With my parents:
With Jane and Sierra:
With my "little" brother and sister:
Family photo:
Accepting my "diploma":
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Graduation Photos - as promised
Here are a few graduation photos that I thought I'd share:
With my parents:
With my parents:
Monday, May 11, 2009
Summer Lovin'
Well, I did it. I walked across the stage, received my fake diploma (I don't get the real one until after my final grades have all been calculated..should be by the end of the month), and am now a college graduate. I will post pics next time - as I haven't received my photos yet.
It's a very surreal feeling. I am the first of all my parents' six children to receive a college degree and will probably be the last until my youngest sister who is 13 goes to college. My journey is only half over, and in August I will begin the second half at the University of Arkansas. I go next Friday to enroll in my classes and get a rundown of how the next two years are going to go. I'm ready to get that over, so I can devote myself entirely on a summer of no school, no studying, no tests - just fun, relaxation, oh and more fun!!
Even though I really hate hot weather, I'm always excited when summer comes because it means no school, and quality time with the kids. I only work 2 days a week during the summer, so that gives me 5 whole days of doing fun stuff with the kids. Now that Jada is 17 months old (oh my, where did the time go??), she will enjoy a lot more of the activities. We already have our annual zoo trip planned for the beginning of June, and between now and then Jada and I will be doing some fun things with the toddler playgroup I joined. Being that Payton and Brayden don't get out of school until the first week of June, Jada and I have a few weeks to do some activities together - and then we can focus on including the "big kids". This week alone Jada and I are going to "petting zoo day" at Petco and a playdate at the park. Next week there are more fun activities like shopping, "Mom's Night Out" and more playdates. I'm so excited!!
I'm ready for a summer of fun, fun, and more fun - with a sprinkle of relaxation thrown in there. I'm gonna let my hair down, and just go with the flow. I think I'm more excited than my kids are..LOL
It's a very surreal feeling. I am the first of all my parents' six children to receive a college degree and will probably be the last until my youngest sister who is 13 goes to college. My journey is only half over, and in August I will begin the second half at the University of Arkansas. I go next Friday to enroll in my classes and get a rundown of how the next two years are going to go. I'm ready to get that over, so I can devote myself entirely on a summer of no school, no studying, no tests - just fun, relaxation, oh and more fun!!
Even though I really hate hot weather, I'm always excited when summer comes because it means no school, and quality time with the kids. I only work 2 days a week during the summer, so that gives me 5 whole days of doing fun stuff with the kids. Now that Jada is 17 months old (oh my, where did the time go??), she will enjoy a lot more of the activities. We already have our annual zoo trip planned for the beginning of June, and between now and then Jada and I will be doing some fun things with the toddler playgroup I joined. Being that Payton and Brayden don't get out of school until the first week of June, Jada and I have a few weeks to do some activities together - and then we can focus on including the "big kids". This week alone Jada and I are going to "petting zoo day" at Petco and a playdate at the park. Next week there are more fun activities like shopping, "Mom's Night Out" and more playdates. I'm so excited!!
I'm ready for a summer of fun, fun, and more fun - with a sprinkle of relaxation thrown in there. I'm gonna let my hair down, and just go with the flow. I think I'm more excited than my kids are..LOL
Saturday, May 02, 2009
Less Than A Week To Go!! WOOHOO!!
In just 6 short days, the day will be here that I have waited for almost 1o years for. I will be graduating for the first time in my life - and with a college degree!!
Last week, I got to go and visit the new campus where I will be attending university next fall. The campus is BEAUTIFUL!! It's very small, as it's just a satellite location to the University of Arkansas but the building is so nice. It really made me put into perspective what I've been working so hard for these past two years.
Thursday was my last day of classes, but I still have finals next week. I'm not really nervous, but it's a "pass or die" scenario so I have to study hard to get the best grades. Even though I've done well in all of my classes up until this point, it is a little scary to be taking a major test over everything I've learned over the whole semester, and that's for each class. So, even though the school part is over - it still means just a couple more nights of very little sleep to be sure that I retain as much information as possible to do well on the finals.
Once this week is over, and I walk across the stage and receive my associates degree, my summer will be spent focused on my kids and just having fun. I joined a couple of "Mommy & Me" groups last week, so I already have some fun activities planned for Jada and I for the month of May. Payton and Brayden don't get out of school until May 28th, so I have almost a whole month to do some fun things with Jada. Then, when they get out of school, we will be going to the zoo, the aquarium, swimming, skating, hiking, and doing some other fun stuff...I'm so excited!
I'm sure the summer will fly by, and then it will be back to hitting the books - so it's important to me to spend as much time with the kids as possible now. They have been so great, as well as Steve, in helping me get this far - so I owe them so much. They have all given me the motivation to keep on, study hard, and make them proud. Even though I'm not done yet - I know that they will continue to give me the love and support I need when I go through University...and I love them so much for it. :)
Last week, I got to go and visit the new campus where I will be attending university next fall. The campus is BEAUTIFUL!! It's very small, as it's just a satellite location to the University of Arkansas but the building is so nice. It really made me put into perspective what I've been working so hard for these past two years.
Thursday was my last day of classes, but I still have finals next week. I'm not really nervous, but it's a "pass or die" scenario so I have to study hard to get the best grades. Even though I've done well in all of my classes up until this point, it is a little scary to be taking a major test over everything I've learned over the whole semester, and that's for each class. So, even though the school part is over - it still means just a couple more nights of very little sleep to be sure that I retain as much information as possible to do well on the finals.
Once this week is over, and I walk across the stage and receive my associates degree, my summer will be spent focused on my kids and just having fun. I joined a couple of "Mommy & Me" groups last week, so I already have some fun activities planned for Jada and I for the month of May. Payton and Brayden don't get out of school until May 28th, so I have almost a whole month to do some fun things with Jada. Then, when they get out of school, we will be going to the zoo, the aquarium, swimming, skating, hiking, and doing some other fun stuff...I'm so excited!
I'm sure the summer will fly by, and then it will be back to hitting the books - so it's important to me to spend as much time with the kids as possible now. They have been so great, as well as Steve, in helping me get this far - so I owe them so much. They have all given me the motivation to keep on, study hard, and make them proud. Even though I'm not done yet - I know that they will continue to give me the love and support I need when I go through University...and I love them so much for it. :)
Friday, April 10, 2009
Taste of Teaching
On Wednesday, I had the privalage of teaching a lesson to a 3rd grade class. As part of a project in my Physics for Elementary Teachers class, I had to teach a physics lesson in a classroom. I chose Payton's class - as she's in 3rd grade, and I thought it would be neat.
The lesson I chose to teach was How to Make A Magnet. The kids had a great time learning how to make their own magnets - and I had a total blast getting to teach it. It was such a great experience and left me really wanting more. I know in my heart that I was born to be a teacher, and having the opportunity (even just a small one) to teach students was such a blessing. I get so excited making lesson plans, and gathering information on lessons that I will teach my students in the future.
Now that there's only 3 weeks left of school, it's the busiest time for me. I have 3 major projects that I have to complete - and they are going to involve a lot of work. Even though I'm excited that I will be done soon for the summer - I also dread the next couple of weeks. I have presentations, lesson plans, and final exams just around the corner - and I have to do good on all of it so that I can wear honor cords at my graduation. I'm currently making a 3.41 GPA - and in order to wear the honor cords, I have to make a 3.5 GPA. I should be able to do it if I make A's in all of my classes.
This weekend is Easter weekend - and even though I don't celebrate the Christian holiday, I do participate in the festivities - which are actually Pagan festivities anyways. Tomorrow, I'm taking the kids to a egg hunt at the college. It's Jada's first year of being able to hunt Easter eggs, so I'm excited about that. After that, we're going to a friends house for dinner. The kids will get to play and Steve and I will have a chance to catch up with our friend.
Sunday - the weather is supposed to be really nasty. I had bought some Easter eggs for the kids to hunt here, but if the weather is bad it might mean doing an indoor hunt. I'm sure the kids won't mind - and it can still be fun.
Well, that's it for now - I will post pics of the kids doing their Easter stuff next time. :)
The lesson I chose to teach was How to Make A Magnet. The kids had a great time learning how to make their own magnets - and I had a total blast getting to teach it. It was such a great experience and left me really wanting more. I know in my heart that I was born to be a teacher, and having the opportunity (even just a small one) to teach students was such a blessing. I get so excited making lesson plans, and gathering information on lessons that I will teach my students in the future.
Now that there's only 3 weeks left of school, it's the busiest time for me. I have 3 major projects that I have to complete - and they are going to involve a lot of work. Even though I'm excited that I will be done soon for the summer - I also dread the next couple of weeks. I have presentations, lesson plans, and final exams just around the corner - and I have to do good on all of it so that I can wear honor cords at my graduation. I'm currently making a 3.41 GPA - and in order to wear the honor cords, I have to make a 3.5 GPA. I should be able to do it if I make A's in all of my classes.
This weekend is Easter weekend - and even though I don't celebrate the Christian holiday, I do participate in the festivities - which are actually Pagan festivities anyways. Tomorrow, I'm taking the kids to a egg hunt at the college. It's Jada's first year of being able to hunt Easter eggs, so I'm excited about that. After that, we're going to a friends house for dinner. The kids will get to play and Steve and I will have a chance to catch up with our friend.
Sunday - the weather is supposed to be really nasty. I had bought some Easter eggs for the kids to hunt here, but if the weather is bad it might mean doing an indoor hunt. I'm sure the kids won't mind - and it can still be fun.
Well, that's it for now - I will post pics of the kids doing their Easter stuff next time. :)
Sunday, April 05, 2009
University - Here I Come!!
I'm down to the final stretch, the finish line is in sight, just have to grab that checkered flag and I'm on my way....no, I'm not a Nascar driver - I'm a student who is making the big leap from community college to University!
For 2 1/2 years I've been in Community College pursuing my Associates of Arts in teaching. When I enrolled in the college, I signed up for a transfer program that the community college offered which offered students wanting to get their Bachelor's in Elementary Education the chance to take the full program on the campus - but earn the degree from the University of Arkansas. Being that I've wanted to be a teacher for 20+ years, I was so excited to be a part of the program. Well, devastating news came at the beginning of this semester - which also happened to be the last semester before transferring to the University of Arkansas classes. I found out that the University of Arkansas was no longer offering the program at the community college, and current students in the program would have to transfer to the University - which was no big deal EXCEPT for the fact that they were only accepting 40 students!!
I, along with the other 70 or so students in the program who were planning to start the UofA classes next semester were completely devastated. We were all informed that we would have to go through an interview process for the University to determine who was going to be accepted. Well, the interviews were supposed to start this month - but I got a phone call on Friday that made my day, month, and year. The advisor from the UofA called and told me that the University had decided to accept all of the students that had completed the intro program - as that has what had been promised to us from the beginning. I'm so excited - I was really worried about not making it into the program next semester because my whole career depended on it. Thre was no way that I could take a year off from college to wait to see if I'd be accepted next year - so this has taken such a burden off my chest. I still have to go thru the interview process, but it's more an advisory meeting now rather than a formal interview.
April 30th is the last day of classes - so I literally am down to the finish line now. I'm doing really well in all of my classes - so that's a relief. On May 8th, I will walk across the stage and receive my diploma for my associates degree...it will be my first graduation ever and I couldn't be more excited!! All of my family are going to be there to help me celebrate this very important milestone in my life..and I'll make sure I post photos so I can share it with you too. :)
Till next time!
For 2 1/2 years I've been in Community College pursuing my Associates of Arts in teaching. When I enrolled in the college, I signed up for a transfer program that the community college offered which offered students wanting to get their Bachelor's in Elementary Education the chance to take the full program on the campus - but earn the degree from the University of Arkansas. Being that I've wanted to be a teacher for 20+ years, I was so excited to be a part of the program. Well, devastating news came at the beginning of this semester - which also happened to be the last semester before transferring to the University of Arkansas classes. I found out that the University of Arkansas was no longer offering the program at the community college, and current students in the program would have to transfer to the University - which was no big deal EXCEPT for the fact that they were only accepting 40 students!!
I, along with the other 70 or so students in the program who were planning to start the UofA classes next semester were completely devastated. We were all informed that we would have to go through an interview process for the University to determine who was going to be accepted. Well, the interviews were supposed to start this month - but I got a phone call on Friday that made my day, month, and year. The advisor from the UofA called and told me that the University had decided to accept all of the students that had completed the intro program - as that has what had been promised to us from the beginning. I'm so excited - I was really worried about not making it into the program next semester because my whole career depended on it. Thre was no way that I could take a year off from college to wait to see if I'd be accepted next year - so this has taken such a burden off my chest. I still have to go thru the interview process, but it's more an advisory meeting now rather than a formal interview.
April 30th is the last day of classes - so I literally am down to the finish line now. I'm doing really well in all of my classes - so that's a relief. On May 8th, I will walk across the stage and receive my diploma for my associates degree...it will be my first graduation ever and I couldn't be more excited!! All of my family are going to be there to help me celebrate this very important milestone in my life..and I'll make sure I post photos so I can share it with you too. :)
Till next time!
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