Avett Brothers Concert

Last night Andrew and I went to an amazing concert by the Avett Brothers. They really are incredible. I've always been a semi-fan of bluegrass and folk music, but since we went to Merle Fest back in April, I've really gone crazy for it. This was the first time I'd seen the Avett Brothers in concert and they put on a really great show. The band has a guitar, a banjo, an upright bass, cello and drums in it. I've never seen anyone really rock out on the cello, but this guy was doing it. The band seemed to be having a great time and most people in the crowd knew every word to every song which was amazing to me.

Unfortunately, being around all those college kids made me feel old and dumpy. Ha! Twenty-five. So old.

Today at 1:00 we are heading to North Carolina! Yay!! We're going back to Sylva to stay with our friends Jeff and Annie and their son Addison. It should be a great trip. We are going to Mountain Heritage Day tomorrow which is a big festival with mountain crafts, awesome kettle corn and bluegrass music that we kind of fell in love with when we were living up there. I'm looking forward to seeing mountains and hopefully some fall foliage, visiting our old church, and spending some time with some good friends.

We're coming home on Sunday and then Monday night we are going to Birmingham to see the Fleet Foxes in concert. They are supposed to be really good in concert, but I just hope I survive! the show doesn't start until 9 and it's an hour away. I have work and night class on Tuesday. I am getting too old for this! But it should be a (busy and tiring) fun weekend!

Tuscaloosa

Well, it's been a while since I posted anything, so I thought I would give an update on our new life down here in Alabama. We moved to Tuscaloosa almost 2 months ago. I really like it more than I thought I would, especially now that the temperature is dropping a little bit!

I am working in the Registrar's Office at the University of Alabama. Not my dream job per say, but it works for now. The people i work with are nice and friendly and most of the time the parents and students we work with are polite and easy to deal with. I really love working at the University and all that comes with it. The benefits are great, the campus is beautiful and sometimes I get to have lunch with my husband or my sister, who are both students here as well.

I am going to school 2 nights a week to get my Masters in Library and Information Studies which I love. I can't wait to be a librarian! I am trying to decide what kind of librarian I want to be but right now i am leaning heavily towards working in a public library. I am really drawn to the opportunities for community service within a public library environment. The other option I am considering is working in a college or university library, but to do that I would really need an additional masters degree or Ph.D. Which could be possible in the future, but that's not something I'm too concerned with at the moment.

Andrew has started work on his Ph.D. in Clinical Geriatric Psychology and seems to be enjoying it. He says he has already learned a lot. My sister Sarah is also here, starting her freshman year. It's so nice to have her close by!

I like the town of Tuscaloosa. It's bigger than Sylva (thank goodness!) but not huge. Most everything we need is here, and on the rare occasion we want more shopping or resteraunts, Birmingham is less than an hour away. Our apartment is nice, the area is quiet with a lot of trees and only 4 miles from the school. we have found a church we like, too, Canterbury Chapel Episcopal. We tried a couple of different denominations before deciding on this one. Something about the ritual and quietness of the services really speaks to both of us. For me, it's soothing to my soul. The quiet simplicity makes me feel closer to God, easier to shut the other things out and focus on Him. But all that's a different blog post I guess.

Hopefully I will start updating more often. Being back in school is helping me become used to writing again, I have been feeling a little rusty. Now if I can just find time between all the working and going to school...