Even though our Spring semester started last week, I have yet to attend my first class, or even take a look at a syllabus.  I like to think that I have a pretty good excuse; last week, I married my high school sweetheart.  The experience was wonderful from start to finish, and I could go on and on about it, but that’s probably a little outside of this blog’s focus.  Instead, I’ll briefly answer the questions that everyone seems to be asking me: yes, my wife and I are exhausted but very happy; no, the ring doesn’t feel weird or take much adjustment; and no, other than the recent excitement, married life doesn’t really feel much different (so far, anyway).

Of course, now that the festivities are over, it’s time for me to return to the real world.  Before leaving town for the wedding, I wrote myself a note, which I read upon my return.  The note reminded me that: 1) If I wanted clean underwear, laundry had to be done immediately, 2) I needed to write my first blog post, and 3) My first class was Wednesday, and I better start catching up on missed work.  You’ll all be relieved to know that I’ve taken care of item one, and obviously, I’m working on item two at the moment.  Preparing for classes, however, has been on the backburner, and once I post this blog entry I really need to get to work.

One of the first experiences I remember at MSPP was our “fundamentals week” at the start of my first year.  I had already been drawn to the school’s warm and friendly atmosphere when I had interviewed, but in her welcome speech, our wonderful dean, Dr. Fran Mervyn, made me feel even more at ease.  Before telling us anything else, Fran gave us steel water bottles and warned us of the dangers of overusing plastics.  I couldn’t help but think of my mother, (“Sam, you really shouldn’t put that plastic coffee mug in the dishwasher”), and I felt an immediate sense of being taken care of.  Next, she said that the school would always be happy to work with us when we had to neglect school duties in favor of important events in our personal lives.  “Life happens,” she had said.  My wedding was the first time I experienced what Fran had described, and it’s nice to see how right she was.  I am taking four classes with three professors this semester, in addition to my 20 weekly hours at my internship.  Each of my professors and supervisors have been incredibly flexible, tolerant, and helpful.

With that said, I should probably get down to business.