Yen Ching....Who Knew?!

Yeah for Moms! Because of my mother's love of Yen Ching's egg drop soup and her insatiable curiosity, I found a new place I can eat in Jefferson City.
The oldest Chinese restaurant in Jeff City is now my little slice of heaven. After some questioning it turns out that Yen Ching uses no butter or milk of any kind so dairy is pretty well taken care of...though always asking about a meat product you're leary of is a good idea.

Also, for those who are gluten-free, anything with a white sauce is fair game according to the management. Not to mention, they will happily make anything without wheat or soy sauce if you ask. They even suggested having them make the honey glazed sesame chicken with a cornstarch batter instead of a wheat batter. Turns out this is what they do for the son of a family friend whenever he comes in, as he has a wheat allergy. (Just make sure you tell them about your allergy so they don't add some wheat-laden crunchy additions to the plate that typically come with the entree.)

The egg drop soup is the best I've ever tasted and doesn't have that yellowy, slimy consistency that usually turns me off. The management insisted that it was free of any dairy or wheat items and it tastes great - what more could you want?! Their place is hopping during lunch buffet hours, but even then they are happy to tailor to your needs and answer any questions that you have. A childhood favorite just became my new adult best friend for Asian in Jefferson City. Try it out!

Wowsers, a Month, woops!

So yeah, we all know by now I am not exactly timely with the blogging or email responding...time to get over it. What's taken up my time you ask? Well, figuring out how to become an academic again has been a part of it. :) I've been reading up on textbooks I'll be using to help TA two different pre-service teacher classes. One helping them write resumes, philosophy statements, etc. and the other discussing multiculturalism in the classroom and yes, you will see gender & racial bias even in the teaching world, sorry to burst that bubble.

Oh yeah, also been becoming an amateur antique junkie preparing for a garage sale for my family. But whatever does one do with the knowledge that Beleek china from Ireland is worth 3 times more than a simple Crown Staffordshire or Royal Albert teacup? Really? Although, we did find out my father's obsession for keeping random antiques every now and again finds one that's actually worth something. We have this wooden bucket, yes, a wooden bucket, that turns out to be a 19th century flour bucket worth, hold onto your hats, $360. It's a bucket...of wood. But the garage salers had fun asking what things were. :)

Speaking of which, each of these trucks you see in the background, believe it or not they're worth between $75 and $350 a piece. Go figure.













Went to another wedding, surprise surprise. It was fun, though! Paul was in the wedding and wonderful Kim let us crash at her condo, which was so much more fun than the hotel! We even got to shop for material to make a Wendy costume for her for Halloween (boy that girl has faith in my sewing abilities). So here's a pic of Paulie and me at the wedding, we somehow can only take goofie pictures, as well as my favorite picture of the wedding party. How fun?! Oh yeah, and I made the skirt. I couldn't figure out something to wear so I decided to make something a few days before the wedding. Love it or hate it I'm proud of it. ;)

So there you are, a little update if you will. Just random 'it's summer' tidbits, enjoying my last couple of months without a job. Oh yeah, and I get to see the chiropractor a couple times a week now cuz sadly Chrissy got rear-ended and I was in the car with her and got a whiplash. Chrissy possibly cured her migraines though! (Keep fingers crossed.) Yeah for insurance! :)

Worth The Wait!

Ahhhh!!!! I get to go to school! I get to go to school and GET PAID FOR IT!! Ahhhhh!!! *happy dance*
So, because of a fantastic assigned advisor at MU I have now been offered full-time assistantships for the Fall and Winter semesters at MU. I emailed her a few weeks ago and let her know I couldn't attend unless I had a GTA position or something and she made it happen - all while she is researching in Japan! I can't wait to meet her. :)
Here's the scoop: I will be a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the Education Dept. in the Teacher Development Program (essentially the kind of coursework you take to become a teacher) so I might actually know a bit about what I'm doing even! However, they pieced together some assistantships to make it a full one (so I could have tuition waiver, a stipend, and health benefits, yeah them), so I'm actually going to working for four different professors in three different courses throughout the year.
There, my lovelies, is the news! I'll be working my tail off and not have a clue what I'm doing to start off, but I get to work on my PhD, yeah! (The poor cat is in a foul mood because of all the jumping and such I've been doing today .) :)
Oh yes, I'll be continuing my stay with my family for an undecided period of time since the stipend is not by any means an enormous amount and I still have bills to pay. So, if you need me I'll still be in the same spot.
Yeah!

A Decision....Sort Of

Well the news finally arrived from MU and I was accepted! That makes three PhD programs that are expecting me this Fall and, let's count, only one that's offered any kind of assistance (a whopping, hold your hats, $1,000 from SLU). The MU program is what I'd prefer to do - closer to people here, in my Master's field so will take less time, has more job opportunities later, etc. However, something about a part of the office being moved out of state (yeah, I don't understand) meant no assistantships for new students - thanks oodles. So, I'm in the process of trying to find any kind of assistantship on campus that could cover tuition expenses, which is sort of hitting dead ends at the moment, so cross those fingers or say a little prayer for me (your preference). ;)
In other news, Ashland (my old job) really wants me to come back to that position. Flattering, completely, good idea, I don't know. The school is so mold infested I'm sick all the time and how on earth does one take on that kind of load again AND work on their PhD? I barely did the first. But, I love those kiddos and they're willing to work around my possible college schedule somehow so we'll talk options at least.
So there is the big news...I still don't know what I'm doing. Surprise, eh, not really. Just more researching, emailing, talking, and waiting. Seems to be the way of things when you want to make a change of some sort that involves money.

Self Distraction

Yes, I have been informed that this blog is not updated. Well, that's what happens when you're trying to distract yourself from the fact that time keeps passing and information is still not being given to you. So what have I been doing? Well, sewing, making presents, packing for EER teachers who are getting moved, having a garage sale, taking Sam to see another college, going to a frisbee tournament with Paul, and seeing Beth and Jacob, yeah! See, have to keep myself distracted. ;) Here's a few pictures as proof in the pudding:

A baby sling I made for Suzanne's baby shower.
Cabbage Patch = baby stunt double ;)

A Mother's Day purse for...of course...Mom

Drew's 26th Birthday party at Red Lobster

Paul Placed Poodles Perfectly Pleasantly

Okay, so according to MU I should know a smidgen (sp?) about my future either today or tomorrow. If it actually answers the question "What am I doing in the near future?" it will be quite surreal, let me tell you. My interview about the advising position went just peachy. The women who work there just genuinely love working together and were incredible to talk to, so if nothing else it was just a pleasant interview - we all need one or two of those to keep us going. :) So yes, I'll be twiddling my thumbs here for a bit.

In other news...I just made my first poodle skirt! (Paul obviously helped.) Chrissy (teaches elementary music) needed one to direct her 5th graders in their 50s themed musical so guess who got the job. She hasn't tried it on yet...*bites fingernails*...but I think it looks cute, don't you?

Oh yes, and back to the "whatsawhosit" saga, my mother and I did a marathon clean and organize to sell some of those "thingamawhatsits" yesterday and nearly finished it. Talk about girl power...and how filthy we were! The best part was when I had to ask my father to remind me what some of the things were and two parts he couldn't even figure out. I guess you could play the whole: If you can tell me what it is (or be really convincing) you can have it for free!
OOoooh, idea! I'll take some pics of the mystery items, post them on here, and see if any of you smart lads and lasses can tell me.....so stay tuned!

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting

Now we all know I have no idea what my near future is bringing until I hear about $$ from colleges. So, MU said I'd know by the first of April...ha! Now I should know by next week - sigh. (SLU has long since put me in hold, by the way.) In the meantime, MU wants to interview me for an Academic Advisor position in the Dept. of Ed. Okay, why not, is my feeling. But here's the kicker - I'm being interviewed by one of my former student's mothers! Doh! Now how do you play up your best traits to someone who knows when you're full of it? Talk about an interesting interview...I'm hoping for a call on Wed. saying I have funding so I can cancel the interview for the next day. Well a girl can hope. :)

As for Easter, an Easter without small children makes for a unique Mosley experience where the older kids (17-28) have to find Easter eggs with clues in them inspired by my mother's most recently read book, the Divinci Code. Lol..well when my parents finally stopped laughing turnabout was fair play and we gave them harder clues, yeah! Paul had to admit he'd never been involved in the parental egg hunt, but it was amusing to say the least.

Oh, oh, oh, and I saw the officially neatest male living establishment I've ever been in! Yeah for Patty & Darrick! Their new house defies the standard that men are slobs, it's neater than my old apartment! Really messes with the old image of the boys' house where the deck fell off, stair rails were missing, a doorframe or two was busted, random stains littered the carpet, and walls had unknown substances about. Yeah for clean boys - you could teach some more a lesson or two!

Well, back to waiting, sewing a poodle skirt, and figuring out how to interview with someone you know. Never dull I tell you, never dull. ;)