Just a few days away...

Thanksgiving is just a few days away. A day of giving thanks for all that the Lord has blessed us with this year. I haven't said anything here but I suppose I should...I signed up for a 2 mile race that day. I am rather nervous yet excited. My family is proud of me and will be waiting for me at the end with camera in hand. The weather report, however, is not looking too friendly. It is saying low 40's with possible flurries. I am praying that the weather forecasters are wrong.

School is going okay. Doing great in my Sociology class but struggling with the advanced A&P. Semester is almost over and I am very happy about that.

I hope you all are doing well and that the Lord has blessed you with good health.

Busy, busy, busy!

Busy is the word of the day. I haven't updated because I have been busy as a bee.

Running 1 mile now...yay me! I have a new goal of running a 5k this spring with a friend of mine. Never thought running would become addictive for me, but it has. I am thoroughly enjoying it. I just wish the weather would cooperate more. It has not been the fall I am used to. Rain and chilly make for a skip from Summer (which I am still waiting for) and straight to the beginning of Winter. Where did fall go? The leaves are supposed to crunch beneath my feet when I run, not be soggy and floppy.

Week 1 finished!

I finished week one of my running regime. It got easier but now I have come down with a bug of some sort and my lungs are feeling weird. Tomorrow I start week two and I am optimistic.

Day 1

So I have decided to take up running. I tried it once before but let my ambitious self get ahead of my body and my knees let me know it. So in an effort to get myself down to a healthy weight I am trying again. This time with the help of my mp3 player and a download I got from Amazon. The download was cheap and is exactly what I wanted. I don't want to be constantly checking a watch, pedometer or whatever to see when to walk or run. So this is perfect. Some guy is telling me when to start and stop and the running doesn't seem as long as when I did it myself (but I know it is).

So Day 1...so far so good. I think I can handle this 3 days a week as suggested. It says by the end of week 4 I will be able to run 1 mile. One mile?! That seems so far right now but someday that will seem easy. I'm all set. I am ready. Now I will just wait to tell my hubby that I am really running instead of walking (I usually walk 6 miles about 3x a week). I want to surprise him with my accomplishment.

Other than that I would say life in general is also good. I started my fall semester last week. I am taking Advanced A&P as well as Sociology. I think my Soc class will be a hoot! My A&P will be a bit more time consuming and require a bit more mind power. I can do it! I have a friend in class with me and I am sure we can help each other with our strengths and weakness in this course.

Well I have to run (not literally) so I will see you all next post! Have a great day!

Time flies by...

Oh boy have I neglected this. April? Are you kidding me?! Okay this means I must catch up on all the stuff that has happened since my last post. Here goes...

My professor graded my paper (finally) and I received an A! My final grades for the semester were a B in Anatomy and a B in Developmental Psych. I am pleased. Next semester is going to be Advanced Anatomy and Sociology. I will once again strive for A's.

I made an attempt to go to church. Again it was the preplanned series thing. Where's the fire? Where is the conviction? Where is the being led by the Spirit? Don't get me wrong. This is not a "dead" church. There is speaking in tongues w/translations which shows me the Spirit is there. But why be so scripted in your sermons? Why let man dictate what is said instead of God?

Since I am not taking classes this Summer I have been spending a lot of time with the kids and doing some yardwork. Now the most yardwork I have done in years is walk through it. Now I have taken on the task of mowing, watering, fertilizing and all that fun stuff. I have also planted some ornamental grasses alongside the house. There is more planned for me to plant. Hubby has some ideas of other things that could be planted. I also dug 4 tree rings and mulched them.

That is all for the moment. I need to get back to housekeeping.

New day, new challenges.

So I am doing my best at being patient while I wait for the results of the psych exam I submitted last week. She said she would grade and return the test immediately because of what happened last semester. So far nothing. I sent it to her via email on last Monday. I have every confidence I made an A but I would really like the confirmation of that fact.

Okay so I admit I haven't stepped foot into the church since last year. When this was mentioned to a friend recently another "friend" (more like acquaintance) decided it was the perfect time to interject her opinion. Now I grew up in church so I do know the importance of going but I also know that you don't need a building to praise and worship the Lord. The sermons at the church have been seemingly scripted so to speak. I like to hear sermons that God lays on the pastors heart and not so much the "series" of this and that constantly. So instead of going to church we have been watching (as a family) Joel Osteen on Sunday mornings. If our church had Sunday evening services that would make a whole lot of difference too. Anyway this "friend" decided to preach at me about the importance of going to church. Now this person is very opinionated and outspoken. This person also has the tendency to be a little self absorbed. So I just let her say what she felt she needed to and then finished my conversation with my friend.

There are plenty of reasons people avoid Christ and going to church. From what I have seen and experienced, a lot has to do with the people who call themselves Christians. Now there are people like myself who are Christians but don't push it down everyone's throat. To me that is a bit too much. I lead by example. As my parents always said "Your walk walks and your talk talks but your walk talks louder than your talk talks". It's like feeding a baby. Have you ever noticed if you try to force feed a baby they reject the food? But if you watch and wait you can feed the baby when they signal they are ready. The same goes with us. Cramming God down someones throat will only backfire and they will reject it but if you lead by example and are patient, the time will be known to you when they are ready to eat. Okay that is my rant for today.

Today I would like to tell everyone that I am thankful for another beautiful day to be with my family.

Recently...

So I have been preoccupied with the goings on of life. Here I have all these high hopes that I will keep up with this and several other things and yet somehow time slips by and I don't do it. So I guess today will be a day for rambling on and on and a few updates too if you're lucky.

Allergy season is a pain in the head. Literally! It is a no win situation with me. One medicine gives me headaches, another makes me loopy and tired, and others just don't work. So I have chosen to not use any medications. I took some stuff a few weeks ago and didn't know it was going to make me sleepy on a day I had 2, yes 2, important exams! BIG MISTAKE!!! I slept my way through most of them and was miserable. I managed to pull a B on both but I will NEVER do that again. I will suffer before I go through loopy, sleepy me again. Thus I am now a sniffling, sneezing, watery-eyed thing trying to pass myself off as being okay and not miserable. *sigh* Like I said, no win here.

Well the Psychology test that I supposedly failed last semester wasn't really my fault. Turns out (just as I suspected) that the instructor gave me the wrong test. She was kind enough to let me retake the exam this past weekend. This one made a whole lot more sense and was a world easier. Now I am just on pins and needles to find out what my grade is. Sometime I am not very patient and this is one of them.

I am doing okay in my current Developmental Psychology class. The first test was hard but the second one I Aced! Now there is a 3rd one next week that I will be spending my weekend studying for. The kids get a kick out of mommy studying just like they do. Teach by example I say. They have seen me do well and they have seen me flop. I think it is good for them to see that I am just as hard on myself as I am on them. I love my kiddos!

I am also currently taking an Anatomy and Physiology course. Oh boy! This one wouldn't be so bad but I find the instructor kinda jumps around a lot. Nice guy but I am having a difficult time really learning. I am pulling a B but I know I have worked my tail off for it.

In the fall I will be taking Sociology and Advanced A & P. I am praying now for those to go well. I work my tail off to get the best grades I can and it can't hurt to start praying now for favor.

One thing that bothers me is some of the people I have met in my classes and their study skills. My philosophy is that you will get out of a course what you put into it. If you don't show up for class you shouldn't expect to get good grades. If you wait until the night before, you shouldn't expect to do well on the test. I just don't get it. The young ones I can understand them with their young mistakes but some of these women are just that, women. They are in their late 20's or 30's and really should know better. Then they go on to complain about the grades they are getting. I do my best to set a good example and try to help them out with study skills and pointers but I can only do so much. I have waited so long to go back to school and don't want to screw it up. Yes it is hard but it can be done. Enough before I go on and on.

Otherwise life is pretty good. God is providing. OOOH...I forgot to mention Daisy. Daisy is a duck that has decided to make her home/nest under our globe arbor vitae out front. I don't see her but I know she is there. So I decided to name her and for now she can be rent free. Hehe! Can't wait to see little Daisyettes and Donalds running around soon.

I noticed a new thing where people can follow a blog. Now that is cool! I have a follower! I don't know her yet but plan on reading her blog to get to know her. Wanna be my follower Flannie? ROFL!

The torture continues!

This is the much discussed element of torture. I spent 40 minutes on this thing this morning and went 10.24 miles total. I am sticking to the 40 minutes every other day. So far this is working. I don't know what the weight loss is for the week but still would like to go with the 2 lbs. a week.

So He has opened up His storehouses again. It is looking like a snowglobe outside. Did I mention I am not a big fan of winter?

A new adventure begins!

Okay so I have joined Mulitmom in her get healthy and blogging adventure. Since Thanksgiving I have successfully lost 5 lbs. Yipee! While everyone else gains during the holidays I have lost. My hubby and I have purchased a schwinn airdyne for Christmas. I use that torture device every other day for 40 min. in the morning. I would do every day but so far I am fine and honestly would be afraid of burnout if I did every day. So I have a goal to lose another 10 by Valentine's day. That is 2 lb. a week and very reasonable. So here we go folks. Stay tuned for the roller coaster ride that is my life. Hehe!

My Chemistry Prayers Were Answered!

I found out today that I passed Chemistry with a B just like I thought I would yesterday!!! Wahoooooo! There is still a whole ordeal going on with the psych test. Hopefully things will work out. Hopefully and prayerfully in my favor.

Bittersweet

Well my semester is officially over. It has been a bittersweet journey. I had an online course that the whole grade was based on one test. Welp...I flunked it. I go in tomorrow to talk to the instructor. I did everything right but stink at testing apparantly. So now I must retake this course. I found it boring and interesting at the same time. Odd but true. So that is the bitter. The sweet is I believe I have passed my chem course with a B. I will know by the end of the day today. This is the sweet. I am confident in the test I took today for that course. I don't think I have ever prayed so much over a test in my life. Wait...the psych test that I flunked. Yep prayed earnestly before, during, and after both tests. Let's hope this one doesn't turn out like the other. I don't know if I can take another hit like that. It is hard to come from being on the Dean's list to this.

Next semester? Let's see...I will be mastering the classes of Anatomy and Physiology (one class) and Developmental Psychology. Let the praying begin!!! I will, as usual, put my everything into these classes. I take this stuff seriously. I am not in it to just get by. I want to do well.

So on to other topics I suppose. Hmmm...winter. It is also kinda bittersweet. I really do not like the cold. Not one bit. But with it comes some of the nicest things. To get out of this funk maybe I should list my top 10 likes and dislikes about winter. Let's take a lookee loo!

LIKES
10. It doesn't last all year!
9. I can wear some really snuggly sweaters.
8. There are plenty of opportunities to take cool snow pictures.
7. Spring is even closer than it was before (this is nice because after a while you get tired of wearing those sweaters).
6. Comfort foods.
5. The twinkle of snow is kinda pretty.
4. Christmas lights.
3. The fact I don't have to wear a bathing suit! Woohoo!
2. The quality time I get to spend with my husband. Yipeee!
1. The birth of our Saviour Jesus!

DISLIKES
10. It's cold.
9. The ice.
8. The dirt and salt that gets on everything!
7. It's cold.
6. I hate wearing the heavy parka.
5. The lack of sunshine.
4. It's cold.
3. Dry air.
2. It drags on for months and months.
1. Did I mention it's cold?!

Is it really that time again?

It appears that it is almost school time again. Wasn't it just a week or so ago I was saying that summer was going by too quickly? Now it is going even quicker! It is less than a month that not only do the kids start but I start back as well. So much I wanted to do this summer and it all seems to have to be crammed into one month. Nothing major, just little things like the zoo, more beach trips and various other summer like things. I suppose that I will be happy to see cooler weather. After all my favorite season is fall. I just wish that it lasted longer. Oh well. I think I am going to head over to Mountain Mama's blog and peek around. Have a fun time!

Yes I know I said I would keep this updated a lot more often and that I have failed to do so. Quite honestly I don't even know if anyone reads this anymore. I know I have one reader who is a wonderful woman (Mountain Mama) and who always has the nicest things to say. But I will still ramble on as if there were a whole bunch of people out there who still read this.

So far summer has been busy and I really wish it would slow down a bit. I am doing my best to make sure the kids have a good summer and that we all enjoy the hot weather the best way we can. So some days are beach days (not enough though), some are indoor days (either too hot or raining), some are errand days, some are backyard days, and hopefully we will have a zoo day and other surprise days.

School is a coming. Sooner than I'd like. I keep seeing the back to school stuff and I am so not ready to deal with that yet. All of us start back in September. I have only registered for 2 classes so that I don't put too much on my plate. Hopefully this fall semester goes as good as the spring one did.

Okay I think that is all I have in me to write at the moment. Have a blessed summer!

My Vacation.

For those who want to know how my vacation went, read on. For those who don't, STOP READING NOW!

Overall I would say the vacation went well. I have come back tired but it is a good tired. The kind where a few nights in your own bed will be all you need. The weather was good on all but one day and even when it rained we made the most of it.

Where did we go? We went so far north that there was no more of the great U.S.of A. to see. We stayed on a small lake in a modern cabin. By modern I mean it had 3 bedrooms, 1 1/2 bath, loft, kitchen (fridge, stove, sink, and pots and pans) and they newly added a microwave. But they do not have televisions, clocks, radios, or any modern stuff like that.

What did we do? Well the little ones (8 & 10) did a lot of playing outside in the sand and stuff. I'm not sure what they did really. They played until they were told to come inside. I do know that they had fun. They went fishing a little. We gave them a bobber and they each caught some bluegills. The oldest of my offspring (13) did a lot of fishing. He didn't catch anything until the last day. Then he caught a 17 inch northern pike. He was so excited. He thought he was going to come home having caught nothing. Other than that he played outside with the little ones some. As for us adults we relaxed. I did some fishing, helped the little ones fish, took pictures, and sometimes just sat around and did nothing. Hubby also did some fishing both off the docks (like the rest of us) and a little in the rowboat (provided by the lodge). He tried taking the oldest out with him in the boat a couple of times. Well needless to say, the two of them in a boat don't mix. Too much testosterone in one boat. As a family we would go out daily for a drive into some of the nearby towns and grab lunch. We also went for a hike in the woods which I have no idea how long it was. One night we even made a campfire and it lasted through the rain!

The bad stuff? Well the mosquito were ravenous and decided to feast on us. I received some nice bites right on my face (one even on the edge of the lip). OW!! There were also some nasty flies that seemed to be everywhere. Yes we did use spray but that didn't work. We all look like we were test subjects on a mosquito farm. Oh...I almost forgot. TICKS!! We were test subjects at a tick farm as well.

Unforgetable moments? Oh there are so many. The bug bites will certainly be on our minds for the near future. The smell of my hair the day after the campfire (I never knew hair could hold so much smoke scent!). My husband getting the nickname of "turtle killer" due to the fact he didn't see a small turtle in the road and accidentally ran it over (a sound I will never forget). My oldest son's first freshwater fish. It was certainly a priceless moment. My poor daughter recovering from her first encounter with a tick (after removing all of them from the clothes there was still one left on her back that needed to be carefully removed from her skin). My youngest son earning the nickname "skeeter" (they followed him everywhere!). But I guess what I will remember the most is really the whole trip. It was wonderful.

My Condolences.

One of my alltime favorite Christian singers is Steven Curtis Chapman. His music has blessed me for what seems like a lifetime. I was first introduced to his music at a youth camp called Centrifuge and the song The Great Adventure. Yesterday Steven and his family lost someone precious to them. Steven and Mary Beth's adopted daughter Maria has gone to be with the Lord. My heart ached when I heard the news. Please lift this family up in prayer. You can find their story here.

It's party time!!

This semester is officially over and I have managed to squeak out a 4.0 gpa! I am so excited. I have never had a 4.0 so this is a first for me. Okay I just thought I'd share that little bit of info. Enjoy your day. :D

Pull up a seat. It's gonna be a long one.

It has been a long time since I last posted something. For this I apologize. So if you are ready for a nice long read that may or may not bore the snot outta you, continue on.

As most of you know last July I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's. At the time my TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) was a little over 7. The range for normal is .3 to 3.0. My endocronologist told me our goal was to get it to 1.0 or slightly lower. Well as of this week we have completed that goal. I am now officially at .75. I am feeling better as far as this goes. I will be returning to this doc in 3 months to check and make sure I am still at or close to this number. I am so excited that I have reached this point. I am told it could take several months after you get to this point for your body to fully feel better and to notice some positive changes. I would think so! This poor body has taken almost a year to get here. Every couple months I would go in for a blood test, wait a day, get the results, and then be prescribed a higher dosage of Synthroid. So the fact I am at this goal is a relief for me.

I think I mentioned that back in February of this year I had been diagnosed with PCOS with Insulin Resistance. Well the first month on the medication (Metformin ER) I was so very nausous. Even the thought of food made my stomach churn. It has gotten better. I was told to follow an eating plan (South Beach phase 2) to help with the weight and that would help the meds do what they are supposed to do. Okay so I haven't been able to do that. I am currently experimenting with different foods to see what my body likes and dislikes. This can be an unpleasant thing. Some foods have you in the restroom within an hour or so. I try to do all my experimenting at home. Now I love salads. Absolutely love them. But I have found out that I can not eat the big ones like I used to. Too much roughage. I have also lost the ability to enjoy some of my faves like pizza, some pastas, and fast food. So it may be a while before I will be able to figure out all of the food stuff. I admit at first I tried it full force. All that did was discourage me and quite honestly made me mad. So this way I learn what my body likes. Every body is different.

In this journey with all of this I have also learned the importance of taking vitamins. When taking the Metformin, your body doesn't absorb enough b vitamins. This then makes me tired. So lately I have been feeling really tired. When it dawned on me the problem I started taking more vitamins. Not just b but all of them. This has started to make a difference. It is so important for all of us to make sure we get the right amount of vitamins and minerals every day.

School is finally over for the semester. Now I am just waiting for the instructors to grace me with the grades. I am confident I have made an A in all three classes. For the fall I have chosen chemistry and psychology. I hope they go as smoothly as these 3 have. I have found out that just because I used to stink at something doesn't mean I stink at it now. That being said, there is a reason why I didn't take chem in high school. I stunk at science type stuff. Ha! And here I am going to be a nurse. Yeah! That's a surprise to me too.

Okay now that you are almost asleep I will stop. I don't want to be responsible for any of you banging your heads cuz you're nodding off. I will do my best to post more often and hopefully not just about my medical woes.

Doing Better

Well the cold has officially been kicked. Finally! But at the same time I had started a new medication for the P.C.O.S. named Metformin. This stuff made me really nausous. Thankfully today I feel much better and the nausea seems to be gone. I am so glad that this seems to be helping me feel better.

School is still going good. Currently I am on spring break. Oh boy! For me this means I have a week to catch up on some studying and some research work. I remember spring break as a kid meant time to not worry about school and just have fun and sometimes a vacation if your parents so felt the urge. Well apparantly when you get older and go to school all that fun just goes out the window. Oh well. It is nice not having to go to class for a week.

Mountain Mama thank you for all your kind words. You have no idea what they truly mean. You are such a wonderfully sweet woman.

Yes I am still here.

So much time has gone by since I last posted. OOPS!

Well so far school is going pretty well. I am getting an A in my math class, a who knows what in my medical terminology class, and a guess what your grade is in my written communication class. The last two are kind of hard to figure since the instructors have given assignments and haven't really given a grade on some of it. So I plug along and do my best. I have learned my lesson though. I can only take 2 classes at a time. Three just seems to put too much stress on me.

Home life is okay. Somebody gave me a nasty cold and it is kicking my behind. I don't like to take cold medicine because it makes me drowsy and I am tired enough as it is.

Recently I was diagnosed with P.C.O.S. on top of already having Hashimoto's. I have been on a roller coaster ride trying to get all of my medications adjusted so that I can feel better. I have a good endocrinologist who is helping me with this. I was told to go eat a low carb diet. Well diet isn't the term I suppose I want to use. It is a way of eating for life. He suggested that I do South Beach phase 2. So there goes all of my yummy cookies, cakes, pastas, and a lot of other things that I have grown to enjoy eating. But for my health I will do it. One of the symptoms of these is being tired. Hence why I don't like to take cold medicine. How nice it will be when one day I can make it through the day without wanting to take a nap every 10 minutes. But I know God is in control so I don't worry. I just plug along.

Ahhh....plugging along. Anybody want a nasty cold? I am giving it away for free. Just kidding. I wouldn't wish this on anyone.

I cut back on work. I now only work on Saturdays. I couldn't hack 2 days of work, 2 days of actual classes, plus housework, homework, and taking care of my lovely family. It was just too much. Thankfully I have a wonderful boss and she completely understands.

Is it spring yet? Seriously I cannot wait for this winter to be over. I am so very sick and tired of it. I haven't bothered to clean my car in several months because I know the minute I do it will look the same way in a day or so. I don't know if I have said this before but winter is my least favorite season. I don't like the cold. So please spring, come quick!!!

And so a new chapter begins.

Today I start my first class. A little bit nervous but I am sure I'll be fine. I have 3 courses this semester. I have a college math course (have I said that I am terrible at higher levels of math and that I hate it?), a written communication class (can anyone say EASY!?), and medical terminology (which I think I will truly enjoy). The bad news is I am told I will have to take chemistry next because I didn't take it in high school. I don't look forward to this one. I don't know how long it is going to take to finish all courses in this nursing program. Thankfully I can take it at my own pace.