One can see International Relations as a multitude of meanings, but for us personally we believe that it really comes down to how the international community affects us and how we affect the international community.
The products we buy and sell fuel international economies which are the modern day basis for political interaction between states. It affects the prices of the goods we buy from foriegn nations, which affects our standard of living greatly.
Relations between states also determines how safe we feel on a daily basis. In a world where state tensions can lead to wars or terrorism, it has never been more important that states engage in relations with one another.
As for the theories we learned in IR, they seem to just be human characterizations being applied to a broader scheme. The International community is comprised of many states. States are made up of many populations. Populations are just many many individuals. It is really no suprise that IR functions much like how one would expect people to interact with one another.
It’s been fun.
Chris & Nora; two more individuals in the international community! 
