Are you sure I'm in Virginia?

My license plate says Virginia, my driver's license says Virginia and I think I'm enrolled at the University of Virginia, but the weather we are having here sure feels like Wyoming. Last week the cold weather rolled in and brought us some snow, and it hasn't warmed up since then. We have had snow twice in one week, and it has made our backyard into a mud bog. Sydney is in bliss with all the mud to romp around in, and I think she gets extra joy from making me clean off her paws before she's allowed back in the house.

Other than the cold weather, things are going well for us. We have finished our classes and are just trying to get final projects done before the semester is over this Friday. My parents arrive on Thursday, and we are looking forward to seeing them and relaxing for a little while. We just have a lot of work to do before then.

I'm sorry there isn't more to share right now. I guess our lives have been pretty boring since we have been working so hard on our school work. There will be plenty to share next week. Check back in!

Last week of classes

In exactly two days, Gina and I will have successfully completed our first semester of doctoral work. Even though there are only two days of class left, both of us have papers to write and work to do during finals week. But, there is an end in sight, at least for a little while.

Our Thanksgiving trip to Dallas was great, but you may already know a little about our detour on the way home. Well, the fun didn't stop with our overnight stay in Detroit. Tuesday morning we flew to Cincinnati, where we would catch a plane to Charlottesville in time to make it to our afternoon classes. Yes, that flight was cancelled as well, so were left to find another flight home. We actually were scheduled to fly back that night at 11:00, requiring us to spend the whole day in the airport. That's about the last thing either of us wanted to do, so we booked an earlier flight to Richmond. We actually had no idea how we would get to Charlottesville once in Richmond, but it's only an hour away and we knew we could figure it out. Gina called and reserved a rental car, but it turned out that we didn't need it. Tommy was able to come get us from the airport and bring us back to our house. Our luggage didn't actually make it to Charlottesville until Thursday morning, but at least we were home and didn't miss anymore class.

The funny thing about Tommy picking us up from the airport is that he left Texas three hours later than us on Monday evening. He drove straight through to Charlottesville from Dallas, arriving 4 hours before our flight landed in Richmond. He had enough time to pick Sydney up from the pet motel then drive to Richmond to get us. I never would have thought that his truck could beat our plane, but I was proved wrong. So, we have decided to drive from now on when going places over a school break. That way we can bring our dog and have more control over our traveling times. The other funny thing about this whole travel debacle is that we left Dallas on Northwest Airlines and flew into Richmond on Delta. Our luggage left with us on Northwest, got as far as Cincinnati on Delta, and was flown into Charlottesville on U.S. Airways. Regardless, we are just glad that both us and our bags made it home safely.

I guess that is all I have to share for now. I need to get to work on my grading so my students don't revolt on Tuesday. Take care, and keep checking back for updates.

Stuck in Detroit

Yes, you read correctly. Gina and I get to wrap up our eventful Thanksgiving by getting stuck in Detroit until tomorrow. We were actually on the plane waiting to fly to Charlottesville when the flight attendant told us the flight was cancelled due to poor weather in C'ville. So, here I am updating my blog from the Ramada Inn. Not exactly ideal, but it could be worse. We could be sleeping on the floor in the airport.

Regarding Thanksgiving break, Gina and I had a great time in Dallas. We were able to see many family members and friends, and of course every event seemed to involve food. On Monday, we celebrated our second wedding anniversary, which we spent at the Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant in north Dallas. I never thought we could get so stuffed just by eating bits of bread and meat. It was a lot of fun, and we are hoping to go back really soon. On Tuesday, Don, Tommy and I got to see the Mavericks play the Houston Rockets at the American Airlines Center. That is by far the best arena I've ever been to, and the Mavericks won making it a great night. Wednesday, Gina's cousin Shane and Beth, his wife, arrived in Dallas and we ate dinner at the Johnson house and watched basketball all night. On Thanksgiving Day, Don and I ran the Turkey Trot 5K race in downtown Dallas with 25,000 of our closest friends. That was the first race I had run in awhile, but I had a pretty good time. I actually saw another UVA student while I was running. Go Hoos! On Friday, we went to Tommy's house to have lunch with Matt and Kara's family, along with Gina's other cousins Jean, John and his girlfriend Carrie. It was so much fun watching the little cousins play together for the weekend! Saturday we attended a Gooch family gathering at the family farm. We got to see my uncle's ponies, watch the kids play together, eat wonderful BBQ, and shoot skeet in the pasture. My shoulder still hurts from that one. As you can imagine, I am not the gun type, but it was still pretty fun. On Sunday, we met our friends Sherri and Desmond for breakfast, then went to see my Uncle Clay and his family for dinner. That pretty much brings us to today.

Well, Gina and I are about to hit the hay so we can be up to catch our flight in the morning. If this is the last you hear of the Detroit debacle, then you can assume that no news is good news. Take care, and check in next week!

Howdy from the Lone Star

Gina and I are spending the Thanksgiving break in Dallas this year, so for this week only the "Virginia" label doesn't actually apply. Gina flew in last Wednesday, and I got here yesterday. We have already had a great time so far, getting to see many people and there is more fun to be had before we head back to the grind.

Last night we got to attend a wedding reception for a friend of ours, Charmaine (Hill) Poteet. There were several other friends of ours whom we had not seen in a long time, and we were some of the last folks to leave. It's just like Gina and I to be the last people to leave a party. The reception was at the Fort Worth Stockyards, which is a really cool place. I used to go there now and again when I lived in Grapevine. She had a live band and lots of BBQ. I actually thought about grabbing a guitar and busting loose with a rendition of "Number Man," but I really hate to humiliate the professional musicians.

Today, we went with Tommy, Carol, Kierra, Zachary and Kendall to see a movie. Carol and Kendall went to see Chicken Little, while the rest of us watched the newest Harry Potter installment. I haven't read the books, which explains why the whole Harry Potter fascination is a mystery to me. It was a pretty entertaining movie, but many people have explained to me that I need to read the books in order to fully appreciate the movies. Sorry, Harry, but you will have to remain a mystery for now. After the movie we went to Chuck E. Cheese's pizza joint. You may not be able to tell, but I have had enough sugar and visual stimulation to increase my heart rate to that of a hummingbird. I used to love that place when I was a kid, but this time it seemed more like a loud, chaotic germ fest. But the kids loved it, and we had a great time watching them feed tokens into those silly games. It made a great memory.

I haven't decided if I am going to post again next Sunday or wait until we are back in Virginia. I am still driving myself crazy with a few papers, and there is still a stack of work to grade. Anyway, I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving, and I wish you God's protection if you dare go to the mall or Wal-Mart next Friday. If I have my way, I will stay indoors and avoid all retail establishments at any cost. So, take care and enjoy your time with friends and family.

Family, Friends and Football

This weekend we had a great time of fellowship, food and football with many great friends and family. I think I met my alliteration quota for the month with that sentence. Gina and I have been busy with assignments and projects, but we took some time off to hang out with good people and eat some great food.

On Friday we had dinner with our friends, the Perez family, as well as some new friends, Alan and Emily Wang. We celebrated an early Thanksgiving together since everyone is going to be traveling to other places during the holiday. In case you didn't know, Gina and I are going to Texas for Thanksgiving. Anyway, we also got to dote on Alan and Emily's new baby, Vivian. What a cutie!

Saturday, Katie and Joe came down from Alexandria to see Joe's sister Jenny and her family as they visited Charlottesville to watch the Cavaliers play the Yellowjackets from Georgia Tech. Jenny is a UVA alumnus, and she was very eager to come back to C'ville and see her alma mater again. Her kids, Robbie and Megan, were all decked out in their Cav gear, which for Robbie was a bright orange wig! They even got filmed and projected onto the big Jumbotron screen in the student section of the stadium. After the game we went to The Hardware Store, a restaurant on the Downtown Mall. Some people in the group tried their hand at a half meter, which if you don't know what that is you can look on my Flickr site for pictures. The evening ended with the Moskowitz's going back to their hotel, while Katie and Gina easily handled Joe and I in a game of Spades. We're already planning our strategy for the rematch.

Overall, I can speak for both of us when I say we are ready for a short break from school. I still have a lot of work to do over the holiday, so it won't exactly be a vacation. But, it will be nice to take some time to spend with family and eat plenty of turkey and dressing. Also, Gina and I will celebrating our 2nd wedding anniversary while we are in Texas. With all there is to be thankful for at this point in our lives, we are most thankful for each other and God, who brought us together.

Steppin' Out

Gina and I got to do one of our favorite things this weekend ... listen to live music. We went to see a band called Clumsy Lovers, and they were pretty excellent. I would describe their music as modern bluegrass or folk. They have an unbelievable banjo player who pretty much stole the show. Of course, the best part is that they are from Vancouver, B.C., which is where Gina and I spent our honeymoon. It made us want to drop everything and go back there again. It's after going to a show like that I wish I was able to practice more on the guitar and get to be as good as those folks. But the reality is, if I was going to be that good I'd be that good already. We had a lot of fun hanging out with one of Gina's classmates, Erika, and her friend. This was one of the few nights out on the town we've had this semester and it was a welcome break.

I had another pleasant surprise this week as I got to see my students present their digital stories. For these projects they used Movie Maker to combine their voice with pictures and music to tell a story to the rest of the class. This is the sort of thing I love, and I was probably more excited to see their projects than there were to share them. Anyway, there were several students from the two sections of my class who took the opportunity to tell, through their stories, about the wonderful things God is doing in their lives. It is always refreshing to hear other people talk about their faith and the difference knowing God has made in their lives. I am not so sure that I would have been so bold as a first or second year college student. But these students, having the choice to tell any story they wanted, told the great story of God's love for us and the hope He offers.

The Virginia Cavaliers hosted the Temple Owls this weekend in football. Now, before I give any more details I think it is important to tell you that this is the first year Temple has played Division I-A football. Anytime a school makes the move from AA to A, they are usually met with pretty grim results. This being said, Temple did manage to score 3 points against the Cavs. This would be a good thing if they were playing soccer or hockey, but in football your best chance of winning when you only score 3 points is if the other team lets the Glee Club suit up for a game. So, the fact that the Cavs scored 51 points (48 of them before Temple scored their 3) made for a long day for the Owls. You might even say Temple is having a long season, as they have yet to win a game. They are looking to run the table during their first season of big boy football. Next week they are hosting the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets. Katie and Joe, as well as Joe's sister (who went to UVA) and brother-in-law are coming down for the game. We are hoping for the same outcome as the Florida State game.

Well, I think that is all we have to share this week. Next week I will be able to share results from the men's soccer ACC tournament, which should be pretty good. Take care, and write us when you get a chance.

Fall Back

Gina and I took advantage of the nice fall weather this weekend by going to Shenandoah National Park to hike around. This was our first time to go into the park and actually hike. The last time we were there we just drove through and looked at all the views from the car. This was definitely more fun, and we are already looking forward to going back for another hike with Sydney. Her only disappointment in the whole excursion is that she had to be on the leash. This was not nearly as much fun as being on Casper Mountain, where she can run around freely and jump over the stream as many times as she wants. But I think she would choose being on the leash to being stuck in the laundry room. In unrelated news, Sydney now associates shoes and hats with leaving. The other day she dragged my shoes over to the couch while I was taking a nap and sat right next to me until I woke up. She's too smart for her own good.

On Saturday the Virginia Cavaliers Men's soccer team played the Hokies from Virginia Tech. We decided not to attend the game because it was pretty cold (it doesn't take long for a Wyoming kid to turn soft), but I stayed up for the update on the news. Unfortunately, the Cavs lost a 2-1 decision in overtime, and lost a point in the Commonwealth Challenge, which is similar to the competitions between Kelly Walsh and Natrona high schools in Casper, just bigger. UVA is currently winning, but the match worth the most points is the football game coming up in a few weeks. Virginia Tech is the #3 team in the country, and I think they will be hard to beat. Of course, Florida State was #4 when UVA beat them. So, we'll see what happens.

This upcoming week looks to be pretty busy, as I have a lot of reading and writing to do and Gina has a test. My big test was last week, and I am thankful to have it behind me. Gina has been studying all weekend, and I know she will do great. I get to participate in a tele-conference on Tuesday with the doctoral students from Iowa State University. This should be a fun experience as I have never got to do this sort of thing before. Unless it is REALLY cool, I don't think it will be worthy of an update in next week's post. I guess you will just have to check back in and find out.

The leaves are really starting to fall now, and Gina and I have been busy cleaning them up for a couple of weeks now. I spent a couple of hours in the yard yesterday raking, mowing and spreading new grass seed. I don't know if it will sprout before winter, but several people have told me this is the best time to plant grass. I will keep you updated.

Well, this is turning into a long post. Write us when you get a chance. We would love to hear from you. Have a great week. I will leave you with another shot of Virginia's beautiful fall colors.

Down to the wire

I think it's fair to say that the semester it getting to that familiar point when a lot of things are due. Gina and I have both been working fervently on papers, literature reviews and studying for tests. In addition to that, the assignments for the classes I teach are coming in. We are a couple of busy bees these days, but we are doing well and looking forward to a chance to relax, as well as see family and friends, in Dallas over Thanksgiving.

We discovered a very nice perk of being UVA students this week. One of the libraries has a video collection with many movies for students to check out for free at any time. Since we both like movies, we took advantage of this opportunity and watched "The Color Purple" on Friday. Neither of us had ever seen this film, and I'm not sure why it took us so long. What a great story! I know this probably doesn't seem like that big of a deal, but we were pretty excited. I guess we are just too easily amused.

On Saturday we had another couple over for dinner. Diallo is an Instructional Technology student with me at the Curry School, and his wife Chalarra is a school social worker for Charlottesville City Schools. We had a nice time of fellowship and food, and Sydney got to make her appearance as usual. It has been nice getting to know new people from a different part of the country.

That's about all there is to report this week. I survived my first big test (I think ... I haven't actually gotten it back), and Gina has one on Tuesday. Keep us in your prayers as we tackle some pretty difficult classes. Take care, and write us when you get a chance.

Great Football Weekend

Gina at the UVA vs. FSU football game

Well, I have been to some pretty cool football games. There was that time Utah State beat Fresno State with a last second field goal... talk about a barn burner! Well, Gina and I got to see a great football game this weekend when UVA played Florida State in Charlottesville. Considering the Cavaliers lost their last two games to decent teams, I was pretty sure the #4 team in the country would run roughshod over the blue and orange. However, I think everyone was shocked when Virginia not only scored first, but continued to score and shut down FSU. It was a great game, and definitely the biggest upset I have ever been to. You can read more about the game here.

Also, the #4 Cavalier Men's Soccer team hosted the Duke Blue Devils, #10 in the country, on Sunday. I didn't get to attend the game because I had too many other things that actually had to get done. That's the thing with being a doctoral student. The professors actually expect you to do your work. So, I had to read about this game, but I fully intend on being at the next one. I may even sing the "Olè" song.

Other than the football game, Gina and I didn't do anything really out of the ordinary. Actually, we did go back to the orchard to pick some Granny Smith apples. We even took Sydney, and I am proud to say she behaved herself ... for the most part. She must not have gotten the memo that most people don't like to be jumped on and mauled. But if you know Sydney, you know it's all done with a sincere heart that just wants to show love.

Take care this week, and keep checking back for more updates on the Alexanders. Bye for now.

Water, water everywhere!

Well, this weekend Gina and I got to experience real rain. The sprinkles started on Thursday afternoon, and by Friday morning it was a complete downpour. Now, I'm used to Wyoming where it only downpours when I am trying to cook outside on the grill. I mistakenly thought that it would only rain for a few hours, so I was surprised to see that it was still raining cats and dogs late into Saturday afternoon. We noticed on Saturday that we had a small pond accumulating on the back patio, which I got to clean up later that day. I thought about keeping it there and raising trout so that the neighborhood kids could come over and go fishing, but I wasn't sure Sydney would be able to stay out of the water. So, things have pretty much dried out and we will be better prepared for the next time the forecast reads "scattered showers."

In other news, we had a great weekend of fellowship with some new friends we've met here. On Friday, we had the Perez family (David, Lorena, Kristin and Daniel) over for dinner. We met them at one of the churches we visited, and we have gotten together with them a couple of times. They are a great family, and we seem to have a lot in common with them. David works for an outdoor gear company and loves biking and soccer. My kinda guy! The two children seemed to have a good time playing with Sydney, as well as playing my old Activision video games. Sydney, of course, was the star of the show, and she only tinkled with excitement twice. That's pretty good for her.

On Saturday we made plans with another couple, Fitz and Rachel Greene, who we met at a different church we visited. They are both new to Charlottesville, and Fitz is a graduate student at UVA in Religious Studies. They are grads of George Washington University in Washington, D.C. We were supposed to go to Carter Mountain Orchard with them to pick from the new crop of Granny Smith apples, but the rain made us postpone that activity until a later date. They came over for dinner, and yes, Sydney was the main attraction once again. She only lost control of herself one time. All I can say is, I'm glad we have hardwood floors!

Well, this week should be business as usual. I don't think it will be as exciting as last week, when the Rolling Stones were in town, but that is just fine with us. The traffic was backed up 15 miles on the interstate with people trying to get their glimpse of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Gina and I passed on that opportunity. The only change it made in our daily routine was that they cancelled all bus service and we had to walk home. It's pretty close from UVA to our house, and it was good to get a little extra exercise.

Well, I guess that is all for now. I hope everyone is doing well. Come back soon for more news from Virginia!

Reading Weekend

The University of Virginia, being the fine academic institution that it is, would never stoop so low as to give its students a Fall Break. No academy worth its salt would openly endorse a "break" in the learning. However, the officials here recognize that a little rest can provide just the boost that students need to gear up for midterm exams and the many projects that are due before Thanksgiving. So, Gina and I got to experience our very first Reading Weekend. Yes, there is a whole weekend devoted to reading. You are probably wondering what we read this weekend. Well, Gina was very faithful to her studies and read several journal articles for her research. I read almost 40 essays written by my pre-service teachers on their experiences with using technology. Mr Jefferson (as he is called in C'ville) would be very proud indeed that we didn't squander his Reading Weekend on frivolous activities.

In other news, we had a chance to do some non-reading activities this weekend as well. On Friday we got to indulge ourselves on several episodes of Quantum Leap thanks to my sister who let us borrow the first and second seasons on DVD. Saturday was full of yard work, house work and school work. In addition to reading, I got to edit two podcasts for NTLC (National Technology Leadership Coalition) Radio. I don't know if they will actually get broadcast, but it's part of my grade. Saturday night I got to watch the Virginia Cavaliers mens' soccer team play the #2 North Carolina Tarheels. UVA cruised to a 2-0 win with two second half goals. Gina opted out of watching soccer and went grocery shopping instead.

Sunday was pretty relaxed as we did more reading, ran some errands and got to attend the Carter Mountain Orchard festival. Carter Mountain is quickly becoming our favorite place in C'ville as it provides good exercise, the chance to pick a variety of apples right from the tree, and a beautiful view of Charlottesville.

Well, I think that is all for now. We hope everyone is doing well. Feel free to look at our Virginia photos on Flickr. More photos to come ...

Hello there!

Well, I have been meaning to do this for awhile, but I am just now getting to it. I thought it would be a good idea to post a blog in order to keep people posted on how things are going for us in Virginia. It is so hard to keep up with e-mails, but I can always take a little time to update the blog for those who are interested. And of course, we will still e-mail you. As you know, Gina is much better at that than I am! So, keep checking in from time to time and see what new adventures we are having on the east coast. Bye for now.