My oldest plays "Silent Night" for us.
25 December, 2008
13 October, 2008
October's Beautiful Pictures from Tennessee
Belmont University, where I teach part-time, was host to one of the three Presidential debates this year. The entire campus has been buzzing about this for months and months.
The bell tower:
The Curb Event Center, site of the debate:
The bell tower:
The Curb Event Center, site of the debate:
07 September, 2008
30 August, 2008
04 July, 2008
July's Beautiful Picture from Tennessee
This weekend we went to the aquarium in Chattanooga with my mom. We really enjoyed the sea horses and the jelly fish.
29 June, 2008
29 May, 2008
May's Beautiful Picture from Tennessee
My oldest daughter had me cut off her 18-inch-long ponytail so she could send it to Locks of Love. She got the idea when we were at the 2006 ACS Relay for Life with my dad. I'm very proud of her.
02 May, 2008
Last exam graded
N helped me grade exams today, so I got them finished in record time. Almost everyone made the grade I was expecting.
I have one student who has a note from the disability office that says I am supposed to give him extra time on the tests. Everyone else took from 45 to 75 minutes for the final exam. He took 4 hours and 20 minutes. (That's why N and I got so much grading done. We were sitting there waiting for him to finish the test.) He still scored less than 50% on the final exam. He doesn't always come to class, and he's never turned in an assignment. I kept telling him that I didn't have them, and he would always have some kind of story about his computer or my email account. I'm not at all sorry that he failed. Darin says that guys like that who know how to work the system will go far in the world. That might be true, but it doesn't mean that I have to pass them.
I had another student who had been working really hard to pull up his grade. He needed a 96 on the final to make an A in the class. (He had a C at midterm.) He made a 99 on the final. And no, Darin, he wasn't cheating.
I'm glad to be done with my first year at Belmont. I'm scheduled for 2 more sections in the Fall, and then I think I'm going to take off a semester. I'm looking forward to summer vacation also.
ttfn
I have one student who has a note from the disability office that says I am supposed to give him extra time on the tests. Everyone else took from 45 to 75 minutes for the final exam. He took 4 hours and 20 minutes. (That's why N and I got so much grading done. We were sitting there waiting for him to finish the test.) He still scored less than 50% on the final exam. He doesn't always come to class, and he's never turned in an assignment. I kept telling him that I didn't have them, and he would always have some kind of story about his computer or my email account. I'm not at all sorry that he failed. Darin says that guys like that who know how to work the system will go far in the world. That might be true, but it doesn't mean that I have to pass them.
I had another student who had been working really hard to pull up his grade. He needed a 96 on the final to make an A in the class. (He had a C at midterm.) He made a 99 on the final. And no, Darin, he wasn't cheating.
I'm glad to be done with my first year at Belmont. I'm scheduled for 2 more sections in the Fall, and then I think I'm going to take off a semester. I'm looking forward to summer vacation also.
ttfn
29 April, 2008
23 March, 2008
March's Beautiful Picture from Tennessee
Just some of the 192 plastic eggs we hid around the farm for the girls. It had been years since they had a big egg hunt. I suppose that they are getting too old for this, but they still had a great time.
06 March, 2008
Anniversary
Today is the 2-year anniversary of my fall, broken leg, and surgery. On most days, I forget my leg was even broken, and today the weather is clearing and it feels good. Sometimes when the weather changes it gets stiff, but it's very rarely sore, even after I've been hiking.
I remember that I was depressed that day --- I really didn't want to go to work and face Francois. And I remember that I was relieved, even through the pain, that I didn't have to go to work that day. But now, two years later, so much of that time seems like a dream. It seems unbelievable that we were even living in Europe, let alone that we got to go to the Italian Riviera because I broke my leg. And today I have to go to work, but I'm looking forward to practicing my French during the commute, and I'm looking forward to going over Student's t distribution with my students at Belmont. I love teaching the girls, too, and tonight is Spanish night with my high schooler.
I got out my scrapbook yesterday of the trip to the Mediterranean, just to remind myself that God really can use all things for our good, and that He does work in mysterious ways.
ttfn
I remember that I was depressed that day --- I really didn't want to go to work and face Francois. And I remember that I was relieved, even through the pain, that I didn't have to go to work that day. But now, two years later, so much of that time seems like a dream. It seems unbelievable that we were even living in Europe, let alone that we got to go to the Italian Riviera because I broke my leg. And today I have to go to work, but I'm looking forward to practicing my French during the commute, and I'm looking forward to going over Student's t distribution with my students at Belmont. I love teaching the girls, too, and tonight is Spanish night with my high schooler.
I got out my scrapbook yesterday of the trip to the Mediterranean, just to remind myself that God really can use all things for our good, and that He does work in mysterious ways.
ttfn
13 February, 2008
05 February, 2008
Super Tuesday and Anniversaries
It was 65 degrees this morning when Darin and I got up to vote at 7:00. So after we got home, we told the girls they could go play in the creek. It's been raining quite a bit, and the creek was full. It's also Mardi Gras, so it seemed appropriate to give the girls a short break from school.
Darin and I both had a time with the voting machines today. There are only two machines at our precinct, so if we are both having trouble, we can even create a line. (OK, only a line of 1 at 7:20 this morning.) Darin was trying to vote before he had reviewed everything, and his machine started beeping at him. While I was reviewing my vote, I was trying to count everyone, and I accidentally touched the screen, so it sent me back to somewhere so I could change things, and then I had to review it again. The ladies were impressed with how much fun I was having. But what are you going to do? If you make a mistake, you might as well just laugh. Cussing at the machines won't help, and I bet it would upset all those nice old ladies who are volunteering.
I'm happy that we got to go together to vote. After meeting Darin because of the Iowa caucuses, it seems like a romantic thing to do.
That reminded me that this Valentine's Day will be a big anniversary for us --- 20 years since the day we met. Well, it was the day we were introduced. I remember where we were and even what *he* was wearing (not something impressive or flattering). He shook my hand that day, but he didn’t speak to me. The first time he spoke to me was at a college Bible study the next Friday, February 19th, which happened to be my Grandma’s birthday. On that day, he said “Hello,” and he was wearing shorts (in Iowa in February), but I was much more impressed with his looks that day, though it still certainly wasn’t love at first sight for either of us. (It took him until June to actually say anything more than "hello" to me.)
There are birthdays and other anniversaries coming up (including the three year anniversary of my leaving my good government job, and the two year anniversary of my broken leg in Luxembourg). It will be an interesting few weeks.
ttfn
Darin and I both had a time with the voting machines today. There are only two machines at our precinct, so if we are both having trouble, we can even create a line. (OK, only a line of 1 at 7:20 this morning.) Darin was trying to vote before he had reviewed everything, and his machine started beeping at him. While I was reviewing my vote, I was trying to count everyone, and I accidentally touched the screen, so it sent me back to somewhere so I could change things, and then I had to review it again. The ladies were impressed with how much fun I was having. But what are you going to do? If you make a mistake, you might as well just laugh. Cussing at the machines won't help, and I bet it would upset all those nice old ladies who are volunteering.
I'm happy that we got to go together to vote. After meeting Darin because of the Iowa caucuses, it seems like a romantic thing to do.
That reminded me that this Valentine's Day will be a big anniversary for us --- 20 years since the day we met. Well, it was the day we were introduced. I remember where we were and even what *he* was wearing (not something impressive or flattering). He shook my hand that day, but he didn’t speak to me. The first time he spoke to me was at a college Bible study the next Friday, February 19th, which happened to be my Grandma’s birthday. On that day, he said “Hello,” and he was wearing shorts (in Iowa in February), but I was much more impressed with his looks that day, though it still certainly wasn’t love at first sight for either of us. (It took him until June to actually say anything more than "hello" to me.)
There are birthdays and other anniversaries coming up (including the three year anniversary of my leaving my good government job, and the two year anniversary of my broken leg in Luxembourg). It will be an interesting few weeks.
ttfn
18 January, 2008
Driving Lessons
We did it. With all my prodding to get caught up in school, my oldest finally had some time to read through the Drivers' Handbook that she needed to read before I would take her to the Department of Transportation to take her written driver's test. She did take the test on Monday, and she passed, so she now has her "graduated driver's license", what used to be called a learner's permit when I was a kid in Tennessee.
So she drove a little bit on the way home Monday, but it was getting dark by then, and she was a little bit stressed. Today we had our first real lesson other than driving down the driveway and up the driveway and into and out of the garage. She drove down our winding road, and we practiced slowing down for and accelerating out of curves. We also had to practice avoiding dogs, with three separate incidents with two separate dogs.
On the same day that my oldest took her driving test, my youngest started high-school-level algebra. It's hitting me hard that the girls are really growing up. They are making fun of me, but it's more difficult than they think.
So she drove a little bit on the way home Monday, but it was getting dark by then, and she was a little bit stressed. Today we had our first real lesson other than driving down the driveway and up the driveway and into and out of the garage. She drove down our winding road, and we practiced slowing down for and accelerating out of curves. We also had to practice avoiding dogs, with three separate incidents with two separate dogs.
On the same day that my oldest took her driving test, my youngest started high-school-level algebra. It's hitting me hard that the girls are really growing up. They are making fun of me, but it's more difficult than they think.
05 January, 2008
New job for Darin
Daddy always said to write if we got work, and blogging is the best way for me to get the word out.
Darin got a promotion at the factory. He started there officially in February after being a temp for several months. His temp job and his first job was as a press operator --- a job he hated. It was hot and messy. Then he got a job driving a fork lift --- a job he liked better. Monday he starts in the Quality Assurance department as an inspector. A lot of the promotions are based on seniority, which Darin doesn't have, but Darin does have many impressive qualities. Other people who have been in Quality Assurance don't like the job because they don't like to argue with people. Darin loves causing trouble, so this job should be right up his alley.
I'm very proud of his quick rise through the ranks.
ttfn
Darin got a promotion at the factory. He started there officially in February after being a temp for several months. His temp job and his first job was as a press operator --- a job he hated. It was hot and messy. Then he got a job driving a fork lift --- a job he liked better. Monday he starts in the Quality Assurance department as an inspector. A lot of the promotions are based on seniority, which Darin doesn't have, but Darin does have many impressive qualities. Other people who have been in Quality Assurance don't like the job because they don't like to argue with people. Darin loves causing trouble, so this job should be right up his alley.
I'm very proud of his quick rise through the ranks.
ttfn
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
