Seasons change . . .

Feelings change... (are you humming the tune?). Who sang that anyway? I suppose I could google it and find out but if my memory serves me correctly, it's Expose. Anyway. I feeling a change in the air today. Allow me to bare my soul...

Today marks my last official day in the classroom as a TA for IUPUI, sniff sniff. It is really kind of sad. I've very much enjoyed my role in this position this year and wish that I could hang around for a bit longer. But I really need to launch into my thesis and finish that sucker this year. As I hiked to the fifth floor for one of the last times today, I reflected briefly (in between heavy breathing from walking up all of those stairs) on the past year. It's been a year of learning. I've learned how to grade, how to easily spot plagiarism, how to lecture (kinda - now if I could only stay in my chair). I decided not to make my life utter madness by finishing my thesis and TAing at the same time. I decided to launch myself into children's ministry more fully at CSC. I decided not to try to get pregnant this year (not closing the door entirely but I really felt like 05-06 wasn't the right timing). I learned that Anna needed to make her own way at school and that my role in her life is beginning to change. I'd like to think that I've accepted myself a bit more - as a woman, as a scholar, as a wife, as a mother, as a friend.

There are plenty things that I'm still working on and haven't learned though . . . still can't really manage my time effectively (laundry, laundry everywhere!), still need to take Minesweeper off of my computer (what the other TAs that I work with refer to as my "computer crack"), still am training to hopefully ride the RAIN ride this summer (the good news is that if I do ride it, I have about 13 lbs less to drag down the road), still writing, researching, reading for my thesis (when will it ever end?!?!), still trying to manage stress effectively and not leave things until the last minute (back to the time management issue) and take out my own negligence and procrastination on those whom I love the most (i.e. Brian and Anna).

It's been a good academic year. I'm not totally out of the woods. I'll still need grade finals, figure grades, organize my TA materials for the lucky soul who comes behind me but pretty much by this time next week this chapter will be closed and I'll be embarking on a new journey. I'm not sure what that path is yet but I'm excited to get on it.