This is my husband Paul demonstrating his prowess with an atl atl. Behind him is one of my favorite museums. My favorite part of having him as my husband is the fact that we enjoy so many of the same things. He understands my love of history and books, and thus he encourages me to explore my interests as long as I drag him along.
Bumps in the Road
Paul and I used the UK Visa beta site and experienced many difficulties. Because of these, he will be unable to travel with me on a Tier 5 Partner visa.
This is not the only stressor I have faced over the past few weeks. Because of changes in leadership at my school, changes in regulations in my district, and changes in laws in the great state of Texas, I am now required to get my ESL certification and redo my Gifted/Talented certification. This is costing me time and money which are both in short supply.
Handling my mother's estate has also been a large hassle. I miss her every day. She was a QVC addict, and the one thing I have from her television shopping forays is a blue and green scarf that I like to wear to brighten up all the black and grey which has wormed its way into my closet.
I am bereft and a bit angry over what I perceive to be unnecessary expense and hassle. However, I have decided to set this aside and concentrate on the important matters of getting ready to travel. To that end, I used all the gift cards I got for my birthday and went shopping. Beefing up my wardrobe with a few sweaters, dress slacks, and warm socks to handle the chilly climate of Belfast has helped remind me of my purpose and the need for other preparation.
I have also worked on literature research in the area of education in Northern Ireland. Specifically, I have read a couple of articles written by my campus contact, Joanne Hughes, and have considered making some changes to the focus of my study. It seems that shared education may be more effective at reducing community violence than integrated schools. I am eager to get to Belfast and start my explorations to see if this is true.
This is not the only stressor I have faced over the past few weeks. Because of changes in leadership at my school, changes in regulations in my district, and changes in laws in the great state of Texas, I am now required to get my ESL certification and redo my Gifted/Talented certification. This is costing me time and money which are both in short supply.
Handling my mother's estate has also been a large hassle. I miss her every day. She was a QVC addict, and the one thing I have from her television shopping forays is a blue and green scarf that I like to wear to brighten up all the black and grey which has wormed its way into my closet.
I am bereft and a bit angry over what I perceive to be unnecessary expense and hassle. However, I have decided to set this aside and concentrate on the important matters of getting ready to travel. To that end, I used all the gift cards I got for my birthday and went shopping. Beefing up my wardrobe with a few sweaters, dress slacks, and warm socks to handle the chilly climate of Belfast has helped remind me of my purpose and the need for other preparation.
I have also worked on literature research in the area of education in Northern Ireland. Specifically, I have read a couple of articles written by my campus contact, Joanne Hughes, and have considered making some changes to the focus of my study. It seems that shared education may be more effective at reducing community violence than integrated schools. I am eager to get to Belfast and start my explorations to see if this is true.