It has just been a little crazy. Added responsibilities within OIA - a definitely good thing - has drawn my attention toward strategic planning and budgeting. The Guild Board is on its way for a meeting next week meaning a year-end report needs to be developed for the first time; and a first quarter report now must be addressed. Fundraisers are starting up: football stand, ornaments, wreaths, pecans. The Guild participated in a Grad Finale yesterday for Dec grads. The Guild Bulletin will be mailed today. Prep for an LUA presentation in Oct. Making Dinner Fun. Homecoming. Tellers meeting. Monthly e-update. Webpage. Family Weekend. Christmas cards, PR. Details. There hasn't been time to breathe!
Today, I will catch my breath. Or, at least, remember to breathe.
September 28, 2007
September 19, 2007
world
The weekend away did a world of good. All goals were accomplished. Now I am writing many reports: LUA, OIA strat planning docs, Q4 & Q1 (Guild financials for the BOD), Director's report. If not writing reports, I'm writing letters.
September 13, 2007
just feeling stretched
My mind is so full of everything that needs to get done that I can no longer think straight. There are little to dos, and big to dos. I may crack. Fortunately, I'm going away for a long weekend to celebrate friendship, hard work complete, and relax. There will also be a little hiking and drinking. Maybe I'll come back refreshed enough to gt my head back in the game.
September 11, 2007
911
I will always remember this day 6 years ago. I had stayed late Monday night to prep for Convention because Rick was going to California and I didn't need to rush home. The next day I rushed into the office because our student employee, Jenn, was scheduled to come in at 8:15. I flipped on the radio and immediately could hear a different tone in a usually upbeat morning program. Jenn came in and I said, we need to go find a TV. There has been a tragedy.
We walked from Kretzmann to the Union under a clear blue sky trying to make sense of the pieces we knew so far. At the Union, no one seemed to know what we knew. We walked to Alumni Hall where Jenn was an RA and could pull out a big screen TV. We turned it on and tried to begin to pull together the pieces of what was happening.
Freshmen, who had only been on campus a couple weeks, were coming down the stairs to be confronted with a group gathered in front of the TV and unspeakable images on screen. We watched the towers crumble, we heard about the pentagon, we prayed for the people on that plane in PA, our blood ran cold.
The rest of the day was foggy. I was in contact with my family, talked to Rick who saw this unfold from a hotel room and ultimately ended up having to drive across country in a rental car with his colleagues to get home, I filled up my tank, I wondered aimlessly around the grocery stocking up on this and that not knowing what the next day, hour, minute would bring.
Then I wondered how everything would get sorted out. I anticipated significant life change. Though life in America has certainly changed, the day-to-day feels the same. We still mourn the casualties of that day and casualties that have have occured since. It is hard not to remember.
We walked from Kretzmann to the Union under a clear blue sky trying to make sense of the pieces we knew so far. At the Union, no one seemed to know what we knew. We walked to Alumni Hall where Jenn was an RA and could pull out a big screen TV. We turned it on and tried to begin to pull together the pieces of what was happening.
Freshmen, who had only been on campus a couple weeks, were coming down the stairs to be confronted with a group gathered in front of the TV and unspeakable images on screen. We watched the towers crumble, we heard about the pentagon, we prayed for the people on that plane in PA, our blood ran cold.
The rest of the day was foggy. I was in contact with my family, talked to Rick who saw this unfold from a hotel room and ultimately ended up having to drive across country in a rental car with his colleagues to get home, I filled up my tank, I wondered aimlessly around the grocery stocking up on this and that not knowing what the next day, hour, minute would bring.
Then I wondered how everything would get sorted out. I anticipated significant life change. Though life in America has certainly changed, the day-to-day feels the same. We still mourn the casualties of that day and casualties that have have occured since. It is hard not to remember.
September 7, 2007
blogging
Valpo added a new blog application to its webpage. Our student intern, Amanda, is getting ready to start posting blogs on her reflections on student life. Erik, the last intern who did this, is off in Chicago looking for employment. I hear he is close to finding something.
Today we will pack up the 400+ ballots to take them to Indy for counting tomorrow. We have 10 tellers - more than last time - and have (hopefully) simplified the process. It will be exciting to see the results! The results of the grant ballot will come out in Oct. Candidates should be announced sooner.
Today we will pack up the 400+ ballots to take them to Indy for counting tomorrow. We have 10 tellers - more than last time - and have (hopefully) simplified the process. It will be exciting to see the results! The results of the grant ballot will come out in Oct. Candidates should be announced sooner.
September 6, 2007
A day of celebration
Today my great uncle Al will be buried. He lived to be 100.5. There are plenty of memories of him being a jack of all trades: carpenter, baker, horticulturalist. He lived a full life. It is also my grandpa's 90th birthday. They broke the mold when he was born. He has been a farmer, contractor, playboy. A lifetime is a body of work filled with surprises, routine, and memories.
September 4, 2007
A Community Mourns
Yesterday Valparaiso University hosted a memorial for the two visiting scholars who passed away August 24, 2007 on their way to Valpo. There was a horrible storm that night and the car they were riding in hydroplaned crashing into a truck. Professors Xiangyang Xu and Wei-min Liu were killed. A Valpo professor was seriously injured. Representatives from Zhejiang University, Valparaiso University and even the Deputy Consul General of the People's Republic of China spoke. The service was conducted in both English and Chinese.
It was terribly sad. We mourn for the lives lost. These were two up and coming men with much to offer. Their lives were cut short since both were only in the upper 30s. We mourn for what we never knew. We never got the opportunity to know these men. We mourn for their families and the loss they are experiencing. We mourn for the loss of innocence as we are reminded of how fragile our lives are and that this could happen to anyone of the people Valpo sends abroad annually. It is sad how closely this touches our lives. A week before these scholars largely were unknown to our community.
A ray of hope was how the Valpo community came out to show their support. I estimate that over 500 people were in attendance. VU's international community, faculty, staff, students, folks from town were all unified in grief. One of the blessings of being part of the Valparaiso University community is how we can come together in both joy and sadness.
It was terribly sad. We mourn for the lives lost. These were two up and coming men with much to offer. Their lives were cut short since both were only in the upper 30s. We mourn for what we never knew. We never got the opportunity to know these men. We mourn for their families and the loss they are experiencing. We mourn for the loss of innocence as we are reminded of how fragile our lives are and that this could happen to anyone of the people Valpo sends abroad annually. It is sad how closely this touches our lives. A week before these scholars largely were unknown to our community.
A ray of hope was how the Valpo community came out to show their support. I estimate that over 500 people were in attendance. VU's international community, faculty, staff, students, folks from town were all unified in grief. One of the blessings of being part of the Valparaiso University community is how we can come together in both joy and sadness.
September 3, 2007
Labor Day
Yep - Valpo is open on Labor Day. Though it was cut "short", we had a great weekend. We attended the Walworth County Fair in Elkhorn, WI and a Milwaukee Brewers game. Brewers won and Robby got to run the bases after the game. Boy, can that boy run! Back to laboring...
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