July 19, 2013

So tonight begins my reflection on the blogging/journal fluency assignment. In general, I enjoyed this assignment; finding that on days that I was extremely stressed, I was able to use it as an out. It was nice to be able to come to my own little world and just share whatever was on my mind. One of my biggest struggles was finding topics. Yes, I used the resources and the internet but it seemed that even with those I could not spark a flow in my mind to make a large portion of the topics work. There were, however, a few blogs that I felt the topics and the text really worked. One was my description of my grandparent's living room; and another, my I Believe blog. During these, I found it really easy once I got started to go into descriptions and thoughts. I believe by some of my feedback comments that these specific posts drew my audience in. One of my other least favorite things about this assignment was having to blog EVERY day. We had seven blogs due each week so even if you didn't post everyday, you would still have to come up with double posts on another. This seemed a bit daunting to me at times because of the difficulty coming up with subjects. I can't say at this point still that I really approach my blogs in a specific way. I usually just type in my title and begin with whatever comes from my mind and let it develop from there. A lot of free-writing for sure. It is my hopes that maybe as I go forward I can develop more ideas for topics and creativity. I noticed some real creativity in a couple of my classmates' blogs, made me envious.

July 18, 2013

Good late evening cyberworld! Tonight has been a very intense evening of class. Thursdays are one of my 2 Anatomy and Physiology I classes that I have each week. Due to our instructor's wife being in the hospital Tuesday, we did not have class. Therefore tonight was double the lecture, double the lab but in the same amount of time. I thought this unit of the class would be the easiest for me to pick up on but it isn't working out that way. We went over the Axial and Appendicular muscles. Do you have any idea how many muscles our body has? Over 700! That's on top of the 206 bones that we went over last week. I am doing ok in the class because I am carrying a B right now. I am concerned though because the tests are my weak point and next week we have our Unit 4 Exam worth 100 pts, the Lab Practicum worth 100 pts, and the Final Exam with 200 pts. My B could be out the window in a heartbeat with these exams. The other thing that concerns me about that is the Allied Health acceptance. for the nursing programs. It was indicated that basically if you don't get an A or B, you might as well forget about getting in and you only have 2 tries to meet the grade. I thought about dropping the course several times; but at this point it's too late. I couldn't have dropped it anyways because of my financial aide. All I can do at this point is pray and study as much as possible and hope that things will come back to me. I have so much homework in my other 2 courses as well that I feel like I am never going to be able to get ahead and get enough studying in. I am going to finish this post and get my favorite blog of the week turned in and go back to working on my paper that is due tomorrow for English. Then tomorrow I will finish and submit that paper, complete my assignments for my computer class, and begin studying for  A&P. It's going to be a long and stressful 7 days but I can't believe I am almost done with my first semester of college! I hope to hold up both of my A's in English and Computer. This has definitely been a learning experience for me and I will take the things I have learned into next semester which will be a whole new ballgame. This semester I took two online courses and one hybrid course (half online/half seated). Next semester all 13 credits are seated. College has been a brand new experience for me and I hope to learn more tips as I go.

July 17, 2013

So tonight's topic seems to be cartoons. Why? Because that is what my 4-year-old is watching. Have you ever thought of all the generations of cartoons that have been developed. There is no doubt that the cartoons that are out there now are nothing like those when I was growing up. I recall watching Mickey Mouse, Looney tunes and others that just don't seem to exist anymore. Yes, I realize that Mickey Mouse still airs but it is not the same as the originals. Then you have ridiculous cartoons like Sponge Bob Squarepants... this animation drives me insane. The messages that are sent are just distasteful and rude. My children seem to like it and it grates on my nerves. And have you ever noticed the other kids programs like ICarly and Victorious? Where are the parents in these shows. It appears that all of the children just have free run of the world. It's not that there is anything over the top on these shows; it just doesn't seem like there is any authority. Unfortunately this gives a negative impact to our children, in my opinion. There is also the violence that is contained within so many of the cartoons these days. I know times are changing and things just aren't the same but what is wrong with keeping our children in innocence as long as possible? I will get off my soap box for now but there may be more to come on this subject.

July 16, 2013

I seem to be very tired tonight. Scraping my mind to see what might be there to right about but nothing is coming to me so I am just going to free-write. I am sitting here trying to get some homework done while Papa is sleeping. Christian, my 2nd youngest, is chilling in the recliner trying to keep from going to sleep. Sierra, the 2nd oldest, is playing Minecraft. This game is crazy; it amazes me how a 10-year-old can get so involved. I just downloaded it for her yesterday and I am definitely going to need to monitor very closely how much time she spends on there. It does provoke imagination and creativity; which both are a good thing. My mom came out to visit and help me out a little. We have America's Got Talent on and it is crazy what some people will do to get recognized. Christian is out! Knew it wouldn't take long. I don't think I am going to make it long tonight myself. Papa was up before 6 am this morning. I know that is what he is used to but not me. I stay up so late trying to get homework and housework done. I don't know what to type, what to type, what to type. Why is the news so depressing? This is why I choose never to watch it. People are crazy! Nothing but guns today.... I don't have anything against guns but there needs to be some sort of control. Not sure how you do this, or if it is even really possible but we need some type of hope for our children. It is so cold in here. I just want to crank the thermostat up to 80 and snuggle under some blankets. This is when I know I am way too tired. This is all I can type tonight, my eyes are slowly shutting.

Places I'm thinking of

So I am trying to brainstorm some ideas for my paper and having a difficult time... but I am going to come up with what I can.

My grandparents farm
Eiffel Tower
New York City
Grand Ole Opry
The Mansion at Elfindale
Bedrock City
Mount Rushmore
The Bahamas
The Colony Hotel - South Beach Miami, FL
Kansas City, MO
Silver Dollar City
Clearwater, FL

It is amazing with how many places we have in this world and this is all I can think of but I seem to be drawing a blank. I believe I have a couple really good bets with a couple of these locations, so I am going to explore my resources and see what ideas I can come up with. I was wondering, does this blog count as my nightly blog? I think it will, or should. After all, Ms. A did say we could blog about our assignments, course, or anything else we chose. It's probably a good thing because I am not sure that I could come up with a second blog tonight. My mind is floating else where. I'm finding it very difficult to focus this evening. It is so quiet because I have my papa tucked into bed and my kids went home with daddy for the night. Not sure what to do with myself with so much quietness. Wait - yes I do - HOMEWORK! But I don't want to. How is it that this becomes such a battle? Well, I guess this is one assignment down - too many more to count to go.

July 14, 2013

I sit here in my Papa's house, in the living room to be exact. I look all around me at the visuals in the room. Sitting here facing the south wall which has a double window centralized on the wall. The blinds are closed for the evening and the curtains are held back with matching tie-backs. They are white in color with a scalloped edge. Hanging from the wooden valance over the windows are 4 wind chimes and a snowman that our oldest daughter made for Grandma at Christmas time. Sitting on top of the valance are bells; in upwards of 25. Grandma loved bells, and her collection of many of them still sit where they always have been. On the same wall are other various items which include 2 decorative plates and a wooden Nebraska sign. On the south-west corner of the room sits an old grandfathers clock that I don't think has worked for the last 15 years. Looking to my left is the west wall hosting a window and the front door of the house. The window treatment matches those of the south wall. The door is an off-white metal door. It's a large contrast from the dark brown paneled walls that surround the room. The valance above the west window is occupied by more wind chimes and bells. There is a clock that has 12 different birds on it but no longer plays the sound of the birds. The wall behind me is home of the spare bedroom door and a collection of pictures that is approximately 5 foot by 6 foot. The frames are of many different shapes and sizes but all of them are an off-white color. There are pictures of my grandparents, their siblings, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. I still enjoy enjoy this collection, although some of the pictures are quite aged. Such as my senior frame that is now 19 years old! The east wall has a large "archway" that leads into the dining room. There is a weather rock that my dad made more than 25 years ago that still hangs on one side of the trim. Adjacent from it on the other trim hangs a bell along with a wooden wind chime. The trim above has a couple of other decorations hanging from it. Pictures occupy another 3 foot by 4 foot section on one side of the archway and a 2 foot by 3 foot area on the other side of the archway. Sometimes when I look around the room I think about how cluttered it is; then I quickly come back to how much my grandma loved this stuff and how it represents both of my grandparents. It easily comes back to me why I also love this room.

July 13, 2013

As I was trying to decide what to blog about tonight, I got day dreaming about the Bahamas and the Royal Caribbean Cruise my husband and I took for our anniversary. It made me wish I was back there right now. With all the chaos of life that is going on right now and the everyday stress; it would be a great retreat. I can remember walking on that ship for the very first time. It was unbelievable in size and in presence. I had always thought a cruise or trip to an area like the Bahamas would just be a dream for me, but here I actually was. We were really blessed because when we checked in they upgraded us from a state room with a window to a balcony room. It was amazing! I don't know if you have ever been a cruise before but if not, you cannot imagine how much food is there. Everywhere you turn, there is a restaurant or eatery. And the buffets are beyond description. I think one of the most incredible sights was at night when you were out on the balcony and you saw nothing but complete blackness with a glimmer of light from the moon shining on the ocean. We were fortunate to be able to partake in a dolphin adventure in Nassau, Bahamas. It was really neat to be able to touch, feed, and interact with them. We even have a picture with one kissing me on the cheek. They are such intelligent and remarkable animals. I hope to be able to do another adventure with them sometime where I get to swim with them. We had one day that we visited CoCoCay, which was a Royal Caribbean private island. It was so relaxing to just enjoy the beach and crystal clear waters. We floated on rafts for hours. They had the island all set up with BBQ food. The last stop was in Key West, Florida. We took a glass bottom boat tour out to the Coral Reef. The colors of the fish and the details of the coral that lie on the ocean bed were spectacular. The shops were nice and the island tour was pretty cool. Now you can tell why I wish I were back there again. I hope next time to be able to take a full week cruise and take our kids on it with us. The experiences you have are indescribable and leave a lifetime of memories.