November 16: ASHE dash & City Tour

The weather on Saturday was suppose to be in the 30s and raining.  Fortunatley, it was absolutely beautiful weather for a 5k run.  The route took us around downtown St. Louis to many of the historic views including the arch, the courthouse, and Busch stadium.  The run was cut a cit short because another run with over 3,000 women scheduled.  Anyway, it was fun to get out and see some of the city.  Moreover, it was a great chance to run with people I didn't know, talk about my research, and meet new people.  I spent most of the time talking/running with a woman, Megan, from a small college nearby.  As you know, I don't particularly love running, but the ASHE dash (or walk) is a wonderful opportunity to connect with people I probably wouldn't have otherwise met at the conference.

That afternoon I went to my second most favorite session and heard the most fantastic discussant.  Dr. Dafina Lazarus Stewart…oh she.is.phenomenal. I was so so so impressed by her feedback for both the audience and the authors.  

Later that afternoon Kristin and I explored parts of St. Louis.

We also went on the Anheuser-Busch brewery tour.

That night a group of us went out to dinner and then Kristin, Dallin, and I went to the City Museum.  It was incredible.  It's a museum made out of recycled stuff and has TONS of slides … for adults.  It's like a giant jungle gym for big kids.  Below is the best picture I could get of one, yes ONE of the play areas.  I climbed up the silver spiral piping on the left, through the whale, and came out on the 2nd story.  It was fun and if I'm ever back in St. Louis, I'd like to explore it more (when it's not raining outside…because they have a ton of slides and things to climb on out there too!).

That's a 10 story slide that goes from the roof to the caves below! So fun!

November 15: ASHE & Sweetie Pie's

I went to a couple really good presentations today and got to see my good friend Dr. Joseph N. Cooper present his research.  I feel like I've been telling Joey for years (the last three) that he'd like this conference.  His research is around Black male athletes but his degree is in sports management, which is why he wasn't as familiar with this conference.  Anyway…he did a wonderful job AND kept his talking time to 12 minutes (out of the 15 allotted).  Which, if you know Joey, is an accomplishment!

That night a group of us headed to Sweetie Pie's (soul food) for dinner.  The food was…delicious, and I brought a whole meal back to the room (they gave you half a chicken & two sides).  

Both Thursday & Friday nights were filled with university receptions.  I went to Denver's reception (where Kristin is), APU (yep, they even had one…I was surprised too), NC State (where Tiffany is), and Michigan State (where Christa Porter is).  These receptions are a good time to network…especially if you are job searching.  Christa introduced me (and Ginny who is also job searching) around to various people as MSU has a two-year teaching appointment (which would be amazing).  They also have some stellar faculty there.

Anyway, the night was filled with socializing and networking and I was tiiiiiiired when I got back to the room.  ASHE is filled with early mornings and late nights, but it is also such an invigorating conference and I come away grateful to connect with colleagues.  I'm also a nerd, so the learning part is also exhilarating. 

November 14: ASHE Conference

The Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) holds its annual conference in November (usually closer to Thanksgiving).  Two years ago, the conference was in Charlotte, NC and Kristin came home with me for Thanksgiving.  Last year, the conference was in Vegas, so I stopped over in Denver for Thanksgiving with Kristin.  This year, since the conference was so early, we won't be spending Thanksgiving together, nor doing our traditional crafts.

Getting to the conference in St. Louis was a feat.  I had only had three hours of sleep (why am I ALWAYS up late before a trip?!), got up at 3am to leave for my flight, and when I got to the airport I realized I had left my credit card at home.  Yep.  Fun times.  This is problematic because I use my credit card as a debit card.  Meaning, I pay off my bill monthly and the money left over (if there is any) goes into savings.  Therefore, my bank account was looking pretty slim and I needed to pay for gas, transportation, food, and the hotel.  

Things worked out…I have gracious parents and friends who all offered to help cover me until Monday when the funds could be transferred back to my checking account.  

This conference is 'paper' conference.  In other words, three people present papers about current research and then a discussant gets up and provides feedback for each paper.  I presented last year and found it both terrifying and encouraging.  One of the first sessions was my favorite because every paper dealt with my dissertation topic.  I learned a lot, but was also confirmed that I'm doing good work that will contribute to the field.

I also got to hang out with a bunch of Baylor people for dinner on Thursday night.  Unfortunatley, I forgot to get a picture of all of us.  But Tiffani (who is at UCLA), JT (who is at Indiana University), Matt (who is a pastor in St. Louis), and the Bullards (who recently moved back to Oklahoma from Cambridge) were all there.  It was a fun time to catch up, meet the babies, and talk about life.

Facing Forward to Fall Fun (LOVE an alliteration)

I realize it isn't fall yet, however, on Monday, we will welcome back the graduate assistants and on August 12th another school year will begin.

Crazy.

I'm looking forward to this final fall (Lord willing) at The University of Georgia for many reasons.  First, I love the season of fall.  It bring crisp air, vibrant colors, and lots of things to look forward to, such as:

On Sunday, my friend Tiffanie (from Baylor) will be moving down to Athens to begin her doctoral studies within higher education (another program, but still).  AND, we will be neighbors...literally, she is going to live right next door.  Super excited face (for those who know Tiffanie, you understand the reference).

Moreover, all the GAs will return on Monday for the Dean of Students orientation, for which I'm responsible.  We move students in on Tuesday (physically move them in), and next Monday classes begin. Yikes.

I'm also excited about a writing retreat with my friend Kristin over labor day weekend in Tennessee, a visit from my sister in late October, the ASHE conference in November, and...

Cabo for Thanksgiving!

Yep, I'm headed back to Cabo with Megan's family!  I'm so excited (and thankful I had frequent flyer miles to pay for the flight) AND for their generosity in the invite!

From there Christmas is right around the corner and that means a trip (hopefully) back to California and Oregon.

Like I said, lots to look forward to...and yet, I don't want to wish the weeks away.  In these moments, I try to practice presence, albeit my excitement!

ASHE Paper Presentation

I love ASHE...the Association for the Study of higher education.  It's an organization that is geared toward... well, the study of higher education.  :)  I went to my first conference last year and LOVED it.  I walked away with notes on things to read about and think about.  I was thoroughly looking forward to this years conference...with some anticipation and some nervousness as I was presenting a paper I wrote about faculty-student interactions.

So in November, I presented in my first paper presentation.  Now, I've presented at many conferences over the last 9 years in higher education, but never a paper presentation.  These presentations are a bit different than other conference presentations.  It goes like this...

Roughly three people/presenters send a paper of original research to a discussant (someone who is generally an expert in the topic) weeks in advance
On the day of the presentation, the three people get 10 minutes each to discuss their research
The discussant then gets 15 minutes to give feedback, publicly, on each of the papers

Although I was a nervous wreck, it was a good feeling to get the first one out of the way!  Moreover, I received some good feedback on my paper.

Glad it's over...but already looking forward to ASHE next year.

Thanksgiving

The weekend before Thanksgiving I went to the Association for the Study of Higher Education.  It was the first time I had gone to this conference and it was a-maz-ing.  I LOVED it.  I walked away with lots of things to think about, things to read, and a slew of ideas for research topics.  Yes, it's a conference for nerds.  :)

The conference was out in North Carolina and since Kristin was going to the conference, it only made sense for her to drive back from the conference with me and stay for Thanksgiving.  We had a good time!  A few days were spent writing, reading, and doing other homeworky sorts of things (since we are both in PhD programs).  But we also took a trip to Atlanta, rummaged around Athens, and had Thanksgiving dinner with friends here.  What a good time with a great friend...here are some highlights from Kristin's visit!

 I usually set up my Christmas tree fairly early so as to enjoy it before I leave for break.  This year it didn't go up until Thanksgiving (like normal people).

 On our trip to ATL we stopped at Olympic park.

 And checked out the gigantic Christmas tree.

 And who doesn't love CNN? (rhetorical question)

Kristin's cousin lived out in ATL, so we visited with her; she's a hoot and took us to a wonderful place for dinner (it was yummy!) AND their menu was on a wine bag.  So trendy.

 While in ATL, we also stopped at the botanical gardens light show. What a fun light display!

 We look ghostly.

 

The tree didn't hug me back. :(

 Beautiful lights!

 Random frog

 The arch (not arches, just the arch)

I've been wanting to make an advent calendar for some time, so after searching pinterest for ideas, we discovered this fun little one with cookie sheets and magnets.  We were up late (til 3am) the night before Kristin flew out make these little gems.  I was a fun project, fun memories, and I enjoyed having it this holiday season!

Here we are with my table in the middle of my living room! I love crafts!

Here's the final product!

  And to keep with tradition, we got a picture with a bulldawg.  (yes, I look tired, I was, it was early in the morning before Kristin's flight back to Colorado...and we were up late making advent calendars).