Because life is sweet

It's been an eternity since I last posted, but I'm back! The last few months have been pretty insane. Between being on leadership for Raider Awakening (the church retreat), taking my comprehensive exams, and then writing and defending my thesis, I've had my work cut out for me. This past weekend, though, I was actually able to hang out with people and not spend the entire weekend in front of a computer screen. It was great!

On Friday I actually defended my thesis. Like usual, I worked myself up with anticipation beforehand. Friends were great, however, in helping me relax. I got some nice phone calls before the defense and then ran into Kelsey on the way to the Foreign Language building. Knowing people were thinking of me and praying for me meant the world. When I got to the building and saw my panel, I started to relax more. Some of my grad school friends were able to make it to the defense, so I was grateful for that, as well. Overall, the defense went really well. I gave my 20 minute presentation, then answered questions for about 40 minutes. I got some excellent feedback about new ideas I could do in the future. It made me really excited! After the questions, everyone cleared the room while the panel deliberated. Then Dr. Farley came outside to tell me I passed. Hooray! It was a nice relief.

After the defense, I honestly just wanted to relax. I called some family and friends, but also just took it easy for two hours or so. But after that, it was time to celebrate! A bunch of grad school friends and I went out to celebrate a friend's birthday and the successful defense of the thesis. It was lots of fun! The only bad part was the excessive smoke. That unfortunately messed with my allergies. But other than that, it was super fun. :)

On Saturday, the fun continued. Alex and I went to the mall so I could get my hard earned hat from our baseball bet. It's pretty sweet. Then I went and played tennis with Christine, Peter, and Kelsey. It was really nice to get outside, play a little, and then catch up with friends. After that tiring afternoon (yes, that's sarcastic...) I took a nap. I think all the stress of the defense got to me, so I was extra tired. Later that night, I went to Murphy's with some church friends to celebrate. It was really awesome. I hadn't laughed that much in a long time!

Sunday was another fun day (are you sensing a trend?). I relaxed, caught a bit of the Angels/Rangers game on TV, went to mass choir and church, and then out to dinner. Highlights include getting to sing "Jesus Christ is Ris'n Today" at mass, making up the verses to the psalm with Chris, and laughing with Lucas about pretty much everything. Very good times.

Now it's back to reality for a bit. After today, though, I only have to teach 6 more classes. It's crazy how fast the semester is winding up! Before I know it, it'll be graduation time and time to visit Spain... craziness.

I hope everyone is well! Talk soon. :)