October 9, 2014 by Stephanie

35 Before 35 Update

The last month really seems like it flew by. I think I did pretty good this month on my list.

1. Crochet something else besides blankets or scarves at least once a year

I made a tie and hat for a photo prop. It was my first successful attempt at a hat!

2. Do a photography challenge

My challenge is to get my DSLR out at least once a week to photograph George in some way. I have been successful so far! Here are a couple shots.

IMG_5843 bw

3. ~~Visit 5 cities I have never been to before~~ (5/5)

4. Tour at least one of the distilleries in the KY/TN area

5. Send at least 5 snail mail a month

I am pretty proud of myself that I have kept up with this each month. And let’s talk about how expensive stamps have gotten!

6. Become a “professional” photographer

I have some shoots coming up with some friends of ours that I could not be more excited to help capture!

7. Run at least 10 races (any distance) (1/10)

I am thinking of doing one over Thanksgiving. I just got cleared to go back to my normal workouts this week. Passed that 6 week post-partum check up like a boss. Anyone want to do a 5k with me?

8. Go camping with Tom

9. Pay for the car behind me in a drive through

We haven’t eaten out at all this month, so there is that..

10. See Tyrone Wells live as many times as possible

11. ~~Tour Fort Defiance here in Clarksville~~

12. Water ski with my dad

13. Do a 5K with my mom

14. Take a swing dance class with Tom

15. Read at least one fun book a month and one professional development book every three months

Work in progress. I am making gains in both areas. Slow and steady.

16. Take a pottery or stained glass class

17. Do one new recipe each month

I totally rocked this one this month! I have decided crockpots will be the thing I buy for wedding gifts. Seriously the best kitchen invention ever. (Ok maybe a tie with the Kitchenaid) Here are the recipes I tried out this month and whether we thought it was a hit or miss.
- Pesto Ranch Crockpot Chicken-We loved this! It was super duper easy too. Lot of left overs!
- Pumpkin Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies-I loved these! (And they have helped with my breastfeeding, just saying) Tom thought they were too fancy and lacked the appropriate icing.
- Meatloaf-This recipe was perfect, and fairly easy. Another must keep in my cooking repertoire.
- Corn Mac and Cheese-another crockpot win and stupid easy. Tom says this is the best mac and cheese he has ever tasted! Yes! It also makes a ton so there were lots of yummy left overs.
- Chicken Teriyaki-Great recipe for us to put in that didn’t have cheese. (Pretty much every meal finds cheese, so I have really tried finding recipes that don’t.)
- Garlic Asparagus-Almost always our vegetable ends up being peas, so again I am trying to get us to branch out. This is a easy, quick, and yummy recipe!
- Pot Roast-We used deer meat for this and actually made this on two separate occasions. It was perfect to get in the fall mood!
I am really loving meal planning. I find it is helping me get more creative in the kitchen instead of having the same chicken dish or hamburger helper each night. Any recipes you recommend? I like easy…

18. See both a Clemson and UCM football game live

19. Find a place to volunteer on a regular basis

20. Go hiking

21. Ride in a hot air balloon

22. Go to at least 20 “new to me” restaurants. (16/20)

23. Stay at a bed and breakfast

24. Spend a day without electronics (phone, t.v. and computer)

25. Have a Kentucky Derby themed 30th birthday party.

26. Explore Nashville while we live here

We are wanting to make a trip to the zoo sometime soon, but we are still trying to figure out the best “out of the house” schedule for George. I feel really limited since we are breastfeeding.

27. Watch at least 10 movies that I have not seen before that won Best Picture at the Oscars and at least 20 documentaries (not necessarily Oscar winning) Movies (2/10); Documentaries (7/20)

I watched Argo which won Best Picture in 2013.
I watched two documentaries.
- Schooled which is about college athletes and the price tag of collegiate sports. Great watch, and so many discussion topics! I could see this being used in any higher education curriculum and Student Affairs professional development round table.
- Happy which is about just that-happiness. It interviews people from around the world and describes different levels of happiness. Happiness research is fairly new, so it was really interesting to see a positive spin from psychologists. I also liked that it compared different cultures.

28. Sew an item of clothing from scratch

29. Do a personal devotional/bible study on my own

30. Be a mascot for an event

31. Go on our honeymoon (preferably somewhere tropical)

32. Host an annual NCAA Basketball Tournament Championship game party

33. Go on a mission trip

34. Be on a recreation volleyball team

35. ~~Become a mom~~

Ok, maybe I just thought I did really good because of all the recipes…Until next month.

May 9, 2014 by Stephanie

Letter to My 9 Year Old Self

Dear 9 year old Stephanie,

Today is our birthday! It’s your ninth in the year 1994, and my 29th in 2014. I know that this is a big birthday for you since it is our golden birthday but also the last year in the single digits!

Yes this is us right before our 9th birthday party. I am not sure why we thought that pose was necessary.

Seeing as I have 20 years of “Stephanie” life on you, I thought I would give you some birthday advice as you grow a little year older.

You are about to end 3rd grade. The next two years of school happen to be your favorite. While we have always wanted to be a teacher, Mrs. Daily and Mrs. Absher inspire you to become an elementary school teacher down the road. They were some of the best educators we have ever had. You will go back for years to visit and even volunteer for Mrs. Absher in high school. I will tell you that at 29, we are still in education, but our teaching is not happening in an elementary school. We spent one semester as an elementary major before we changed to high school, which is still not what we are doing. But I will let you figure that out as we go. That journey is a pretty good one, so I won’t spoil it.

That art behind you is not yours, but that award is all yours. Yea we are awesome.

Speaking of what we want to do, college is already on your mind, which is good. You are smart. To our detriment at times, we put really high standards on ourselves to be perfect. There are times that we could have relaxed when it came to school things, but we both know that is not how we work. And from me to you, that hard work pays off in the end. We graduated high school with a 4.0, and were able to pay for two complete college degrees all with scholarships because of that hard work and dedication. I am pretty thankful now to have zero debt because of that determination. We are taking our time to relax now, don’t you worry. We may have only applied to one school for college, but in the end it was the best decision because your life changed for the better because of that choice. Your change of career path was a good thing that was all made because of experiences during college. You met some of the most influential people there, and I would like to think that decision led you to your future husband.

At 9, I know we saw our life at my age to be a glorious one. We would be married with two kids and a career in teaching. We would not be married to a cop that is for sure, but probably another teacher, because that is how our parents did it. I will just say that life is all about the unexpected, so don’t get dead set on really anything. None of it happens the way we planned, but that is part of the fun.

Career wise, I would say we are not in a place that we ever imagined. While we don’t regret ANY of the decisions that we made to get to this place, we just had hoped for different circumstances that are way beyond our control. There are some good and bad days, and there are a lot of days that you will feel completely helpless and alone. I would say keep on trucking with our positive attitude, because in the end we can only affect our own reaction to what is put in front of us. We are however learning a lot. There is a light at the end of this tunnel, and I just know that our career is going to be making some very positive changes here soon. Our career may not have been the priority recently and we aren’t in a position of our dreams, God had other reasons for us to be here right now. Eventually you will see that, so just breathe and let the worry go, you perfectionist. Take every opportunity to learn and grow because you never know what doors it may open or what God is trying to put on your heart. And always trust that God will provide. Always.

There are going to be some rough times ahead in school. In the next year alone, there will be a week that you come down with poison ivy ALL OVER your body, and it also happens to coincide with the week we do square dancing in gym class. You think that you are living out a real life Oregon Trail moment because no one will pick you to be your partner, and you feel left behind. Trust me, I doubt that most people even remember you look like something out of a horror film. You get past it. Also we have not had poison ivy since. So there’s that.

Sorry to break it to you, but you will never be popular. I think we are just too quiet for that, plus we never really liked the spotlight anyway. There are days that you spend hours crying over the fact that we aren’t cool. I wish I could say don’t do that, but I think it always hurts no matter the age to not feel wanted. You get picked on for being a nerd until you graduate high school. I won’t lie that there are some awful days, which fortunately worked out for us because it only fueled you to study more and work harder to move away to college. And college became a great escape from high school because there was only 6 from our graduating class that attended our school. So just keep on trucking, it gets better.

More on friends though, while you may look at the popular kids and want what they have, you are surrounded by some of the greatest friends. You were in a good group, who happened to be just as nerdy as you. So it worked out for you in the end. In the fourth grade, you meet a boy that you hate in elementary school. He seems like the meanest kid to you because he calls you “Sassafras.” (It’s no wonder we were in the nerd crowd.) To your surprise though, eventually you all become very close, and he was one of your best friends in high school. So cool your jets on this kid.

The creator of Sassafras and you are still friends to this day. So don’t be so worried about who aren’t your friends, but be appreciative of who ARE your friends.

Even at 9 years old, which is five years after Mom and Dad got divorced, it is still sometimes hard to live the double life with both parents. But try to look at the positives you gain from it: double the holidays which means double the food, double the love, double the experience from different lifestyles. Your parents love you, and only want what is the best for you. There are days we don’t treat them the greatest because we feel like we have something to prove. It takes us a long time to tell them I am sorry, which is something I wish I could change. Just make sure to try to include them the best that you can. The path we choose is to not live near our family, so enjoy this time you have with them now because there is a long stretch that there are hours and states that separate you. And plus you have a lot to learn from our parents because here on our 29th birthday, I sit here anxiously awaiting to become a parent myself in 4 months.

Not only is your time limited with them, but our grandparents as well. Luckily our career choice in education eventually take us to South Carolina which is where Grandma Ruth and Grandpa Christmas live. You get to spend two years practically in the same town. Take the time to eat meals with them (no matter how many times they insist on taking you to the Western Sizzler) because soon after you graduate they will no longer be with us. So cherish that time you have with them because it is something that becomes very dear to you. And your grandparents in KC, visit them as often as you can because they are just the best role models of a loving couple and human beings. And as I said, we soon move far away and are not able to see them quite as often as you do now.

And as for Randall, you are getting to the point where he is probably becoming more obnoxious than cute little brother. I know that he comes and takes things from your room or does other little boy things to you, but trust me, he is not as bad as he gets the rap for (which lets be honest comes mostly from us…). Give him a break. And surprise, he becomes a parent before you do!

I mentioned earlier that you meet your husband in college. At 9, I know you are wanting to know what sort of fairy tale story got us to our knight in shining armor. First, you must know that there are a lot of other boys who came first. (Ok not a lot a lot, but a few.) Some of those relationships will be devastating. There are a couple boys that you thought at the time you would never get over. When we fall in love, we fall in love hard. Remember to be who you are, and never change your ambitions to fit that of someone else. There are some relationships that you go into hastily just because you want to be loved. I promise you that if you are patient, love will find you. I will also say that it will be by someone who blindsides you. So don’t go for the obvious, find someone who will challenge you every day, but also someone who supports you completely. Also humor is important. Your future husband is one of the funniest people you will ever meet. Basically he is a dreamboat, so again just be ready for the unexpected. Love is a great thing. You will experience all the ups and downs and variations of love before you happen upon your great love. So just remember that a guy doesn’t make you who you are, you do. So just move past each crushing break up and remember who you want to be. (Also, you break some hearts too if that helps your confidence any. But now that I think about it, generally, we took these hard too because we are people pleasers…)

All in all, you have a fun life ahead. There are going to be some really high highs, and some really low lows. Always remember to believe in yourself and be good to others. Although, don’t worry too much about being a perfectionist and what others think of you because it can become a burden more than a blessing, and there are times that you may lose sight of who you are.

Continue writing thank you notes and creating things. That peach crochet blanket that you have been struggling with for 2 years…yea crochet becomes quite the hobby for you someday. Also, most of the art in your house will be homemade, which your husband and I think is pretty swell. Continue reading as much as you can. Stories are your escape in so many ways. Anne of Green Gables never gets old so read and watch it as much and as often as you can. You will always be a bookwork. Keep on asking for the American Girl doll and books. I know it seems like the parents aren’t listening, but eventually, you get to hold one of those dolls as your very own. And yes, we still have her and all her accessories almost 20 years later.

In the end, count your blessings and thank God every day. Focus on the things that matter and enjoy each moment to the fullest. Trust that God has a plan for you, and just keep moving forward and laugh a lot. Smiling generally makes things better.

And if all of this didn’t get you excited about the next 20 years, at least you have this to look forward to next year…

I promise being this orange bird was one of your favorite moments of 4th grade.

Now go enjoy some of our favorite ice cream cake (the one with the extra ice cream cones on the top) and get ready for the traditional Glinn rendition of “Happy Birthday,” which by the way has not stopped to this day.

All the best,

29 year old Stephanie

May 5, 2013 by Stephanie

Boomerang

“Whatever you give to the person standing next to you, it eventually comes back to you.”

This week I will start my last closing as a housing professional, for the immediate future anyway. It is hard to believe in two weeks I will be three states away and about to embark on a whole new life: one with my husband and one without Residence Life.

Since I have been living in the residence halls since I graduated high school ten years ago (minus my one lone year off campus while student teaching, but still within spitting distance of the residence halls lol), it is hard to imagine not living in a college town and on campus. I have spent a lot of time recently reflecting on the past 9 years and how much residence life has impacted me. I found out who I was in the halls. I found some of my closest friends. I found that my passion is teaching but not how I had imagined it my whole life. Residence Life has given me so much from being a resident to student staff member to professional. Now I have to let it go and cut the cord per say. This girl is moving off campus for reals this time.

Not really knowing how to pay homage to my residence life history or in the right mindset to say goodbye, I started scouring my photos. There lies so many memories. So many late nights, events, conversations, meals, tears, laughter-such richness in these photos. And of course as I have spent the evening looking at these again, I was sent back to those times and laughed and cried all over again.

Here are just some of the highlights and in no particular order:

1. There are too many things that happened my freshmen year to even begin describing it here. I could have a whole tribute to 3rd floor Hosey-lounge parties, dress-up, hallway convos, one and only all-nighter, crushes, the drama, etc. That community will always hold a special place in my heart. I can only smile.

2. Playing CA sardines in Natt/Brad.

3. Jello Fights

4. Warrensburg Police escorting the Yeater CAs to the Yeater Porch so we could see what it looked like.

5. The challenge of an all female floor and “I love my CO!”

6. Conferences across the nation and the opportunity to travel (Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, South Carolina, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Washington, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania were all states I was able to see more of because of housing opportunities.)

7. University of Central Florida intern trio and shenanigans

8. Upper Friley Staff jumping into Ada Hayden during training. Take it to the Top!

9. SHOEBOX!

10. Geer Flood. Yep this is a happy memory.

11. Dispelling the myths of the haunted 3rd floor Yeater.

12. Getting lost in my own building. Oh Friley you are too much like Hogwarts with your hidden floors and stairwells to no where.

13. Camping outside of RHD Jamie’s office during closing.

14. Themed rounds with my other half. Stbizzle is on call!

15. 4th Natt ladies faking a roommate conflict so they could TP my room.

16. Friley Snowball (2011, 2012, 2013)

17. Lipsyncs.

18. Most spirited staff during RALI and spending time each day to make our costumes and plan our entrances-hilarious

19. Friley Penny Wars being most of the student contribution to United Way

20. My last Upper Friley staff meeting.

20. Being able to witness students coming alive and be passionate about a cause. Seeing what students are capable of has been an honor.

21. Watching communities come together in times of triumph and sorrow

22. I have learned so many skills and things about myself within crisis management, event planning, counseling skills, professionalism, how to be human, and more. And yet, I still have not been able to master how many pizzas a group of college students needs.

These 22 statements barely begin to describe all that has happened over the years, but you have to start somewhere. Even as I read this over, I can think of other things or want to add other pictures, but as my husband says I need to learn to keep my stories short. Ugh, this is why saying goodbye is hard. There is just so much to say!

Residence life is a special place. It has been a boomerang for me. There were many days that I thought I was giving all that I was and sacrificed all that I had. But as I sit here about to embark on my final days as a Hall Director, I realize how much it has done for me since that first day in 355 Hosey in 2003. Residence life has given me more than I could have ever imagined, hoped for, or expected. It provided me a place to be what I needed to be in the time I needed to be it. It challenged me to grow up and become a much stronger individual. It has been my home.

I am sure I will still be uncovering lessons from my time in the halls for years to come. And there are so many people and events that will make me smile and make me a reslifer at heart.

All I can say now is thank you to all of those who have come and gone over the past decade. Each of you have influenced who I am today. From those of you who made hard boiled eggs with me in my crock pot to those who drank countless cups of coffee with me or those who ran down the hill at Death Valley. I cannot begin to say thank you enough for all the love, support, and time that has been spent to make this all happen. To make “me” happen.

Filled with gratitude and humbled as I say goodbye to this weird but joyous life in the residence halls.

Now what am I going to do with all my free time?

Hmm maybe more things like social painting!

If you have not heard of social painting, you should really look into it. It is where an art professional hosts an event for people to come and follow along on a painting. Ours was hosted in a restaurant, so we could order food and drinks while we painted. There was a specific painting design, and the teacher guides you through the basic idea and is there for support and guidance through the painting process.

This is one of the best outings I have had in a long time. And it was pretty reasonable too! We bought ours on Groupon, but I think even regular price is still fairly cheap. Your “ticket” is for the event, and all art supplies are included. All social painting events may vary on the details so make sure you read the fine lines before you participate to know what you are getting into.

It was really fun though, and it has definitely got me wanting to paint like crazy!

It was really cool seeing how each of us interpreted the same design so drastically differently. I love art.

Apparently, I picked one of the hardest designs to do. Whoops. But I think we all did a great job! And it was fun to do it with a group of friends!

What is your favorite college memory from living on-campus?

October 18, 2012 by Stephanie

Red Line Message

This is the subject line of an email that I received a few weeks ago. Red Lines are messages that are sent out to families to notify them that someone was killed where their soldier is located. In the message, it detailed that 3 soldiers attached to Tom’s unit were killed by a suicide bomber. (Now was this in the news? Not any that I saw. But that is a subject for another day.) In the letter, it does explain that it is not one of our 101st Airborne men, however this did not stop the panic attack that quickly ensued.

I know that the procedure is that I will be the first person to be notified if something were to happen. And I also know that it would be in person and not through an email. People in their right minds know these things. But I had just lost my grandparents, I hadn’t heard from Tom that day, and to top it off, I had just done a staff development activity on telling people around you that you appreciate them and not waiting until it’s too late, so my loopy mind kept going to the worst possible scenario. I was an absolute wreck that night. It was like that scene in “A League of their Own” when one of the players found out in the locker room her husband dies, and then Geena Davis lost it in a scene soon after because her husband was also in the military. I was Geena Davis, only my husband didn’t walk in to make it a magical moment. Bummer.

Tom was able to call me the next morning. He explained to me that he was no where near this incident, and the jobs were completely different than his. He also explained that when things like this happen they are under a “blackout” with communication which is why I hadn’t heard from him. This is so the families really are the first to know of the tragedy. Can you believe that people have found out from text messages from friends who heard before they did? So now they have very strict policies of how this information is disseminated.

Luckily, I do get to speak to Tom pretty much every day. They have phones and computers, and he does a good job trying to find time when I am awake to call. He is about 10ish hours ahead of us, so he is often calling in the middle of the night where he is just so he doesn’t disturb my slumber. Good man.

It still is difficult though. I never know when he is going to call. Each day his schedule and mine are different. I would be lying if I don’t look at my phone several times an hour hoping that it rings. I worry all the time about his safety. His calls are all I have to know that he made it through another day, well that and his updated Facebook statuses.

I try not to think about it too often to ward off anxiety attacks. I have a lot of personal pep talks in my head to try to stay positive and know that Tom is doing all that he can to come home safe with his unit. All those counseling classes from grad school are coming in handy for myself. Or I just keep myself too busy to really have time to think about it. But sometimes the waiting gets too rough, and I end up crying in the middle of a restaurant during the lunch rush. Yes this happened. And sometimes, I have to step out of a meeting because I haven’t heard from him in 24 hours and just need that peace of mind.

Today, we were able to Skype for the first time since he left. Even though it was for like 8 minutes, it was still awesome! I feel very fortunate that we get as much contact as we do.

For the most part, I do pretty ok with him being gone. I had gotten used to him not being here with basic last spring, so this wasn’t that hard of a transition since he left again so soon after. Grace and I had not really gotten used to him being home in the first place, as bad as that may sound. And unlike basic, we actually get to speak this time around! But there are a few moments every day where it hits me: Grace does something that is super awesome (which is pretty much her every waking moment) or I see “How I Met Your Mother” in our Netflix queue, or the dirty dishes are piling up in the kitchen…So I let myself wallow for a second, accept it and move on and clean those dang dishes.

That’s really all that I can do, otherwise I would be spending all my time in bed crying into a box of ice cream. You have to get up every day and live it, otherwise what are they fighting for? So I do and hope for the best. I mean 9 months goes by super fast right?

Ha, well speaking of 9 months going quickly, my latest project is for my very pregnant other half, Jeannette. She is actually due with little Herman tomorrow!

I crocheted Herman this wonderful little blanket and was able to hand deliver it to Jeannette while I was at home this past weekend. Maybe next time he will be ready to see me when I visit!