Instead, I will reflect via blog post on the notable moments of 2014. I mean, this is the year 2015 after all. Let's get with the times.
2014....
The year started not with a bang but with Ted and I most likely sleeping through New Year's Eve.As far as my New Year's Resolutions go, some were met, some things were maintained. None of them were a complete failure. It all balanced out in the end.
My only goal for 2015 is to find joy. Life ain't perfect, but I will make a conscious effort to seek out joy where I am, rather than waiting for life to begin with the attainment of some larger goal such as the perfect job or having a clean house.
The original point of this blog had to do with this very goal, but in the day-to-day doldrums of the past six months I admit that I have lost sight of it. Perhaps the blog will undergo a makeover to reflect a fresh start, a renewal of my blogging vows so to speak.
Anyway, back to 2014.
There were some wonderful moments spent traveling with friends and connecting with family. We took not one, but TWO trips with our Colorado crew - to Belize in March and to Puerto Rico in November. (If you missed them the first time around, be sure to read all four blog posts on Belize: I, II, III, IV)
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| Belize |
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| Puerto Rico |
In June Ted and I (along with the cats) drove across the country to Oregon, visiting family and friends along the way.
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| Grandma at "almost 90" |
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| Grandpa being put to work in the yard |
Other trips were noted in this blog post and this blog post. Thank you, friends and family, for being the highlights of our year and for giving us something to look forward to.
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| December visit with Ted's family - notably larger than mine... Photo courtesy of C. Holland |
Vacations aside, we did actually work in 2014. In July I branched out on a new career path, taking an administrative role in an intensive English program at Miami University's regional campus. Instead of teaching, I have been hiring faculty, managing students and staff, creating the schedule of courses, and running meetings. It's been quite a change - one I'm still not quite used to.
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| my first office |
Ted finished the first year of his post-doc at Miami U and is halfway through his second. He received excellent evaluations from his students, as always. This coming semester he will be co-teaching with one of his colleagues a class on Eurasian Geopolitics as well as a class on modern conflicts in Russia. In very exciting news, he has an interview for a tenure-track job in Albany, NY coming up in February; we'll keep you all apprised, of course.
*No picture of Ted's office is available, as Ted still does not own a smart phone and probably wouldn't take trivial pictures of things like his office anyway.
The cats are both happy and healthy (Milo might be a little too healthy these days, if you catch my drift).
He now has to be fed from an "Activity Center" called the Katzenspiel. It slows him down by forcing him to work for his kibble, fishing it out with his paw one morsel at a time:
Minnie is peeved that she is forced to do the same, even though she can control her eating.
Other than that, 2014 consisted of the usual day-to-day stuff. At least we have friends both near and far, loving families, good health, a comfortable home, and beautiful surroundings (I can say that now that the winter perma-cloud has momentarily lifted, allowing the sun a fleeting chance to shine).
As 2015 begins, I look forward to increasing amounts of daylight, snorkeling with whale sharks, completing my first year as an administrator, getting my Ohio teaching license (just in time to move to New York??), and joy. Lots of joy.
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| Happy New Year! Photo courtesy of J. Forsythe |
P.S. Thank you and props to all our friends and family who sent us a 2014 Christmas card. We appreciate receiving them, even if we didn't get our own in the mail this year. Maybe I'll add that to my goals for 2015.
Great summary of the year! XOXO Caroline
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