Wow! It's been a minute since I've written. I should probably make this a more regular thing. I think I've said that before. It's funny how we have the best intentions to do things that are good for us, but then inevitably life gets in the way. I know that writing is good for the spirit, I would just rather sit and knit. LOL!

Joe's been away at University of Michigan for about a month and a half now. God, I miss him. Deaglan has been extra huggy to cover for Joe. It's really sweet. Oh, sorry, did I forget to mention that Joe was accepted to University of Michigan with almost a full scholarship? His tuition is covered as well as most of his room and board. He's majoring in bass trombone performance. He's adjusting to college life pretty well. He misses us but that's to be expected. I went up to see him this past Thursday morning. My birthday was Saturday and I always try to go to Becca's (she's my best friend for those of you that don't know) in Lansing Michigan. Well, this year since Joe is in Ann Arbor (only an hour-ish drive from Lansing) I decided to scoop him up for breakfast before his first class at 10:30. That meant that I was up and on the road at about zero-dark-thirty (4:30) because it's a three and a half hour drive and because Michigan is in the eastern time zone, the trip is more like four and a half hours. Our visit was brief but he's doing well. He's getting over a cold, but his grades are good and he needs to get a job. Part of his financial aid package is based on him doing a work/study. Becca and I are working on the logistics of getting him to her, so she can get him home for Thanksgiving.

Deaglan is doing really well so far this year as a sophomore. He just got his permit and hasn't hit anything. He is in Advanced Placement US History (APUSH) and a few other Honors classes this year as well as a shop class. He was accepted to perform with the Chicago Youth Philharmonic Orchestra this year, following in Joe's footsteps as well as still attending the Tuition Free Conservatory (TFC) at the Merit School of Music in the west loop. He's got a girlfriend (she crochets so, she hangs out with me on Friday night at stitch n bitch). He and Padric are both enjoying having their own rooms and the bickering has gone down dramatically.

Speaking of Padric, he's doing ok too. He's having a little trouble with time management but we've worked out a solution and things seem to be improving. He is doing amazingly well with trombone and is still in the TFC with Deaglan. He was just placed in a younger brass quintet that may be ready for competition as early as this spring. The group had their first rehearsal yesterday and they sounded pretty good together. The oldest kid in the group is a freshman, the youngest is 11, so this group should be together for the next 4 years. He's doing really good in school and is being super helpful here at home. Puberty is beating him about the head and neck, so his voice is changing and he's got a little bit of dirt above his lip that I can't seem to wash off no matter how much spit and scrubbing I do with my thumb (I'M KIDDING, I don't use my bare thumb, I usually have a paper towel too).

Chris is still with Verizon and was temporarily working at the Hyde Park store. That made life a little more interesting because the hours were slightly different.  But now he's back at the Evergreen Park store and can come home for lunch if he wants to.

I'm hanging out in the land of limbo. If you've read any of the more recent posts, I decided to go back to school to become a nurse. I successfully graduated from Moraine Valley Community College with my associates degree of Arts back in May. I had originally decided to apply to the University of Illinois at Chicago to get my BSN but have since thrown all my eggs into one basket and applied to St. Xavier University's nursing program. I made that choice because I'm a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the only community college fraternity. Because I am a member in good standing I am automatically awarded an EIGHTEEN THOUSAND DOLLAR tuition reduction. That's about half my tuition, gone. Yes UIC is cheaper but it's farther from home, the classes are larger and a lot more competetive. I find I do  much better in a smaller, more intimate class setting where students don't feel intimidated or pressured. So I wrote my essay, got my transcripts, filled out the application, and clicked submit back in July. The deadline for applications was October 1st. Admissions doesn't look at any of the applications until 9:00 am on the 2nd. No one is notified of acceptance or rejection until the end of October/beginning of November. Everyone is notified at the same time. So I am waiting. Yes I graduated suma cum laude and got an 89 on my TEAS test (the nursing placement test), but I'm still nervous that I won't be accepted. Everyone keeps telling me not to worry but until I have the acceptance letter/email, I'm going to worry.

In knitting news, I've currently got 3 projects going. I usually don't have more than 1 but, I needed something mindless to work on at a family party back in June so I cast on a pair of socks, when I had a pretty complicated layette set on the needles. I finished the set and cast on a sweater for myself, leaving the sock for mindless knitting when needed. Well when I went to visit Joe, I realized that he needs a hat, scarf and gloves for the winter. I bought some blue and yellow yarn and cast on the scarf. So now I have an unfinished sock, a sweater and a scarf. I'm planning on finishing the set for Joe by Thanksgiving so I can send them with him when he goes back to college.

Well, that's my life in a nutshell for the moment.

Take care, enjoy life, and as always; happy knitting!

First Month of Classes Down

Thanks for stopping by!

For those of you playing at home, I'm about a third of the way done with this semester. I know! I can't believe it either. 

So far I'm pulling A's again. I'm really, reeeeeeaaaaaally not liking my probability and statistics class. The teacher is great, I just hate all the words in my math problems. We had our first exam last Monday and I got an A.... I'm not happy with it though. I made too many stupid mistakes. The only reason I got the A is because I answered the extra credit question correctly. I have to take the advice I give the boys and slow down.

My organic chemistry class hasn't turned my brain to mush, yet. The professor is very laid back and I think I'll do fine.  We have our first exam on Wednesday. I am just about finished with my cheat sheet and will be meeting with a friend to study tomorrow afternoon. 

World religions is interesting.... I've done all the reading for this unit and we have an exam on Thursday but I really don't know what to expect on the exam. The class is very discussion based and he doesn't assign any written homework. He gave us a study guide but it's 4 pages long and he told us on day one that the 'exams' wouldn't be longer than 10-20 questions. I guess I'll find out Thursday.

The weather here has be interesting. We had a shit ton of snow the last week or so. There was so much snow that the kids actually had a snow day on Friday. Not only did the schools close, but Merit closed for all classes and TFC Friday and Saturday. There was a whole lot of nothing done in my house, just a bunch of people catching up on lost sleep!

Our Valliversary is right around the corner. You remember that right? Click here if you need a refresher.  It's hard to believe that Christopher and I have been married for 17 years and we've managed to not kill each other. Sure he drives me bat-shit crazy, but I can't imagine spending my life with anyone else. 2018 is a pretty important year for us, but more on that as the year moves on.

Now on to why you've read this far, how am I doing with the weight loss? When last we met our ferocious student, she was down 12 pounds and weighing in at 243.5. This week, well as of Friday the 9th, I weighed in at 242.8 pounds. While I'm not happy about it, I understand that I can't lose 2.5 pounds a week and not be starving all the time. I know that from here out, it will be slow and steady.

New Year, New Me

Ok. I don't usually do the whole 'New Year's Resolution' thing. I've never seen the point because I never follow through with them for more than a few weeks. That being said this year I decided to make a change in my life. Last year I decided to go back to school, and I'm kicking ass at it. Thanks to my success with that, I decided it's time to lose some weight. So I've started watching what I eat and exercising (Ryan has been kicking my ass 2 days a week at Primal Chiropractic).

I started this year weighinig 255.5 pounds. (Yes, I just told you ALL how much I used to weigh) I was happy with my life and my body, but I knew I wasn't as healthy as I should be. As much as I hated (and still do) logging all my food and working out, I do it. Eating makes me happy, keeping track of it makes me aware of what I'm eating and then I find myself not happy and not eating because of the amount of calories I'm eating. It has proven to be an endless and viscious cycle in the past.

This time I'm taking a different approach. I'm logging everything in my Fitbit app and Im refusing to get frustrated if I go over my calorie count. In fact, most days I'm under, which is good for my wanting to lose weight. I am giving myself a cheat day and the only thing I have absolutely given up is the Pepsi. I really fucking miss it though! I do have to be super vigilant about logging stuff so I don't forget. I'm making sure to eat things that not only taste good but are beneficial to my body. Even on cheat days I'm a little more conscious about what I'm eating.

I will never be that person who likes working out. The endorphine rush after the workout isn't strong enough to make me want to go. I go because I have to, and I will always feel that way. I know this and I'm ok with it. I swear at Ryan all the time and he knows I mean it with all the love my soon to be not fat ass can muster as I'm doing squat jumps. He is amazing and makes sure that I listen to my body. My ankle is still a little weak from the Thanksgiving incident and I occasionally tweak it. He's incorporated some different warm ups to help strenghten it. He doesn't ever want me to push myself too hard. Yes he kicks my ass and I'm a sweaty, out of breath mess when he's done with me, but I set the pace. If I have to stop and breathe or need a water break, I stop. There's no way I'd be able to do this without him.

All that being said, I am down 12 pounds since January 4th. I have had 4 cans of pop since the 4th and I'm making better food choices. I hate every second of it but I know that if I want to not lose my breath going up the stairs I have to get rid of some of this fat I'm carrying around. I have several friends who have been doing amazingly well with their weight loss journeys. Marc, Jason, Ramon, Eddie, I'm looking at you! You guys have been a huge inspiration, so thank you.

My Weigh in day is Friday. Fitbit keeps track of my weight, Ryan forces my body to burn more calories, Chris encourages me, Rebecca supports me, Marc, Ramon, Eddie, and Jason inspire me. Will those of you reading this hold me accountable? If we are friends on Facebook, message me if I don't post a blog with progress notes for a few weeks, ask how I'm doing, or just say hi.

Thanks!

Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving is a time for reflection. A time to look back on all the things that have happened in your life and put them into perspective.

This year many things have happened in my life. The Boy participated in the Chicago Youth in Music Festival and was able to work with Maestro Riccardo Muti. He auditioned for and made principal bass trombone for the Chicago Youth Philharmonic Orchestra. He is doing very well in school and made principal bass trombone for the ILMEA District band and will most likely make All State. He applied for the National Youth Orchestra and we will find out in January if he makes it. Deaglan was placed in freshman honors advanced algebra 1 honors. He's only in 8th grade. He is doing very well at Merit and was just placed in the trombone choir. He is doing very well in school as well. Padric started his first official year at Merit and is first chair trombone in the Junior Band. He is in project tree math and reading.

So, you're probably wondering why I've written all this with the title Thanksgiving? Well, if you know me, you know my kids are talented and smart. You also know that I'm a smart ass and the apples don't fall far from the tree....

So, I'm sitting on the couch in the living room working on this blog and there are sounds of turkey prep coming from the kitchen. Clanging and banging. Chris giving directions to the kids, generally, productive chaos. To add to the cacophony, they've added music. Well, Chris got me a few google home minis a few weeks ago and we're still learning how to use them.

Chris: OK Google. Play the news.
Google: The news starts playing on the living room speaker.
Me: Hey google, stop. Play news on the kitchen speaker
C: OK Google. Play the news
G: The news plays in the living room again.
Me: Hey google, stop, play the news on the kitchen speaker
C: OK GOOGLE play the news
G: The news starts in the living room. AGAIN..
Me: Hey google, stop
C: OK GOOGLE play the news on the kitchen speaker.

After they (Chris and the Boy) figure out how to listen to what they want in the kitchen they settle on some classical music. I have to keep turning down the volume from the living room because, classical music movements change in intensity and volume quite often. I'm glad I did because the following conversation was hysterical.

At this point, Chris has the Boy take the turkey out of the brining cooler and rinse it off in the sink and the fun begins.

C: Dump all the water in the sink and run cold water. You have to rinse all the salty brine off the bird. You're going to have to get friendly with it. Get you hands between the skin and the flesh, you need to separate the connective tissue. Keep running water through the cavity and make sure to rinse it all.

B: ~Does as he is told~

C: Come one, get in there, you've already gotten to second base with it.

B: Second base! I've fisted the damned thing and you're saying all I've done is gotten to second base!?

C: What are you looking for, it to give you the obligatory blow job?

B: I'm just saying that fisting is way more than second base.

C: ~Still going on about the obligatory blow job~ If that's what you want the beaking will kill ya.

If I wasn't laughing so hard I would have caught all the comments that followed about drying the bird and then oiling it. I'll let you all use your imaginations as to what was said.

From this crazy family to yours,
Happy Thanksgiving


*Edited

Now the Sunday after Thanksgiving I was sitting on the couch and my left foot went numb. Not tingly numb, felt absolutely nothing numb. I had no idea it was numb. I tried to stand up and went down like a sack of bricks. Luckily, I only sprained it pretty bad and didn't break or tear anything.

Freaking Out!

As I type this I am freaking out just a little bit. See, there is only ONE Survey of Organic Chemistry class offered next semester. ONE. With only 32 seats.

Priority registration started on Monday at midnight. Priority registration is based on how many credits you are currently taking. The more credits the earlier you can register.

Since I can only handle 3 classes and 12 credits at a time, my priority is kinda low. I can't register until tonight at midnight. The last time I checked there were only 12 seats left......

Wish me luck.

On a better note, I'm getting my new tattoo tomorrow. I can't wait! I'll post pictures some time tomorrow.

First full semester

I passed my COM 101 class with a B.

I almost bit off more than I could chew this summer. I took CHM 111 (basic chemistry) and COM 102.

I spent my summer writing and doing chemistry experiments at my kitchen table. Yes, you read that right, chemistry experiments at my kitchen table. See I had the brilliant idea to take COM and CHM online. I had a chemistry kit in a box. It came complete with a sterno fuel can for my heat source, tiny test tubes, little  50mL beakers, vinyl gloves and safety goggles. I have to admit it was pretty bad ass. The downside was that it was only a 7 week class. So I was ALWAYS doing chemistry homework. But thanks to Megan and Tyler (a youtube chemistry GOD) I passed the class with a solid A.

I know I bitched about my COM 101 class (and rightly so) but my COM 102 class was awesome! I took it online as well and worked my ass off but the professor was amazing. She was quick to answer my questions and gave me great advice and insight on my writing. I am taking LIT 226 with her Fall of next year. Not only did she help me with my writing, she proofed a speech for me even though I wasn't in her class any longer.

Yeah.... that speech. I was awarded a scholarship and the Moraine Foundation asked if I would tell my story as basically the keynote speaker for the award reception. I was so nervous, but Chris posted it to facebook and said that I rocked it. They also asked if I would answer a few questions and say thank you to the donors in a short video interview. My dumb ass said sure. That video is on youtube (you can watch it here) and I hope it helps the foundation get more money for students that need it.

I'm taking CHM 131, MTH 096, and HUM 101 this semester and I'm getting straight A's. I've picked my classes for next semester and I'm just waiting for my registration date.

My goal is to keep my GPA as high as possible so that when I apply to UIC College of Nursing they have to accept me.

Wish me luck.

COM 101

I realized the other day why I quit college 20 years ago....... Composition 101.

I HATE RHETORIC!

There, I've said it. I absolutely hate it. I enjoy writing and having readers see and feel what I'm trying to express, but I hate having my work critiqued. I hate having to follow precise instructions. I hate writing assignments. I will not let this get me! I will make this class my bitch!