The countdown is on!

Nicole leaves on Monday morning so we are cramming as much time as possible into these last few days! Tonight the kids & I went to her house and took her out for ice cream! That led to this great photo opp of her with all 6 of her siblings... a never before photographed occurrence!

Speaking of our trip for ice cream, have I mentioned that my window in my car has been stuck down since Monday? I know I mentioned the tropical weather. Combine those two things and it makes for a VERY wet ride! :( I hope the weather settles down this weekend otherwise I think my car might flood!

Took 2 midterms and turned in a midterm project today. It probably wasnt my best work but I have been so short for time lately. This balancing act of being a Mommy and a student is hard work! ;)

Now that I am off for the next few days, I am going to try to get caught up on my summer reading (maybe even some of the trashy tabloids Auntie Barbara passes on to me), work on my tan and maybe even try a new CS3 tutorial... just for fun! Yeah, yeah, I know... I am out of control! LOL

Have a safe and fabulous Independence Day weekend!

Wild weather.....

The weather here in NH has been very tropical lately. Each afternoon (and sometimes at night, too) we have had major thunderstorms with lots of lightening and wind- one local town even had a tornado warning yesterday! There was a warning issued for our country just before 2pm today. As the kids and I closed the windows and such, I said to the boys "If you hear a train, you will know it's a tornado coming!" We came back in the house and checked the doppler radar and out of nowhere Dane asked "Mom, do you think a tornado could really pick up a train?" LMAO Out of the mouths of babes.

This weekend was a total whirlwind of activities! The boys received their trophies at Big Field Day on Saturday. The day was overcast an a little gloomy, but the kids had fun anyway.


[Note how funny Joy's face is... she didn't want to swallow her shot!]

Sunday was Nicole's big party which went very well! I took nearly 200 pictures! The photos books I did for Scott & Joy (from Nicole) and for Nicole herself were a huge hit! Everyone enjoyed looking through all the old photos I was disappointed in the quality of the books, but it was really about the sentiment more than anything.

Monday morning came way too early, but somehow I managed to drag my butt out of bed and head into Boston with Jen. The CS3 InDesign seminar was fabulous! I had never opened the program before but knew I would be taking a class next semester so why not get a good jump start? Terry White did a fabulous job. He was funny but more importantly knowledgeable and easy to follow. The class wrapped up around 5pm and we would have been on our way from there... if we had been able to find the car! For nearly an hour, we walked the parking garage asking if there were more green spaces and where the yellow was located. We too elevators up and then back down. It was a foasco but we did finally get out safely!

And to answer Pam's question about my curly hair: I heard once that our bodies change every 7 years (new allergies develop, old ones go away, etc). I realized that I will be 35 this year so either my body is changing (and curling my hair) or maybe it's just all the humidity with these summer storms. In either case, I just dont have the enegy to fight it! LOL

We've come a long way, baby!

I remember meeting Joy for the first time in the Spring of 1994. Scott and I had been together for under a year and I was sitting on the swing set in his parent's yard when she came to pick up Nicole one afternoon. I was pregnant with Megan and Joy gave me one nasty look... maybe she didn't... maybe I just expected she would...who knows? I was convinced I hated her before I even met her. I didn't bother to give her a chance and I am not sure she was looking for a new friend either. After all, if she divorced the man I was convinced was the one for me, then we certainly couldn't have anything in common. Or so I thought.

Over the past 14 years, I discovered that all the things I thought I hated about her were the very things that made us most alike! She is edgy and strong and outspoken... just like me. There were various points along the way where we talked but there was always an undercurrent of distrust and dislike... and sometimes even pure hatred and animosity. Then one night in December 2006 I went to Nicole's house to take pictures before her dance, I finally saw the "real" Joy for the first time. Whether it was that she actually showed her genuine self or I was finally open enough to see it, there she was... someone just like me with an undying love and protectiveness for her children. Suddenly everything came into focus and I realized every choice she had made as a parent was not as selfish as I had once thought. She did everything out of love. The wonderful person that Nicole has become is proof of that fact.

Over the past year and a half, we have seen each other a few times and have gotten to know each other better as friends on MySpace. I dreamed for years about this time in our lives, the time when Nicole would be grown and we wouldn't have to "deal" with Joy anymore. How odd to arrive here and realize that Joy is truly someone I would be proud to call my friend. I hope we do stay in touch and not just because we share a love for the same beautiful girl but because I actually ENJOY her... she is hilarious and kind and a fabulous mother (of whom I plan to take lessons from so I can get through the next few years with my girls, lol).

So despite the fact it freaks Scott out, I am officially & proudly proclaiming Joy my friend! :)

Oh my goodness....

I am feeling the stress today! I have been scanning like a mad woman for HOURS on end for a special project I am working on. I need to wrap it up for this weekend!

Tomorrow is Big Field Day, Sunday is Nicole's Graduation party and Monday is the CS3 InDesign class in Boston! I have 2 mid-term projects due next week and 2 midterm exams to study for! So, what the heck am I doing blogging? I guess I felt I better get some updates on here.

1. Victoria did pass all of her classes and is officially a sophomore!
2. Gary has been returned to his rightful owner and my cats seem calmer already!
3. Megan attended her first Girl Scout event with her new troop and had a great time.
4. We were approved for Healthy Kids Silver and the kids finally have appointments scheduled for August! Yeah!

That's all the news fit to print!

School is out!

Megan, Dane and Dylan had a half day today and now they are out for the summer! Let that whole new adventure begin!

I was really impressed with all of their report cards... They all raised their grades in more than one subject and did their very best! :) They all seem happy with their teachers for next year, so all is calm on the school front for now.

We are still waiting for Victoria's final grades to post! So far she has a B- for Science which is fantastic! My fingers are crossed we will soon be calling her a sophomore!

Dane and Dylan had their last regular season game tonight and ended on a real high with a win against one of the Auburn teams! Dane had a great hit that went nearly to the fence!

Speaking of baseball, Dane also got the call last night that he was picked for the All-Star team, so let the season continue! Woohoo! :)

I am just about half way through the summer semester at school myself. I can't believe how quickly time is going by! I dont want to wish this semester over, though, because it will mean the summer is over. :(

It's after 10pm already and I haven't been sleeping well so I am going to hit the hay! Have a great night!

Congratulations, Nicole!

Nicole's graduation on Friday was perfect in every way! The sun was shining and she looked beautiful as she experienced this important rite of passage! :)

Saturday we started the day with a loss for Dane and Dylan's team. We then headed over to the Lorenz's for a BBQ. We left there about 9pm and I got the great idea that Megan could watch her brothers and I could meet up with Jen & Tammy at the Yee! Scott met us after work, too, and was kind enough to drive me home. :)

As a result of Saturday night's capers, yesterday was a quiet day. Nicole and Mike stopped by for Father's Day and Jen and Shayna ended up coming over at night, too! The rain kept us inside rather than in the yard.

I headed back to class today after a nice 4 day break. Tonight was the Auburn Dollars for Scholars Award Night. I was really nervous to go up and receive my award as I felt a little dorky being the only adult, but money is money and I am grateful for the help. :)

Steve is bringing his cat, Gary, over tonight and we will be cat-sitting for the next week or so. That should be an adventure with Macaroni & Alfredo! LOL

I was shocked to learn of Tim Russert's death last week. I remember him so clearly from the election in 2000. I stayed up all night waiting for them to call Florida and his face smiled throughout the entire night and next few months as the term "hanging chads" worked it's way into our vocabulary. My thoughts are with his friends and family at this incredibly difficult. This is truly a loss for all Americans.

Exchange City was fabulous!

Exchange City was probably the single BEST field trip any of my children have ever attended in the combined 24 years of schooling they have received! The program began with a curriculum of 30 hours in school leading up to the field trip today. They will have 10 hours of follow up. The program today was fantastic in every detail! Each "shop" was well put together and the staff was extremely helpful in keeping the kids on schedule. I was a bit nervous about my group going into the event (and of course disappointed that I wasnt working in the same shop as my own daughter which was my real reason for volunteering) but they really did a great job and came together well! :) I hope this is a program that my boys will be able to attend in upcoming years!

Tonight we attended the last event for Dylan's Cub Scout troop before they go on to become Weblos! They earned their Whittling Chip Card! Yep, that right there is a picture of my boy using his Dad's knife to whittle the end of a stick for roasting hot dogs! I was a bit nervous but he did great! :)

We are gearing up for a super busy weekend... in addition to the planned events we have two BBQ invites so far! Maybe we should make it a goal to see how many we can hit in one weekend! LOL Anyone else having a BBQ we should stop in at?

The Little Prince

People have stars, but they aren't the same. For travelers, the stars are guides. For other people, they're nothing but tiny lights. And for still others, for scholars, they're problems. For my businessman, they were gold. But all those stars are silent stars. You, though, you'll have stars like nobody else."
"What do you mean?"

"When you look up at the sky at night, since I'll be living on one of them, since I'll be laughing on one of them, for you, it'll be as if all the stars are laughing. You'll have stars that can laugh!"

And he laughed again.

"And when you're consoled (everyone is eventually consoled), you'll be glad you've known me. You'll always be my friend. You'll feel like laughing with me. And you'll open your windows sometimes just for the fun of it... And your friends will be amazed to see you laughing while you're looking up at the sky. Then you'll tell them, 'Yes, it's the stars. They always make me laugh!"

Did you know The Little Prince is the third most printed book behind only the Bible and Gone With the Wind? Certainly I can see the merit in the words, but watching it in claymation is trippy and watching it with Tammy is HYSTERICAL! Just wanted to say that! Good night! :)

The days go by...

This week has been flying by and of course we have been melting every day! I am too cheap to turn on the AC except for a short time at bedtime, but thankfully Scott did get the pool open on Sunday so at least the kids can cool off in there!

Sunday night Scott suggested we go to dinner. On the way to the Pasta Loft, we picked up Victoria. Nicole and Mike had dinner but decided to meet us for dessert. This rare picture of all of us makes the whole bill worthwhile!


I am done classes for the week today because I am chaperoning Megan's field trip tomorrow! Friday I will be attending Dane's DARE Graduation and then Nicole's high school graduation. Someone should remind me to pack tissues because I know I will be crying tears of pride.

Shower time.... have a great one!

Strep

Dane got up this morning and was still having trouble swallowing. I knew it had to be strep so I sucked up the fact we dont have insurance and called the doctor to book an $80 appointment. We took him for 9:30am. By 9:36am we were done and walking out... it *is* in fact strep. YUCK!

Sherri called this morning and invited us over for an impromptu BBQ so after the boy's game we will be heading obver there to enjoy this 90 degree day. :)

And to answer the comments from my last post, the drink in my hand was a Lemon Drop made very large which I will call "Jen style" since she was drinking them with me! I laugh just thinking about that day... especially the 2 of us siting in the middle of the parking lot at the grocery store because Melissa wouldn't stop and pick us up! Bahahahaha Good times!

Friday Night Boredom

Oh my gosh, I am SO bored today! Dane was sick and stayed home from school which threw off my entire day! We sat here and did basically NOTHING! Ugh! He says he is feeling a little better tonight which I hope is true because his tonsils were almost touching earlier today!

This week was a great week! The work volume at school was low and I blew off a class on Weds (shhhhhh, dont tell). I planned to stay home and clean but then Jen called and asked me out to lunch with her and Tammy and well, I just couldnt say no! We had an awesome time... they always make me laugh so much! :)

Dane and Dylan have another game tomorrow and Megan is off to Girl Scout camp for the weekend! Should be a good day!

Not a nerd!

I wasn't really missing...

...although Scott might have thought so... Saturday I went to drop Dylan off at a friend's house at 4pm. I walked him to the door and Mary Ann invited me in for a glass of wine. I accepted and didn't end up leaving until 11pm. I had left my purse in the car since I only planned to walk Dylan in so I missed Scott's customary "after work call". He was freaked out and called Jen and scared the crap out of her too. When I did finally got to the car, I had missed like 9 calls and 7 text messages. Ooops!

Mary Ann & Bill invited us back the next day because they were having Mrs. B and a few friends over for a BBQ. Mrs. B is probably the most infamous teacher at AVS. Dane had her when he was in third grade and Dylan has her now. She is an absolutely fabulous teacher! She has been out the past few weeks recovering from surgery so the boys were super excited to see her!


Monday the boys had another baseball game that ended in the 4th inning. They won 13-1! They have both made great strides this season although Dane says he likes lacrosse so much now that he may play that instead next Spring. Yeah right! ;)

I am in week 3 of 14 at school. Things are coming along nicely. I gave a speech about myself in Oral Communications today. Of course I was nervous (who really likes public speaking?) but I think I did okay. It was interesting because the younger students were worried their presentations would be "boring" after all the things us "oldies" had to talk about. And to think *I* was worried that they would think I was boring because I am so old and out of touch! LOL

Well, I need to go change the laundry over so we have some clothes for tomorrow! Have a great night!

Bragging!

Yep, I am bragging today! It's only 1pm and what a great day it has been already!

First of all, when I got to the boy's game... mind you, only 15 minutes late... Dane had already hit an in the park HOMERUN! Then, in the 4th inning, his coach put him in to PITCH! He didn't allow any runs and he even struck out 2 batters! They ended up winning 13 to 1! Woohoo!

Then I came home and started on my homework. I heard the mail truck pull up so I went to grab the mail... I got a letter that I was awarded a $600 scholarship from Auburn Dollars for Scholars! WOOHOO! I am VERY excited to receive my first scholarship! I know it's not a ton but it's money I don't have to pay back and I am just tickled pink! :)

I have done all my homework except for the Typography project! The thing is just driving me nuts and I have a total mental block. I am forcing myself to close this post, open Illustrator and get to work! :) Have a great day!

Some random food thoughts

I was talking with one of my professors this week about my disdain for cooking or in any way preparing food and as I retold the story to Scott I realized that in good part I hate cooking because my grandmother taught me to be a fast eater. I know that sounds crazy but hear me through. My grandmother used to tell me she ate quickly because she worked in a shoe factory and when the 12 o'clock whistle blew (which is still does in Derry each day) she had 30 mins to walk home, eat lunch and walk back. I would always keep pace with her as we ate and she told me stories about what it was like to grow up with 8 siblings and how it was to raise my Mom. So now, it is clear that I dont like to cook because I hate taking longer to MAKE food than to eat it!

So, this does leave me with a few unanswered questions... was there no lunch room at the shoe factory? Why waste all that time walking? Furthermore, was it up hill both ways? And was it snowing (even in the summer)?

That, folks, is what's on my mind today!

Clothes make the man!

I have been so busy blogging about real life lately I have forgotten how to post about nothing and everything all at once. So, today, I bring you a Random Quote For Today! The catch is, you never know what day they will appear so dont mark this event on your calendar or anything!

Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society. Mark Twain

I am also happy to report that Scott went to work yesterday and DID NOT GET FIRED! Woohoo! I had been really stressing about that since he got fired the day after Memorial Day TWO YEARS IN A ROW! Maybe we have finally broken the run of bad luck we have been having! :)

Dane's band concert was tonight and he did a great job! It's kind of hard to hide when you play the trumpet.

I am considering heading to Boston for this In Design CS3 training course. Anyone up for a road trip?

Catchin' Up

I had an absolute BLAST Saturday night! ;) Jen, Tammy, Dave & I went to the Yee in Manchester for some drinks [Ketel One for me], karaoke [Chumba Wumba, baby!] and dancing [Yes, I danced... scary, isn't it?]! I haven't laughed like that in a long time! Scott even met up with us after work which was great!

Of course, I did pay for my good time on Sunday morning but thankfully Scott was understanding and picked up the kids and hardly complained that we got a late start heading up north. We spent Sunday & Monday opening up his parent's camp. It was weird to be there without them. :( Tina and Brian were up, though, so it was great to get to see them!



That's all for now! I am heading up to bed! Have a great night!

Take Flight

Don't miss out on the May kit from SongbirdAvenue.com! This month's kit goes to support the Susan G. Komen Foundation which is of course close to my heart as my best friend Lesley undergoes treatment for breast cancer! So grab a great kit and support a worthy cause... just a few days left!
Here are a couple layouts I have done using the kit:




Having a lazy Saturday here and I love it! We did a little cleaning this morning and I have been catching up on laundry! I have run into a random child-free Saturday night so I am gonna hang with my girl, Jen, and get silly! ;)

Have a great night!

Scored the Prevacid and other positive things

I am SO thankful for doctor's offices who give samples of prescription medications. Without insurance, Prevacid is $10 per pill. That is simply out of my budget. I could have KISSED the nurse that was able to get samples for me! :)

I survived week 1 of 14 of summer classes! I have quite a bit of reading to do (which I hate because apparently I am more of a hands on learner) and a few assignments to do this weekend. I am definitely happy about 3 of 4 classes but oral communications is a little slow going so far.

I am super excited about Memorial Day weekend! The weather is supposed to be nice and Scott will be off on Sunday and Monday! I am excited to spend some time with him and the kids.

The kids only have a month left to school and the well deserved summer break starts for them! We are all looking forward to that as well! They have lots of projects we are working to wrap up right now! Dylan did an awesome solar system project that followed the same format as my GRPH110 Final was created in. I think he will be looking at an A!

Have a safe & happy Memorial Day weekend! :)

Up with acid reflux

My Prevacid prescription ran out and I haven't had time to beg off samples from the doctor's office, so the acid traveling from my stomach to my throat woke me this morning at 3am. I watched an infomercial and then Hardball with Chris Matthews on MSNBC and then I decided I should just get up. It's 4:30am now. *sigh*

The top news story this morning was Barack Obama telling the GOP to "Lay off my wife" on Good Morning America yesterday. Is he kidding?? As soon as she made a political speech her comments became fair game! And I will state for the record, I have been proud to be an American my entire life!

Headed back to school yesterday for my first 2 classes and both seem like they will keep me quite interested for the semester... the first is on HTML coding and using Dreamweaver CS3 and the other is Typography. Both professors seem extremely knowledgeable and I look forward to picking their brains! :) I have my other two classes today- Digital Imaging with Adobe (Photoshop and Illustrator) and Oral Communications!

Have I mentioned that I already started Christmas shopping? I actually started back in January while I was at Modell's! I made a great find last week on a big ticket item for the kids so I scooped it up and have it well hidden away! It's crazy to be starting this early but with food and gas prices soaring, I need to make sure we have some things under the tree in December and no better way than to plan way ahead! :)

I am so glad to see that the blog freebie template (see previous post) is being so well received! As of 4:53am, there have been 662 downloads! WOW!

Happy Tuesday! :)

A blog freebie!

It's been so long since I have had a freebie so I decided this rainy afternoon was the perfect time to create and share! :) If you use the template, please post a link for me in the comments! I would love to see how you use it! :)

The link will only be up for a week so grab it fast!
Link to download: http://www.4shared.com/file/48082314/60160aa3/rgiallongo-blogfreebie.html

ETA: Here is my take on the sketch:


Nicole's prom went off without a hitch... she had a great time and looked FABULOUS! Here is the first of what I am sure will be many layouts showcasing this special night for her!


The boys won their game against Candia Saturday and were rewarded with ice cream for a job well done (as well as an in-the-park-homerun from the previous game). Dylan got 2 hits and Dane got one so it was a good day overall!

From there, we headed to Sherri's to celebrate Brady's second birthday! We were nearly 3 hours late because of the game, but luckily Sherri didn't mind us hanging out after everyone left. It was great for the boys to get some energy out playing whiffle ball and for Sherri & I to gab.

I received my grades yesterday... I am proud to say I received 4 A's and am on the President's List for the Spring semester! Summer classes start tomorrow & I can hardly wait!

That's all the news fit to print for today! Happy scrapping! :)

Winner right here!

I forgot to mention that on Sunday at Canobie, each Mom got a ticket for a bunch of door prizes. From the second we walked in I was adamant that we needed to find the entry box. As I filled out the ticket, I folded the corner for luck. On Monday as Scott & I were driving to pick up Steve, I mentioned the contest and said I hoped I didn't miss the winning call. Well, low and behold, when we got back I checked the caller ID and Canobie Lake Park had called! While I was hoping for a Simon Mall gift card, I was pretty happy to find out that I won 2 free rounds of golf and 2 comedy passes to the Amherst Country Club! Scott Steve are going to golf sometime this summer and I think it will be great for Scott to have a break from real life- you know... work, house stuff, parenting, husbanding, LOL....

Megan has LAX practice today and then we are heading over to Kohl's. They are having a great summer sale, plus I have a coupon for an extra 30% off. She is in desperate need of shorts. I can't believe how much the kids have grown this year! Last weekend we did the big routine of dragging all of their clothing downstairs to go through it all. I made them try on each and ever item if they hadn't worn it in the last week! Other than the fact Megan was hormonal and yelled at me for hours on end, it was our typical humorous event! At one point, Dane looked at the enormous pile of socks with holes and exclaimed "I wish there was a machine that could turn all of these into a sweater!"! My laughter turned into an enormous coughing/wheezing fit because I have been SO sick for almost 2 weeks now (thanks, Scott!).

We are gearing up for another busy weekend! Nicole's senior prom is tomorrow night, so we will be following her around taking hundreds of pictures until she yells STOP! Saturday the boys have another baseball game and its also Brady's 2nd birthday! Where does the time go? And why does it seem like I am always asking that?

Us vs. The Lawn

The battle has begun again. Each Spring we begin the battle to grow grass here in an area known as Sandy Acres. Each year we seed, water, weed, kill grubs and each year the lawn turns brown and dies off anyway. Scott seeded last week and we saw the first few sprouts of green grass yesterday so he requested that I water the lawn today. I wasn't thrilled to say yes, but hey- I live here, too, right? I just finished and I have to say I hated it even more than I expected. Standing out there with the sun beating down on me, all I could think of was my Dad and all the hard work he put into the yard each year. He was very skilled when it came to landscaping. He never made any changes without long and serious thought. He studied lawns at all times as he drove to and from work each day. He carefully researched different shrubs, plants and flowers on the internet before making an selections at the nursery. As I stood out there, I realized I had yet one more reason to miss him.

On top of that, I could also hear the tank clunky in the basement as the water came in from the well. I know something must be wrong and I imagine its such a costly item that I can't bring myself to think about it. The plumbing pump (otherwise known as the POOP SHOOT in our household) in the basement has also been sounding it's alarm this week so it looks like we will need to call a plumber to have it checked. That certainly can't be good news either. :(

I can't believe it's already Wednesday of my break! I can't say I have at all been productive or even that I have enjoyed my break! Hopefully I can change that in the next few days! Hope your day is great! :)

Childhood Crush

This week on the Sweet Shoppe blog, they asked about childhood celebrity crushes. I didn't even need to see the picture they shared of Kirk Cameron to know he would be the guy I would post here! I remember thinking he was cute but when I ever read in Tiger Beat that his birthday was the same as mine, I knew we were a match made in heaven! LOL

We had a great time at Canobie on Mother's Day! It was a perfect day to get outside and get some fresh air!

I am on break this week so I have been doing a little scrapping! Check out my gallery to see what we have been up to! :)

Happy Mother's Day

The girls and I had a rare opportunity to hang out together last night. We went and had pedicures and then grabbed some pizza and came back and watched 13. I can't imagine a more perfect Mother's Day Eve than spending it with the girls, especially with Nicole so close to graduation.

Today we are headed out to Canobie Lake Park which is a tradition we have enjoyed for several years. Sadly, Scott is working but the kids and I will have fun anyway, I am sure!

Happy Mother's Day to all my mommy friends! xo

Updates

Just a quick update... Scott's Dad pulled through surgery and is recovering now. Please continue praying for him as I know he will need the support to heal.

Also, I have to brag on my boys a little bit. They had a game in Deerfield and Dylan was the first to get a RBI. Then.... out of nowhere, a pop fly.... Dane catches it for out #1, runs it to third and tags the base for out #2 and then tags the runner for out #3! He made a TRIPLE PLAY single-handedly! Woohoo! Lovin' those boys! Too bad they lost the game..... oh well, maybe next time! :)

Just one more final until the semester is done! I turned both projects in yesterday so I am in great shape! I also picked up my schedule and got my books for the summer semester.... it's gonna rock!!

Say a little prayer...

Please say a prayer for my father-in-law. He was admitted to the hospital with chest pain over the weekend. Yesterday he was moved to ICU and then to a different hospital with a better cardiac center. He will be undergoing a quadruple bypass today! Of course I am concerned for Scott & his Mom, but I am very concerned for the kids. Having just lost their grandfather (my father) to a heart attack in January, this is really hitting too close to home for them.

If you don't like the weather, wait a minute!

Today I grew the courage and went back to the financial aid office and asked for a "higher up". I knew something didn't make sense and I was determined to decrease the deficit of what I owed. I met with a wonderful woman who was able to look closer at my unique situation and with several adjustments and corrections, we were able to close the gap to $40! I AM SO RELIEVED! I truly couldn't thank her enough for helping me work through this. So, once again I am on track as a full time college student! :)

Today I got a call from the orthodontist's office and was told that Victoria's dental insurance is now covering more than expected so instead of payments ending in August, we are done THIS MONTH! I felt like I was playing Monopoly and there was a bank error in my favor, LOL :)

Megan's LAX game was cancelled today... for the 4th time. :( Yesterday I took her down for a game and the other team didn't even show up! I hope they get some play time in soon! She also received a nomination for National Junior Honor Society. She didn't make it last year and may not this year either, but you know what they say- it was an honor just to be nominated! :)

Gotta scoot...... I still have more homework to do! Have a great night!

Grrrrrrrrrr.....

Yes, that's a growl.
Yes, that's what I do when I am frustrated.
And boy, am I frustrated.
I had my financial aid meeting for Fall today. I need to come up with $6800 in order to attend summer and fall semesters. That's *after* financial aid. Ummmmm, hello? Did you not see on my FASFA where I indicated I have 3 dependents and I don't work and my husband doesn't make great money? I came home and immediately started filling out applications online and so far I have 3 denials under my belt. *sigh* I don't expect that things are going to change with further applications. I do have a few scholarship applications out there but certainly nothing I can count on. Sooooooo..... it looks like all this hard work to maintain a 4.0 GPA working towards my degree was in vain. It looks like I will NOT be the first person to obtain a college degree from my family afterall. I am SO disappointed. I feel like I was tricked. If I had known up front what my out of pocket expense would be at this point, I never would have started this journey. Now, I will face student loans to pay for classes that didn't earn me a degree. :(

Prior to this meeting this afternoon, I was planning to blog about how excited I was to have finished my Marketing paper. I also survived single-handedly making the presentation in class this morning... so much for a GROUP project, huh? One of my partners didn't even SHOW UP and the other refused to get up with me stating he had "nothing to say". I also just finished working up my Basics of Design final project and am pretty pleased with how it came out. It received Dylan's seal of approval and we all know how hard THAT is to get!

Girls Weekend was a blast! Hopefully I will get some layouts up soon! I can't wait until the professional photos from the beach photo shoot are online. You are gonna laugh your butts off when you see them! :)

Anyway, I need to get my carpet cleaner over to Auntie Barbara's since her kitten is giving her fits pooping downstairs. Have a great night!

Live from Maine...

We are having a great time....

*Scrapped 4 PAPER pages last night
*Had a glorious massage this morning
*Laughing my ass off :)

Oh my!

Every time I turn around, its something new! This weekend started off with a bang and then went downhill from there. Rather than put my energy into the negative, though, I am going to take Jen's cue and focus on the positive! So, my 5 things for today (in no particular order) are:
1. I am thankful that my blood pressure has been totally in control lately and I have been able to afford my medication.
2. I am thankful that I learned about certain situations NOW rather than later so I still have time to correct things before it's too late.
3. I am thankful that I have such a passionate friend even if that means she does now has a record.
4. I am thankful for the sunshine that rejuvenates me (and slows the use of costly pellets for heating).
5. I am thankful that tonight I will be packing for a super fun GIRLS WEEKEND with some of my very favorite peeps! :) I can't remember a time when I felt like I deserved this more.