The Adventures of Sean & Kate

Congratulations All Round!!!

2007-01-30T08:08:00.000-08:00

It's an exciting time in our lives right now! Sean has found work, and is now a Residence Life Coordinator for Fleming College. This makes us Team Kinsella now! He started yesterday and is getting thrown right in! He has already had discipline meetings!!! I am so proud of him and everyone is so thrilled!!!

We also found out that our former boss - who was our RLC at Waterloo - and his wife are expecting!!! Many congrats to Scott and Carolyn! Here's to a healthy and happy 9 months.

I'm back from the conference which was amazing. We all came back completely exhausted but with a ton of resources, which we can't wait to put into practice! Team Trent showed every other school how to rock it and we (the RLC team) are very proud of all of them!

Now we go into hiring mode, so a very busy time for us! I'll try to post updates as often as I can, but it is going to be a really busy time for the next few weeks!

Thanks for reading :)
Kate

North Bay Bound!

2007-01-20T19:27:00.000-08:00

Well, the countdown is on. 6 days until we leave for the Residence Life Conference, at Nipissing University in North Bay. I'm really excited for this conference and am really proud of our Don Team for putting together some awesome presentations (we had 4/6 programs accepted! Woot Woot!)

We managed to get a hotel room in town to stay in which was not an easy feat. Skate Canada has a competition going on the same weekend, so all of the hotel's were blocked for that. I was determined NOT to stay in the Ecology Centre (http://www.canadianecology.ca/meetings_facilities/accommodation/cabin.htm)
which is where all of the Professional Delegates are staying, so I called and called and called some more until I found a room suitable (and let me just say that there are A LOT of "unsuitable" hotels in North Bay). I secured us a room at the Best Western (OK, not The Dorchester or Royal York, but compared to what some of the other places looked like, this is going to be heaven!)

So, on Friday afternoon, 14 of us will be leaving for Nipissing in search of fun, friendship and many learning opportunities. I also am defying one of my life goals - to NEVER drive a minivan - because we're renting two minivans to get us all there...I've already been given the title "Momma Kate." Scary? Yes! Oh well...at least I don't own the van!!!

If you're looking for something to do...check out the conference website - you can read all of the blurbs for the programs that will be presented!
http://www.nipissingu.ca/rlc2007/

That's all for now!
Kate

Happy Birthday Emily!

2007-01-12T12:03:00.000-08:00

Sending a big HAPPY 24th BIRTHDAY all the way out east to Emily in Nova Scotia! Hope it's a blast!!!

< --- Here you will find Emily striking her "bad ass" pose. Way to be just like Flava Flave!!!

Good Luck Sean!!!

2007-01-12T11:57:00.000-08:00

Sean has an interview with Fleming College today, for a Residence Life Coordinator position...here's hoping for a successful outcome!!!

Yet Another Overdue Update...

2007-01-04T11:01:00.000-08:00

First of all - Happy New Year 2007 to everyone! I hope that you all enjoyed a restful holiday season and a celebrative New Year's Eve! Here's to a fabulous 2007! I know there will be a lot of change for us this year - yet again - but I'm really excited to see what unfolds.

I'll start by updating from the last post (over a month ago - shame on me!)
This is what happened with the whole teaching thing...

I went to meet with the principal at St. Paul's to talk about the situation, and we had a really great conversation! I was there for about 2 hours, which included a tour of the school (which is fabulous) and a relaxed chat with the principal, VP and chaplain. After the principal contacted me, he was called by the school board to explain that a teacher was coming off of a disability and would need a job and since he had an opening, it would have to go to him. I totally understand this, as seniority is a factor. So, this made the decision easy - seeing as there was no decision to make anymore. In talking with the principal though, I know that he would still really like me on staff (which is amazing) and will let me know when something else comes up. He has also offered to help me get into another school in the area! He's really pulling for me, which is a really nice feeling. So, for the time being, I'm still at Trent.

Speaking of Trent, we're about to begin our (very busy) second semester. In this month alone we have a staff training day, hiring for the 2007-2008 team (which includes a whole marketing campaign, lots of hours reading resumes, doing interviews, etc) and getting ready for the Residence Life Conference. One of the other RLCs and I are taking a group of 11 Dons to the conference at the end of the month up in North Bay. We're really excited, but it's a lot of pre-planning! So needless to say, I'm going to be quite a busy bee for the next little while!

Sean has an interview next Friday, so we're very excited about that! It's for Fleming College - and actually for the same position that I have at Trent! Fingers crossed for that!!!

We had a wonderful Christmas with our families and were spoiled yet again. We were able to visit with a few friends over the holidays as well, which was really nice! I got to see two of my best friends - Lem & Em - so that was fun! Sean and I also made the trip to Waterloo to visit with Simon and Sarah who are in the midst of planning their wedding - very exciting times! All in all, it was a great break and I'm sad that it is over...oh well, on to the new year, new challenges, new excitement and the lot!

Happy New Year!Love Kate

Decisions, Decisions...

2006-12-03T08:58:00.000-08:00

I've recently been offered another teaching position. I was offered one back in late September, and declined because my year at Trent had pretty much just started...

So, Tuesday I get a phone call from the same principal who offered me the first job. He wants to hire me for February (second semester) which would mean 3 of my very own English classes, not taking over for someone else, so really a fresh start.

There are a lot of things to consider with this: finances, moving (again), Sean getting a job (which I am sure in the GTA, his options would be much wider than here), leaving Trent half-way through the year, and so on...

It just goes to show that hindsight really is 20-20 and you really never know what the near future holds...

I'm going to meet with the principal on Monday afternoon, so hopefully I'll find out more then.

Why is it that these things always happen on a random Tuesday afternoon????

It's decision time........I'll keep you posted (although, I have no idea who actually reads this blog).

Take care,
Kate

Eeeek - An Overdue Update!

2006-11-28T11:15:00.000-08:00

I didn't realize it's been over a month since my last post - shame on me!!!

The last month has been pretty busy and stressful and we're definitely looking forward to the Christmas break. Ok, here's the update (which may seem quite scattered...)

We've done a lot of visiting on the weekends (which is great, but always busy and tiring). We went to see my parents a few weeks ago and mum and I went to the William Ashley sale, which was fabulous! I was very much restrained and only spent $130, which is an absolute restraint seeing as it is the most fabulous sale of life!

Sean turned 24 on the 20th, so he's been welcomed into the mid-twenties club. That means only 6 months until 25 for me...yikes...

Movies we've seen this month:
-The Queen (well, Sean didn't see this, he would have rather chewed his own arm off): I thought this was pretty good, an interesting take on the royal family. Helen Mirren plays a fab part, but she's fab anyway, so how could she not?!
- Casino Royal: Oh how I love James Bond! We went on opening night so it was indeed busy! Totally worth it though! We both really liked this one and are very much impressed with Daniel Craig as the new bond (my reasons may differ from Sean's....*sly smile*)
-Stranger Than Fiction: Didn't really know what to expect out of this one, but we both really liked this one too! It was neat to see Will Farrell play a different role for once...actors were well chosen (Maggie Gyllenhall, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman...) and it was a neat story.
-Shop Girl: Rented this one. I watched it, Sean didn't. It was like watching paint dry. If you haven't seen it, don't bother...totally not worth it!
-Casanova: Sean's pick. Pretty much what you'd expect - no thinking involved. Not a bad one for a rainy day in....we're not talking Oscar caliber here though...
-Boogie Nights: We started watching this one night on Showcase, but it was like 3 in the morning, so we said we'd rent it to watch the whole thing. Awesome movie. I'd put this in the "Pulp Fiction" cult category...

We put up the Christmas tree and have that all decorated. We've also got some other Christmas decorations up, but I still want to do more...

Baylin is doing great - really settling in and loving his walks in the park! We've been walking him a lot off leash lately, makes it easier for everyone involved, and he's so good off lead! Next thing to teach him - how to catch a frisbee and bring it back for more frisbee fun!

Sean's still looking for a job here, which is definitely getting frustrating. There isn't too much in Peterborough, so his search is on-going...fingers crossed for a job as a Christmas pressie!!!

Speaking of Christmas pressies....what's on "our" (read: Kate's) hot list?
-Anything from Pottery Barn, including gift cards! *Love* that place!
-Gift cards for IKEA - always find something fabulous there!
-Books! Anything "leadership" related (found in the business section of Chapters) for me, and Sean digs fiction!
-Anything from RW&Co - that goes for the both of us ;)
-And last, but not least, lots of love and support! This is actually the only real thing we need this year :)

Ok, think that's all for now. Will update more frequently...promise!

Lots of love!
Kate

The Phantom Returns!

2006-10-24T18:28:00.000-07:00

And we've got tickets! GREAT tickets!!!! The Phantom of the Opera is coming back to Toronto in February for a 2 month stint, and seeing as how much I *love* the Phantom, I knew we just had to get tickets! We are going on Thursday, February 22, 2007 and will be sitting in the first row! Not the first row of the balcony, or the dress circle...the first row of the orchestra! Right at the very front! I am so excited, and like to think that Sean is too - although he can't get too giddy over this for fear of looking like "less of a man."

Happy Birthday Boss!

2006-10-12T12:49:00.000-07:00

A big wiggle waggy birthday wish for Boss! He's 12 years old today, and most likely enjoying relaxing! It's hard to believe that he's 12, as it seems like only yesterday when he was ripping apart couches, cable lines and Christmas ornaments.

For those who don't know - Boss is my parents big Black Lab who I love to pieces!

Our Latest Addition

2006-10-12T12:43:00.000-07:00

Meet Baylin! He's the newest addition to our "family" and is such a loveable boy! He's a 7 year old Black Lab with a lot of love to give! He loves to be around us, and is good at guarding the front door! We're trying to teach him some new tricks and how to "play" and "fetch" and we've already made quite a bit of headway - he loves his squeaky teddy!

We're having lots of fun with him, and are loving the hikes and walks we go on together. It's great having the drumlin right behind us! We're still waiting to see if he will swim - but that will most likely have to wait until the spring now - the water is a bit too cold!

We'll update more pics when they come in, but for now, these are the only ones we have of him...

The Adventure Begins

2006-09-12T10:55:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be fitting to create a "couples blog." This way, you can track the adventures - and misadventures - of us, even though we are miles apart. Hopefully, we'll invest in a digital camera sometime soon, so we can post pictures too!

So, some updates...

We're settling in nicely to life at Trent. All of my students have moved in, and I've got a great Donning team. Peterborough is a really nice place, and we're having lots of fun exploring our new surroundings.

Sean's on the hunt for a new job, and in the meantime is enjoying relaxing and sleeping in - something he hasn't done in quite some time!

We celebrated our one year wedding anniversary on Sunday, August 27, but seeing as I was in the midst of Don Training, we have booked a getaway weekend for September 22. We're going to Ottawa, and staying at the 4 star Marriott! Wahoo! We haven't been away since our "minimoon" so this will be a well earned break. We both can't believe it's already been over a year! Time just flies by!

Check back often!

Love Kate