Hello, family! I hope you all are having a joyous Easter Sunday. The weather here is gorgeous ... sunny, 70s, everything is blooming. I love it! I spoke with Andy on the phone yesterday, and he said that it's pretty darn nice in the Midwest too. Yay!
Things are going well here. My interview at WSU went very well from my perspective -- the faculty was very kind and supportive of my research, the teaching load seems manageable, as do the research and service expectations, and W-town looked pretty darn good to me. Much easier commute but many of the assets of a big city. Trent and I would love to get back to the Midwest. WSU won't be making a decision until the end of this month. If I get a call, I'll be ready to negotiate. If the price is right, Trent and I are pretty gung-ho about getting this house on the market ASAP and making plans for a move. We did all the major spring yard work last weekend, and after the pollen drops, we'll pressure wash the house, paint the front porch, and stain the deck and back porch ... all things we'd need to do anyway but things that will help stage the house if we need to sell quickly.
In other news, the Braves' season begins tomorrow, and Trent's ... sort of excited. The commute is still long, but at least he enjoys his co-workers, and he's looking forward to running out during the 3rd and 6th innings.
Work is going fine for me. Four weeks until finals. We hosted our annual young adult literature conference this past week with some pretty big authors in YA literature. It was a lot of work, but if you weren't behind the scenes, it went smoothly. I've come up with some ideas to streamline our planning and preparation for next year, so if I'm still here, I look forward to putting those ideas into action.
On Friday I attended a honors student scholar ceremony where two students selected me as their faculty honoree. One of those students (who was in my writing class last summer) was selected for a Board of Regents award and delivered a keynote address during the ceremony in which he specifically thanked me and one of my colleagues from the College of Ed for our mentoring. That felt pretty nice ... particularly since the KSU President and Provost were there as well. :-)
Trent and I are planning to sign up for a 5K in May, and our triathlon will happen a month later on June 5. We are pumped.
I hope everyone has a beautiful week. We love you!
Getting physical
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Training sessions have been going really well these past few weeks. I
swim, lift, and run on my own (or with the masters swim team) during the
week, and o...
12 years ago
4 comments:
Katie we all hope to have you back in Kansas soon, but only if it is right for you and Trent. I am glad that the visit to the University and Wichita community was positive. I hope they offer you an acceptable position. You and Trent are pretty adaptable I must say and are able to make a good life wherever you seem to plant yourselves. I wish Wichita was a couple hours closer though. I think that if you put your house on the market it will sell quickly. It is very lovely in photographs. The yard offers curb appeal, so all in all it will "stage" nicely. The nice thing is that the few things you have on your "to do" list are things that you will enjoy even if you don't move.
We had a lovely Easter meal at your mom and dad's house. Lots of fresh salads and veggies with our burgers. We hit a storm on the way home with some heavy rains and hail. At one point John pulled over and we reversed our direction and then did a bit of a side trip to get out of it, overall came out unscathed. The grass is greening up nicely and we are starting to see the first sign of leaves on the trees and the red buds should be in full color in about a week. The woods around the house will be thick with foliage soon and it will seem as if it appeared overnight. Well keep us posted on Wichita State. I hope they have the sense to make you an offer you can't refuse, but we will just have to be patient----easier for us than you, I am sure.
Katie, you and Trent have been in my thoughts, even though I have not posted lately. I hope everything works out the way it should, in a way that makes you happy. All the hard work and energy you both have expended is bound to pay off. You set high standards for yourselves which inspires others.
Trees are budding out here and the Bradford pear trees look fabulous. The wind kicked up quite a ruckus today. I hope there will still be blossoms on the trees in the morning. We have had some beautiful weather lately. No coat weather; the best kind.
Take care. Remember, you are special to us. Love you.
Honor and Margaret, thanks for your responses. I appreciate your encouragement. :-)
I received word from WSU this week that they're in the process of calling my references and calling people who aren't on my reference list. Casting a wide net, I suppose, to see if I've worked well with people who aren't on my list.
Frankly, Trent and I are growing a little tired of waiting. These job applications were due in January. I can't believe they've taken such a long time to make an offer (to whomever they offer this position to) for a job that starts in August. With the housing market the way it is, WHAT ARE THEY THINKING??
Plus, we finally were able to locate some salary figures for people in the department, and it doesn't look very likely that they'd be able to offer me what my minimum number is. I'm willing to accept a little less than I'm making here, but not much less ... the economy is too crazy (and the housing market is supposed to take another tumble) for us to take too much a risk in terms of income.
I just wish we knew what the plan was. I'm tired of waiting.
Spring is sprung in Kansas, it sounds like. It's freakin' gorgeous here right now. Perfect temps, beautiful foliage. Thankfully, Trent and I aren't bother by the pollen that coats all outdoor surfaces ...
Kansas is beautiful this spring. The way Wichita State is dragging out the hiring process is not pretty. I hope you remember what a strong, powerful voice and teacher you are at decision time. The fact that the powers that be are still interested in you does speak to their intelligence. It's going to be a tough call. You are always in our thoughts and prayers.
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