Congratulations Jim!!!

I want to give a big huge congrats to Jim Smith. He is my best friends husband, and one my husband's best friend. They were our escorts through the temple when we got married, and have been like family to us for years.

And now, Jim Smith, is a law school graduate.

Way to go Jim!!!

Day 3

Today the girls had school, so Lizz and Selo figured out how to work around and make the most out of that time.

We got the their house around 7:45, and all piled in Lizz's van to drop them off at school. First dropped Katie off, then to Natalie's school. Selo stayed with Natalie at school for a while. He had breakfast with her, sat on the rug with her class, and was there as a part of it for about three hours (ish?). In the meantime, Lizz and I went back to her house and talked and worked on some other things. We picked Selo up, then headed to Katie's school. Selo, me, Lizz, and Madeleine all had lunch with Katie there at her school. Then Lizz and I left Selo there to spend time with Katie. We picked Natalie up, and went back. He got to spend about an hour with Katie at her school.

After picking Selo up, we all went back to Lizz's house to wait for school to let out. We had a good time talking and looking at the pictures Lizz took and some older pictures from when their girls were born.

When school was out, we picked Katie up and then left to go to Kreate-A-Kritter to make the girls some stuffed animals. Unfortunately, the store was closed when we got there. We made an attempt to contact the owner by the number left on the door, but no luck. So Lizz suggested we go across the street to a bead store and let the girls pick out beads to make themselves necklaces. Both girls had fun going through the store looking and deciding. Katie even picked out beads to make Selo a necklace.

Back at the house, Selo ordered pizza for everyone, and then the necklace making began. Katie and Natalie were so excited to be so crafty. Once the pizza arrived, that was the only thing that mattered. After pizza, everyone just hung out and relaxed. Eventually, the Wii that we had brought up with us got pulled out, and that grabbed the kids' attention. Nick, Katie, and Natalie were all completely entertained. Even Will, Misti, and Lizz were fascinated with it, and played themselves for a while.

It was getting time to get calmed down for bed, so 27 Dresses was turned on, and Selo, me, Katie, and Natalie curled up on the couch to watch it. Katie had that movie on her "list" of stuff she wanted to do with her dad and neither Selo nor I had seen it. Throughout the movie, people kept moving around and changing places. Will was called off to a job and asked Lizz to go with him, so they took off sometime during the movie. By the time it ended, Selo was in the lazy boy with both his girls in his lap, and I think Misti and I were on the couch with Madeleine between us. Selo got the girls ready for bed, hugged them tightly, and tucked them in. This was going to be his goodbye to them until we came back up, but he didn't want it to be a traumatic thing. He tucked them in, kissed them goodnight, and slipped out their bedroom door. We quietly got out stuff together and left to go back to our hotel.

Today turned out to be good. It was better than yesterday. The fact the girls were back into their normal routines and had the stability of school back made a big difference. It was nice for Selo to be able to spend some time with them at school, in their own little piece(s) of their world.

Thoughts on 2007

It has been a busy and emotional year for Hubby and I. I was just on the phone a few minutes ago talking to a friend about how difficult this year has been, and it made me realize how much we have been through.

January- Vacation to Myrtle Beach. Hubby's first time on the beach, and first real vacation (he said that!). This is where he proposed to me <3

February- Hubby's birthday. His first birthday away from all of his family. We had a big party for him to make sure he knew there were still plenty of people around that cared for him. My schedule at work changed. Hubby's youngest daughter had a seizure. (She is fine. Her mom took good care of her.) We start feeding the stray cat at Hubby's home, hoping to catch her.

March- WE GOT MARRIED!!! We got our endowments the same day we were married. Married in Washington DC, reception in Wilkes, temple trip and reception in Utah. Hubby started his new job the week after we got married, and we spent the week in Florida (paid for by the company!) so he could "train".

April- Hubby's youngest daughter's birthday. She turned four. Hubby's ex-wife got married. (Congrats to them!) We find out the cat is pregnant.

May- My schedule at work changed, again. The cat has her kittens. We fall in love with every one of them.

June- I left Corp America to become a full time caregiver. What a change! We moved into the lower part of a house, and I cared for the elderly couple upstairs. I started my blog.

July- Still adjusting to one income. Child support AND insurance (for us and Hubby's girls) began being withheld from Hubby's paycheck. Both are needed, both are huge. We pull the belt a little tighter. Okay, a lot.

August- My grandmother passes away at 90-something years old. We fly to California. Hubby's oldest daughter starts first grade. My Uncle Dachie passes away.

September- My sister has her first baby and my first nephew. Three days later, Hubby's oldest daughter has her birthday- she turned seven. We find homes for the Mama kitty, and three of her five babies.

October- I had my birthday- I turned 25. We find out Hubby's dad is sick, and book him a flight for the next morning to fly to Utah. Two hours later, the next call is to tell us he passed away. We book my flight out there as well.

November- Attend the funeral for Hubby's sad. Very very hard time. Hubby ends up in the hospital. The doctors can't find what is wrong, and send him home. We are waiting for the doctor to give approval for Hubby to travel so we can return to our own home, and back to our lives. It finally comes, and we go home. Even though my grades were still through the roof and I was caught up (or ahead!) in all my classes, I had missed to many days of school and the policy stated I was to be removed. I voluntarily withdrew to avoid any bad marks. Hubby and I left a few days later for our long awaited "honeymoon" and vacation of the year. We went to California with a bunch of our friends and went to FFXI FanFest 2007. It was an absolute blast. Then we went back to Utah for our planned Thanksgiving trip.

December- Many, many changes. I can't even list them all yet. But Christmas was wonderful. We had a great time celebrating our first Christmas as a married couple.


I am amazed at this list! I try to take things one day at a time, but looking back at this helps me to understand why sometimes I just can handle it all at once. I'll tell you this though, I am so glad I have my husband. He has been an amazing strength to me through everything, and I am glad to be there for him when he needs me, too. We still have some communication issues we are smoothing out, but he is amazing. We have a commitment to stand by each other through everything, and thinking back on just our first year of marriage, we are doing just that.

Where's My Tutor?

One tantrum I did want to share, was being rejected for a tutor. I applied for assistance through the Student Center, which gives free Reading Tutors and math tutors to qualified students, and I was rejected. Not because we make too much money, not because I don't have a learning disability, but because I am part time. I'm a little ticked off about that. I can't afford to go to school full time, but that doesn't mean I want to do any less than the very best in my classes. So far, I have done excellent. And I plan on doing more classes, and harder classes. I was hoping to get a math tutor to help me in the future. Oh well, I guess I will cross that bridge again next time I take a math class.

Skipping Off to School

Looks like I will continue my little path as is. I was concerned about being withdrawn from my classes because of missing so many days, but both my instructors were really nice and more than accommodating. (Which is more than I can say for other people I work with, but that's another tantrum for later.) My math teacher was even surprised that, not only did I know the work immediately today, but I am still ahead on my homework. I have missed a couple of tests. Luckily for me, both instructor requested that I wait until after Thanksgiving to do them. That gives me a few weeks to get caught up in anything else I am missing. And at this point, it looks like I am only missing one English essay that was given out last Friday. Tomorrow will be a good day. Instead of my English being held in the classroom, we will be in The Pit listening to a speaker. I will have more info about him later. I am glad to be back in class again. It keeps my brain sharp!

Update

Hubby is doing better. He is gaining more strength each day. He will call the doctor again tomorrow to discuss how he is feeling. Once again, we are hoping for approval for him to travel. Sure, we could always disregard the doctors orders and go home anyway (and I can't say we haven't thought about it), but we don't want to A) do any permanent damage to Hubby and B) we don't want something to happen while we are traveling and have him end up in the hospital in the middle on the country where we would have no support and no help. We are playing it safe and following Drs orders. Hopefully, tomorrow, the doctor will order Hubby to make arrangements to go home. We are almost holding our breath for it.
I miss my kitties. I miss a lot of things about NC, but I really miss our babies. Even Hubby has mentioned that he misses them. Piper is going to be so happy when we get home and she is allowed to go outside again. She will probably stay away for a week, at least. And the kittens are going to be so big. They were growing so much while we were home, I can't imagine how much they will have changed after two weeks. They will probably be really excited to go outside, too.
I'm a little concerned about school. Even though I am keeping up with my classes- okay staying ahead- my instructors would be completely within the rules of the school to remove me from class. I have stayed in constant contact with all of my instructors, and so far, things look good in my favor. I just don't want any surprises when I get back.
I haven't even logged into FFXI for a week and a half. Maybe even two weeks. I miss it. Last thing I remember, I was skilling up on worms. Paralyze, Sleep II, Silence, ect. I wasn't doing any damage spells, just ones that would raise those specific skills. My elemental magic is already capped, but the others have some work to do. I need to level my WHM and my RDM too. I don't think I have partied on either of those for months. And can I just say how jealous I am that Selo is already 75 on his BLM? Words cannot express my GRRR.
I finally have the black nail polish I've been wanting. I wanted one that was dark and thick, not something that was transparent or weak on my fingers. I had acrylics for years and years, and decided I was tired of them. They are fake, costly, and a crutch. It may seem ridicules, but I have been happier without them. I now have a basic black on my nails. Easy to keep up, simple, and still makes a statement. I'm all about making statements.
It has been nice to spend so much time with my MIL lately. I absolutely love the woman. I have heard the horror stories of MILs, and I have heard of women getting along with their MIL. But I must say, I am impressed with my relationship with my MIL. She is always telling me how much she loves me and how good I am for her son and how happy she is that I am in his life and in her life. What a boost of confidence it is to hear these words- and so frequently.
I have done so much blogging lately. Have you noticed that? A lot of it is rambling, but useful rambling if nothing else. I haven't had my mind entertained by school and by my job, so it all comes down to my blog. I hope I haven't bored anyone too much. lol
*yawn* I think I'm going to go get started on supper. MIL should be home from work in an hour or so, and I'd like to have some food ready. Have a wonderful evening!

Taking a Break

I have been working on homework since nine this morning. I finished my ACA homework, and just now finished my English essay. My ACA homework was interesting today. The class is fairly easy, so sometimes boring. However, today it was good. Today was about time management and goal setting. We were asked to outline and discuss one goal we had recently accomplished, and two goals we would like to accomplish. The two I wanted to accomplish were to write my English essay (which is now finished) and do two chapters of my math homework (which I will do after this break I am taking). The goal I had recently achieved was to get a new digital camera.
As most of you know, I have disliked my camera for about a year and a half. Hubby bought me the perfect camera for Christmas two years ago, but it was lost when we moved to NC. We purchase a cheap Walmart camera (yeah, I know, I should have known better than walmart, but I was going for cheap and that's what I got *sigh*) to hold us over until we purchased a better one. I love taking pictures. I don't do any paper scrapbooking, but I am slowly learning digital scrapbooking. In order to achieve my goal of getting a new camera, I had three main steps to achieve. First, research cameras. What features did I want? What did I not need? What was a must have and what was a bonus? What amount did I want to spend? What additional items would I need or want? Second, earn and save the money. I did some paid writing jobs to earn the money, and kept it in another account specific for saving so that it would be kept. Third, purchase the camera. Hubby and I spent many hours studying, discussing, and researching cameras. So when I went to the store with my sister, I was prepared for the purchase. I picked out two cameras that met the feature and budget requirements. When I went to speak with a sales rep, I passed a discount table- that had several digital cameras on it. I searched through them, and found what I wanted. Some of the cameras were marked down more than $100! I purchased a camera worth over $300, plus a memory card and a camera case, for only $219.
It was one of the best purchases I have ever made. Doing research, setting a budget, and educating myself made a big difference. When I took the camera home and showed Hubby, he was impressed with how well I had done. (lol Yes! *I* impressed my husband with an electronic purchase that *I* made! How great is that?) We now have a camera with everything we wanted, plus some, paid less than we had planned, and have the great feeling of accomplishing a goal. What a great feeling. :D

Still Working

I have today set aside to do homework. I have three classes to catch up on. Most of the time when I say "catch up", I generally mean "get ahead". I stay ahead in all my classes, and I feel antsy if I am simply caught up instead of ahead. Since so many things can go wrong so often, I like having time for the unexpected. I love English. I have an essay to write and some material to review. I also have some math to do. I enjoy math, but I struggle with it sometimes. I might be calling my sister over to be my Innovative Tutor so I can get some help with it. The class is working on chapter five and six this week. I am finished five last week, and I am half way through six. I will finish six today, and probably work on chapter seven. That is the one I will need my sister's help on. She's really good at math, and good at explaining it to me. Anyway, back to work!

A Slight Vent

I'm frustrated. Hubby and I worked hard to get my in school. I quit my job, we changed our benefits from my job to his, we relocated. Since I have been in school, I have worked my backside off to not only stay up to par with the class, but to stay ahead and do very well in my assignments. So the fact that I am missing so much school is bothering me. Hubby is none to happy about it either. I have been in constant contact with my instructors, and other students in my class, so I don't fall behind. In fact, I am still ahead in my math class. But the fact is, I am missing school. A lot of it. *sigh* I guess all I can do is keep talking to my instructors and the school admin, and keep up with my work. I am doing all that I can in my situation. If they drop me, it will be because of missing days, and not because I fell behind even one little bit.

Cheaters Never Prosper

I took a test today. So did the rest of my math class. I did it without a calculator. I received a good grade on it. Most people received a good score for it. Unfortunately, not everyone who received a good score did it honestly.

I did my test, took it up to have it graded, and noticed something while I was up at the front. Not something I expected. Something I most certainly was going to investigate.

After I caught a glimpse of - what shall we name her? Ann sounds good- Ann cheating, I questioned myself. Ann likes to text message while she is in class. Even though she has been told to keep her phone off and put away. But anyway, surely Ann was texting instead of using the calc on her phone to do the math test. I watched her. Next question on the test. Punch some numbers into her phone/calc, which was hidden in her lap under the desk. Look at paper. Punch in more numbers. Write something on paper. Move on to the next question. Hmmmm, kinda hard to convince myself she isn't cheating.

I lean over to the chicka next to me. "Watch her a minute, and let me know if you see anything suspicious, will ya?" Chicka next to me gave me a questioning look, but nodded her head. A moment later, I heard Chicka next to me gasp. I looked at her and our eyes met. She didn't look happy.

I didn't want to make a scene, so I waited. I was planning on waiting until everyone was finished and left the classroom. As I sat there patiently waiting, I noticed Chicka behind me was staring at me. I calmly walk to Chicka behind me. We have a short- and quiet- discussions. After a few moments, she gave me the same look of shock and then anger I had received from Chicka next to me. I nodded and went back to my seat.

In order to occupy myself and look busy, I began going through my purse. Breath mints, keys, camera, pens, reading book. . . Wait a second- camera? Yes, I had my digital camera. What an interesting moment to have a camera. I turned the flash off, and snapped a picture of the floor. Nope, no flash. I waited for the opportune moment, stood up, snapped a non-flashing picture, and sat down. The only person that even noticed was Chicka behind me.

After Ann had her test graded and left the classroom, I went up to Mr Teacher. I asked Mr Teacher "Are we allowed to use a calculator on the test?" "No, of course not." "So what happens if one of your students is caught using a calculator on the test?" "Well, their test would be null." I nodded, and pulled out my camera. I showed him the picture of Ann with her phone/calc. He wasn't happy about having his favorite student caught cheating- and right in front of him, too. In his shocked state, he mumbled out "I'll talk to her." I picked up my belongings and headed out. He called to me "Thanks Marie." "Your welcome."

As I was leaving, I noticed the guy that sits behind Ann outside the classroom. No doubt he heard what was mentioned. And leaving the building, there was Ann, who heard me talking to Chicka behind me on the way out the door. And she wasn't smiling anymore.

I'm not sure what will happen here. I don't know if anything is even going to be done about it. I do know, however, that there will now be great animosity between me and Ann. She didn't like me before this. But I will tell you this. I didn't work my butt off to earn 100% on that test, just to watch someone else cheat their way out of it. I have million reasons why. But I only need one.

Cheaters never prosper. Not in my presence.

Bell Pepper and Ranch Dressing

Hmm, what can I say about bell pepper and ranch dressing? Well, not really anything. But I have to think of something. Because if I don't, I will have to focus instead on the English essay I am avoiding. It's THE BIG ONE. Since I started my English class, we have had numerous essays. I have done well on all of them. But each one has been leading up to THE BIG ONE. We were given the assignment last week. I choose my topic, got approval, and started on my merry little way. Brainstorming, outlining, and detailing. On Friday, I decided I would write the paper that night, and turn it in on Monday. I generally have my papers finished shortly after they are assigned, so this was nothing different. But every time I sat down to write it, nothing happened. I did that all weekend long. Sit down with notebook > think about essay > stare at notebook > decide to try again when my mind had cleared and put notebook away. Progress made? Zero. So today, I changed my topic. I did a little brainstorming. I am now ready to write my essay. Or so I thought. I have done the dishes, cleared the table, put two loads of laundry in the washer, folded one out of the dryer, made the bed, straightened the bedroom, talked to my sister, talked to my LL about the furnace, called my dad, called my step-mom, written a couple of blogs, checked my email. Wow, what a list, huh? It's amazing how much I can get done when I am avoiding something!

Dang it! I shouldn't have eaten my bell pepper and ranch dressing so quickly.

Yay for life starting again

Went back to school today. Oh it was so nice. After the week and weekend I had, I was ready.

I am also amazed at how many cars are there that early on a Monday morning. The whole parking lot is almost full! Little race cars with fancy stickers, big trucks with Billet Grille, and even some mini vans with "I'm a Mom" written all over the inside.

Although I know I shouldn't be so surprised. College students are there because they want to be- at least, most college students- and are more motivated to get classes done quickly and early.

Ahh, it's just nice to be back.

Changes

I am getting back to normal. Thank heavens! This weeks has been a hard one for Hubby and I, so I am relieved to begin a comfortable boring week this week.
I am glad for school tomorrow. I haven't done any school work for a week, and I am really looking forward to it. I miss the dedication and hard work to accomplish a goal.
Loni is the chief of our newspaper staff. She wrote me and asked me to do a personal interview with someone that is coming to speak at our campus. Oh how I would have loved to do it! That is exactly the direction I love to go with my writing. Sadly, though, I had to turn it down. I work during the time the interview was scheduled. As much as I would love to have the newspaper and writing first in my life, I must work to be able to attend school, so work must be my priority. But I am honored and pleased that I was singled out above everyone else on the staff to be offered the opportunity. How great is that?!
I think everyone has or has had a blogspot. I have noticed, lately, that blogspot is growing. My friends are joining blogspot for their personal and family blogs. My web host has had a blogspot for a business and technical blog. My school has a blogspot focusing on the treatment and prevention of drug abuse. Maybe I just never noticed before, but I hadn't realized how diverse and how many different people and organizations really use blogspot.
My family took me out for my birthday yesterday. We went to a little coffee shop and had a nice laid back lunch. I love dressing up and stuff, but it's so nice to be able to relax and just have fun. While we were there, they gave me some gifts. Can I just say I love my step-mom, Judy? She gives the best presents. She gave me a cake pan, with a lid with handles. I had been looking for a nice cake pan, and she got a really nice one for me! She also gave me . . . drum roll, please. . . a box of books! Now *you* may not be impressed by this, but I certainly am. See, Judy shares my love for reading. We both could close the world out any day of the week and spend it buried in the pages of a book. So to have been given an entire box packed full of books was a most appreciated treasure.
In the crazy week I just had, I forgot to tell you what Hubby gave me for my birthday. Yes, I know, how could I? Anyway, he gave me a card. It was so sweet. And when he gave it to me, he told me to read it out loud. Here's what it says: (on the outside) To My Wife In case you were wondering- I notice. . . (on the inside) I notice how hard you work to make things the best they can be. I notice how much you give, never expecting anything in return. I notice that you never forget to play or laugh or love or make me feel important. . . And in case you were wondering, I notice how incredible you are at being a wife and still finding time to be my friend. Happy Birthday Love Always (then in his own loving handwriting) You have helped me grow more than you know. For you, here is a sweetness to show how sweet you are (in which he handed me my favorite candy bar) and something comfortable to show you how your love comforts me (in which he handed me some comfy pants). To my Wife, my Lover, my friend, and companion, for time and all eternity. Your loving Husband, yours Always, (insert Hubby's name here). Awe <3>
Hubby found the camera :D Don't know where he found it, considering I looked everywhere I could think of, but I am grateful all the same. I am glad to be able to be camera happy again. It's like I won't remember anything if I don't have 16 shots of it lol I bet my children will love that!
I want to take a few pics or videos of the kittens for you. I put a collar with a bell on Sarabi the other day, and she went crazy. Not bad "get this off of me or I'm going to hate you forever" type crazy. More like "wow check out this great toy Mama just got for me" type crazy. She was a funny kitten to watch already, but she is hilarious with that collar on. Hi-lar-ree-ous I tell you. They are both doing well with potty training. They both know exactly what they are doing, but Sarabi is so dang stubborn. She had Hubby so frustrated today he wouldn't even touch her. That hurt her feel-bads, I'm telling you. That kitten would do almost anything to have his approval, and he loves her like nothing else. I'm just glad I don't have to compete with the kitten for his attention, or I would be in trouble! He is so good to both of them, and so helpful in taking care of them. I know, I know, I sound crazy. But it's my life, and I am happy. I love watching him with them. Anyway, back to the potty training. We are almost ready to move to the next step. Last time, we weren't really sure if they were ready for it, but we did it anyway. Big mistake. This time, we are both positive they are ready for it. Plus, they are now big enough to jump from the floor up to the toilet without needing "stair-steps" all the way up there. That will make a big difference.
My flowers are so pretty. I have been taking such good care of them, and it is showing. The ones in the front yard are coming back to life and blossoming. The one in the kitchen window (the one Hubby gave me "just because") is looking more beautiful than ever. And my plant outside is *almost* ready to be re-planted. I am just waiting a few more days before I move it to the bigger planter. Then I will move the window flowers to that planter, so it can continue growing. Ahhh, the love of fresh plants and flowers. Pull the curtains back, and enjoy how beautiful it is.
Okay now that I have rambled on forever, and my legs are going numb, I'm going to end here. I hope you all have a wonderful week, and have lots of happy moments!

PS I am finally learning enough HTML to do something with it. Yay! See that link in the post above? Yeah, I did that. Without looking. That means I am making progress. Go Me.

I'm in a Great Mood!

Hello Fall Break! And I'm saying Hello in style, Baby. I have completed all homework that was due next week. I have finished the next two (yes, two!) chapters (yes, chapters- not assignments) in my math class. I received 100% on my English test today! AND my article made FRONT PAGE of the newspaper! Front page!

Just writing all of this down has increased my mood. Now, I am in a Fabulous mood!

The Countdown

Grab a snack and a refreshing drink (cran-apple juice!) and sit back, this one is a long one.

My birthday is in one week from today. Fall break starts when school is over tomorrow. And we might even have a countdown to FFXI FanFair, if we get lucky.
On my birthday, I will be 25. A quarter of a century. I asked someone a few days ago if I would finally have people starting taking me seriously once I hit 25. However, just like when I asked if I would be taken seriously at 18, 21, and when I got married, I was told no. Oh well, being serious is overrated. lol No plans yet for my birthday. We were going to go to Canada, since it is fall break the whole week and I have no school, but we changed our minds. School has been so busy I haven't been able to plan much. I don't think I will be disappointed though. Hubby has always remember my birthday and our anniversaries, and he always makes them memorable for me. He's so good to me <3
I also look forward to next week because I will get my hubby back. This whole week he has put in SO many late hours at work. Every day he plans on a regular eight hour day, but something comes up and he doesn't get home until really late. We had our date night planned for tonight, but he will be at work until at least eight again, so we shall see after that.
Hubby and I are reading the Bible. We started it this morning. I have read BOM, D&C, and PoGP fairly consistently for the last while, but he wanted us to read together again. So we started the Book of Matthew this morning. He has our study path already decided. I am happy to be reading with him again, and I am more than willing to let him decide where we are going with it. He is the head of our household, and I am happy to let him lead the way. I will be right next to him, reading, supporting, and enjoying every step of the way. I look forward to this.
Something funny I wanted to share with y'all. I have a lot of English papers to write for my English class- about one every other day. I don't mind writing them, in fact, I enjoy it. I like being creative and coming up with different things to write about. Yesterday we were assigned a short paper- a descriptive paragraph. I chose to write a descriptive paragraph about Hubby's computer area. I wrote mostly truth, but I threw in a few extras and left out other parts. Here's the part I made up:
The right side of the table holds a few random objects, a gaming controller, a lone USB cord, a red pen-cup stuffed as full as it can get, and a white mouse that stands out like a sore thumb against the classy black color of everything else. Spread across the two computer stations are Jolly Rancher candies, quite a few empty candy wrappers, bags of sunflower seeds, bits of papers, notes, an unopened fortune cookie here and there, and cords- in, out, and between everything.
I asked Hubby to proof my paper for me. While he was doing that, I went off to the kitchen or something. When I got back, he had cleaned his desk! lol I guess he didn't like that I had added the parts about candy wrappers and sunflower seeds all over the desk (he has a bag of seeds, a pile of candy, and a trash can to keep the garbage), so he cleaned the whole desk. I laughed for a while- but I hugged him and told him I loved him. He just grinned at me :D
I have another CougarCry meeting tomorrow. In my ACA class, we recently discussed the difference between scholarly writing/ journaling and just plain writing. For example, anyone can write in a blog. But that doesn't make it truth or even correct. However, being published in a book or newspaper means several people review the article, piece, and/ or material before it is published. So material read in one of these sources is more reliable than other sources. Basically, I am excited about having pieces that *I* wrote published in a newspaper. It means that my writing is more than just blah blah blah words, it is going to be taken seriously and, more importantly, it will be helping people. I can't tell you how much that means to me. I have a blog for me to write and to help myself. But now I will be helping other people- and a large number of people too. What a great feeling.
I'm going to play a lot of FFXI next week, since I will be home the whole week. I want to lvl my WHM and RDM to 37. It won't happen all in next week, but I can at least get them so my main won't be gimped anymore. I would love to get my BRD higher too. I like BRD better than any other job so far, and I would love to have BRD as my main. I haven't even started COR yet, though, so maybe I should start COR before I take BRD much higher if I am just going to change to COR in the end. I look forward to the new dancer job, too. I won't be one of the ones running out to lvl it first, but I do plan on taking it to the Dunes at least. It looks really fun. I can't wait to see the impact it has on the other jobs in the game. I wonder what the other two new jobs will be. . .
Guess who got paid another $18 today? That's right, me. I have slowed down quite a bit with the paid blogging stuff, but I am still making some $$$ with it. (Minus $5 for the digital thermometer I bought on eBay.)
I have been working closely with the host of my website lately. We are in the process of getting my blog set up on my domain under my domain name. I don't exactly understand the difficulties, but I may have to change hosts because of it. Nothing that the host has done wrong, in fact, he is great. I am hoping we will be able to get the issues resolved, and I can keep my domain where it is.
The Apple Festival is this weekend! Yay! I love festivals, and I love this one. We are going on Saturday afternoon. I'm still trying to get in touch with Jessica and with Chris, to see if they want to come with us. But no matter what, I am going, and I can't wait.
Well, I am going to get back to work. I am working hard to finish any homework and all loose ends by tomorrow, so that I have NO HOMEWORK over fall break. So far, I have this accomplished.

Memories of a College Girl

I got on MySpace to check my messages tonight, and found a message for a girl I went to college with- the FIRST time I went to college! Way back at Evans. Yes, wow. I was shocked. I haven't even thought about Evans for a while. See, Evans represents a very emotional and difficult time in my life. I did some really great things there. It was the first thing I had ever finished. And since I knew I was going to grad college, I decided there was no reason I shouldn't be able to grad high school, too. So I did double duty for the last four months of college and did 2+ years of high school as well. I ended up finishing college on April 7 and high school on April 8. The walking graduation ceremony for the high school was the following June, and I got to walk right alongside my sister, Rebeka, who graduated high school at the same time. (Pics can be seen on my profile.) The graduation ceremony for the college was the following August, and all the girls that had graduated in the previous year walked. There are many other memories that I have refused to think about, but luckily, the good ones came back when LaChelle messaged me. And while looking at her profile, I saw a bunch of other ladies I was good friends with back then, so I sent out a few messages of my own. Then I realized they had a group set up for the Evans girls. Duh! Sadly, they didn't have the Orem location (anybody know how to submit a school) so I added both the St George and the Cedar City, until I can get the Orem location on the map.
I was having a hard day today. Cranky, headache, and not so friendly. It was really nice to get a sweet message from a way cute chicka to brighten my day :)

Eyeballs, Oceans, and Kittens

Yay! I'm not so disgusting anymore (even though Hubby told me I am beautiful no matter what <3).

I still have trouble finding my way around. Did ya really think I could get the oceans straight? But I would like to thank Jessica for pointing it out to me. Were the rest of you just going to keep laughing about it without telling me? ROFL
The kittens are doing well. They are growing up so fast! I know, you hear that all the time. But I'm such a sucker for them. Just imagine what will happen when I have my own children to adore.
Been doing research on TTC lately. One of my sisters is TTC her first baby, so I have put in a lot of time finding info. It's all really interesting, and I am glad I got a head start on it. If you have any info, I'd love to pass it on to her.
I need to scan this photo my (other) sister gave me and put it up here for you guys. Not only is she beautiful, but she is *so* photogenic, too. She takes her own photos of herself, and better than anyone else ever could. The chick amazes me.
I might go to church with a friend of mine this weekend. He invited Hubby and I when I first moved out here and I talked to him about it today. I'm not looking to replace my religion, rather, I would like to expand and strengthen my faith.
Alright, well that is my nothingness update. Looking forward to the weekend. But right now, since homework is done, I'm going to grab a shower (just call me Belle!) and get in game until Hubby gets home. Have a great night everyone!

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*Enter dollar sign here*

I've made a little money. To most people $17 isn't very much. But do you remember the feeling you had when you got your very first paycheck? Imagine that to be my feeling right now. I have been making money online. It's fun for me, and I'm good at it. Takes about a week to get pay-out, but that's still faster than most Corp companies. So I'm having fun. (BTW, is my Smorty score supposed to be increasing or decreasing?) Here are some screenshots of my PayPal account. I may only be growing my PayPal account slowly, but growing it is.

The balance on Sept 16



The balance on Sept 19



The balance on Sept 20

Happy Birthday to Hubby's oldest daughter today. Katie turns 7 years old :) Hubby got to talk to her the other day, and she said she liked the package for her birthday. (His ex-wife was even pleasant to me on the phone! That's something to make note of!)
In other news, I am officially the Assistant Program Chairman for the Student Government Association at Wilkes Community College. Sounds fancy, doesn't it? Elections were Tuesday and Wednesday, and today was our first meeting as officers. I'm pretty psyched about it. (Does anyone even use that word anymore?)
Took a test in English today, did well. Took a practice test in Math today, didn't do so well. I am working my butt off, but I feel like I am still getting it kicked by math. Anybody know an easy way to multiply fractions by prime factorization? It's long and drawn out. I will be glad when the test tomorrow is over.
Today has been so crazy. I was up about 2:30 last night because Ivan was sick. He started with an asthma attack, and things just kept getting worse from there. I haven't slept since the first, and he had at least two more during the night. When the other nurse got here this morning, I left for school. Shortly after I left, he had another attack. This time, they took him to the doctor (doctor wasn't open at 2:30 in the morning, so he wasn't taken then). I haven't left the house since I got back from school. Thank heavens for my husband. He has been doing all the "outside of the house" errands I couldn't do because I am here. I don't think he has stopped running all day long. Ivan is doing better. We still aren't sure what is causing this exactly, but it has calmed, so hopefully he will be able to sleep peacefully tonight (and me, too!).
Hubby and I are leaving for Cali tomorrow. I'm going to school, coming home, finish packing, and leave for the airport. We are going to stop and get my ring cleaned while we are in the area, so that it is shiny and beautiful (as if it isn't already, but you know what I mean). I am looking forward to a few days away. No school, no people putting a new roof on the house (Will they EVER stop slamming stuff?!), and a few days with family. We are planning on visiting the San Diego temple (if we can pull my sister out of bed early enough), and maybe visiting the beach. Hubby has never seen the Atlantic beach, and Rebeka's husband has never seen the beach at all. What better place than Cali? (Okay, I agree, Myrtle Beach is *much* better, but we are going to Cali, not South Carolina.) We've been putting plenty of entertainment on my iPod for the plane ride :D
Alright I am off to shower and jump in bed. Have a great night!

Down with the Killer Bees!

I have finally finished my homework. It took me this long, but I finished the killer bee problem. And I got it correct! Thank you to everyone that contributed your knowledge. I did the last assignments in my Chapter 3 math homework, and did the final draft of my English essay. SGA elections were yesterday and today, so I am looking forward to the SGA meeting tomorrow. I am hoping to announce my own position in the SGA tomorrow night.
After watching me in school for the last few weeks, Hubby's interest has been sparked. He is thinking about school himself. So while he is thinking about it, we have been dreaming about other schools. We were talking about ASU just yesterday. I love Wilkes, but I am ready to go back to a slightly bigger area. Somewhere that doesn't close at six o'clock. Florida, maybe? Hubby could transfer his job from here to their main center, and work directly with the rest of his co-workers.
So, we have been looking at different schools, and different places to live. After browsing around looking at homes the other day, I am enjoying looking at real estate. One of these days, we will have the ability to move again (yuck!) and find somewhere that fits us both a little better (yay!). Until then, I will have fun looking through Tampa real estate.

If I'm being chased by killer bees . . .

I'm working on my math homework. Or maybe I should say, my math homework is schooling me. Yeah, totally stumped. Here's the problem:

Killer bees have been known to chase people for up to 1/2 of a mile, while domestic honeybees will normally chase a person for no more than 105 feet, or 7/352 of a mile. How much farther will a killer bee chase a person than a domestic honeybee?

First of all, if I'm being chased by a bee, I'm not going to stop and figure out whether it is a domestic bee or a killer bee. I'm going to just run. Second, if I'm being chased by a bee- and this goes for domestic bees or killer bees- I'm not going to pause to do the math of how far I need to go to out run it. I'm just going to run. And third, I'm not going to do anything to provoke a bee to chase me!

*sigh* Now since I know those three things, I don't see why I have to sit here and figure this darn problem out. (It's not like someone that is being chased by a bee is going to pause to ask me how far they need to run.) But, if anyone out there knows how to do this, please let me know. So far I have done well on my homework. This problem is trying to put a stop to that. ><

I would much rather be thinking about my trip to Cali. Since my suitcase was run over and really needs to be put out of it's misery, I have been looking at luggage sets. Oh, how I would love this one. It's dreamable. Plenty of suitcases. Plenty of bags. Plenty of space to fill up with goodies and souvenirs and memories. Ahhhh, wouldn't it be nice? Anyway, back to the killer bees. . .