Oh, how I love Christmas...

I cannot believe that it is already a week before Christmas!! How fast this year went!! Seriously. I am sitting here as my husband works on his computer, looking at all the lights on the tree, pondering on all of the blessings that have made up this past year. Christmas and all it's sights and smells warms my heart. Somehow, staring at the lights of the tree and letting yourself get lost in the glow takes you to another world. I can't explain it, but it's one of the things I look forward to all year. This is our first "official" Christmas together and I can't help but want to savor every moment. I think I annoy Frankie sometimes because I try so hard to make it special, but I can't help it. It's what I do. I don't want to miss out on a chane of possibly having a new tradition. So I try and make everything a tradition. lol. One thing that we are definetely going to make a tradition is our Christmas Open House! Only a few showed up (cuz we only invited a few!) but it was nice. As the years go by and when we have a bigger house, we hope it will grow. We love getting together with family and friends, especially at Christmas... it too warms my heart.

Such a wonderful time of year.

pat pat pat

Yes, i am patting myself on the back, thank you very much! I am officially finished with school for the semester. Done. Completed. Terminado. De Finition. It feels so good! I feel very accomplished with my 4 A's and 1 B. Check this out... I was the highest grade of the class in both Science lab and English! At the start of the semester, I really had my doubts, but I am realizing that I am smarter than I thought!!! What do ya know, I am smarter than a 5th grader! lol.

I am gearing up for my Spring classes that start January 12th, for which I will be taking not 1, but 2 speech classes (since everyone knows what an awesome public speaker I am!). Adding to the list will also be Humanities and 2 Education classes for which I will spend 50+ hours in different elementary classrooms doing activities and tutoring. Fun!!!

For now, I am grateful to my husband for giving me this incredible opportunity and for putting up with me during my stressful times. He was there for me when I was crying my eyes out over my stats problems, slamming books, staring blank at the computer, or reading poems to him that I couldn't figure out on my own. I do work best when under the gun, but I am not fun to be around during it. Just ask my mom.

Anyway, I am just so excited and pretty darn proud. Thought you'd like to know. heeheehee.

Happy Solutions

No more sadness :) We found our solution for our crazy girl and of course we are keeping her. She is still a wild beast but we are fixing the fences and found a good place to tie her up that still gives her plenty of freedom. Plus, a great nighttime solution that she is now loving. I couldn't bear the thought of her being out in the 37 degree weather that has been our nights, so my husband and I have a new bedtime routine. Like clockwork, I open the back door, he lays out the blue tarp and hauls in the cubby while I unchain sam and toss the ball a few times. Once he has the cubby lined in front of the door with the gate open, He calls to both dogs who go running and have nowhere else to go but straight into the crate, where I have layed warm blankets and a toy. I shut the cubby door behind them, Frank slides it back, I close the back door and put a mat between the door and cubby. Frank scoots the cage next to the door, holding the mat in place and I pretend the dogs are birds and cover the cubby with a sheet. They now know that the sheet means nigh-night time and instantly they are quiet and lay down. They literally sleep in there for about 9 hours without a sound to get out or anything. They love it in there and they love being warm and cozy! Come nightfall, Sam knows it's time to come in and lets us know. Anyway, we've got it down to a science now and the whole process goes rather quickly... may seem a little extravagent for a dog, but what are ya gonna do... she's our child and we love her. Yes, it turns our little house into a maze, but hey, it's a great laugh and makes for fun memories!

**sigh**

I just want to say that I feel stressed today. Really, it's nothing major to stress about. But sometimes the feelings come and you can't help it. I just feel overwhelmed. I only have two weeks of school left and the thought of finals and papers that is brewing over my head is making me spin. I should be grateful because these classes are a sinch compared to what lies ahead of me come the fall. Nonetheless, I am fretting. I am sad and in agony about what to do with my sookie sam. I love my girl but, I dunno... might have to find her a new home. She is too wild and loud for our little neighborhood, and no matter how often I walk her, play with her or feed her, she won't settle down. We can't let her run free because she has almost made it over the fence and being tied up on a 20 ft. rope will only last so long once the rain hits. It breaks my heart to think of losing her, but maybe it's better for her. I dunno. Lots of other things to think about, alot of other changes... ya, it's absolutely nothing compared to what some people have going on, but to me... it's just one of those days.

Veggies Anyone?

In case the grocery stores collapse and we all run out of money, have no fear, I can help you. I can't give you much variety, but at least you will be able to eat Collard Greens and Cabbage. I grew 50 feet of them for a school project and am pretty proud if I do say so myself... check it out...

Monkey Butt

This is our dog. Her name is Samantha... or Sammy, Sam, Samonella, Sookie, Turkey, Dumb & Dumber, Horse, Big Ears, and usually Monkey Butt. Pretty much anything that comes out of your mouth, she will respond to.

I love her so much, despite the circus she has turned our backyard and our lives into. I make it a point to go out and play with her for a while everyday after school, and clean up the yard from her latest escapade. We usually start Saturdays off by really working on the yard and are so pleased by the time we are done. It looks so nice and peaceful... for about 30 minutes. At any given time, the Big Ape will be dragging bamboo across the yard (we have a bamboo infestation), knocking over everything in her path. She will have found some kind of something with stuffing in it and torn it to shreds, leaving bright green fluff all across the grass. The Sausage Link thinks it's fun and helpful to unstack our nicely stacked firewood and put it where she thinks it belongs. Thinking she is still a little tyke, her favorite thing is to walk tight-rope style across the outside window sill that is about 6 inches off the ground. She likes to make sure Jasper (our other little dog for the time being, and the Dumb in Dumb & Dumber) knows who's boss, and stand on top of him and put his neck in her mouth. This causes Jas to make demon sounds as he tries to break free and run away from her. This is always pleasant at 1am, 2am, 3am and again at 4am. Lately, our curious ding-dong has thought it necessary to bark loudly and intensily (at 2:30am) at a can of spray paint that sits high on a shelf. It must bother her tremendously.

Putting all of her insanities aside, she is mama's girl and I can't imagine not having her. No matter how long or short it's been since she's seen me, the moment she gets a glimpse of me, she goes bizzerk. I step outside and almost hit the ground. The galloot is so strong!!! And she's only 9 months old. Sometimes I get annoyed when she gets mud on my pants or when I see her eat her poop (blah!), but when I look at her little face and see her peaking through the window to see what we're doing, I can't help but love her.

I am nerd, hear me roar!

Can you measure the pore space and bulk density of the soil in your front yard? By your percentages can you determine what soil texture you live on? I am officially a nerd because I can. Yes folks, I can and I did.

And while I was driving out at the farm the other day, I actually said out loud, "ooo, i'm gonna drive all the way up to the gate because my jeep can cover this hardpan." Who says that! The normal person would have noted that they could drive over the sand because it was a hard dirt road... but not me... crazy Mr. Dodson has changed my life.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, the soil in my yard has a 46% pore space and is considered Sandy Clay Loam.

On a roll...

So in my quest to re-invent myself and experience new things (ordinary to some but new and exciting to me!), I have succeeded! Not that I am done and have conquered the world in a matter of a few weeks, but I have taken advantage of opportunities and have found myself checking things off my list! It feels fantastic!!

Let's see...

-I've made a few new friends at school by my own doing. I can't believe how outgoing I've been lately! Not a shy bone in this body!

-Although I don't know sign language, I managed to have a "conversation" with a deaf gal in the school cafeteria.

-I've tried a few new recipes which turned out pretty decent.

-I conquered my fear of the dentist! I finally went and turns out, they think my teeth are healthy and beautiful!

-I went camping on the beach in Halfmoon Bay!!! It was SO MUCH FUN and I can't wait to go again!!!!

And The Award Goes To...

ME! For being the WORST blogger ever! Yes, I know I haven't blogged since my first appearance, but what can ya do... I'm lame.

Here I sit once again, at 2am, not sleeping. ugh! Why can't you sleep, you ask? Let me tell ya what's in my head at this wonderful morning hour...

* Oh my stomach! I shouldn't have eaten Mexican food at 8:30 at night!
* Standard Deviation using Z score and Chebychev's therum... what are the formulas again?
* I hope the dentist numbs me enough tomorrow before doing my fillings.
* Stupid weeds growing in my 50 foot veggie garden. It was too hot to do all that! Good thing I stopped in time so Karin didn't throw up in my car!!
* Im tired.
* Must-write-thesis- for-essay!
* Hmmm.. how many desks should I include in my classroom layout? Group or U-shaped?
* I wish tomorrow was Friday! Oh wait, no I don't! English test Friday!
* Is it Fall yet?
* Oh, there goes my stomach again!
* My husband is getting braces tomorrow! So cute!
* I miss my mommy.
* I want to go camping again.
* I can't believe I have to get up in 4 hours.
* SJ soils are Quartz, Feldspar, Hornblende and Mica - QFHM, QFHM, QFHM
* ugh, I do not want to wash my hair in the morning!

There you have it... such a nice blend of thoughts. Although it is keeping me awake, I am LOVING school!! When I set out on this journey, I was skeptical if I could really pull it off. I did great in high school but that was because I had to work really hard. I just didn't know if things would click again. Turns out, I'm smart!! ha! As of now, I have 100% in all of my classes; even stats! I start 2 more classes come October and that will put me at 16 units... more than I ever thought I could handle at one time. So far so good!

There is something so great about being back at school. Ya, I wish I would have gotten it done years ago, but I appreciate it so much more now. After high school 11 years ago (yes, 11!) college was such a chore and I hated every minute. I have a completely different perspective now and actually look forward to discussing the symbolism in Steinback's "The Chrysanthemums".

Who knew!

Off and Running!

It is 3:58am and I am creating a blog. What am I doing!! Am I insane?? No, I just can't sleep. My mind is racing with all sorts of thoughts - memories, new endeavors, things I want to accomplish, things I NEED to accomplish... gotta love insomnia.

A month or so ago I sat down with a dear friend and we got to talking. She shared with me a new-found motivation, if you will, on dreams. Not "I ate one too many bowls of ice cream before bed" kind of dreams, but desires and goals kind of dreams. She had made a list of her dreams and suggested I do the same. My first response to her was, "Oh, I don't have but a handful of dreams so it's not really necessary to list them. I've got 'em all here," pointing to my brain. To my surprise, by the end of the night I had over 100 dreams written down! Where did they come from!! I had no idea some of the things I had down inside!

So that brings me to where I am now... dreaming. Life is full of turns and mine has just taken a turn that I never thought possible. I have worked at my job with dear friends for the past 6 years and just celebrated my last day there. That's right, I am officially UNEMPLOYED!! Scary thought. I am facing a new season in life and am beyond excited. My husband is giving me a tremendous gift. He has made it possible for me to go back to school full-time to obtain my degree in Elementary Education (which was something I realized I wanted while making my dream list!).

With this new phase comes so many feelings of a fresh start, know what I mean? I am getting new school supplies, getting my hair done, I get a week off to re-organize our house so that I can feel ready to go... I recently told a friend of mine that I wanted to re-invent myself. Of course she laughed because that can be a strange thing to say. But really, I do! Especially now with my a new journey upon me. Don't you ever hear people talking about the fun things they do and think, "I want to do that." I want to take my dog to the park, ride my bike through pretty neighborhoods, get together with friends and play a volleyball game (even though I don't know how to play), find new recipes and make delicious meals...those might sound like corny and simple things, but those are things I don't do and want to do! Sometimes I get in the same 'ol rut and forget that there is so much more out there.

So here I go! I am ready for my new journey to begin! I have alot of living to do and I am ready to live it. I am going to dream on!