Snow, Travel, and Yoga Retreat Soon!

You all know how I love snow! I really do. We watch the Olympics each day. We snowshoe, ski, and snowmobile. Sadly, our trip to Maine is getting put off (due to another storm hitting today with another 10"). I'm hoping Tyler gets to go when I'm at my yoga retreat (woo!) or while I'm in CA for work.

It's great snowmobile weather, but getting there can be an issue (no where to park the Jeep, we have to get someone to plow us a hole to park in). We've been going up to Dixmont, ME since 2001 (built our camp in 2003) so we are used to it. But the key is parking, and if there's no where to park that can be an issue. Also, when Tyler was up in January the water pipe froze (for the water drain, not the well).

We are tough and hearty and we're used to skiing in that last mile. We're used to packing 3 days worth of clothes and food. But, with 10" on the way today highway travel would really really suck. Last March we went on rte 3 and 295 on a Monday evening and it was not plowed. We have tire chains but they are not street legal.

I was accepted to the PhD program at Union Institute & University! I will start in January 2015. I already got my Student ID and e-mail so it's official. I just need to send along a small deposit to reserve my fee to be on campus for a few days in January at the start to the program. So that's me: 6 years starting next year. I'm really excited! The dean for my program is based in Seattle. He went to school in the Boston area, so we had a lot in common. He's working on changing the program to make it "more relevant to those that want to work in the corporate world or NOT teach or to those that want to be entrepreneurial." He's already succeeded in making changes. He also teaches in the PhD and EdD departments so a dean that teaches is a new concept to me!

One of the professors has been amazing so far. She teaches a few courses that I'll be taking (4 classes per year) and she's based in CA. The students are from all over the world and I'll be placed in a cohort for the duration and that group is 16-20 students. They are all "later in life" students with established careers. "Mid-Career" is the term they use. 99% of the students work full time and do volunteer work as well. That's why it was a good fit. I get to keep my career and my volunteer work on track and USE that work in my program work. That's what they expect. I'll be taking a range of classes on topics from sustainability to entrepreneurship to Gender Studies. My concentration is Ethical Leadership.

Now that my colleagues fully understand the program they are like "it's made for you" and "I could never picture you quitting work for 10 years and attending a school in Boston for 68 expensive credits." After year 1 I will be able to apply for scholarships (with faculty recommendations, so that's my goal). They want to make sure you are serious and dedicated before covering costs.

Lots of good vibes this week during travel. I was stuck in NY for 3 long lonely days due to snow. The Internet was down so I could not work. I watched movies, dug out my car (rental car), scrounged food from the hotel, took very snowy walks without sidewalks and eagerly waited for dinner each night (when a few restaurants would open mid-storm). It snowed from 2/12 at night to 2/14 at 6am. It was so bad that Enterprise had to come get my car and my conference was cancelled twice (and moved to April). At least I had hot cocoa and oatmeal I smuggled to my room from breakfast--comfort food is important and you can make quite a bit with the in-room coffee maker.

Hope all is well for each of you. How are you spending this February? Are you taking time for yourself to read, do yoga, run to train for a marathon (over snow banks--nothing like it--hardcore), or just sledding with your kids. Are you hiding out somewhere warm and sitting under a palm tree making plans for your life? I'll report back about the yoga retreat. It's my first bucket list item to cross off, so I'm really needing it about now after so much stress and pressure I put on myself Dec 2013-January 2014. :)