Yeah, It's been a month...

It has been a month since I last posted and for that I am very sorry. But it has been a busy month at that. For all my quick readers, here is the quick recap:

- Grad school is a train wreck 99% of the time. More work was assigned than any human can accomplish in 24 hour days.
- Therefore, I slept very little.
- In order to complete my first semester of grad school, I completed: 4 provisional U.S. patents, 2 final projects and 2 final papers resulting in over 200 pages of submittals...
- After a month of ridiculous school hours, it paid off with all A's!
- I am taking a month off from school which includes visiting Lou and Meg, taking pics of Gade Clay and catching up on some reading I have been meaning to do.

Now for all the committed readers...

First, grad school. This initial semester of grad school definitely showed me what I was and was not made of. I am so thankful for the opportunity that AU College of Architecture, Design and Construction has given me: full ride, job and a top 10 education. But, holy cow am I paying for it. I have caught up on sleep since I finished with final projects but I don't think my mind has caught up.

We did quite a few big projects this semester in school. I learned the ins and outs of 3D high definition laser scanning. I got a crash MBA in two weeks designing a residential/commercial building for Boston on the Big Dig. We used my laser scanning, digital modeling software, a CNC machine and concrete to show AU that we could fabricate the custom terra cotta pieces on Comer Hall that need to be replaced in a fraction of the time. Our class assisted Industrial Design senior students to design 17 different products for the construction industry; my name is on 4 of those patents. And finally, with the help of Cordova, AL city council and mayor, we designed several options for Cordova, AL's new city hall. And that was just for our Studio class. We had two other classes...

It was a whirl wind and I am hoping the next two semesters will be too.

Although there are several fun events that I could post here with matching photos, I want to do something a little different. Yes, I will post these fun events with pictures later so, stop pouting Lou.

For some reason that I am not quite sure of, I keep getting asked about studying abroad and my after thoughts. And since it is the reason I started this whole blog thing, I wanted to share some recent thoughts.

First, I had an undergraduate student (that still feels weird to say) ask me a few reflective questions about my trip:

Q: Had you been overseas before?
A: I had only been to Jamaica and the Grand Cayman's before signing up for the Europe Study Abroad trip.

Q: What was/were your favorite part(s) of the trip?
A: The experience of backpacking through Europe is truly a once in a life time experience. I would not trade that experience for first class seats in an airplane and would do it again in a heartbeat. We also got to pick two of our destinations which produced a true sense of responsibility and freedom. 

Q: Did it change your outlook on the world and your major?
A: Absolutely. My major was displayed in a world context like if had never been before. If you let it, traveling will help you grow as a person, allow your aspirations to look beyond the four walls of Auburn University, and provide you with the ability to seek change.

Q: Did it live up to your expectations?
A: The Europe Study Abroad trip went beyond my expectations. If each student set their mind to getting the full European experience, AU BSci would welcome back 15 different students than they sent off. I truly felt like I took full advantage of the opportunities the professors set in front of us and made a few more on my own.

Q: Would you recommend a study abroad experience to other students?
A: Keep up with your blog; I go back and read mine often. Find a small, yet powerful camera and take pictures of everything. Pack lighter than you think you will need. And be willing to open your mind to get the full experience; leave Auburn in Auburn.

Q: Is there anything specific that you want to say about the experience that these questions did not capture?
A: There is no other program at Auburn University nor school in this country that provides a program like this. Every student that can, should seize this opportunity to study abroad. It truly changed my life.

Second, someone recently asked me what my dream job would be. Definitely travel writing. That came from my Europe trip and this blog. I enjoyed every word I wrote in Europe and someday, I hope to continue taking you all with me as I travel. I will let you know what National Geographic says about my application... bahaha.

Lastly, another person asked, if I had one piece of advice for anyone, what would it be? Travel is the only thing I could come up with. In the U.S., Europe, the world. Just get out and go somewhere, do something new, experience more than your circumstances.  Most people would say something along the lines of spend time with your family, read a good book, stay healthy, and the list goes on. I think finding out who you are outside of common surroundings will help you appreciate all those things in a way you normally wouldn't be able to. But if you can't travel, I will carry you with me. Every step of the way. I promise.

No, I have no clue where I am going to be or what I will be doing in August. I could be anywhere doing anything. Stayed tuned. Keep it loose, keep it tight.

Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet...

For those of you who do not know me all that well... Halloween is my FAVORITE holiday; for several, specific reasons:

1. No presents, just candy.
2. It celebrates the dead.
3. You can be as absolutely ridiculous as you want.

My favorite part of Halloween and the Fall season is the pumpkin patch. This year, I went twice. The first visit was with a few friends from grad school. Some of these foreigners (that term now includes northerners too) had no clue what a pumpkin was much less a whole patch of them. Duff went a long too. He is just too damn cute.

The pumpkin patch in Lochapoaka is actually owned by the Foshee Family who I have been friends with since high school. That fact alone would keep me coming back every Fall but there is one more reason that I cannot skip The Farmer in the Dell....

The Pumpkin Launcher:

It is truly an Alabama jewel. Where else could you find a homemade (very questionably safe) pumpkin launcher that requires a 50 gallon drum full of concrete to counter weight the launching of green pumpkins? I am not even sure if Mississippi could get this "poh-dunt". Naturally, we stood far away and made Eric pull the string. Notice even the pumpkin launcher expert machinists are standing far away....

Going to the pumpkin patch with some of the cohort (what our program calls us group of grad students) folks turned out to be a lot of fun. We had a chili cook-off later that night paired with a backyard fire, good booze, and even better music.

I celebrated my 24th birthday in Tuscaloosa with Cass this year at The Avett Brothers concert. Cass says my music is weird so thankfully Lindsey, Tyler, Doug and Sara came along. It was an awesome concert and thankfully, after running, cutting in line, getting cussed at and telling some poor soul I didn't care... I scored a show poster to commemorate my birthday; check the date on that baby:

The next pumpkin patch visit happened on my birthday celebration with the family. I wanted to take Gade Clay to the pumpkin patch and then have dinner at the farm with Aunt Kathy and Uncle Gary. The Anniston pumpkin patch did not know what they were in store for....

Austin being the best big brother ever:

She is nuts to say the least...

Carrying Gade Clay up the pillow-like stairs of a blow up slide with socks on is an achievement worth documenting:

Gade Clay LOVED all the bouncy attractions..

However, Alana and Clay loved them more... Thankfully they let Gade Clay play too.

Sweet PeePaw (he hates that grandfather name, so naturally, we love it) took Gade Clay for a ride:

They are clowns.

It is safe to say that Gade Clay got her attitude from Alana, her stinginess from me, and her ability to pout in every photo from Clay. But boy is she not the cutest thing you have ever seen?

We wreaked havoc on that poor place; definitely got our money's worth. We ended the birthday festivities with dinner at the farm and of course, my sweet Aunt Kathy made my favorite, chicken spaghetti. It was the best birthday I have ever had. Super low key and full of just fun family time. Dad, Alana, Clay and I are really getting this whole family time down pat.

The next weekend, I traveled to Nashville for the Auburn-Vandy game. No need to rehash that mess. Yes, Meghan and I were on TV and yes, I was pissed. It turned out to be an awesome weekend. I ran in to one of Jordan's best friends from college, Kaylee, at The Tavern:

Meghan did get two pictures of me smiling but what's the fun in taking a normal picture?

We had a really fun weekend despite the terrible game witnessed. The BEST part of the weekend was, of course, brunch on Sunday morning at Fido. Everyone, meet the new love of my life, The Hangover:

Ladies and Gents, that is a boat load of plain cream cheese and a thick sausage patty sandwiched in between a toasted onion bagel. It is the perfect sandwich. I suggest everyone try it at least once.

Yeah, I think this one is long enough. Stay tuned for more updates!

Long time no see...

It has truly been too long. For several reasons. For you short attention span folk, here is the play-by-play:

Grad school is taking over my life.
Sara had a baby. His name is Porter.
Meghan and I went to a music festival.
I went back to work. It's turning out to be fowl.
Auburn Football sucks. No one was surprised.
I went to my first conference. I didn't fit in.
I am in over my head with my research.
Did I mention Sara had a baby and that he is perfect?

Take a look yourself:

This child has some serious long, blonde hair...

As we all expected, Sara doesn't even look like she had a child. She is actually smaller if that was even possible.

I will have to say, Porter Ross Heatherly has truly changed my life. He already thinks I am the coolest aunt. But let's be real, duh, of course I am. Due to school and work, I haven't gotten to spend as much time as I would like with him but I am adjusting to change that.

Meghan and I went to the Southern Ground Music and Food Festival in downtown Nashville a few weekends ago. Although we did not taste any of the food, the music was OUTSTANDING! Here are just a few bands we got to see:

The Lumineers
Dugas
Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros
David Gray
Sheryl Crow
Greg Allman
The Zac Brown Band
John Mayer
Amos Lee

The Lumineeers:

Edward Sharpe (yes, he looks homeless...):

Zac Brown:

To say the least, it was an awesome weekend. Mainly because I got to spend it with this one..

You all are welcome for the laugh because Meghan is going to kill me.

I went back to work to design a custom home in Tallassee, AL. The family is great and I am happy to be working with them. However, other problems have sucked the luster from my first architect gig. I am hoping to figure out some logistics and gain back the luster. Everyone cross your fingers for me.

If anyone didn't hear, Auburn Football sucks. Big balls. No one here should be surprised. I most certainly was not. Meghan and I suffered through the Arkansas game. We promptly went to Moe's BBQ after to lick our wounds. If the Vandy game was not in Nashville, it would have been my first and last game. No worries, I am talking to my people about getting together the buyout money. In the mean time, I will be taking a pause from grad school to fill in as head coach.

I went to my first conference. I didn't fit in. I should get use to them though if I want to follow through with my career plans. Which brings me to my next point, I start job interviews Oct. 25th. So keep those fingers crossed.

Did you remember that I turn 24 tomorrow? My birthday this year is conveniently 10-11-12.... good luck or bad?

This years birthday will be celebrated with The Avett Brothers and Cass in Tuscaloosa. My wonderful father got us tickets. I will then celebrate with my family on Sunday by taking Gade Clay to the pumpkin patch and dinner at the farm. I call that a successful birthday.

Duff, grab your coat. We are going out.

Show Me the Money

Friday was perhaps the most interesting class I have ever participated in. Mainly because Professor Holley started the class with this:

Do you see what is in his hand? No, ladies and gentlemen, that is not monopoly money. Prof. Holley made the mistake of saying he got it from his safe and naturally all the guys in the room said some variation of "saving it for the Cheetah Room?". We were all players in the "Let's Make a Deal" game; specifically, the construction game. That big stack of money was proportionally distributed between the 12 of us with the bank getting the largest chunk of course...

The game definitely kept our attention and taught us a few things about where the money goes during a construction project and a few things about our classmates... specifically about our Indian classmate...

Kislay did not want to give up any of his dollar bills and was extremely pissed that he was given the smallest amount to begin with. He even tried to haggle with Prof. Holley to keep half a dollar during the game. We all had too much fun with the exercise. I think Prof. Holley will consider using monopoly money next time. We are all still wondering why he had so many $1 bills in his safe...

I have taken over McWhorter School of Building Science's Facebook and Twitter pages. You can like us at www.facebook.com/auburnbuildingscience or follow us at @AUBldgScience. Thanks for making me look good to my Professor!

Labor Day

So, for the first time in about five years, I went on a family vacation. Again, dad was more giddy than a two year old with a Pez dispenser....

We left saturday morning after Alana and Clay announced they can't ride in the car together for that long. We are still making fun of them. After four hours, two stops and enough pre-madonna comments from Austin, Madison and Alana, we made it to Destin where the weather was gorgeous. We spent two great days despite Alana and Clay whining about how hungry they are ALL the time. It was nice to spend a weekend with just Dad, Alana, Madison, Clay, Austin & Gade Clay. We have not had this opportunity in a long time. I think I may have converted everyone on two daily routines of mine: Emergen-C and Momma Mocha's coffee. I would call that a successful weekend. Maybe on the next family beach trip we can drag Aunt Kathy and Uncle Gary along with us.

Here are some pics from the weekend:

I was glad to spend some quality time with this Tooty Ruby....

We think she may have gotten her bottom from Meme.... Poor child.

I am continually shocked at the quality of pictures I get from my camera. It could be the subject tho.. Yes we let Gade Clay run around naked.... get over it.

We caught her dipping crackers in her baby pool before eating them... hmmm salty....

Whatever Bubba does, Gade does....

Waiting on Bubba to come back..

As you can tell, I was very content in my chair with book and camera. It still shocks me how much Gade Clay looks like Alana and the women in my dad's family. Clark genes trump Mintz genes. Boom.

10 Things I love about Gade Clay:

10. The way she stares down Alana when she is getting on to her. The look says "I really don't care what you say". Its hilarious.
9. She pulls out her hair bow every chance she gets. I think she gets that from me.
8. She screams for no reason. I think she is just reminding everyone she is still there.
7. Her giggle when Clay is tickling her. It is precious.
6. She is super snuggly in the mornings.
5. She carries a nay nay everywhere just like me.
4. Her piercing blue eyes. They remind me of my dad's eyes.
3. She is madly in love with Austin. To the point of screaming at Clay when they rough house.
2. Gade Clay will pucker those lips up faster than you can say "give me a kiss" and don't think you will get away with just one kiss...
1. She looks just like Alana. I hope she turns out just like Alana too.

Until next time...

Long Time No See....

Have you all missed me yet? I imagine that my followers has significantly decreased since I am no longer traveling Europe nor am I posting every day. I am going to try and keep up with the blog a little better than I have been for the past two months.

So what have I been doing? Well, it is this little thing called grad school (I am getting a masters degree in Integrated Design and Construction in case it slipped your mind). Let me give you the run down:

Graduate from undergrad

Start grad school

Get GTA assignment

Start getting school assignments

Everything starts to go down hill....

I have been super busy to say the least. I was lucky enough to get a Graduate Teaching Assistantship for school which practically pays me to get my masters. My GTA professors are Prof. Farrow and Prof. Kramer. Farrow has been one of my favorite teachers in BSci since I took his steel structures class. He is simply the best all around guy we have in our department. Prof. Kramer went to Europe with me and I am happy to get the chance to stick with him. He is a pretty laid back guy. 

Since starting grad school I have added two more desks, a file cabinet, key to the Gorrie Center and studio box and key to my list of things to keep up with. I have an office desk in Gorrie in the GTA office and a studio desk in Dudley in our studio/conference space/ping pong table area. I haven't quite moved in completely but I am hoping to get that settled this weekend.

Here are some pics from grad school thus far...

Kislay has become our token Indian clown to say the very least....

You don't look too sure about that Holley...

I have taken on the challenge of our HD Scanning operation this year and we are truly kicking off our efforts with a scan of Jordan-Hare next wednesday. Dad is more giddy than a two year old with a Pez dispenser. Hopefully I will catch some good "pre home game" pics for you all.

Until next time..... keep it loose, keep it tight.

Graduation Day

Well... After four years, a victory lap and studying abroad in Europe, I can finally say that I am an Auburn University graduate with my Bachelors of Science in Building Construction! The past five years have been such a whirl wind filled with so many memories that seem like yesterday on a good day and decades ago on a not so good day. I want to take this moment to stop and thank a few people who helped me along the way:

First and foremost, my Dad. When writing the acknowledgments for my thesis paper, I took about half a day to finally put together the right words:

"I would like to show my upmost gratitude and thanks to my best friend, my dad. Without his continual support and love, this thesis and graduation from Auburn University could have not been possible. Thank you for always supporting me in my academic and career ambitions. I can only contribute my success to having the perfect example of hard work and integrity. He has been behind me every step of the way."

Of course next on the list is Alana. It takes an unbelievable amount of strength and love to be not only a sister but also a mother and a best friend all in one. The continued roles you fulfill go above and beyond what any other human could contribute to my life. To top it off, you do it with such grace and with little acknowledgement from most of us. You and Dad have been, by far, the greatest influences on my life.

Aunt Kathy and Uncle Gary, you both have always been such a huge part of my life. Over the years, I have come to find that for me, being truly at home is when our whole family is at the farm. I honestly think that would be the case no matter where you lived. Having said that, you are not allowed to move out of Alpine for any reason whatsoever. Thank you both for being constant sources of love and encouragement in everything I do.

Madison, Laura, Meghan, Mimi, Papa, Harv, The Mama, Simone, Cass, Bailee and Jillian: Some people always say they are "stuck with their family". Thankfully, God "stuck" me with all the right ones. I love you all and can't thank you enough for what each of you contribute to my life.

If I took the time to name everyone here, you all might be stuck reading my blog for days. I have taken the time to write everyone who has made this big step special and I hope you all know that no amount of words could thank you enough. A lot of people have told me what a huge personal accomplishment this is and for me, that is simply not the case. This is a huge accomplishment for everyone who helped get me here and I could not have done it without each and every one of you. I truly took you all across stage with me and I plan to do it again next August with my Masters.

War Eagle!

Photo Bomb

Last week I contacted Aubie to get on his schedule to take graduation pictures. I know you all are excited that I actually let someone take my picture. It turned out to be a pretty fun photo session and thanks to Laura, I got really great pictures of this milestone. 

We started out at J&M Bookstore with one of my favorite Auburn signs:

We headed to the AU sign next where fortunately we ran in to very few people wanting pictures with Aubie:

Then of course we hit Samford lawn where we got one of my favorite pics. I am sure you all can guess which one:

Last, we went to the corner of Thach and College to get Samford in the background. The entire photo shoot naturally turned in to a looney tunes cartoon with awkward poses:

And what else do you expect from Aubie pictures other than a photo bomb?

All in all, we got some really great pictures and this has to be my favorite serious one:

A special thanks goes to Aubie the Tiger, Mr. Mike, Martin and Laura for helping me get this all together and making it a fun photo shoot. I appreciate the Aubie Family for working me in their busy summer schedule! Saturday is the big day so, tomorrow is full of activities to prepare for the event. There will be more pictures to come from graduation and my party, I promise (only because Laura is a mad woman with a camera)!

Weagle, Weagle