Week 32

So sorry this post is so late. I have been drowning in Final Exam preparation for the last 5 or 6 days. I actually had to bite the bullet and take 2 days off of work in order to study for the test properly. I just couldn't master my procrastination tendencies this time around. Of course it didn't help that the course was really hard and there was so much material that it was fairly daunting. I took the exam last night (40 questions in 3 hours) and I think it went well. I am hoping for a solid B in the class. I am just so glad to be done with it. It was my worst course so far at Stern. No more homework, no more books, no more teacher's dirty looks..... Actually my teacher was very nice and had an adorable Australian accent. Unfortunately he used it to talk about finance which was soooooo boring. Anyway, I slept like a baby last night and am now trying to catch up on work stuff. Looking forward to a weekend with no school work to ruin it. Last Tuesday was Greg's 33rd birthday and we didn't do anything because I was so busy with school so this weekend we will try to properly honor his special day. We were going to try and go out tonight for vegetarian Dim Sum but last night he requested a quiet night at home with take out instead. I guess he has been a little too busy these days too. I have Julie and Julia on DVD at home and I have been dying to watch it so that may be on the agenda as well.

We snapped this photo this morning. You can kind of see my neighbor's bumper in the shot. I hate it when he parks in my photo area. Anyway, you can't tell but it was COLD out. These photos are getting harder and harder to take outside. We are actually on Blizzard watch this weekend which I think will be fun except that I need to take our Christmas photo so snow may throw a wrench in that plan. I had my 32 week check up this week and little Koobie is right on track for size and had a nice strong heart beat. She remains head down like a good girl. I can tell she is growing larger because her movements are increasing in frequency and intensity as she runs out of space. Other than a little heartburn now and again I have been feeling really well and have no major complaints.

Now for one bonus photo. Me in my giant maternity winter coat. Greg says I look like the stay puff marshmellow man, I say it is more like a toasted marshmallow! At least I am so big now that even with the coat on people can tell I am pregnant and offer me their seats on the train. That is always really nice.

Forget me not!

Wow, January was a whirlwind. Once the holidays were over I launched right into huge work projects and intensive classes. I have my final intensive class (and final exam) tonight and then I look forward to settling back into a normal work/school routine. And with that I hope to get back to more normal posting habits as well. I have a few updates for you all starting tomorrow and will be making an effort to pull my camera out once again. Can you believe I took just 1 photo in January and it was of a co-worker. I have to fix that pronto! OK, I have to study for my test....

December 14

11 Days till Christmas and what would I like to see

Studying with modern technology

Now that the majority of party planning, party preparation, and party going is over it was time to get back to reality...it is FINALS week. Today I have been in the house all day studying and taking exams. Education technology has come a long way since I was in collage in the mid-90s. The internet was just taking off and while we had email accounts at the University of Washington they were not used very much. Now my class information, handouts, and even videos of all my lectures are digitally available on Blackboard. My accounting final, which I completed today, was a downloadable take home test that had to but submitted in a digital drop box. A drop box that monitors the amount of time you spend working on it. Modern technology sure makes it easier to be a student in a lot of ways. In addition to my accounting final I have been studying for my economics final, taking practice tests, reviewing lectures on video, and even watching the review session I had to miss because of my required departmental holiday party. So cool. That test is on Tuesday and then I am technically done with school for the semester.

I will survive!

Orientation was good but exhausting. Hours and hours of presentations, activities, networking, and eating. I pretty much came home each day and went straight to bed. I did get lots of questions answered about degree requirements and got a chance to meet the rest of my core group as well as form a study group for the semester.

At one point my accounting professor visited or core group to talk about our class this Thursday and that is when it hit me, I START CLASSES IN 3 DAYS! I have so much to do to prepare. Chapters and articles to read and a new calculator to master. Yikes! I will be in the reading room the next 3 nights. Good thing I got to see it on my building tour!

Big Day Tomorrow

I was leaving for work this morning when I opened the front door and a box fell into the house. One of my neighbors must have accepted it yesterday and left it there for us. I decided to take a couple minutes to open it instead of saving it for tonight and this is what I found inside!

My mom, dad, and sister sent me a care package for school. My mom even included this little book with notes about how proud they are of me and how to handle the challenge and what not. This nearly drove me to tears!


(Sorry, Blogger will only upload these photos sideways for some weird reason!)
Then it was full of new school supplies. My favorite has to be the pencil pouch (I love organizational containers after all) and the new crayons. Remember how great it was to get a box of fresh and sharp crayons? I do!
I love it all, thanks family! And it is here just in time since my first day of school is tomorrow. I have a 2 day intensive orientation starting this Saturday. I am pretty nervous but happy to finally get some of my questions answered. Have a great weekend everyone. I will be heading to bed early tonight because tomorrow is going to be a big day!

This just in!

First of all, the new hair. The hot hot hot weather here prompted me to take drastic action Tuesday to cut my hair off (and get some summer highlights). I desperately wanted the hair off my neck and not just up in a pony tail for 3 months. I love the way it turned out thanks to Chie my awesome hairdresser. I took in a sort of boring photo I had found to show her the length and she totally rocked it. This the best picture I could take of myself at my desk so I hope you can get a good sense of it. I feel much more spunky with the new do.

Second of all, I received notice yesterday that I have been accepted to the Stern part-time MBA program at NYU for the fall! Of the 2 programs I applied for this was my first choice, though I didn't have high hopes that I could get in. I knew I was a good applicant but not a great applicant and it is a very competitive program. But God can work with a bad GPA, non-ivy league schools, and an alright GMAT score to accomplish his purpose! I am still very much in shock from the news. I am still waiting for my official application package to arrive with all the details I need to fulfill over the summer. This news makes it even more important for me to enjoy a relaxing summer and spend as much time with Greg as possible before the fall.

Thanks to everyone who was praying for me during my test time and through my application process. On a funny note about 5 min after I got the news from Stern I received notice from Wagner that my application was incomplete and not forwarded to the admissions committee because my UW transcript did not arrive in time. Talk about clear direction! My response "who cares, I'm going to Stern!".

Weekend Warrior

How am I spending this beautifully sunny holiday weekend? Working of course. I was in the lab all day on Saturday putting the finishing touches on the project you see in the photo. My boss signed on almost a year and half ago to edit a book. That means that I got to edit a book. 31 authors contributed and at times it was like wrangling cats to get them all to keep to the schedule (which they never did since this book is a year over due!). Then it was up to me to do all the technical editing on the 500+ page manuscript. Saturday I finally had all the chapters and contracts in and edited and was ready to paginate and print the whole thing. The publisher is a British company so they required the whole thing be printed on A4 paper which I had to buy special for the project. I am really glad it is done and will be in the mail on Tuesday. Of course it will be back to haunt me as a proof needing to be indexed. I'm not sure how I will get out of that one!

As for my Sunday, it was spent putting together my last application for grad school. I had to rework my resume to highlight my public service experience and find a way to rewrite my essays for business school to work in this public service school application. So far so good. I will have my mentors/bosses take a look this week and then it will be done. One essay uses this thing they call a visual explorer. You pick a photo from the 23 available and write about how it represents to your passion for or dream of public service. I chose a row boat. Let me tell you, the Stern essays were much easier because they were so straight forward. No row boats or zippers or tiger's underwater (all options for photos).

Today (Monday) we hit the grocery store to stock up on food for the week, and we are going to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge for fun as it celebrates its 125 birthday. Then I have to come home and make place cards for my next big project due on Friday, our annual Genome Symposium and Dinner. May has been a crazy month for me and I have been working 6 days a week for 5 weeks but all in hopes of making my summer a relaxing and peaceful one. Look for more regular updates starting June 1st when I start my "summer" with a week off from work and plan to do lots of projects around the house!

One down and one to go

Well I did it. The application just went in with 25 minutes to spare! Greg and I both probably have ulcers from that one. At 6:30pm tonight my mentor called me from her car to say that she thought the essay we had been working on all day was boring and that I should go with a genomes and genes angle. That was my original idea that I had abandoned because it wasn't coming together and now she wanted me to start over and incorporate it with only a few hours to work! Well i did and it turned out so much better than I expected. I didn't end up doing a scrapbook like I had wanted (no time) but I incorporated some cool illustrations to make it a little more interesting than a plain essay. My friend Suzan helped me come up with the illustration of DNA to use (above). So many people helped make this application process happen. Thanks to you all for your help and/or your prayers. I wish I could say I was done but I have one last application due on June 1st. This time I have learned my lesson and will get it done early! I am heading off to bed before midnight for the first time all week!

Home Stretch

My application is due in T minus 9 hours (midnight) and I am nearly done. My boss and mentor has been hacking away at every word which is both infuriating and incredibly helpful. I hope to be done before 9pm so that I can enjoy the Office season finale (in HD!). I think Jim is going to propose and I don't want to miss it!

Applicatons

It is almost 2am and I am still up working and reworking my graduate school application. I thought I was nearly complete with all my essays and my CV, but my boss wanted to meet with me today to discuss my letter of recommendation and in the process told me she didn't like my essays the way they were written. She actually made some really good suggestions so I knew it was back to the drawing board. Then not 40min later I got a call from my other referee who said she had just looked at my CV and felt it was all wrong and needed to be completely reworked. She too made some good suggestions so I feel compelled to incorporate them. Problem is my application package is due in 3 days! And my job is as busy as it possibly could be. Toss in a late night at BSF with our last discussion group of the year and final fellowship and you have me up until 2am. I totally revamped my CV (now it is a resume) and have just updated Essay 1. Greg will proof it in the morning and then I will just be left with essay 3. It is an optional essay that can either be written or submitted in a more creative way such as a portrait or collage or anything you can imagine. I am really thinking of doing a mini scrapbook but the conversations I had today with my bosses are really making me doubt that idea. I want to show my creativity and stand out from all the boring essay writers but am worried that the project will be to hoaky or cutsie. I am praying for clarity and direction for tomorrow when I really have to pound out the design. But for now I am off to bed! I have to be to work early tomorrow to supervise a move in the morning.

I'm Back!

Sorry for the long delay in posting. I did nothing but study for so long I didn't have much to say or time to say it. I took my test last week and it went very well. I had total peace and calm while doing it and came out with a decent score. I am debating whether or not it is worth taking it again in order to raise my score a few points. I am not allowed to take it again for 30 days so I have a little more time to think about it.

I took the rest of the week off to relax and read something besides test prep books. Next I have to begin working on my applications which are due in just a few short weeks.

Today I thought I would share something that got me through all the studying, my new favorite smoothie!

This is a green smoothie, or a blended salad. It may sound a little gross when I describe it but trust me, it is dynamite! I first read about the smoothie here on a food blog. I was intrigued and intended to try them sometime but skeptical that a smoothie with spinach blended into it could be yummy. And we are talking over a cup of spinach per serving, not a couple leaves. Well I was in Seattle and stopped in to see my friend Katie who was trying to whip up a green beverage to take to her recipe club. It had to be green for her St. Patty's day theme. She was working on this really odd concoction made of applies, avocados, mint, apple juice, and lime juice. It was not good. I won't say it was gross since I didn't barf or spit it out but it wasn't good. She was a little desperate for another option given her short amount of time and that she didn't have the opportunity to shop for new ingredients. I mentioned the green smoothie I had read about and we looked it up online. She happened to have bananas, mango, orange juice and spinach on hand so we whipped up a batch and would you believe it, it was fantastic. You really couldn't taste the spinach at all, just the fruits and juice. She took it to her recipe club and they loved it too and now apparently the green smoothie is making its way around town and even kids love it (take note moms!). It is a great way to sneak spinach into your diet and spinach is loaded with nutrients. I was just reading how leafy greens are the most nutrient dense food on earth. I have been having one of these every morning for breakfast and I love them. I am told you can use any greens even romaine or kale. I bought some kale and am going to give it a try this week. So here is the recipe adapted to the hand blender. You can use the link above to find the recipe for a regular blender.

Green Smoothie
Scaled to be made in the hand blender cup or right in a glass

1 ripe banana
4 chunks frozen mango
3 chunks frozen pineapple
1 fistful of packed fresh spinach or as much as will fit in the cup
water or juice to fill the cup and bring it up to the fill line. I like OJ and water in mine.
(Sometimes I add a scoop of protein powder to my smoothie too)

Put all ingredients in the cup and blend until smooth. You can use any fruit you want. Bananas make it creamy and berries make it more brown than green but all make it yummy.

Get up to speed!

Many of you may not know this but it is the main reason I have not been blogging these days. I am studying day and night to take the GMAT next week. It is sucking up all my free time so I have not been able to blog like I have wanted.

I am thinking about going to graduate school part time for an MBA or an MPA and this test has been both an opportunity to see if I have what it takes to focus and study again after all these years and it is required for one of my applications. So that is why I have been MIA.

Greg has been wonderfully supportive and really picked up the slack so I could focus all my attention on the test and remembering all that math I learned but apparently never use in real life.

On an unrelated note our mouse problem seems to be under control. We got a new threshold under our door so that the foil could be retired and no little critters could just walk right in. We also put out a bunch of traps with really delicious bait on them and have caught nothing (nor seen any "evidence" if you will).

My test is next Wed and then I hope to be back with updates on my Seattle trip, my new favorite smoothie recipe, my new haircut!, and many other exciting projects that are waiting in the wings!

Bad Blogger!

My mother pointed out that I was a bad blogger last week and it looks like this week is going to be no different! SORRY MOM!

We had a very relaxing 3 day weekend. I spent it cleaning and decluttering the apartment (a little at a time) and working on my 05-06 scrapbook project. I took some photos of that so I will update you more later.

Greg did a bunch of stuff for school including working on his thesis presentation. He found out that he has to form a thesis committee and then defend his thesis to them. Right now his mentor is still reading it over but really wants Greg to start writing it up for publication so he is going to begin that soon. Greg also spent lots of time outside chipping away at the block of ice that is our driveway. We had several inches of sleet/snow last week that instantly froze and created a lot of ice everywhere. I have been driving on top of the ice until recently but over the weekend the temps were finally above freezing so Greg started the huge job of moving the ice out. You can't shovel it like snow. You have to pound it until it cracks and then use the shovel to lift out a section of ice. Not a lot of fun which is why I watched from the window!

I also ran to Target, made banana bread, cut Greg's hair and we watched a movie (not all at the same time). We saw On A Clear Day which is a British movie about a guy who swims the English Channel. It was really cute.

Thesis is DONE!

Greg snapped this picture of me editing his thesis over the weekend. Don't mind my frumpy outfit or my lack of neck. I got as comfortable as possible! We were both amazed at how tiring it was to just sit and read and edit and discuss and make changes. I did take little breaks and managed to clean a little, do some laundry, and stop for groceries after church. Overall I learned a LOT about low molecular weight gelators and now have a greater understanding of what Greg was doing all that time in the lab. I thought his thesis was very well organized and written. It just needed a few minor tweaks to get it just right.

During our editing process Greg found a handful of figures he had mis-drawn so on Monday he fixed those. On Tuesday I did another run through on the edited manuscript. Then today I read it a third time, printed, and bound it. He turns it in to his mentor in just a couple hours.

I wish this were the end but I am sure his mentor will have suggestions for revision. That is fine, it won't be nearly as much work to revise as it was to write and edit. I am just excited to have my husband back again. No more long nights in the lab, or hours in front of the computer. Hey, I can finally get some time on the computer again for scrapbooking!

Greg Update 2

Here is a photo of Greg's thesis. Well not really but he is studying low molecular weight gelators and here is a time lapse of one of his compounds "gelling". I thought it was pretty cool to see. First he mixes the compound with water and as it dissolves the gelling starts from the bottom up. Anyway, he took these photos for his thesis.

We were discussing it last night and we realized that the deadline is really just around the corner. He has to finish writing the whole thing by this Thursday night. That will give me the weekend to edit it and for him to make corrections in time to turn it in on Wednesday the 31st. This is a big deal for him so if you are so inclined please pray that he can meet this goal and that I will have wisdom in editing his 50+ page thesis.

I can hardly fathom how awesome it will be for him to have this project completed. It has been a year in the making when you include the lab work and now the writing. Greg has had to pretty much give up all his personal time and interests to do this so I know he is excited for it to be over too. With the Thesis done he will just have a class or 2 to take but that is much less labor intensive.

Greg Update

We see a lot of this type of thing right now in our house. Greg's New Year's Resolution was to complete writing his thesis by Jan 31st. Each night after work he puts in 3 or so hours of writing and it has been coming along steadily.

Writing isn't his favorite activity so I am very proud of him for keeping at it and keeping the procrastination to a minimum! He should be able to graduate in no time.

Weekend Plans

When my mom was out for a visit she brought me some photos of my Grandma Howard which I was able to scan yesterday. So this weekend I hope to work on a tribute to her for my 04-05 album (she died during that year). This is a funny one of us together because there was this time in my life where EVERY picture of me has this silly face (usually with my eyes open) consisting of a scrunched nose and teeth. That must have been my "say cheese" face.

This weekend I also have some major housework that needs to be done. Where does all the dust come from? Seriously!

Greg has his mid-term next week so he will be studying like a madman. This weekend is also the beginning of Angel Tree season which I am apart of each year at church. This week we start handing out angels (gift requests) to people. It is usually lots of fun!

Have a great weekend!

Tidbits

Scrapbooking Tidbits:
There was some kind of problem over at Jenni Bowlin studios (where I get my monthly scrapbooking kits) and they are requiring everyone to buy the kits individually this month whether you were a member or not. For some reason the kit just didn't grab me this month (especially the patterned paper) so for October I have decided to take a break. I have barely touched my September kit so hopefully this will give me a chance to use up some of what I have.
I am almost done with my 2004-2005 album so I am going to start organizing the next year of memories. I think I may order all my photos from scrapbookpictures.com this time around and that means a bit more planning on my part. We'll see how it goes.

Garden Tidbits:
The garden is a mess!

Exercise Tidbits:
I have been making an effort to exercise each morning. Those who know me well know I HATE WORKING OUT!!!!! But when I hit 30 I started packing on the pounds and had to come to the realization that I no longer had a choice. My body has decided it doesn't want to play fair anymore so I have to show it who's boss. I have about 4 workout videos and after the first month of consistent workouts I was bored with them all. That is when I realized that Netflix has workout videos. Now I make sure one of our selections is always an exercise video and it has been great. I do each one for a week and it has kept it interesting. I tend to prefer dance style videos but just finished the "Biggest Loser" workout which is not dance at all. I liked it so much I bought it off Amazon yesterday (only $9). It has 4 different workout choices including some with weights and some plain aerobic options. It is a nice contrast from my dance videos. Right now I have "Crunch Cardio Dance" at home. Not one I will probably buy but it has been fun and pretty easy to follow. I don't sweat as much as with other workouts but the routines are short and lively. It was also very well produced. Next in my Queue is "Paula Abdul's Get Up and Dance". I know it will be cheesy but I couldn't help myself! It should be here in a couple days. Do you have a video you love? Let me know.

School Tidbit:
For those following Greg's drama at CUNY, it all worked out. He was re-enrolled in his class and they dropped all the fees and charges. No one could really explain what happened so it is possible it could happen again in the future. Pretty soon he will be taking a break from the lab to begin writing his thesis in addition to taking Organic Synthesis this semester. He is pretty burned out with the whole school thing but is trying to plod along in hopes of finishing this year.

Work Tidbit:
My job has been insanely busy right now. I am filling in for a person who has left the department while we try and find a replacement and it has been pretty stressful. It means that when I get home I mostly want to veg out in front of the TV. All the season premieres this time of year help with that too. So, I haven't been getting much else done at home which means fewer interesting things to blog about. Which is how we end up with a post entitled "Tidbits"!

I am lame!

Since no one really wants to read blogs about what I ate for dinner or watched on tv I really have nothing to say!

I did catch the season premiere of The Office last night and laughed my butt off. Otherwise I haven't have done much else.

This weekend I need to pick up a birthday gift for little guy who is turning one on Sunday so that should be fun. I of course want to finish those wedding pages and clean the house a little. Then I am helping with the volunteer fair at church on Sunday after the birthday party.

Greg will of course be at school at least part of the weekend. He has had a tough week. We received a check in the mail from his school this week quite unexpectedly. When he investigated it turns out they dropped one of his classes and refunded his money. Why? Well we would like to know too! They claim it was a strange random fluke and now he has to run all over creation to get it fixed. I love when an institution makes a mistake and then make the victim run all over the rectify it. Poor guy! He is going to try and get it resolved after work today. I am just sad because he wasn't planning to go to school tonight and I was going to get to spend some time with him. Maybe this weekend!

Have a wonderful weekend. Fall begins on Saturday so you have one night to live it up summer style!