The Inaugural Entry

So, I decided to finally give in and create a blog. Dan and I have made great friends down here in Texas, but we also miss everyone from back home and felt the need to somehow connect with all of you better and share our lives with you more than we have been. Instead of embarking on the impossible task of emailing and calling everyone individually, we decided to create a website where we could at least give you a tiny glimpse into our world! I don't know what this will shape up into. Most likely, I (Kristi) will be doing most of the posting, unless you want the details of the latest sports events. I probably will be posting mostly thoughts and updates on our daily life, but also what I'm reading, what we're cooking, and interesting things from the world of psychology. We'll just have to see I guess!

So there we go. I'm Kristi; I'm just about to begin my second year of my doctoral program in clinical psychology. It will take me five years to graduate, no that is not a typo, and I'll officially be a psychologist when I finish. I think I want to work mostly with kids when I get a real job. Right now I go to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, work at the Psychology Clinic Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays doing assessments, therapy, and leading groups. I also do research on couples' conflict, and I'm currently beginning work on how the language we use when we fight affects our happiness. I love to cook, read, and run - although I've been taking a break from this last one since I ran the Austin Marathon in February. I'm not sure if I'll take it up again seriously or not - it's pretty hot down here, and I got really sick of running on treadmills during training!
Oh, I also really like playing the piano and making crafts like homemade cards, which is the newest hobby I've gotten into recently.

Dan is a high school Spanish teacher, who will finish his rookie year next week! Although it's definitely been a roller coaster ride, he was up to the challenge and is excited to go back for a second year. He loves his school and the people he works with, and we still talk about how blessed he is to have gotten the opportunity to work at the school he's at. Dan's current hobbies are watching HGTV in any spare moment he has - I can't wait until we eventually buy a house, because he already has so many ideas and opinions about everything! He's also been really into learning about money, budgeting and finances. He already knows so much and it's amazing how well we're managing with our small income because of his money management skills.

Sammie is the love of our lives (besides each other of course!), our puppy who turns seven months old today! She is a mini-mutt as we call her, but we think she is part beagle, part dachsund, and then there is some poodle/shih tzu in her as well although you would never know it by looking at her. She's already caught one bird and would love to catch another if we let her off her leash again. :-) Sammie is laying by my feet as I write this - she's a very snuggly, loving puppy!

Well, anyway, it's Memorial Day weekend so we both have tomorrow off - yeah! We spent the weekend housesitting at our friend's house, and we watched several movies on his DVR. We watched "A Good Year" with Russell Crowe, which I didn't expect to like but we actually both enjoyed it a lot. We also watched "Ratatouille," which was of course wonderful - Dan and I both enjoyed it, although I think I liked it more than Dan. Finally, (I told you we watched a lot of movies!) we watched "25th hour". Unfortunately I fell asleep about a half hour into it and Dan ended up turning it off about halfway so that we could go to bed. So we'll hold off on our opinion of this, I guess. I would have liked to watch the end but those 2 (3? 4?) glasses of wine captured me better than the TV screen, I guess.

Since we don't have to work tomorrow, tonight we are going to another couple's (Lisa and David's) house to cook dinner and watch the movie "The Kite Runner." I'm excited to watch this, I loved the book. We wanted to have a cook-out but since none of us own a grill (well, besides the George Foreman), we decided to cook dinner instead. Sammie's going to come with and play with one of her best friends, Zoe! I'll try to remember to bring my camera and take a picture of the two of them, they're adorable together. Anyway, I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day!

Love,
Kristi