Monticello Trip

Finals concluded with a bang. Five exams over the course of two weeks was rough, but manageable (usually 8:00 a.m. – 11:30 p.m. in the library, save when I was writing an exam.) But, done, and now painstakingly waiting for grades to come in. That evening we went with a13 other friends, all classmates, to a nice dinner at Main Street Bistro in Lima – easily one of the nicest restaurants in the Lima / Findlay area, and short of driving to Columbus, one of the few places for linen tablecloths in the area, and a decent wine list. It was a nice time to celebrate the end of our first year, and for Janet and I to celebrate being able to see each other for a while.

Tuesday we left with our friend Austin, who graduated with his L.L.M. in Democratic Governance and Rule of Law from ONU. Austin and I are both great fans of Thomas Jefferson, and as a graduation gift, Janet and I took Austin on a trip to Monticello. We ended up staying in my apartment in Huntington WV, and drove on Wednesday to Charlottesville, VA. We toured the grounds, had a formal tour in the afternoon, and a more private “signature tour” at 6:30 in the evening, giving us much time in the house for discussion, questions, and allowing us more access, notably seeing the third floor and the “dome room”. We all had a great time, and recommend a visit to the estate. The gardens, the home, and the nuances therein are truly amazing.

done

Done with classes...post to come later this week with story about our trip to Monticello, and Brian's job in WV...

Almost done!

Brian's first year of law school is almost over! One more final tomorrow and then I'll get to see him again...at least for a week before he goes to West Virginia! But, I'll take what I can get.

This has been a semi-busy week at work for me. I've been wrapping up things from last week's event and we've had lots of extra curriculars this week. It's May Week for the students, so it's kind of like a little marketplace/fair over lunch. I tried to give blood, but my iron was too low. (So someone else should go out and give in my place....) I got a 60-second caricature done - it doesn't really look like me. And, I was in a photo shoot for work. I got to do the O-H-I-O poses - it was all very America's Next Top Model-esque. So keep your eyes peeled for an all Janet OHIO pose. :)

Below is a picture from our event last week. It's my table with President Gee. The back row is (my boss Amanda's boyfriend) Jeff, (my boss) Amanda, (student) Caleb, President E. Gordon Gee, (financial aid advisor) Brad, financial aid advisor (Bryan), (student) Ross. Front row is (Amanda's daughter) Mackenzie, (Amanda's daughter) Katie, (my office mate) Lori, and me.

my event....

my monday night event went well - i'm still recovering. It is the biggest event of the year for our development office - it's a dinner/auction at the country club to fundraise for student scholarships. each year we have a speaker and this year it was university president, E. Gordon Gee. (He's one of the most well-known university president's in the nation & it's his 2nd stint here at OSU - which is very unusual to get invited back.) So, anyway, lots of pressure since he was in attendance and it was my first one. i did most of the logistics planning while my boss Amanda did most of the Gee visit coordinating. we ended up raising the most we've ever raised, even beating out the year Coach Tressel was our speaker. as a side bar, Gee is a very engaging speaker, especially with the students. And, I got his autograph. I know it sounds wierd, but if you live here, it's totally legitimate. Some of our big auction items were a signed football helmet & jersey by Tressel. (I tried them on prior to the auction....which may have been inappropriate....but it was funny.) We had some nice OSU themed pictures, and other little memorabilia things. watch the blog for a pic with me and gordon!! :)

in other news, we got a house in Ada to rent next year, starting in August. It will be a lot more convenient for both of us, and Brisco! The house is a ranch style with an attached one-car garage and a patio in front. In back, there's a fenced-in yard for Brisco to run (and me to mow), and there's a cement slab for a grill. The front door goes into the living room, which is very bright with 2 big windows, to the left is a big kitchen which goes into the laundry room (where the garage door is). The only wierd thing is that the fridge is in the laundry room. there is also a huge attic for lots of storage. Back to the living room, if you walk through it goes straight back to a little bathroom, and the hall splits with a bed room on both sides. Small closets, but still closets. all walls painted nice colors. once we move, our army friend Joe is going to put us through basic training - i say this to everyone so you can hold us to it!!!

so, anyway, things are busy here as always, but good. later gators!

j.