12 Days....

Did you know that 7 hours can pass by in an instant? Who knew?

It's done. I took the 2 days of exams. I wrote pages and pages and pages. I fought through brain freeze, printer freeze and the panic. Here is the recap.

I over looked a few things in my panic of the high stakes testing at its best. First, I forgot a theory. I forgot a date or two and I think I screwed up a name. I wrote longer on one question than intended and short changed the last one on the second day. I worked hard on my APA citing but totally spaced my APA line spacing and wrote my entire 19 pages single space. Shit, I hope that's not an automatic fail.

Now I wait. I have 12 days until I make the phone call that determines whether I'm really and truly done with this or if I have more hoops to complete. 12 days. That's 2 days short of 2 weeks. My strategy?

Let it go. No more worries. There is nothing I can do about what has been done. I'm hoping for the best but for the next 12 days I'm letting it go.

Exams? What exams?

See, it's working already.

4 days

That is the amount of time I have left until I will drive myself, a large coffee, a water bottle, seven packs of sugarless gum and perhaps one small snack size bag of gummy bears to the library at WOU where I will be locked away in a tiny room to begin the first of 8.5 long and painful hours of comprehensive exams.

It's been four years in process to get to this stage and while I've theoretically completed all the coursework necessary to pass these things, with each passing day and ticking down of the minutes I feel less and less prepared for this. I've had the questions for a couple months and have been studying for weeks now, but I don't know where it has all gone. I dream of it every night. Perhaps it flitters out of my mind somewhere in the great abyss.

I hope once they shut the door, confiscate all my electronics and leave me with nothing but my brain food of coffee and sugar, that it all becomes a Zen like moment of clarity and the words just flow from my fingers complete with properly cited theorists, and specific examples.

Until then, I'll keep cramming, hoping and learning.  After all, when all is completed, I can finally fulfill my life long dream of being a teacher.......hey wait a minute.....

I am a Runner.

Last Sunday was the Corvallis Half Marathon. I ran it for the second time and beat my previous time by nearly 13 minutes. It was an amazing day. I have never felt so proud of myself. I had every intention of writing about it on Monday after work.

However, rather than writing about my running story, I spent the evening glued to the TV as the Boston story unraveled. Boston. The town is already my second favorite city in America. I fell in love with it on a trip 18 years ago and would have gladly moved there had I ever been asked to. The Boston Marathon is the holy grail of all Marathons. Even those of us who never have a chance of ever running in it know the BQ for our age group. Just qualifying is amazing. Melinda and I refer to any hill in our runs as "heartbreak hill." It is legendary for good reason.  Every year I look forward to watching the amazing athletes. This year was no different.

Running is such a pure sport. It is one runner against another, but ultimately it is a race against oneself. Friends, family and the community came out for the Corvallis half. My favorite part of the day was watching Stafford and the kids show up on bikes at undisclosed locations to cheer us along the way. Madeleine with her big smile and two thumbs up every time I saw her gave me inspiration to push through when I didn't think I could. She was no different than those spectators at the finish line in Boston cheering their runners along too. The idea that she could have been in harms way cheering us on rocks me to my core.

As the news coverage came in, what struck me more than anything was the selfless acts of the community, the families, the runners who thought not of themselves but rather of each other as they rushed towards danger to help their fellow man. In the days following the attack, stories of heroes continue to dominate as the information available is sifted through and the pieces of the puzzle are put back together. Our nation mourns for those lost, injured and forever changed. The running community is a strong bunch by nature. We endure and we will continue to endure, standing together united in a love of a sport and the power of good to triumph over evil.

It is with this in mind that I honor Boston by proudly declaring, I am a runner. I celebrate what that means and believing that like a long and difficult run, we will all get through this together too. 

Done!

It's official. My coursework for my graduate program is completely done. I submitted everything last Thursday and today received grades for both final projects. I'm pleased with how it all turned out. However, I feel rather strange. It's almost surreal. I'm not totally done with everything because I still have to take my comprehensive exams in May so there is about 6 more weeks of this hoop jumping. I'm really nervous about getting those started, but I'm giving myself the entire spring break off from all things work and school. Still though, it feels weird today.

Yesterday I ran 12 miles. That was a pretty good start to spring break. I was really sore last night, but feel good today. I think I'm going to be ready for the Corvallis half which is just 3 weeks away. That time went by so fast, but then again, the past 12 weeks have been a blur of a life I was not in control of. It feels good to be holding the steering wheel again.

Today I should start my house projects. This poor dwelling has been painfully neglected for the last 3 months. We decided to go to the coast for a few days with my sister at the end of the week so I don't have as much time to drag my chores out like I usually do over a school break. I'm sure I'll feel much better when it is all done.

I guess I'll start with taking a shower. After all, it is after noon. Yikes.

Happy Spring Break!

Move over Rudolph

Want to sweep your wife off her feet after nearly 24 years of marriage boys? Call her skinny. I haven't heard that word in since high school. The self esteem booster is insane.

I'm flying higher than Rudolph when Clarice called him cute.  Bring on the day.

10 Good Things!

I've been so negative lately I've decided to take a brief reprieve from my school work to make a list of the great thing in my life right now.

1. Spring term ends in 4 days. They will be 4 insane, mad rush days but then it is OVER!

2. Family-My in-laws are here to visit. I was stressed about it, but it's really nice!

3. 6! Size 6 that is. As in two new skirts I picked up today are size 6. Woohoo!

4.  27- As in the waist size of my new jeans I found at the second hand store. They are my favorite brand ever "Paige" which I can't possibly afford new, but there they were and they fit.  $35 for $172 jeans. Boom goes the dynamite! Perhaps this stress has been good for my clothing size!

5. The 5th grade writing assessment is DONE and turned in to the principal. Back to teaching again!

6. Did I mention Spring Term ends on Wednesday???

7. Annie. She makes me smile every day!

8. Spring- It starts this week and I can't wait. Track season and more family time!

9.  Art- Gale is almost done with the "Rogue" print and I am beyond excited. I can't wait to have that boy back in our house again in beautiful form.

10. Spirit Week starts this week. I love dressing up with the kids. So fun!

OK, Technically that was only 9 but the fact that Spring Term ends on Wednesday counts for like 1 million good things.

Until Wednesday I'm out.  See you on the other side!

I get by with a little help...

The rumors are true. I've been a terrible blogger for quite a while now. Approximately 8 weeks to be exact, going on nine. The good news is, the light has been turned back on at the end of my tunnel. Well, the end of this term's tunnel that is. There still is the whole comprehensive exams light which will be out of commission until at least May. 

I'm not going to sugar coat it either. It's been hell so far. I'm cranky, I'm grouchy and I'm even kind of mean. Nothing pretty here at all. Which is why things like this....

surprise the heck out of me when I get home from work.  At first I thought the Easter bunny was lost and had already hopped through my neighborhood. Nope, my bad, it was in fact a Triple Bunnie that did it. Melinda hopped her way over and left a care package at my door to greet me before I jumped right from the life of teacher to the life of student. A sweet gesture both literally and figuratively. Run Club (don't ask...first rule of Run Club is..don't talk about Run Club) has become my lifeline over the past 9 weeks.

As if one lovely gesture isn't enough for one week, last night as I was spending yet another Sunday on the sofa with my online class I got a text from my trainer/friend that she wondered if her husband could drop something off for me. A month ago on my birthday she said she had found the perfect gift for me and it was on it's way. Well, delivered by hand (how cool is that) right to the same door step was this.....

I am in love with this T-shirt. Seriously! Ever since she started training me I have joked that she gives me "dinosaur arms." When I used to teach 3rd grade PE I always threatened that after our workouts I'd make the kids play T-Rex dodge ball. It sort of stuck and she has been sending me wonderful T-Rex cartoons whenever she comes across them. This shirt is the PERFECT b-day gift for me and I love it.

Finally, I owe the fact that I haven't flunked out this term almost entirely to my amazing husband. Just when I'm about in tears trying to decipher a programing assignment, he says "I know how to do that, we can do it no problem."  Not only does he help me with my work, but he also cooks and picks up the slack around the house. Seriously, I'm a lucky girl. And as if that was not enough.....

He brings me home a bottle of one of my favorites just because I was working on homework and couldn't join him at the tasting.

This posting doesn't even touch on the meals cooked for me by my sister and the constant support of my teaching partner this term. I consider myself to be one lucky girl.

Thanks everyone. I promise to be back to my old self just as soon as possible.