In a Nut Shell

Today is my first day as a "House Wife" and so far, so good! Actually, I haven't gotten much done due to these crazy dogs! Sarge has really come out of his shell. He loves to run and play and pick on Princess who is literally 10 times his weight. But she's been really good with him. They play with each other's toys and chase each other around the apartment. They are both insane, and I just play my part as referee. Being a house wife is not nearly as glamorous as I thought it would be.

Eric and I decided I would quit my full time job because working 40 + hours a week, being a full-time student, working on my internship, and participating on the executive board for International Association for Business Communicators (IABC) was too much. I also want to do a Summer internship so I'm going to try to put something together while I've got time during the day. 

I was really hoping that since I'm not at work all day, I would get to see Eric more, but his lab project eats up a lot of his time. He also spends quite a bit of time working on his assistantship and his thesis. He took a mini-mester in January and plans to take another one in May. Then he should graduate in December of this year. I should finish in May of 2009.  Eric has started looking at doctorate programs and one common theme of the schools he's looked in to is they are all located in an area with WARM WEATHER!! Winter just lasts way too long here! I am SO ready to hang up my coat for the season. It snows. Then the sun comes out and melts the snow. Then it's muddy. Then it snows again. And it happens all over again. Speaking of which, we're expecting a pretty big storm tomorrow. I guess that means it will be muddy next week...

A New Year, A New Way

So far, 2008 has been Great!

Classes are going well for both Eric and me, and we're really keeping busy. Eric is working on a research project where he spends a lot of time in the lab, and I'm on the executive board for International Association of Business Communicators.

Because we have gotten so busy, I thought I would start this blog so that communicating with family and friends could be a little more convenient. I'll write as much as I can as often as I can. If nothing posts for a little while, it just means we're probably spending time on a paper, project, or buried in the hundreds of pages of reading we have assigned to us!

So just to catch some people up to speed: Eric and I moved to Ithaca, NY, last August to pursue Master's degrees. Eric is studying Sports Psychology, and I'm studying Organizational Communication. We're both really enjoying our programs, and we are looking forward to the next phase in our life. After we finish our programs, Eric will begin a doctorate program in Psychology so he can teach at the university level, and I will hopefully start a fabulous career in training and development...or marketing and PR...or whatever else interests me for the time being!

Ithaca is a neat little college town located in the Finger Lakes Region. It is also the North American seat to His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama. We are enjoying our time here, but I have decided that I prefer the warmer months! 

Along with Eric and myself, the Shoup Group consists of our 3 year old Staffordshire Terrier, Princess, and our newest member, Sarge, an 11 week old black Pomeranian. The dogs (shhh, don't tell them they're dogs!) really keep things exciting around here and provide lots of entertainment to us and our friends.

I'm excited to share our lives with you, and I hope you enjoy this blog. Check back often for updates. Eric and I send our love and hope that we will be able to see you soon. We miss our family and friends a lot, but we're really having a great experience here.