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 ...