So... it's been a while. And that's OK!

I'm back!
Well, that kind of makes it sound like I've been off traveling the globe on some grand adventure for many months, but in reality, life in general has been a grand adventure that hasn't left much time for the old blog lately.

Here's a quick recap of what we've been up to:
In March, we went to New York City, celebrated my 27th birthday, bought a house, and moved everything to the new house in about 24 hours. Needless to say, we've been busy.

View of the NYC skyline from the pier where our hotel was in Jersey City.

Jackie and I met Ann Curry on the TODAY Show plaza!

At the Statue of Liberty!

My computer also died during the first part of April and was sent off for the Apple geniuses to tinker with. Turns out the logic board was fried, so they replaced it, the graphics card, the LCD screen, and my bad battery! Finally got it back two weeks later.  Basically, it's a new computer (except for the hard drive, which they said was OK).

We also had a great weekend of Kettle Korn at the Bloomin' Festival in Cullman. 

Kettle Korning in Cullman

Nom nom nom

My semester at UM also wrapped up, and I attended my first graduation as a teacher. I don't think it has sunk in that some of the familiar faces in our building won't be back in the fall. Guess that's just something I'll have to get used to as a teacher...

Me and my Newscast Production class. Great group of students!

Lots has happened with us lately, and I promise to sit and catch up on the blog sometime soon. I just wanted to pop in now to say hello (and alleviate any fears that I may have fallen off the face of the earth).

And I've resolved that I'm not going to apologize for being a bad blogger anymore. I'll blog when I blog, and that's OK. 

We're Moving!!!

Well, the cat's out of the bag. (Actually, he's in a box...) We're moving back to Calera! We love our new house! Can't wait to start a new chapter of our lives together!

Sitting at the Doc-in-a-Box...

I know it's been a while since I've blogged last, but we've been really busy lately. (I'm sure that opening sentence is the most-written sentence in the blogosphere...) However, that seems to have caught up with Jackie, who has been sick all week. Now I'm sitting at Chelsea Urgent Care with her as she waits to see the doctor. Since I played all of my turns on Words with Friends, I thought this would be a good way to pass the time while I concentrate on shallow breathing (so I won't breath in the germs).

Work has been going well. Classes are in full swing, and we are doing a lot of exciting things in Mass Comm. We've gotten a fresh coat of paint in the studio, moved the news set, moved the green screen, and we've also gotten some new high-tech toys! I've also started out departmental Facebook page. So be sure to like the University of Montevallo Department of Communication! Also, things are going well with the text book I helped write, and it should be available this summer!

On a related note, my own school work has been going extremely well. I passed my PhD comps last week! So now it's on to the dissertation. I hope to graduate by the end of 2012, and I'm on track to do it! Finally, I'll be Dr. Finklea! The comps were one of the hardest things I've ever done academically. The questions were tough, and I did't feel great about my answers. When I went in for my defense, I was so nervous! But all of my committee members really liked my answers. We talked for about an hour, and then I had to step out into the hallway while the voted on whether to pass me. I was feeling pretty good about it at that point, but I was still nervous. When they called me back in, my chair told me I passed. I was SO relieved! All the stress that I'd been carrying around for months was lifted off my shoulders. I am so thankful for such great friends and family that lifted me up in prayer through the entire process. I could feel the Lord with me during the defense. Thanks again to everyone for praying for me!

In other news, Jackie and I are gearing up for our week-long trip to NYC for the NBS convention, which is only about a month away! We are really excited! Neither of us has ever been to the Big Apple, so it will certainly be an adventure! I wish we were also going to Vegas, but I didn't a paper to submit to BEA this year. Maybe next year...

Well, I guess that's about it for now. I'm still waiting for Jackie to come out from the exam room. She must be bored back there because she just sent me a text. Talk to y'all soon... or in a month or so. :)

Breaking News about Friday the 13th!

According to Fox 6, "Friday the 13th usually falls on a Friday."

Good to know.

Hello 20-Dozen!

Wow, I can't believe that 2012 is already here! Seems like just yesterday we were worried about the year 2000 and Y2K computer crash...

Of course, now we're a dozen years later, and many folks are freaking out about the Mayan calendar ending. I guess some things never change...

One of the other things that doesn't seem to change is my weight. One brief year ago, I started this blog to track my progress as I set out to lose weight. And over the course of the last 12 months, not much changed. Sure, we joined the gym (and sometimes hated it), tried Zumba, ran jogged the Rumpshaker 5K, tried the 6-Week Body Makeover...and ultimately, I'm still the same weight that I was twelve months ago. So much for 2011 being a year of physical transformation, huh?

Of course, I guess I should be grateful. At least my weight is the same as it was a year ago, and it didn't go up!

That said, Jackie and I are starting over. Hello 20-Dozen! I'm Bruce Finklea, and we're going to have a great time during the next 12 months!

On the weight loss front, we're going to go back to Weight Watchers, and we've already gone back to the gym. We both want to get in better shape before we start thinking about Finkleas: The Next Generation. So 2012 is the year that we're going to be getting ourselves ready to become parents.

Also, 2012 is the year that I will become a doctor! I've got my PhD comps coming up at the end of the month, and then it's on to the dissertation (which I'm really excited about!).

We also hope that 20-Dozen will be the year that we buy our own home. We're really excited (and nervous) about the thought of becoming homeowners. We've prayed a lot about it, and we feel like the Lord has prepared us to make this step. We just pray that the home-buying process goes smoothly.

As always, I'll try to keep y'all updated on everything.

I hope all of you have a prosperous New Year! And if all goes well, my post to usher in 20-Baker's-Dozen will be filled with many happy memories!

I Will Always...

So I've learned a lot about myself this year. Here's just a couple of the things I've come to realize about myself...

I will always stop to get my picture taken with people dressed up in animal costumes...

And even alien costumes...

I will always long for the days when I had a head full of hair...

I will always be amazed by my view from an airplane seat...

I will always be a nerd. (Well, I guess I didn't learn this one this year.)

I will always take a picture on a painted pony.

I will always be worried when these two are together...

I will always love this woman (and try to have our picture taken with large animals in the background).

I will always try to take a good picture with nice lines and angles.


I will always wonder if my car is trying to tell me something...

I will always love these furballs...

I will always put my hand on a statue of butts and take a picture of the world's largest bra and tightie-whities.

I will always love Mom and Dad's Christmas tree...

I will always get a picture with art made out of jelly beans...

I will always pose with an over-sized M&M...

I will always love the beach!

I will always fake-lick a giant ice cream cone...

Sips n Strokes

Jackie and I have been in desperate need for an escape from the drama and craziness that's been going on lately. Luckily, one of Jackie's coworkers suggested getting a group together to go to Sips n Strokes. So they picked out a painting that everyone liked (a cute little holiday elf), and we signed up.

I was really looking forward to going. I'd been telling Jackie for a while that I wanted to find an artistic outlet. (I still think I'm going to start drawing again. I used to love it so much!)

When we stopped for dinner before our class, I told Jackie that I was really nervous. What if my painting looked awful? What if the kids there painted better than I did?

I decided that if it was a monumental disaster, I would say I was just channeling Picasso or Pollock.

Ready to paint!

We got to the place and waited in line to pay. I was looking at the artwork on the wall, and they have an entire section of nothing but naked women. I asked Jackie why we didn't sign up for one of those classes...

Anyway, we got our canvasses and our pallets and walked into the studio, where you get your paint. They already have it labeled so you know how much to get. One pump of red, two pumps of green, and so on.

We got our aprons and found our seats. We also had our drinks with us: Zaxby's sweet tea!

Wendy LoVoy, the founder of Sips n Strokes, ended up being our teacher! She told us that she'd seen a bunch of folks jack up their paintings, but they never let anyone go home with an ugly one. That made me feel better!

We started by outlining our elf in yellow paint; then we made a granny apple green for his hat, mixed up his face color ("a dot of red, a scoop of yellow, and a whole lotta white!"), and painted in his clothes. We also added dots and spots to his hat and the background.

A work in progress

The hardest part was the darn holly leaf on his hat, but it turned out OK. We practiced painting the leaves on the table. (You can see my practice leaf on the table in the picture below.)

Throughout the class, we all held up our paintings so Wendy could check them out. She sent her assistant around to help the folks that needed it. She told us that we were the best elf painters she thought she'd ever had!

The finished product!!!

When it was all said and done, I felt so proud of myself. It was so cool to watch my blank, white canvas transform into a unique, one-of-a-kind piece of art. Wendy was such a wonderful teacher! She explained every step and had a great sense of humor. She was so much fun!

I had a great time painting and spending time with Jackie's coworkers. We totally plan to go back! It's a great opportunity for couples to spend time together and try something new!