My wonderful boyfriend

My boyfriend and I met at a college party through mutual friends. I never would have thought of it going farther than just flirting because we were opposites and he was a big partier and I wasn't. I loved being around him and he always made me laugh. Finally one day after hanging out and talking a lot back and forth he asked me out, and we made it "Facebook official." You know it's serious when it's Facebook official ha-ha:) Anyways, on May 12, 2014 we will be going out for 2 years. It has gotten pretty serious between us although we are taking things slow. I want to finish school before we move in, get engaged or anything else. I feel that will take a lot of stress off of me and I can better focus on us. I am so glad that he came into my life because I do not know what I would do without him.

Vacation!!!

This summer I will be going on two vacations. One to Walker, MN for a week vacation at a cabin with my boyfriend and his family. And another vacation to San Antonio, TX, my hometown. I am super excited and I feel like I deserve and need this. I can't wait. I am going to Walker the first week in June and to Texas the end of July. I am visiting my sister down in Texas because she stayed there:)

Piled on 3 more classes

Last summer I sat inside on my computer thinking oh my I am not ever taking summer classes again because I am so stressed and I need a break! Here I am, taking 3 summer classes this summer. What can I say? I need to catch up and make sure I have all the credits I need. I am sad that I need to take these classes, but I need to do it. I wish school was over. I am super stressed trying to get all my assignments done for my classes and passing my MTLE's!!! I hate those. I am not a good test taker but my grades reflect that I know what I am doing by getting all A's and occasionally a B.

Television

Have you ever wondered why people are so into watching TV? Well I do all the time. I am one who likes to watch my weekly shows because I just enjoy stepping out of reality into a whole different world of television. I've never known why people have created a TV because it just makes people lazy. I always wondered how they came up with the TV. The first regularly scheduled television service in the United States began on July 2, 1928. The Federal Radio Commission authorized C. F. Jenkins to broadcast from experimental station W3XK in Wheaton Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C. For at least the first eighteen months, 48-line silhouette images from motion picture film were broadcast, although beginning in the summer of 1929 he occasionally broadcast in halftones.

School is almost over!

I am proud to say that I am finishing up my third year in college strong! I have stayed motivated, for the most part and have gotten all my assignments in on time and with the best effort I could give. I am excited that school is coming to an end for this semester because it has been a stressful one. I took 6 classes and worked three jobs. It was hard to find time to fit everything in but I did it and I can truly say I'm proud of myself. Although I am taking a summer class it is 60 hours of adult contact and no children contact. I do not think this will be very difficult. I will learn how to hire, fire and all the fundamentals of being a teacher. I am also excited because then it's one step closer to becoming a teacher and my future. I have gotten so much support throughout my college years and I can't thank everyone enough.

Sub Paraprofessional

I accepted a job for this school year about 2 weeks ago as a sub paraprofessional. Never did I think it would be more difficult than I thought. Don't get me wrong I really like what I do but man it's hard getting to know different paraprofessional's schedules and knowing where to go. Yesterday I was called at 11:30 asking if I could come in at 12, of course I said yes. This was my first day ever as a sub and ever at this school. I was so lost and had no idea where I was going, what children I needed or what I was doing. Obviously I followed the schedule that was given to me and went off of that but its hard when you don't know the school or where anything is. I felt like I was just thrown into this job. I never got a tour of the school or anything. Today was a little bit better, I ask a lot of questions which is what you have to do. I'm hoping it will get better.

Easter

Since I work three jobs now it is hard to find or get time off for every job and go visit family for holidays. Especially Easter which falls on a Sunday and most of my family lives 5 hours away. I found out that my grandma, her husband, my aunt, uncle and 2 cousins will be coming to Alexandria for Easter. I really appreciate that they are coming because I was not able to get Monday off in order to stay for Easter dinner on Sunday. I am excited to see them and have Easter dinner with them:)

Voyager Elementary School:)

I received a call yesterday for a sub paraprofessional  position at Voyager Elementary school which is conveniently located really close to my house:) We set up an interview today at 2:30 and I got the job right away! I was very excited since I have never been a paraprofessional before and I am looking to broaden my career and do something more in my field! I got the meet the classroom teacher in the room that I will be in and she seems super nice! My first day is Monday and I am super excited!!!

Nature

I currently still live at home with my parents. We live on a lake with some land and let me tell you it is so beautiful. Even when the lake was frozen it still looked pretty because it was all white and the trees around it was white. Now that the lake is thawing out and there is actually visible water it is even more prettier. There is a lot of geese that are around and I actually don't mind them at all, as long as they don't mess with my dogs that is. We have big windows that look onto the lake and I love sitting by them to do my homework and just watch outside, especially this time of year. The water just flows and looks so still. The best part is the sunset. I love how the sky turns a purplish orange that is my favorite ever. Last week when the lake was still frozen I actually saw a fox walking, well running across the frozen lake. I actually have never seen a fox before so that was a great experience for me.

Taking Walks

Have you ever been so stressed out that you feel you want to just leave everything behind? I have to and I actually found a great way to deal with stress. Now that the weather is nice and you can actually stay outside longer than 5 minutes you can take a walk. Taking a walk relieves your mind of all the stress that you may have and you can enjoy the nature and fresh air. I love to listen to my music as I am walking and I take my three dogs a long with me. Why not let them enjoy the walk as well? So next time you are super stressed whether its because of homework, work or your kids, put everything down, grab your music and take at least a 15 minute walk. It will help a ton, trust me.

 

Shooting at Fort Hood Base in Texas

A shooting Wednesday afternoon at the Fort Hood Army post has left multiple people injured, and the shooter is believed to be dead, post officials said. The post remains on lockdown.

NBC News reported that eight people were injured, four of them critically, and that the person who died is believed to be the gunman. Officials are still searching and clearing buildings at the post, but a military official told NBC News that the deceased shooter appears to be the only shooter.

The Associated Press, citing an internal memo from the Justice Department, reported that the Fort Hood shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The AP is also reporting, quoting a U.S. defense official, that there are 14 people who have been wounded in the shooting. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is still ongoing.

Fort Hood officials have confirmed that a shooting occurred at the post, though the post has not confirmed the number of people injured. Scott & White Hospital in Temple confirms they have a command center in place and are receiving patients from the post.

Just after 5 p.m. local time, the post tweeted that all personnel were being asked to shelter in place, close doors and stay away from windows.

The shooting is believed to have taken place at the Medical Brigade Building. Local NBC affiliate KCEN-TV reported there were also reports of victims at the Battle Simulation Center.

Officials with the Bell County Sheriff's Office and Texas Department of Public Safety are helping to secure the perimeter of the largest active duty armored post in the United States Armed Services.

Central Texas College's campus was evacuated due to the shooting, with all personnel and students asked to leave and all classes canceled.

In November 2009, 13 people were killed and more than 30 others injured when Maj. Nidal Hasan opened fire on dozens of people at the post. Hasan was paralyzed during an exchange of gunfire and, in late 2013, was sentenced to death.  He is currently awaiting execution.

April Fools

Yesterday was April Fools and I am very surprised no one played a trick on me. The more I thought about it the more I was prepared. I think it is becoming more of a thing from the past to play a joke on someone. I actually looked up some information on where that tradition came from because I was curious. The most popular theory is that France changed its calendar in the 1500s so that the New Year would begin in January to match the Roman calendar instead of beginning at the start of spring, in late March or early April.However word of the change traveled slowly, and many people in rural areas continued to celebrate the New Year in the spring. These country dwellers became known as "April fools," the story goes.[The French] theory is completely wrong, because the day that the French celebrated the beginning of the year legally was Easter day, so it never really was associated with April first," he said. "Traditionally it was only a legal start to the year—people in France did actually celebrate [the New Year] on January first for as long as anybody could remember."

Snow is melting!!!:)

YAY!!! The snow is finally melting and I can see the water on the lake! I like out in Garfield on a lake and what confuses me is how someone can be so stupid to keep ice fishing. I just saw him/her out on the ice today with their fish house! I'm so confused, that is so dangerous! But anyways I can see the geese all in the water and I can see the grass! I just love it. This has been a long, and harsh winter:( SUMMER PLEASE COME!!!! I also can't wait till I can lay outside and listen to music and relax.

Reluctant Hero Book

This book was the true story of 9/11, not leaving out any of the troubling details. That is one of the things that I liked about this book, he didn't try to sugar coat it. He told like it is, raw; and that's what 9/11 still is to a lot of people, raw. It is the story of how Michael Benfante the author who escaped the North Tower of the WTC on 9/11. How he and many others became heroes with selfless acts of kindness.

This book starts out with him talking about his job and himself as well as how he met his girlfriend which is his fiancé later on in the book as well as his family. He is just a normal guy from Jersey City who now lives in New York City. He is a manager at Networks Plus on the 81^st floor at the World Trade Center. In the first chapter he just talks about how he got to his job and who he works with. In the second chapter is where all the interesting, scary and horrifying things begin to happen.

On September 11, 2o01 Michael was at work and it was a normal work day until all the sudden at 8:46 Am he hears Jim Gaffney scream “OH MY GOD!” A plane had hit the north side and Michael was located on the south side in his office. He was trying to calm everyone down and get them out. He acted quickly and remained calm. He is not sure why he remained calm but he did. He got everyone to the stairs and went back for more people that were stuck in the bathroom. As he is moving down the stairs they are moving quickly because a lot of people are not on the stairs, at least on their floor level. When he reaches the 68^th floor, Michael and John go into an office where three women were standing there and when they moved they revealed a woman in a wheelchair. He asks if she needs help and she says “yes.” John and Michael strap her to an evactuation chair. They start going down the stairs and run into a few obstacles. As they go lower and lower on the floor levels there are more and more people. They are eventually at a halt. A fireman finds them and leads them out a different way. The lady in the evacuation chair is lead to an ambulance and John and Michael go a different way which was north. Michael starts walking and a fireman comes up to him and says “Listen, if you go that way be prepared to see stuff you’ve never seen before, carnage.” Michael described in the book very visually what he heard. “Then I heard sounds unlike the others. The strangeness of the sounds-sounds so foreign that I could not relate or associated with anything in my brain could define or visualize-distracted but didn’t frighten me. …..They were loud, unpleasant thuds of singular things falling and hitting hard. I head them one, two sometimes three in a row. Then several seconds, maybe a minute, would pass, and I’d hear those sounds again.” He never looked at what the sounds were but I kept reading and found out that those sounds were bodies falling. Later on in the book he describes all the things that he went through with all the gruesome details and never knew what happened to the lady in the wheel chair. Until one day he gets a call from her and they met up.
There were some definite parts of the book that I really enjoyed and there were some parts that I didn't. I enjoyed hearing the story of what happened from start to finish on 9/11, what he experienced, what he saw, what he did and how he felt. I enjoyed reading how he dealt with it afterwards and how he felt and moved on from that day.
Overall it was an entertaining book for the most part, and will give you a good idea of what it was like to be in the towers on that day, outside of the towers when they fell and the time afterwards in which to deal with what was seen.

My Grandma's Birthday!!

This weekend my family, my boyfriend and I are taking a 5 hour drive to Beulah, North Dakota. It is a very small town and that is where my Grandma lives. It is her birthday this weekend and I am excited that I get to share it with her. We are having a party up at my Uncles house and we all get to celebrate. My whole family will pretty much be there and I can't wait. When my dad was in the military we would always be too far away to come visit just for a birthday but now we always go for holidays, birthdays or just a weekend. I am excited that I get to spend her cake day with her<3

Tired of this snow!!!

I have never, ever been in a winter this bad. I am from Texas and this is not what I like! Yes I like a white Christmas and to snowmobile but this is just enough. I am tired of this snow! PLEASE GO AWAY! We were having nice weather for a while there and then it all went away:( I can't wait for summer!! You will not hear my complain of how hot it is!

My Mama!

I don't even know where to start. My mom is my life and my whole world. I don't know where I would be without her. She is the strongest woman that I know. She took care of four girls while my dad was deployed most of our lives. She always loved us no matter what we did. She always had a hot and delicious meal ready at breakfast, lunch and dinner. She let us play outside all day and supported us in everything we did. I love her so much!!!

My hero, my dad

Ever since I was little I wanted to be just like my dad, a soldier for the United States military. I never knew that his job was so emotionally and physically straining. I never really got to spend a lot of time with my dad growing up because he was deployed in different countries a lot, some places we couldn't even know where he was because it was confidential. I had three older sisters and my mom was a stay at home mom. I always knew my dad was going to be deployed because my mom would be crying and so would my oldest sister. He always had his duffle bag packed and would leave early in the morning. As I grew older I began to understand that I cannot be selfish and that is fighting for our countries freedom. I still took a toll on me though when he would leave. I never knew if I would see him again or if that hug was the last hug I would get. In April 2006 my mom got a horrible call saying that my dad was in the hospital and he was injured. I remember that day but not clearly because it was very hard for me. I was at track practice and my sister ran over to me and told me that dad was in critical condition. I immediaetly fell to the ground. I never wanted to hear those words. It truly broke my heart. My mom was already on her way to be with him on the plane. We had family friends come watch after us. My mom finally arrived in Spain where my dad was transferred to a hospital and she called us and said she was with dad. He was doing okay and that we shouldn't worry because he was in God's hands. My dad was then transferred to Langstuhl, Germany at the military base there and we finally got to see him. He had a bad spinal cord injury and was told that he would never be able to walk again. Knowing my dad he didn't take those words and he said "Watch me." Now 8 years later he retired after being in the US Army after 21 years and is he walking just like he used to. I will never forget all the sacrifices he has made and all the time I had to say goodbye. I am glad to call him my dad because he is my hero.

My Family.

I am very grateful for my family. They have supported me through everything and have always given me everything that I've needed. I wouldn't trade my family for anything. My dad's name is Steven and he was in the US Army for 21 years and I am so grateful to have such a strong willed dad. My mom's name is Lori and she had a few side jobs here and there but mainly she was a stay at home mom. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. She was always there for me when I was sick, when I got home from school and always had an amazing meal on the table after a long day! I have three older sisters: Nikki, Lacey and Ali. Nikki and Lacey currently live in North Dakota and Ali lives in Texas. I am so blessed with such a great family, I wouldn't have it any other way!!

Luke Bryan Concert!!!!!:)))

This weekend my boyfriend, my friends Amber, Luke, Laura and Krista and I are all going to a Luke Bryan concert at the Excel Energy Center! I am so excited because not only are we going to the concert we also get a limo ride and all the insights of where he is going to be and what bars he is going to be at! This will actually be the first time my friend Laura has been out since she had her son Connor about a month ago and she is one of my best friends. I am so excited because he is one of my favorite country singers and I know we will all have a great and amazing time!

Leaving for the cities

This weekend is going to be a relaxing weekend for me because I am going to the Cities. I like to go to the Cities because I love visiting my boyfriends family. They are all so laid back and they understand the meaning of relaxing. I am also helping out with my boyfriend's cousins baby shower. I think this will be fun because I really like to help people out and baby showers are fun anyways! I am feeling a lot better and am pretty much recovered from the flu. That was not fun at all! I also plan on getting a pedicure with my boyfriends sister. I like spending time with her because she is fun and she knows how to have fun. She is very outgoing and funny! Overall, I am excited for this weekend because it is well needed:)

Hate the flu:(

Yesterday I got home from work and I just didn't feel like my normal self. I had the chills and I just felt out of my body. Well I tried to eat my dinner and that all came up. After that I knew I had the stomach flu. I haven't had the flu in a long time. I can't even remember when I was this sick. It really sucks! I have been resting and thank goodness I didn't have to work today because I was off. I am also taking tomorrow off for another day to rest and get better. I feel that is best because I do work with kids and I want to make sure I am 100% better before I go back to work!

My Pets!

Ever since I've grown up I've had animals. I never really knew how much they make a family and how much I could love my animals. Ever since we got our dog Ginger I've loved her. She attached to me really quick because I allowed her to sleep with me in my bed every night. Well 9 years later she is still sleeping with me every night in my bed. Since we got Ginger we got 3 other pets as well. We have a cat who is named Sonar but we call him Mr. Kitty because he is deaf and can't hear his name anyways. We adopted him from the local humane society because I felt no one would have adopted him because he was deaf. We then have Champ who is a lab/golden retriever mix. He is a service dog for my dad because my dad was injured when he was deployed. We then have a Chihuahua her name is Gracie. She was brought to us from Texas by my sister who is a vet tech at a vet clinic down there. Gracie is a lucky girl because she was thrown out of a moving car on the highway and was brought into my sister at the clinic. My sister then treated her wounds and called my mom and my mom immediately wanted her. My sister was coming to visit a week later anyways so my sister and Gracie flew to Minnesota together. I could not be more grateful for my best friends. They always listen to me, know when I'm sick and sad. They are always there when I want/need a cuddle or just when I need someone to talk to. (Even though they don't respond back) I love all them with my whole heart and they make my family who they are today!

Champ

Ginger

Mr. Kitty

Gracie

Gracie

Meeting Connor Marc Thode

I finally met my best friend's baby this weekend. I didn't remember how small babies were and how cute and cuddly they are! I fell in love the first time I saw him and thought he was the cutest thing in the whole wide world! It was a great weekend and I had a great time seeing my friend. She is going to be a great mom! I attended his first newborn pictures and they turned out great! I am so excited to see him again and I can't wait to see what he is like when she is older:)

My first day at Garfield Elementary School

I really loved being back in a kindergarten classroom. All the children are so eager to learn and are respectful. I chose Garfield because it is about 10  minutes from my house making it easy access. I did not know how small it actually was. This elementary school has 1 classroom for each grade k-6. I have never been in such a school but all the people I met really loved being in such a small school. One teacher told me that they are like family because they are so close and you really don't have a choice haha! The lunchroom is also the gym. I think this is interesting to me because I have never been in such a small school and I like this kind of change. I think it could be hard because not only do you not have other teachers in the same grade to talk to or get advice from but you have no other resources from the teachers in the same grade level. I am excited and eager to know how my teacher deals with this:)

Baby Connor

This weekend I will be venturing down to Pipestone. My best friend Laura had a baby last week and this is her first baby. I will be visiting him and her this weekend! He was a healthy baby boy and his name is Connor Marc. I am so excited to meet this little guy. I know that Laura will be a great mom because she is a mother figure to everyone already. This little guy is already her world and I am excited to see what he will be when he grows up. She is currently staying at her mom and dad's farm that way she can get familiar with raising a baby and get the hang of everything that comes with being a mom. She also can get help and advice from her mom. The drive is about 3 and a half hours which I am dreading because I just want to be there already! I am so excited because I will be leaving tomorrow around 12 when I get off of work. I was in shock throughout Laura's pregnancy because when Laura lived in Alexandria her and I had the best times ever, just doing stupid stuff together. I never had the feeling of having my best friend having a baby. It is a great feeling because I know that she is complete with him!! I love this picture because he is wearing one of the many outfits that I got for him:)<3

Found my placement!

I am so releived that I found my kindergarten placement for kindergarten methods class. It took a little bit because it was time consuming having to get a hold of the lady in human resources. She was mostly out of her office and of course I called at the least convienant times. I finally have everything squared away! My first day is on Wednesday and that works out perfectly because I am off of work so I can be there in the morning instead of always going in the afternoons. I am excited because this is a smaller school and I have always been in bigger schools and with a lot of students as well as staff. It is also located about 5 minutes away from me so the drive is perfect. I also think my teacher is going to be great because she seemed so excited and helpful over the phone. She seems like she has a great personality and I think this is going to be a fun and great experience!!:)

Lake of the Woods

This weekend I went to lake of the woods up north! I was with nine other guys and my boyfriend. I did not know that I would be the only girl until we actually starting driving up there. I was kind of hesistant to go with because I knew that I would not be able to shower, properly use the bathroom, and would be stuck in an icehouse for 3 days. I am one who likes to be able to sleep in my own bed, watch TV when I get off of work and just relax as well as shower daily, so this was a new one for me. I agreed to go because it was a new experience and well I love my boyfriend. When we got there it was about 4 o'clock in the morning and I was exhausted. All the guys starting setting up their fishing poles and all their fishing gear immediaetly. I was just worried about getting my bed ready. When I got my bed set up which were bunk beds I laid my head down and I was out for a few hours. I wake up and all the guys are still fishing, and I decide to join them. Overall, I had a fun weekend but I am glad that I came home and had the best shower of my life. I am also very excited to say that I can sleep in my own bed and sleep peacefully!

Interesting day

Today was very interesting. I went to work and got off early to drive to st. cloud. I had to run a few errands there and decided leaving early was the best idea because I had to be back in Alexandria to Nanny at 5:45. As I am doing some errands my mom calls me and says there is a blizzard warning. Well I didn't think much of it because usually it doesn't mean much until I see something happen. I get outside and my car is already covered in snow! It happened after like 20 minutes! Well as you know I am not from Minnesota, I am a Texan! I am still not used to the snow nor am I fond of the snow! Needless to say it was a lot longer drive home than an hour and I did not have to nanny after all!

Stress of school

When I was growing up I never really knew how stressful college would and could be! The first week isn't so bad but it is a lot of work because you have to introduce yourself to each and every class and set up a zillion accounts for everything. You have to remember passwords and user names and make sure you know how to get around on your account. It is a lot of work! I always thought that college would be fun. It can be at times but when I get a break I really like to enjoy it because it is great coming home after work and not having to worry about homework or checking your account to make sure nothing is due! BUT!! School can be very rewarding, I know in the end I will be very proud of myself and know that I did this for a reason and that reason is for my future! You cannot get a good job these days without having a college degree. This says a lot because you need to have a good education and knowledge before you work in a good place. Although you put a lot into your school work and a lot of time into it, it is so worth it in the end. I just hate feeling stressed!