What have the Petersons been up to?

Life the Past Few Months...

Farewell, Corporate America:

After two years of pining for academia (I think I might have been the only person crying in a corner instead of celebrating at graduation), I was accepted into the Health Communication Master’s program at George Mason University!

My first year, I will be going to school full-time on a (pseudo) research assistantship. My second year, I will be on a (real) teaching assistantship teaching introductory communication classes to little freshmen – although, let’s face it, they are probably going to look/be older than me.

I do like my job, and I’m grateful to have a job, but I really feel like academia is where my heart belongs. I’m excited to join Richard as a fellow Patriot!

Richard the Litigator:

Doesn’t that have a nice ring to it? Richard was offered a full-time job working at a prestigious employment law firm in Washington, DC (only about 4 blocks away from where I currently work!). He will continue working there full-time next year, and switch over to GMU law’s awesome part-time program. He will be really busy come fall (did I mention that he is also going to be managing editor of GMU’s law journal and on the moot court team?), so we’re going to try to make the most of summer before life gets too crazy!

Because he’s switching to the part-time program, Richard will be extending by a semester, which means…. we get to walk together! (Walk, meaning “graduation walking”). I smell parental trips to DC right around May 2012. Mom & Dad, I’ll get Richard to draft up a Letter of Intent to Visit Your Youngest Daughter at Graduation form for you to sign. That will be $800, please.

Born to Run

I recently finished my second half-marathon in Champaign–Urbana, Illinois. I ran it with some high school BFFs (shout out to Katie, Sara and Molly), and we had a blast! The course is touted as “the flattest race in America” (or something along those lines), and it didn’t disappoint! There was supposedly one “big” hill in the course, and we kept on saying, “hm, I think this might be the hill coming up?” but we never quite found it. I was surprised and happy to finish in 2:19:30 (about 20 minutes faster than Baltimore).

Of course, there were also several GREAT Hills in the area (I love Hills in Illinois jokes – funny every time). I stayed with my sister (last name, Hill) and her husband and two adorable little boys for the weekend. It was a great vacation!

Richard and I are signed up for a 10k over Memorial Day weekend, and then I am going to be running the Seattle Half-Marathon with my sister in June! Next up, full marathon? That’s for me to know, and you to find out…

Pack up the handcarts, we’re going to Utah

Since Richard has a couple weeks off between finals and work, he’s going to go visit family in Utah for a week in May. I will also be joining him for an action packed weekend (I couldn’t take any days off work, boo). Are you also planning a trip to Utah in May? If so, let us know!