Bring on 2009...After Reflecting on 2008!

Through the years I have learned that reflecting on where you have been and life's blessings is an honorable way to ring in a new year. This past year has been quite a ride...yet, I would not choose to live my life any differently.

Top 10 Memorable Moments of 2008:
1.) Rang in 2008 in the cozy village of Aveiro, Portugal (see photo) as I packed up to move to Oslo, Norway for the last semester of my European Master's degree program (where I got (temporarily) married to my thesis.)
2.) Skied Zermatt, Switzerland and skied across the border to Italy for some ambrosial minestrone soup.
3.) Voted in the FIRST global primary in Oslo, Norway. How cool is that?
4.) Received a PhD offer to the University of Georgia which led to an Easter trip to Georgia for a campus visit and a quick trip home to Colorado. Accepted the offer and completed the first semester of PhD life. Woohoo!
5.) Ate my way through the beautiful Paris, France and took the train to Strasbourg, France where I attended a conference at the Council of Europe.
6.) After divorcing my thesis, I threw on my travel shoes, drank beer and ate chocolate in Belgium with my dear friend Marijke.
7.) Traveled Morocco where we made our way through the Atlas mountains, boarded down the sand dunes, rock-climbed, and got a stomach bug (Fred) that would stay with me for months to come...
8.) Traveled Eastern European (Slovenia, Hungary, Czech, Austria) with my cousin and went on many adventures...naked saunas, canyoning, and yoga in the Julian Alps.
9.) Namaste! After returning to the motherland (USA) in June I lived in a yoga ashram in Colorado, attained a yoga teaching certification, and began teaching at Rubbersoul in Athens, Georgia in the fall.
10.) Historic presidential election...all I have to say is OBAMALISCIOUS!

EPIC Ski Adventure!

Since my brother and I no longer live in Colorado, we were hungry for time in the snowy Rocky Mountains. So, the family rented a mountain condo in Winterpark, Colorado for quality family time in the evening and serious ski madness during the day.

The snow gods were very good to us, as we got over 10 inches of champagne powder...ski heaven! There is no feeling in the world that equates to flying through powder down the mountain steeps. The evenings were filled with hot-tubbin', games (charades and spoons), excellent cuisine, and plenty of Irish cream, and wine.

Reflections of PhD Life & Things I Adore!

Even though I still had a concluding paragraph to write for my final paper of the semester, I boarded the plane--departing to Denver--with a warm smile not only on my face but also in my heart. To say this semester kicked my butt would be a gross understatement. Readjusting to life in the U.S., in no other place than the conservative South, was a challenge. Not to mention that I was thrown into the rigorous life as a PhD student, where reading 500 pages of literature and writing 20 pages in one week is completely normal. Despite the competition, bastion of male dominance, and intense socialization; I am alive and kicking! You know...challenges in life make you cherish the things you love the most: skiing, family, friends, laughing, yoga, wine, and an international perspective. And, the next three weeks will be all about those things I adore the most.

Here are a few things I love about Christmas at my parents house...Raven (the queen kitty), Christmas cookies (frosting them with dad & eating them with the family (my brother is the cookie monster on the left!)

Holiday Cheers in the Midst of Finals!

A Saturday night holiday party, hosted by the platonic cohabitants of Hill Street, took me away from my books and computer for a much needed break from finals. This party was the annual event that all of my PhD colleagues raved about and now I can officially say...I know why! Potluck style, everyone brought their finest cuisine, and the open bar was oozing with the sweet nectar of alcohol. In addition to good food, drinks, and company, the white elephant gifts and "your best festive holiday outfit" supplemented the overall party atmosphere. Even though I had a few pangs of guilt ('OMG, I should be at home typing right now'), it was the best night in the history of my time in Athens, Georgia. Everyone was in high spirits, and the stress of finals was almost forgotten...until those pangs came back. Damn!

You know times are tough when you receive an email like this...

Dear UGA Student:

Earlier today, the Board of Regents held a special meeting to approve further budget reductions for the University System of Georgia from 6% to 8%. As detailed in a memo from Chancellor Davis which can be viewed at

http://www.bursar.uga.edu/Feestudentletter.pdf

one of those steps was to implement for the spring 2009 semester a special additional $100 student fee to help maintain the academic quality that you demand.

This Special Spring ’09 Semester Fee of $100 will be assessed to your student account on or before December 12, 2008. Any time there is activity on a student’s account, the student is notified via e-mail that they need to review their account. All students will receive an e-mail from the student account system when the $100 fee is added to their account. When you receive this future e-mail notification, please take a moment to review your account. All payment types (check, electronic check, credit card) are available to satisfy this fee.

We regret that this notification is coming at such a late date, but the economic crisis is substantial and the budget requires this action. Please know that this fee is critically needed for us to fulfill our responsibility to provide you with academic programs of excellence and high-quality student services.

Sincerely,

Arnett C. Mace, Jr.
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

I Need to Crawl into a CAVE!

Finals have hit and for some reason I have writer's block. What the hell? Here is a sampling of the fun that awaits me...

1.) 10-12 pages on Erasmus Mundus (European scholarship and mobility program) from an institutional theory framework DUE 12/9
2.) A take home statistics exam that is guaranteed to kick my bum. DUE 12/11
3.) Up to 20 pages answering four complex questions about higher education admissions, marketing, affordability, stratification, academic freedom, and anything else under the sun. DUE 12/15

Then off to Colorado for 3 weeks!