Honey I Shrunk the Kids!

My photography course instructor has now uploaded both the portraits assignment and the "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" assignment to the online class portfolio. You can see them here.

Our final assignment is entitled "blue". He's not given any guidelines as to what to do for the assignment other than to use the knowledge we've acquired over the past few months. I have a few ideas but would welcome many more. I need to take at least 25 good "blue" pictures. I hope to do so within the next couple days so that I can complete this course early. I'll easily end with an 'A' in this course.

In other semester news, I've just taken my final for my Personal Wellness course. I got a 'B' on the final and ended the class with an 'A'. Wahoooooo!

Counting Down

Counting down to the end of the semester...turned in my second to last photo assignment yesterday, finished up two papers yesterday which I turned in tonight, gave my presentation tonight......found out more about my last photo assignment which I plan to do in the next couple evenings...one final will be taken Thursday along with turning in the last assignment for that class...will receive an email soon regarding the final for tonight's class (I don't plan to be there next week even if the baby hasn't arrived)...need to work more on my online course and complete all those little papers, notes, and the 40 pager...

Here's my latest photography class assignment- Portraits with natural lighting from a window. I needed to have 10 good pictures of my "subject" and Logan's turned out the best. This one was my favorite. I'm also uploading a picture of Shane that I really liked even though the lighting wasn't the best.




The next photo assignment is "blue." No instructions, use our imaginations and creativity, and see what we come up with. I've already thought of a few ideas. Any ideas you want to share with me? I need 25 different "blue" pictures and can use the word however I want to.

Postcard from Home

This was another assignment for my photo class. It was fun and actually fairly easy to do. I mIGHt do something similar for the baby announcement. This is one main picture with several other pictures used to cut out the letters. The second one is the one I was supposed to turn in for the class but I just realized I turned in the wrong one! Either one should be fine though. I'll probably email the second one to the instructor, just in case.

Demotivation

Ok, still no pictures from this weekend...We used Shaun's camera and I haven't uploaded the pictures he took of the boys on Halloween. I promise to do so soon...however that also means finding room on my completely filled hard drive. Ouch! I desparately need to get a new, much larger, hard drive. The problem I'm having with that, besides spending the money, is that I'm afraid to take care of installing it myself and I'm terrified that I won't have all the files from this one to put onto the new one. I also need to find my CD for Windows so that I have an operating system and do not need to purchase a new one. UGH!

My most recent photography assignment, due just moments ago, was to create a "demotivational poster." If you have seen motivational posters you can probably guess what this is. De-motivational posters can be found for sale or just for show online. The site my instructor sent us to was despair.com. Check it out and have a few good laughs! The assignment was to create one of our own using a photo we have taken and the photo editing software. As you will see at despair.com, some are really funny, and some are tacky. I chose the more tacky route. I couldn't help myself!

My friend Heather and I are both pregnant and due on the same day, with boys. Since I've already had Shaun and my kids in several of the photos I've turned in I thought it would be fun to have one with Heather and I. What better than a tacky demotivational poster? So, I came up with the idea on Friday and she and Jeff, her husband, agreed to be part of my project. They may regret it... I told them my idea and then yesterday, after the baby shower I did for Heather, we set to work. After several photos we came up with a good one for the composition and I had finally stopped having a laughing fit just long enough to get a good shot. It was truly funny seeing us there posed for this and I couldn't stop laughing.

I hope you like it! Tell me what you think. I wish I'd come up with something funnier for the caption but I ran out of time. You'll get the point.

Beautiful Day!

It is sooooo pretty outside right now! I would much rather be outside having fun than inside doing homework. But, alas, I have to work on my 20 page essay mid-term for one of my online courses. So, instead I'm inside blogging and avoiding the mid-term. I'm just not in the mood! However it is due in one week so I don't really have a choice but to get an essay question or two completed each evening. I'll even do more if I have the time, just to get this thing done.

Since I'm procrastinating well so far.... Here are a few of the recent photos I've taken for the other online course I'm taking- Digital Photography. I'm sooo lucky to have found this for my last elective. I'm loving my photography even more and loving that it counts for a course. The best part is that I am strengthening my editing skills with a new adobe program (CS4). It's similar to what I've used in the past but has some great features I have not used in my other programs. Here ya go, just for enjoyment... (Click these for larger views of the pictures if you want. The panorama looks much better larger but I've only uploaded it as a smaller picture. Clicking it doesn't make it much larger.)

Closeups:




Frame:

Yes, I love flowers! The local rose gardens are currently in full bloom which is great timing for photos for this class.

Lines:

A different area of the K-State gardens, one of my favorite photog spots in the community.

Point of View:

Taken at the lake, on the dam.

Cute Kid... I mean- Simple Background:

Gotta capture the kiddos once in a while! We usually venture out as a family for my weekly photo shoots. Good quality time driving around and talking.

Rule of Thirds:

Again at the K-State Gardens

Merger:
This particular merger be the fact that there is a rose bush growing from Shaun's head. Haha! I wasn't very creative. It was getting late.

Landscapes:




These were Rocky Ford Dam (about a block from my home), Konza Prairie just south of Manhattan, and side road that winds beside the river near the bridge leading into town from the south.

Panorama:
This was a merge of four different pictures to make the one larger picture. It was fun and easy to do. I framed it just for kicks. This was our most recent assignment.

Raw:

Before

After

When we learned about the camera raw feature of the software we had to do a before and after editing pictures. I did a lot of editing of the photo for the assignment but I prefer a less saturated look normally.

That's it for now. If I remember, and have time, I will post a couple shots each week for the next several weeks as the class continues. I'm loving it!

Update on Life in the Linenberger Home

Hello readers! It's been a while since I felt up to updating my blog. I've been feeling pretty under the weather lately. Here are a few "little" updates:

1. K-State changed a policy on work release for classes taken during the day effective immediately (around June 10th I think) so I had to figure out when to work more hours at the office so that I could complete my June course. UGH! That caused a lot of stress but I did work it out and am now done with the course and back to working my normal 8-5. I'm still hoping this policy change does not affect my graduation date of next May! There is one class that I have to take next Spring that is only offered on campus and during the day. Part of that semester (at least the beginning couple weeks) I'll be on maternity leave, which might help. We'll see.

2. June 17th was mine and Shaun's anniversary. The boys and I had dentist appointments late that afternoon so I called Shaun and we planned to meet at Chili's for dinner (nothing fancy for us as we'd already had a "date day" a week or so before which did include a fancy dinner and massages...ahhhh). Unfortunately shortly after arriving for dinner (without eating a bite) I realized that I was having horrible cramping. Luckily I knew that these were not baby related. It was obvious... I ended up staying in the bathroom for 20 minutes in pain and cold sweats. Shaun had my food boxed up (he ate it the next day) and paid for the meal before I could even tell him how bad I was feeling. Finally I sent someone to find him and he brought me right to the ER, where we spent the next three hours. I was in so much pain that I told him it was worse than labor! Ouch! I was later diagnosed with either food poisoning or a bacterial intestinal virus. Still haven't heard back on the results from all the tests they did that night. Still have bruising on my arm from where the IV was inserted for fluids. Waiting to hear back from my Dr's office today about results after I've called two or three times and they haven't had them.

3. Morning sickness and lack of any energy whatsoever is still sticking around. Dr's office is having my try antacids. I really hope this helps! I don't like to take meds unless absolutely necessary. Also taking allergy meds for congestion and sneezing. Ugh, again!

4. Classes have had me very stressed (see #1 above). Last week I finished my daytime class which included two tests within one week. I got a B in the class. I wasn't happy with this but the tests were the only grades and they really stunk. The grammar, spelling, and wording were all horrible. Class #2 is online and requires lots of reading, one assignment every two weeks (so far) and one test every two weeks. Not bad, but it's family economics which is not fun for me. I can't stand economics/financially related courses. So far I'm getting a B. Class #3 was supposed to be my daytime July class, but because of the policy change I'm taking it online all summer and started it a week late. ARGH! I was more than a week behind until Saturday. I somehow found a way to do nothing but study all day. I completed two weeks worth of reading, homework, and quizzes for this class and then decided to get a head start on this week's work. I'm now done with this week's work in that class and have only one homework assignment for the other online course. Wahoo! I feel sooooo very relieved. I now have much less stress this week from my courses. I'm very pleased about this.

5. Shane was at scout camp all of last week! I didn't talk to him for a full week and that was hard, but I was busy and tried not to think about it. I missed him terribly. Just getting his hugs and seeing his smile usually makes my day. Everything bad and stressful disappears. So, during this most stressful week I was missing my boy on top of everything else. Logan spent lots of one-on-one time with us which was nice but we all missed Shane. Having less baseball games and practices did soften the blow a bit. :) Shane arrived home at noon on Saturday and was all smiles and very talkative. He had a blast and can't wait until next year! He earned five merit badges, a lobster-like sunburn, and had tons a fun. He also got a bit homesick (I think it was caused by the sun and 100-degree heat all week). We're happy to have him home and back with us every day. Now if only the boys could get along for a full day!

6. Overall I'm feeling much better today than I have over the past couple rough weeks. I'm hoping the antacids and allergy meds kick in soon and that I can get some energy going so that I can keep up with my crazy life again. Do you think that if my life wasn't so chaotic that I'd have more energy? I'm doubtful. I think everything we have going on may the only reason I get out of bed each morning. :)

Take care and give your kids and hubbies lots of hugs this week! This way they will take care of you when you get sick or are too stressed to see the beautiful world around you. Later this week- Fourth of July!!!

1/8th Inch

You know, it seems crazy that something so very tiny can make such a HUGE difference in your life. Now it's about 1/4", or the size of a tic tac. IT being my baby, or if you'd prefer, an embryo which will soon be a fetus and then my baby. No matter which way you say it it's my baby. YES: I'M PREGNANT! The past few weeks have been quite a roller coaster for me. Did you know they now make morning sickness medicine? Seriously! What a miracle drug, when I remember to take it (FTAN= First Trimester Anti-Nausea medication). I have somehow gained at least six pounds when with each of my other two pregnancies I lost weight during the first trimester. It doesn't help that I'm starting this one about 40 lbs over weight. I was within my "ideal" weight when I started with each of the boys.

Besides being overly tired, cranky, impatient, nauseous, constantly lightheaded, and feeling like I'll pass out at any moment, I've been doing very well. Being sick is the best predictor that I know of for a healthy early pregnancy. So, sick I am. I'll deal with it. I'll get through it. I just hope this time it subsides and doesn't last all the way through the pregnancy. I can wish!

I decided to go ahead and break the news because even if something does happen and I miscarriage I'll be ok. I would rather have people know why I'm upset and missing work, church, or other activities if I do have a miscarriage rather than keeping it a secret. I'm not that type of person. I also can't keep my own secrets very long (although I'm great at keeping my friends' secrets). IF something happened I would want the loving support of my friends and family. This is what led me to this decision. I'm not the type to keep quiet about something so amazing and important to me in my life. So, I plan to have a great pregnancy and to have lots of fun with it. Why not? It may not happen again. I loved being pregnant with my boys (minus the yucky side effects of morning sickness, feeling like a whale or baby machine, the heartburn, and the whole labor/birthing process). Most of all I loved feeling the baby within myself. I loved the kicks, the hiccups (if that's what they really were) and body parts pushing at my insides. It truly is amazing and the most awesome miracle I could ever ask for.

Haha! Now that I look back at my babbling I've noticed that I haven't given you much of a clue as to how far along I am. Until this past Tuesday we truly didn't know. Since I have had irregular cycles for the past nine months we were guessing I was anywhere between a month along and two-three months along. In actuallity I am currently, as of today, at seven weeks. (I know, I'm breaking my silence very early!) My due date is December 17, 2009. This happens to fall just after Fall finals here at K-State so I should be able to get at least most of the way through the semester. I'm determined to have this baby at least a week early, if all is healthy and well and the baby is ready. I don't want to get too close to my due date because if I had with my boys they each would have been over nine pounds. No thank you! I had them each early, without assistance of induction. We'll see if I can talk my body into doing it again.

On Tuesday we went in for a sonogram that literally took maybe five mintues. It was just long enough to see where the baby was, verify there is only one, and see the little heart beating. It was such a relief to see it! Since I was on Clomid last month but had had a very light period and low hormonal levels and then spotted early this month (they told me I hadn't even ovulated- ha! I proved them wrong) we wondered if possibly I'd gotten pregnant in late January or February. I hadn't had a pregnancy test in a while so we really didn't know. Clomid also slightly increases the likelyhood of multiples. One baby was good news, although we would have welcomed more if that's what we'd been given. Another reason we thought maybe I was further along- my clothes don't fit! I have somehow gone from being a bit overweight to being pregnant and actually looking it! I can not hide the fact that my belly appeared almost overnight. Seriously! It's like it remembered what it was supposed to look like at four months and decided to make me look that way. ARG! I'm not even that far yet! I'm not looking forward to seeing how big I grow this time...

Overall we are happy and a bit overwhelmed. Even though this pregnancy was completely planned we weren't really ready to go through it all again! (Are you ever?) Now we're getting used to the idea of having a baby to care for and love. We're planning for room rearrangements at home and I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to get through my last two semesters of my undergrad: one while very pregnant and the next with an infant. We'll manage as we always do and I'm sure this child will be a blessing to our family. This is the addition I've prayed and patiently awaited for. So there you go! You know now. Soon everyone that sees me regularly will know simply because my belly is not hiding very well. Happy days!

A few days on the Emerald Isle

Introduction: I've been hoping to blog daily while on my trip but the internet connection at our guesthouse has not been working properly. Today it's back up and running. I've been keeping a daily journal for part of my coursework, which is the same as I would have blogged, so now I'm uploading the past few days worth of journal entries. I'll also be loading pictures ...

March 14, 2009

I've been in Northern Ireland for more than two whole days now! I've tried to blog before now but the internet connection is very flaky, at best. Below is a quickly put together video of the pictures I took during the first two days. Later I'll add more and hopefully with more information. Enjoy!



…

The flight over was very long at about seven hours from Atlanta to Dublin, Ireland. It was fun, but long, and most of our group of 13 didn’t sleep very much. The Atlanta airport may be the largest I’ve been to and the plane we were on from there was definitely the largest I’ve set foot on. I think I figured out that we had at least 250 passengers. The best part of the flight was surely the announcement that we could now see the Ireland island ahead. We couldn’t wait! I thought I’d seen Ireland already but we must have been over other large islands instead.

As we got off the plane and wandered through the gate we found our way to the Immigration gates. We waited in the long lines to be accepted into Ireland. Once we were all actually in the country of Ireland we grabbed our luggage and met our driver, “Doc” William Doherty. Doc drove us the three hours to Derry, Northern Ireland, with a quick stop about half way for “tea and toast” which ended up being lunch for most of us. I think it hit a few of us that we had actually made it here around the time we arrived in Derry. Somehow crossing the river Foyle made it more real to me. The river Foyle divides the city of Derry from Londonderry, although, I think, part of Londonderry is on the Derry side of the river. I'm not sure about this. I'd have to look at the city map and see if it says. Not everyone calls part of the city Londonderry. Sometimes it's L'Derry and sometimes it's all considered to be Derry. That depends on who's talking.

A few other little things that I’ve noticed about the culture/city are as follows:

1. Craic=atmosphere or attitude. Therefore, if a pub has “good craic” they have a good atmosphere. I only have heard this used in a positive way so far.
2. People drive on the opposite side of the road. This means while riding around on the bus every car coming down the other lane looks like they will hit you head on.
3. While walking on the sidewalk you have to realize that the cars coming right at you on the road are closer than you think. They WILL hit you if you step off the curb. There is no shoulder. Also, when a car turns either right or left they are turning directly into the lane you want to cross. Don’t cross when cars are anywhere near. They won’t see you until they hit you! None of us have yet been hit but we’ve come close many times.
4. There is litter and old, dried, flattened gum EVERYWHERE! I soooo badly want to grab some grocery bags and dig the litter out of the fenced tree trunks and off the roads and sidewalks and in the brush. It’s gross! It’s everywhere!
5. I LOVE the Irish accent. Absolutely love it. Most of the time I can understand what is said but if the accent is very rough then it’s much harder. If we can’t understand someone we have learned to simply agree or dismiss what is said. Usually we ask what they are saying a couple times before acknowledging what is being said, even if we don’t actually get it. :)

There are other little idiosyncrasies that I’ve noticed but these are the few that I’ve been able to remember at the moment.
…
Once we arrived in Derry we settled into the “guest house, not a B&B” Clarence House at 15 Northland Road. Click here to see the website (which is admittedly outdated). Michael runs the house. It has been in his family for many years and he was raised here. Michael is quite the character. He is constantly joking around with us and has a wonderfully eccentric sense of humor. When he deals it out we have figured out how to take it (never seriously) and exactly how to whip out our responses. He loves joining in our conversations are starting them. He likes to be part of our group while we are here. He is also an amazing cook. I can’t wait to eat a traditional Irish dinner on St. Patrick’s Day! We’re having Irish Stew, of course. I’m sure I’ll blog more about the dinner after it’s happened.

The Clarence House is a cozy old home converted into the guest house. It’s certified guest house, not a bed and breakfast. B&Bs, as they seem to be called the most here, are a home that is lived in and has only spare bedrooms rented out. A guest house has much higher standards and this one has all rooms “en suite” meaning that each has its own bathroom. The décor is extremely Victorian. It does help with the cozy feel. Michael hopes to someday soon sell his guest house and move to a nearby town in Ireland. His asking price is $1.25 million pounds. In my opinion this is high but I don’t know the market for a guest house and don’t know what the area homes or guest houses sell or appraise for. If someone where to buy it the wiring and plumbing would need to be updated sometime in the near future. I’m sure there are other less apparent issues to deal with also. This would not be an inexpensive venture. For now it's a nice little, quaint guesthouse that I'd recommend to anyone. I really do feel at home here and Michael makes sure we are all taken well care of. He's a great guy.

After arriving at our cozy accommodations we settled in, showered, and napped. Other than two naps of less than an hour each I hadn’t slept in about 20 hours. I was bushed! Unfortunately I wasn’t able to sleep because of my excitement. I slept for maybe an hour before it was time to go to dinner with the group. Dinner was wonderful. We went to Flaming Jacks where I had a fabulous roast half duck dinner followed by a quick visit to a local pub. One of the guys from the group and I left the pub early because neither of us drink and we had been there long enough for our tastes.
…
Friday morning started off with a yummy Irish breakfast, cooked by Michael of course. Then we registered at the Magee Campus of the University of Ulster (click here) and received our computer cards. After registering we went to the meeting room that we get to use for lectures and Terrie McCants (from K-State) lectured for a couple hours about the conflict and peace process in Northern Ireland. It was a most interesting lecture and we had great discussions, as always in Terrie’s classes (HI TERRIE!).

It is most interesting to me that some conflict resolution technique is rooted in Northern Ireland with the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement, which was put in place in April of 1998. I’ll try to remember to blog more about the lecture at a later time. We will have a couple more lectures by Terrie as well as lectures by professors here at University of Ulster and the Magee Campus.

Friday afternoon we toured the “Walled City” in Derry. It was built in the early 1700s. There are a few churches within the walls and many businesses. I’m not sure but I wouldn’t be surprised if there were also many residences. See the pictures in the video of the walls, the Saint Columbos Church, and much more.

Friday evening we ate at a great restaurant recommended by Michael. It’s called “Quay West” which when pronounced sounds like Key West or Kay West. Quay West is inside an old church and has great modern décor. This time I was smart and shared a meal of Tai Chicken (think about the taste of a spicy Indian curried chicken). YUM! I then retired early with Terrie to the Clarence House. I’m not much for pubs and partying. No surprise there, I’m sure! Terrie and I sat in the parlor chatting with Michael for a while that evening.
…
Saturday morning we again had a great Irish breakfast. We then loaded onto the bus with Doc and drove to a few sites in nearby Ireland. First we went to the Beltney Circle of Stones (sp?), then to a nearby castle, then to the town of Donegal, IE. Donegal seems to be the best town for tourist shopping nearby. There were some great shops and restaurants and the perfect Irish Gift Shop. I was able to load up most of my gifts and souvenirs all in one store. I also got a cute black dress with a short white sweater for myself.

Once back in Derry we stopped in at the Beachhill Hotel. This hotel is famous for being the U.S. Navy and Marines headquarters during WWII. There were lots of pictures and artifacts on display. Presidents Clinton and Kennedy have also stayed at the hotel as well as other popular politicians of the U.S. and Ireland.

The evening was very relaxing with most of us grabbing dinner and then eating at a small Sushi Bar or at the Clarence House. A few of the group went out to a pubs. The rest of us stayed “home” and relaxed and wrote in our journals, which we are keeping for the course and for our future reference. Blogs do count as journals! Wahoo! I’d already planned to blog (if and when I have an internet connection) so this was perfect for me.

That brings us to right now. I am currently sitting in the parlor journaling all that you’ve read above and chatting with Michael and the two students who just arrived home from the pubs. It’s almost 11:00 pm here and 6:00 pm in Kansas. I hope to get this uploaded to my blog tomorrow but it will be a very busy day and time for blogging will only happen late at night and only if the internet connection is back up.

Good night!
…
Sunday

Today we were picked up early by Doc for an all day adventure! Terrie had the day planned to spend along the Northern Coast. It was fun for me to see the Atlantic Ocean and know that I had played in the same ocean as a child in North Carolina (and I think Virginia Beach and Myrtle Beach, not entirely sure, bad memory). The area that we traveled to was one of the most beautiful places on earth, literally. It’s touted as such by the locals and also on tv shows and in books, or so we were told. I believe it may actually be true. No photograph could possibly capture the beauty that you see and feel all around you while on the Northern Coast.

Unfortunately I forgotten to take the memory card for my camera out of my laptop. I had also forgotten to charge my camera batteries although I knew one would still be alright for a little while longer, perhaps not all day though. I was, and still am, very upset with myself for this. Today was the BEST day for photography that I’ve EVER experienced. The weather was perfect and the scenery will never be as breathtaking. I was very happy though to pose for a few pictures taken by friends and have been promised copies of their pictures. This of course means I won’t be able to sell the pictures as my own on my up-and-coming website. ARG! I really wanted to show my talent with these beautiful photos. Well, nothing could be done so I’ll be plugging in a battery and my memory card as soon as I’m done journaling. I am very thankful for those who offered to take pictures of me and to give me their pictures at a later time. I hope we can all swap CDs sometime soon after returning to the states.

The first place visited today was the Messendun Temple and a very old home from the 1700s. This site is along the coast and WOW! I couldn’t get enough of it. I would love to bring a bridal party here for a wedding shoot. Anyone up for a destination wedding? I can’t pay for it though so they would have to. It’s just that beautiful. It was so inspiring. I wanted to cry that I couldn’t take the beautiful surroundings into my photos and then have them forever. Again, I am very happy that I will receive friends’ photos but it just won’t be the same. Not this time. I hope and pray that one day I will be able to bring family members and friends here to all of the places we visited today and on previous days.

Next we visited a castle (or the ruins of a castle) again, I think, built in the 1700s. I’m not good at remembering specific facts about places we visit so I’ve bought a book on Irish sites and tourism. I also have information from a couple of the places we visited so that I can use them for scrapbooking or just tuck them away somewhere for future reference. The castle was situated on a cliff overlooking the Atlantic. It had crumbled over time but was still amazing to tour. You could still kind of see what some of the rooms may have been used for. There was also a short DVD to watch about the castle which was interesting.

After the castle ruins we went to the Giant’s Causeway. This is another amazingly breathtaking place. It is part of the National Trust which seems to be a lot like the National Forests in the states. We walked about six miles on the trails down the cliffs and to the beach (YES, the beach! Can't you just imagine the beauty? Think paradise!). The most amazing part to me is the basalt rock that has pushed its way up to the surface of the earth in hexagonal dikes (columns) all over this area. We were told that there are only four sites like this in the world! It was stunning. I actually understood what the dikes were and how they were formed thanks to my geology classes that I’m in this semester.

Corrymeela Reconciliation Center was our next stop. It’s a wonderful center for peace and reconciliation which runs mainly due to the numerous volunteers. The have about 300 volunteers through the year. It wasn’t too clear to me exactly what they do but I think this is mainly because they are the facilitators for many types of groups and families. Each individual, family, or group who visits the center for services needs different activities and courses for their conflict resolution and healing processes. This is a faith based center which is open to those of any and all faiths and also to those who do not identify with a faith. A couple of the girls from my class were very interested in coming back over the summer to volunteer.

We tried to go to a local humongous brewery near the causeway but it closed right as we got there. I didn’t mind not going but wasn’t happy with the customer service. The lady who went out to lock the doors right as we walked up to them said the last tour had already started a while ago and that the gift shop had closed one minute ago. One minute! That’s ridiculous! We weren’t very thrilled with this and won’t be going back.

The trip back to Derry went by fast but I think that’s mostly because I was able to take a little nap. I was very tired from all the walking we’d done and all the traveling. I’m also a bit medicated due to hurting my right leg a little. It’s doing much better now though. I think I just jammed my knee a bit and that it’s mostly worked itself out of it. I’m just guessing but the swelling in my knee has gone down and most of the time it doesn’t hurt as much as it did yesterday. It's just a bit sore and stiff.
…
Monday

9 am local time; 4 am Kansas time. I think I’m still jetlagged. I could have slept a couple more hours this morning. The funny thing is that I haven’t been going out to the pubs like most of the group but I’m still just as tired as they are. Ugh!

Today is rainy and probably a little cooler than this weekend. We have had perfect weather so far so it was expected that we’d have some rain soon. Supposedly it rains a little each day here but thus far we’d only had a little sprinkling. I’m glad the rain waited until a day that we’re inside for the most part, at least until later this afternoon. Today we have a lecture at 10:15 then lunch then a lecture by a local professor or speaker. We’ll be hitting the course material hard over the next few days. Our “vacation” is over. Well, kinda. Tomorrow is a day off and we’ll be attending the parades and festivities of St. Patrick’s Day in real Irish style. We’ll then have a big Irish dinner at the guest house which will include Irish stew and salads, music, and Irish dancers. We’re looking forward to it.

Yesterday we could see Scotland from the Northern Coast. A few of us were really hoping to get a ferry to Scotland while we are here but it doesn’t look like we’ll have time to do so. Maybe sometime in the future I’ll be able to get my family here and do lots of touring and cross-country driving. I’d really like that. The country here is beautiful. The northern coast is my favorite part of the country so far. I couldn’t get enough of the ocean views. I really love being so near the sea. Breathtaking doesn’t even come near what I feel. I would love to live near the sea again some day. That’s probably just a dream but still will be a dream nonetheless.

Last night myself and four others attended a meeting at the next door Derry/Donegal Christian Fellowship Church. The meeting was a contemporary style and was very interesting and engaging. I love my own church meetings and the spirit felt at them but I can also feel the spirit in meetings such as this. I’ve been to quite a few contemporary meetings with small bands and worship music. I love the music and singing with the congregation. It’s a nice change of habit for me once in a while. The message shared was about repentance although the speaker, Phillip from Romania, seemed to talk about many topics and was very passionate about sharing his message. The meeting was much longer than we’d expected but it was very good.

After dinner we went to India House a very scrumptious Indian restaurant. It was just our small church group and we had wonderful conversations and enjoyed the food and the company. This is such an intensely spiritual group of young adults. I really enjoyed this time with them rather than participating in the time that most of the group spends at the pubs. One of them, Tolu, doesn’t drink. He will go out with the group but doesn’t enjoy the pub atmosphere as much as the others. It’s been nice to have someone with similar values in this area. Last night I wanted to talk to the two girls eating dinner with us about drinking but for some reason I didn’t. Maybe it wasn’t the right timing to do so or maybe I was liking the direction the conversations were already going. I hope that Tolu and I can sometime share with them the reasons we don’t drink. I don’t expect this to change their decision to drink but I think they will understand our choices not to.

It’s about time to go to class so I’m signing off for now. G’day!

Back Again!

No, I haven't gotten my new battery yet... Seems it's not even in stock like the email had said, and so they haven't sent it. The company will receive its shipment of batteries on February 9th and we'll receive ours (supposedly) on the 10th or 11th, now with Free overnight shipping. We'll see if we actually receive it when they say this time. While talking to the company about the battery (I was at my evening class) Shaun figured out that if you take the battery out of the computer and then plug the computer in, it works! This is how we know that it is the battery that needs replaced and that the charger is working just fine. It's nice to be able to use my laptop again, even if it has to be plugged in in order to do so.

This past week passed by very quickly! I finished my online intersession course, with a solid C unless it's curved. I started the new semester (Earth Through Time-Geology 102, Geology Lab 103, The Family- FSHS 550 (?), and will soon start the Ireland course- FSHS 700).

Logan and I flew to Dallas and back over the weekend. My grandpa is in the hospital after a major surgery and wasn't doing so well for a few days. I'm happy to say that he is now finally out of the ICU and in his own room and seems to have been progressing well over the past couple days. I think it's because we visited: Logan and I, my sister Betsy, my aunts, uncles, and three of my cousins. My sister Betsy is still in Texas- she arrived a couple days before us and will stay until Papa is released from the hospital. She's such a wonderful nurse! Mom and Lester and Granny will be able to handle everything after that. You can tell how much love there is in our family when so many people are able to gather together so quickly in support of our loved one. We really missed those of you who couldn't be there, but it did happen suddenly and it's not always easy, or neccessary for everyone to drop everything and be there. I really wasn't sure if I'd make it there but was glad that I did. Fortunately Papa is doing much better now and has a good prognosis. We love you Papa! I'm sure you'll have a speedy recovery now that you've gotten so many hugs and kisses. :)

The trip was quick but very managable since we flew. Now I've got to catch up a little at home but that won't take much as Shaun and Shane did a little house work while we were gone. So, life will soon be back to normal, whatever that is!

Conversation of the Day

This is a cute section of a conversation I just had in passing with Shane.

Me: Shane, I got a 95% on my final!

Shane: Awesome, mom, that's good! How many questions did you miss?

It was really hard, all essays. I missed a few points on a couple of the essays. It was all memorizing and took LOTS of studying.

Wow.

I got a B in the course.

That's not perfect, mom.

No, but I brought my grade way up. It was pretty bad for a while. I'm proud of myself for doing so well at the end. It was a hard class.

I'm proud of you too mom. You did good.

I'm trying to get good grades in all of my classes.

A couple minutes later...

Me: College can be hard but I'll get through it eventually. It's really important to do well so that you can get a good job when you're done.

Shane: You're in college???? (flabergasted)

Of course I am! Why do you think I take all these classes, just for fun?

No, I thought you were taking extra classes for high school.

High school? I finished high school way before you were born.

You look like a high schooler.

Thanks, I'm glad to know you think I look young, but no, these are college courses.

Oh!

Happiness

YAY!!! I just got a notice from Amazon that my books have shipped: Three Cups of Tea: One Man... $8.25
1 Breaking Dawn (The Twiligh... $12.64 1 $12.64
1 The Host: A Novel $15.59 1 $15.59


I'm soooo excited! I probably won't get Breaking Dawn until Monday (ARGHHHHHH!) but then I'll have two weeks to read before the semester starts (I have one class to finish but only have studying and one final after this upcoming Monday and I'll have two entire weeks to study, then I have one week with no classes whatsoever). I really wish I had time to read during my semesters, but that just doesn't happen. Not if I want to get good grades and be part of my family. :)

On another note, due to all the stress in my life recently... We've decided to bring the kids out tonight to "Time Out Corner." We've been there once and had lots of fun. It's been open a few months now and I know the kids would like to go. So tonight's plan is to eat dinner (most likely at home) and then head out to have fun for a couple hours playing games in the arcade and playing miniature golf on the black-light lit neon course. Tomorrow we plan to go to Sam's in Topeka and will be bringing the kids there too. What could possibly be more fun than Sam's??? Maybe we'll find something fun to do in Topeka too, but at least we'll be together. That's my goal for the weekend, ignore chores and have fun with my boys.

Have a fantastically fun weekend!

I got a B!

This past month I took a four-week Statistics 325 course. I thought I'd like it but I really didn't. I actually kinda like math courses, as long as I understand the concepts and content. I do some stats for work so I thought even though everyone hates this course, maybe I'd get something out of it. I decided early on that a lot of the work in class was simple enough (later finding out that the work done in class wasn't ever graded but rather points were given for attendance and doing the class work). The homework was also easy. The quizzes really stunk even though they were short and fast and the exams were horrible.

Unfortunately, almost all the points for the course were based on the three large exams. For the exams we were allowed a piece of paper filled front and back with information, anything that we thought we'd need for the exam. The first exam I got an 83%. That upset me since I'd done so well on everything else (although I had one of the highest grades in my class). I quickly learned what I needed on my cheat sheet for the next two exams. The second exam, even though I'd stayed at the library and up late at home studying for a few nights, I received a 59%! For the third and final exam we could use two pieces of paper for cheat sheets, so I covered every little spot on the papers. After taking the exam I felt that I hadn't done much better than the second exam and wasn't sure what my class grade would be.

Almost two weeks later, due to some technical difficulties the instructor had with the class enrollment, I received an email with my final exam grade and class grade. I had somehow earned B's on both!!! I had no idea how I managed that, especially with such a low second exam. I had stayed at the library a couple nights in a row studying until very late (the library closes at midnight during the summer except for one room in the basement which is designated as a 24 hour study hall). I had also attended both review sessions offered.

When I had completed the exam I requested that the instructor send my exam to me by campus mail when the grades had been assigned for the class. I received my final exam in yesterday's mail and was very happy to see that the exams had been graded with leniency. I had gotten an 87%! I was ecstatic. I've never had a course that I felt was this hard (mainly because I thought the instructor wasn't teaching the material). Even though it's the first B I've received in 10 years I'm happy about it. I'd received a C in College Algebra a couple years ago, so combined with all my hard-earned A's, I now have a 3.70 GPA (down from 3.778 before the stats course). Good enough for me! I just had to share this good news! I really thought I'd get a C in this class as well.

Two more summer courses to complete (hopefully both with A's) and then a full nine hours again this fall...I'm slowly getting somewhere.

I should also mention that my family has somehow dealt well with my stress and a few missed baseball games during this month of statistics. Again, we couldn't do it without Betsy! She'll be sorely missed by all of us. She leaves in two days. :>(

Wow! So, I guess it's been over a month since my last post... Here's a quick update.

I got an A in my Core Conflict Resolution course! I thought I would but a couple of the homework assignments had me worried. Those, and the fact that the final paper had to be based on a personal conflict and was 40% of the grade had me a litte worked up toward the end. I did my paper on basic conflicts Shaun and I have with raising the boys with our different values and religious beliefs. I concluded that our personal values is where we conflict the most, as Shaun is not active in his church, other than attending a short mass once a week. No, noone will be reading that paper! -I've promised him. I'll be taking a Divorce and Child Custody Mediation course every weekday of June. This also counts toward the Conflict Resolution Certificate and Mediation requirements for state approved mediator lists.

Logan had surgery earlier this month (um, or late last month- I can't remember exactly when at the moment- it's late). He had a meatotomy and is almost totally healed now. He had preschool graduation a week prior to the surgery and is looking forward to a summer of fun at preschool (including swimming lessons) and kindergarden starting mid-August.

Shane has finished his soccer season and is just starting summer baseball through the city. He's got a busy two months ahead of him. He'll also be going to Texas to visit for a week! We still have to practice chilli making at home!

Shaun just got back from a trip to Colorado. He and a coworker painted half of the duplex that they are building. This half has now been sold to a local contractor to help with the overall cost of the building. We can't wait to be able to go to Colorado just for fun when all is done later this year. After two years of the building process, we're ready!