Happy Thanksgiving... and the future!

Happy Thanksgiving!  I am so extremely grateful for so much that I couldn't even begin to list them all here.  A few (obvious ones) are I'm thankful for my family both close and not so close.  I'm thankful for my friends who are true and dear to me.  I'm thankful for Winthrop and the job I have and absolutely love there.  I'm thankful for my grad school experience and all of the many wonderful people I have met this semester.  The list goes on and on!  

We are very excited to eat turkey and all of the other great stuff involved in the holiday.  We are even more excited to do so with family and friends in Tennessee.  We will be spending this holiday saying goodbye to family as we make final preparations to move to Jamaica.

The countdown continues with only 55 days until we leave. We are still waiting on confirmation of housing and a work permit, so our leave date may actually be postponed, but until we hear otherwise we are preparing to leave in the middle of January.  Some great news is that my mom may be traveling with us and spending those four months in beautiful Jamaica with us.  We are still working out the details and have to wait and see if her retirement date will be approved, but if that happens, I can’t begin to tell you how happy we will be.

What is crazy, however, is actually thinking about life post Jamaica.  At Winthrop it is time to start thinking about what classes we would like to offer in the Fall of 2012.  I am now trying to determine what my schedule will be then.  I have spent these last eight months anticipating this trip to Jamaica that I have not been able to think about our life once we return.  What I do know so far is that we will be packing up and moving closure to my job (and ultimately closer to my school) next summer, once we return… Yay! I know what preschool Nay will be attending next school year… aaaannnndddd that’s about it.  That’s all I know… I don’t know which or how many classes I will be taking at USC, I don’t know what my schedule of classes will be for the ones I will be teaching at WU.  I don’t exactly know what will be going on with my older kids (to enroll them in school or to not enroll them in school… that is the question). So, that is where I stand… excitedly preparing to leave and not knowing what the future holds J

As always, thanks for reading!!!!

Updates and finalizations

With less than 90 days before we head to Jamaica we have officially started our countdown.  It is becoming more and more real to the kids… and to me!  We are starting to nail down final arrangements as we get all of our paperwork in order.  There was a little bit of confusion on my role at the university but I believe that has all been sorted out and I have finally received word on what classes I will be assisting with.  I am extremely lucky in that I get to put a heavy emphasis on my research while I am there.  While I certainly would love a more hands-on role in the class room I am EXTREMELY grateful for the time I will get to spend in the field (and with my children exploring a beautiful country).  My time there (as of right now) will consist of me guest lecturing and focusing on my cemetery research.

We have had some changes in our plans and our friends will not be traveling to Jamaica with us to hang out with the kids while I am working.  I am not sure what I will do with the kids while I am working now.  I am considering enrolling them into school in Jamaica.  As homeschoolers here in North Carolina, however, they have never been in a school setting and I do not want to overwhelm them either (especially being so far away from home).  I think we will just make the final decision once we arrive and are able to get acquainted with our new surroundings.

As I have been emphasizing, (which I can’t seem to emphasize enough) we are VERY excited about our upcoming trip.  

Only a few months now...

Well we are about three months away from our move to Jamaica. Excitement and extreme nervousness is in the air.  I’m about to reignite me efforts to collect things such as batteries, candles, etc to add to our Jamaica box.  I’ve been fortunate in that the last several months have keep me pretty busy, and even the summer before that, so I have not had time to just sit and think about Jamaica.  Well, things are slowing down now and I have plenty of time to think about Jamaica.

My first semester in the PhD program is brutal going well!  I didn’t anticipate the amount of work it would require, so I of course thought it would be a piece of cake to juggle homeschooling, a full time teaching job and being a PhD student.  I am now learning that I am far from being Super Woman, and that’s ok.  This semester has showed me that I need to start setting realistic goals and that will start in Jamaica *smile*. Speaking of goals I have come a long way in my research.  Finishing up at one site and getting ready to start another.  Researchers in my field have been so generous with information that it is almost overwhelming.  I will have to a lot to do when I return from Jamaica.  I’m looking forward to seeing how data I collect from Jamaica will tie in, but I suspect it will all tie in nicely providing a broader more well rounded picture.

So now that things seem to be slowing a bit I will make more of an effort to keep this blog updated.  This will be my lifeline to family and friends once we leave (this and FB) so I want to keep it active.  Thank you to whoever is out there reading it now! Peace.

Catching Our Breath

Well it’s been several weeks since I last posted.  I can’t believe it’s September already.  We will be in Jamaica before we know it.  All is well here. Today I sent mailed $25 and a note to the superior courts of Charlotte asking for a background clearance.  This is my first step in gathering what I need to obtain my work permit for Jamaica.  I hear it is a long process so I am excited to be starting early.

The kids and I are finally starting to get used to our new schedule this semester.  I started in a PhD program two weeks ago and my new FT NTN position at Winthrop a week ago.  The kids started back to “school” a week ago as well.  It has certainly been an adjustment but I think we are doing well. Fortunately we are flexible and just roll with the punches (the kids a bit better than I do) so I’m confident in our adjustment just like I’m confident in our ability to thrive in Jamaica for several months.

Life is crazy, busy and exhausting but so enjoyable right now.  We are still just as excited to go to Jamaica as ever (although a bit more nervous as time draws nearer).  More later!

Home

Just a quick post to check in and say we are well.  We are home, safe and sound from Williamsburg (we’ve been home about seven days). We have totally and completely adjusted to being back home (and so thankful).  We are now gearing up for a big semester (we have about 10 days left in our summer) where the kids will start the 4^th and 1^st grade, baby gets closer to 2yr, daddy starts a new position (he got a promotion… yay!) and mommy starts a new PhD program.  There are going to be some major changes and it will be an adjustment for us all but we're ready for it.

I haven’t heard from my contacts in Jamaica just yet, but I am looking forward to getting out final Fulbright arrangement information.

A Journey Complete

Today was my last official day at the John D Rockefeller Jr Library.  While I am homesick (see previous post) I am also kind of sad to leave Williamsburg.  I have had a phenomenal experience on this fellowship.  I have meet so many amazing people and seen so many wonderful things (and not so wonderful that I would love to have a hand in changing) here that it makes it a little hard to part.  I have accomplished so much this summer, yet so little in the grand scheme of things.  I will certainly be back to continue my research, explore recently discovered sites and certainly to visit with the many new friends I’ve made here.  Williamsburg has certainly imprinted a piece of itself on me (and the kids as they are sad to go).

Thank you John D Rockefellerf Jr Library and Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.  You certainly haven’t seen the last of me around here *smile*.

Heat Wave and Homesick

This recent heat wave across the country really has me questioning my stay in Jamaica *smile*.  I’m a southern girl but I have never been confronted with heat like this.  Reading various blogs and talking to people that have visited Jamaica, I am concerned that this type of heat will be the norm.  If that is the case, I’m not sure I will survive (of course I’ll survive, but you know what I mean).  Just another factor to take into consideration.

I’ve also been really homesick lately, here in Williamsburg (and it’s only been nearly two months).  I hope I can shake this feeling as it will only enhance my apprehension about our upcoming move.  With the start of the PhD program looming extremely close I have been able to refocus and not completely obsess over Jamaica, however with my longing for home and husband it has me thinking hard about how I will handle this in January.  One positive thing that I learned is that I don’t have to have a return ticket in hand when we arrive in Jamaica.  I know that is a small thing, but for me important as I will feel trapped by a date.  If time and resources permit the kids and I can hope on a plane during the middle of our trip on visit daddy and home.

All in all I know everything will be fine and the kids and I will tremendously enjoy our stay (especially now that we know our friends will be coming with us for the duration of the semester… yay! Knowing where and with who my children will be is now no longer a severe concern of mine). 

The kids passports arrived in the mail today (after we had to resubmit paperwork and the whole nine) so it is feeling more and more real.  Excitement is in the air.