Wedding Bells

Big News.....I haven't written anything since the beginning of the summer and here is why...We had the best summer ever!! We went on several vacations, worked in the garden and got engaged!!

Yes, it has been super crazy. I don't really have much time to write
either because I still have to focus on school. Anyway, Chris and I are getting

married on November 14th. In less than two months actually.
Planning is going surprisingly well and is actually pretty fun. I know

sometimes we just can't wait for the honeymoon because the wedding thing

can get pretty stressful at times. So, I will try to be good about updating

this blog while I juggle life, school and getting married. I am so excited and happy to be engaged to Chris. He is just a doll. I could go on and on about all of his wonderful qualities but if you know him you already know. I am a lucky girl!!

Growing and changing

Well here is our new garden!! We are SO excited, maybe a little obsessed. Last year we did vegetables in pots but this year Chris built the raised-bed garden. We have: tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, squash, basil, cucumber, okra and cantelope. Everything is growing beautifully but we do have some intruders...birds and bunnies we think. In an attempt to ward off the hungry animals we installed a little fence but last night figured out that the bunnies can probably jump over it. We also planted about 50 lily, iris and rose plants around our front yard. We are not sure that they will all live (especially because the dogs LOVE running through flower beds) but we are hoping some of them will since they came from Chris' grandmother's yard. Right now we are both staying busy with work and school. I finished my spring semester and my residency study but had to go right into a 3-week Maymester class which ends June 3rd with a 30 page paper. What is keeping us going right now is our big vacation. We are flying to Siesta Key, Florida and staying on the beach for a whole week! No car, no laptops, no work, no plans. We are hoping to rent bicycles and get around the island for shopping, water sports, dining, etc. While we will miss our dogs (and our garden), our neighbors across the street are going to take care of everything for us so we can enjoy some peace and quiet. I have loved the white sandy beaches on the Gulf of Mexico since I was a little girl and visited Panama City each year. Hopefully we will have good weather but even if we don't, we decided we will have a great vacation just hanging out with each other. I will post plenty of pictures when we get back!!

Sweet Southern Spring

So spring is in the air down here in Atlanta! I posted some pictures of my favorite signs of spring. Up top are Dogwood flowers. To the left are Azaleas and to the left are Cherry Blossom trees. I think part of my love of the spring are the beautiful shades of pink (which is my favorite color) and the sweet smelling air. Our yard is alive and thriving. We have lots of Azaleas, Dogwoods and a beautiful Crabapple tree too. The only drawback I can find is that we also have TONS of yellow pollen.

Last spring Chris and I planted a vegetable garden which produced many peppers and tomatoes. I don't know if we will have time to do the same this year considering it is already April and we are both super busy.

Along with the change of seasons, spring also brings stress from the end of yet another semester. I was in Seattle presenting at a conference last week and had a blast but it is now time to focus on writing papers. I am looking forward to evening walks with Chris and the dogs, a few brief vacations, and the end of my residency study. Another bit of exciting news is that I will be spending most of the summer at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN for my internship! I am very excited to learn about research project managment and get some new experiences.

Fun in the Ph. D program

So, I know everyone thinks that now that I am not working a full-time job (teaching little ones) anymore that I must have "the life". Well, I'm here to tell you what my life as a doctoral student, research assistant and teaching assistant is really like. As you might know, this is my second year in my Ph. D program at Georgia State. I am studying special education, focusing on delinquency and literacy. Everyone always asks so I will add that I have about 2.5 years to go. The first year in the program I was taking classes and still teaching the little ones and life was pretty stressful. But at the end of the year I got on a federal grant which means I could quit my job. That is when things started getting confusing. At first I thought life as a full-time student was easy. I was taking 4 classes but not doing much else. Somehow this semester things have turned CRAZY!! I am currently taking 3 classes, teaching 1 class, doing my first research study, sitting on a committee, reviewing articles for NTTAC, and presenting at conferences...WHEEW! That is a lot and I hear it is only going to get worse. Well for an example, I wrote a proposal to present at a national conference this week. I had two other girls presenting with me (the presentation was an hour and 15 minutes) in the beginning. One of the girls said she couldn't make it a couple of months ago. Then the day we were supposed to drive down the other girl got sick. So I was left to present by myself in Savannah. It was super stressful but it all worked out. This is our "spring break" so I guess getting away was good. Anyway, this whole process is pretty much strange and crazy but fun at the same time. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone but in the end I can do what I dream of doing. I have already started looking at schools across the county that we can move to where I can be a professor which is pretty exciting. On the list now are schools in Florida, California, Colorado, Texas and Arizona...We'll see!!

Dreaming Green

I've been dreaming green (planning on converting our first house into an energy efficient gem). Here are my thoughts and wishes.....
1. Sustainable heated bamboo floors (walnut)
2. All new Energy Star rated appliances
3. Stained concrete floors in the kitchen, bathrooms, sunroom and entry
4. Recycled glass countertops in kitchen and bathrooms
5. Solar panels
6. Grey water system that waters garden and flowers
7. Compact fluorescent light bulbs throughout the house
8. Programable thermostat
9. Vampire energy system
10. "Green" cleaning supplies
11. Re-used clawfoot tub
I'm sure there is more that we can do, but for now this where I am. I believe that doing what we can for our environment is an important thing. Doing this in a big city like Atlanta is not very popular but I think it is possible. We will see!

A Day in the Life

This is my first post on my new blog..Yipee! I decided to design a blog today because technology is difficult for me and I am trying to do at least two things I don't want to do each day (in an effort to discipline myself, we'll see how that goes). Today I jumped out of bed and immediately started thinking about coffee..not so unusual, right? I spent the day organizing new materials for the spring semester, cleaning the house, talking to the dogs (Bella and Peyton), dancing, talking to my big bro (Aaron), and designing t-shirts for Chris' new business (http://www.spherehometechnologies.com/). In case you don't know who Chris is, he is the live-in boyfriend. I should really refer to him as St.Christopher of Saraland, as he manages to find happiness in his boyfriend role. Anyway, nothing too exciting happened today so I will try to come up with some witty stories and entertaining details of my life as time goes by. I am deeply grateful for every aspect of my life: family, friends, school, house, dogs, music, food, shoes, and my past. St.Christopher is ready for dinner so I have to run. Toodles!
Sara