From Michigan to Mountains

So I finally made it to Utah. Unfortunately, my unfinished dissertation came with me. ;-) ABD was good enough for my sister, however, who threw a big family party for me.
























This is the building where I work.



















It was designed with a big courtyard in the center so that every office would have a large window.



















My office is located on the front side of the building. This is the view. Pretty amazing, huh?!




















This is my office. You'll notice that my 90 boxes of teaching materials (yes, literally) have not yet arrived. Ohhhh how I miss them! Thank goodness for technology (and the wiki to which I uploaded so many of my files).




















However, when things do finally arrive, I'll have my very own ladder with which to reach them all! :-)
























The learning curve has been steep, and I've had my fill of "change" and "new" for awhile. Nonetheless, the environment here is amazing. I've felt very welcome, very supported, and have access to tremendous resources. I teach in tech-loaded classrooms.



















The classroom where I teach also has an observation booth (should I ever desire to have someone observe)!




















I can take my students to spaces like this . . .



















Or we can cook in spaces like this!



















So far, it has been a very happy place to work! My students are great and there are plenty of interesting things to keep me occupied. Unfortunately, that also makes it hard to invest time and energy in the dissertation. I've made great progress over these last few days, however. I hope I'm closer to being done that it feels!

Oh Deer!

I was on the way to my voice lesson today and just as I rounded the corner and looked over toward the busy Speedway (just before the turn onto the freeway), to my shock and surprise, I saw 2 baby deer. I pulled into the Speedway to see if I could sneak a photo. They noticed me . . .









However, they must have been hungry, because they went right back to grazing in the empty field right beside the gas station. I was so focused on the deer that I failed to capture the context--but you can see from the car how close the road was. It is a VERY busy road and a stream of traffic was pouring past these two little guys.





I was able to walk closer and closer. They took turns noticing, but would then go right back to grazing. I think I could have gotten even closer but for the fact that the honk of a big truck's air brakes startled them and they started to move away. Nonetheless, I found it a beautiful metaphor for finding peace in the midst of a world gone mad!






Of course, there are all SORTS of other lessons to be learned. They are clearly very young, very inexperienced, very naive little deer whose perspectives are still so limited that they can't appreciate the very grave danger of their situation--out there in the open, so close to people, and so near the treacherous highway. I'm sure we are all like them from time to time!

However, this does make me think I may be developing an interest in nature photography as a hobby--though I need to make some serious improvements in the composition of my photos first!

Did you know . . .?

I awoke Thanksgiving morning feeling a little sorry for myself because I was staying in Michigan instead of spending the holiday with my family in Kansas. However, several friends here invited me to spend the day in their homes. As I enjoyed my day, I found myself reflecting on the blessings of a ward family and thinking about the other people and places I love:

Did you know . . . that the little things you say and do have changed (and continue to change) what I think, who I am, and the shape and direction of my life?

There are so many times that your words pop into my head, that I hear phrases you say coming out of my mouth, that I see the world through your eyes, that I feel your influence in my heart, and that I am grateful that some of the person you are has become a part of the person I am!

Then I am amazed when I think about how long ago those words were said, those thoughts were shared, and that influence was planted. It reminds me to be careful . . . and it makes me smile!

Michigan the Magnificent

Photo Collage by Dundoo