Where Does Time Go?

Okay, it has been over two months since I have posted. I feel like a total SLACKER! But, I swear I'm not. I have been very busy, but all with good things. Let me see if I can catch you up to speed (I act like there are actually people reading this, but humor me....) School, kids, bows, family, dating, cleaning. There, I think you are caught up. He he!

This quarter turned out great! I really enjoyed my classes. I got a 98% in my Anatomy class and therefore didn't have to take the final. I learned a lot and really enjoyed my teacher. I have him again next quarter for A&P 3. We discussed the nervous system, senses, circulatory system, and immune system. In the process we dissected a brain, an eye, and a heart....all VERY cool!!! Wish I had pictures to post, but I don't. I know you're all very disappointed. I'll take some next quarter when we do the cat.

My English class went better than I could have even asked for. I REALLY liked my teacher. She let us revise papers for better grades if we weren't happy with it and I ended up with a 100% in the class. I got that to start with on my final two papers and didn't have to revise them at all. We wrote four papers this quarter. My first was a narrative about the night I lost my mom. Next was a descriptive essay about Monterey, California which I happen to think is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Third was a compare and contrast essay where I compared Mormons with mainstream Christianity, and finally an argument that I wrote about how vital nursing care is in relation to pediatric oncology. I had actually written that paper for my Allied Health class, but my English teacher was all about us using other classes papers for her too. Her motto was, "work smart, not hard." Oh how I wish she was teaching 102 next quarter.

Finally my Allied Health class. I actually got more out of it than I was expecting. It was more along the lines of how to succeed in college and life kind of course. I gained a lot in the way of self esteem to be honest. It was pretty much shot for many of the last several years. But in some of the exercises we had to do, I was reminded of all the things I am proud of in my life, and the kind of woman I am. I am happier now than I have been in a long time. My teacher even said she had noticed as the quarter went on a physical change as well. I started doing my hair and makeup more and wearing brighter colors and she said she could definitely tell there was something different. It was a great compliment to me.

Next quarter shouldn't be too bad, except that it starts WAY too early in the morning. I only have school MWF, from 8:00-12:30. I will also have one online class, and tutor in the library when needed. I'm excited. I can't think of a better schedule for Spring than to be done early and head home to play outside with my girls. I LOVE SPRING!!!

The girls are growing leaps and bounds. Hailey is doing fabulously in school and her teacher says she is already ready for first grade. She is reading quite a bit and has even read some to her sisters when they will sit still enough. I am so proud of her. She loves school and I really hope that continues throughout her life. Alyssa is still a little fireball. She is working on the potty training thing. Right now we have a fishbowl full of candy and when she goes potty she gets a piece of candy. When the candy is gone she will get a fish. I am hoping and praying it works as I REALLY need her potty trained before my next quarter starts so she can go to the daycare there at school. Kimber is getting WAY too big. She is talking more and more and will be two next month....Where, O Where does the time go? I swear it was just yesterday I had her. I had some pictures done of them last weekend and they are precious! I adore my girls and am so blessed to have them in my life. I don't know where I would be without them.

I am working on building up my stock of bows. My friend Erica and I are planning to do a booth at a flea market this spring and then a booth at a craft fair as well. If I find more craft fairs I will consider doing those too. I enjoy making the bows, but it can be time consuming at times too.

As to family, my great grandma was not doing well for quite some time and is now at our house on hospice. So I was helping as much as I could with her care. She is actually doing much better and can get around some on her own. She even made it to the bathroom today with her walker. This is BIG progress people! I love having her so close that I can go in and see her anytime I want. I love that my girls go in and entertain her at times. Alyssa even got a Mr. Potato Head all goofy and took it in to sit on grandma's end table so that it would make her smile. I love how thoughtful my kids can be at times!

I have been dating a little. Not really sure how much I can/should talk about here. Suffice it to say my wonderful cousin got me Rascal Flatts tickets back in January. She was going to go with me, but decided to send a friend of hers instead. We talked a little before hand, then he took me to dinner before the concert. We had a wonderful time and the concert was fantastic! We have seen each other several times since and I just really enjoy spending time with him. He makes me laugh, my kids love him, and he treats me and the people I love with the utmost respect. We'll leave it at that for now.

Cleaning is not interesting enough to blog about, but it takes up more of my time than I would like. The whole point of this post really is just that

LIFE IS WONDERFUL!!!

A Bit of Catch Up

2011 has dawned bright and beautiful here in my new life in Ohio....school began and I was quickly reminded how much I LOVE learning! I have three classes this quarter. The first is an anatomy and physiology course, right up my alley. Even better the professor lets us skip the final if we already have an A in the class....I will do my darndest to not have to take that final. Next is an English 101 class which comes with another teacher who does not do a final. There will be lots of papers in that class, but my first one is already done even though it has not yet been assigned. Finally is an Allied Health class that's supposed to prepare me for nursing school. I was not that excited about this class, but AGAIN there are NO tests....so maybe it won't be so bad after all.

Next we get to resolutions. I really didn't make any! I refuse to bubble myself in to this little expectation. My goal is to become a better person this year in many ways, all one step at a time. I want to do well in school, I want to get healthier so I can be around for my kids for a LONG time, I want to get more comfortable in my skin, and I want to focus on the things that TRULY matter in my life. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf put those things in perfect perspective in the last General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He said "my dear brothers and sisters, we would do well to slow down a little, proceed at the optimum speed for our circumstances, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most. Let us be mindful of the foundational precepts our Heavenly Father has given to His children that will establish the basis of a rich and fruitful mortal life with promises of eternal happiness." He also said that our self worth does not depend on the length of our to do list. I often get caught up in SO many things to do, hopefully all good things, but not all necessary. SO this year, I will choose to do those things that are better and BEST as has been suggested before. My girls and my schooling are high at the top of that list right now, just below doing my best as a daughter of a loving Heavenly Father.

Happy New Year

There are a lot of things to blog about this week, but I have a headache tonight and I'm exhausted....but life is FANTASTIC as always. So, for now I will just say

Happy New Year!!!

Ups and Downs

This week has honestly been a roller coaster of emotions. My divorce was final on Tuesday. When I got word that it was done, I cried for a bit. Then I picked myself up by my boot straps and decided I was done mourning for what should have been. I've done it long enough. Life goes on and so will I, and I will thrive and life will continue to be wonderful. I LOVE roller coasters, just not emotional ones so time to just go be happy.

Friday night I went to my first singles activity after my divorce. It was a bit awkward at first, but I had a ton of fun. I met some great people and even ran in to a few old friends from my growing up years. I have no doubt that there will be lots of fun times with the singles branch from Cincinnati. In fact there is a temple trip next Saturday that I am already looking forward to.

Today I put up the Christmas tree with the girls and have been listening to music and getting more in the Christmas spirit. I love love LOVE Christmas time!! There is only ONE reason for this season and we need to remember it. Christ was born a perfect babe in a manger to save each and every one of us. If not for Him there would be no celebrating, no tinsel, no trees, no presents. But even so, Christmas is NOT about the presents, it is about His presence and for that in my life I will be forever grateful. I hope you and yours have a very Merry Christmas!!!

Tender Mercies

One of my favorite quotes EVER comes for Elder David A. Bednar, one of the twelve apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He said "The tender mercies of the Lord are real. They do not occur randomly or by coincidence." I see those tender mercies in my life everyday. But, today was a big one, and I want to share how grateful I am to know that my Heavenly Father is looking out for me the way He is.

This morning I went in to the school I will be attending come January. I am planning to go to nursing school so that I can provide a better life for my kids. Anyway, as I had figured it I still needed about 3 quarters worth of prerequisites before I could apply to the nursing program itself. I met with an advisor, and got signed up for the classes I (thought) I needed. Then, as the advisor suggested, I went over to chat with the director of nursing admissions. It turned out that my high school classes count and I don't need anything at all to be able to apply. That means I will shave almost a year off my schooling and might be able to start nursing school as early as this coming fall. I am still going to start back to school in January and just take some of the extras that I can take during the program or before. It really made my day and I'm so grateful for the ways that Heavenly Father blesses me in my life.

The Buckeye State

It's hard to believe that a week has already flown by in Ohio. We are getting settled in and I only have a few more boxes to unpack, thank goodness!!! The trip to get here was long, three days of driving, but so worth it in the end. There were some wonderful people from church who came to help us unload the trailer and then the real fun began. I actually really enjoy unpacking as I can organize stuff in to new places. Once I get organized completely I will post some pictures of everything. =)

It has been a BUSY week. We got here on a Tuesday and Hailey just had to start at her new school the next day. She loves it and I love her teacher. She's really sweet. They were actually having parent teacher conferences the day Hailey started, so I went in to talk to Mrs. Gaddis a bit about who Hailey is and such. The first thing she said to me was, if today was any indication, I'm just going to love your daughter! She said Hailey was so willing to help and polite that it was refreshing to see a kid so well behaved even in the midst of such a life change. Maybe that means I'm doing something right. She also said that Hailey is going in to the higher reading group that they have as she is ahead of most of her class with words she knows and things like that, so that made for a proud mommy too.

In other news, I went up to Southern State and got everything done so I can register for classes next week. Come January I will be taking ChemI, Biology and English Composition. It will be hectic, but I'm excited! If everything transfers that I am hoping, I only have 4 classes that HAVE to be finished before I can apply to nursing school. That would put me a quarter ahead of where I thought I was and that is always good news. We'll see how it goes.

I also got to go over to Wilmington for church last Sunday and it was fantastic to see so many old friends. I feel so blessed to be a part of the gospel, that it is the same no matter if I go to church in Texas, California, Utah, Ohio or Germany for that matter. The Savior is STILL the Savior and always will be. I'm so thankful to know that, to the very core of my being.

In final news, we had our first snow....the girls were absolutely mesmerized. They stood at the big bay windows in the family room and just watched the HUGE flakes fall from the sky. I hope all of you are well and feeling as blessed as I do.

Discipline and Strength

Today on the drive here, my girls were watching the movie Mulan. I love this movie for the music as well as the lessons that can be learned. For those who have seen it, this will be familiar. But for those who have not, it is about a young woman who joins the Chinese army to keep her father from having to go, and to bring honor to her family. There is so much to be learned from this movie. First, love of family over self. I think I've got that one down pretty well. I would do anything for my family, especially my girls! Sacrificing for them doesn't seem as much of a sacrifice when I get to see them happy.

Secondly, devotion to something higher than oneself. In China the best way for a woman to bring her family honor was to get married and have a son, but Mulan didn't do so hot at the matchmaker. I didn't have a matchmaker other than myself, but apparently I didn't do so hot at it either. However, I am absolutely determined to bring my family honor, most importantly my Father in Heaven. I want NOTHING more than to return to Him someday and hear him say, "Well done thou good and faithful servant". So that is the ultimate goal (there are many others along the way), now how do I reach it?

That answer is also found in the movie. At one point the Captain shoots an arrow to the top of a pole and tells the soldiers to find a way to retrieve it, but not before putting weights around their wrists that symbolize discipline and strength. He tells them they will need BOTH to retrieve the arrow. They all try, and they all fail...over and over and over again!

The same is true for us, we fall short of our goals each and every day. But, there is HOPE. The Savior made up the difference for us. We CAN succeed if we have the discipline to go after our goals and the strength to stick with it through the tough stuff. There have been times in my life when I have been sorely lacking in discipline, and I know that. But, I recently proved to myself that I DO have the self discipline to do something I really want. Now I just need to keep applying that knowledge in my every day life. The strength is another story. I rarely feel up to the tasks that lie ahead of me, especially as a single mother of three. I am responsible for these three precious spirits and I refuse to fail in that stewardship. I have heard it said that you usually don't know how strong you are until being strong is your only option. Well, now it's my only option. Except that I KNOW that I don't have to come up with that strength all alone. My Savior provides it for me each and every day. He has carried me through many a tough day in my life, and I have faith that He will continue to do so. Of that I am sure, and feel eternally blessed.