Lately!

I have to hugely apologize! It's been far too long! Adjusting to life out here has been part of it, but I actually forgot about the blog for a while! So from now on, I will be continually updating it. I made some changes, which I really needed to do. It actually has a nice look! :) I plan on posting at least twice a week, so be sure to come back and look once in a while! I'll also be posting more pictures. Fall is coming around, which means pretty colors EVERYWHERE! I've never seen autumn like this before -- it truly is unreal.

Rodney has been adjusting very well to grad school. UMass has been perfect for him, because he's feeling pressure and has been given many new playing opportunities that he hasn't had before. He's playing in one of the top saxophone quartet groups, and he's already performed 2-3 times this year in performing classes. He's taking an advanced conducting class, managing both wind ensemble groups, and playing in the Symphonic band. It's been a bit of a hard adjustment for him, because the expectations are now so much higher that he's finding himself practicing 5-6 hours a day, minimum! Although this is the first time he's really felt stressed out over being at a high level, it's the best thing for him right now. His professor (Lynn Klock) has given him lots of new things to work on, and is pushing him, which is exactly what he needs.

I have been substituting at the middle school a LOT. It's been wonderful! I've been fortunate enough to get a subbing job everyday! I'm getting to know the teachers really well, and have befriended many of the English teachers as well. The two ladies in the main office let me know that they put me on the top of the preferred list, which means I get to see the substituting jobs early! It's been the best I can ask for-- and it's really been nice being in the classes still, even though it's not my own. :( One nice thing is being able to enjoy life outside of work-- because there's no planning work, I'm able to explore the new area. I love Amherst!

For some reason, I don't have any real pictures of our area yet, because we don't take advantage of the camera when we're walking around town. I have a few from when we visited the campus during Spring Break when we picked out an apartment, and then a couple of the move, so I'll post those here:

This is the front of the Fine Arts Center from the side -- if you can tell, it's shaped like a piano!


University of Massachusetts Amherst's mascot -- The minutemen! (Famous old church in the background)

Mr. Klock (Rodney's teacher) has an entire downstairs area DEVOTED to trains. It's the same place he practices, so he often has trains going as he's practicing as a kind of "calming" agent. Actually very cool, and a HUGE set up.



The morning of the big move --it took about eight tries to get the car EXACTLY on the trailer. The wheels had to fit between two thin red lines.


How our lovely kitties traveled in the Penske truck -- stacked on top of each other between the two front seats. Oh, they loved it. ;)

The Fine Arts Center from the front.

Rodney standing in front of the Fine Arts Center.

The view of the pond and the student union building behind the Fine Arts Center.

Cute ducks that followed people around -- obviously are fed quite often. :)

The pond behind the Fine Arts Center again, but this time with the library in the background -- it's the tall brick building, and it happens to be the tallest library in the United States, and the tallest academic library in the world! :) 26 stories tall!

The inside of our apartment the first day. Lovely. :)