rising from the ashes

alright, so i may officially be the worst blogger in the world for the last few weeks. however, life has slowed down a bit, and it is time to rise from the ashes to my former blogging glory. rather than overwhelm you all with the amazingly exciting and significant moments of our lives for the past few weeks, i'll cover one topic per post and try to keep up with the posting these moments regularly.

as promised, here is some more on Jesse's graduation.




jesse graduated, with honors, and i am so incredibly proud of him. not only did i get to see the young chap take the next step toward his five-year plan (yeah, we have a five-year plan), but we were also thrilled to have both of our parents and all of my siblings make the trip to congratulate him. it was a truly momentous occassion. it was remarkably warm the day of graduation (95 degrees), and i felt like i was melting. i can't imagine how jesse felt in his robes and layers of shirts... yowza.



after the ceremony, i threw a fabulously exciting barbecue over at my sister's house (apparently our apartment had a maximum occupancy of five, so the twenty-something people who attended felt more comfortable in larger quarters).





of course, no celebration of a major moment in jesse's life would be complete without a borderline hideous cake made by yours truly, so i was obliged to follow through with this teal monstrosity (it was supposed to be bronco blue...)

by the end of the day, i think the past six years of hard work finally caught up to jesse. that boy was tuckered out.

i'm proud of you jesse, and i hope you enjoy the next two months of break. come august it's back to school with you... congratulations!

pretty sure my husband is wonderful

and handsome.



and (as of saturday) a college graduate! more pictures on that to come...

DONE!

all student-ly duties for Spring 2008 semester are officially completed.

if i didn't feel so exhausted and have such a headache, there would be frolicking of sorts.

conversation with jesse

b: missy says that i need to destress and be treated like a queen
j: yeah? i think she's onto something
b: really?!? (look of excited anticipation)
j: ... yeah... MUTINY!

the final nail in the coffin

alright, so all things considered, i have been blessed with really great health.

sure, i have the diabetes (to be pronounced dī-ǝ-bē-dǝs), but considering the amount of crap i eat, i think i have been pretty lucky thus far with all of that. i haven't complained about making myself bleed 4-5 times a day or giving myself injections, so i feel i'm entitled to one small rant.

with that in mind, allow me to complain for just a moment about my miniscule trial and tribulation this week. in addition to digging deep for motivation to finish the semester (one more week! surely i can do this?), i have been dealing with an infected fingernail since november--i suppose i should have started this blog as a cautionary tale of home manicures. however, my doctors assure me that as a diabetic i am particularly prone to infections, so you are all likely fine. my run-of-the-mill infection caused a fungal infection (grossed out yet?), and 85% of my fingernail has since fallen off.

it's hideous, but it is my cross to bear.

i have gone to the student health center four times for my stupid right-hand ring finger, and over spring break i finally got some meds (of course, i had to pay full price for the meds because insurance companies hate me). so, not only are these pills potent in my mouth and cause all items coming out of my body to take on a distinctly musty smell (alright, now you're hitting the grossed out point), this past week i have lost the sense of taste!

TASTE.


i taste nothing. for a few days i could slightly taste salt and vinegar potato chips, but i can't even taste that any more. i have been trying all kinds of different things, supposing that perhaps my palate was simply limited. nothing. no spice. no sweetness. i couldn't even taste the doritos i bought out of the vending machine in a moment of desperation.

Exhibit A: Happy Boo after enjoying a tasty meal (and some wonderful company). This joy may never manifest itself again; I just wanted to give everyone a chance to say goodbye.

supposedly it's temporary. in the long run it's inconsequential, but i am going crazy. if i am still running on four senses for the remainder of my treatment (at least another two months), i may need to be institutionalized.

this should clear things up

wondering why i'm so eager for summer?

because i pretty much envision it being like this.




i'm even planning on picking up a little french.

the job hunt begins

now that jesse has made his decision for his future education, and we have an idea of where we are headed for the next few years, the time has come for me to begin the dreaded job hunt.

while i am looking forward to this new chapter of our lives, let me be clear: i hate looking for jobs.

there is something incredibly nerve-wracking about trying to find a position that i will enjoy, that will use my education and my so-called "skill-set," and that will provide decent pay and--most importantly--health benefits. even more annoyingly, i hate drafting overly confident letters of application and listing out my many brilliant qualities (brilliant as i may be).

as i work through this process, i have learned that i am not good at selling myself. i am sure my mother will be relieved.

on a lighter note, here is a list of qualities i wish were appropriate for a résumé:

• Outstanding internet shopping skills
• Mediocre attempts at cooking
• Ability to prevent small children from placing even smaller toys in my husband's guitar
• Stellar laundry-folding and organizing skills
• Total inability to find multiple terms for "skills" that people would actually use

you know how it goes.

wishing my life away?

growing up, my dad always emphasized to never start wishing your life away. every time i start to say something to him like "i just can't wait until..." he interrupts me and emphasizes how important it is to live--and enjoy--each day despite, and sometimes because of, its difficulties. after all, no day will ever feel entirely perfect. it seems like sage advice from a man who has worked so diligently to make his life meaningful and has become a personal hero of mine.

still, there are days like today where i feel like i can't help but wish i were somewhere else, doing something else, so i'm just going to say it. i am so sick of school. i don't ever remember feeling this way in my life. even when i finished my undergraduate work, i left feeling like i had just warmed up. now i feel like even completing the simplest assignment is pure torture.

i can't wait until i'm done with my MA and can start enjoying reading again. i feel like the bureaucracy of the degree has distanced me from a close, life-long friend.

i can't wait until i am done teaching. i can't wait until i can stop having to deal with the dishonesty, laziness, and disrespect that i encounter from my students much more frequently than i had ever anticipated. i know that i have some great students, but i can't help but feel so bogged down from all of the crap that comes with the job.

so, while i appreciate the opportunity and recognize how great all of this is--life-altering and whatnot--i'm over it. sorry, dad.