The Living Room:

After much research, looking at Home interior magazines, model homes and watching the trends on HGTV, I finally decided after almost 10 years to paint the fireplace. I painted the lower half (with the idea we could cover it with the whole mantel and front piece if we didn't like it); however, Mike and I loved the look. We then decided that the built in bookshelf needed to be painted also. The end result of this project created a more cohesive look for this wall that is broken up with too many elements.

Spring Break 2006

What is spring break suppose to be like?

Before the kids grew up and moved out to start their own families: Spring break was a great time to slow down and smell the roses. We didn’t have to get up really early to fix breakfast or rush around making sure their homework and lunches were in their backpacks before they were off to school. We stayed in our pj’s long after breakfast was over. There were trips to the zoo, the park, and a couple of times we even managed to go to San Antonio to Sea World, the Alamo and other typical places of interest. This was the week everyone stayed up a little later, and then regretted the morning school started back up. Spring break was a time to relax…that was then.

What is spring break like now?

Spring break is another expression for “back-braking-muscle-aching” work around the house. This is a time to squeeze in all of those unfinished projects that didn’t get finished the last time I was off from school. Spring break this year meant removing the carpet, the pad, and all of the baseboards; clean up from that mess to prepare for laying wood floors. Mike and I work really well together; he does the measuring, cutting, and the heavy work. I do the planning (design and time schedule/craking the whip), the detail jobs, the painting, and when necessary…help solve problems we encountered. We both ended up with sore muscles in places we forgot muscles existed. Mike took hot showers at the end of the day; I sat in the Jacuzzi with the hottest water I could stand and the valves opened wide to help beat away the soreness. I’m not a bath kind of person, which gives a hint as to how sore I was. I turned it into a spa-like occasion by lighting every candle on the ledge of the Jacuzzi and turning off the lights. If I weren’t so exhausted, I would have turned on some relaxation music…but, I was just too tired to listen to anything. After four long days of working we both said we needed to go back to school/work just to get a break and relax.

Now that it is all finished and we no longer groan when we move, we can sit back and fully appreciate the hard work of laying floors. Every room looks great!

Transferring to TWU

It’s official, I will be transferring to TWU in the fall. I applied for scholarships and received notice for one of them last week. This two-year scholarship will pay a little more than half of my tuition. I am hoping to receive notice for another scholarship from Phi Theta Kappa, the honor society I joined after my first semester. If I receive this one, it will cover the remainder of my tuition, pay for my books, gas, and parking fees and I may have something left over for lunch money. So, if you were to ask me if it was worth the time and effort I put into my studies, I’d have to say “Yes, finally my 4.0 GPA is paying off!”

Part of me is excited about transferring and the other part of me is hesitant to leave the comfort zone of the community college. I have had a wonderful experience these past two years meeting new friends and professors. This has been a period of growth, both spiritually and academically. I pray that I have planted many seeds of faith along the way and watered a few seeds. I’ll have to trust that others will come along to nurture the remainder. This is my mission field and I have enjoyed every moment of my time here.

Spring break starts next week. I’m looking forward to some time off, only I never really take time off from my studies. I plan to write my final paper for American Literature during the break. I’ve been working on it for the past few weeks and feel ready to take the time to focus on completing the paper. I really like this class, the student’s level of participation make it one of my most exciting classes thus far. It also helps to have a great professor to lead and prompt the discussions. This is my fourth semester with this professor and I’ll miss him the most. He pushed me to find my potential in all things related to Literature and consequently, influenced my decision to major in English.

So far, this is one of most enjoyable semesters even though I spend many hours reading, writing, and studying (especially my Spanish). I may even find more time to blog. Until then, hasta luego.

A Budding Artist

Spring is here early this year and it was a nice morning to get outside and enjoy it. Kayleigh is growing up so quickly, her vocabulary included. I’m glad she likes to be outside with me. I decided it was time to introduce her to sidewalk chalk. I showed her what to do with them and she understood the concept as “colors.” I drew yellow bananas, pink strawberries, and purple grapes. Kayleigh copied in an abstract way, but we knew what they were.

Mike and I quickly used our phone cameras and captured the artist in progress with her first masterpiece. Pollock may have left cigarette butts and pieces of his sandwiches in his art…but Kayleigh put herself onto her artwork, which means her art got all over her. Thankfully, her mama doesn’t mind when she gets dirty or in this case, chalky.

Christmas 2005
I just received the photos I took around Christmas- time and have to share a few. This is Kayleigh, our granddaughter (18 months today) who is such a blessing to us. Isn't she beautiful?

Do you want to know the secret to getting her hair into pigtails? I sit her on the bathroom counter and give her a toothbrush (with fruit flavored toothpaste) and let her brush her teeth while I quickly brush her hair and get bands around two pigtails. We all think it makes her look older than she really is, but none of us can resist how adorable she looks in them.

Kayleigh loves to read books, how could she not. It seems that everyone around her is reading a book, either to her or for themselves. She'll be one very well read child.

As her vocabulary has grown, she now enjoys reading to others and it's really cute to listen to her. Here she is reading to her Abba (Mike). She especially loves books with animals, The dog says "woof-woof" and the kitty cat says, "meow." She has a whole repertoire of animal sounds and is working on identifing body parts. All of this, plus she uses sign-language for her many wants and needs. Her favorite and most used sign is for more, which can also mean, want.

Kayleigh kept her great-Grandpa entertained on Christmas day as she read a book to him about Momo (Elmo). Grandpa was pretty impressed and proved you're never too old (he's 90) to learn something new, he didn't know who Elmo was until Kayleigh pointed him out.

As you can tell by reading this posting, we all think Kayleigh is pretty special. On occasion I just have to brag a bit about her. Besides, when I'm not in school, the only real thing of importance to blog about has to be about my granddaughter.

Two weeks to go…

Before I return to school for the spring semester. As of yesterday, I now have three of my four books needed for the new semester. This means I was able to get started on my reading. I like having a jump-start on the reading, as it is part of my time management skills. The biggest benefit is that it provides the time to learn something while I am in class rather than sitting there like a sponge that is just absorbing information.

The class I most look forward to is my American Literature class, especially after the semester break I had between literature classes. I was describing to Mike why I love literature and it has to do with the whole picture that evolves around literature, not just the authors and their writings. Literature is one of the means that puts history down on paper for others, like me, to read and relive the ideas of each era. However, I do not read only for the literal meaning of the words, I also read for the moral, allegorical, and anagogical meanings. I did not realize that I read this way, otherwise known as exegesis, until I started talking to one of the English Professors at school this past semester. It seems that I am always analyzing everything, which is what makes literature so interesting. There are more ways to read one piece of prose and this keeps it from ever becoming boring.

My Spanish class may be a challenge for me and I want to do well with it. Mike transferred a CD series onto my MP3 player. This allows me to listen and practice Spanish during the hour I walk each morning. I put the CD’s in my car to provide more opportunities to listen and practice. Since I need 18 hours of Spanish to earn a minor, more exposure to it will help me become more proficient. I have a feeling that once I become fluent in Spanish, I will want to learn another language as my passion for language is growing. It makes sense to learn Spanish while living in Texas, but I think there is a bigger purpose for learning multiple languages. What that bigger purpose is I do not know just yet. However, I want a certification for ESL (English as Second Language) and perhaps that is why I have been able to learn a few expressions in other languages so easily. Only God knows the bigger picture right now and all I can do is take the steps in the direction I feel led to go in.

The other class I have is History 1302 and I have started reading it. I like history, but it is harder to read without getting drowsy. I decided the best way to get through it is to set a timer and read as much as I can within an hour before I get up and tackle laundry or something that will keep me awake.

During these first two weeks off, I have accomplished everything on my first list and have started checking off projects from my second list. I may actually get to finish Kayleigh’s quilt before I return to school. This will be timely since she will be moving into a regular bed this year in time for the arrival of her new sibling. Michelle and Justin are expecting a new addition to their family sometime in August. I am always amazed by how much I get finished during my time off from school, but I look forward to my return.

Hope everyone is off to a blessed New Year, Hasta luego!

Christmas Break 2005

The last day for classes was on Wednesday 14th and I actually had to take two mandatory finals even though I had an A in both classes. The way I look at finals is with an attitude that it is just another test, cumulative maybe, but just another test. Grades were finally posted on Friday and I still have a 4.0 GPA. I am praying this will help me with scholarship money after I transfer to University. With one more year at the Community College (25 hrs) before I graduate with my Associate of Art’s degree, I finally finished filling out my application to transfer. I was putting it off until after I finished College Algebra, with my fingers crossed for an A. I did not want algebra spoiling my GPA on my transcripts and should not have worried about the grade. Anyway, I now have to start thinking about preparations for transferring, writing a few essays for scholarships, and whatever else I will need to do before I actually move to the next leg of this journey.

I did not plan on decorating my house or setting up the Christmas tree this year. This was a long semester and I was simply too exhausted to think about the time involved with dragging everything out and putting it up and then turning around in a couple of weeks and taking it all back down. However, we took Kayleigh to Six Flags Holiday in the Park last Friday and that revived my spirits and got me into the mood. So, I got the house ready for Christmas on Saturday and am glad I did, it looks great. I am used to making the most of my time because of my school schedule and am amazed by how much I get done while I am home during a break. I ended up baking holiday goodies and after covering the dining room table and filling up every Christmas platter and container, I had to call Mike to see if he would like to take a huge tray of assorted goodies into work. He sent a message today saying that everyone enjoyed the platter and asked for the recipes.

Between baking and cleaning, I have been sewing. My creative side finds itself on the back burner during the semesters I am in a math class. When I finally finish the class, I am overwhelmed with creative ideas and tend to go on overdrive with inspiration to create or decorate. Since I am not limited to sewing or baking, I have to force myself to go slowly, finish one idea at a time before I move on to another. The balance to all of the creativity going on is the need to organize, simplify, and clean. I think another word for this is, control. Yes, I still have control issues, but they are issues about me and not an issue of controlling others. In the middle of everything, I will have to force myself to rest and relax before I start the next semester.

It is good to have four weeks off between semesters this year. Thank you once again for your prayers; they make a difference as I continue to press on in my pursuit of education. I know that I found myself repeating, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” especially during this semester with college algebra. I am looking forward to what next year brings. Mike and I go camping during the New Year holiday as part of our spiritual retreat. I like to seek the Lord and listen to His message as He speaks to my spirit concerning the New Year. Hope everyone enjoys celebrating Christmas this year and looks forward to a blessed New Year.

Thanksgiving Day 2005

I had class everyday this week with a test on Monday and Tuesday. I now have two days off plus the weekend. You would think I was looking forward to four days with no school, but I have to study for a huge algebra test on Monday and write a paper that is due on Wednesday. Mike and I were sick most of last week and consequently we did not get much accomplished. I am tired this semester and am looking forward to the end of it, especially algebra. With my brother coming for four days, I decided last week that I was not going to host or cook a huge Thanksgiving meal. I love having my family gathered around the table; however, I have cooked the meal with all of the trimmings almost every time for twenty-eight years. The family will get together tomorrow evening after my brother’s plane gets in and we will have homemade turkey and noodles, but that is a doable task…tomorrow, not today.

In the past I would have felt guilty for not hosting the dinner, but being in school year round has changed some of my priorities and cooking big meals moved down several notches. The way I see it, this is a season, and it will not last for many more years. It amazes me every time I do something different from the norm, I realize the sun continues to set in the west and rise in the east. The other thing I noticed is how much pressure is lifted from me shoulders, I can breathe normally, and I get through my day without feeling stressed.

My house is spic and span clean, I did a couple loads of clothes, clipped the dog’s nails and got Mike to bathe him, made cookies, pralines, and put a turkey in the oven. Now, I can focus on doing my algebra review and hope that I retain this chapter on logarithms.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Thanksgiving Day filled with love and taking time out for relaxation.

Leaves Are Not as Messy...

As sand and pea-gravel, but Kayleigh seems to prefer them over leaves. Maybe she just needed someone to share the experience with her. Here you can see Kayleigh smiling after I sat in the pile of leaves and proceeded to tickle her with a leaf.

Friday and Saturday mornings are our time with Kayleigh. We love the overnight visit and Saturday morning tradition of pancakes, or waffles, or french toast, it does not make much difference to Kayleigh, she just loves to eat a big breakfast. Mike and I usually bike her home in what is referred to as her princess carriage (bike trailer for two). This has been the routine since the beginning of summer and we all love it.

Leaves are Falling

This past Saturday was a great “let’s make a memory” photo opportunity with a big pile of freshly fallen leaves and our granddaughter, Kayleigh. However, as you can see the “this is yucky” look on her face, Kayleigh did not think too much about sitting in the leaves. No matter, I managed to capture a fall scene that keeps my cell phone’s wallpaper updated as the seasons change.

Getting Closer to my Goal

I signed up for my spring classes today and will be taking my last History course, American Literature, and the first class of Spanish, plus the lab that goes with it (a total of 10 hours). After the spring semester, I will only need two science courses to be core complete before I transfer to the university. I could transfer next fall, but I decided to stay at the community college for one more semester. This will allow me to take the second level of Spanish and another Literature class, which will transfer toward my major.

My friend Monica and I plan to take the two sciences courses together during the summer semesters (both are five weeks long). She is originally from Costa Rica and the plan for the summer will be taking turns driving to school, studying together, being lab partners, and working on my Spanish while I teach her sign language. Monica wants to be a bi-lingual teacher for elementary aged children. I hope that she will be transferring to the same university as I am. While I will be getting my degree for 8-12 grades, we could have some of the same education classes. It would be great if we had the same schedule that would allow us to car-pool together. I enjoy the younger students, but it is nice to have other non-traditional students around to share ideas with and most importantly, be a support system for one another.

Having a degree plan has helped me pick the specific classes I need to take without taking classes that only count as electives. Once I finally decided to major in English and minor in education, my path became clearer. I have to take 12 hours in a foreign language, so if I take six more hours I can get a second minor in Spanish. This will make me more marketable after I graduate. I am also planning to be certified in English as a second language (ESL).

Having years of life experiences, as the non-traditional student I am, has greatly contributed toward my identity and the direction I am choosing for my career. However, I did not have the specific details until the second week of this semester (20 months into college).I do not know how an eighteen year old can possibly declare their major before spending at least two years in college. There is so much to learn in college and while I have progressed toward my goal, I have a way to go.

On a side note: I had an algebra test yesterday and what normally would take the whole 50 minutes to finish it in, I completed in 30 minutes. When I got to the fifth problem, I was thinking to myself that this test was just too easy, something must be wrong, am I overlooking something or maybe, just maybe I was getting it. I will report back after I get my grade and hope that my grade reflects the hours of work I have to put into it just to get it.

Something to do when I have a day off from school

Michelle put this list on her blog. You can learn a lot about a person from reading something like this. However, one must consider the questions or points that are being answered before taking it too seriously.


1. Five things I plan to do before I die:

• a. First get my Bachelor’s Degree, then my Master’s and then…PhD (only because I love school so much!)
  b. Spend some time in the UK discovering the historical places related to British Literature (my major)
  c. Take the motorhome and travel throughout the original thirteen colonies; again relative to British history
• d. Write a book, something deep and philosophical that will make an impact on those who read it e. Mentor a few more lives and influence them to serve the Lord with all their heart, soul, and mind
  f. Okay, this is six but I would love to take all of my grandkids on summer vacation for a week every year

2. Five things I can do:

• a. Analyze literature and write...”love it, and want to major in it one day”
• b. Lead and influence others
• c. Set and achieve goals
• d. Arts/crafts/sew-I have a wonderful imagination, mostly a blessing, sometimes a curse when I don’t have the time to create
• e. Give of myself: my time, talents, encouragement and on algebra test days-bake for my classmates, it raises our test scores

3. Five things I cannot do:

• a. Tolerate injustice
• b. Crochet-that is why I haven’t asked for my crochet stuff Michelle, you have the patience for this
• c. Sing in a choir
• d. Sit down and have math just come to me, I have to work at it
• e. Fix others, wish I could but only God can do this

4. Five things that attract me to the opposite sex:

• a. Stability-sound reasoning, not easily swayed, dependable
• b. Responsibility-is accountable for his word and actions
• c. Confidence-in himself and in the Lord
• d. Gentleness-strong leader, but uses gentle words and actions, builds up others instead of crushing the spirite.
• e. Courteous- as in a “Gentlemen’s behavior”

5. Five things I say most often:

• a. “This is college” as in, “grow up and take responsibility for your own learning.”
• b. “Good job!” often spoken as an encouragement to students, professors and especially to Kayleigh for just about anything.
• c. “I think I can, I think I can” said the little red engine when it comes to algebra (my version).
  d. “Stand fast and don’t be moved.”
• e. “I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me.” again, another reference used to help get through algebra.

6. Five celebrity crushes:

• a. Orlando Bloom-forget the fact that he is the same age as Justin, he is just nice to look at and there is his accent.
• b. Sean Connery-he just gets better looking as he gets older and the accent…well, he could do all the talking, I’ll listen.
• c. Gerard Butler-who could resist him as the “Phantom of the Opera” or “Attila the Hun” and then there is his Scottish accent.
• d. Hugh Jackman-especially in Kate and Leopold. This guy is talented, he can sing, dance and is nice to look at, don’t forget his accent.
  e. Joel Osteen, not a crush in the traditional sense, I just think he is a wonderful example of what a man of God is all about

7. Five people I want to do this:

• a. Kendra
• b. Elizabeth
  c. Cori
  d. Dawn
  e. Sallie

Hitting the Wall

Everyone hits the wall at some time or another, especially when taking algebra. I hit the wall a week ago after I received my first test grade. However, the circumstances that brought the tears did not have as much to do with the grade, as it did with a comment another student made about it. Let me explain. I have to work at math, but I eventually get it and I studied hard for this test. With a class of 35 students, there were 4-A’s, 2-B’s, 4-C’s, 6-D’s and 19-F’s. I received a B. I’m not satisfied with the B and will continue to work hard to strive for an A. I understand that a B is a good grade, and I will work at accepting this idea. What I am not okay with is the reaction I experienced as the result of the comment. Basically, she said she could not believe I got it and I should not let any of the other students see it because they would be disappointed in me since they all look up to me. I know that she did not intend for this comment to hurt, but it did. What her words really did was to remind me that I have not finished climbing over a particular wall, or as I would call it, a mountain of emotional damage my parents created. What I really heard, “you are not good enough unless you are perfect.”

What I have learned during the past 18 months of college is the more I have learned the little I truly know. I am not perfect, and while I would love to be, I cannot achieve this while in my carnal state. In my heart, I know that being less than perfect is okay, God accepts me just as I am, my husband accepts me, my close friends accept me and the list goes on. Why is it that my parents cannot accept me? I do not have the answer to that question, though I have plenty of suppositions. What I do know today, concerning this encounter with my wall, is realizing I had to lay another issue on God’s alter as a burnt offering. We are constantly dieing to self and once we recognized an area that God does not intend for us to carry around, we experience a death of sorts. With death, comes grieving. I am in this process of grieving. I am working through this and can get close to talking about the issue without crying; however, I do not trust my emotions just yet to talk about it with just anyone. I believe the next step in this process is to take what I know in my heart and transfer that understanding to my head.

I cannot reiterate enough when talking to others, especially for those who work with children, please be aware that your words are as life and death. Physical abuse is much easier to heal from, but emotional abuse can take years to heal. It is hard to erase the old recordings and replace them with new, so I decided to burn the old information and just replace it will brand new information. It has taken this experience to fully understand that I am worth something more than what I know, what I can do, what I have to offer and any number of ways to be identified with. I choose to identify myself with Christ, and through Him, I am complete.

28th Wedding Anniversary

I’ve spent the past two days getting the motorhome ready on the inside (my job), creating a menu for the week, doing the grocery shopping and packing the things we need to enjoy our time in the Hill Country of Texas. Mike and I both need this vacation and it won’t matter if it is suppose to be hot. We like to get up early, before it gets really hot, eat some breakfast and then ride or hike through the country for a couple of hours. The area we are going to is known for some waterfalls and there has been enough rain lately to keep the river full, so maybe we’ll play in the water some. When it gets really hot we stay inside with the air conditioner, take naps, read and play games. We don’t go back outside until later in the evening when the temperatures cool down. Camping is our way to retreat from the fast paced lives we live. It forces us to slow down, relax and just spend some uninterrupted time together. What a great opportunity to spend time together celebrating our anniversary.

Wednesday the 24th will be our 28th wedding anniversary. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that we have shared our lives together for so long and at other times it seems like it was only yesterday when we got married. I love being married so much that I used to say that if something were to happen to Mike, I knew I would want to remarry. I said that when our sons were still living at home. Now, after being married for so long with both sons married, I don’t know if I would want to start all over again and remarry. I tease Mike about it and say that it’s because I have him so well trained that I just wouldn’t want to put the work into training another man. And then again I think it’s because I know how picky I am with all of my quirks and all (I admit that I’m high-maintenance). But, I really think it’s because our marriage is so wonderfully balanced, we really do bring the best out in one another, and so I can’t imagine it ever being duplicated. I’m just going to continue to dedicate our marriage and lives to the Lord, trusting Him to give us many more years together.

It may be a couple of weeks before I have a chance to write again. We get home on Friday and will jump back into the frantic pace of busyness as we clean out the motorhome and prepare it to be shut up for the next few months. Then on Saturday I have an orientation to attend with the professor I will be assisting this semester. By Monday, it will be back to “fastening our seatbelts and here we go” as it will be the start of my fall semester…with college algebra as the class that gives me anxiety but I know I can do it and even enjoy the subject. I think I mentioned in the last posting that I will be taking my books with me on vacation to get as far ahead on all of the reading as I can and then do the review for algebra.

Hope everyone has enjoyed their summer and is ready for the change in the season as we all get back into a new school year. This will be the semester when I should know if Biology is still my passion. I’ll keep you posted.

Summer Break

Finally, I get the next 17 days off for my summer break! It doesn’t seem like I have had any summer this year with the non-stop classes I have taken since January. While I’m looking forward to some time off, I really enjoy being in school. The benefit of year-round schooling is the relationship I have built with professors, students and the college staff. Of course the other benefit is staying on top of the learning process. It has been three months since I finished my last class of algebra and I already feel that I have lost all of the information, so I’ll pull out my old book and start reviewing over these next couple of weeks. But, not this week…I’m going to force myself to take a break from school related studies and just read for pleasure.

I’ve been reading the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (my mental diversion from school books). The movie is due to come out in December and I wanted to read it before I see it. Everything I have read about the movie leads me to believe that Disney is going to stay true to the spirit of the original book. I hope the movie is as successful as The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. If I get the opportunity to take a semester about C. S. Lewis, I’d do it in a heartbeat. I’m not sure if the University I’m transferring to will have that on their schedule and then I’m not sure how that would work with my biology degree, but I’d try to work it in. I think Lewis is interesting and has a wonderful testimony as can be read through out his career.

I am now officially a sophomore in College with a 4.0. I will have to carry 13 hours for my next two semesters and then take one class during the summer before I transfer next fall ’06. I thought I was going to be in community college for a lot longer than most, but it helped to go year round so that it will only be one full semester longer than two years since I started. When I consider this includes 12 hrs. of developmental studies, I have mixed emotions about it. One, if I didn’t have to take those classes I would be ready to transfer in the spring. On the other hand, taking those classes really helped me transition back into school and I have learned some valuable lessons about myself in the process. I remind myself on occasion that I’m not in a race to finish college, not when I have waited this long to get here. It must be the typical first born syndrome, always doing everything faster and better (some things) and just being first. I simply compete with myself. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not, at least I’m not competing against other students, siblings or anyone else. I use to fight this tendency, but have come to embrace the fact that God created me this way for a specific purpose. Maybe I’ll get to be involved in some newsworthy science related discovery.

Earlier this summer, I came across some information about Intelligent Design and didn’t know what it was about so I did quite a bit of research. Now, it’s everywhere in the news. Anyway, the more I have read about it and other science related information, the more I get a butterfly feeling of excitement about it all. I hope that by the time I have my teaching certificate, I’ll be one of the first to introduce ID into the school curriculum. In the meantime, I have created a folder on my computer to file away as much information as I can that is relevant to ID. I’m also printing off some information to keep in my science folder for school. You know, to have “both barrels loaded and cocked” kind of information just in case I need to take a stand against the typical, “we’ve evolved from the slimy pit” blinded type of information.

I have errands to run today, without time limits because of classes. I may just stop by the mall and do a little pleasure shopping for a change. ;-)

Everyone Can't Be in Your Front Row

Being in college has its own challenges, not just learning the academia stuff, but also dealing with people. Thus far, I have only had a few unpleasant encounters with a couple of Professors and a couple of students. However, the empowering part of being a non-traditional student is when I know that I don’t have to give those people a ticket into my theatre of life. On the other hand, there are those two or three family members to deal with and the question has always been, “what to do with them?”

One of my best friends sent me a message that helped to answer this question. I’m sharing it with you in hopes that if you are standing at the ticket counter and you don’t know what to do with the different people in your life, maybe this example will help you.

Everyone Can’t Be in Your Front Row

Life is a theatre - invite your audience carefully. Not everyone is holy enough and healthy enough to have a front row seat in our lives. There are some people in your life that need to be loved from a distance. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you let go, or at least minimize your time with draining, negative, incompatible, not-going-anywhere relationships, friendships, fellowships!

Observe the relationships around you. Pay attention to: Which ones lift and which ones lean? Which ones encourage and which ones discourage? Which ones are on a path of growth up hill and which ones are going down hill? When you leave certain people, do you feel better or feel worse? Which ones always have drama or don't really understand, know and appreciate you and the gift that lies within you?

The more you seek God and the things of God -- the more You seek quality, the more you seek not just the hand of God but the face of God, the more you seek things honorable -- the more you seek growth, peace of mind, love and truth around you, the easier it will become for you to decide who gets to sit in the FRONT ROW and who should be moved to the balcony of your life. You cannot change the people around you...but you can change the people you are around!Ask God for wisdom and discernment and choose wisely the people who sit in the front row of your life.

Where are Your Clothes From?

I have been challenged to learn some 200 countries, including how to spell each one. Have you thought about where your clothes come from? The t-shirt I’m wearing today is from Turkmenistan and my shorts are from Qatar. I haven’t really thought about it before until I started taking my latest class.

I’m taking a Cultural Diversity class and loving it. We are learning about people, places, culture and so much more. So far, we have gone to a foreign movie (I went to a French movie) and write a review. This next week’s assignment is to eat at an ethnic restaurant and write another review. However, you can tell that I’m a teacher when I think in themes and decided to eat at a French restaurant before watching the French movie (plus, it took care of the two assignments in one afternoon). The food was great, but my body just can’t digest the richness of too much cream and butter. I enjoyed the movie and thought it easy to follow without reading the subtitles for the most part. But, I’ve always liked foreign movies and will rent them to watch at home. Mike doesn’t particularly enjoy them, too much work to read the subtitles and follow the movie, but he is slowing learning to enjoy them. Next week we will be going to three museums and then write reviews for them. Teaching outside of the “box” (classroom) is education that is easier to apply as knowledge. I’d love to travel to the different countries, but Mike doesn’t like to travel that much and forget about another country. Maybe, some day…

Sometimes, I feel that I’m being prepared to experience more cultural diversity outside of college. Ever since I have been in college I have been keeping a list of expressions in other languages. Being a tutor puts me in contact with a lot of foreign students who love to be asked questions about their own country. I’m always asking how to say friend in their languages. Anyway, one student from Korea needed my help for his English class and he volunteered an expression not on my original list, “I love you.” I wasn’t really paying attention to his body language when he said this, but the other tutors I work with caught on and told me that he was flirting. So far, I have learned about a dozen different languages and how to say, “I love you” and “friend.” I think I need to start getting a standard greeting and good-bye added to my list. I’m amazed how easy it is to pick up the languages, but most importantly, the correct pronunciations. I have taken sign language classes outside of school, taught it to my Kindergarten students and now to my year old granddaughter. I found out that I will get to take it as my second language when I transfer to the University. Once I get that out of the way, I think it would be fun to learn one or two more languages.

I’m glad Cultural Diversity is a required course. I think everyone should experience this kind of exposure to other cultures as a way to stretch one’s tolerance and appreciation for others and even our own culture and uniqueness.

Grandchildren are a Blessing!

Atley (2), Kayleigh (1), and Samuel (4). Atley and Samuel belong to Jason and Charlotte. Kayleigh belongs to Justin and Michelle.


Friday was an eventful day all around. My eldest son, Jason had some local business to take care of. Since his wife is out of the country, he brought both of his sons and stayed for the afternoon and early evening. My younger son Justin, his wife Michelle and daughter Kayleigh came over to help all of us celebrate my father-in-law’s 90th birthday. This was the first time I had all three grandchildren (4 years old and under) in my home at one time. Needless to say, Mike and I went to bed early that night, exhausted.

There are circumstances that I won’t get into concerning Jason’s wife and us, but the sad part of it is how it limits our opportunities to see the boys. However, Jason is beginning to realize that the decisions they have made affect more than them and us, it affects their children too. I can only continue to put it before the Lord and pray that in His perfect timing, the situation will change significantly so that we can all spend time together outside of special occasions.

Our plans have always been to take the grandchildren camping each year. This will allow the cousins to spend time together, give their parents a break while they spend some grown-up time together and to build our relationship with each grandchild. Perhaps, next year everything will work together for good and we will be able to begin a new tradition with all three grandchildren.

A Visit to the Universities

Now that I have my visits to the two Universities completed, let me tell you about it. I’m a mommy with grown kids, but I was wishing I had a mommy to hold my hand as I went through the tours. It was kind of weird to see all of the parents at both Universities, walking with their kids, helping to carry the bag of “stuff” everyone gets and just being there to support their child. The wish passed as I soaked up everything about being at one of the Universities. I asked lots of questions, took mental notes about everything at each place and most importantly, I listened to the inner voice (the Holy Spirit).

My first visit was a week ago, at Texas Women’s University. The grounds are beautiful, the buildings are old and stately and the different buildings are within easy walking distance (no need to run to the next class). I had been planning on this University all along, so I kind of had a biased expectation before I went. Several of my dear friends and Professors graduated from TWU. However, from the time I arrived in the parking lot, it just didn’t feel right. I know we aren’t supposed to go by feelings, but…I kept having this feeling that I wasn’t suppose to be there. I could have pushed those feelings aside and make my decision to attend there, up until I talked to the College of Education. The two advisors that spoke to me didn’t break the doubts I was already having. Unfortunately, they argued about several points concerning transfers students and what would be the best route for me to go. What really topped it off was their bashing community college. One advisor actually displayed anger about the differences between community college and a four year college. She went on to say how she wished she could talk to students before they take classes at a community college and on and on both of them went. I left that University exhausted, but with a sense of having a door closed. After this visit, I was looking forward to my next week at University of North Texas.

Everything about UNT was exciting, and it started before I got there. One can not ignore signs and wonders as different doors were being opened along the way. Through one of my Professors, I was given a name almost every day prior to my visit. My part in all of this was to contact each Professor at UNT to set up an appointment. I was able to talk to four different departments, each one leading me along the path of enlightenment where college is concerned. I never thought it would be so confusing to transfer, but there are so many different avenues to consider. Anyway, I came home exhausted, yet feeling exhilarated by the whole experience.

Now I have a clearer picture of the next steps I need to take before I even transfer. Understanding the degree plan helped more than I realized which has given me a sense of peace concerning my last two semesters at my community college. So, come July 18th I will be signing up for my Fall semester knowing that I am well on my way to fulfilling the core curriculum for both places as well as getting the curriculum needed to satisfy the Arts and Science degree plan.

I’m still exhausted from all of the walking around; UNT isn’t compact in its layout and consequently, I got a lot of walking in. I think a nap is in order today.

Accelerated Classes, Accelerated Learning

Okay, so at first I thought an eleven day course was really accelerated and I wasn’t sure if I could do it, but I did and loved it (200 pts out of 210 pts). However, now I am experiencing something new as a result of the mini-mester class. I’m taking a summer class, which is four full weeks long…but it is going way too slow. I finished the first week’s reading assignment and homework (covered 3 very long chapters of National Government) all on the first day of class. We didn’t get the homework assignment until the fourth day of class for the next three chapters, so I didn’t get that finished until that evening. I will be finished with all fourteen chapters by the end of this week. I’m going to ask if I can get the homework assignments in advance so that I can get those finished. I actually think I could have taken this course during a two week time period. The question everyone has asked me about short, intense courses have to do with how much of the information can one retain? I’m surprised myself by how much I have learned and am retaining. I’ll probably forget specific details such as percentages or exact dates, but over all I can recall information and put it into context relevant to what I am sharing.

So, with this accelerated learning ability I seem to be experiencing I signed up to take two classes for the second summer session. I’ll be taking State Government and Cultural Diversity. They both require a lot of reading and memorization. I figured that if I can do what I’ve been doing and still keep my 4.0 GPA, then the quicker I get through college the sooner I will be teaching (my goal: before I’m 50!). Although, I can understand how easy it would be to become a lifelong student and just keep taking more classes to learn more and to discover where my limitations are. I love being in college!

With a little more understanding of me, I am embracing myself and what I am capable of after the mini-mester and now this summer course. I thought I wouldn’t be able to carry more than 10-12 hours of classes, tutor 12 hours per week, maintain my home and yard and do any of the other things we all do on a regular basis. However, I know that God has gifted me with so much more than I ever imagined possible for myself. I have to think that the timing of this understanding is perfect after I took a look at two different degree plans that I am interested in.

I made an appointment for this month to visit with an advisor at one of the two Universities near by. I’ll make the appointment for the other University after I talk to the first one. I have been taking classes at the community college so that I will be core complete when I transfer, so I’m on track… for the most part. What I didn’t realize, and no one has mentioned to me, that there are specific classes that I really need to be taking before I transfer. If I want to get my degree for English, I need to add 12 hours of foreign language. If, on the other hand I want to get my degree in Biology, I need to add 8 hours of chemistry, 8 hours of physics and 3 hours of trigonometry. Part of me says that the easier, more enjoyable way would be the English degree. The other part of me that loves a challenge says to go for the Biology degree even if it takes another semester before I transfer. I was stressing over this all week, but that doesn’t do me any good, so I am releasing it to the Lord. I know that He has a perfect plan for me and I may not know exactly what it is until it’s time to sign up for the classes.

I’ll let you know what I find out after I talk to the advisors. If you have any advice or suggestions, it will be much appreciated. In the meantime, I’m going to read the next chapter for Government before I review the first six for Thursday’s mid-term test.