A few finished objects...

Playing catch up from all the things I've finished the past few months and haven't posted here:

A Vite Cowl for myself.
Yarn: Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande in White.
Ravelry project page here

Kindling for Trish (part of her Secret Santa presents!)

Yarn: leftover Crystal Palace Mochi Plus in colorway Fern Rainbow

Raveled Here

Calorimetry for Trish (the main part of the handmade portion of her gift)

Yarn: Crystal Palace Mochi Plus in colorway Fern Rainbow

Ravelry Project Page

Isn't she a pretty model? :)

A running hat for Brother-the-Youngest (Christmas gift)

Yarn: Berroco Vintage Chunky in colorway Cast Iron

Ravelry Project Page

Please excuse the awful quality of the photo. Cell phone and bad hotel lighting...

And of course, the biggest FO of my life (to date)! Graduation!!!

Masters in Library and Information Science, summa cum laude

Reflections

It's the end of an era. Literally.

Shortly after noon today, I submitted my very last final project for graduate school.

It's such a weird feeling. I'm done. With a Master's degree. But it hasn't fully sunk in yet. It will. Probably this weekend when I walk across that stage and receive my fake diploma, shake some important people's hands, and get my picture taken multiple times.

Wow.

I run in two polar opposite circles these days. On the one hand, it's very much expected that grad school is normal.... like it's very natural that I went on to graduate school right out of undergrad... and in a way, I feel like a quitter for not going on to get my Ph.D, or another master's degree, or... something.

On the other hand, it's a huge deal that I'm receiving my Master's, much less right after college. Being in the academic bubble for so long, I'd honestly forgotten what an accomplishment this is, because well..... it's what I've always expected from myself. I mean, I've been talking about getting a Master's degree since before college started.

And this past week, as I've completed 20 years of formal, fairly rigorous education, I've been so incredibly thankful for those who reminded me that yes, this is a Master's degree, and yes, this is really impressive.

It's been a long road these past two and a half years. Full of tears, anxiety, confusion, exhilaration, purpose, and questioning. Add in all those personal life changes, and it's been quite a ride.

Landing my first post-college, rock-your-socks-off-awesome, career-related job.
Getting married.
Quitting that fantastic job (and the heartbreak to go along with it).
Moving to a different city.
Meeting new people. Finding my place in the adult world.
Adjusting to my husband's somewhat public-eye career.
Community volunteering. Fieldwork. Comprehensive Exams.
And all those little things in-between.

But you know what? Now that I'm through, and stepping out of academia into the working world, it's been worth it. The memories and experiences, good and bad, have all helped shape me into the librarian I am today.
The librarian that will continue to encourage people to research, study, be the best scholars they can be.
The librarian who will still not-so-secretly nerd out about cataloging and metadata.
The librarian who will continue to connect people with the vast world of information and help them navigate it.

But really, I'll still be in academia. Because home is home, no matter where I am or what I'm doing.

In Which There is Crazy

There is the light at the end of the tunnel... and I'm afraid it may be a freight train at this point. Seriously, things are getting finished, the end of school is closer each day, but I feel like it's a frantic rush to the finish line.

This week in particular has become even busier than expected. I'm playing catch up and get ahead all at the same time. Apparently I can't say up until 2 and work off of 5-6 hours of sleep each day anymore... didn't think I was that old yet! ;) Add Thanksgiving into the mix, Christmas preparations are right around the corner, and then there's my hubby, just as busy as I am as it's gearing up to be his "busy season" at work... ah, the life of a pastor! To put it bluntly, things are crazy around here right now.

And here I am, writing a blog post while formulating my thoughts for discussion posts... and the only thing I really wanted to say right now is this: I can't wait to do some selfish knitting and take a nap at 10 am without guilt. Less than a month of crazy left! LET'S DO THIS! :)

Random Thoughts on a Thursday

- There is so incredibly much to accomplish in the next month.
- I GRADUATE IN A MONTH! WITH A MASTER'S DEGREE!
- I am not British, but certainly enjoy my daily tea time lately.
- The more I work with it, the more I realize just how much I'm loving metadata {the course, and the topic}.
- Autumn Leaves is one of my new favorite scents of Yankee Candle. :)
- It's so much easier to concentrate on homework when the apartment is clean and (mostly) tidy.
- What happens to the bad batches of cookies in a cookie factory? Do the employees get to take them home?

Mondays, Lutheran Mugs, and Homework, oh my!

After a weekend that was nothing short of amazing, today is a particularly rough case of the Mondays. It's one of those Mondays that makes me want to curl up with soft, squishy knitting projects and tea, not digital libraries and metadata readings and homework assignments.

This is what my Monday looks like so far:

At least there's knitting tonight! That keeps me a little more motivated to get some homework done this afternoon! :)

And yes, that is the awesome Lutheran Mug my husband received for his birthday from brother-the-younger. I borrowed it this afternoon, since he obviously isn't using it right now.

Pictures from this weekend coming soon! For now, I'll leave you with a few photos of my gorgeous view on Saturday. Couldn't have asked for more perfect weather!

Weekend Wrap-Up, September Edition

Things have been kind of quiet around here lately. I suppose that's because life got super busy this past week and I found myself with little energy to blog by the end of the day. Somehow, relaxing on the couch watching episodes of How I Met Your Mother was more enticing. But...


This weekend:
How is it that we always seem busier on weekends than possible? Apparently this weekend has been the inauguration of our busier than possible fall weekend schedule. BUT. We had a good time with some friends at the young adult mini-golf outing, and an enjoyable dinner with some other friends who couldn't make it to the outing. Quite a few loads of laundry, catching up on cleaning and dishwashing, and the ever-present homework. Sounds like a pretty typical weekend for the fall, huh? I'm excited about some of the other activities we've got planned, both with others and by ourselves. Oktoberfest, Renaissance Fair, a fellowship breakfast and luncheon with some other ladies from town, dinner with friends, a few craft/heritage festivals, and hopefully apple picking! I think we'll get around to relaxing sometime in November... or maybe after Christmas.

Speaking of which, by Christmas I will be officially graduated, and (as of right now) completely free to spend my days however I wish. That will, of course, include job hunting, but in the mean time... I'm planning on relaxing and getting some projects finished up as well!

In the Kitchen:
I made this Chicken Salsa Chili and probably shouldn't have added quite so many jalapenos! It sure was spicy... In my defense, I didn't have the green chiles I thought were in my cabinet, so ... we decided to substitute jalapenos instead. They provided some good flavor, and definitely helped clear out some sinuses.

On the Needles:
I've got some new projects going, and have been working on small (think, one evening) projects lately, which is great for feeling productive! Currently plowing through a scarf I plan on donating to the Country Store held in conjunction with our church's chili and soup supper. I hope whoever goes home with it enjoys wearing it as much as I've enjoyed knitting it. (That, and I'm really loving the fall colors of the scarf -- yellows, oranges, purples, and brown.)

This Coming Week:
Look forward to some delicious breakfast ideas on Tasty Thursday. And I've got some finished object posts to share with you all, too!

Weekend Wrap-Up

Classes have been back in session for a week, and it's been interesting getting back into the swing of things. The start of every semester always takes a while for me to get my "library brain" back and start thinking and processing like a grad student again. Although things are easier now than they were at the beginning of last week, there are still times when I find myself needing to take a break from the computer and all this reading and discussing.

One pleasant surprise is discovering just how much I've learned through this program. Two and a half years is a long time to take online classes (especially when you're usually a full-time student), and there are days when I feel as though I haven't really learned as much as I should by this point... such is the nature of the grad student, I suppose. This week in my Digital Libraries class, we've discussed issues ranging from participatory digital libraries (and archives) to copyright issues to digitization and preservation concerns. Guess who's excited that she's already taken classes relating to these three exact things and actually feels like she has something to contribute to the conversation outside of the required readings?! This girl!

*******
Around Town this Weekend:
This weekend, D and I spent a delightful afternoon at the Cole Camp Fair. We went last year, but were so new to the area that it was all a blur. This year, we enjoyed walking around, taking in the sites, shopping at some of the cute boutiques (and found a few items to add to my fall decoration collection), wine tasting, and of course eating one of the best home cooked meals I've ever eaten at the Maple Street Cafe!

We've got tons of plans for the upcoming weekends, and I can't wait to get out and explore more of the beautiful country! Autumn is definitely my favorite season... the sites, smells, colors, and produce are some of the best. :) I'll try get a few pictures posted soon of our adventures and travels...

In the Kitchen:
Tonight I made some honey mustard glazed chicken with a crunchy coating (so yummy!), green bean casserole, and leftover pretzel rolls. I think it's about time to have an ice cream sundae to top off the evening! Hopefully I'll have a chance to get some fresh picked apples soon. I've got a recipe for crock pot applesauce I want to try, and apple pie sounds really good right about now. You know, with some ice cream on the side... Hungry yet? :)

On the Needles:
I've got a few projects I'm finishing up, and already have about 5 more in the queue, both gifts and selfish knitting. (Finished object posts coming in the near future!) Of course, ideally they'll all be completed this fall, but my knitting group is starting up a Baby Surprise Jacket knit-a-long, and I'm excited for that as well! We're starting October 1, so I'll try keep you all updated with the progress. Good thing I've only got two classes this semester so I'll have more time to knit.... wait. That's not how it works, is it? (Because guess who's also involved with three new things at church starting this fall? Yay for being busy!)

This Coming Week:
Goals for this week include: finishing a knitting project and getting it in the mail; working on my swap package for a little swap I joined on Rav; getting all my homework completed earlier in the week; getting my new power cord (I know! It's been two weeks now.... so much for 1-2 days, eh?) so I can finally use my computer again. Most of these should be pretty reasonable. I'll let you guess which one is out of my control. ;)

it's the final countdown!

Tell me.... it's stuck in your head now, too? :)

Today is my LAST first day of school for a very looooong time! Hard to believe I started graduate school two and a half years ago... soon I'll be a Master! Yippee! I'm a mixture of excited and sad though... the first day of school has been one of my favorite days of the year for a very long time. And as much as I'm sad that this is the end of an era, I'm also getting more excited each day for what adventures lie ahead! (Remind me of this on days when I'm frustrated and hurt by the job situation, ok?)

As it seems to be every year, there are quite a few knitters in my classes. This of course makes me ridiculously happy and nerdy, but I don't like being the attention-grabbing one who's all "Have you heard of Ravelry?!" I find something awkward about having these personal side conversations on our discussion forums for class, even if it is a rather informal, get-to-know-our-fellow-classmates thread. Maybe I should just forge ahead and get more people on board. :)

I'm only taking two classes this semester, but they'll be busy enough! So far they both look manageable, and combine both the theoretical and practical sides of their respective topics. I've gotten to the point in my career where I would rather do final applied projects than write research papers -- HA! I never thought the day would come when I felt that way. Maybe there's no longer as much of the historian in me as I thought.

Anyway, I ramble. D has extra meetings tonight and I'm at home eating some delicious leftover fettuccine, taking a break before plowing through some of my textbooks tonight. So far, so good. Feeling pretty on top of things and not overwhelmed. This is so unusual... I like it! :)