One year on...

I've been thinking a lot recently about how my last year has faired. For the past 12 months or so, I was accustomed to saying things like, "Oh, last year I was in Belfast" or "I've only been back in the States for three months..." or whatever. Now it's been a year. Northern Ireland is over a year in my past and I seem to have begun reflecting on where I am at now, and where that year has found me.

I started this doctoral program. I did very well in my classes both semesters and had research pieces presented at three conferences. I'm an advisor for the Inter-Personal Communication Organization. I know where I'm headed for my dissertation and I finally chose an academic advisor. I'm in a pretty cushy office with my own computer, coffee maker, and desk. I have a great view onto the main drag here in Bowling Green.

My girlfriend, Gina, and I are very happy. We just moved into a new place. It's quite the step up from the one-bedroom-type places I'd been living in prior and post-Belfast. We have a washer and dryer, a cat named Stuart, and our own garage. I can also digitally record EVERY EPISODE of Star Trek that I wish. God is good.

Speaking of God, we've found a great church home as well. We attend a Methodist church here in town. I think next month we're going to go through membership class. It has a fantastic pastor and choir. The congregation is warm and friendly. We feel very welcomed and needed there.

It feels good here, like everything is on track. My school-work is progressing at just the pace it should be, Gina and I are talking about getting engaged here in the next few months, and life in BG is filled with relaxing evenings on our porch, visits from friends, and getting our home in order.

This summer we took a vacation to New York City. Neither of us had ever seen the Big Apple before. It was a wonderful time. Fast-paced, but not rude or dirty or scary in any way. After leaving the big city, we stopped in Pennsylvania and camped for a few days before coming back to Ohio.

Now the school year starts for me on Monday and for Gina in a few weeks. My students moved back in yesterday and my syllabus needs to be edited and printed. I've also got a stack of assignments I need to write up for the semester. Not to mention the readings I still have to get on top of for the classes I'm taking this fall (seminars in Persuasion, Media Effects, and Systemic Sustainability and Wisdom). And that’s the update from this year. Now, on to another one.