Summer!

I am totally enjoying not having homework, but I keep having the feeling that there's something I'm forgetting to do. I checked my grades earlier in the week. I made a B in the reading class and a C in the assessment class. I was a little disappointed in the C, but I'm okay with it. For the sheer number of assignments required and the amount of time I had between work, life, and homework, I'm satisfied.

Still no real news on the job front. I decided not to call the Deputy Superintendent this week. I don't wanna be a pest and talk myself out of a job. I check the sites at least twice a week. (Usually more like four or five times a week.) When I checked the Region 8 site today, I saw that two or three of the positions for which I was being considered were no longer listed. My heart skipped a beat. I kept looking down the list and saw four new postings. Two of them are SOCIAL STUDIES!!! I tried to call the Deputy Superintendent after I applied for them (actually all four positions), but I think the admin office may be closed on Fridays. Instead, I sent him an email to confirm that one of the Social Studies positions would be my preference. If I don't hear anything next week, I think I'll call at the end of the week. I'm praying for God's will, but I really want one of those Social Studies positions.

Since I now have time to read what I want, I decided to go to the library. I haven't been since I got my library card. What did I get? John Grisham's The Associate. It was the only Grisham legal thriller I don't already have. I'm thinking I'll check out Lord of the Rings or Catcher in the Rye next time.

Ahhh . . .

Another summer semester has come and gone. And I survived. I knew I would, of course. I'm doing what God wants, so He will help me succeed. He's got this. Grades aren't posted yet, but I'm pretty sure I got Bs in both classes. I'm really good with that.

No word on the employment front yet, but I'm not stressing about it, believe it or not. When I talked to the Deputy Superintendent last week, he told me that he had to talk to the Superintendent, who had been out. With the 4th of July holiday Friday, it was a short week for a lot of us. Some school district administration offices were closed all week; I'm sure this one was closed Friday. If I don't hear from him, I'm thinking I will call some time Wednesday. I want to check in and make sure he knows I'm still interested, yet not be a pest. I'll definitely post when I know something for sure.

Speaking of the 4th of July holiday, the long weekend was really relaxing for Paul and me. We pretty much did nothing. We stayed in our pajamas all weekend, chilled out, watched Netflix, napped, and spent time on our favorite websites.

My eyes look weird, but this is the only pic I took of us.

We watched the movie "Lawless" on Netflix.

I really am relieved to have a few weeks with no classes, just work. I can read what I want, now. Hmmm . . . What first?

At least all that's over.

So much has happened since my last post, but I don't really have time to catch you up at the moment. I finished the semester with a B in both classes. I was happy about that, believe it or not. I'm still working on watching the observation videos to officially be admitted to the ACP program. The month of May has really flown past. I planned to finish the videos and answer the questions before I took the TExES 4-8 Generalist. That didn't happen. I also didn't get to study for the blasted exam like I had planned. I took it yesterday. I studied and prayed all week. I prayed before the test and during the test. I actually feel pretty good about it; I know God didn't bring me this far, only to fail now. My mom always taught me to study like my grade depended on me and pray like it depended on God. If I don't get the required 240 on this test, it would be the first big standardized test on which I didn't score well enough the first time. I should have my results by 5 pm Friday. That means I'll be checking my account all week to see when my score is posted.

Last week, I took a course and am now a certified Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructor. (Paid for by my employer, thankfully!) After I updated my resume last night, I uploaded it to my profiles and decided to check out the latest job postings. I'm glad I did! I applied for a few new jobs. I already know I didn't get one job; thankfully, it was one I didn't really want.

Summer classes start Monday. I'm not positive that I'm ready, but at least the semester will be complete by the 4th of July.

I'm taking a little fun time tonight to watch a movie or two with Paul.

Whew! Glad that's over.

After being bogged down with a research proposal, a research paper, and a poster presentation at the end of the semester, I am so glad this semester is over. On the plus side, I got 95 out of 100 points on the research proposal, with a note that it was an interesting topic. I got 200 out of 200 points on my research paper (I can't remember what Dr. R's note said at the moment, but it was complimentary) and 25 out of 25 points on the poster presentation. I haven't averaged it out, but I'm pretty sure I have a B in Human Growth and Development and it looks like I have an A in the educational research class. I'm happy, happy, happy.

Tomorrow should be interesting. I'm attending a preparation class for the PPR exam from 1 pm to 7 pm. The reminder email today said to bring a few things: pencils, scratch paper, snacks and drinks, and reading material in case you finish the practice test early. I have it all; I just need to remember the snacks and drinks.

Noelle, my elf on the shelf, has been a busy girl. I'm making a scrapbook of her antics, primarily using the Elves on Shelves kit by A-Manda Creation.

Since my life has calmed down a little, I'll try to post more regularly.

One down, two to go!

The final for my web class was due Monday night. I was happy to turn it in with almost an hour left. I was even happier yesterday when I realized that I have an A for the class. {Happy dance, happy dance, happy dance!} Now, if I could only do so well in my other two classes. I felt sick all day Monday and had a migraine Tuesday and Wednesday. I even missed my Human Growth & Development class Tuesday night. I emailed Dr. R to see if I can take the test I missed after Tuesday's test. I guess I'll see how that goes. When Dr. L posted our grades for Tests 2 and 3, I asked if she had seen my Test 1. Of course, she hadn't. She said she would check at the Testing Center. I hope they find it; I can't stand to lose 100 points. Otherwise, I seem to be doing pretty well. I think I have a strong B in HG&D. I'm not too sure about the research class yet.

On a much more positive note, my migraine appears to be gone and is now just an annoying headache. I'm hoping it's gone soon.

It just strikes me that I seem to be doubting. God's already got this semester taken care of. Why should I doubt? If I do my part, why wouldn't God take care of me? Thanks for the eye opener, God!

It's about dang time!

So, tonight in Human Growth & Development, as usual, we got last week's tests back. I finally made an A!!! Until tonight, all I've seen was B. Here's the real shocker:  I didn't even have time to finish reading last week's chapter. I guess I already knew more about the prenatal period than I thought. I'm hoping for an A on tonight's test; I read the chapter, participated more in the discussion, and actually felt pretty confident during the test. I guess I'll see how I did next week. And Dr. R has finally learned my name. I'm not sure if that's good or not.

And here's an update on my tech class:  Instead of waiting for someone else to start our group blog, I just went ahead and started it. Now I'm just waiting for everyone else to post their email addresses so I can add them as administrators. We're each required to write five posts. I wrote my first one before I left work. And when I checked a little bit ago, no one has posted an email address yet.

All in all, today has been a good day. Of course, I haven't done what I intended since I got home from class. Instead, Paul and I have caught up on the first two episodes of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Sunday's episode of The Simpsons. I guess I'll have to kick my butt into gear the rest of the week.

Of Birthdays and Chuck Taylors

This week has been much better than last week started. My meds kicked in and my UTI is improving. (I'm sure it would be even better if I could remember to take my meds like I'm supposed to. Since I had to move the box I keep my meds in to the kitchen instead of the bedroom, I keep forgetting them.) Friday the 13th was my 42nd birthday. Paul and I spent the day Saturday celebrating in Shreveport/Bossier City, Louisiana. (Did I mention that my student loan finally came in?!) I got a coupon in the mail from DSW when they sent me my rewards card, so I was dying to get some new shoes. The stores there, even Target, have different stuff than the ones here in Texarkana and I wanted to go clothes shopping. We bought all our fur babies some goodies at Petco (since we don't have one here) and I got a few new books at Barnes & Noble. I ended up only getting one pair of pants at Target. My plan at DSW was to get a new pair of New Balance shoes; the ones I have are getting pretty old and worn down. Since they didn't have any in my size, I looked at the clearance section, where I found my new favorite pair of shoes:  pink Converse All Stars.

The last time I had an actual pair of Chuck Taylors was for PE in fifth or sixth grade. I was devastated because nobody else had shoes like that and I thought they were dorky. Since the '90s, I've loved them!

My classes have gone pretty well this week. I take my makeup exam for my research class this Friday after I get off work. (Friday is the only day I'm off work early enough to make it to the Testing Center.) Mr./Dr. G commented on the paper I wrote Sunday:  "Extremely good discussion with both sides presented!" It was only worth 10 points, but I'm about as happy as if it were worth all 50 points. I got 22 out of 25 on my Chapter 2 test in Human Growth and Development last week. I'm pretty sure I'm getting a B in that class, but I'll take it.

I had planned to go to the university Sunday to work on my reading and my homework. But I procrastinated. I didn't get up and start moving around until after 12:00. We had a few errands to run and a little shopping to do, so it was about 4:00 when we left Target. The library closes at 6, so there wasn't much point in going to the university. Fortunately, Starbucks was empty enough that we got seats where I could plug in the laptop. We spent a few hours there while I finished reading and wrote my paper. I'm thinking we may go back there this Sunday instead of going to the university.

I'm actually trying to get ahead this week in my web class, which will leave me more time for research for that class and Human Growth and Development. Anyway, we're learning about Excel this week. I answered the questions for the first part pretty easily. My problem came when I had to start actually working on a spreadsheet. I must've done something wrong, because I got stuck. It wasn't giving me the option to perform one of the actions we're supposed to perform. I tried to figure it out on my own, but that wasn't working. I had to message Mr./Dr. G, so I'm done with it for tonight. Since I have group the next two nights, I may not be back on it until Friday. After I take my test, of course. Now to read the five chapters for the test in my research class Monday night!

So much for a relaxing holiday . . .

Well, my Week 1 assignments for my online class were due by 11:30 pm. After being completely unproductive yesterday, I felt a little pressured today. Apparently, as usual, I was stressing about nothing. I submitted my assignments a little before 8:30. By 9:00, I had a notification on my phone that a grade was posted. To my surprise, I got 50 out of 50 points. Now I have a chapter to read and write a 5-8 page paper about what I got out of the chapter, plus read the chapter for the test Tuesday evening. Friday night I was thinking that I may not have to do homework Monday. I have apparently procrastinated too long. Writing the paper itself probably won't take more than a couple hours. The long part will be the reading. That makes it sound like I don't like to read. I love to read! The thing is, I don't love to read just anything. I love to read things that interest me. The first couple articles I had to read this week were not interesting; fortunately, the other two were. Now, let's hope the human growth and development chapters aren't boring.

I had no real lesson or epiphany today. It doesn't happen every day. But I know that God loves me, no matter how long I procrastinate or stress about writing papers or other homework.

Have a happy Labor Day!