Two Down, One To Go!

Algebra Final: 77%
Health Insurance Final: 70%  (that one weirded me out...figured I'd do better than that.)

One class left.  Taking a short brain break by folding clothes and writing blog posts.

Skipped church today so I could concentrate on school.  Unfortunately, a young lady who lives on her block has made it her mission to annoy the snot out of me for the most of the weekend.  She came over twice today so far; both times I had to tell her I was in the middle of either taking a final or writing a paper, and I didn't want any extra kids in the house.  On Saturday, she was over most of the day while I was trying to study my algebra videos.  And she's loud, peeps.  And not in a cute way.  I was so relieved when she finally left.  I'm just not sure what to do about this child.  I've caught her stealing from us, lying to us, and picking on Bucket pretty relentlessly.  Mr. R insists that she can stay because she is very lonely and has no one to hang out with.  Well, after knowing this kid for a few years, I kind of know why.  Not very mannerly, kind of rude.  And VERY flirtatious with Tiger.  I will not allow her to enter his room unless the door is open, and I've had to tell her to get her legs off my son, and to not sit so close to him on the couch.  She is so sexually suggestive with him that *I* get embarrassed.  Funny thing is, Tiger doesn't like her at all.  Every time she comes over, he tells her he is doing chores, homework, or he runs over to a friend's house.  One time, he climbed out his window to avoid her.  Sigh...I do feel sorry for her, but not sorry enough to have her over all weekend.  And I will have no excuses once I graduate school.  Waaaaaaah.

Last week, I did my first Craigslist purchase.  I've lived in my house for almost 10 years, and have never had a patio set.  I still don't have one.  But I finally purchased a chaise lounge wooden chair.  I absolutely love it.  I studied out there this weekend.  So I got up and was going to sit out there today with my tall glass of water and a book, and look at what I found:

I said to Mr. R, "I wonder how long it will be before O'Malley finds my new chair."  Well, it has been put together for less than 24 hours and my kitty loves it.

His poor butt is going gray.  Of all places.  I hope my butt doesn't go gray first.

He even looks like a grouchy old man, doesn't he?  He's 12 years old.  Missy got him as a present for her 4th birthday from Granny.  And she's going to be 16 this year!

Hmmm, here is someone else who is also 12 years old!  Not as gray as poor O'Malley, but just as stinky and still sitting in my chair.  Hmph.

3 Finals This Weekend

I am not going to have a fun weekend.  Three finals; career development, medical insurance, and my nemesis algebra.  I sure hope I can pass that one.

Mr. R came home Thursday night.  He made dinner, hung out with the kids, did dishes, and then we "came together as man and wife." Afterwards, I had the best sleep I've had all week.  ;) I was beyond ticked when that dog woke me up at 4am to pee.  I was hardcore snoozing by then and I don't like ANYONE at 4am, period!

And guess what...when he was in Michigan, he bought me this bag!  Isn't it cute? We both know it's a Gucci knockoff.  But it's a great size and it smells good.  The zipper is crap though, I will probably end up replacing it.  It's already buckling weird.

Onto my Friday outfit.  Shots courtesy of Mr. R which is why I'm finally smiling and they're not blurry.  He actually takes his time taking them!

Fabulous shirt.  Fabulous color.  Fabulous shape.  HATE the arms.  They're elastic.  I think elastic arm bands for fat girl clothes should be banned.  I have chubby arms and the elastic cuts into my elbow fat every time I wear this shirt.  Yet; I have not fixed it.  So maybe I'm the one with a problem.  I got this at Goodwill for I think $3 last year.  It's one of my favorite tops.

He makes me smile, what can I say?

I had to get a little sassy for my man.  That's how I roll.

He said, "Show me your best side."  Here is the result.  LOL. 

Skirt: the one I just bought last week from eBay.  Oh yes.  I love it.  Shoes: blue leopard from Payless in late 2010.  Bag: a gift from my sweetie!

In more...somber news.  I am so stressed out from school.  I can't wait to finish.  My brain quit weeks ago.  I have no interest anymore.  Probably not a great time to be taking the toughest class I need to graduate.  I heard this song in the car this evening and actually started to tear up.  It embodies all the emotions I've built up since January:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u0P9kwfF4s

"Revelation"

My life has led me down the road that's so uncertain
Now I am left alone and I am broken
Trying to find my way
Trying to find the faith that's gone

This time I know that you are holding all the answers
I'm tired of losing hope and taking chances
On roads that never seem
To be the ones that bring me home

Give me a revelation
Show me what to do
'Cause I've been trying to find my way
I haven't got a clue
Tell me should I stay here
Or do I need to move
Give me a revelation
I've got nothing without you
I've got nothing without you

My life has led me down this path that's ever winding
Through every twist and turn, I'm always finding
That I am lost again
Tell me when this road will ever end

I don't know where I can turn
Tell me, when will I learn
Won't you show me where I need to go
Let me follow your lead
I know that it's the only way that I can get back home
credit: Third Day

My favorite line is "Tell me should I stay here, or do I need to move.  Give me a revelation, I've got nothing without you."  Honestly, I should tattoo that on my body.  Even after all this schooling and the internship where they love me already, I am scared to change.  I so want God to tell me what to do, but I just hear nothing right now.  Patience is not a game I play well.  I sure wish I knew what to do.

Halfway There

I'm actually quite annoyed with Tiger here.  He refused to get up and take my picture.  He is on the couch.  Notice Nick cartoons are on.

And his enormous feet under the blanket, sticking up.

Plus Hercules the cat has got to eat.

 Dress:  Kiyonna, from eBay.  I think $35. 
Shoes:  American Eagle, from Payless late 2010.
Bad attitude:  all mine.

This morning.  Another outfit which I think looked better in my head than in real life.  For one, even though this skirt has a slip, I think it needs another one.  It is gossamer thin!

But this shirt is fabulous.  It's a bit big on me, but very comfortable.

This tough girl recycles.  Look behind me!

Wearing my red Christmas shoes.  Why?  Because I can.

You gotta look good to code, baby!

Outfit details:  Skirt, Avenue, from...2008?  Probably about $25. 
Shoes: American Eagle, from Payless in 2010. 
Shirt: gift from my sister Kelly from Christmas 2009.
Sunglasses:  Walmart...$200.  The most expensive part of my outfit, they're prescription.

What Do You Think...Outfit Fail?

I realize the glare is horrific.

Glad to see the slip under the dress is doing it's job!

I used a new shampoo and it is NOT GOOD.  My hair, which is normally dry and kind of coarse, was a greasy oil slick today. 

I think this outfit combo looked better in my head than it did in real life.

Scratch this from list of future outfits...or what do you think?

 Dress:  Merona, from eBay.  $15 I think?  It's actually very cute on top, but way too low cut for an office.  Really, this either needs to be for the beach only, or to cut the top off and make this into a skirt. 
White wrap top: Venezia, $5 from Goodwill.  Not a single stain on it, I was shocked.  It's a great basic piece.
Necklace:  made for me by my friend Natalie.
Shoes: nude Target flats, for $6.88.  Horribly uncomfortable but hey, all I do is sit at a desk all day.  No biggie.


Much, much better day at the internship today.  I stayed the entire day, got a ton of coding done, and have basically reassured myself that I am in the right field.  Other employees were commenting on how "able" I was, meaning that I did not need to be babysat.  They just handed me work and I did it, asking questions as needed.  In fact, they had to print extra work for me because I was flying through it so quickly.  It was a great day!

Internship

No pictures because I left before the kids were awake.  Remember, today was a federal holiday so there was no school. 

The first day of my internship was both awesome and awful.  One, I am SICK.  No time to reschedule the internship because the lady who is in charge of them?  Her last day is March 4th.  So I have to complete this quickly.  So even though I felt like holy hell, I trudged in.

The first three hours were great.  It turns out, I'm darn good at the coding.  They printed me a day's worth of work (for an intern, not an employee) and I finished it in 4.5 hours instead of 8.  I got a hang of the screens pretty quickly and was coding my little heart out.  Great comeraderie with my trainer, Kendra.  We laughed and chatted between me asking questions about certain accounts.  But eventually, my wracking cough caught the attention of other employees.  One kind lady brought me a handful of cough drops.  Kendra made me a cup of steaming hot tea.  To no avail...I caught my left eye starting to twitch, which it does that when I am about to crash.  (my body is weird that way...it's only my left eye that does that.)  The coughing intensified...and then...the worst thing that could possibly happen, happened.

I coughed so hard that I threw up on myself.  At the desk.  Directly in my lap.

Luckily, it wasn't much.  I grabbed some paper towels stashed in my desk and mopped myself up fast, then ran to the bathroom to get the bits of my lunch off my dress.  (I'd had a can of Progresso Italian wedding soup for lunch.)  Thankfully, I caught it in time, but I couldn't get that vomity smell off me.  I walked back to my desk and whispered to Kendra, "I think I should go home.  I'm not feeling well."  She took one look at me, and said, "Please go home.  Please."  I shut my computer down, stashed my paperwork in the desk, and told her I'd be back tomorrow.  She winked at me and said, "Hope you get some sleep and that cough goes away!"  I drove home, walked into my room, and immediately fell asleep for two hours.  I'm still not feeling any better, to be truthful.  My cough prevails.  I have bags under my eyes that should declared as luggage.  I took the night off school work because I desperately need a night of not thinking. 

In dress code news, I'm still not sure what the deal is around this place.  The office for coders is not directly inside the hospital.  It is in one of the side buildings.  So far as I can tell, a few people follow the dress code, and some people straight up ignore it.  Kendra was wearing a perfectly lovely pair of black slacks, white sleeveless top with a red jacket, and black shoes.  She kicked her shoes off and was wearing purple slippers at her desk which made me grin.  Then I saw another woman who was wearing plaid board shorts, Converse sneakers and a surfing tee shirt.  I actually thought she was a delivery person at first, and didn't realize she was a coder until I saw her two hours later at her desk.  I wore my black dress (the one I wore with the red argyle sweater last week) with my gray flats and the black and white cardigan I wore to the wedding on January 1.  Basic and kind of boring.  Tomorrow, I'm planning to wear a blue & white dress with a white wrap shirt on top, and my nude flats.  On Wednesday, I'm thinking about wearing my pink Kiyonna dress with my purple sash, purple cardigan and purple shoes.  On Thursday, I have a white skirt and black ruffle top planned, and on Friday, my new brown skirt that I wore last week, probably with the red wrap top again.  It appears I do have enough clothes to sustain me if I do end up in this department, which makes me very glad.

Answered Prayer

Just got a 96 on my algebra exam today.  Huge grins!

Now I'm going to bed because I have my internship starting tomorrow in the coding department of the hospital.  There is no school for my kiddos because it's President's Day.  I'm glad.  My first day is going to be nerve wracking enough without worrying about getting the kids out the door on time.  I'll worry about that on Tuesday instead.

I have to complete 45 hours of coding to get credit for my internship.  I am using my vacation time to pay for being out of work for 45 hours.  I took six days off work: February 21-25, and also Monday, February 28.  Normally a work week is 40 hours; I'm hoping I can cram 45 hours into this week and use my PDO day of Monday the 28th as a personal day to calm down after all this craziness.  Not sure if the coding department will allow me to do this, but you never know.  If not, I can work half a day on Monday and still get a bit of time to myself. 

I'm going to try and take pictures of myself this week, but please be prepared for spotty posts.  I have not commuted in 9 years and I'm not used to getting dressed, putting on makeup, making myself breakfast and lunch.  I will be completely out of my element and not only that, but I have finals all next weekend, too.  So in the evenings after my hour long drive, I will be studying and still trying to interact with my children.

Friends, I need prayer that I can make it.  It's only a week...it's only a week.  But it's a hectic week.  Thanks for being there for me!

Hair, Spiders and Buck

I wore this to church today. Yes, it is warm enough to wear flip flops.  In fact, the red top made me sweat.  Red and brown is probably one of my favorite color combinations.  My flip flops are leopard print and are my absolute favorite.  I've had them for three years and I know there is not much life left in them.  I will be heartbroken when they finally fall apart.

Is this skirt too long?  I like a longer skirt.  I bought this to wear to my internship next week.  A solid A-line skirt is a great investment.  I can wear this with any color in my wardrobe!

New song I started to sing when I saw this picture: "Honkytonk Badonkadonk."  Which is redneck talk for "that is one enormous caboose you've got there, lady."  Oh, and can you see my tattoo on my right ankle?  It's a blue and purple bird holding a rose.

I need to avoid side profiles.  Still, I can see that from past pictures, that gut is starting to shrink.

Cotton skirts sure wrinkle fast.

I'm wearing a dark brown cami underneath the red top.  This shirt is mostly modest, but if I bend down to pick something up, you tend to get a quick trip to Hooterville.  So on with the cami.

On with the outfit details:
Red top: Coldwater Creek, size 2x.  It's a bit big on me, but I've had this top for at least 5-6 years and get compliments every time I wear it.  I think wrap tops are very flattering on me.  I think I found this at Goodwill for $5.  It is starting to pill and I need to buy one of those little things that yank pills off your clothing.  I may look for that today.
Brown cami underneath that you can hardly see: Walmart, maybe $3.  It is falling apart, and I need to fix it because it is lacy on the bottom and top and I love how that peeks through an average outfit.  Plus dark brown is a surprisingly hard color to find.  I find lots of khaki but not chocolate.
Skirt:  scored off eBay for $10.  It is a size 18/20 and fits great.
Brown leopard flip flops, $5 at Target about 3 years ago.  I love these things.
Jewelry: Avenue, matching necklace and earrings, probably $15 for the set.

Every morning, I walk into my backyard with my cup of coffee and admire nature.  I know, it's just my backyard.  But for a girl who grew up in Queens, owning a 1/4 acre is a big deal.  I relish the outdoors when it's not blistering hot.  Anyway, I walked outside and saw this: spiderwebs nesting in my crepe myrtle tree.  A bunch of them overnight!  The dew was glistening in them and I just had to take some pictures.

What an amazing creation, the spiderweb.  How pretty they are!

Can't forget Buck, who followed me throughout the entire yard, rubbing on my legs.  He is such a sweet kitty.  I love him dearly.  His brother Jack died last week.  I'm pretty sure Buck is in mourning.  He's been following me around quite a bit more than usual, and trying to sleep on my feet.

Tears

My school work today brought me to tears.  And not pretty, soap opera tears.  The kind of crying that gives you hiccups, a red nose, and a blinding headache. 

You see, I am a good student.  I would even say I'm smart.  I'm not a genius, but I'm not a complete doofus either.  (and if I am a doofus, please don't tell me, because it would make me cry again.)  This algebra class is literally giving me heart palpitations.  I had to walk away this afternoon because I literally could feel the vein in my neck throbbing and frankly, I don't think algebra is worth my having a stroke.  I went into my room, shut the blinds, hid under the covers and had a nice little fantasy about being on a cruise with my hubby.  By the way, I'm skinny in all my dreams.  But that's another story entirely.

Right now, I have a 70% in algebra, which is the lowest C you can possibly get.  It is also the only grade I've had under a B+ the entire time I've been at Herzing.  I had just taken a pre-test and gotten a 25%.  And this was after watching hours of video lectures on dividing and multiplying radicands with variables AND fractions.  Can ANYONE please tell me why I have to know this crap before I can be a coder?  ANYONE?!?!

I am looking at the very real possibility that I will not graduate in April due to this one class.  And this class is over in about ten days.  I have one more regular test to take, then my final, and I am done.  And if I don't get at least a D....I don't know what happens.  I don't know if I can take it again in March, or if I have to wait until summer.

I know I'm getting ahead of myself, but this next week will not be a studying type week for me.  You see, I have my internship next week.  I will be driving to Orlando every day and lose lots of hours in my car.  Hours in which I am normally studying.  And because Herzing opted to use e-books, I can't even bring my book with me to study on my lunch breaks.   I am scared.  Scared I'm going to fail and not earn my degree over algebra.

Let the crying continue.

What I Want

The time is winding down.  I am inching closer and closer to graduation.  I have three weeks of classes left for this last term, and then an extra two months to go; my actual graduation day is April 26, although I should be done with all my classes quite a bit before that point.
My brain, frankly, has had enough of studying and writing papers and creating discussion posts.  I've gone for the past three years missing weekends, sleep, vacations, and precious time with my kiddos.  Was it worth it?  Honestly, my answer at this point is:  We'll see.  I'm still at the same job, haven't taken my certification exam yet, and have not applied to any other jobs within the hospital. 
My mind is focused squarely on summer right now.  Summer in Florida is not my favorite time of year.  The heat is stifling, my power bill has been known to double or triple.  Yet, this year it is calling to me.  I have visions of the beach, and not having a textbook with me.  I have decided I want one of those long wooden patio chairs for laying out; I haven't laid out for a tan in years.  I don't think I'll be tanning, but I just want to lay in my yard and REST.  I stare longingly at my Bible and wonder when the last time is that I opened it up and read for more than 10 minutes.  I desire to get back into the Word so much that I literally ache.  I've abandoned my Bible for textbooks and studying.  I want to spend hours in my kitchen cooking nutritious food.  I want to learn how to make jam.  I want to make vats of healthy smoothies with hemp milk and yummy fruit.  I want to pull my sewing machine out of storage and learn how to make my own dresses and skirts for my upcoming career change. 
I want to wake up on a Saturday morning and go to the flea market or yard sales, instead of firing up my laptop for more coursework.  I want to go fairs, I want to go to the dog park, I want to stick my toes in the sand.  I want to look all around me and revel in God's Majesty, to walk through the palm trees and put hibiscus in my hair and maybe need to cut an aloe plant because my cheeks got a bit of sun while I wandered around His glorious world.
I want flip flops and a sundress to be crazily overdressed as I walk on the beaches of Volusia County in the cool evening with my husband by my side.  I want to share a romantic kiss with him as the waves crash to our sides.  I definitely want some coconut shrimp and I want to go fishing and crabbing with my handsome husband, then grill our goodies when we get home and wash it all down with tequila margaritas. 
I want to have the time to take our 1/4 acre yard and turn it into a garden of delicious goodies.  I want to learn about gardening and soil and rain barrels and pretty flowers.  I want to spend evenings in our yard, and listen to the tree frogs and watch the kids roast marshmallows by the fire pit.  I want to light citronella candles and put my feet up.
I want it all, friends.  What are you dreaming about lately? 

These Boots Were Made For Standing In My Yard

It's about 40 degrees this morning, which means I get to wear my boots and a sweater!  I get so excited when it's cool outside; I hardly ever wear these boots and I just bought the sweater on clearance last week!

I'm trying to smile but I'm squinting because the sun is relentlessly bright in Florida in the winter.

When I saw this picture, I began to sing that lovely 90s rap tune "Baby Got Back."  MYLANTA.  That is a large caboose. 

Yep, I am feeling sassy and cute in this outfit.  And yet, completely covered!  See, being modest doesn't mean wearing a potato sack. 

So what am I wearing?

 

 

Dress: Walmart, bought in Gastonia, NC on a complete whim for $20 back in 2009.  It is one of my favorites!  Sweater: Target, bought in Orange City, FL for $17.50.  It's a size 2x which is normally a bit big on me, but when I tried on the 1x, the argyle pattern got really stretched out and it looked stupid.  So I sized up.  It's a very thin sweater which is great because thicker sweaters just will not get worn down here.  Boots, Avenue, bought in July 2009 for $20!  I mean, who buys boots in Florida?  I DO WHEN THEY'RE $20, THAT'S WHO!!!  Silver (I'm guess stainless steel with silver paint) hoops, WalMart, pack of 3 sets of hoops for $5.  

Mr. R will not be home for Valentines, which is really not a big deal to me.  Even when he's home, we don't celebrate.  Honestly, he loves me so much throughout the year that a random day in February doesn't mean too much to me.  But I hope that you all get to have a lovely special day if you wish!

Tornado Warning in Volusia County!

This is the view from my desk.  When the clouds started gathering, I grabbed my camera and opened the back door.  And meanwhile, I was on hold with Blue Cross of New Jersey the entire time.  I *am* the multitasker!

Ominous and beautiful at the same time.

I was looking for rotation, but never saw it.

So I decided to run to the front door instead.  Look at the top of the photo, near the right middle.  Is that a funnel cloud or just coincidence?

I'm scared, Mommy!  It's dark and windy and HOLDDDDDD MEEEEEE!

Look at the middle of the picture toward the left.  Is that not a face?  It looks like someone growling!  Oooh, creepy. 

This is the empty lot across the street from our house.  During Hurricane Charley in 2004, all these trees were snapped in half.

Beautiful, beautiful nature.

It's so easy to appreciate blue skies and sunshine, but I revel at His work in the storms, too.

Sarah Walks Outside!

 I'm standing in my driveway, enjoying the, uh...overcast skies and intermittent rain.  Hey, it was still 65/70 outside.  Warm enough that a sleeveless dress was not completely out of the question.

I'm not sure why there's an empty Wendy's cup behind me?

Hair is getting longer!

Another Merona dress.  Of course!  I'm wearing a tank for modesty, but you can't really see it.  And my gray Payless flats.  Size 1x.  I wore this to church with my purple wrap cardigan. 

Pictures today are outside, instead of in my hallway.  It was overcast and the light was awful; but it wasn't raining so I made Missy take them outside.  And now that I see this, I really could have used a necklace.  But I was working in children's ministry today and you never know what could get yanked off you. 

Allie from Wardrobe Oxygen is RIGHT!

On one of her recent posts, she insists that a woman should always have a black suit in her wardrobe.  This counts for stay at home moms and working moms.  They are excellent for work, church, classy dress up events, interviews.  Her reason is: You never know when you'll need it.  I agreed as I read her article (which I almost always do) and then proceeded not to get a black suit.  And guess who could use one today?
Well, that is an easy hypothetical question.

I have an interview today for my internship.  Because of the tattoo on my leg, I cannot wear a dress or skirt.  I own two pairs of pants; black and brown.  Neither one fit me great right now.  For now, in my head, I am choosing the brown ones, with my teal wrap cotton shirt.  I am none too thrilled with this option.  I wish, wish, WISH, I had a classic black pant suit to wear today.  I even thought about it over the weekend, but with watching my friend's sick kid, I ended up not going and now I regret it immensely.

My interview is at 10am today.  I'm already "hired" since it's an internship, we're just meeting to discuss hours and sign necessary paperwork.  Besides algebra, this is, for the most part, the last box to check in my quest to get my degree.  I will have Mr. R take a picture of me as I leave today (I'm trying to do a bit of work before I leave, maybe an hour's worth) and post it later.