The Kohlmans

I'm down to the very last task on my MLS (Master of Library Science) List. Just one. Unfortunately, I have no control over how soon this one gets done, otherwise I would be on it this weekend. I have to present my portfolio on December 8 in Overland Park. It's a little annoying that this is a whole month away. Once again, this link possesses the culmination of my two and a half years of education: http://mkohlman.weebly.com/ just in case you want to check it out. I do still have to wait on feedback from my professor and make those edits before the presentation, but that's such an incredibly minor detail I'm not even counting it. I got really excited about this today, so I ordered my graduation apparel package. We can't rent them; we have to buy. (I guess that means I'm for sure walking!) I get to wear (and own) a lemon-colored hood... Of course, after graduation I have to schedule my licensing test and pass it and apply for a new license. But I think...

I am the last person I know who wants to get involved in a big debate about politics. Trust me. But I am deeply disturbed by the rhetoric in this country, by the deep divisions, by the refusal to compromise - the refusal to even converse. And I just have to get this off my chest. There's this wonderful thing about our world. It's in color. Not black and white. And this is a time of year when I am very thankful for the colors - the bright yellow leaves, the blazing orange sunrise, the beautiful blues of the sky and greens of the already fading grass. I think that, especially at this time of year, we need to take a moment to appreciate the color. It's important to recognize that it is part of what makes each of us the unique person we are. But when we state, or even imply, that all members of a certain demographic - say Christians, or women, or those with webbed toes (check, check, check) - should all feel a certain way or make a certain decision, we are putting away th...

I look tired (this picture was taken at 6:45 a.m.). It's been a long week already... there must be a holiday sometime, or a full moon, no wait! Both! I actually don't really like Halloween. Maybe it comes from growing up in the country and not really going trick-or-treating or having many trick-or-treaters. (Although, Erin, if you're reading this, I'm pretty sure my mom still buys candy, just in case , so take your kids over!) We just hit a few neighbors' houses. I have to admit that we had it pretty good. Those few (mostly older or related to us) neighbors always knew we were coming and often had goody bags ready for each of us, instead of just a mini candy bar. And, if I recall correctly, some were sent along with me and Daniel for Hannah and Sarah even after they had stopped trick-or-treating. It also could come from the fact that the year I was going to be a ballerina it snowed. And I had to be something else... (this happened to be the one year that d...

Tomorrow marks the halfway point of this pregnancy. It definitely doesn't feel like I'm that far along, but I suppose there are obvious reasons for that . I'm still kind of at a point where the size of the bump depends on the day... (This picture is really from Friday, when I was 19 weeks 3 days, or something like that. I made Brad take it because I had on a really trendy outfit. I mean, those are (handed-down) jeggings... way too fashionable for normal Megan. Seriously, though, that's why. Otherwise you'd probably be getting sweats and a hoodie, which doesn't really show the bump very well at this point.) I have a pretty good collection of maternity shirts from a couple of friends and a few consignment stores. On Friday I ordered a couple pairs of pants from ebay. Gap Maternity, tags on, in my size for $20 (Buy It Now price)? Yes, please. The best part? The pants were delivered today... I guess that's why I paid $6 shipping. I'm still waiting on...

I'm not totally done. I actually haven't proofread any of it. Or checked any of my links. (Though Brad tells me they're okay.) But I just hit the "publish" button on weebly to put my portfolio out there for the whole world to see. So if you're interested ...or just really bored... here's a little bit of what I've been working on the last 2 1/2 years. http://mkohlman.weebly.com/index.html It seems a little weird that what I've poured so much time and energy and money into over the last 27-ish months is reduced to a little corner of the internet. It's also strange that my work is "out there" for everyone to check out. I know I'm not supposed to be prideful, but I'm kind of a little bit proud of myself (or will be until I check for mistakes).  And I kinda feel like I can breathe now. The list looks like this: proofread/revise portfolio write two more reflective journal entries (out of the ten total for...

Last week at this time I was mildly panicked, thinking about how I had a whole month less to get ready for Baby K. I mean, I know we're not quite halfway there, but I know that 20 weeks is going to fly by... the first half sure has (of course, that happens when you skip a month)! So Friday night, while Brad went on what was probably his last fishing trip of the year, I started to get things ready. I was just going to clean out the closet in the office to make space for my sewing things. But then I got carried away. I completely cleaned out the closet in the nursery (formerly the sewing room and guest room that no one stays in). Everything moved from that room to the office, except for the bed that went to the basement. All the things we stored in the office closet still fit, and all my sewing supplies fit. I'm pretty impressed with this. I guess that's a benefit of the boring subdivision home... substantial closet space. Yep, that foam in there is definitely for the...

Well, we got the official word from my doctor today that baby's new due date is March 19. Yikes! I'll be 19 weeks tomorrow, instead of 15 weeks today. (This picture is not creepy at all... right?!) I'm definitely having to adjust my thinking because of this. I'm fortunate enough to get 6 weeks paid leave because I'm in the district's sick bank. The April 15 due date was almost exactly 6 weeks from the end of the school year - perfect enough to take off the rest of the year and come back in August. Or so I thought. Now the probability of going back to work, even if only for a couple of weeks, is overwhelming... even if Brad will definitely be home one week since he's off for a whole week before I am. (While we're definitely financially stable, we have to consider the fact that we'll be paying for the last nine hours of Brad's degree right about when the baby comes and, possibly, preparing for him to take some unpaid leave to finish his...