MY LAST BLOG!!

Well, we finally made it to the last week of English 226 and our last required blog post! Yeah! I have enjoyed creating this blog site and reading the interesting and funny stories of my classmates. I am glad to have more hours BEHIND me, with only a few to go before I finally finish my degree. I have learned a lot about writing and revision from Ms. Smith. It has been great, fun, and interesting, but I am glad we are almost done! :)

Young Love

My daughter and her boyfriend of ten months have broken up and gotten back together a couple of times over the past week. It has been total, pardon my french, HELL at my house this week. I just do not know what to do to comfort her when her heart is hurting. All I know to do is just be there to listen. She gets so upset that she makes herself sick. Maybe by the time my third daughter gets to be a teenager I will know what to do in this situation....DOUBT IT!

My Birthday!

Tuesday, July 10th was my 37th birthday. I love my birthday! I love to be spoiled rotten! My day began with breakfast in bed. I had to go to class....that was a bummer....but the rest of the day was great. I went shopping, got a facial, and then went to Cathy's house. Cathy (my good friend) cooked my favorite spaghetti & Lisa (another good friend) made me this beautiful chocolate cake. I had family, friends, food & PRESENTS....what more could a girl want?

Graduation!!

As I begin yet another Summer class, I am reminded of just how close I am to graduation. It is so close I can ALMOST reach out and touch it. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! I cannot believe I am finally going to finish! I went to my best friend's graduation in May and I could picture myself walking across the stage. The excitement is overwhelming! I am so proud! Only one semester to go!

The X Coaster - UPDATED!!

UPDATE!!--I DID IT!! I RODE THE X COASTER!! CONQUERED MY FEAR! YEAH! :)

The X Coaster at Magic Springs is the scariest roller coaster I have ever been on in my entire life! I was coerced into getting on this monster by my friends who proceeded to laugh at me for hours after the ride because I screamed from start to finish--non-stop--without ever taking a breath! I had no breath! This is one roller coaster I will not be riding again....ever! (Actually I am taking my 15 year old back to Magic Springs this weekend so, we'll see if I keep this promise to myself!)

This is the same roller coaster that has been in the news over the past few weeks because some poor people were stuck upside down on it for quite a while during a power outage. My daughter was unfortunately stranded on this ride last summer, but luckily she was not in the upside down position when the problem occurred. The experience left a lasting impression on her and she has kept her promise to never get on the X Coaster again!

P.S. It is really fun if you don't mind having major heart failure while your stomach does somersaults in your throat! :)

IDIOTS!!

Some people are IDIOTS!!
A guy in my 8:00 a.m. Anatomy Class told me that he thought the reason I made an A on my test is because the instructor knows my husband so he GAVE ME AN A! Just the audacity of this statement made my blood boil! WHAT AN IDIOT!! To top off this "intelligent" statement, the instructor doesn't know my husband at all! The things people let come out of their mouth just amazes me sometimes. So what if I was married to the President of the United States, do instructors give A's to the First Lady? Don't get me wrong, I know some people do "things" to advance in this world....and these tactics could possibly work with a professor - if he/she had extremely low moral standards - but to just give someone an A?! I guess this made me so aggravated because I work hard to make good grades....HE'S AN IDIOT!

P.S. I have done some pretty idiotic things myself this week....
For example, I CRIED in class when I read my Memoir out loud to my Writing Group. (IDIOT!)
I also wrote Ms. Smith a note on the bottom of my second draft of my Memoir and referred to her as Ms. Weeks. ???? (IDIOT!) I'm sure I could think of more...but these come directly to mind!

On laughing in church

The feeling of complete laughter filled my body as I tried to focus on something, anything besides the episode that was causing this tickle to exist. Try as I might, the elder lady sitting a few seats over would not allow me any reprieve as she continued her nervous or perhaps habitual repetition of crinkling the candy wrapper she held in her hands. I tried to doodle on the bulletin. I tried to think of the peaceful slumber I planned upon returning to my house after lunch. Most of all I tried LISTENING to the preacher who was in the middle of a meaningful, God filled sermon that, on most occasions, would not have had any trouble holding my attention.

It was at this moment, this moment of utter quiet in this enormous, echoing sanctuary, that "the crinkler" got carried away with her annoyingly hilarious habit. "KURPLUNK!" was the sound I heard as the candy dropped to the hardwood floor and rolled to its new but unknown destination. That was it! The moment I had been working so hard to prevent took place. The laughter I had semi-successfully subdued through the past ten to fifteen torturous minutes was out! I had no control over my body! I laugh even now as I am writing this blog! I could not even catch my breath. My shoulders were shaking as if I was having a emotional meltdown, as if the sermon was speaking to my soul and I was overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, the Holy Spirit was working on my tickle spot deep within my body and was not letting up.

I did FINALLY regain control of my body and was able to conduct myself in a suitable manner for the ending moments of the service. I will think of this hour as I am criticizing my children for such acts of disrespect in a sacred place as this one. Unbelievable!

Lazy Days

The feeling of peace and tranquility fills my mind as I wake early on a weekend morning and realize that I do not have to get out of my safe haven of sleep and relaxation! This feeling lasts as I doze in and out of slumber until I decide it is time to start the day. (I didn't want to ruin this peaceful idea by throwing in the fact that my three year old sometimes puts a wrench in my Saturday morning plans!) It is, none the less, a wonderful feeling that I long to experience the other six mornings of the week.

Another thought on sleeping:
I have experienced, like most people, times in my life when I was sleep deprived. Sleep is an activity that is taken for granted by many people. It is not until sleep is involuntarily taken from your daily schedule that it becomes an obsession. Whether you are stricken with insomnia or a newborn or sick child, the inability to sleep is a frustration that can lead the tired soul to hysteria.