Another Fun Day!!!

Well, today was another fun day of doing absolutely NOTHING!!! I am BORED out of my mind!!! The boys are still in Georgia hunting and Sommer is just spending time with her friends. She and I did go out to dinner at El Jalisco this evening. I am thinking tomorrow I may go get a manicure...I really need one!! My nails are getting so long and I do not want them to break off.

Hard to believe in 3 days it will be the end of 2011. This has been an eventful year at our home. Sommer graduated from high school, I graduated from college, Hunter lost 30 pounds at camp this summer, and Zach made a trip half way around the world and had a blast. Oh yeah, Chuck went back to his first love...FLYING!!!

2012 should be equally as exciting. I hope to be able to find a teaching job with the new school year. I am certified to teach general education K-6 and ESE from K-12. I also have endorsements in reading and ESOL. I would love to teach 7th grade but not sure that will happen. I would have to go back and take more tests to get that certification for general education. The state of Florida no longer offers the Integrated Middle Grades exam so I would have to do subject area exams in all subjects. Otherwise, I would love to teach somewhere in the 2nd through 5th grade area!!

That is all for now. The doing of nothing is calling my name once again!! More later!!!

End of the Year...finally!!!

Well, Christmas has come and gone. All the time spent preparing, wrapping presents, cooking food, and it is all over with in the blink of an eye!! We did our Christmas early this year because Chuck had to leave town on Dec 22 to go fly in Bahrain. He will not be back home until January 05, 2012. He has basically missed all holidays since Thanksgiving. Christmas has been very bittersweet this year. This is the very first year that I have not spoken with my brothers or their families during the holidays. We had a bit of a disagreement over Thanksgiving and I guess that I am now the awful sister. Oh well, what can I do. Your family is your family. You do not get to pick and choose. I did sent them all a text message to wish them a Merry Christmas. I thought about calling but honestly did not think they would answer the phone. Oh well. I love them all deeply, and maybe one day they will realize that. Until then, there is nothing I can do.

Christmas went well. We had to rush to get things done early, but overall, it went very well. On Christmas Day the boys and I went to see a movie and then went by and saw both sets of grandparents for a little while. Sommer quit her job at Subway before Christmas so it has been nice having her home and around for a change. She and 2 of her friends are looking at moving into an apartment close to campus at the first of the year so it has been nice having her around!!

Not much else going on. I am subbing the first day back to school so I am looking forward to getting back to the classroom!! I have applied for a couple of jobs but no luck yet. I m not really expecting to get anything until the start of the school year in August.

The End of a Journey!!!

Well, it is hard to believe, but my education journey is finally at its end!! On Sunday, December 11, I will graduate with my bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and Exceptional Student Education. I started back to school in 2007 and I am finally done...what an accomplishment!! I would not have made it this far without the support of my wonderful family...I love you all so very much!!!

I am very excited to be in the position to one day soon have my very own classroom. I have already applied for a couple of jobs in the 3rd grade. I am more than qualified, but there are so many teachers applying for jobs that it is getting harder and harder to find a position. I will keep my fingers crossed and see what happens!! I will keep substitute teaching in the meantime!!

Now, what to do with all the free time on my hands since I do not have a project that has to be completed!!!

Whats going on in our world!!!

Well, it has been awhile since I last updated!! Hunter came home from camp and has been doing great!! We are all on program with him and things are going very well. Basically the program is just cutting the fat out of your meals. We eat no more than 4 grams of fat at any meal. The only thing I am missing is my peanut butter!! I am now using PB2 which is actually not too bad!! He has lost a few more pounds since being home. The biggest problem is getting in the activity. He has started participating in an after school physical fitness program so we will see how that goes.

Internship is more than half way over for me!! I can not wait until Dec 2!!! I will be DONE!!! I am back in my boot because I was not allowed to sit down any during the day!!! As a result, my ankle swelled beyond belief and I could not walk. I am now wearing my boot and riding my scooter while at school. I do get up to teach and walk around while I am teaching but no more just being on my feet to be on my feet!!

Chuck is back flyng full time and loving every minute of it. He is currently in Rome and Germany and will not be home until the end of the month. He has been spending time in Belgium and Dubai also. Life is rough for a pilot!!

Sommer is doing great in college. She is participating in Model UN and they are going to New York and Atlanta after the first of the year...she is ready to go now!!

Have so much more to write but I have to go take dinner out of the oven. More to come!!!

New Beginnings - Part 1

Well, it has been a great summer so far. Zach went to Europe for 3 weeks and Hunter has been at Wellspring Adventure Camp in North Carolina for 6 weeks. I am so excited because I am going to pick him up this Saturday!!! He has lost 26 pounds as of this past Sunday...I am so very PROUD of him. In short, Wellspring has been a blessing for Hunter, but also for our entire family.

We found out about Wellspring a little over a year ago. Chuck was up late one night flipping channels and came across a show called Too Fat for Fifteen. The show took place at Wellspring Academy in North Carolina and followed the lives of several teens who were enrolled in Wellspring Academy and their quest to lose weight. Wellspring is not a diet, but a lifestyle change. Both of my boys are overweight to an extent. Zach has never had problems in school that were weight related , but Hunter endured a year of bullying in school this past year because of his weight. Now mid you, neither of my boys are grossly overweight, but they did need to lose some weight. Hunter became very interested in the program and followed their first season. We even checked into sending him to school there. This past December we had the opportunity for Hunter to apply to be on the show. He applied, but was not one of the few that were picked. We were offered a discount to let him attend the academy. It was still just too pricey to be able to afford. In January, we received information about Wellspring Camps. They have camps located all over the United States and in the UK. He decided to attend Wellspring Adventure Camp in the mountains of North Carolina for a 6 week program. Him attending camp, is what has gotten us to this point.

The Wellspring program involves getting active and cutting the fat out of your diet. As a family, we are now all "on program"!! We eat no more than 12 grams of fat a day and we get in a minimum of 10,000 steps a day. On a side note, I am not able to get in all of those steps because of my fused ankles, but I am building up my numbers, and I will get there! To be honest, I was scared of not being able to follow the program. I have been very surprised at how easy this program is to follow...to date I have even lost almost 10 pounds!! The biggest thing I have missed about taking the fat out of our diets is the eating out!! Let's face it..the eating out got us in this position to begin with. That and the lazy lifestyle!!

Overall, we are doing great. This has been an excellent change for our family. We had hoped to be able to send Hunter to the academy for this semester, but once again, I was just not able to make it work. I am a little nervous about bringing him home. The food portion is not the concern. It is the keeping active part that bothers me the most. That and going back to school. We have presented him with a couple of options, and we are looking at putting him in a local private school that will work with him to help keep him "on program". I also think the small class size will be a benefit. He will be in a 6th/7th grade combo class with 12 students. He will be in 7th grade this year. It was a difficult decision to take him out of our local middle school because we have a great school district, and he was placed on a great team for the coming school year. I just did not want to place him back in the environment that had the potential to derail his progress. HIs school was willing to work with us to get the "bullies" under control, but Hunter would not "rat" out the offenders.

That is all for now, but I will do another update soon to keep everyone up to date with how we are doing. What an exciting journey this will be!!

Busy Couple of Days Coming Up...

Well, the next couple of days are going to be busy around here. Zach will be coming home from Europe tomorrow night. His plane gets in at 11:30 pm!! We then have to leave no later than 7 am on Thursday to drive to North Carolina to visit Hunter at camp!!! We will be in North Carolina until Saturday and then drive back home late on Saturday. I am very excited to learn more about the Wellspring Plan!! We have been trying some of the low fat recipes here at home, and so far, everything has been pretty good. We had Camp Stew for dinner tonight and I actually ate cooked carrots!! I know, I know, that is nothing big, but anyone who knows me, knows that I despise cooked veggies!! It is a texture thing and the memory of my grandmother boiling okra...how gross!!

Hunter will have the option of staying at camp for the night or coming back to the hotel with us. I am nervous about him making food decisions on his own so early in the process. I have been talking with a Wellspring mom and have some ideas if we decide to do breakfast on our own before going back to camp. The diet they follow is basically a low-fat diet. He really wants to make a change so we are behind him one hundred percent!!!

That is all for now. Got to go do something I am sure!!! More later.

June 2011

Where has the time gone!! I can not believe it is already July!!! The good news is that I survived Sommer's high school graduation. I was sad, but so happy for her. My brother Chris drove in from Washington, DC to surprise us for the day!! I had NO idea he was coming. He also brought his new girlfriend, and I really do like her...she fits in with our family so nicely!!! Sommer is all registered to start class at Tallahassee Community College the end of August. I can not believe my daughter is a college freshman!!!

Zach is currently in Ireland on his People to People trip. He left June 18 and he will be back home this coming Wednesday. He has had an amazing time. He traveled to Amsterdam, Belgium, England, Wales, France and Ireland!!! Talk about a trip of a lifetime. Can not wait to hear about his fun.

Hunter is in North Carolina at Wellspring Adventure Camp. I hope he is having a great time and learning new things. We leave on Thursday morning to go for Family Weekend. I am excited about learning all there is to know about the Wellspring Plan. I know he would love to go to the Academy for school, but I just do not know if we can afford to do that. It would be great, but we will have to wait and see. We have made several of the recipes here at home, and plan on making the changes here too. We could all stand to lose a few pounds!! Chuck made Spinach Lasagna the other night and it was fabulous!!

I am getting excited about interning this August. I will FINALLY graduate in December!!! I am so excited and relieved all at the same time!!!

Yesterday was my niece Gracie's 5 th birthday...hard to believe she is already 5. Where does the time go!!!

That is all for now. See ya again soon!!!

Sommer's Last Day of School...High school that is!!

Well, I knew it would happen sooner or later. I just did not realize how soon it would happen. How is is possible that it has been 18 years since I gave birth to my beautiful little girl? I remember bringing her home from the hospital like it was yesterday. I remember her first day of kindergarten like it was yesterday. How is it possible that she will be making the graduation walk next Friday night? My girl has grown up and says she is old enough to now fly the nest and live on her own!! Really!!! I'm not sure that I am in agreement with all of these changes!!

Yesterday was the last school day for seniors. She was so excited, and I was excited for her. They were told they could NOT come back to campus until next Wednesday for Baccalaurette practice and to pick up their cap and gown. Wow, pick up your cap and gown!!! I need to be sure and take a couple of boxes of Kleenex with me to graduation!!

Life will continue but for now I am sitting here going through old pictures...I better get them picked up before she comes in and finds me a sobbing mess!!

Just a Few Things

Well, I hope that everyone had a fantastic Mother's Day last weekend. I spent mine on the road driving back from Miami!! The boys and I left Friday morning on an impromptu trip to drive to Miami and visit Chuck. We had not seen him since the middle of April and he will not be home until May 25!! He unexpectantly ended up with the weekend off se we loaded up the van and off we went.

We had a great time. We lived down in Pembroke Pines in 2000-2001 and we never ventured to South Beach. Well, we ventured this time and boy did we see some interesting sights!! Some things are just not for public viewing!! We also had the chance to go and see the Norweigan Epic leave port for its Transatlantic repositioning cruise. We are going on the Epic in March so it was great to see the size of the boat we will be on. We typically cruise with Royal Caribbean so going on Norweigan will be a new experience. We have been on one other cruise line and I was NOT impressed.

I finally received my internship placement yesterday. I will be in the 3rd grade at Riversink Elementary, and I am very excited. I love 3rd grade and do a lot of subbing in 3rd grade so I am a little familiar with the curriculum. In no way am I saying I have it down because I still have so much to learn and I have a great teacher to work with.

Sommer's last full week of high school is this week. I am sad, hard to believe she is going to college in a couple of months. She is ready to move out with her friend and is already looking for an apartment!!

In other news of interest, I was totally bummed they voted James off American Idol this week. Really!! I do not care who wins now but I will continue to watch since I have already invested so much time in the show...plus I have to watch Steven Tyler!! I do NOT like Scotty at all. Enough said!!

Hope to have a great weekend and get some homework and hose cleaning out of the way.

See you later!!

Lots of Changes!!!

Well, it is the first part of May already!!! Hard to believe we are already in the 5th month of 2011...where has the time gone? There are lots of changes getting ready to occur in my life around here. In April I finished all of my classes toward my degree. The only thing left is my internship that will take place in August...I am excited. I still do not know at which elementary school I will be placed, but I am looking forward to this next step.

Another big change for me is PTA. After tomorrow, I will be done with PTA. It is a very bittersweet feeling as I have been PTA president for the past several years and was Volunteer Coordinator prior to that. I have been involved in our school since 2005 in some capacity or another. We had a great spring festival this past March and so I am happy that I am going out knowing that I have done my very best. I will now have to figure out what to do with all of my spare time!!

Right now, for the month of May, I am taking a day class. Very strange to be going to class in the morning, but I am finding that I really do like it. Also, I have a pretty terrific teacher.

Another big change is that Sommer will be graduating from high school. That is huge and shocking to me all at the same time. It does not seem possible that she is getting ready to start college. She was accepted at SCAD in Savannah, GA., but has decided that she wants to start at TCC to get her basic and to really try to decide what she wants to do. She has thoughts of being a high school teacher.

Chuck has been out of town since the middle of April. He is down in Miami training on the 767. He will be home the Wednesday before Sommer's graduates. Talk about cutting it close. She all but has her bags packed and is ready to move into her own place!!

Well those are all the changes I can think of that are coming up in the near future. Zach and Hunter will both be leaving in June. Zach will be going to Europe with People to People for 19 days and Hunter will be going to camp in North Carolina for 6 weeks.

The Royal Wedding

Well, how many of you got up to watch the wedding of Price William and Kate Middleton? I did. I remember watching when Prince Charles and Lady Di got married. I was going into the tenth grade, and on the day of the wedding I was traveling from Rogers, Arkansas to Tuleta, Texas, to spend the summer with my aunt and grandmother. I remember I would not get in the car until my Aunt Marcie had her portable television set up so I could watch the wedding. Portable televisions were a new thing in those days!! I remember driving and having to move the antenna all around to keep the channels. I was so in LOVE with Princess Diana and was totally heartbroken when she passed away. I know she was smiling down on Prince William today and would be very proud of the choices he has made in his life. That being said, I LOVED this Royal Wedding too!!! I was a little surprised to read later this morning that Kate would not be receibing the title Princess since she is a commoner...REALLY!! That is so not right...she is already know as Princess Kate!!!

I got up at 4 am to start watching. I also had to get Sommer up because she was leaving on her senior trip this morning. Even Zach got up and was all into the royalness...who would of thought he would be interested! I could go on and on about this mornings activities but I will not. I wish I could have been in London but I have given Zach strict instructions bring me something back from London when he is over there this summer. I wonder if there is a Pandora charm to commemorate the occasion!!

Not much else going on. I finished my last class last night...woo hoo. One of my classmates mother's brought us an adorable cupcake cake to celebrate. Now to get through internship and find a job. I do have a class in May, but it is a piece of cake, a pre-req I never got to take. I still do not know where I am doing my internship, but I do know it is not at Crawfordville Elementary. I am very heartbroken about that, but I will survive. I feel let down because the whole reason I even decided to go back to school was because of the entire community at CES. They have supported me along this entire journey and for that I am forever grateful.

Well, I need to get busy addressing Sommer's graduation announcements while she is sway for the weekend.Hard to believe that graduation is less than a month away. My baby girl has grown up!! Let me go dry my eyes and get busy!!!

Portfolio Review is OVER!!!!!

Well, last night I had my portfolio review. This is my last step before I get to intern in the fall. I was not nervous going in last night. I was to go in, talk about 3 of my artifacts, my philospohy of education, and why I want to be a teacher. Well, I guess I never should have walked in the door!! There are 4 reviewers in the room with you, 1 seasoned teacher, and then the remaining 3 are previous interns or recent graduates. I knew two of the interns but did not know the other intern or the teacher. Come to find out, the seasoned teacher did not like why I want to be a teacher....REALLY!! Everyones reasons for going into a career are different and personal, who is she to say my beliefs are not correct....REALLY!!! I am going into this because of my kids, plain and simple. Because of the elementary school they attend, the the caring community of adminstrators, teachers, and staff at the school. If not for their support and encouragement, I might not have embarked on this journey. I LOVE being in the classroom. Like every teacher, you want to make a difference in the life of a child. We were told not to be cliche in why we wanted to be a teacher. I was not, I spoke from my heart. I guess I also used a slangterm that she did not like too. I said that one of my projects was a "booger" to get done...I meant it was a tough project in the amount of time we had to complete the project. Seriously, you get upset because I said that. By the time, I walked out of that room, I was dripping with sweat. I was not nervous going in but I was a compete wreck when I walked out. This review is just a reflection of our work over the past three years. We are to talk about what we have learned and gained from our experiences so far. I have passed all of my classes with excellent grades so it is not like I can be failed. I have all A's with the exception of 1 C and 1 B. The C was for a summer class I had to take, and my daughter was sick and in hospital during this class...I was not always fully paying attention during class.

Bottom line, I passed the review with out having to make any corrections to my portfolio. You can not be failed because of someones opinion. It just upsets me because I have worked my tail off the past 3 years, and this reviewer wants to nick pick something that is a personal choice.

In other news.....I only have 1 more class to go and I am finished with all classes. My current class is done next Thursday night, and I am talking a pre-req class that I have never been able to take in May. I am interning in the fall and I am very excited to finally be at that point. I am very proud of myself for making it through this exhausting journey. There were many times I wanted to throw in the towel, but because of the support that I have received, I continued trucling along. Many thanks to all who have helped and supported me over the past many years!!!

Lots of Stuff...Part 1

Wow, it is April. Where has the time gone. I have been so busy with my classes, I hardly have time to do anything but HOMEWORK!! The good news, this months class is my LAST class!! I do have a class in May, but that does not count as far as I am concerned!! It is a prereq class that I never had the chance to take. I will get to intern in August and then in December I will finally graduate!!! It has been a very long 3 years!!

In other news, Sommer turned 18 about 2 weeks ago. I can not believe my baby girl is 18...how did that happen so fast. In other good news, she was accepted at SCAD, Savannah College of Art and Design, in Savannah, GA. I really wish she would decide to go there, but I am not sure what her plans are. She says she wants to start off small at our local community college and go from there. SCAD is a private school and expensive, but we told her if she wanted to go, we would get here there!! I mom can only hope!!

My niece Chloe, who turned 1 on my anniversary, took a tumble down the stairs last week and cracked her noggin..poor little thing. She does have a small skull fracture, but she is back home being as wild as ever. I remember when Zach was little, maybe 15 months, and I had rocked back in the recliner, and coming down did not realize he was underneath and came down on his small head. I was mortified and felt like the worst mother. He was ok, but still.

Chuck started a new flying job in January, went to class in January, came home in February, and has been home ever since!! He started out on the DC-8,and is now going back to class in2 weeks to fly the 747...must be nice to not have to go to work and still get paid!!! granted, I am so NOT complaining!! He will leave for class on April 17, and get home on May 24, 2 days before Sommer's graduation!! Talk about cutting it close!!!

Zach's trip to Japan was rescheduled due to the earthquake, and he is now going on a 19 day European trip to 7 countries. Hunter will leave on June 26 to go to camp in North Carolina for 6 weeks. We have some busy months in front of us.

That is all fro now, but I will update again soon!!

Woo Hoo!!! No School Tomorrow...for the kiddos anyway...

Well, the kids are out of school tomorrow for President's Day, me on the other hand, I have class tomorrow night. My Discourse Analysis project is due on Tuesday and then I take the final on Thursday. I then start a new class on the following Monday. I am ALMOST done with book work!!! The light at the end of the tunnel is starting to shine through!!! I passed my FTCE Subject Area exam last week...what a huge relief that was. I cried the entire time I took the test but I was so sure I was going to fail the test!!!

The boys went camping this weekend woth their grandparents. They each took a friend. Sommer has worked all weekend so I have been home ALONE!! I have gotten most of my project done but I am BORED!!!

Chuck will be home this coming Friday!!! It is about time. Hopefully he will be home for about a month. I think he is much happier being back flying than he ever was at Wally World. I am sure that he misses some of his friends from Wally though. Everytime I am in the store everyone stops and asks how he is doing!!

Well, that is all for now. I need to finish my Discourse Analysis. More later!!

The Young and the Restless...and then some~~

Ok, I know that not everybody watches The Young and the Restless, but come on, did they have to kill Cane off this week!! I am thinking he is not really dead but come on!!! I love the Aussie hunks on that show. And then they brought back Chance...YES!!! I hope he stays around for awhile!!! Anyway, that is my thoughts on this soap!!!

Not much else going on around here!! Yeah, right!! We have a very busy week coming up. Sommer is participating in Model UN this coming Friday at the Capital. I also have my last FTCE exam to take on Friday, along with the school's chili cook off...I need a clone. Plus I have school on Mon, Tues, and Thurs. Is it time for spring break yet?

Chuck came home for a visit for a couple of days. The kids and I were very happy to see him. He has gone back to Cimcinnati and will not be back until the end of the month. We took our cat Nikki to the vet on Tuesday and found out that he has diabetes. We are now treating the cat with insulin and a high protein diet..the cat gets to eat 3 meals a day...he is VERY happy about that!!

Anyone been watching American Idol? I love me some Steven Tyler!!! As a matter of fact, I am listening to some Aerosmith as I type!! Also found out that Bon Jovi has added dates to Atlanta and Orlando, so I am geting tickets to go see them in May!!!

Well, that is all for now. I need to get back to working on my portfolio. I have portfolio review in April and I am NOT ready at all. I need to get busy!!!

Have a great weekend.

One Class Down, Three More to Go...

Wow, I can not believe that January is over with. How did that happen so fast. The good news is that I am getting closer to being done with classes. As long as a pass the FTCE Subject Area K-6 exam in 2 weeks, I will be interning in the fall. The light is actually starting to shine through the tunnel.

Chuck has been in Ohio the past 2 weeks training with ATI. Yeah, he is finally back to flying!! We waitied a long 2 years for that to come about. We are so happy for him.

I am busy with classwork, and also with PTA activities. Our Chili Cook Off is coming up in about 2 weeks and then the Spribg Festival is in April. I need to get on the ball and start working on donations for the festival. I am also busy fundraising for Zach's trip tp Japan in June. Just call me to fundraising QUEEN!!!

I know this is short but I got work to get done. I will try to get back to blogging a little more frequently in the near future...I hope anyways!!!

It's My Birthday!!!

Yep, today is my 44th birthday..how did that happen? Oh well, it is just a number and I do NOT feel 44 if that is supposed to mean anything!!!

My husband is at work, the kids are at school, and here I sit...in blissful quietness!!! Of course I have tons of school work I need to be working on, but its MY BIRTHDAy!!! I can always write that lesson plan this weekend!!! Sommer and Hunter will both be spending the night with friends tonight, and Zach is going deer hunting in Georgia. Chuck won't be home until after 8pm...what is a girl to do? Maybe Sommer will go eat dinner with me before she goes out for the night!!!

Not much else really going on. My friend Stacy is finally home from the hospital after her gallbladder surgery. Thank goodness because I was going crazy without her around!! I have TONS of work that I need to do but I am just not motivated. Mom and I are planning on leaving next Thursday to go to Texas and see Aunt Marcie for a couple of days. It will be a quick trip, but will be fun none the less!!!

Well, let me get back to doing NOTHING!!! Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!