Of sudoku and history books and missing brothers ...er, brothers I miss...

I spent this last summer with my brother Victor in southern Utah, and like most strange and peculiar situations you don't really appreciate what you have until its gone. (Not that anything happened to him, I just moved away.) It is interesting to me how sitting around as he introduced me to the joys and frustrations of sudoku puzzles, and trying to talk me into reading yet another history book and watching him grow amazing variations of face furniture (he's a bearded version of chia pet!) that I didn't see how much I appreciated him. (And I am not just writing this because he is the only one who reads my blog). I was really blessed when it comes to brothers. I had three as a little kid but then my mom remarried into a family with four more (plus some sisters but I'll get to them another time). Each time I talk to any of them I always feel like I am important and they really want to know what's going on in my life no matter how boring it may be (and it is all too often) but somehow they make it important. They make me feel important. I apologize to anyone who reads this ( if there is anyone besides Vic) since this isn't my usual silly blathering blog entry. I guess I just want to put it in writing for everyone to see - Victor, Warren, Wray, Vern, Val, Wynn and Wade, I LOVE YOU GUYS. Thanks for all you do and for being the world's best brothers!

Burning the Yuleblog...

Well, another holiday season is over. The Easter bunny put some kid's teeth under my pillow and $5 is missing from my wallet. I hung my jack-o-lantern over the fireplace while I cut out construction paper hearts. I have found that buying the old dried out trees are easier to clean up at the end of the season, especially when I keep with the old tradition of putting candles instead of lights on the tree. Poof! Handy-vac the ashes and holiday clean-up is a breeze. Every year I feel a little pang of loneliness since Christmas is for children and the neighbors moved out after I kept 'borrowing' theirs. This year my folks were sick and so I ended up staying home alone and watching way too much tv. At least this time I had my new exercise bike to keep me from being completely lazy. Unfortunately since there was so little else to do, I did the equivalent of the Tour de France in my room in front of the tv, and my thighs may never recover. This is my last year of being in my thirties and I decided I want to make it a good year, unfortunately, I have surprisingly little say in how my life is going to go. Luckily I have a sense of humor and an incredible amount of patience for the junk that comes my way. I am teaching a master's class for the Education Department for the school librarian candidates. I am starting out pretty rough as I don't actually know what I am supposed to teach and there's no textbook and I haven't been added to the online classroom environment (it's a blended class) so I can't access any information, but other than that this should go smoothly. I am taking a yoga class (in hopes of returning some funtionality to my Tour de France thighs) and a guitar class, since I have been toting a great guitar for several years and have never really learned to play it. I figure that is a step in accomplishing some of the things I wanted to do before 40. (Hey I think one of those things WAS doing the Tour de France...I wonder if this will count, plus I save the cost of airfare so I am way ahead!) That's what I like about me...my positive attitude! Here's to being 39...soon.

Well, I'm back!

After months of stress and job hunting and then finding a job and then moving and getting settled I am finally able to take a few spare moments to update my blog! I am presently working at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma. Nowhere near where I thought I would end up, but I am happy about it just the same. East Central is a tiny four year school and I am now the Circulation/Reserves/Instruction Librarian who also does collection development for my liaison areas and reference services 15 hours a week. And for Spring Semester I will probably be teaching a class for the education department for their library program, as well as doing tours for freshman seminar (orientation) and developing curriculum for our Information Literacy Skills which are needing some attention. For those not in the know, this is NOT usual. Most librarians would focus on one maybe two areas, but WOW is this ever an intense jump into the deep end of librarianship. I had two years in public school libraries but I might as well have been in a cave hiding for all the benefit my past experience gave me for this job. Okay so I am exaggerating a little, but this is really intense. Some days I am fighting for the surface so I can gasp for air and other days I scramble for things to do. More the previous than the latter. So days, I'll admit it is more than I can take~

but most of the time I really love my job! I also love being closer to my mom and dad and brothers and sisters that I haven't seen for years! They all have kids that I don't even know yet. I got to see my brother Wynn and his family over Fall Break and I have to say that I really felt at home with them. Their girls were so sweet! I felt like I had known them all along.

I need to get to work on Christmas presents and things done. I am not going to have much time to do anything great but I am hoping I can crank out a nice thing or two for a couple of people. I have been working on an afghan for Val's duaghter Dana, (I am assuming she doesn't know about this blog so the surprise won't be ruined) but it is a more advanced pattern than I have ever worked on and while it is not super hard, it does take some time to do it right. It may end up being next year's birthday present if I don't get it done. Well I have to run but hopefully it will not be month's before I write again!

THINK DEEP! DREAM BIG! (My theme for right now.)