Today kicks @ss!

Well, here's a nice change of pace. Usually I use this space to express frustrations with what's going on in my life. Today, I'm using the space to be excited about what's going on in my life.

Last night, my neighbor invited me to a girls-night-in type of event where she invited a bunch of her friends over to watch Top Chef. It was a small event, but everyone was really nice and I had a good time. This morning, my neighbor forwarded me an e-mail from one of the women in attendance, which basically said, "How cool is Prae? I'm so glad she's part of our group now!" It absolutely made my morning. First, the fact that this woman accepted me so quickly as part of the group just about knocked me over, and that my neighbor forwarded the message really touched my heart.

I was flying high when I went to class, the last class of the semester. Before I handed out the final exams, I asked the students to give me feedback on the course. While I didn't expect overly negative comments (I haven't turned in their final grades yet), I also didn't expect the extent of the nice comments either. They were really complimentary, and gave useful feedback for future iterations of the class. At the end of class, several students came up to me and thanked me for the class and said what a good time they had. It was very gratifying.

But wait, there's more. . .After lunch my department chair forwarded me an e-mail from a student in my class. S/he went to great lengths to praise my teaching, even going so far as to suggest I receive extra compensation for my efforts! It absolutely made my semester.

I don't know how long the good times will last, but I'm very happy today. That doesn't happen too often, so I'm going to ride the wave as long as I can. It's just so nice to see that all my hard work was appreciated by someone.

Hooray!