Been MIA

In some cases, that would be bad. However in mine, it was good. It has been difficult since December and apparently when things are getting better now they are falling apart again. School has been good, got through my math class with a B. Took me almost three to four hours of studying a night to do so, but it is over now. I am in to an Abnormal Psychology class now and it is just starting so we will see where that goes.

I have myself a new soldier that I adopted. His name is Michael and right now he is in Georgia at Ft. Benning. His company is getting ready to deploy to Kuwait in the next few months. So, I know I will be busy with that. He is a nice guy, very humble. Sometimes, I feel as though I go through the deployments with these guys. In a way, I guess I do.

I can not believe it is April already! I am wondering where the time went!! Hope this finds everyone well. I am good.. Just busy with school mostly and life. I hope to be back posting here regularly but we will see.

Ciao!!

Today is Blah.

Not weather-wise of course. Weather wise it is sunny with a few clouds, rather nice considering it has rained a lot lately here in my little corner of the world. It is still cool probably cold, but the sun is shining and while it did snow here a little bit the other day, and yes it stuck for a while on the cars and such, it is rather nice today I think.

It is me that is blah. I woke up in a blah mood. Not really sure why. School is going well. Oh yes, just figured it out. Doug’s sister has invited us to a Hanukkah party the day after Christmas. As far as I know, the one person I do not like will not be there. But Doug’s Aunt and Uncle will be and I want to see them. So, I am going. I know I should sound more happy and excited, but honestly, I can’t. Not until I know for sure that the ‘person from hell’ will absolutely not be there. I know it sounds childish even to me, but after what I went through with this person, I have no desire to set eyes on her ever again and if I see her before she or I dies, it will be way too soon. There is no hatred there or any kind of feeling.

She does not rent space in my head that way. I have no desire to see her or be in the same room with her. I have my boundaries and that is a HUGE one for me. His sister already tried to cross it once and it did not work well for her.

Sunday was Doug’s Christmas party for work and we went. I have to say that honestly it was not as good as last year’s and a lot of people were disappointed I think. It was still kind of fun and the food was good, so all in all a win I would say. It was in the same place as last year and I was okay with that. Because it was a bowling alley and I did not have to get all dressed up, so again a win. I see these people once a year and this is it. LOL. Of course there are one or two that I see more than that, but really, once a year is good.

Doug has been really looking for another job because of the crap Home Depot put him through while he was on medical leave. On the store level, mind you, not the corporate level.  When he went back last Thursday, everyone seemed to have missed him and at the Christmas party a lot of people asked about his foot. He is still in a walking shoe and they are still doing the soft cast thing on his foot, but he is at the foot doctor today so we will see what happens next. The doctor themselves moved him down to the wound care center, where they are aggressively treating his foot. I am not sure why they waited so long to do that myself, but I am not a doctor.  But at least he is back to work and that is important.

I think this is it for now. Ciao.

Spring Cleaning in Fall

So last night while I was sitting in the bathtub reading, I realized that I had a closet full of clothes that I can not wear or do not like for the most part. So, after having gotten out of the tub and got dressed, I went in and started to clean out my closet. I would say that 90% of the stuff that was in there was too small for me. So, I have it all in a pile waiting on Doug’s sister to come over and pick through it and anything that she does not like, I am donating. There are so many things in there that I honestly have never worn because they were bought for me over my objections. These things still have the tags on them.

It is not like I will be without clothes because I have so many clothes that I literally have them on the floor because I have no place to put them all! Well, that is partially the truth, I hate folding clothes, so I usually live out of my clean laundry basket and they end up being tossed on the floor when I am looking for a specific thing. So, I am trying to get better organized for the new year and see what I need in terms of clothes. So, when I get my school money I can buy what I need.

It is actually nice to be finally getting this done. I have been wanting and meaning to do this for so long and I honestly always found something better to do instead. Before we moved from the house to the apartment, I cleaned out my shoes. I got rid a a couple of pairs, but I am not really a shoe person, so I tend to wear most of my shoes. Although I have a couple of pairs of heels I only wear when I have to.

This year has flown by so quickly, here we are almost at Thanksgiving and I have to wonder where the rest of the year went! School is going well and I am really enjoying it again. I was so burnt out by the time I took a few months off I actually thought I would never enjoy school again. But I was wrong and I am grateful for that. It flurried here the other day and stuck to the grass for a bit, well, at least until the sun came up. It was interesting to see the white on the ground, but the forecast for Thanksgiving does not call for snow in my little corner of Michigan. Not really sure if I am happy or sad about that.

My table and chairs that Doug got in February were finally put together for my birthday last month. They look nice and I love them! It is nice to be able to eat at an actual table at home now. Doug made his first ever pecan pie the other night and while I am not a fan, they look great and smelled good too! I think he is making pumpkin today and tomorrow for a few of our friends and for us. They are delicious! He made them last year for the first time and they came out great!! I am looking forward to that!

The trees around me are naked all ready because it has been so cold here as of late. Some trees still have some leaves, but I missed the colors this year and I am bummed about that. Not sure if we will get to the apple cider mill this year again, but it is okay. It is sunny and chilly here, of course the sky is clear so there is no clouds to hold in the warmth. I am finding myself colder this year than I was last year, but I think it has been chillier this year anyway. Well, going to run. Ciao!!

Final Grade and Other Stuff

I forgot to mention my final grade for my Skills for Success class, which was an A. I got an A on on my final project and so I was happy. I have started Interpersonal Effectiveness, which  looks to be another class I can get an A in with no problem. Today is Sunday and I am relaxing for the most part. Church was good this morning and because it was friends and family day at my church, it was packed!! Which was so nice to see.

I am tired today. I think it is the overcast and chilly weather. I like the chilly part, but the overcast really makes me tired. I am starting a book called “God On A Harley” which so far is interesting. This will be a short entry. I am going to run for now, Ciao.

Monday but Technically Tuesday

My class ended yesterday and today I start a new class. I am waiting for the grade on my final project, I am hoping to keep my 100% in that class. I am applying for a scholarship and I would like to have only A’s and B’s on my transcripts when it is time to send my application. That is my goal. I was up checking out my new class and I thought I would stop by and do an entry now that I have some time.

I have missed blogging, but last week got out of control for me. Not because I did not have a plan, but because life happened and well, we all know what happens then. Friday was Doug’s birthday and I had gotten him an Xbox 360. We went to Olive Garden with his cousin to have a birthday lunch. Which was nice. We were supposed to go out to dinner, but again life intervened and we ended up staying home having delivery from a pizza place down the road. I had pizza and wings, Doug had a sub. They have great food, so I did not mind. Of course, I bought dinner for him.

Saturday, well, Saturday was one of those days that you look back on and ask yourself, where did my day go? Cause I sure did! I ran around with Michael (Doug’s cousin) getting some things taken care of and got home at 4:30pm, then we had to go to Joe and Vickye’s house for dinner for Doug’s birthday at 6pm. Joe’s mom and dad were there too and we all had a great time. They got Doug a couple of things and he was overwhelmed I think because he was not expecting gifts. After we came home, I finally got my project finished for class, so that I could go to church on Sunday with a clear mind.

Sunday was pretty much a day for me to recover from the last couple of days and it was nice and quiet. So, here we are to Monday, well I woke up with a migraine and had it all day. I had already completed my school work, so it was not really a big deal for me to do very little today/yesterday. We had taco salad for dinner as it was quick and easy. Looking to Thanksgiving dinner and getting prepared for that. There have been some things going on with Doug and his job because he has been out on medical leave because of his foot. He had/has a diabetic ulcer on the bottom of his heel. Since he is a diabetic, it is not good. It looks a lot better than it did and it is healing so very slowly.

Apparently some of the information given to him at the store level, was flat out wrong and he found out about that today when he called the corporate office because he got a notice in the mail about him not turning more leave paper work in (he did) and why did he not go back to work. So he called and spoke to a very nice person and got a lot of great information out of the call. While this diabetic ulcer thing is going on, now there is an issue with his big toe and he is concerned about it. So am I. He sees the doctor weekly for his foot, so it is being monitored closely. As a matter of fact, he sees the doctor later today/tomorrow. So, it will be interesting to hear what they have to say.

The weather here has been cool and nice. Rain today. So you know my windows are open!! Not much else going on right now, except I am most likely going to bed now. So, Ciao!

Last Week of Class and Other Stuff

So this is week 5 of my class that I am in. I am now working on my final project for class and it is going well so far. I have to do a Power Point for this and while I do not hate them, but they sure are a ton of work!! More so than me sitting down and writing a paper for class. Having said all that, I do have to admit that I still have my 100% going in this class and now I am so nervous because this PP assignment is worth 300 points and that is a large chunk of my grade. I know that I am doing my best on it so I know that I am doing well.

I did end up taking a little more time for myself after last week because let’s face it, I needed it badly. I did my assignment that was due kind of half assed but got full points on it. Which in all honesty shocked me. I did send an email to my teacher explaining what was going on in my life and why my work in class may not have been up to my usual standards. I am glad that I did so.

Dealing with that whole situation last week took so much out of me and I know that was the goal in the long run. He got what he wanted. I ran scared. Since the changing of the cell number, the calls and texts stopped. Which was a major thing. I am okay and moving on now. I needed more time than I thought I would to get back on track but it is okay. I am back on track now and moving forward. Ciao.

It Has Been A While

I just realized that it has been a while since I last wrote here. I got caught up in school and some days there just is not time enough in the day to get here too. Speaking of school, it is going very well and I have a 100% in my class currently. Which makes me really happy. It seems that October has flown by and November is right on the horizon.

The weather has been great lately and nice and cool. Which makes me happy. The windows are open and there is a nice breeze coming in. The table is finished with the chairs and it is really nice! For now, I like it where it is and will most likely stay there. I am trying to train myself to eat at the table now, but I have not done so everyday for 6 years. I am pretty good at eating dinner at the table though.

I know that sounds strange. Well.. I have to run, school work to do. Ciao!

Birthday and School

Yesterday was my birthday and overall I had a great day. Got my new phone and it is great so far! Went to Red Lobster for dinner, it was wonderful. I enjoyed the quiet day and I did not do very much at all, which was nice.

School so far is great and I am all caught up with class. Actually, I am ahead of the game so far. I have an A in this class and on Monday I am moving into week 3 of my 5 week class. I am enjoying school so very much and I am glad.

I know this is short, but I gotta run for a bit. Ciao!

School News & Other Stuff

School is going well. So well that I got a 100% on my first  paper in class. Yay me! I have all my assignments and reading done for this week. My Discussion Question is not due until Thursday which happens to be my birthday as well. My goal for this week was to get my assignment due on my birthday done and posted before that. So I can take Thursday off. I am going to Red Lobster for dinner that night. So now that is checked off, I can relax some. I also have the assignment that is due at the end of week done as well. I am way ahead of the game for this week and I am happy.

For my birthday I am upgrading my phone. My birthday present to myself. I am getting the Samsung Admire. It will be my first smart phone and I am looking forward to it!!! I am so excited!! The weather here has been cool and today clear mostly. I am loving the fall weather! Well that is about it for now. Ciao!

Birthdays and Such

My 37th birthday is next Thursday. I am still not sure how I feel about it. I usually get a ton of birthday emails from places where I have joined their email clubs and such. More than I can  honestly use every year. Most of them only give you seven days from your birthday to use them and they don’t send them out until the week of your birthday or so. Well, Bennigans sent my free birthday salad, sandwich, or burger offer a bit early, so we went last night and I used it. I also got a free birthday dessert there as well. I had a Monte Cristo and honestly, I know I say this every time, but I just don’t get how this sandwich works!

A Monte Cristo is ham, turkey, Swiss cheese (which I do not normally like), and American cheese on two slices of bread and then battered and deep fried. Topped with powdered sugar and you dip it into raspberry jam. It is so good! I know it sounds terrible when I write it all out, but it totally works!! Bennigans is the only place that I have found that does it right. Sadly, the closest one is in Plymouth now. So I only go a couple of times a year. Since the dinner and dessert were free, it was worth it to go. The dessert was brownie bottom pie. It is a brownie on the bottom, ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream and a cherry. Then the whole thing is drizzled in a bit more hot fudge.

I know I want Endless Shrimp for my birthday and Red Lobster just sent me a coupon for $5 off two adult entrees, so I will be doing that on Thursday for my birthday. I get to see Will, who is my favorite sever there and his birthday is week after mine. So, I take him a birthday card.

School started and I am almost through the first week. Class is pretty good and easy for now. I like this class a lot. I am pretty much done for the week with the assignments, so I think I will get a little bit ahead and do some of the readings for next week this weekend. Tomorrow is church as usual. Today is pretty relaxed and I am just going to chill out a bit. I have a couple of discussion question posts to answer, but that is it. My paper that was due on Monday is done and turned in already, so I don’t have to worry about that. So far so good!!

Ciao!

School and Stuff

I started school on Tuesday and so far it is good. I am enjoying being back in class and I am remembering what annoyed me so much from before. Nothing I can really do about the annoyances, so I will just go with  it for now. Get through this class and I will be okay. The class I am in now, everyone who goes to this school has to take it, so I am in class with people not in my degree program and even some who are not even in the bachelor degree program.

I have a headache right now, so I need to go. Ciao

Looking Up

This Sunday finds me at peace, just as I like. I am tired today but that was because I was up late and had to get up early for church. I have not had a nap, but since it is 6pm, don’t think I will get one either. *sigh* I have not been blogging a lot lately because I have been trying to get things in order for school to start on Tuesday.

Today in church Pastor Jeff preached on why as Christians we should believe in Hell. It was a good message, but honestly one I had not really heard preached before. Pastor Jeff told us that not many people preach about Hell anymore for fear of offending someone. It was an interesting message and I actually got a lot out of it.

In case, you don’t know, the Lions have a Monday Night Football game this week. It has been a long time since they got a Monday Night game. I think we will be doing deli tomorrow night for dinner because his cousin will come up to watch the game. I am not much into football but even I noticed how well the Lions are doing this season and I am very happy to see them finally moving in the right direction. Since I have been here, they have been really bad. This year finds them with a good coach, a good GM, and great players. All elements needed in winning.

So, here is to a good week. I will keep you posted on school.

Ciao!

Bipolar Weather and Five Days

The weather here in my little corner of Michigan has been rather bipolar lately. What I mean by that is during the day lately I have had to have the air conditioning on because it is warm outside. Because I live on the eighth floor of a building and the scientific principal of heat rises comes into play, it can be 10-15 degrees warmer where I live than at ground level. So taking this into account, if it is like 73 on the ground, it is 83-88 degrees here at my house. Which really sucked in the summer, let me tell  you. It works to my advantage in the winter though.

So, lately I have had to have the A/C on during the day and when the sun goes down, I turn it back off and open the windows again because the nights are great. Seriously, it is almost the middle of October, where is my fall temperatures? I miss them! I will share a quirk about me: I am such a die hard Florida girl that I will wear my flip flops until the first snow. I hate regular shoes so much. People up here think I am nuts, but I don’t really care.

School starts in five days. To say that I am looking forward to it is well, an understatement at best. I am a bit nervous though. I know I will be okay once I get into class and get stuff working again. I did not realize how burnt out I was on school until recently. It sort of came as a shock to me. But looking back it makes so much sense. I needed the break I took to decide if I wanted to continue or just quit. I needed time to recharge my batteries and do a little soul searching too. At first, I looked at this time off as a major punishment and did not how I would get through it. Now, I look back grateful for the time to be really sick and to just do some things for fun.

I have my passion for school back and it is nice to feel that way again. It has been a while since I felt this way. I am not sure when exactly I lost the passion for school, but it was totally gone. I got to do some things that I love during my time off. Things like read a book that is not a text book, cook more, try new recipes, just relax and be me for a while. I needed to do those things too. I always feel like there is not enough time in the day a lot of times. I think that I could possibly manage my time better which is one of my goals for my first class.

Getting back in to a routine for school will be challenging after not having to have a schedule for anything for so long. Instead of trying to make my day fit a defined schedule, I think I will see how my class unfolds first before I make my schedule for my day. It seems to work better when I do that. Since I got out of the review classes, I have three less classes to deal with or even think about. Yay! I do still have to take a statistics class, but I think I will be okay with that class. I just have to work harder.

Well, I am going to go! Ciao!

Holy Crap October!!

I can not believe it is October 1st already!! The weather is great though, it is cool bordering on cold with a nice breeze that sends a nice flow of cool air through the windows of the apartment. I love it because I can have the windows open all the time now and just close them as much or as little as needed. Sure is a wonderful break from summer!!!

Earlier they did a test of the tornado siren. Which since I have moved, it seems that I live closer to the siren now. Anyway, it is supposed to be tested at 1pm. It started going off and I looked at my computer clock and it was 12:57pm. I was kind of like, way to tell time there!!

Speaking of the tornado siren, I remember the first time I heard the darn thing after I moved up here. Since I got to Michigan about in the middle of October in 2005, I missed that test, so I think it was November that I heard it. Seriously, no one warned me that they actually test these things here. In Florida, there were no tornado sirens. I was dead asleep until the siren went off and it woke me out of a dead sleep. Scared the hell out of me because I had no idea what it was!! Boy was I mad when someone told me it was just a test of a tornado siren.

I start school in 10 days. I am so ready!! Since I tested out of the review classes, I am happy! Mainly because they would only cost me money and not do anything for my degree. I still have to take the composition class, which is fine, I actually get 3 credits for that towards my degree. So, I am willing to accept that class.

in 19 days it is my 37th birthday. Not sure how I feel about that yet. I will probably have more to say on the subject as it gets closer. I don’t know. Well, I am going to run.

Ciao!

More Good News

Today I got more good news from school. It seems that my 70% in the English placement test was good enough for me to test out of English Review I. However, since I had already had an English class and gotten an A, that let me get out of the English Review II class. So, that made me happy this morning or actually this afternoon as it were.

Today I am trying to test out of my Composition class. I am not sure I will do that well but it is one less class I will have to take if I do well. Writing has always been one of my favorite things, but this is not like just writing something and turning it in. This is about knowing about writing and being able to answer questions about it. This is similar to the English placement test, but not quite the same.

I am so grateful for all the opportunities to test out of all these classes. It will get me finished with this degree faster, which will make me so happy. It also will save me money as well. Which I am so glad for.

The weather is wonderful here and I like it so much. So cool and a nice breeze.

Ciao!

Tested Today

Today I took placement tests in English and math. I took these to hopefully test out of a couple of my classes. This will save me both time and money in the long run. I got a 90% on my math placement test and a 70% on the English. I actually had thought that it would be the other way around though.

The English test was tough because it tested on everything in English as well as APA formatting and so much has just changed. I also realized that I had not had an English class since before I started at Phoenix, so it has been a while and I did get an A in that class, I forgot a lot of it though. So, I might have to take a refresher English class. Which is okay, because I know I can get a good grade in that class for sure.

I think that because I got a 90% on my math placement test, I will test out of the math review class. Which is good. One less math class for me to take is always good. I had two classes going in to transferring here, I was told that one of my math credits transferred. The other did not because I got a D in that class. So, they dropped that credit for me. Which is why I have to take another math class. I don’t really mind. I am not strong in math and I know that in order to get better at it, you have to do it.

Although I do not like to do math because sometimes it is complicated, I know that I have to do this for my degree. So I will. I was thrilled with the 90%! So all in all not a bad day.. School starts in two weeks!!

Ciao!

Rejuvenation

Today seems so different from last week. Well, that is because things are different from last week! To begin with, I went to church this morning and it was so uplifting and it made me feel so good I was wondering why I stopped going before. I have no real answer for that. Which kinds of bothers me a little bit.

The phone thing is fixed and I am happy about that more than I should be probably. The weather has been so wonderful the last few days and I am thrilled with that. Yesterday was a great day and I had fun with Joe and Vickie. The weather was so nice outside all day and got a bit chilly last night, which was perfect for the bon fire.

I seem to be in a happier mood and I like that. It is nice. Church this morning was great and is I think most of the reason why I feel rejuvenated today. It was uplifting and I really enjoyed it a lot. Looking forward to next week too.

Making vegetable beef soup tonight for dinner. With some great bread, it will be wonderful. I can’t wait! Great day for soup. I am getting into some of the apple recipes as well, but not until Late October or so when the apples are better.

Things are looking up for me finally and school starts again soon. I am so ready and honestly I was questioning if I should continue in school or not. I know I had my plans, but sometimes plans don’t always work out well. But I really feel that I will be able to continue and finish my bachelor degree for sure. One day at a time and sometimes I lose sight of that. Life is pretty good right now, I have those that are my close friends and they make a real difference in my life!!

Ciao!

Cooler Temperatures

I admit that I hate summer. Living in Florida it was so hot that you would melt right where you stood if you were not careful. Here in Michigan, the summers before this one were not too bad, considering that I am from Florida and that deep in the South it can get to be 102 in the shade during the summers. However, we reached 100 degrees this summer here in Michigan. That my dear readers, is too damn hot no matter where you are from!

I always look forward to September and cooler temperatures because fall is my favorite time of year with the leaves changing colors and being able to wear sweaters and sweatshirts. I have the windows open and it has been nice the last couple of days.

One of my favorite fall activities is to go to the cider mill. The smell of apples is heavenly and the ice cold, fresh cider is amazing. Not to mention the freshly made apple donuts which are still hot to the touch and you can see the steam rising from the paper bag. They are so good.

Hockey season also starts soon and when I say soon I mean in the next few weeks. I am also happy because all of my TV shows are coming back starting with Castle on Monday! School also starts soon, October 11th. Which I am looking forward to. I needed the break but will be thrilled to be back soon.

Well, off to watch a movie. Ciao!

School, Blog, and Other Assorted Stuff

I was going to do this post earlier, but decided to hold off until after midnight. On the 11th, I have a month until school starts back and honestly I am so thrilled with that. I am beyond ready I think. Although it might take me a few days to get back into the swing of things.

I somehow screwed up my blog, so if you are wondering what happened, I had to use a Blogger theme until I can figure out what in the hell I did. I was trying something with a background and header from a site that I get a lot of the backgrounds that I use. I have never used a header before and well, I screwed it up somehow and now I can’t get it back to normal. Sigh. That will teach me to go messing with things that I should not be messing with. So, if any of my readers would be so inclined to help me, that would be great. Leave a comment on this entry and I will contact you.

Later today it is supposed to be in the 80s but after that it is going to cool off and I am so ready for that!! I am sick of the heat and ready for the fall like temperatures! I can not wait to go to the apple cider mill. I have so missed that place! Already thinking about Thanksgiving and what to have. A lot has been going on here, most of it I can not talk about here yet. Soon, I will though.

It has been a quiet weekend, which is the best kind really. No really big dust ups and no drama, which is definitely the best kind!! Right now it is me and the cat chillin in the living room as I write this and she is vying for prime real estate which is my lap and my lap top is currently occupying that space. So, she made herself comfortable on my left hand, which as you may realize makes it difficult to type. Got her settled into a nice spot next to me and she is all happy if I pet her about every five words or so. She is definitely the head of this house!!

I am tired tonight, more so than usual I think. I don’t really know why, unless it is the mental stress I have been under. Again, school will be a wonderful distraction for me soon and I can not wait! I apparently have injured my right shoulder somehow and by somehow, I mean I have no freakin idea how I did it. It hurts bad and I wish I knew what to do for it. Sigh. Bed calls… Ciao!

New Blogger Interface and Stuff

First off, I want to talk about the new Blogger interface. I like how clean looking it is. I love how uncluttered it is. But for me the one drawback is that it is confusing as heck! I am usually pretty good with new things and I normally embrace them. I will continue to use it to see if it gets better.

I was thinking that I wanted to update my 32 GB HD Zune. I saw the 64 GB HD Zune and I like it a lot. The problem is that I think that it is new because even on Amazon it is $600. As with ebay as well. So, I am going to wait for a while before I move up to the 64 GB. It is really nice and my 32 GB is totally full. So…

Instead of updating my MP3 player, I am going to update my phone instead. I have never had a smart phone before, so I am upgrading to the LG Optimus M. It is an Android phone and I am looking forward to it. I most likely won’t do this until around the holidays or so.

School starts in a little over a month and I can’t wait! As much as I love the time off and the freedom to do what I want, I am missing school too. I am so looking forward to getting back into class and learning something!! LOL.

I have enjoyed my time off where as I did not think that I would in the beginning. It has been nice to not have to worry about deadlines and assignments. It will also be nice to get back to those same deadlines and assignments.. Well, I am going to go lay down. Ciao!