finally....

Hubby is home for the summer. All that's left of his semester is grading jail.

It is so good to have him here and know that he's not going to pack up and go on Monday. We'll go down to Red State to tie up some loose ends in a couple of weeks, but we can go together.

Of course, I'm going to the north part of BN state today to see my mom in the hospital-- she fell and broke her shoulder and had to have part of it replaced. She's doing fine -- but it puts a major crimp in her summer plans.

Next week we'll go to Big Midwest City for a couple of days of fun-- and, since Mom won't be at the family thing, we'll just stop there for a few hours on the way home from Big Midwest City instead of spending the night and having a Mother's Day breakfast with her.

-- but, for right now, he's home and sleeping in the other room -- and I'm happy to have him back!

one more goodbye...

Tomorrow hubby leaves to do finals week at Red State school.

His last goodbye for the year.

Last fall I had no idea it would seem like so long and so short at the same time. It will be good to have him home, bringing his mess and spunky self into what has turned into a pretty quiet household.

This summer we'll see a couple of excellent large cities, probably camp a couple of times and move into a new place. We'll also write our little brains out and hopefully be a couple of steps closer to being Dr & Dr.

Next fall he'll go back to Red State, taking New Kitty with him. I'll stay here and not coach debate, but be department chair...

How things have changed....

getting used to the Long Distance Relationship

When I told a faculty friend about hubby and I converting to a long-distance relationship, she said, "you've been married for 16 years, you'll looove it!".

I can't say she was right.

I can say that I'm finally used to it. It officially happened yesterday. Hubby left and I didn't feel like I was about to cry. I take that as a sign of adjustment.

I also find that I'm much more comfortable home alone. I find that I like my non-teaching Tuesdays and can easily spend quite a while without seeing another person... perhaps that is my closet-introvert coming out? I've also found that I enjoy going to movies by myself -- and I go to movies he'd never agree to see.

On the other hand, perhaps the reason I end up staying at school late on Monday nights is that I don't want to go home to a freshly quiet apartment. I also don't find myself eating foods he doesn't like.

Of course, just when I'm getting used to living partially alone, his semester is almost over and he'll be home for the summer in a couple of weeks. Isn't that just my luck. I'll get used to living with him over the summer only to have him go back to Red State next year for another year.

Semester numbers

3.5 more teaching weeks for me.
7 more teaching days for me.

1 more weekend hubby will be in Red State.
1 more weekend I'll go to Red State.

2 more weeks for hubby to teach this year.
4 more teaching days for hubby.

1 long-distance year nearly over... at least one more to go.

1 set of logic quizzes to write and grade.
1 logic final exam to write and grade.
5 sets of reading summaries to grade.
1 Intro to Philosophy final exam to write and grade.

1 weekend trip to take with hubby to big/fun city and family city.

2 summer syllabi to write and copy.

Snowed in...

We are snowed in, but not together...

and, actually I'm not really snowed in -- if I had to go out in my little Toyota sedan, I could get out -- it is just really icky out there.

Hubby's school cancelled classes, as did my grad school (I'm still on their Univeristy-wide e-mail list).

Of course, the zippy Romanian woman who cleans my house made it on time... from across town. So, I suppose that if she could make it here, I could get out if I wanted to.

I went to the super grocery store last night on the way home -- I now have enough snacks and other food to last a few blizzards.

I see no other reason to go out - so, I'm going to take advantage of my wonderful acadmic schedule and spend the whole day working from home... just me, the cats and the cleaning person.

Maybe this afternoon I'll reward all of my hard work with a nap.

Hubby vs. THE STORM...

BN state is in a 'winter storm warning' from noon today until 6:00 PM Friday.

Hubby plans to drive home tomorrow night, right when it could get icky. Of coure, he'll b safe, blah, blah, blah... and, he's coming home for spring break, so it will happen sooner or later...

As far as I'm concerned, once he gets off the highway, it can snow like the dickens... I love snow and I'd LOVE to be snowed in with hubby for a few days.

I'm even planning to go to the grocery store on the way home to make sure we won't starve -- part of the hibernation instinct in us natives-- storm warning = trip to the store...

but, if it could hold off until hubby gets good and close to home, that would be wonderful!

so --weather gods on the internet, please - let hubby come home. The cats miss him.

"Home" -- for at least a couple of weeks...

It is really odd being in a long distance relationship. In many ways I feel that I live in two places.

On one state, my hubby lives. He's my best friend, my sweetie and someone who will still make me laugh when we are in a double room at the home... I know my way around Red State City as well as hubby, because we lived there for so long... What's odd about thinking about living in Red State is that the rest of my life isn't there. My cats, my stuff and my job.

When I get "Home" -- to BN state, I come back to the place Hubby and I lived together for four years, with the stuff we've collected for nearly 17 years, and the three neurotic cats who call us their humans. My stuff is here, my cats and my job is here.

To compound the oddness is that I've always self-identified as being a BN state native. So, when people ask where I'm from, my answer has been the same no matter if I lived in the mountain state, Red State or BN state.

Maybe I'm not that strange in this regard. Within academia, we move around a lot. Getting a t t job in your home state is so unusual that it is assumed that you've moved from elsewhere to take the job. There is a reason the holidays are high travel times, people are going "home for the holidays" -- wherever that may be.

No matter, I have two weekends where I'm not going anyplace... and I'm going to enjoy them.