House Work

For the past week and a half, every spare moment went to working on painting our dining room. Or, actually, not painting but scraping wallpaper, patching holes (big ones!), cracks, and dents in the plaster, taping, and finally painting (two coats of primer, one of paint). I can honestly say that it was the worst house job I've ever had to do. Ever. And JD agrees. We spent many an afternoon whining at each other about how much we hate what we're doing. But it's over, finally. Here are the before, during, and after shots:



So, you wonder, what has Gizmo been up to during all this house work? Well, she's been getting herself into quite a bit of trouble:

First Day of School

My PhD program has begun, as has teaching English 101 for the year. I've been attending Instructor Orientation/Training for the past week, and today I got to find out how much I'd actually absorbed as I tried to explain all these new concepts to the incoming Freshmen. Those poor students! They were terrified; I could practically see them shaking in their chairs as I introduced them to their first college class. The room stayed silent and still as I covered the syllabus with them; if only their behavior would remain so respectful! But give them a few months, and all that awe will turn into confident attitude. As long as they learn something... I attended my linguistics class today as well, which, although a mixed undergrad/grad class, has several PhD students from the Instructor Training that I know. It will probably be my least favorite class of the semester, but I'm excited about it all right now. Tomorrow is my first real children's lit class!!...

Julie's Favorite Things

#1: American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

This young adult graphic novel is amazing. It intersperses three stories - one of a monkey king, one of a young Chinese immigrant, and one of a teenage American with an embarrassing Chinese cousin (think Long Duck Dong). The stories inform each other throughout and come together at the end with a great message. Plus, the genre is so fun to read! This is the first graphic novel I've read, and I'm hooked. I highly, highly recommend this book.

#2: Brandi Carlile

Okay, so I'm probably the last person to hear about her, but it wasn't until JD and I started watching the Olympics obsessively that I heard her sing. You know, she's the singer for the Chevy commercial that plays about 25 times a night during the Olympics broadcast? Check out her website: http://www.brandicarlile.com/, and listen to my favorite song of hers, "The Story":

Settling In

JD and I just enjoyed our first weekend in Illinois, and I have to admit that it was a pretty good one. Friday, we tried a local favorite, Lucca Grill, in downtown Bloomington, where you need reservations at all times (it's just a pizza joint!). We didn't realize we needed reservations, so the owner squeezed us in, but we had to eat and leave in 30 mins! It was still fun, even with the hurry. Saturday, JD totally reorganized the basement, which, if you'd seen it before, is amazing. And it now smells bearable. We attended a party at ISU's Writing Program Director's house Saturday night where JD got to meet all the new Teaching Assistants. It was nice for him to put faces with my stories! Today we tried a church and explored the city's Constituiton Trail - 28 miles of biking and walking trails that connect Bloomington and Normal.
We biked really far (at least if you ask me)! Yard work and grilling out closed our fun weekend.

We feel lucky (although, of course, God had it planned all along) to have bought this house. The location couldn't be better, and we didn't really realize what a great location it had until we'd moved in. It makes me feel good to realize how deeply God is involved in all that's going on with us right now. Although we're up here in unchartered territory, we're not alone.

1 Week in Illinois

Well, we've been camping in the Prairie State for one week now, and things are settling down. JD started his new job at Whirlpool on Monday, which is going nicely. I reported to the ISU campus today for the first day of my Teaching Assistant orientation. Needless to say, I'm exhaused. They do everything differently up here in Illinois; there is so much to learn, and I have to teach it all in ten days! The homesickness is improving somewhat, but I think it will get worse again on the weekend. Poor JD has been so supportive and understanding! I spent the first part of the week unpacking, and I am now thoroughly sick of it. Humor me though, and gaze with appreciation at my beautiful bookshelves. Allow me to explain. Here in the foyer, we have classics organized alphabetically on the left, contemporary fiction organized alphabetically on the upper right, and self-help/religious/non-fiction (memoirs)/miscellaneous on the bottom right. In my study,
we have children's/young adult fiction and non-fiction alphabetically on the left and reference materials on the right. I've already warned JD that I'll never be able to live in a house without built-in bookshelves again! I'm spoiled. And now you can all stop giving your computers those smirks and call me. Because I miss you all so much.

Hello from Normal, IL

We're here. It's been a crazy weekend, but we're here. We packed up in Atlanta on Wednesday morning with Grandmother and Grandaddy Batson's help. It took a daunting seven hours at the end of which, hot, sweaty, and tired, we jumped in the Jeep and sped out of town to avoid the evening traffic. We stayed in Paducha, KY Wednesday night, rising early to arrive in Bloomington by noon. Our closing went smoothly Thursday afternoon, and Phillip and Gizmo pulled into town right as we finished up, making an amazing ten-and-a-half hour trip in the Uhaul. My poor family got stuck at Hartsfield for two-and-a-half hours during a rain delay, so their flight didn't land until late Thursday night. Friday was unloading day, and we were all amazed at how much we accomplished in just a few hours. We cleaned up early to eat out at Maggie Miley's, a great Irish Pub in downtown Normal. Saturday saw us unpacking rooms while JD and Phillip worked hard to install an electric garage door opener. Michael flew out Saturday night to make some events he had planned for Sunday, and the rest of the crew left us this morning after tearful goodbyes. It has been crazy, and now we're living up here in Illinois. JD is so excited. He says it feels like a fun vacation. I'm still adjusting, and I think it might take a while. I already miss my family so much. Thanks to everyone who helped with the move (either directly or through prayer!). I can't believe that the summer is already over.