Quick update

Well I didn't get the job at Minnesota. That puts my grand total of job rejections for 2009 at 7:

Rejected after interview:
Whitewater
Eau Claire
Minnesota

No interview/No call back or contact
Towson
East Carolina
Georgia Tech
Kentucky

So yeah. I won't lie...it's hard to get rejected from jobs in study abroad/international education when I am more than qualified for the position based on my professional and personal experiences. But I also understand that so many people are out of work right now that these universities can be picky about who they hire. Hopefully 2010 will bring something better.

Fall

Lately I've been missing Wisconsin in the Fall. The leaves change, the air becomes crisp, and you can smell winter in the air. It's not quite ready to snow yet, but you know it'll be right around the corner. I would love nothing more than to be walking the Green Circle Trail through Schmeeckle Reserve right now, only to stumble upon this

The Green Circle trail was one of my favorite parts of Stevens Point...aside from downtown of course. Special shout out to all my Pointers, as this Saturday is Homecoming! I am bummed that yet again I will not be up there to celebrate with Jell-O shots at the parade, McMosa McMorning, and whop on tap at Partner's. Pour one out for me ladies! D-Phi-E 4eva.

Other than that, not much is new. We may be going to a Halloween party and I am so excited to share with everyone what our costume is. Drum roll.....

Jim Bob & Michelle Duggar from 18 Kids & Counting! Part of our costume does include a basket or wagon carrying 18 dolls.

Quick update

If I had to summarize my life lately (well since March really), this picture would do the trick. I didn't wind up getting the job at Whitewater after all. In fact, looking back at my original post, I realize I didn't get any of the jobs I applied for! But, I'm trudging on. We still haven't gotten any final word on the restructuring plan here at UAB. In our staff meeting on Monday, we were told the President would make her official announcement in October and then we'll finally know what will happen next academic year.

Bruce had an interview with a railroad company back in August and we have heard nothing from that either. Rumor on the streets with that is that the company hired all the northern line people earlier this month and those in the southern part should hear something in the next week.

So our alternate plan #3 now is for me to keep applying to jobs as they come up and keep our fingers crossed that we hit it lucky. If I wind up losing my job, I've decided to look into applying to grad school at UW-Madison and UW-La Crosse for Higher Ed/Student Affairs. I'm hoping that the UW will grant me in-state residency based on what I've submitted thus far but I won't be submitting anything until I know exactly what's happening with my job. UW-La Crosse's program is available online so I could do that one either way.

Support our Troops

Alane had this posted on her Facebook page. He was one of her husband's Marines who was recently killed in Afghanistan & for a major bank to remove American flags off their lawn before his body was brought back for the funeral is awful. Thank goodness I closed my account with them months ago.

Pico de Gallo recipe

I stumbled across a website where you can have recipes automatically sent to you via e-mail and they include a shopping list. So far I've found a hand full of recipes that I'd actually use. Sign up at dinnervibe when you get the chance.

Those of you that know me know how much I love Mexican food. I could literally eat it 3 days a week, if not more. I came across an easy Pico de Gallo recipe today that I thought I'd share.

2 cups ripe red tomatoes diced (approx. 4 medium tomatoes)

1 clove minced garlic

1/4 cup diced onion

1/2 cup cilantro (I have an insane love for cilantro!!)

2 jalapenos diced--remove seeds and stems

2 limes, juiced

1/2 tbsp olive oil

salt to taste

Mix all ingredients together and let it sit for a half an hour. Use immediately after. Olé!

Does anyone even read this? LOL

As promised, here are a very small amount of pictures from our trip to North Carolina. You may notice that Bruce isn't in any of these...he's a Coldplay hater and I've come to accept the fact:

Want to know a fun, random fact?

Did you know that famed 19th & 20th century poet, Robert Loveman, lived in the house where Bruce & I were married? Loveman attended The University of Alabama in 1888 and wrote his famed "April Showers," inspired by the gardens around the house. Here's a picture of the house from the 1920's:
We were married on the front porch of the home and actually, it hasn't changed too much from when this photo was taken.

I'll be posting photos from our trip to North Carolina in the next blog. Have a great weekend everyone!

Next week

Hey y'all. What a hellish week it's been here at work for me. Right now the only saving grace is the fact that Bruce & I will be taking a mini-vacay to North Carolina to see Alane and her daughter Lindsey. It's a 10 hour drive for us, but so worth it because we drive through Wilmington (where they filmed Dawson's Creek!), will get to spend lots of time with my friend, and last but not least.....COLDPLAY concert in Raleigh!

This will be concert number 2 for both Alane and me. Those of you that know me well know that I LOVE LOVE LOVE their music and may have wandered around one section of London where it was rumored Chris & Gwyn lived..hoping to get to see him. Now that I re-read what I wrote, that does seem pretty stalker-esque doesn't it? At any rate, I need to go home and try to find my camera charger because I'm sure I'll be taking tons of pictures next weekend.

Any Andy Griffith fans reading this blog? Well Andy Griffith is from Mt. Airy, NC and modeled Mayberry after his hometown. Every year they have Mayberry Days, which we found out will not be going on next week. Hopefully Bruce's sadness will be forgotten when we go to NC's largest Shrimp Festival. Though I don't eat seafood, I'm looking forward to the Beer & Wine garden.

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 :)