I'M IN!!!!!!

So I made the phone call this morning to make my appt. with Erv. I arrived a 3:30. I walk in and here is Erv (probably late 50's-he's retiring next year) with is feet propped on the desk and his cane in his hand. He was hit by a DD 6 weeks ago. Very laid back!!! He asked what my intentions were and said here's what ya need to do. He called Dr. Grange (who is really the head of Masters in Elem) and I talked to him, why I'm not really sure. Then the two of them had a 5 min. convo while I sat. He got off the phone. Asked if I was married-said no. Asked if I was going to in the future and said yes maybe next summer. He said he would put me in 1 class to begin with because my emotions would be high and too much planning to do... how funny is that?? He said Dr. Grange just wants to get ya (everyone) in and out as quick as possible. He told me they wouldn't put me in some classes because the teachers suck. Yes he really said that! He filled out a form for the class and told me to sign it and I did. All I have to do is fill out the MSU app and send it it. First thing to do when I got home was to look at my pay scale and see how many hours I needed to get bumped up. That's their goal is to get us bumped up to the next pay scale. It was quite an interesting experience-and easy. So I'm in. I cancelled my GRE test-I only get 1/2 $$ back-that's fine by me!!!!! Erv said that test was stupid anyway. I feel so much better now!!!! A big weight has been lifted!!!! YEAH!!!!!

Graduate School Nightmare!!!!

Well, I've put this off long enough-getting my master's that is. Main reason is when I started to look a few years ago I noticed you had to take the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) and wasn't thrilled about that. Honestly, I wasn't too serious about getting my Masters at that time. 4 1/2 years have gone by and now's the time. However, I should've started looking for places sooner instead of NOW. What I've found has turned out to be a nightmare and very very stressful. All of this in the last few days. Something in my head just clicked and said I need to start this now or I'll never do it. I need to move onto the next step in my life-marriage and school. I wanted to get it in EC or ECSE as that is what I teach and will probably continue that way for a while. Original plan was to go to MSSU and enroll in Masters in EC through Missouri NW. All was fine and dandy until they told me I had to take the GRE before my 1st trimester. Okay I thought-no biggie. WAY BIGGIE!!!!! At $140 a test and a horrific test it is-I began to panic. I was told what scores I need to get in order to be accepted into graduate school. On the test is a verbal (analogies, reasoning..etc), quantitative (math) and analytical. Verbal and Math are on an 800 pt. scale. I have to get a combined score of 700. Analytical is on a 0-6 pt. scale (2 essays) and I have to get a 3.5. Folks-this is not just some standardized test this is a huge pain in the butt test that is meaningless had difficult beyond belief. Being as how I was in a hurry I paid my $ and am scheduled to take this stupid thing on July 28. So..... I downloaded the practice test that you get when you register. I missed EVERY single math problem. These are not normal math questions. You are given an equation/problem then 2 columns (A/B) each one with an answer. It's multiple choice-not normal MC. Choose (A) if column A is greater than column B; Choose (B) if column B is greater than column A. Choose (C) if the two are equal; Choose (D) The relationship cannot be determined from the information given. You can only use scratch paper. Example: A circle with a triangle inside the circle which had a radii of 5. There was an equation of how to find what the triangle was. I had to figure it out using the two columns. Confusing??? YESSS!!! It explained all the answers-in ways I had no clue about. BOMB!!!! Then came the analogies-missed those too. Words I've never heard of before or could even pronounce. Needless to say I would take this numerous times-be broke!!! I'm a horrible test-taker as it is. Guess you could say I have test anxiety. Wouldn't matter how much I would study-wouldn't help. My solution find somewhere else to go to school. So begins the frantic two days I've had. 1st stop: MU online. They offered degrees in EC and ECSE all online. Granted it cost $3584 for 12 hrs...,, but that was nothing compared to what I'd spend driving back and forth to Pitt State or SMS (formerly called). That was worth it-thought I had it all figured out and completed the online app. Did some digging and digging--- low and behold have to take the GRE. I would have to get higher scores as well-UM NO!!!! That was out of the equation. 2nd stop: SMS yes I'd have to drive to Springfield. Have to take the GRE for EC. NO THANKS!!! An yet still higher scores. 3rd stop: U of Ark. At 1 pt in time MO where I live as in-state. They had a similar EC program. No GRE test but you have to do all this other crap. Plus the cost was $25+ for tuition. HELL NO!!!! Last night I went to bed panicking and worrying myself sick. Today-did some more searching. Searched all over the area and in neighboring states. Yes I did look at Pitt State but the drive is just toooo far for me and with the cost of gas it's not worth it. I checked to see if anyone offered online EC/ECSE grad programs. I found the U of Phoenix and requested info. They called and talked. $17000 for a 17 month program (all fees included) that was in in curriculum and instruction. Money doesn't grow on trees people!!! I finally decided I'd have to suck it up and take the test over and over. NOT ANYMORE!!!! Thanks to my good friend Julie and to meeting for book club 2 nite my problems have been solved to a degree. Julie took her masters at MSSU through SMS in Elem. Ed. She took my to MSSU and showed me where I needed to go. Luckily the secretary was there. Julie told her what I wanted and get gave me the info of who I need to talk to and the books about it. There is either Masters in Elem or Masters in Reading. Don't really want to to either-but at this pt. anything is better than that test. Julie said her brother (who is super intelligent had to take it a few times). That's not good!!! GUESS WHAT??? I don't have to take the GRE-only if my GPA were below 2.5 in college. It wasn't! YEAH!!! No the decision: which one to take ELEM or Reading. I'm going to call the man tomorrow and set up and appt. I hope it all works out!!! If so I will cancel my test. I will only get 1/2 my $$ back-but that's fine with me as long as I don't have to take it. A big weight has been lifted and I feel stress free. All because of a stupid test!!! Silly??? I know but it'll be okay. I can go for ELEM-easy except of a big research project. Or reading which is more difficult and have a 3-hr comp. writing session. More beneficial is probably the reading. I will decide tomorrow if I talk to the right person. I'll post my finds tomorrow!!!

Update to Truck incident!

So.. per everyone telling me to go to the dr. after my little getting hit by a truck I went. My right hip/pelvis/side has been really really hurting with every little movement. So I went. Of course they all laughed... and I am too so it's okay. They took x-rays. Luckily nothing is broken. They said my pelvic bone and hip are bruised very badly and I am very lucky. The radiologist has to look at it and see tomorrow. "I've never seen bruising so bad in those areas in a long time-especially in someone your age." That's from the dr. I was told to stay off it as much as possible-which is not possible and to not jump in front of a truck again. DUH! So all is well for now. Said it if it doesn't feel any better at all to come back. It may take a while to heal due to the high impact those joints/bones feel. Won't be doing that again!!!!

I'd give my life for my car!

You know how people always ask the question, "Would you give your life for....?" Well, this evening I found this to be true, however it wasn't for another human but for my car. Tony and I were in the process of moving my uncle's Studebaker truck out of our garage. My driveway is not flat. It is flat in front of the garage and then slopes down on either side to the yard. I had moved my car to what I thought was a safe place-to the side of the house. We got the truck pushed out and were pushing it backwards into the yard. It started rolling down and wouldn't stop. It rolled down the slope and right towards my car. I ran and jumped between my car and the truck so it wouldn't hit my car. I was wedged between the two and the truck finally stopped after hitting a tree (no damage to either). Let me tell ya-between 2 vehicles is not where you want to be. There's a saying that your butt=more cushion for the pushin. This came true tonight-my butt put a dent in my car from pushing trying to get the truck stopped. Luckily, the only injuries I came away with where some big bruises and scrapes on my right leg. Tony wans't very happy that I did that-"You can replace a car, but you can't be replaceable." My thought was I don't have the $$ to fix the car so save it instead. I did! Tony pushed the dent out on my car the best he could. Just funny that the impact was so hard that I put a dent it in. So, needless to say it was an interesting evening! Not too long after we were done it started storming! Hope everyone had a great Father's Day!

Rainy Days=Stupid People

"I hate stupid people," as Sheri at work would say. I totally agree! We were scheduled to go to the park today but due to rain it was obvious we weren't going. Low and behold I get a phone call asking if we were still going to the park and if they needed to send their child with an umbrella. Um.. hello it's raining!!! Better yet-two of my kiddos (twins) bring my a note stating if it was lightning not to let them play in the sprinklers (water play is next week) and had their swimsuits, sunscreen, and towels in their backpacks. Again.... it's raining. Do you really think we're going to play out when it's storming?? I don't think so!!! I hate stupid people!

It gets better-we had to cancel our afternoon class because we -my half of the trailer has some major water leaks and cracks in the ceiling. Not too mention the tons of "bugs.. ie roaches" that live in our trailers at the moment. We spent all afternoon doing some major cleaning and pulling everything away from the walls for the exterminator who is supposed to come tomorrow. Hopefully the trailer people will come and fix the roof before it falls in. DISGUSTING!!!!!

On a happy note-I'm sitting in my new room with windows open. It has stopped raining for the moment.


Here's a story to put a smile on your face. One of my kiddos is a very tan little boy. The other day we were putting sunscreen on him and my para said, "Name.. you are very dark." Name said, "I know, I sleep with the lights off." Meaning since he slept with the lights off it made his skin dark. Now that's cute!!!

Storms and school

Well it's once again storming in my neck of the woods and is supposed to rain all day. What does that mean for me?? No field trip to the park for my kiddos and no recess outside. Which means-all my children inside. That is not a good thing-especially since they are 3 & 4. I may need to drink when I get home.. lol. JK! Hope everyone has a great day!

Remodeling

I never ever dreamed that stripping wall paper would turn into a 9 month $3-$4 grand project. As most of you know Tony and I live in my g-mas old house (1920's or so). Nothing has ever been done to this house-if any of you have ever seen the inside you know what I'm talking about. Ugly dark green shag carpet in all the house except kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. The bedroom has ugly dark red shag carpet. On each wall is layers and layers of ugly flowered wall paper (which is coming off in certain places). In the spare bedroom/office I wanted to paint the walls-MISTAKE!!! In order to paint you have to take the wallpaper off. In Nov. I started on 1 wall and ended on only 1 wall-there was I think 8-10 layers of wallpaper (that took forever) and under that wallpaper was plaster-plaster that was cracking and falling out. Can't fix that-so we had to knock down all the plaster walls. Did you know that plaster was held together by horse hair? I didn't.What was under the plaster, wooden slats most of which were not in the best condition. We had to pull all the nails out 1x1-this took forever!!! Many buckets were hauled off to be dumped. All of that had to be taken out. We had to buy new windows, otherwise the old ones would fall out. The old ones had the weights in them to go up and down. Then there was the blown in insulation (how it was blown it we don't know). In the walls we found interesting things: we had plants/vines growing up in them (alive), wasp nests, and spider webs. Needless to say Tony re-wired the room (as it was 2-wire before), put new insulation in, and then the fun began DRYWALL. Folks-people say it's easy and all but it's not, especially if there's only 2 of you and the room isn't perfectly sized and you don't have all the tools and know-how. Old house=crooked/slanted walls and supports. We started on the ceiling first. Tony is tall and I am definately by no means tall. How he thought this would work I'm not sure. My head came in very handy to hold the drywall up. After both of us standing on ladders and after many hours trying without a T and me crying cause I couldn't hold it anymore, he went to Lowes and bought the lumber for the T for drywall. Then it wasn't so bad Now the walls on the other hand-PAIN! Cutting all the holes out and lifting up-then down-then up-repeating it until it was right was soooo tiring. However, it got done. Then came the mudding and cutting out electrical holes in the wall. Finally came the painting, the trimwork (making it and painting it), and of course new carpet. I've never been so happy to see new carpet in my life. The trim work was outstanding-Tony really outdid himself on it. The window trim looks beautiful. I came home from work to find it and laid on the floor for what seemed like forever. I was sooo happy. Room is done-except for the door (which we are trying to salvage) and some trim work that can't be completed until the door is in. Tony has done an outstanding job-especially for someone who's never done this before. He did his homework and it paid off. I give all the credit to him-what did I do? Take the nails out of the slats, put up drywall, and whine about my house being a wreck. Tools everywhere, furniture everywhere, basically a mess. It probably wouldn't have take so long to be completed, except with Tony being gone during the week all that was left was the weekends. Hopefully we won't start a new project for a while-we have to build up our $$$$$$ and hopefully it won't take 9-months for our next project. We call it our "child' since it took the 9-months to complete. It was well worth the 9-months and now it's my favorite room in the house. It's nice to walk into a nice clean-bright room and be able to open the windows.

Newbie

Seeing as how everyone seems to be doing the blog thing-I figured why the heck not? I started on this a few weeks ago, but never got around to finishing it. So... I found the time. Granted this may not be the most exciting to read and probably no one really is interested in what's going on in my life, but it's there. I may not post that often-seeing as how my life isn't really all the eventful at this point in time. All I seem to being lately is work-at school and home. So.. here it goes! Welcome to the blog world! Warning: most of you who really know me, know I speak my mind and tell how it is (good/bad). Don't be surprised at what you read sometimes. I am who I am!