July 29, 2005

Finally Friday

SLEEPING IN TOMORROW, DON'T CALL ME. Ok not that you would because very few of you out there have my number:-D
Anyways, it has been a pretty busy week for me, the last 3 days I was in a workshop designed to help me in my transition from SGT L to Miss L. The best part? I got to run around wearing civilian clothes. It also made me realize something when I opened my closet to find appropriate attire. I have a closet full of clothes, but nothing to wear. I have been in the Army for over 5 years now. The most I have ever needed were jeans, t-shirts, party attire, and the occasional formal gown. I didn't wear suits, although I do love them dearly. I went window shopping online and found some great stuff, so now I need to save LOL.
Back to topic though, they went over such things as Resume writing, interview tips, and tips on finding jobs. Incredibly helpful, suprisingly, and I enjoyed myself immensely.
My plans for the weekend: Tomorrow I babysit from 0600-1800 as my best friend has duty, then on Sunday, have a manic heart attack because I have a 10 page term paper due and I SUCK! No, I haven't left this to the last minute, I have been doing research, reasearch and more research. I have also written down what apparently equals a page and a half when typed into Word. Oh well, I will be fine I suppose. Next week I start History and I know I am going to LOVE that subject.
Well, I am still at work, though I really want to be going home now.

July 26, 2005

Who knew that getting out of the Army than coming in. Sitting here in a resume class wondering if I can even do this though I know damned

July 22, 2005

Ooo new toy:-D I can blog from my cell phone! Now I can update any time I like, no matter where I am. So cool!

One entertaining day (and it's nowhere near done)

I am currently on staff duty, otherwise known as 24 hours of hell and boredom. I started out this morning at 0530, getting up for PT formation, then heading home to change for duty. I got here at 0730 and since then it has been going pretty interesting. Earlier this morning my former CSM called me personally after he had called for someone else earlier to talk to me. ME! That was a surprise. Then an old friend of mine who is still in Iraq called for connection to the home phone number which was very pleasant:-D At first I wasn't sure he remembered who I am, to which he said who could forget my face. Yes, my very at the time bruised face I cracked. Then he said I had a "cute" voice over the phone. Actually a number of people told me that after hearing me answer the phone multiple times. It hasn't stopped ringing yet with deployed people needing to be patched through to their loved ones here.
And I don't think I have lost THAT much weight. Someone I worked for made that comment earlier.
Fortunatly for me, I have an interesting Private on duty with me as my runner, and the yuks are non stop.
Oh, Go see Mace's Madness (link in sidebar) for funny movie reviews.

July 18, 2005

Mondays anyone?

yeah it's been funny today. Starting this morning, if it could get weird, it did. Heading to PT I got out a little late, and was unable to cross the road for about 5 minutes, making me VERY close to being late. Oops number one. Then, up on time for work, dressed, showered and out the door, where I made it to work early. Almost to the door when asked the question "where is your headgear?" Yep, at home sitting in its usual spot. Oops number two. There and back to work, where my temporary tooth managed to snap off of its wires, and fall out of my mouth. oops number three. The rest of the morning passed reasonably uneventful, and I headed home for a quick lunch where I managed to screw up microwave Mac and Cheese. Oops number four. Back to work to get some paperwork done before I needed to leave at 1330 for my appointment at 1400. Come about 1430, buried deep in my work, I realize I am not supposed to be there. Oops number five. (you keeping up here?) Earlier in the day I had made an emergency appointment with my orthodontist to have my teeth repaired, and very nearly forgot it. Almost oops number six. However, I made it there and back, teeth fixed, and back up to work I went. Later on that afternoon, I look out the window to see storm clouds gathering. Sunroof was open in my car. So run down the stairs did I, just in time. As I hobbled back into my office, the heavens opened and down came the down pour. He heheh. I tried to wait it out buuuuut no could do. By the time I got home, the streets were flooded, and I was soaked. Here I sit, finally dry:-D

July 17, 2005

Free Will

If you are in Asheville, NC, or have a vacation there anytime soon, find your way to Montford park. They have a wonderful production of Shakespeares "Comedy of Errors" in an outdoor amphitheatre that is absolutly free. So pack a picnic, grab your chairs and blankets, and head on down. It was wonderful, and so much fun. Mum and I packed up the children, and some really good chicken wraps, and along with my 14 y/o sisters boyfriend, down we went, and I laughed and laughed. Oh, and watching one's child in the back seat making out with a boy is very disturbing. (ok so she wasn't really making out but still!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Other then that, the weekend was a pretty normal weekend at home with my family, I also got my NC drivers license (g-d awful photo). Despite the three hour drive it is always worth it. Heck, Even my baby brother likes me now:-D

July 12, 2005

The road less traveled

I decided on a whim this Saturday to pay a surprise visit to Mummy. Ok, it had more to do with the fact that I was baby-sitting my best friends 2 year old baby girl and I didn't want to subject her to the boredom that is my room. So, I loaded up my stuff rapidly, loaded Chrissy, and off we went. For those of you who have ever traveled with a young one, you know that it can be quite tortuous. Not for me this time. I swear I have never had a quieter ride:) We got up there, and as I pulled in, mother was sitting outside on her chair. She got up, and I could see the confusion, worry, and other things going through her mind, as I was not due up until this Thursday. I got out, and announced that I had company with me. She rolled her eyes and asked me who it was, then laughed as I pulled Chrissy out of the back seat. I took her inside, and introduced her to my siblings. While it took her a while to get accustomed to the madness that is my family, by the time the family went out for Mummy's birthday dinner, the babies were playing together quite nicely, and Tavy had taken on the role of miss bossy pants.
Going to dinner was quite an adventure, as Mum had no idea where she wanted to g, so we drove and drove and drove til we ended up at a very nice TGI Fridays. Our waitress's name was Sarah and a very sweet girl. Anyone who can put up with my raucous crowd is great:-D And surprise, at the end of the evening, I was able to find my way home, although getting directions from my beloved mother is NOT the easiest thing in the world.
The next morning we headed out to church, which went very well, and after church, Chrissy and I took off again for home, though this didn't go quite as expected. Going along the road, I decided to see if I could take a short cut on a road I was not familiar with. Rule number 1: DON'T take shortcuts that you don't know. This one took me about a hour to navigate (thank goodness for my map) but it was one of the prettiest roads I have ever been on. The road was windy and curvy, so green and full of wonderful foliage, and defiantly one I want to travel again.

So home I am now, and it has been an interesting week. Monday was manically busy, then this morning, I decided that morning formation at 0630 wasn't that important and slept right through it. Ok, I really just forgot to set my clocks properly and woke up way late. But boy did I feel good all day hehehehe.

July 06, 2005

More random photos

OK, so not really random, these were all taken on Saturday the 2nd, at our family picnic out at the lake.

I love kitties. This one owned the small garden in the woods we explored.

He was such a cute puppy:)



Mummy was VERY wet ROFL!!!!!!!!!!!!


The family watching fireworks Saturday night. My sisters are all grown up:( They had boyfriends present! Eeeeeeee:-D Very adorable young men though.




Mummy managed to overturn the canoe that she and Justin were rowing about:-D It was FUNNY!!!!!!!!



July 04, 2005

Bad ideas

Include going to the mall on the 4th of July to get your hair cut. Bad Bad Idea. No, the mall wasn't crowded, nor insanely busy. The stores just had REALLY great sales. Must......not.........buy.............really..............cute...............shoes. "charge please" For the record, they were $7. I also purchased the most beautiful shirts for Mummy at one of her favorite stores, April Cornell, and I hit the ever wonderful sale at Bath and Body Works. All in all I didn't hurt my bank account that badly, at least I will not be eating ramen until next payday;)
So, what happens when you mix 2 teenaged couples? Mayday mayday mayday, please someone HELP!!! My 2 teenaged sisters now have boyfriends!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Someone, please tell me when these children grew up on me? But, it was a lot of fun watching the 2 of them interacting with them, albeit a little freaky. The next time I go up, I have been tapped to play both chauffeur and chaperone for the young couples so that they may go watch a movie. Oh please let them pick a good one! My sisters do have very good taste in young men, at least from what I observed this last weekend. They were very good with the youngest 2 sisters, the 4 and 12 y/o's. Pictures soon to come.

I also spent the weekend with my beloved, who drove up here and went with me to go see my family. Poor boy, stuck in a house with 6 white people. (his words, not mine;) Especially with my family and as insane as we are:-D
All in all, my weekend has been great!
This coming week is going to be busy, appointments and catching up on paperwork. I love it:-D

July 03, 2005

In the Meantime

Just got back from a busy weekend in NC. But I will tell you all about it later. In the meantime, here is my persuasive essay. Once again, warning, this is a 3 page essay.

Home schooling is an oft argued topic, and parents may hesitate for many reasons such as educational (parents not educated enough, children will fall behind their peers) or social (afraid children will not develop social skills). However, home schooling is better then public schooling because parents have better control over style and type of education, more time spent one on one with the child, and it allows the child to learn at his or her own pace. As a child, I learned to read rapidly, but my younger brother took longer. Had he been placed in public school, he would have been held back several grades, and would perhaps have been diagnosed with a learning disability. But because my mother home schooled us, he was able to learn at a pace that best suited him, and today he is a college graduate working in a very successful computer career.
In today’s society, parents are choosing home schooling in ever increasing numbers though. In a survey conducted in 1999, there were an estimated 850,000 home schooled children in the United States, in 2003; those numbers had increased to an estimated 1.1 Million. Home schooling allows the parent more control over their children’s curriculum. With many different types of curriculum available, parents are able to choose precisely the lessons the children learn. Public schools typically have only one curriculum, and parents have no say in choosing what their child does or does not learn.
Over 60% of parents who have chosen to home school give either their concern for the environment of schools, or to provide moral or religious instruction as reason. With children staying at home, they are better protected from peer pressure.
Socialization, or lack thereof, is often cited as a reason not to home school, and why public school is better. However, this myth has been studied in a number of studies and been proven that home schooling is just as good, or better, concerning the socialization of children. In his 1992 study, Larry Shyers of the University of Florida found that children taught at home showed fewer behavioral problems then did those children schooled at conventional schools. Many people have the view that home schooled children are sheltered, secluded, naïve to the ways of the world, when many times it is entirely opposite. There are many opportunities for children to socialize with their peers, such as home school groups, recreation classes, and little league, among many others. From my own experience with home schooling, when I was younger, my mother always had myself and my siblings enrolled in classes through the public parks and recreation, orchestra, ballet classes. We also had a group of home schooled friends, as well as our friends from church.
There have been many studies conducted on the social and educational benefits of home schooling, far too many to cite here. Home schooled children are often better educated and more socially adaptable then their conventionally schooled peers. In a scholarly analysis, Professor A. Bruce Arai stated that individuals who are or were home schooled “are keen to integrate into the wider society”. Home schooling is a personal choice, but one that is the best choice.
Works Cited

Lines, Patricia M. “Homeschooling comes of age”. The Public Interest, 140 (Summer 2000): 74-85

Lyman, Isabel. “Answers to Home School questions”. The New American. May 6, 2002. 18.9: 31-33

National Center for Education Statistics. “1.1 Million Home Schooled Students in the United States in 2003”. Issue Brief. July 2004: 1

National Center for Education Statistics. “1.1 Million Home Schooled Students in the United States in 2003”. Issue Brief. July 2004: 2, Figure 2

United States. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. “Statistical Analysis Report: Home Schooling in the United States: 1999” NCES 2001-03: 9

July 01, 2005

Oh for a long relaxing weekend.

It will be nice to have the next few days off to relax. This last week I have had midterms in both my classes, and that was a bit hard. Sociology in particular, as I took all three hours alotted for the exm. But I finished, and do think I got a good score.
Here in a few hours I will be heading up to NC yet again, as Daniel drove in late last night from Miami, and we are visiting my family. Currently he is knocked out though, poor boy. Miami to here is one hellacious drive, but oh so worth it:-D