May 21: Professional Enrichment

I realize I'm very far behind in uploading my photo a day.  Although I've been good about actually taking photos, and mostly good about sending them to blogger (you can email photos to your blog, it's cool)...I haven't been good about actually uploading them to my site.  The goal is to get caught up with the photos.  In that effort, there may not be as extensive of descriptions as would otherwise have been...but if I can finally get my blog caught up, certain individuals who shall remain nameless can stop pestering me about it ;)  In all joking, I'm thankful for friends and family who take the time to keep up with my life through this venue.

We had our student affairs development one day conference this week.  Dr. Margret (Peggy) Barr came and spoke.  Not only was she a fantastic scholar and professional in student affairs...she's hilarious.  She sang us a song she wrote about the Vice President of Student Affairs blues.  She had the audience rolling!

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.

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). 

 

Two Less States

At the beginning of March, the 3rd to be exact, I left Waco, Texas and flew to Atlanta, Georgia. It was the first time I had been to the state of Georgia, minus an occasional layover. One more state down. I was headed to Georgia for a conference that a colleague and I were presenting at. I was also there for a doctoral interview. Both went well, the presentation and the interview. Here are a few pictures from Georgia.

This is the Georgia arch on the University of Georgia's campus (in Athens). A few weeks after my interview, I found out I was accepted and offered an assistantship. After contemplation, I accepted! :) Georgia will be my new home come mid July...crazy!
Larry (above) and Christy (below) are married and used to work at Baylor with me. They moved to Georgia last year so that Larry could start the program I will be starting in the fall. It has and will be such a blessing to have people in Athens that I know, and that know me!
After Georgia, I headed to Chicago for the NASPA (National Association for Student Personnel Administrators) conference. It was a wonderful time to reconnect with colleagues from all over the country.

So prior to all the traveling, when I was trying to buy plane tickets, I was stressing out a bit about arriving in the airport and using public transit to get to my hotel by myself. I found out when Tiffanie, a colleague, was arriving and tried to plan around her arrival time. My hope to was have someone to navigate Chicago with. Well, when I arrived, there were 7 other colleagues there. They were ALL staying at another hotel and said they had made other arrangements for transportation...I figured I was out of luck. Well, Peter, the ring leader thought we could squeeze me in the shuttle and see if they could drop me off at my hotel. Additionally, we knew the hotels were close, so I figured I could just walk from theirs to mine if the shuttle couldn't drop me off at my hotel.

Well, as we walked outside, David joked about going in a limo to our hotel...and...well...sure enough, Peter had indeed booked a limo. It was cheaper than all of us paying for a cab AND it was even cheaper per person then the hotel shuttle.

Here are some other fun pictures from the trip :)This is actually a picture of me and one of my current Community Leaders (CL...like RA) Gretchen. She lives in the Chicago area and was home for spring break. She came into the city one day to hang out with me for a few hours. LOVE her! Ps this is a giant silver bean in the city that reflects the downtown area. Strange, but neat!
Drew and I went and ate breakfast at one of the most amazing breakfast places I've eaten at! Yolk...yumm. It was great food and great company.
Stacie now works at Penn State and we were able to reconnect at the conference! :) She worked in CL&L my first year. We still keep in touch and still have a deep friendship! I miss her terribly!

Dave (former supervisor), Tim, and Megan, all ate crab at this great restaurant we went to. We convinced them to wear the bibs :)
A picture of the Baylor peeps at the dinner...I had flounder. Yumm. Most expensive dinner I have ever personally purchased. Yikes.

After Chicago, me and a few friends went down to St. Louis for a few days. I had never been to Missouri...check another state off the list. Woohoo. It was a great few days of touring and just hanging out with friends. Here are a few photos from that trip.

Washington University (WashU) is a beautiful campus. We had wonderful weather and spent an afternoon walking the campus and a large park across from campus. (Me and Tiffani above)

The background is a magnificent fountain/pool and an art museum (free) all located within the giant park. St. Louis seems to have lots of free things to do...and a fairly outdoorsy feel, despite the fact that they are located in the midwest ;)

The Arch. You cannot go to St. Louis and NOT see the arch. It was cloudy out and we got some neat shots of the shadow of the arch in the clouds.

The arch is actually a lot larger than I thought. Although you first think it'll be HUGE, you drive by and think...umm...kinda small. But then you get up close and it again becomes an optical illusion. I'm not sure how big it actually is, but one square is obviously bigger than me...and there were hundreds of thousands of these to create the arch.

Tiffani, Candice, and me at the arch. Brrr. It was cold, we grabbed our pictures, took in the moment, and ran back to the car where Matt was waiting for us.

The four of us went on the Budweiser tour. And by went on the tour, I mean, we went and saw the show room, saw the clydesdales, and then headed to the hospitality room. It was wet and cold out and none of us brought suitable jackets for the excursion.

The other notable thing would be karaoke. Tiffani and I sang...the other two watched. :) It was fun and a wonderful memory.

I was very happy to see my own bed after 10 days of traveling. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the time with friends, presenting, seeing new places, and learning how to be a better educator.