors or parents that talk about how they've never seen a skill and energy level like his from a second year teacher. I love being able to be so proud of my husband.
Not only has this place been great for AJ and his career, it's also been perfect for mine. I remember having to leave Kruger, a place where I've become comfortable and try to figure out what I was going to do over here. I remember applying for job and job, just trying to find anything. And then I was lucky enough to interview at UNO for the Admissions Counselor position. Getting in to admissions work in higher education is something I've always wanted to do since I graduated. I worked as a student in Wartburg's Admissions Office and loved it! But it can be hard to get into the field without having experience! So I have been so grateful for the opportunity I've been given here at UNO. And I believe that this job has helped me realize that I want to continue my career in higher education. Trying to figure out what I've wanted to do with my life has been a struggle of mine since college. And while I still don't know entirely what I want to do in life, I know I would like to stay within education - specifically higher education. And that's a good feeling.
I know I say this a lot, but God really does know what He's doing. It's just always amazing when you think back over the past year or two and you can see how everything has fallen into place exactly like it's suppose to. Looking back and and then looking at the present, seeing everything is how it's suppose to be, it makes going through those rough patches easier. It's helpful to know that those rough patches are sometimes necessary to make you stronger or to help get you to the place you are now.
Everything just takes time. Time and patience. And that's something that not a lot of us have. God's timeline is much different than ours but His is the one that counts. And it's always good when you can finally see that.
So, I strayed a bit and didn't just keep this an update blog but hopefully that's okay. :) And anyhow... right now I think AJ and I are both looking forward to Christmas break! One thing I love about my job is that we get the week off in between Christmas and New Year's! And since AJ also has a break, this means that we get some extended time with our families!! Which we love!! :) So next week we'll be heading to Tipton for a Zaruba Christmas and then the following week we're driving up to Minnesota for a late Reedstrom Christmas. It should be a great, fun and relaxing time! Now if it would just hurry up and get here! :)
Friday, October 7, 2011
Life as an Admissions Counselor
I thought for this blog, I would give everyone a taste of what my life as an College Admissions Counselor is like - at least during the fall recruiting season, because that is the most exciting time. :) Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll be able to get Austin to write a blog about "Life as a Music Teacher"!
So, the fall is the busiest time of year for college recruiters. There are high school visits, college fairs and also a lot of students coming to campus to check us out before applying. This busy season goes from September to about mid-November when it slows down again until around March. During the spring we pick up again with some more high school visits and college fairs, although not quite as many. When I first started at UNO, I started about a month and half before that Spring recruiting season began. During the last spring, I did about two, two and half weeks of college fairs and visited about 23 high schools that were in the three counties in Iowa that were part of a program we offer those students to get a reduced tuition. This fall, we've decided to step things up a notch.
The MAP program that was originally offered in three Western Iowa counties has now been expanded to 11 counties which now means I have 52 high schools to visit this fall. We are also trying to recruit more in Minnesota and Kansas. This month, October, is by far my busiest month. I will be in the office for roughly 4 days out of the month. I've rented a car from Enterprise for the entire month, which I'm currently contemplating keeping for another couple of weeks in November for my remaining high school visits.
It's only October 7th and I've had my rental car for one week. Today when I was in the office I determined that I have already been on the road for about 24 hours total and driven just under 1500 miles. In just seven days!! I'm both a little scared and excited to see what those numbers will look like at the end of this month.
To give you a little bit of idea of what I'm doing this month (and if you're curious why you might not hear much from me), here is my schedule - starting with October 1st.
On Saturday Oct 1st, AJ drove with me to Council Bluffs to pick up my rental car. From there I went into work for our Homecoming Open House. On Sunday, AJ and I drove to Des Moines where he hung out with his sister and brother-in-law while I was at the first college fair of the month. On Monday I had three high school visits before going back into the office to get some things done before leaving. Kristina and I then drove to Minneapolis where we worked the National College Fair on Tuesday (two 4-hour parts) and Wednesday morning. We drove home on Wednesday night where I enjoyed the night back in my own bed. On Thursday, I drove down to Topeka, KS for a college fair and home again that night. Today I was back in the office for a Friday Mav Day (a fairly large visit day on campus). I'm home this weekend until Sunday when I'm heading back to Minnesota for the week. I have college fairs Monday through Thursday. Thursday night I'll be able to stay at my parent's house for a quick hello before leaving again Friday to head to Waverly, IA. AJ plans on meeting me there so we can attend Wartburg's Homecoming. The party will be short lived as I head off to St. Louis on Saturday night for another National College Fair down there on Sunday - my birthday. :) Then it'll be a long 7 hour drive home to get back for some more high school visits on Monday. Tuesday I'll have some time back in the office again before leaving around mid-day to head back to Kansas for a college fair that night and two more on Wednesday. After driving home late Wednesday night, I'll be back in the office on Thursday and some of the day on Friday before doing another high school visit. Another short weekend as I leave again that Sunday for another round of college fairs in Minnesota, this time along I-90. The good thing about this is I'll be able to see my parents and some friends along the way! Those college fairs go from Monday until Thursday where I'll crash at my parent's again before driving home on Friday. Saturday will be my day of rest before we have a large college fair on campus on Sunday along with an Open House for a couple of colleges on campus. And on Monday, October 31st, I'll be back in the office for an Information Session (a campus visit).
And there you have it. My October. Exhausted just reading it? Yeah, me too. I could tell you about the start of November which is filled with the remainder of my high school visits, a conference and a couple more college fairs, but I won't. :) Welcome to the life of an Admissions Counselor!
So, the fall is the busiest time of year for college recruiters. There are high school visits, college fairs and also a lot of students coming to campus to check us out before applying. This busy season goes from September to about mid-November when it slows down again until around March. During the spring we pick up again with some more high school visits and college fairs, although not quite as many. When I first started at UNO, I started about a month and half before that Spring recruiting season began. During the last spring, I did about two, two and half weeks of college fairs and visited about 23 high schools that were in the three counties in Iowa that were part of a program we offer those students to get a reduced tuition. This fall, we've decided to step things up a notch.
The MAP program that was originally offered in three Western Iowa counties has now been expanded to 11 counties which now means I have 52 high schools to visit this fall. We are also trying to recruit more in Minnesota and Kansas. This month, October, is by far my busiest month. I will be in the office for roughly 4 days out of the month. I've rented a car from Enterprise for the entire month, which I'm currently contemplating keeping for another couple of weeks in November for my remaining high school visits.
It's only October 7th and I've had my rental car for one week. Today when I was in the office I determined that I have already been on the road for about 24 hours total and driven just under 1500 miles. In just seven days!! I'm both a little scared and excited to see what those numbers will look like at the end of this month.
To give you a little bit of idea of what I'm doing this month (and if you're curious why you might not hear much from me), here is my schedule - starting with October 1st.
On Saturday Oct 1st, AJ drove with me to Council Bluffs to pick up my rental car. From there I went into work for our Homecoming Open House. On Sunday, AJ and I drove to Des Moines where he hung out with his sister and brother-in-law while I was at the first college fair of the month. On Monday I had three high school visits before going back into the office to get some things done before leaving. Kristina and I then drove to Minneapolis where we worked the National College Fair on Tuesday (two 4-hour parts) and Wednesday morning. We drove home on Wednesday night where I enjoyed the night back in my own bed. On Thursday, I drove down to Topeka, KS for a college fair and home again that night. Today I was back in the office for a Friday Mav Day (a fairly large visit day on campus). I'm home this weekend until Sunday when I'm heading back to Minnesota for the week. I have college fairs Monday through Thursday. Thursday night I'll be able to stay at my parent's house for a quick hello before leaving again Friday to head to Waverly, IA. AJ plans on meeting me there so we can attend Wartburg's Homecoming. The party will be short lived as I head off to St. Louis on Saturday night for another National College Fair down there on Sunday - my birthday. :) Then it'll be a long 7 hour drive home to get back for some more high school visits on Monday. Tuesday I'll have some time back in the office again before leaving around mid-day to head back to Kansas for a college fair that night and two more on Wednesday. After driving home late Wednesday night, I'll be back in the office on Thursday and some of the day on Friday before doing another high school visit. Another short weekend as I leave again that Sunday for another round of college fairs in Minnesota, this time along I-90. The good thing about this is I'll be able to see my parents and some friends along the way! Those college fairs go from Monday until Thursday where I'll crash at my parent's again before driving home on Friday. Saturday will be my day of rest before we have a large college fair on campus on Sunday along with an Open House for a couple of colleges on campus. And on Monday, October 31st, I'll be back in the office for an Information Session (a campus visit).
And there you have it. My October. Exhausted just reading it? Yeah, me too. I could tell you about the start of November which is filled with the remainder of my high school visits, a conference and a couple more college fairs, but I won't. :) Welcome to the life of an Admissions Counselor!
Friday, August 5, 2011
A year ago...
It's hard to believe but it's been a year since we first moved to Western Iowa. Last year this time we had just become Council Bluffs residents. I remember how different and foreign everything seemed back then! Now this place is very much a part of us.
This past weekend we made yet another move. We swear this is going to be the last for a while! :) And we've made our home Oakland, Iowa. We're really looking forward to all the benefits of living in a small town and living in the school district! Plus, we love our new apartment! A big thanks to all the help we had and made the move quickly and smoothly! I must say, it's much easier carrying things down three flights of stairs, rather than up! And we have everything in our new apartment and a majority of things unpacked already! Again, we are so grateful for all of our family that came and helped us!
I know that this is the last thing you're suppose to do, but I'm wishing away August. And I'm sure most people will think I'm crazy and believe that's the last thing they'd want to do - wish away the last month of summer before a crazy and busy fall/school year starts again?! Yes... And as much as I'm looking forward to this new school year (for both AJ and myself) that's not the reason I'm wishing for September. I love summer and I am sad to see it leave. But AJ and I are paying dual rent this month - necessary in order to get our lovely new apartment and while we have the money to do that, we don't have money to do anything else. haha We're both so looking forward to the month of September and getting back on track with our finances. Being able to pay a lower rent and with both of us seeing a little bit of a pay increase at our jobs, we're looking forward to being able to start putting away some money into our savings account again! And we're going to especially need to start saving if my family is planning a "last" family vacation next summer to Harry Potter World! :)
But other than those reasons, I am sad to see summer come to an end. It's been a great summer for both AJ and I and I think we've been fortunate enough to be able to see quite a bit of our families as well, which is something we always look forward to. This fall will be a new experience for both of us though! AJ will be in his second year of teaching and is excited to go back with a year under his belt. I know he's already got some big plans in place and is excited with the growth of his high school choir. This fall is also really going to teach me about the aspects of my job because it is our busiest recruiting season. I will be on the road a lot to high school visits and college fairs. While I'm use to traveling for my job, I think this is going to be more than what I've done in the past. But I truly am excited for it and ready to start talking to high schoolers about UNO!
AJ is heading to Waverly this weekend to go back to Wartburg for a few days and he's taking some Riverside students with him! They're heading there on Saturday for a three day All-State Music Camp! I know AJ is so excited to bring them back to Wartburg and to also see some of his fellow music teachers/friends. I'll be eager to hear what the students thought about Wartburg as well! :) So I'm going to spend the weekend enjoying the new apartment to myself, finishing unpacking some boxes and getting things in place. I'll get some pictures taken and posted soon so you can all see our new digs! :)
This past weekend we made yet another move. We swear this is going to be the last for a while! :) And we've made our home Oakland, Iowa. We're really looking forward to all the benefits of living in a small town and living in the school district! Plus, we love our new apartment! A big thanks to all the help we had and made the move quickly and smoothly! I must say, it's much easier carrying things down three flights of stairs, rather than up! And we have everything in our new apartment and a majority of things unpacked already! Again, we are so grateful for all of our family that came and helped us!
I know that this is the last thing you're suppose to do, but I'm wishing away August. And I'm sure most people will think I'm crazy and believe that's the last thing they'd want to do - wish away the last month of summer before a crazy and busy fall/school year starts again?! Yes... And as much as I'm looking forward to this new school year (for both AJ and myself) that's not the reason I'm wishing for September. I love summer and I am sad to see it leave. But AJ and I are paying dual rent this month - necessary in order to get our lovely new apartment and while we have the money to do that, we don't have money to do anything else. haha We're both so looking forward to the month of September and getting back on track with our finances. Being able to pay a lower rent and with both of us seeing a little bit of a pay increase at our jobs, we're looking forward to being able to start putting away some money into our savings account again! And we're going to especially need to start saving if my family is planning a "last" family vacation next summer to Harry Potter World! :)
But other than those reasons, I am sad to see summer come to an end. It's been a great summer for both AJ and I and I think we've been fortunate enough to be able to see quite a bit of our families as well, which is something we always look forward to. This fall will be a new experience for both of us though! AJ will be in his second year of teaching and is excited to go back with a year under his belt. I know he's already got some big plans in place and is excited with the growth of his high school choir. This fall is also really going to teach me about the aspects of my job because it is our busiest recruiting season. I will be on the road a lot to high school visits and college fairs. While I'm use to traveling for my job, I think this is going to be more than what I've done in the past. But I truly am excited for it and ready to start talking to high schoolers about UNO!
AJ is heading to Waverly this weekend to go back to Wartburg for a few days and he's taking some Riverside students with him! They're heading there on Saturday for a three day All-State Music Camp! I know AJ is so excited to bring them back to Wartburg and to also see some of his fellow music teachers/friends. I'll be eager to hear what the students thought about Wartburg as well! :) So I'm going to spend the weekend enjoying the new apartment to myself, finishing unpacking some boxes and getting things in place. I'll get some pictures taken and posted soon so you can all see our new digs! :)
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
April Showers...?
I'm trying to figure out where the last couple of weeks have gone... can it already be April 15th this Friday? Holy cow... And you know, there's that saying "April showers bring May flowers" - well we've had a couple of showers here in Council Bluffs but we definitely haven't had any great showers or thunderstorms! I want some thunderstorms! :) As a kid, I remember being so afraid of thunderstorms... I'm not sure why I was so scared but I was. I use to worry when my mom would go outside to the end of the driveway to watch the clouds move in. Maybe I use to think she'd get swept up by a tornado? Who knows... but now, I'm out there at the end of the drive or driving into the countryside to get a better view of a storm moving in. I'm convinced that one day AJ and I will own a house out in the country with a porch looking to the West so we can watch every storm move in. I'm not sure why I'm so fascinated by storms now... I love the rain. I love the smell of rain. I love watching the lightening and waiting to see if I can feel the thunder rumbling. I love it all.
April started off great! AJ and I had a nice road trip to Ohio for my cousin's wedding! Although we spent a lot of time in the car that weekend, it was super fun to see my family! It's so rare when we're all in once place these days so that definitely made it worth the trip! The Monday after that weekend I was up in Minnesota for some college fairs and then it was another normal week back at the office.
This past weekend some of my old co-workers from Kruger made a trip out to Omaha and we spent the day shopping and then went out that night! It was definitely a lot of fun and great to see those gals again! :) That same day, AJ spent up in Woodbine for solo/small group ensemble for contest. It was a big day for him and his kids and they did a great job! They walked away with three Division III's, three Division II's and three Division I's. Overall it, it was a good day!
Unfortunately Sunday was an early day for me - I had to finish packing up and get on the road. That morning I left for Kansas City for the week. The first couple of days I spent at an annual conference for admissions counselors with the Greater Plains Association for College Admissions Counseling. It was a lot of fun and I learned some really valuable information! Those couple of days showed me that there is a lot that can be done within this field and it's such an important career. It gets me excited to see where this job could take me!
I'm still down in Kansas City for a couple extra days attending some college fairs. I'll be back home late Thursday night and then I'll be done traveling for work until pretty much this fall. It'll be nice to just be back in the office for a while! Especially with gas prices being so high! :-/
So overall, things are going good for us down here. We're really enjoying the warmer weather, being able to have our windows open and brewing ice tea! Now if only some of those storms would come along... :)
April started off great! AJ and I had a nice road trip to Ohio for my cousin's wedding! Although we spent a lot of time in the car that weekend, it was super fun to see my family! It's so rare when we're all in once place these days so that definitely made it worth the trip! The Monday after that weekend I was up in Minnesota for some college fairs and then it was another normal week back at the office.
This past weekend some of my old co-workers from Kruger made a trip out to Omaha and we spent the day shopping and then went out that night! It was definitely a lot of fun and great to see those gals again! :) That same day, AJ spent up in Woodbine for solo/small group ensemble for contest. It was a big day for him and his kids and they did a great job! They walked away with three Division III's, three Division II's and three Division I's. Overall it, it was a good day!
Unfortunately Sunday was an early day for me - I had to finish packing up and get on the road. That morning I left for Kansas City for the week. The first couple of days I spent at an annual conference for admissions counselors with the Greater Plains Association for College Admissions Counseling. It was a lot of fun and I learned some really valuable information! Those couple of days showed me that there is a lot that can be done within this field and it's such an important career. It gets me excited to see where this job could take me!
I'm still down in Kansas City for a couple extra days attending some college fairs. I'll be back home late Thursday night and then I'll be done traveling for work until pretty much this fall. It'll be nice to just be back in the office for a while! Especially with gas prices being so high! :-/
So overall, things are going good for us down here. We're really enjoying the warmer weather, being able to have our windows open and brewing ice tea! Now if only some of those storms would come along... :)
Monday, March 28, 2011
Good-bye March?
I don't know how it happened, but March is pretty much gone. I have no idea where the last month went! All of a sudden it was here and now it's not. Oh well, on to April I guess!
This past month was a busy one - definitely the busiest month I've had in a long time! Not that I'm complaining at all! It's good to be really busy sometimes - especially if you know you get some breaks in there! The first couple of weeks were spent doing more high school visits and some college fairs. Then in the third week of March, I spent a week up in the Cities at College Fairs with a co-worker. It was a pretty good week - just busy enough. And we even had some time on our last day to spend at the Mall of America before our last fair and then heading home. I loved being at the MOA! I got to have a pretzel from the PretzelMaker (the best in soft pretzels) and some DippinDots! YUM! I did pick up some chocolate to bring home to AJ to because I missed him so darn much! :)
That Friday I took off from work since I got home at midnight on Thursday. It was nice to have a relaxing day and catch up on my TV shows that I had missed earlier in the week! That night, AJ and I went to our first Fish Fry. A group of my co-workers and a bunch of other people started sometime called the Cod Damn Fish Fry Team. Basically, during Lent, they go around to area churches in Omaha and go to a different Fish Fry every week. Now, I gotta tell you, these Fish Fries are quite the event. The first one we went to was probably one of the biggest in the area. They told us at the church that they serve about 2,000 people each Friday night! They even had a take-out service! Insane, right? Another thing about these events is that because the line for food is so long (3 hours long, in fact!) they serve beer and wine while you wait! Along with some boys selling popcorn and some Girl Scouts selling Girl Scout cookies - you could manage the three hours no problem. :) It was a lot of fun and we met some really nice people too! Unfortunately we haven't been able to get to another Fish Fry yet, but we've still got some time to get another one in!
This past week I was once again back up in Minnesota but by myself this time. It was a little more of an adventure this time... especially since I found myself in a snow storm with no boots and no ice scrapper. So I was out in the parking lot mid-day (after my first fair had - thankfully - been canceled) standing in a drift of snow in heels and trying to bang the ice off the car with my hand... I told myself I had obviously been living out of Minnesota for too long because I was no prepared for this weather! Luckily the day warmed up fairly well so that helped with the ice on the car and I made it to the fair that night no problem. It was another late night when I finally got home on Friday but I was so happy to be there!
Yesterday (Sunday, March 27th) was AJ's birthday! The big 2-4! ;-) On Saturday, we went to return my rental car and stopped in at the library for some new books on CD and a new book for me to read. That night, AJ decided he wanted to go out to eat for his birthday so we caught an early dinner at Red Lobster. It was at the restaurant that I presented AJ with his card and a gift card to none other than Red Lobster. AJ was pretty speechless but I just told him that I knew my husband well. ;-) That night we rented some movies and on Sunday we slept in - which was very nice! Then we ended up going out to eat again for the birthday boy! All in all, it was a very good birthday weekend for AJ.
This week will be pretty slow as we say good-bye to March but at the end of the week, we are heading out of town for a wedding! My cousin is getting married and so it's off to Ohio we go! I'm pretty excited about the wedding and being able to see my family! I will admit though it'll be a busy and long weekend with a lot of driving, but totally worth it!
Other than all of that, AJ and I are looking forward to April that will hopefully bring with it some warmer weather, some thunderstorms and some visits by some good friends and family!
This past month was a busy one - definitely the busiest month I've had in a long time! Not that I'm complaining at all! It's good to be really busy sometimes - especially if you know you get some breaks in there! The first couple of weeks were spent doing more high school visits and some college fairs. Then in the third week of March, I spent a week up in the Cities at College Fairs with a co-worker. It was a pretty good week - just busy enough. And we even had some time on our last day to spend at the Mall of America before our last fair and then heading home. I loved being at the MOA! I got to have a pretzel from the PretzelMaker (the best in soft pretzels) and some DippinDots! YUM! I did pick up some chocolate to bring home to AJ to because I missed him so darn much! :)
That Friday I took off from work since I got home at midnight on Thursday. It was nice to have a relaxing day and catch up on my TV shows that I had missed earlier in the week! That night, AJ and I went to our first Fish Fry. A group of my co-workers and a bunch of other people started sometime called the Cod Damn Fish Fry Team. Basically, during Lent, they go around to area churches in Omaha and go to a different Fish Fry every week. Now, I gotta tell you, these Fish Fries are quite the event. The first one we went to was probably one of the biggest in the area. They told us at the church that they serve about 2,000 people each Friday night! They even had a take-out service! Insane, right? Another thing about these events is that because the line for food is so long (3 hours long, in fact!) they serve beer and wine while you wait! Along with some boys selling popcorn and some Girl Scouts selling Girl Scout cookies - you could manage the three hours no problem. :) It was a lot of fun and we met some really nice people too! Unfortunately we haven't been able to get to another Fish Fry yet, but we've still got some time to get another one in!
This past week I was once again back up in Minnesota but by myself this time. It was a little more of an adventure this time... especially since I found myself in a snow storm with no boots and no ice scrapper. So I was out in the parking lot mid-day (after my first fair had - thankfully - been canceled) standing in a drift of snow in heels and trying to bang the ice off the car with my hand... I told myself I had obviously been living out of Minnesota for too long because I was no prepared for this weather! Luckily the day warmed up fairly well so that helped with the ice on the car and I made it to the fair that night no problem. It was another late night when I finally got home on Friday but I was so happy to be there!
Yesterday (Sunday, March 27th) was AJ's birthday! The big 2-4! ;-) On Saturday, we went to return my rental car and stopped in at the library for some new books on CD and a new book for me to read. That night, AJ decided he wanted to go out to eat for his birthday so we caught an early dinner at Red Lobster. It was at the restaurant that I presented AJ with his card and a gift card to none other than Red Lobster. AJ was pretty speechless but I just told him that I knew my husband well. ;-) That night we rented some movies and on Sunday we slept in - which was very nice! Then we ended up going out to eat again for the birthday boy! All in all, it was a very good birthday weekend for AJ.
This week will be pretty slow as we say good-bye to March but at the end of the week, we are heading out of town for a wedding! My cousin is getting married and so it's off to Ohio we go! I'm pretty excited about the wedding and being able to see my family! I will admit though it'll be a busy and long weekend with a lot of driving, but totally worth it!
Other than all of that, AJ and I are looking forward to April that will hopefully bring with it some warmer weather, some thunderstorms and some visits by some good friends and family!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
A month of updates
For many of these posts, I tend to talk in riddles about thoughts and feelings. I don't always explain myself fully. Nor do I really tell you what's actually been going on in our lives. And as I was thinking about this the other day, I thought, "You know, that's not really fair Liz - to leave all those poor people and your many followers of your incredible blog feeling empty." (Okay, so I really didn't talk to myself those exact words, but you get the point) So this blog entry will be used to update you on the current life of Liz and AJ. Enjoy! :)
The last time I did any sort of "update" blog was a while ago. I actually have my calendar in front of me so I can figure out what all I need to tell you! So let's go back to the beginning of February....
Work was definitely starting to pick up for me at UNO in February. I went on my first high school visit with a co-worker so I could see how they are done. I also worked my first Saturday event. It was an early morning, but I was done by noon which was nice. That same day, AJ and I went to see the Broadway musical 'Mary Poppins' in downtown Omaha at the Orpheum Theater. Although our seats were pretty far back, it was a great show and the theater is absolutely gorgeous!
A little bit of a funny story to go along with that... after the show was done, we were walking out of the theater with the huge mass of people. About halfway down I realized my gloves weren't in my coat pockets. AJ kindly went back up to see if they had fallen out under our seats - which meant he had to fight the crowd coming down on his way back up - bless his heart! But, there were no gloves and the staff told him they hadn't picked any up. I could have sworn I had brought them along and was sad to learn that I would have to go buy some new gloves. As we walked back to our car, it had started to snow again. As we reached our car I suddenly cried out, "My gloves!" I must have put them on my lap and they had fallen out when I got out of the car. AJ was impressed that no one had taken them while we were at the show. I was impressed by the glove outlines left on the ground. haha Obviously we're easily entertained.
After the show we went to this very cute little Italian restaurant in the Old Market area called Vincenzo's. And I kid you not, they have the best garlic cheese bread I've ever had. We ordered two appetizers of it. OMG - LOVED IT! haha
That Sunday was Super Bowl Sunday and we spend the day laying around being lazy, eating food and watching football and commercials. Nothing too exciting. :)
The next week at work wasn't too busy. I did have one evening event that I worked but other than that, a pretty normal week. I also did my first Information Session that week. UNO schedules two visits a day and at each visit the counselors take turns giving a 45 minute presentation (aka Information Session). I think my first one went very well and it was nice to finally have one under my belt. I'm still learning more about UNO every day but I think I've got the basics down. That weekend AJ and I ventured up to Minnesota. We were able to stop in Estherville on our way up and see my BFF while she was still pregnant. :) We spent the rest of the weekend seeing other friends and hanging out with my family. I also learned how to cross-stitch from my mom - something I'm quickly becoming addicted to!
The next week was Valentine's Day. AJ and I were fortunate enough to be able to have lunch together that day. We ate at Jones Bros Cupcakes - which has amazing food and even more amazing cupcakes. :) He even surprised me with flowers at work. That night however, AJ had parent-teacher conferences. He also had conferences on Wednesday night. But on both night, AJ heard only good things from parents and he also learned how he especially has touched the life of one of his students. And it makes you realize how amazing his job and profession actually is and how much he can make a difference. Right now AJ is busy working with his choir and students for solo and large group contest. It's a lot of work but I'm sure that the kids and him are going to do great.
The last full week in February was a very busy one. But believe me, I'm not complaining. I'm honestly loving every minute of my job! I am so blessed to have this opportunity! On Monday of that week, we had an Open House on campus - it was another early start and a long day but a lot of fun. It's great when you get a lot of perspective students on campus and allow them to ask current students questions without their parents around. :) I also started my own high school visits in the MAP Iowa counties. Again, I can't even explain why I love this so much but it's just great. I remember that time in my life when I was deciding on college and how much fun and exciting it was. And I just want to make sure that these kids have those same opportunities. I also had my first college fair - although it was a transfer fair which I've been told is different from other college fairs. But still, a good experience.
Saturday was another work day for me. We had a housing showcase on campus where students could come visit all five resident halls. And immediately after that we had a hockey event for dual enrollment students and students from the MAP schools. It was a great time - we had a tailgate before the game with free gifts, food and had different departments there for students to ask questions and then free tickets to the hockey game! It was a long long day but AJ and I had a lot of fun at our first UNO hockey game! Hopefully we'll be able to go to many more!
And on Sunday... Sunday was a great day. A very special day. On Sunday, my best friend and former college roommate had her first baby! This is the first baby from any of my close circles of friends, so it was an exciting day! AJ and I were lucky enough to be able to drive up to Spirit Lake to see Amanda & Taylor and their baby son, Thor. This was the first time for us seeing a baby that was less than 12 hours old - unless, for me, you count seeing my new baby brother when he was born, but I was too young to really remember that. It was just amazing to have been able to watch Amanda through her pregnancy and now seeing the end result. And let me tell you - that baby is the cutest baby! :) We had a great time visiting them and we're really looking forward to the next time we get to see them so we can get some more one-on-one baby time!
All in all, February was a good and fairly busy month. Now it is March and, at least for me, things are only going to get busier. I'll be up in Minnesota for a couple of weeks at some college fairs and I'm looking forward to being back in my homeland but also very sad that it'll take me away from AJ for a while. However, we have discussed that since we were apart for so long last year, these shorter times apart will be a piece of cake! So it's a good thing we had that practice!
The last time I did any sort of "update" blog was a while ago. I actually have my calendar in front of me so I can figure out what all I need to tell you! So let's go back to the beginning of February....
Work was definitely starting to pick up for me at UNO in February. I went on my first high school visit with a co-worker so I could see how they are done. I also worked my first Saturday event. It was an early morning, but I was done by noon which was nice. That same day, AJ and I went to see the Broadway musical 'Mary Poppins' in downtown Omaha at the Orpheum Theater. Although our seats were pretty far back, it was a great show and the theater is absolutely gorgeous! A little bit of a funny story to go along with that... after the show was done, we were walking out of the theater with the huge mass of people. About halfway down I realized my gloves weren't in my coat pockets. AJ kindly went back up to see if they had fallen out under our seats - which meant he had to fight the crowd coming down on his way back up - bless his heart! But, there were no gloves and the staff told him they hadn't picked any up. I could have sworn I had brought them along and was sad to learn that I would have to go buy some new gloves. As we walked back to our car, it had started to snow again. As we reached our car I suddenly cried out, "My gloves!" I must have put them on my lap and they had fallen out when I got out of the car. AJ was impressed that no one had taken them while we were at the show. I was impressed by the glove outlines left on the ground. haha Obviously we're easily entertained.
After the show we went to this very cute little Italian restaurant in the Old Market area called Vincenzo's. And I kid you not, they have the best garlic cheese bread I've ever had. We ordered two appetizers of it. OMG - LOVED IT! haha
That Sunday was Super Bowl Sunday and we spend the day laying around being lazy, eating food and watching football and commercials. Nothing too exciting. :)
The next week at work wasn't too busy. I did have one evening event that I worked but other than that, a pretty normal week. I also did my first Information Session that week. UNO schedules two visits a day and at each visit the counselors take turns giving a 45 minute presentation (aka Information Session). I think my first one went very well and it was nice to finally have one under my belt. I'm still learning more about UNO every day but I think I've got the basics down. That weekend AJ and I ventured up to Minnesota. We were able to stop in Estherville on our way up and see my BFF while she was still pregnant. :) We spent the rest of the weekend seeing other friends and hanging out with my family. I also learned how to cross-stitch from my mom - something I'm quickly becoming addicted to!
The last full week in February was a very busy one. But believe me, I'm not complaining. I'm honestly loving every minute of my job! I am so blessed to have this opportunity! On Monday of that week, we had an Open House on campus - it was another early start and a long day but a lot of fun. It's great when you get a lot of perspective students on campus and allow them to ask current students questions without their parents around. :) I also started my own high school visits in the MAP Iowa counties. Again, I can't even explain why I love this so much but it's just great. I remember that time in my life when I was deciding on college and how much fun and exciting it was. And I just want to make sure that these kids have those same opportunities. I also had my first college fair - although it was a transfer fair which I've been told is different from other college fairs. But still, a good experience.
And on Sunday... Sunday was a great day. A very special day. On Sunday, my best friend and former college roommate had her first baby! This is the first baby from any of my close circles of friends, so it was an exciting day! AJ and I were lucky enough to be able to drive up to Spirit Lake to see Amanda & Taylor and their baby son, Thor. This was the first time for us seeing a baby that was less than 12 hours old - unless, for me, you count seeing my new baby brother when he was born, but I was too young to really remember that. It was just amazing to have been able to watch Amanda through her pregnancy and now seeing the end result. And let me tell you - that baby is the cutest baby! :) We had a great time visiting them and we're really looking forward to the next time we get to see them so we can get some more one-on-one baby time!
All in all, February was a good and fairly busy month. Now it is March and, at least for me, things are only going to get busier. I'll be up in Minnesota for a couple of weeks at some college fairs and I'm looking forward to being back in my homeland but also very sad that it'll take me away from AJ for a while. However, we have discussed that since we were apart for so long last year, these shorter times apart will be a piece of cake! So it's a good thing we had that practice!
Friday, January 21, 2011
A week off and a new job!
The past two weeks have come and gone in a blur for AJ and I! But I definitely not complaining in any sort of way. Life has really picked up a lot and I think AJ and I are both enjoying this new ride!
The weekend after I accepted the position at UNO, AJ and I pretty much did nothing all weekend. And it was great! :) We were able to just spend some quality time together, watching movies, playing video games and just hanging out.
Last week was my last week of unemployment and it was very relaxing! It was nice to be able to have a week off not having to worry about finding a job still! Knowing that I had one and would be starting soon made it seem much more like a vacation! I was even lucky enough to be able to spend some of those days with AJ! We decided that God thought it was time to "give us a break" or something. AJ had his first snow days - yes, days! - of the year that week! He was home with me on Monday, Tuesday and a two-hour late start on Wednesday! That was definitely an added bonus for my last week off. :)
Last weekend, my sister Megan drove down from Minnesota to spend some time with us! We had a great weekend! We had a pizza and movie night on Friday just like we use to do when we were kids! On Saturday we drove into Omaha and went to the Durham Museum where they were having a special exhibit for the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth! It was an exhibit from the Library of Congress that was only going to be featured in five cities across the US! It was very cool - we saw some new artifacts, letters and the coolest item (in my opinion) was that they had the Bible that Lincoln used when he was sworn into presidency AND it was the same Bible that President Obama used when he was sworn in! How cool is that?! After the exhibit we ate at Spaghetti Works and did some shopping. We enjoyed another relaxing evening of movies. Sunday we took Meg to church and then out for brunch at the Village Inn. All in all, I would say a very successful weekend!
Monday was MLK Day so the campus of UNO was closed so I was able to have one last day off. AJ didn't have school, but he did have a professional development day so he unfortunately was not able to enjoy it with me. And on Tuesday, I had my first day at UNO. I could tell even after the first day that I was really going to enjoy this job and the people I work with!
This past week has been somewhat slow because it's taking a while to get all the paperwork processed and an email address but things are starting to fall into place. It's also been a fairly quiet week because prospective student visits don't start until next week. But I'm really okay with all of this because it's giving me time to study up on UNO and learn everything I need to know - or at least as much as I can! And my calendar is already full of a number of college fairs I'll be going to and soon I'll be adding some high school visits as well. March is definitely going to be one of my busiest months! But I'm excited for it all to start!
So overall, a very good past two weeks! AJ and I are getting use to this new routine - I'm actually up and out of bed before he is now! And he's told me it's going to take him a while to get use to coming home to an empty house now. But I'm loving being out of the house again and actually having something to do. So, things are great and we're excited to see where life is going to lead us next!
The weekend after I accepted the position at UNO, AJ and I pretty much did nothing all weekend. And it was great! :) We were able to just spend some quality time together, watching movies, playing video games and just hanging out.
Last week was my last week of unemployment and it was very relaxing! It was nice to be able to have a week off not having to worry about finding a job still! Knowing that I had one and would be starting soon made it seem much more like a vacation! I was even lucky enough to be able to spend some of those days with AJ! We decided that God thought it was time to "give us a break" or something. AJ had his first snow days - yes, days! - of the year that week! He was home with me on Monday, Tuesday and a two-hour late start on Wednesday! That was definitely an added bonus for my last week off. :)
Last weekend, my sister Megan drove down from Minnesota to spend some time with us! We had a great weekend! We had a pizza and movie night on Friday just like we use to do when we were kids! On Saturday we drove into Omaha and went to the Durham Museum where they were having a special exhibit for the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth! It was an exhibit from the Library of Congress that was only going to be featured in five cities across the US! It was very cool - we saw some new artifacts, letters and the coolest item (in my opinion) was that they had the Bible that Lincoln used when he was sworn into presidency AND it was the same Bible that President Obama used when he was sworn in! How cool is that?! After the exhibit we ate at Spaghetti Works and did some shopping. We enjoyed another relaxing evening of movies. Sunday we took Meg to church and then out for brunch at the Village Inn. All in all, I would say a very successful weekend!
Monday was MLK Day so the campus of UNO was closed so I was able to have one last day off. AJ didn't have school, but he did have a professional development day so he unfortunately was not able to enjoy it with me. And on Tuesday, I had my first day at UNO. I could tell even after the first day that I was really going to enjoy this job and the people I work with!
This past week has been somewhat slow because it's taking a while to get all the paperwork processed and an email address but things are starting to fall into place. It's also been a fairly quiet week because prospective student visits don't start until next week. But I'm really okay with all of this because it's giving me time to study up on UNO and learn everything I need to know - or at least as much as I can! And my calendar is already full of a number of college fairs I'll be going to and soon I'll be adding some high school visits as well. March is definitely going to be one of my busiest months! But I'm excited for it all to start!
So overall, a very good past two weeks! AJ and I are getting use to this new routine - I'm actually up and out of bed before he is now! And he's told me it's going to take him a while to get use to coming home to an empty house now. But I'm loving being out of the house again and actually having something to do. So, things are great and we're excited to see where life is going to lead us next!
Friday, January 7, 2011
A New Year with a fresh start
Happy New Year everyone! I realize I've been slacking quite a bit when it comes to our blog, but I'll do my best to get back into the routine of writing. It's been a long time since my last blog - last year actually! And so there's a lot to catch up on!
AJ's last day of school before break was Dec. 22nd and the next day we headed up to Minnesota to spend the holiday with my side of the family. We spend Christmas Eve up in the cities with my dad's side of the family and exchanged gifts that started with the first letter of our middle names. Always a fun time with that side of the family and this year was no different! Although we were all entertained by my cousin's daughter Lilly who was just too cute and very helpful in opening all of our presents! :)
Christmas day was spent with just my immediate family since everyone else on my mom's side were off celebrating Christmas either in Ohio or Arizona. So we had a very relaxing day filled with gifts, hot chocolate, falling snow, Christmas movies and snacking all day long. It was perfect. My mom even managed to find the Muppet Family Christmas video - which is a classic and very hard to find! We all enjoyed watching it again, but agreed it wasn't quite the same without the old school TV commercials like our VHS recording once had! :)
On Sunday, my parents left for a Caribbean cruise and left the house to us kids. AJ and I spent our week up in Minnesota hanging out with a lot of my high school friends and spending a lot of quality time with my siblings. I honestly can't remember the last time the four of us were able to spend so much time together and have so much fun!! It was very nice that Minnesota had so much snow as well because that just added to our fun! We were able to build snowmen, build a tunnel and even go sledding! We also managed to get our car stuck in the driveway but luckily we got unstuck.
After an epic week in Minnesota, we headed back down to Council Bluffs where we were met with 60 degree weather! It was quite the change and a very welcomed one at that! For New Year's AJ's sister Amber and her husband Matt drove out to see us and spend the night in Omaha. We had gotten hotel rooms in downtown so that we wouldn't be out on the roads. We spend the day/night eating a lot of fun, playing some fun games at Dave & Buster's and bar hopping in the Old Market. We tried to stay inside as much as possible because it was freezing outside! But all in all, it was a very successful New Year's! We were even lucky enough to meet up with my cousin Courtney and her fiance Matt as they were in Omaha for a wedding that Saturday!
So that was our holiday and a great start to the New Year! And fortunately, things just keep getting better for us!
I had a phone interview the Thursday morning before AJ and I drove up to Minnesota right before Christmas with the University of Nebraska Omaha for an Admissions Counselor position. While we were driving up to Minnesota that same day, I got a call back from UNO asking me to come in to do another interview! So this past Tuesday I was on campus for my interview which included doing a 15 minute presentation on the college. After I left, I was feeling pretty good about how things went and was hoping to hear back from them within the next week. Well yesterday, Thursday, I got a call back from UNO asking if I could come in that day to meet with their Associate Vice Chancellor who oversees all Admissions. So yesterday afternoon I was back on campus and while I only thought I'd be there for about a half hour, I was actually there about two hours having some great conversations about this position and what they're hoping to see happen within the next year. Again, I left feeling really good about things.
Then this morning, I got another phone call from UNO offering me the position! I was ecstatic and accepted pretty much right away! :) I start on Monday, Jan. 18th and I couldn't be more happy and excited about this possibility. I will be focusing on two programs at UNO one of which is offered to some western Iowa counties and the other will involve some travel the Twin Cities and the Kansas City area. This is obviously a lot different from what I was doing at Kruger, but I believe that I'm going to be able to bring a lot of my experience from Kruger into my new position at UNO. I'm also just super excited to be back in higher education admissions. Back in college, I worked as a student work study in the Admissions office and did Student Ambassadors. Both of those experiences taught me that this was something I could really do with my life. Now I have that opportunity. I'm excited to start working with students and helping them make some big life changing decisions! This is a new chapter for me and I can't wait to start!
Looking back, I wasn't unemployed for that long of time, but I can mostly say that now knowing I have a job! :) In the past month or so, I was taught a lot about patience - as was AJ I'm sure! We were so ready for something to fall in place, we just had to wait for the right timing - God's timing. AJ and I are finally going to be able to get back into a great routine of things and I know we're both way excited to have dual incomes again! :)
So, for this Zaruba clan, the first week of 2011 is off to a fantastic start! And I know that the next 51 weeks are going to be just as great, if not better!
I hope God blessed each one of you with a great start to the new year and also an awesome rest of the year! We look forward to seeing what will happen in our lives and in yours. :)
AJ's last day of school before break was Dec. 22nd and the next day we headed up to Minnesota to spend the holiday with my side of the family. We spend Christmas Eve up in the cities with my dad's side of the family and exchanged gifts that started with the first letter of our middle names. Always a fun time with that side of the family and this year was no different! Although we were all entertained by my cousin's daughter Lilly who was just too cute and very helpful in opening all of our presents! :)
Christmas day was spent with just my immediate family since everyone else on my mom's side were off celebrating Christmas either in Ohio or Arizona. So we had a very relaxing day filled with gifts, hot chocolate, falling snow, Christmas movies and snacking all day long. It was perfect. My mom even managed to find the Muppet Family Christmas video - which is a classic and very hard to find! We all enjoyed watching it again, but agreed it wasn't quite the same without the old school TV commercials like our VHS recording once had! :)
On Sunday, my parents left for a Caribbean cruise and left the house to us kids. AJ and I spent our week up in Minnesota hanging out with a lot of my high school friends and spending a lot of quality time with my siblings. I honestly can't remember the last time the four of us were able to spend so much time together and have so much fun!! It was very nice that Minnesota had so much snow as well because that just added to our fun! We were able to build snowmen, build a tunnel and even go sledding! We also managed to get our car stuck in the driveway but luckily we got unstuck.
After an epic week in Minnesota, we headed back down to Council Bluffs where we were met with 60 degree weather! It was quite the change and a very welcomed one at that! For New Year's AJ's sister Amber and her husband Matt drove out to see us and spend the night in Omaha. We had gotten hotel rooms in downtown so that we wouldn't be out on the roads. We spend the day/night eating a lot of fun, playing some fun games at Dave & Buster's and bar hopping in the Old Market. We tried to stay inside as much as possible because it was freezing outside! But all in all, it was a very successful New Year's! We were even lucky enough to meet up with my cousin Courtney and her fiance Matt as they were in Omaha for a wedding that Saturday!
So that was our holiday and a great start to the New Year! And fortunately, things just keep getting better for us!
I had a phone interview the Thursday morning before AJ and I drove up to Minnesota right before Christmas with the University of Nebraska Omaha for an Admissions Counselor position. While we were driving up to Minnesota that same day, I got a call back from UNO asking me to come in to do another interview! So this past Tuesday I was on campus for my interview which included doing a 15 minute presentation on the college. After I left, I was feeling pretty good about how things went and was hoping to hear back from them within the next week. Well yesterday, Thursday, I got a call back from UNO asking if I could come in that day to meet with their Associate Vice Chancellor who oversees all Admissions. So yesterday afternoon I was back on campus and while I only thought I'd be there for about a half hour, I was actually there about two hours having some great conversations about this position and what they're hoping to see happen within the next year. Again, I left feeling really good about things.
Then this morning, I got another phone call from UNO offering me the position! I was ecstatic and accepted pretty much right away! :) I start on Monday, Jan. 18th and I couldn't be more happy and excited about this possibility. I will be focusing on two programs at UNO one of which is offered to some western Iowa counties and the other will involve some travel the Twin Cities and the Kansas City area. This is obviously a lot different from what I was doing at Kruger, but I believe that I'm going to be able to bring a lot of my experience from Kruger into my new position at UNO. I'm also just super excited to be back in higher education admissions. Back in college, I worked as a student work study in the Admissions office and did Student Ambassadors. Both of those experiences taught me that this was something I could really do with my life. Now I have that opportunity. I'm excited to start working with students and helping them make some big life changing decisions! This is a new chapter for me and I can't wait to start!
Looking back, I wasn't unemployed for that long of time, but I can mostly say that now knowing I have a job! :) In the past month or so, I was taught a lot about patience - as was AJ I'm sure! We were so ready for something to fall in place, we just had to wait for the right timing - God's timing. AJ and I are finally going to be able to get back into a great routine of things and I know we're both way excited to have dual incomes again! :)
So, for this Zaruba clan, the first week of 2011 is off to a fantastic start! And I know that the next 51 weeks are going to be just as great, if not better!
I hope God blessed each one of you with a great start to the new year and also an awesome rest of the year! We look forward to seeing what will happen in our lives and in yours. :)
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