I am such a dope!

I am entering school again this fall and I am so used to working fulltime at the same time that I only registered for two classes. I realized it today as I was getting my textbooks for this semester so I went ahead and purchased the books for the other two classes that I can take. When I went to add the classes after I left the store, both of them were full. So now I have to go to each of them and hope a spot opens up. I also just realized that I have an important phone appt during my first class Monday so I have no idea what I'm going to do about that. I'm also trying to figure out if I can find a part time job that pays enough for me to get by until I finish school. How all this is going to work is beyond my capability to comprehend at the moment. I have past due bills that can't be put off much longer and ten dollars to my name. Time to get on my knees and have faith He can make it all happen 😌.

Letter, Words and all the fun stuff!

I am so excited! I start school at the end of this month to finish my degree in graphic arts that I started working on twenty years ago! Being a teen mom is not an easy thing to do and there are many sacrifices that have to be made. This was one of mine. Oh I've tried to go back off and on over the years, starting, stopping and changing my major half a dozen times. This is it though, it's all or nothing this time! Since I've already completed most of my prerequisite I picked two fun classes this semester, into to graphic arts and typography. I am so psyched to be learning type. I had no idea so much went into it. I have heard the term but didn't really put it together until I signed up. I can't wait to start designing fonts and play with them. I have found many iPhone apps on kerning typography and designing my own and I am currently in the process of testing them out to see which ones I like best. I've found two so far, one is aptly called "Kern". Now that I have figured out what it means I am having so much fun placing letters. I know I am only just beginning, but the end of this month can't get here fast enough! I will keep you posted!

Bittersweet

Tomorrow our summer is coming to a close. We are taking the kids back to their mother in Indiana. It will be a trip full of laughter and tears. I will miss having an ally in the house who is also someone I had alot of fun with. Never having a daughter myself I feel blessed to be able to have special times with her. Both father and son will be blubbering all the way there and for at least an hour after we leave. I never had that kind of relationship with my dad, and my sons didn't with theirs so I feel awkward, like a fish out of water with it all. I justtryto do what I can to free up his time by keeping the chores and their laundry done so he can focus on them. I also try to think of things that they can do for a reasonable price but also memorable. For instance, last night we could have gone to dbo's or buffalo's like always, however after a little searching and research we were able to take them to kooky Canucks where Man vs. Food Adam Richmond ate. Since it was a Sunday night there was no wait and I was able to get a table by the front window where the people walked by. So, instead of us going to one of our normal hangouts they've been to a dozen or more times this summer, I found us a nicer place that was reasonably priced, the food was excellent, and it was something they will remember a lifetime! We are dropping them off and heading straight for our mini-vacation! I can't wait, a luxurious hotel with cable tv and blackout curtains. I may never leave!

Empty Nest

Wednesday is the first day I will be alone all day. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. I have many thoughts and ideas going through my head now. For the first time in my life I have mainly myself to think about. What in the world am I going to do? Do I follow through with plans I made in high school? Back when I was young and dreamt of a life different from where I have ended up? Do I go back to school and get the degree that I was working toward? Am I too old to start my life over? Am I good enough at what I want to do? Am I insane for wanting to leap with abandon instead of getting just a toe wet? I may be out of my mind but have already started the process. I've enrolled at our community college and have contacted a couple of agencies looking for entry level positions to hopefully get in the door of one. I'd really like to work on my own but will need a much larger network of people in order to do that.

Back from....

Well it has definitely been too long since my last entry. I actually had forgotten about blogger what with Facebook, pinterest and all. Now that I'm laid up with a broken leg I have plenty of time on my hands, so no more excuses! What's been going on with me you should ask? Well, where to begin.... I met someone very special and have taken a leap of faith with him (no, not marriage but close enough). My oldest is out of the army and a sophomore at ole miss now. My youngest is a sophomore in high school completely without any accommodations this year! Sadly he has decided he would rather live with his father which absolutely breaks my heart. After seven months of him begging I finally relented. So now as to me...I have taken a hiatus from the job world. Four days after my last I fell and broke my leg in one of the worst possible places you can break one, right below my knee. I also tore my acl and pcl in the process. After eighteen hours at the med I was put in a leg brace and crutches and sent home to await a decision on surgery. While having a broken leg is a very, very bad thing, there are a few things I am thankful for; One, I am not in a cast.. Two, no surgery so far. , and finally I don't have to work. And since I don't have to work I should I no excuses for not blogging from now on!

First Shots

I took my first shots with the camera Monday. I can't wait to finish the roll and post some of the pics.

New Favorite Song

I have liked this song for quite a while, but the more I hear it the more I fall in love with it.




"All Of Creation"

Separated
Until the veil was torn
The moment that hope was born
And guilt was pardoned, once and for all

And captivated
But no longer bound by chains
Left at an empty grave
The sinner and the sacred resolved

And all of creation, sing with me now
Lift up your voice and lay your burden down
And all of creation, sing with me now
Fill up the heavens, let his glory resound

And time is fadin'
And we see him face to face
Every doubt erased
Forever, we will worship the king

And all of creation, sing with me now
Lift up your voice and lay your burden down
[ MercyMe Lyrics are found on www.songlyrics.com ]
And all of creation, sing with me now
Fill up the heavens, let his glory resound

The reason we breathe
Is to sing of his glory
And for all he has done, praise the father
Praise the son and the spirit in one

And all of creation, sing with me now
Lift up your voice and lay your burden down
And all of creation, sing with me now
Fill up the heavens, let his glory resound

And all of creation, sing with me now
Lift up your voice and lay your burden down
And all of creation, sing with me now
Fill up the heavens, let his glory resound

And every knee will bow
Oh, and every tongue, praise the father
Praise the son and the spirit in one

New Hobby

I recently came across a camera that has been in the family for over 70 years. It is in excellent condition and in working order. I went to the photo supply store today and got film for it. I plan to go around to local landmarks and shoot photos and will post the outcome. I can't wait to see how they turn out. When I googled the camera, the photos on the sites had amazing detail for a camera that is 70 years old and made of mostly paperboard and cardboard.

God is so good!

With the recent changes in my life, He has seen to it that every need is met. I don't know why I continue to worry when things get hard, He always pulls me through and puts the right people in my life at the right time. Thank you Lord for being so good to me and helping me get through this mess I'm going through.

Update on my soldier!

I got a text from my soldier son yesterday. He's getting promoted to Private First Class next Friday! He also made soldier of the month. He is doing so amazing. I truly believe this is what he was meant to do. He is flourishing. He is doing pretty good in school too, they are letting him take college courses in the evenings at the local university where he's stationed. I'm so proud of him!!

Updates

Well, the foot ended up in a cast that next Monday! My nerves couldn't take the falling and unsteadiness of the boot. He has fallen six times since he broke it and this past Monday hurt his other foot and has been unable to walk on it much. We go back to the doctor on Monday. Pray it's healing and he can start putting some weight on it!

Owwww!!

It hurts me to even look at it. He swears it does not bother him. I promise it did not look this bad even two days after his accident. Last Friday, my young aspie fell off the bus when he got to school. The nurse tried to get me but I was at the doctor all day so she got my husband instead. It was not even bruised that day. I did not see it until the next morning, I had stayed all night at the hospital with a sick aunt, another story for another time. When I saw it, it was swollen, but I didn't not see the bruise right away.



I had my f-i-l, who is a physician, come wrap it and we put it in the boot that we had from where he broke his foot last spring. He was getting around fine, swearing it didn't hurt all weekend.



Sunday he went to a friends house in the boot and fell again. He skinned his knee pretty bad. I looked at his foot that night and I saw the black bruise under his ankle, along with some swelling. This is what it looked like then,

I kept the boot on and just figured it was sprained. He still promises it does not hurt. Wednesday night I look at it closely again and the first pic is what I saw. Of course I am a worrisome mother, but please, black toes.... We had to go get an x-ray Thursday morning first thing.

Probably needless to say, but the doctor was not happy with me. The dern thing is broken very bad. I had to beg him not to cast it. It is hard enough for him to get around in a boot. We had to rent a knee-walker, which is very cool by the way, and he cannot put an ounce on it until we go back at the end of the month or he will cast it, and he is not coordinated enough for crutches.

There are several bright sides to this though. First, he's not active anyway, so it's not going to change a lot. Second, it does not bother him at all, although the doctor seems to think it will. I didn't bother picking up his pain meds. The school is picking up the scooter rental since he broke it at school and insurance won't cover it. The best thing of all is that the Occupational Therapist had recommend we get him a scooter, although not to this extreme, that it would be the first step in him learning to ride a bike. He's learning to maneuver around the house pretty good and actually got out to go to lunch with us today;)

Here We Go Again!

Well, I have another IEP meeting scheduled in the morning. If it goes as I expect it to, I will be handing them a letter of my intent to file for a due process hearing. Wish me luck!

100 Things

Okay, so Argon One had posted a list of 100 things asked if had ever been done. I decided to copy and put my own answers on my blog. Turns out I'm pretty boring. I guess have a lot to do to catch up!!!

01. Start your own blog -- Yes
02. Sleep under the stars -- No
03. Play in a band -- No
04. Visit Hawaii -- No
05. Watch a meteor shower -- No
06. Give more than you can afford to charity -- Yes
07. Go to Disneyworld – Yes, a few times
08. Climb a mountain -- No
09. Hold a praying mantis -- No
10. Sing a solo – Yes, when I was very young
11. Bungee jump -- No
12. Visit Paris – No, but would love to!
13. Watch a lightning storm at sea – No (unless you count on tv ;
14. Teach yourself an art technique -- No
15. Adopt a child -- No
16. Eat sushi -- No
17. Walk to the top of the Statue of Liberty -- No
18. Grow your own vegetables -- No
19. See the Mona Lisa in France -- No
20. Sleep on an overnight train -- No
21. Have a pillow fight -- No
22. Hitch hike -- No
23. Look at the rings of Saturn through a telescope -- No
24. Build a snow fort – No, just a snowman
25. Hold a lamb – No, but my son has
26. Climb to the top of a lighthouse -- No
27. Run a Marathon -- No
28. Ride in a gondola in Venice -- No
29. See a total eclipse -- Yes [both solar and lunar]
30. Watch a sunrise or sunset – Yes
31. Hit a home run -- No
32. Go on a cruise -– Almost, had a death in the family the day b4 we were supposed to go.
33. See Niagara Falls in person -- No
34. Visit the birthplace of your ancestors -- Yes
35. Visit an Amish community -- No
36. Teach yourself a new language -- No
37. Have enough money to be truly satisfied -- No
38. See the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person -- No
39. Go rock climbing -- No
40. See Michelangelo's David -- No
41. Sing karaoke in public -- No
42. See Old Faithful geyser erupt in person -- No
43. Buy a stranger a meal at a restaurant -- No
44. Visit Africa -- No
45. Walk on a beach by moonlight -- No
46. Ride in a helicopter -- No
47. Have your portrait painted – Yes, by my grandmother
48. Go deep sea fishing -- No
49. See the Sistine Chapel in person -- No
50. Go to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris -- No
51. Go scuba diving or snorkeling -- No
52. Kiss in the rain -- No
53. Play in the mud -- No
54. Watch a movie at a drive-in theater -- Yes
55. Be in a movie -- No
56. Visit the Great Wall of China -- No
57. Start a business -- No
58. Take a martial arts class -- No
59. Visit Russia -- No
60. Serve meals at a soup kitchen -- No
61. Sell Girl Scout cookies -- Yes
62. Go whale watching -- No
63. Get or send flowers for no reason -- Yes
64. Donate blood, platelets or plasma -- No
65. Go sky diving -- No
66. Visit a Nazi Concentration Camp -- No
67. Adopt a pet from a rescue shelter -- Yes
68. Pilot an airplane -- No
69. Save a favorite childhood toy –- Yes
70. Visit the Lincoln Memorial -- No
71. Eat Caviar -- No
72. Make a quilt – Tried to
73. Stand in Times Square -- Yes
74. Tour the Everglades -- No
75. Visit the Viet Nam Memorial -- No
76. See the Changing of the Guard in London -- No
77. Drive a race car -- No
78. Ride on a speeding motorcycle -- No
79. See the Grand Canyon in person -- No
80. Publish a book -- No
81. Visit the Vatican -- No
82. Buy a brand new car – No
83. Walk in Jerusalem -- No
84. Have your picture in the newspaper -- No
85. Read the entire Bible -- No
86. Visit the White House -- No
87. Kill and prepare an animal for eating -- No
88. Hike the Appalachian Trail -- No
89. Save someone's life -- No
90. Sit on a jury – Yes, was the foreperson!
91. Meet someone famous -- Yes
92. Join a book club --No
93. Own an iPod -- Yes
94. Have a Facebook page -- Yes
95. See the Alamo in person -- No
96. Swim in the Great Salt Lake – No, but saw it
97. Cross country snow ski -- No
98. Hold a snake -- No
99. See DaVinci’s Starry Night in person -- No
100. Read an entire book in one day – Yes, quite often actually

To the Police!

I understand that we live in a city that is rated one of the top two in the nation. I also understand that you see this stuff everyday and that you really don't care. However, you could at least give us the courtesy of pretending that it does.

To the Crooks!

I find it very pathetic that you would kick in the door to someone's house, scare the dog half to death and take things that do not belong to you. But the one thing I find most deplorable is that you would take a child's video game system that was just bought one week ago and leave him totally devastated.

Two Calls Today!!

My son called me twice this morning from Bootcamp. The first time I had just turned the ringer on my cell phone up thank goodness. He said they were up all night doing night shooting until the sun came up. He was exhausted. He did make expert marksman this week, woo hoo,

He said that today was a free day and he could do whatever he wanted so he was probably going to sleep and go to Taco Bell. He said the whole platoon got into trouble this week and had to go back to red phase for a few days. They were supposed to be cleaning and when the DS came upstairs every single one of them were asleep. He said they are doing grenade training this week. 31 Days to go

Letters

I got my first letter from my son today! I am sooo excited. He actually wrote it. I was expecting a form letter from the drill sargent but this was an actual letter from my son. He wrote it before I got my phone call last week, so it wasn't anything I didn't already know, but just the fact that he did write to me and did tell me that he loves me..... only a mother knows :)

He Called!!! :)

It's been five whole days since I got to talk to my son. My phone has not left my side the whole time. Last night he sent me a text that he had "stole" his phone back. He told me he is bald, had gotten five shots and was very bored. He got to call today. They are letting them use their phones until they go to their actual BCT unit next Wednesday. He said there are 1000 of them there and only 16 pay phones. He told me once he starts training he will only be able to call maybe once. It's going to be a long nine weeks.

In the Army Now

Well it's official. I am now the mother of a soldier. There is such a mixture of emotions that goes along with this, pride and depression seem to be the dominant two. Pride for the man he is becoming, depression because he is grown and leaving me. We were allowed to stay with him and watch the final swearing in and eat lunch with him. It's amazing to me that out of thirteen recruits, only four had families there and my husband was the only dad.

Now begins the waiting game. Waiting for the mail and the phone calls.