4th of July

Julie and Joe

Jessica and Madeline

Janie, Julie, Cathy, and Trisha

Andrew and Joe

Joe, Keith Brase, and Andrew

Trisha's husband Scott

My good friend, Princess Trisha!

My blogging time has re-invented itself as Facebook time. Marie, this is your fault. She pressured me for months to join FB, but my resistance was futile and I joined. My membership began one month ago and I must admit I am loving it! It's a lot like blogging, but not as brief as twittering. It is a medium that extends to more people and is interactive in nature. Having said that, the reason I'm blogging tonight is because I have more to say than can be typed into one short paragraph.

No vacation plans were made for this summer because I committed myself to finishing my degree, and college classes were what I needed to concentrate on. This month, July, both kids will be in and out of the house for their camp commitments, and their absence gives me the opportunity to focus on schoolwork and not them. My biology class continues (it is 8 weeks) and my grad level COM class started today (4 weeks). The science class I had scheduled for this month was canceled today. No reason was given (not that it matters) and I am very upset. I bent over backward to get into that class. I rearranged my whole schedule, PAID extra, had to fill out accelerated study paperwork, and basically had to motivate my psyche into accepting the amount of work that was facing me in July.

It is too late to add another class for the month and I don't have enough time to fill out another accelerated study program form for August. Basically, I'm up the creek. So much for trying to plan the next year out. When the counseling office opens tomorrow I will be on the phone trying to add another class (NOT trigonometry, which is what I was trying to avoid) sometime next spring. Whatever I do will be based on finishing my degree in May. I have plans for June and WILL NOT take classes.

So, thanks for letting me rant and rave about this! Often I wonder if it's the right decision I made. I only plan on "working" for about 10 years once I finish, at least no longer than Joe does. This truly is for me this time which is why I'm so motivated.

Now that I've got that off my chest!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

It's been a good birthday, although I missed my annual birthday nap. I was reading a textbook and time got away. We went to a newly opened Sushi buffet in Elk Grove and had birthday pie when we got home. Joe and the kids gave me a new digital camera (those of you at the 4th of July bbq already experienced my gift) which is fantastic! I was always borrowing Jessica's, and Joe's is too large to easily fit in a purse.

So, life goes on. Jessica heads off to camp in the morning for 8 days. Her total camp commitment is 5 weeks, with a few days at home here and there. Andrew is here for two weeks before he goes back...just enough time to finish one of his summer reading books. He already read "Ender's Game" and did the assignments for that, now he is reading "Slaughterhouse Five". I've never read it but I might pick it up when he's done.

I guess the only pressing commitment I have for this week is to buy my tickets for opening day of Harry Potter. Advance sales have already started.