School advice please!!

So, here are my two options for next semester. I am not sure which one to choose and would love some feedback.

Option #1: Take the first Statistics course (3 hours), which is a required course and also take a tutorial (3 hours), which is a course I would use to finish the research I have been working on with my professor and would count towards my degree. If I choose to take these 2 classes, I will not really get credit for all the work I did this summer, so that is a big down side. But, on the upside, I don't think I will be too overwhelmed and will be able to focus on my statistics course and definitely finish the research with my professor.

Option #2: Take the first statistics course (3 hours) and the tutorial (3 hours) as above. Also, take a research course in the education department (3 hours), which is also a requirement for the program because we have to take 2 courses outside the school of social work at some point in the program. Also, this course is an online course. Then, if i take all 9 hours, I can be a GRA (which is what i was supposed to be doing over the summer, but ended up not being able to since I wasn't taking enough hours). So by being a GRA, i would also get paid so i would basically be able to cover the cost of one of my classes. The pros to this option are that I would get paid for what I had been working on over the summer and I would get 3 courses said and done with in one semester. The major down side is that i am not sure if it is going to be too much to take on while also working full time and getting used to michael's new school schedule.

so, all that said, any comments and feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

"let me explain...

No, there is too much, let me sum up" (from the Princess Bride :) So, I have been a blog slacker as of late, I guess I have just been having too much fun. :) Anyway, here is a much needed update.

So, my birthday was great. I got a ton of calls, text messages, emails, myspace and facebook posts. It was so great to hear from everybody. Michael took me to see Sex and the City and out to dinner on friday. we had a great time. then, on saturday, we had a lot of fun spending time with my parents, sis, and gabe. Also the ceiling fan outside has been wonderful. It took some jimmying (sp?) to get it to fit right, but it is up and working now. thanks michael, dad and gabe for all your hard work. Sunday, we spent relaxing and maxing. I did a bit of studying, but not that much considering it was a 3 day weekend. Good times all around.

In other big news, our dishwasher broke. I have been hoping that it would break since we moved in because it is old and we have a home warranty so I wanted to get a new one. well, my wish came true. we had the warranty people come out to check it out and they said it could be fixed, but it is the motor that is broken, so it will cost $260 to fix it. they said they will fix it or just give us that money to put towards a new washing machine. Also, they said we can buy the washing machine through them with their discount and at manufacturers price and they will deliver it to the house. So, after MUCH research, we finally found the dishwasher we wanted and one they had available. So, it is a GE with a stainless steel tub, pretty fancy. so, it sells for about $850 at bestbuy and we got it delivered to the house for $300 out of pocket. what a deal. So, michael and dad installed it this tuesday and it works great. michael and i usually rinse our dishes before we put them in the dishwasher which means we basically clean them before the dishwasher cleans them. So, we took the dishwasher for a trial run last night to see if we don't have to wash our dishes twice and it worked. we had a dish with bbq sauce dried on it and it cleaned it right off. all the dishes look very clean. it is also super quiet. all that hard research work paid off!!

Michael's sister (Lani) and brother (Chris) came into town this week for a few job interviews Lani had. She is trying to move to Dallas, but wants to find a job first. I only got to see them in the evening after work, but it was fun to hang out with them.

On the jackfruit front, when I was visiting my parents on sunday, we had scallops and jackfruit chutney. it was delicious. the first good jackfruit dish. congrats mom and dad!!!! well, my mom took me shopping for clothes on sunday as my birthday gift. we had a great time and i got some really cute new clothes. I am wearing one of the outfits today and i have gotten a million compliments on it today. Thanks, mom and dad.

In school news, it seems that the sociology course i was going to take this fall has changed topics and is no longer related to my dissertation topic, so i have to find a new course to take in the fall. if i cant find another course, i might just stick with doing the statistics course and a tutorial and leave it at that for the fall. i really want to be able to focus on stats without getting too overwhelmed with other courses. I did pick a dissertation committee chair. I asked the professor i have been working on the research with and she said she would be glad to be my chair, so that is great.

One final bit of information, yesterday was Michael and I's 3 year anniversary. 3 wonderful years of marriage. They have definitely been the best 3 years of my life and I am sure there are plenty more where that came from. thank you all for your well wishes on our anniversary. michael sent me beautiful roses at work. i love them. i got him a gift, but haven't given it to him yet, so i cant write what it is in case he is reading. :) also, we are going to the oceanaire on saturday to celebrate. It is this delicious seafood place in dallas, i will keep you posted on how delicious it really is. well, that is all for now.

Happy Birthday...

to me. :) Well, since this is my blog, I get to wish myself a very happy birthday. YEAH!! Thus far my birthday has been fantastic and I am looking forward to more great times this weekend. Thank you all for your wonderful birthday wishes, it means so much.

Also, happy birthday to all my buddies who are born in July, there are a ton of birthdays this month. Love you all!

The Birthday Week Begins!!

so, not much new to report here except that the birthday fun has started. I love that no matter how old I get, I can always still celebrate my birthday for a week or so. :) Anyway, I have Friday off from work since it is a national holiday along with my birthday. Oh the perks of being born on the 4th of july. :) Well, on Thursday, my coworkers and i are ordering out lunch and having cake to celebrate my birthday. Then, in the evening, michael and i are going to lake arlington to see the fireworks. (my professor said i didn't have to go to class, she is so good to me) Then on Friday, I plan to sleep in, lounge around (maybe swim) and relax during the day. Then, Michael and I are going to go to dinner and maybe even catch a movie or something else totally fun I don't even know about yet. then, Saturday my parents, sis and Gabe are coming over for some lamb and other delicious foods and some good times by the pool. My dad is also going to help us put up a ceiling fan outside so we can be nice and cool during the summer months. Thanks dad. Then, on sunday michael and I are going to continue planning our august vacation and i think i need to get some study time in also. All in all, sounds like a great week. I cant wait!!!!

In other news, it seems you that you have to be registered for 6 hours in the summer in order to be a graduate research assistant (GRA) and since i am only registered for 3 hours, it seems that i am no longer able to be a GRA this summer. It kind of put me in a panic last week when i found out since i have already put so much time in on this research project. But, i talked to the professor i am working with and she said that i could just sign up for a tutorial with her and be a GRA in the fall, so it will all end up working out. She basically said she doesn't really care what semester i do the work. So, now I will get a 3 hour course (the tutorial, which is a class you basically design with a professor of your choice) out of the way and also get paid to be a GRA next semester. so, all in all it worked out pretty well.

The class I am helping teach is going well also. I just finished grading their first set of quizzes. I think I am a pretty tough grader, but I think that is necessary if these students are working towards their master's degrees. I have already received several emails with students protesting certain wrong answers and I have been able to respond back pretty well to help them understand what was incorrect about their answer. I think I am really going to enjoy being a professor.

Other than that, not much is new here. I am still working on the weight loss. Today I am at the lowest weight I have been at since i started this journey. :) i am also running 2.5 miles when i go to the gym which is pretty good, for me. Not much else to report here, hope you all have a great 4th of july.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot the jackfruit update. So, the jackfruit chips did not go so well. I baked them so as to not use all the oil needed to fry them and they came out kind of mushy. If i was willing to fry them, I think they would be delicious. Also, we tried a jackfruit curry dish and it was also not so good. Overall, I am not a big fan of the jackfruit :). But, if you know anyone out there who is, we have two gallon ziploc bags full in the freezer. :) Let me know.