Fall is Here!

Well, folks...the students moved-in today. It's official. My summer is over! I can't tell you how many people around here were morning the passing of summer around here today.

But, the air is starting to get crisp and the leaves are starting to change colors. We start classes on Monday and Fall term is sure to be another busy one. I am planning the first Homecoming in about 15 years at the UO. It's been fun to see people get excited about having it again. Should be a great week and something to build from for years to come.

I am taking 12 credits this term and will be plenty busy with coursework in addition to a pilot study I will conduct at the end of the term. The pilot study will contribute to my dissertation and will put me a bit ahead when I start that big paper next summer.

I am recovering from that super fun knee surgery. It has been a very interesting and frustrating process. Since this was my 3rd knee surgery, my muscles have been fighting me every step of the way. They are very protective of my knee and anything we have tried to do to rehab it. I have been making strides...who knew it would be so difficult to make your quad contract!

John has continued to keep himself super busy and making a huge name for himself. I am so proud of all he has accomplished here already. He secured a $1 million dollar donation to endow the Leadership Resource Office (which he started only 2 years ago) and has started great programs that challenge and support students in their leadership development. I can't tell you how many people have come up to me to tell me how amazing they think he is or how much they admire all he has done.

OH- how could I forget. Justin arrived from Japan and is living with us now. Justin is John's best friend/brother and watching the two of them catch back up has been fun. We are all waiting (Justin more so I am sure) for Junko, Justin's wife, to get her green card and visa so she can move here as well. We are hoping for November at this point. I'm excited for Junko to get here because she is awesome and we are going to have alot of fun together.

Ok, it's time to do some work. Talk to ya'll again soon. :)

What a summer!

Hi folks,

I apologize that it has been SO super long since I have posted on here! Life has just been so incredibly busy and there has been so much going on. That just means I have lots to update you on!

I made it through the academic year and thought that the summer would provide some downtime. HAHAHAHA! Just kidding....that would not be true. But it has been a wonderful summer.

Several things have happened:
- I had family visit twice! My Mom, Logan and Cami came to visit followed a week later by my sister Angie. We had a great time showing them around Oregon. It was great to have family visit and spend time with them in this beautiful place.
- I had ACL reconstruction surgery.
- We moved! New house in a quiet part of town and our friends Justin and Junko are moving in with us when they arrive from Japan.

All of this while working and taking classes...needless to say, it was busy. But again, we had such a blast with my family visiting and were glad to move. Here are some pictures that highlight the summer.

What does today mean?

Well, today was a very tragic day at Virginia Tech University. This morning I got to work and saw the news that a shooting had occured. My heart goes out to every member of the VA Tech community and anyone who may be effected.

As the events unfolded throughout the day and the death toll rose, it seemed surreal. Could this really happen at a University? At places that are havens for learning? Don't get me wrong, we certainly have violence on campus- every place has crime. And with Universities the size they are now a days, campuses are small cities. Imagine a small town of 36,000 people and you are looking at the size of VA Tech. Imagine a Texas A&M or UT where the students alone total 45-50,000 students plus thousands of faculty and staff. But our worst crime tends to be theft, not shootings or murders.

Where I think we have gone wrong in response to all this is the amount of finger pointing and blaming. My gosh...I just spent a couple of hours catching up to the world's response to the events today and I must say that we are the worst! Debates about gun laws and God in schools are everywhere. We can't stop for a moment and morn with those most effected. We can't send condolences and embrace others. Instead we start bitching about politics. I'm so disgusted at this.

We must let the dust settle and respect those who are in pain by embracing them in love right now. Not inundate them with hateful debate and finger pointing.

I don't know what today will mean for the future, but I do know there is great sadness and pain.

Getting Ready

We just finished the second week of the term! Now I have a week and a half until we leave for Japan. We are so excited for this opportunity! John's best friend, Justin, is getting married. Justin has been living in Japan for about the last 5 years and is marrying a woman named Junko. She seems super sweet and we have been emailing lately. She and her Mom are letting me borrow a Kumono to wear to the wedding! Our trip will be 10 days long. We will be getting in 2 days before the wedding. After the wedding, we will spend the week traveling and site-seeing with the newly weds. Honeymoons are not a tradition in Japan and we feel lucky to have time with them. We will be sure to take a million pictures and write about our experiences.

Otherwise, we have been working alot and trying to stay on top of everything. I can't believe it has almost been a year that I have been here. June will mark one year!

Letting a little emotion out...

Hi folks,
I'm just feeling a little exhausted, down, sad...this past term I've had to respond to 4 student deaths. From January to March, four young people have died and I've happened to be the person on duty. A friend of mine here said to me, "Amber, you're suppose to be there. The person that helps others through this. You're suppose to be the one." At first, that made me feel really good. That I could help someone carry the load, help someone through a difficult time. Now I need to step back a moment.

This past week I've watched 18-24 year old men cry, hug each other and publicly say "I love you, man." The men might not otherwise do this, but they were holding each other up and taking care of each other. It was such an amazingly beautiful thing during such a dark time. To watch the character of the family to not be angry at the person or situation that took their son's life...recognizing the common grief, sadness and burden that they and the person that killed their son would both carry with them the rest of their lives. These were the gifts I have been given this past week.

As hard as each of these situations have been, I have learned so much. Its amazing how the death of people that you never personally knew can effect you. These four students were very different people, but they were loved so much by everyone around them. Each and every one of us touches someone else with our lives whether we knew them or not. They each left a legacy by displaying the content of their character through the way they treated others. I didn't know these four students, but the legacy they left has touched me. I can only hope to live up to the life that these four students lived. Now I feel a little better...thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

Verdict is in....

Well, I went to the doctor yesterday and he confirmed...I've torn my ACL AGAIN!

Bright side of the story is I don't need immediate surgery and can take my trips that I have planned:
- Chicago for St. Pattys
- Conference in Orlando first of April
- Japan late april

Bad news is I will have to have the major surgery and I can't do it until August given my school and work schedule.

Other than that, life is busy with school and work. Not too many quiet times between those two things, but we are doing well. Hope life is great with you!

Why Can't I Be Invincible?

Well folks...two posts in one week! It's your lucky day!

Just feeling a little down and frustrated at the moment and thought I would post. See, two weeks ago John, Chris (good friend of John's) and I went snow skiing. Now, for some of you who have known me for years know that I have had 2 surgeries on my left knee- all for my ACL. Yeah- you can see where this is going...

So we went skiing and all was going well. Beautiful day, beautiful snow, beautiful scenery. We had been down the mountain about 6 times and all was going well. Before we took a lunch break, one more run.


So we get on the ski lift and up we go! Chris on the far left, John in the middle and Amber on the right side. We get to the top and get ready to get off the lift. As we stand up and ski down, I catch the back of John's ski with my left ski and try to turn right. When I do this, my right ski goes right and my left ski stays put. So now I'm starting to do the splits and as I go to fall down- pop. My knee pops out of joint and I am down for the count. Not a comfortable place to be with your head in the snow and your legs in god knows what direction. Luckily between John and the medic at the lift they were able to get my skis off and stand me up. Of course, I totally stopped the entire lift for about 5 minutes. I knew it was hurt and couldn't/wouldn't attempt to ski back down. Jan, the volunteer medic, put me in the sled and skied me down the mountain behind her.

Here I am in the ski patrol station waiting for my make shift, cardboard box, splint to be put together and duck taped to my leg. Since we had taken a shuttle, I spent the rest of the day in the lodge drinking bloody mary's and watching others ski or fall down the mountain.

Today I was finally able to visit the Orthopedic doc who looked at my leg, did a knee exam and said, "Well, I think it's torn again." The fact that I can't straighten my leg could mean two things- 1) the ACL is torn or 2) the meniscus is torn. I go in for a MRI on Friday night...yeah, John and I are having a date with the big loud machine. We'll see what the shows us when I meet with the doc again on Feb 12th. Until then, I'll be hobblin' around and taking the shuttle to class. Anyone want to buy some nice ski pants and goggles?


I'll keep you posted...

Sorry for being MIA...I'm back!

Howdy, hello, hola,

So I disappeared since NOVEMBER! AAAHHH! Never meant for that to happen. So where to even start on what been going on over the last couple of months.

Thanksgiving was nice even though I was on duty for work. We were able to sneak away to John's parents for lunch. I did a little day after Thanksgiving shopping and then it was back to work and school. The term ended well and I survived my first term of working and going to school full time. The winter break was wonderful- we were able to visit Texas, thanks to my parents and had so much fun. The nieces are getting so big and funnier by the minute. Logan is 5 now and is already a little scientist. She asked for a frog dissection kit (fake frog :)) and microscope. I just get such a kick out of her and am so glad she is exploring all the world has to offer without being confined to "girls" stuff. Everyone in the family is doing well and seeing them was energizing and rejuvenating. Nothing can replace spending quality time with family.

We started the winter term off with the same crazy weather that brought ice and snow to the south. The weather couldn't be better now though, as the sun has been out all week! So, it's been back to the books and busy at work. Family weekend is coming up in 2 weeks and graduation planning is under way.

That's the story in a super, small nutshell. I'll be making sure I post more frequently in the future! Thanks for staying with me here!

What is Peace?

Let me just tell you, life has been so busy! I feel like John and I have been running and running. But, at the same time there has been all this noise, work and craziness I have found myself at peace. I have this magnet up in my office and it caught my eye the other day. This is what peace means to me. I have to be busy and be involved in a million things, but as long as I am calm in my heart I am fine.

Well, I am very calm in my heart. I have so many wonderful people around me to share in this life with- John, my family, and many friends. No matter how far away you are or how often I get to see you, know that I think of you often and send you well wishes. Each of you gives me strength and gives me peace in my heart.

Happy Halloween

Fun times this past weekend as John and I opened up our new place for the first of many socials to come! We had a great time hanging out with some fun new friends. So much fun that we actually didn't go to bed until 5am Saturday night! Yikes! Needless to say the party was a success and we weren't feeling really old anymore. ;)

Here's a picture of some of the crazy crew:

And, these are our nice new neighbors:


What our place looked like before everyone arrived:

Moms Visit to Oregon

It was a super fun weekend filled with lots of sight seeing and laughs. Mom came to visit from Sept 28th to Oct 3rd. It was her first visit to Oregon and the only time that she had been able to come and visit me without having to move me somewhere! I think she was probably relieved to not have to move boxes. But she did help me add some decorative touches to our new home. The kitties were so excited to meet their Grammy and garnered all the attention they could get while she was here.



On Saturday we drove up to Corvallis to hang out with a good friend and go to the Oregon State game. It was a beautiful day for a football game- the sun was shining and the temperature was about 80 degrees. The Beavers were not victorious, but we had a great time.



Oregon Wine Country was our adventure that Sunday after we had breakfast with Tiffany and Alex, our new wonderful friends. John was our DD, and we visited 5 wineries. Again, the weather was just perfect and we enjoyed the wine and views of the area. By the time we made it to Sweet Cheeks, my favorite, Mom was in the mood to ask about having a wedding there! I think she had a great time and it was fun to take her to see all the places she had heard about.



The last day was spent on the beautiful Oregon Coast. We met John's parents in Florence for a little breakfast and blackjack at the Casino. It was nice to have Mom meet John's parents and to see them connect. After breakfast, we drove north on Highway 101 and stopped along the way to explore and take pictures. There were so many beautiful things to see that day. We visited Cape Perpetua were there are tidal pools in the rocks and waves crashing in. It was another amazing day for us.

Then it came time for Mom to leave for home and to return to everyday life. This week was the second week of classes and all seems to be going well. I'm glad that Mom was able to get out before life gets extremely busy and before the rains come for winter. It's always so nice to have your Mom with you, no matter hold old you get. There's nothing that can replace the comfort and peace that she brings. I love you Mom! Thanks for sharing time with us!

Fall is Here

This week has marked the official beginning of fall for me. School hasn't started yet at the University of Oregon and it hit me on Monday that the first day is right around the corner. Which for me not only means a busy work schedule, but a busy school schedule as well. I must admit I'm pretty nervous about working full time and going to school full time.

So with this realization and the fact that the temperature dropped into the 60's, I am seeing the change of the season. I do enjoy the different seasons and fall weather makes for great football watching weather. We have been watching football all day! :) A nice weekend of relaxation before the craziness hits!

Not much more to report...which I think is a good thing.

Labor Day in Victoria, BC

Amber, John, Sam, Geoff, Kelly and Tate


The last weekend trip was made this past weekend as John and I traveled up to Vancouver Island in Canada. We went to visit John's good friend Geoff and his partner and kiddos. We left at 5am on Friday morning to drive up to Port Angeles, WA. From there we took an hour and a half ferry ride to Victoria and arrived around 3pm.

Geoff met us at the ferry and we drove around the island a bit so we could see a few of the sights. Then we went on to the house and met up with Kelly, Sam and Tate. They were wonderful hosts! That night we had a great dinner downtown and walked around some of the shops. The next day we formed our own biker gang- Scooter Frenzy! I only almost wrecked once, into Kelly....and maybe ran through a yellow light...but this chopper momma survived. We had a great lunch on the water before heading home. The weather was just perfect...not too hot, not too cold.

It was a great time to be in a beautiful place, with super friends. Can't get much better than that...

New Home

After we returned from our wonderful trip to Hawaii, it was time to move one more time. The lease was up on our apartment at the end of July and we wanted more space. We searched all of Eugene and came upon a great deal.

We are now renting a 3 bedroom townhouse. We are only the second people to live in it and the previous tenants were only here for 4 months while they were waiting on their house to be built. Needless to say, it is brand new and still even smelled like a new house when we moved in! Both John and I really like the new place and the kitties seem to enjoy it as well. They think the stairs are a race track and race each other up and down the stairs.

Now we are prioritizing projects....the first purchase has been a BBQ grill. :)

Home sweet home.

HAWAII

On Sunset Beach

On a sunset cruise

At dinner before the Magic Show

Where we went snorkeling

Well folks, we made the trip and it was AMAZING!!!! If you haven't been, you need to visit. We had such a good time. The flight there wasn't too bad since we flew from the West coast...everyone else had 9 or more hour flights while ours was 5 1/2 hours. We arrived to a greeting of fresh flower leis and were taken to our hotel. We were in Waikiki Beach and were a block or so from the beach. In between the beach and our hotel were stores like Gucci, Prada, etc.

The first night we had drinks on the beach and watched the sunset. The next day we went to an Orientation where we could sign up for tours and activities. After that we enjoyed Mai Tai's at the mall and then took in a Luau that night. We got up the next day to take our Grand Island Tour where we drove all around the Island of Oahu. There was so much to see- the North Shore, the Dole Plantation, Beaches, Hanuama Bay, National Cemetary of the Pacific. It took most of the day but was well worth seeing the entire island. Then we enjoyed some dinner and took in a Polynesian Magic Show. Afterwards we visited the International Marketplace that stayed open until about 10pm (as did most of the stores!). John was able to bargin very well and we purchased lots of goodies here.

Day 3 had us up EARLY because we had to be on the bus to head to the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. We were on the bus at 6:30am and in line until 8:30 when we finally were in the museum. Then they show you a short documentary and take you out to the memorial. It was quite the experience and I was really glad we took the time to visit. We then went by the Palace where the Hawaiian Royal family resided. There are many things around Honolulu that are named for the family, including a private school, women's hospital and other state buildings. That evening we took a Sunset Cruise where we ate dinner and sat with a couple who were starting their trip around the world. We were also able to see our Louisiana friends who were booked on all the same activities and tours we were.

By the time we were on day 4, we were kind of tired of being touristy but our activity that day was by far the neatest. We went on Uncle Bob's Snorkeling trip which took us out of Honolulu and to a near by bay. We jumped on a catamaran and set out on the ocean. We traveled along the shore where we were soon upon a large sandbar. As the water turned from blue to turquoise, you could see sea turtles swimming along. We anchored by the sandbar and all got out to enjoy some swimming and water volleyball. Then we enjoyed some lunch over looking the ocean and spectacular shore. After lunch, it was time to snorkel and we headed to a coral reef. Where the boats anchored there was deep water and then a coral reef appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Of course, as scared as I am of the water anyway I was waiting until lots of people got in the water. John was already in the water and some people were making their way around the reef. Just then someone on the boat yelled, "shark!" You know how I feel about sharks- freaked me out completely!!!!!!! It was a tiger shark that was swimming over the far side of the reef. I didn't get in the water for a little while longer and everyone else seemed ok so I jumped in. It was still scary- I didn't want to look! I finally did and saw the reef and all the fish and several eels. The eels were scary to me, but I held my own. All in all it was a wonderful experience.

The next day and our last day, we slept in and packed up so we could check our lugage at the hotel. We went out to the marketplace again and purchased some last minute gifts. Did I mention that over the course of our trip John purchased 12 Hawaiian (as they call them- Aloha) shirts? Then we had a red-eye flight back to Portland that left at 11pm.

What a trip it was and I enjoyed every single minute of it. We were already talking about our next trip out. Maui next time I think. But who knows, everyone told us to visit the big island and see the volcano. While we live in Oregon we might as well take advantage of the cheap airfare and shorter flights, right!?!?!

The Move to Oregon

Hi folks!
It's been a while since I've posted, but wanted to update everyone on the move. Overall it went really well. John arrived in Florida on June 7th and we had some lunch with Jlow before heading to a farewell party given for us from Jan, my supervisor at FSU. It was alot of fun for everyone to meet John and to be able to spend time with people before heading out. We payed homage to On The Border (OTB) later that night with several of the usual OTB crowd. They named the sangria swirl after me- Amberita. It was a great!

The next day, June 8th, was spent running errands all around Tallahassee to get final things ready to ship everything off to Oregon before we could leave. Mikey B came over and assisted. Then it was time to have a goodbye dinner with my roomie, Katie. After dinner, John and I got on the road and drove to Baton Rouge. Then we drove the rest of the way to Austin the next day.

We went to Austin because my friend Marissa is having a baby and the AGD Oldcrew was in town for a shower, while our men floated the Guadalupe. The weekend was lots of fun and it was so great to see everyone! That was the first time in several years that the ENTIRE group was together. We had a blast and the shower went very well. The men made it back on Sunday after camping and floating the river very tired and sunburned.

We tried to drive to Cleburne on Sunday but the Yukon-do-it just couldn't do it. The transmission went out and we found ourselves back at Marissa's until my Mom could drive down and get us. At least we made it to Texas. Then John flew back to Oregon on Monday and I stayed with the family until June 15th. I got lots of quality time with the nieces who are SSSOOO adorable.

I started my new job as the Director of Family Programs and Commencement at the University of Oregon on June 16th! I am now employeed full time again which is huge for the finances. I will still be a full time student as well, so the coming year of work and school will be incredibly busy. But at least John and I are in the same state, city and time zone!

The week here has flown by and I already feel so at home. The people I get to work with are great and my job should be alot of fun. We've already visited my favorite winery- Sweet Cheeks- and its good to be home with John and the kitties. But, I leave tomorrow for HAWAII until July 5th! I'll be sure to write about our travels and post some pics when I return! Happy July 4th! Safe celebrations and talk to you soon!

LOL- Stephen Colbert

So I just had to post the link to the speech Stephen Colbert gave at the White House Correspondents Dinner. Laughing Out Loud!!!

http://dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/4/30/1441/59811

One Year Down!

Well folks, I am writing to you the week after finals to say I made it! One academic year of schoolwork is down. Now just several more to go. :)

I can honestly say that I am so happy to be a student again. I am passionate about learning and taking in as much as I can right now and there is soooooo much to learn. The more I learn, the more and more I see how complex the issues are in education. I can't wait to dive in even further and begin to define a research question.

Now, I'm working full-time in the First Year Experience office. Another change of pace for me- I went from full-time, to part-time, back to full-time. Neither easier than the other, just very different schedules for me to adjust to and manage. I'll work all through May and then John and I will drive to Texas on June 9th. We will be attending Marissa's baby shower on June 11th and then John flies back to Oregon. I'm not sure when I'll head out to Oregon. Maybe June 15th or so depending if I get a job I've applied for. I applied for a full time job as the Director of Family Programs and Commencement. Keep your fingers crossed!

Well, just wanted to put an update on life as it is now. Ever changing, but always fun!

Oregon Here I Come!

Well folks, it's official! I'm moving to Oregon this summer! I know, I know...I just moved...I just like moving from one end of the country to the other. LOL

Just kidding...the GREAT news is that I was admitted to the doctoral program at the University of Oregon! YEA!!! It was a hard decision to make because the program at FSU has been wonderful and I couldn't ask for a better experience for a doctoral program. The experience wasn't complete though. John and I have been doing great, but long distance just sucks. Plus, I'm racking up a lot of debt just being here. So now I can have both my personal and professional life in one place. Very happy and excited to have that again.

So, thats the latest and greatest from me. I am absolutely swamped right now with schoolwork. April 25th will be the end of the semester for me. Year one down...several more to go!

Just wanted to say "HELLO" to everyone out there. I've been traveling all over the place these days which has kept me out of the loop. It's conference season! Now it's back to the craziness of school. I have 8 major papers/projects due between now and April 18th. STRESS! I'll make it through I suppose.

I will have some big news to share in the next couple of weeks so keep you ears/eyes open!

Hope everyone is doing well. I miss my free time to catch up with you.