More graduation stuff

Here it is! The official document that says I'm done. It's all mine and I earned every inch of it. It's been a while since graduation - just over a month and only one week left until I start the next round of courses.

Everyone has been asking me what I'm going to do next - that's simple. I'm going to still work at my job, keeping tabs on my elders and driving them crazy, er, to the grocery store and doctor's appointments! Not much has changed and I'm happy in my current job. The degree will hopefully open some doors at a later date, but for now, I'm satisfied to be where I am.

Chaz is happy - he's working at a residential home for adults with disabilities as the assistant house manager. The hours are cockeyed (3-11) but we still seem to make time to see each other, even if it's only for an hour or two here and there. We just passed the one-year mark in early May and everything is going very well. We get along great and even when we disagree, we seem to be able to work everything out without either of us feeling shafted. People notice how well we get along and how well we work together for a common good - a good home for the kids, success in our professions and happiness in each other. In three words, it's all good!

A Preview of Things to Come

Well, here it is, the night before graduation, and I'm trying out my cap and gown. I'm excited beyond belief! When I started this journey so many years ago, this day was soooo far out there, at times I thought it would never come. Not only have I succeeded in graduating but I've done it with Honors. Wow...pretty heavy thought - that I've completed one phase of my life and am already looking towards the next.

The kids are terribly excited - no one can stop grinning! Rachel tried on my cap and Sam gave me a big hug and, as he says, "a well deserved "ATTA GIRL"." Without their support this day would not have been possible. They've accepted peanut butter and jelly sandwich dinners without complaining, having a mom locked in her room memorizing formulas for Algebra and yelling at a political science columnist because he's a pinhead. My friends have stood behind me all the way too - I have a fortune on my laptop that reads "Right now, there's an energy pushing you to stay on your path." I got it one night when I was pretty disgusted with school and my seeming inability to memorize the pathway of blood in the body! I got through it and here I stand, just waiting...

My next round of coursework starts June 30th - at the end of that tunnel, I'll receive my Bachelor's Degree in Human Services. I haven't picked a concentration yet but I'm 90% sure it will be gerontology or elder studies. It's less than a year's worth of work but will be very well worth it when I'm done. More photos tomorrow night of the ceremony...

It's Almost Here!

The day that I have worked towards is almost here! I'm talking about graduation day! Final grades for the current semester were posted on Friday and I finished my time at MWCC with a 3.43 for this semester and a 3.31 overall - just enough to graduate with honors on Wednesday night. I am very happy with my accomplishments; it's been a long road getting here but the journey has been worth it.

Starting June 30th I begin my BS work at St. Joseph's College of Maine. No, I'm not moving to Maine - it's on line which allows me to keep both jobs and my life here in Massachusetts. I have 11 classes to take, and will be taking three over the summer - Victimology, US History I and ....I"m drawing a blank on the third class....hmm wonder if it's interesting! Ah yes, it's an Ethics class (my first ethics class was too specialized for acceptance). The other beauty of working on line is that I can work at my own pace, and quite possibly finish before my deadline, enabling me to keep on truckin'!

I'll be picking up my cap and gown Tuesday night - will post photos when I can get to it.

Happy Mail

I received a letter in the mail Saturday that made me absolutely squeal in delight - no, I didn't get my tax refund - BETTER than that (but not by much!!!) I got the "it's time to order your cap and gown" letter from the college. I guess it's really true! I'm GRADUATING this year!! I have earned enough credits for my AS in Human Services. I can't stop grinning! The big event is May 20th at 6pm and I am so happy! I have worked hard to gt here and I was beginning to think this day would never come.

Starting in September, I'll continue working towards my BS in Human services and should finish that program next May. The degree will be from St Joseph's College of Maine. I also got the course listing and picked my classes. I'm planing to take three this summer, four in the fall and four in the spring (my usual schedule), so that I can graduate next May. I haven't got a clue what I'm going to do with this degree at the moment; I'm just happy I'm working when so many aren't. Stay tuned!

Happy Holidays!

The last month has been utterly crazy, what with school schedules, storms, power outages and what have you. We've all managed to stay relatively sane during the holiday season.

Christmas was quiet; just the kids, Chaz, his parents and myself for christmas morning. Our little tree was pretty bare the night before, but when we woke up however, it was a totally different story. Each person had a big gift bag from Nana and Grampa, with beautiful hand crocheted blankets in pinks, greens, blacks, peaches and blues. Each blanket was crocheted to suit its owner.

My gift to Chaz this year was a large blanket that I've been working on since June. Funny how I was able to work on it right in front of him and he didn't even consider it might be for him!

Little Bit got a present from Chaz's dogs Zoey and Snoopy. Guess he liked it! It was a green teddy and within an hour, it was in shreds under the desk! Doesn't he look guilty?!

Brian's blanket was black and white - very striking! Sam's was in camo yarn which, according to Mom, was a b-e-a-r to work with because the colors ran right into each other.

Rachel received a christmas camel. Yes, everyone must have their very own christmas camel! It's a webkinz to add to her ever expanding collection.

So after christmas, it was back to work for everyone. Kids are on vacation for another week. It's been over 30 days since they've seen the inside of a classroom so grading should be interesting!

A case of HOW THE HECK DID YOU DO THAT?!

I have, in my life, done some pretty stupid things...but this one takes the prize!

You might wonder what this is...this is what happens when you try to grab a bundle of balloons with an open pair of scissors in one hand! There are five beautiful stitches there and now, after finding out I cut the nerves in the thumb running down to the palm, a nice cast from the bottom of my fingers to mid forearm. The surgery was the easy part; a nice cocktail of fentynyl and some other really good drug and I was gonzo! Woke up with this beautiful cast that everyone has signed and doodled on. I went last Friday to have the stitches removed and the cast removed only to have a spica splint put on because the thumb must stay straight until the 19th. So now it looks like I'm permanently "thumbing". The scar from the stitches is nice - healing quite well actually. I just can't move the thumb without pain yet. The nerves are still healing and as we all know (or anyone who has taken anatomy more than once) they take a bucketload of time to heal! I'm on the mend though. Chaz and the kids are taking wonderful care of me which is always very nice. One good thing? NO DOING DISHES FOR ME...MUWAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAH!

My Goofy Kids

I just realized I had all three of my chicks in the henhouse at the same time so I grabbed the camera and shot a photo of them, all in one place for a change! Think of this as a rose between two thorns!!!

Like leaves, my thoughts are scattered

Just like the leaves blowing around, my thoughts lately are scattered willy nilly! I have school on the front burner as usual, the kids' schedules are pretty quiet right now, soccer is winding down, but basketball is coming up quickly! I don't know if my girl wants to play this year; there was talk of not playing because there wasn't going to be a coach but we'll see. Things with Mr. Chaz are going so well it's kinda scary! The expression "too good to be true" doesn't seem to apply here though. He's as good as he says and he's the sweetheart he seems. I'm not a "take care of me" kinda gal but it's nice to have someone genuinely take care of you without question. We're talking random back rubs, a glass of water because I'm coughing a little, rubbing my tired feet after standing at work all day, a hug just because he's standing there, sitting through a marathon of Bridezilla just because it's a HOOT of a show... and not complaining! It's all the little things that make up a sweetheart.

Chaz and I went out to a swing dance a couple of weeks ago. We had a good time - here's a photo of us at the end of the night...

Here's another interesting picture taken early this spring. Question: which one is the girl and which one is the boy? Answer later!

Someone needs a haircut!!

For those that don't know, I am one of the backs, the other is my son, age 16. I think we're trying to see whose hair can get the longest!

How Do I Say This?

Have you ever found someone that you feel was put in front of you by a force not of this world? Almost like God said, "hey, I found this guy for you...what do you think?" Well, it is with a huge grin that I introduce my beau Chaz.

We met back in late May and have been almost inseparable since! Sometimes I feel like he's my left hand; the missing sock to go on my bare foot; the cherry on the sundae of my life. We're sitting on Sugarloaf in Deerfield after spending a rather nice day strolling through Yankee Candle. My canoe has gotten wet this summer, paddling around Tully Lake and Brown's Pond. We've been to the Quechee Balloon Festival too; what a weekend that was for sure! I've never seen so many hot air balloons in one place!

For a nice family day, we took the kids to Six Flags. They like him for the simple reason is he's low-key; he's been getting to know each of them on their own level, and not talking down to them or trying to be too forceful with them.

More on this to come in the very near future...

More Apple Photos

A beautiful display of fall colors. It's not quite fall yet, but the last few days have been crisp and cool, although tonight it's slightly rainy.

This is my apple princess...isn't she lovely?

We went apple picking and couldn't reach some lovely looking red gravensteins so my daredevil carefully climbed into the tree to pick the tastiest apples without damaging nary a leaf on the tree. Here we are sharing a moment before picking peaches.

'Tis the Season for APPLE PIE!

This is not my first attempt at apple pie but it is certainly the PURTIEST apple pie I have ever ever made! Yes, it's sugar/cinnamon sprinkled, baked at 375 for precisely 50 minutes (25 with the foil on the edges, 25 with foil off).

We just added scoops of French Vanilla ice cream and it was almost better than....well, you know what I'm thinking!!

BOOM!

Did you ever start something and wonder...WHAT was I thinking?!

I was making this delicious blueberry buckle for dessert tonight. I've done the recipe once before - it's from scratch (no, not a BETTY CROCKER box but flour, sugar, salt, etc...) Anyhooo....I mixed the cake batter, put in the nice fresh blueberries from Chaz's garden and turned my back for a minute to make the topping that goes on duh, the top of the cake. I'm mixing the butter, sugar, and cinnamon....BOOOOOM! What started out as a nice dessert...went BOOM all over my kitchen! LITERALLY! There goes the glass pyrex 11x13 pan AND batter all over the stove, the floor, the sides of the fridge, the side of the cabinet, the floor...glass and batter...E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E! I let out a blood curdling scream, followed by CHAAAAAZZZ HELLLLPPPP!! Now did I mention that I was barefoot at the time?? Nah, probably not. I was quickly hustled out of the kitchen so that my Prince Charming could clean up the glass and batter mess that was dripping down the front of the stove.

Did I take pictures? Of course not! Did I mention that I put the pan on the stovetop...with the burner on low since I had been making baked macaroni and cheese for dinner....yah...I wasn't paying attention I know. I had not CLUE one that a glass pan would do that!

CAN I GET AN AMEN!?

Well, here he is...my baby...seconds after his graduation from high school. It seems like just y-e-s-t-e-r-d-a-y this little boy was sitting on my knee, asking me for more juice, more cookie, more stories...In the flash of an eye, he's an adult, entering into the world. He's moving on to college in the fall - criminal justice is his chosen field for now. Was it emotional for me? You bet! He's the first one of the kids, both grand and not, to graduate. He's setting the example for his brother and sister to follow, as well as three cousins that are mixed in as well. Proud of him? Yes we are!!!

TOO Long Between Posts

I can't believe I haven't written a thing since August! It's been a little crazy busy but starting somewhere near the beginning, I did some ocean fishing, went up to northern Vermont to a working dairy farm - that was some FUN let me tell you, spent most of the summer sitting on the sidelines of the softball diamond watching my daughter play, and not much else.

Went to Florida in August - was Rachel's first plane ride and she was beside herself with excitement! Didn't do all that much while there, it was too bloody hot!

September started with school - 17 credits this semester! I know! It's a lot but here it is October and I'm in good shape for Dean's List again for the fall semester. So far so good. I'm still planning to apply to the RN program in December for September 08 (yes, we have to apply that far in advance!) It's quite competitive but I am hopeful that I will be one of the 100 that is selected.

Celebrated Miss Rachel's 11th birthday in September and managed to get a photo of myself snuggled amid my three lovely little monkey-children. Yes, that's me in the back - the short one between the two TREES aka my sons!

Sam is getting ready to graduate in June already and this has me remembering what it was like when I was 17 gearing up to graduate. I remember being scared yet excited as all get out to be finally done with school. He's looking at colleges here and as far away as Florida (St. Leo's). Now comes the interesting part - funding! I'd roll my eyes but I'm too tired!

Homework calls - EKGs and colon procedures - fun stuff!! I'll say one thing about all this reading - it sure is informative! I'm learning more than I ever thought possible!

Summer's Almost Over

I'm sitting here today taking a very deep breath after fielding a call for my daughter from the local softball team. It seems that they would LOVE for her to join the fall league. She's been playing since early April, played in the Jimmy Fund League and now is taking a break. This is her team fundraising at McDonald's. Don't know if she'll want to keep playing or switch to soccer. She's in NY now with her grandmother so when she gets home I'll ask her.

We've also had Brian headline at the local music festival. He played a 30-minute set on the side stage at the local fishing/hunting club. He was wonderful! I wish I knew how to post video here since he sang five of his own songs.

Another Open Mic Night

My son Brian wrote and sang three songs last week at the Boulder Coffee House in Fitchburg. He was GOOD! I am so impressed with his songwriting and singing ability. It takes tremendous courage to step in front of an unknown crowd and sing your heart out but it seems to come very easy for him. He is relaxed, has a great stage presence, and wins over the crowd with his easy-going style and presence.

GREAT JOB SON!

My Big Catch

This is my "big catch" that didn't get away! I caught this 22", about 5 lb striper off the coast of Newport (it could have been off Salisbury - I can't remember). Anyhow, three of them managed to find the bait but since none of them were over 28" long, everyone got to go home (even ME!)

The best part? After a few minutes of "am I going to hurl or not?" I caught this bad boy and felt much better about everything! Later, I caught a bunch of skates and more crabs that I wanted to (the little buggers loved the clam bait I was using!) I came home sunburned but boy, what a trip!

Future Rock Star

This is my boy during one of his rare "live shows". He is singing with a friend from school during
their annual talent show. He is an amazing guitarist!

Prom Night 2007

This is my "baby" and his best girl heading out to the Junior Prom last night. What a handsome couple! It's hard to believe this man is almost 18, ready to take on the world! He wasn't excited about going but as the day got closer, we picked up the tux and flowers, he found himself looking forward to the evening.

When his girl arrived, he was all smiles as she got out of the car and walked towards him. Suddenly it wasn't just a goofy dance - it was a big deal!

He finally came home at 12:20 tired but very happy.

CAN I GET A CHORUS OF AMENS?!

I PASSED!!! I PASSED! I really REALLY passed!! When I finished my test this morning, a little screen popped up and said 'PASS' in bold letters. I was floored! I called the test proctor over and said "WHAT'S THAAAAAT MEEEANNNN?" She laughed and said, "it means you PASSED".

So now, I'm officially a certified Phlebotomist! YAY ME!!!!! I called my instructor and I'm the first one to pass the certification exam in all the time she's taught the class. It wasn't terrible but I can see where if you don't study tubes and additives, you'd be bummin!!!

Watch out world! I'm ready to poke and I'm certified!!