Hi stranger

Welcome to the ressurection of the Dunagan family blog :) Now many of you are thinking...family...are Bruce & Katie trying to tell us something? No...no children yet. But since this blog was first written many years ago, we have gotten a dog who has pretty much taught us what it's like to raise a child.

Meet Ol'Red. We just call him Red or some variation of weiner, as he's obviously a dachshund. Popular nicknames include Weenie Beenie or just Beaner. Do you remember when you were a kid and your mom used to make hot dogs with bbq beans? That's the story behind those nicknames basically. We've had him since late June 2006 and he's been great. He's got a personality all his own--he hates pooping outside, loves sleeping in OUR bed (which I'm convinced he thinks is his giant dog bed), and will eat pretty much anything but bananas. He's also the most snuggly, affectionate dog I've ever had. He will literally lay by my side, snuggled up to me for hours.

So since I really haven't blogged on here for a good year now, I should probably update you on our lives...both the good and the bad. So he's a brief rundown to catch you up:

2008:

March--My parents & sister came down to spend Spring break at the beach with me and Bruce. Oh and I had a phone interview with UW-Madison for a job as a study abroad advisor.

April--flew up to Madison for in person interview. Got an e-mail at the end of the month saying I wasn't offered the position. FAIL.

May--attended what would be my last NAFSA conference in Washington D.C. with some people from my job at Alabama. Love the city & got to meet up with Lisa and Kaz for dinner. First time I'd seen them since they were married & hopefully Bruce and I will be making a trip up there soon.

June--UGH COMPS. For three days of what I call sheer hell, I sat for my comprehensive exam for my MA in American Studies. Day 1 I was making great time and had half of my exam written when my laptop decided to crash and dump all my work. It was terrible. I literally was in tears in front of the department chair. The crash wound up keeping me at the test until 6 p.m. Luckily the two remaining days of the exam went smoothly.

Oh and Bruce turned 30!!

July--left my job at Alabama. Though I'm so wonderfully greatful that I had the chance to work in study abroad and really cut my teeth and gain a plethora of experience, it really felt like it was time for me to go. Though my heart will always lie in study abroad, there is something to be said about the leadership, or lack thereof, in certain offices.

August--Started a new job at UAB in Birmingham as a student advisor in liberal arts. Campus has a much different feel, what with it being in the middle of downtown Birmingham.
October--Bruce lands a great job with a major food distributor in the Southeast. They also sponsor Talladega and most of the SEC football games.

November-Alabama beats Auburn in the Iron Bowl. For those of you that know my husband's dedication to Alabama, you know this is a HUGE deal for Bama fans. This is the first time Bama beat them in 6 years. Even better was that they beat them at home. Saban is now second to the Lord for Bama fans..lol.

2009

January--things are going so well for us that we bought my dream car. At the end of January we bought a 2005 BMW 325i. I know this sounds extravagent but it was used and we got it for a good price from a local dealer.

March--Probably the best and worse month for us both. On March 10th, we celebrated our second wedding anniversary. One week later, Bruce lost his job. Much like many other victims of our fabulous economy, we had no idea it was coming. Bruce was in the top 10 in the region for sales/distribution for the company...but as the saying goes, last hired is the first fired.

May--My first Coldplay concert!

The present--basically we are still sort of taking things as they come. Bruce hasn't been able to find anything steady when it comes to work. He is working with a friend of his, which is good because it keeps him busy & brings in money, but it tends to be seasonal work. UAB has been talking about changing/restructuring their academic schools, and to be quite honest, I'm not happy with my job here anymore. I was told at the interview that I'd be advising students and wouldn't be "just filling out checksheets" for their majors. Honestly, all I've been doing is filling out checksheets. So we're taking this opportunity to explore our options. Bruce is thinking about going to school for something useful. I'm encouraging him to look at Heating & AC programs (HVAC) because it would complement his years of construction experience and make it more complete. I've begun applying for jobs back in study abroad/international education. I've applied for positions at Indiana, American & GWU in Washington D.C., NAFSA, as well as UW-Whitewater. So far I had a preliminary phone interview with HR at UW-Whitewater. Keep your fingers crossed that we'll be coming back to Wisconsin :)