Reflection

When I read that we had to begin a blog, I was like no way. I am not a writer and I was not for sure were to even begin. I found plenty of things to write about it was just finding the time to do it. I felt like I was running out of time at the end of the day and blogging was all I had left to do. You would think that finding ten to twenty minutes would be easy to find. I was wrong. I did find time to sit and blog and I am glad I did. I was amazed at how easy it was to sit down and write about the days events. I can honestly say that the easiest thing for me was I had a lot to write about. I was on vacation so I was able to write about the things we did and saw. If it wasn't for being on vacation I would have struggled with this assignment but. as the weeks went on I began to struggle. I had to go back to Peter Elbows Freewriting article. This article seemed to but me back at ease and on track. I realized that if I just sat down and typed that things come easier. There was a flaw in this plan though. When I went back through to read what I wrote it was a hot mess. I did have to make changes and edit out things that were not appropriate. This assignment looking back was a blessing in disguise. I believe that it has helped me in the writing process. It has made sitting down and writing so much easier. I learned that if you do not have anything to write about you can write about random things. Then you can elaborate on them. I hope that everyone gets the chance to blog because it truly helps in the long run.

Galagxy

Today is my day to volunteer at the Gay and Lesbian Center of the Ozarks(GLO). Every Tuesday is youth night from 3 to 10. This has been a great experience for me. The youth are amazing. Most of them come from broken homes and are struggling with their identities. They kids are very unique in their own ways. You are probably thinking that they are all gay or lesbian but this is far from the truth. They are a lot of them as well that are straight but still struggle with home issues. Talking to the youth it is amazing to see their perspective on life. I feel for all of them and wish I could help each and every one of them. They is a young man that recently lost his father and is struggling with day to day life. He came up to speak with me because he needs help. He made his dad a promise before he passed that if anything happened he would take care of his mother. He feels like he is struggling with that promise and does not want to feel like a failure to his dad. My heart goes out to him. He is currently trying to find a job because without his dad's income they are being faced with losing their vehicle and home. I am currently in the process of helping this young man look for a job and just giving him someone to talk to. The feeling that you get by helping someone is amazing and feels like I am able to give back to my community. Plus the fact that I have been where these kids have been in struggling with your sexual identity I feel like I can help them in some way. I feel like I am paying it forward from those who helped me along the way.

Freewriting

Freewriting has been an amazing tool in helping get everything out. I love that I can just sit down and write about random things or just one thing without having to worry about punctuation or spelling. In freewriting everything is uncensored and in its truest form. I have been able to get out some great ideas by freewriting and it has helped make me a better writer I believe. One other form for prewriting is making lists I often do this after I have done the initial prewrite. When I go back over the prewriting I pick a topic that I believe to be the most interesting and then I make a list on just that topic. This helps me put my paragraphs in order and helps me stay on track with my paper without jumping from place to place. I then begin to write my paper. I do this without stopping or worrying about what I write. I do my first draft more as a freewriting exercise just with the topics that I am writing about for the specific paper. This way it is an unedited version. I believe that this has been a good tool for me because then the things that I say that may not be printable I can edit. I can edit them into a more constructive sentence that may not be as harsh and be able to get my point across better. Once I am done editing I have someone else look over my paper to see what they think or ask if they have any suggestions that might improve the quality of paper. This may sound odd but I take my paper to someone who likes to read without knowledge of great english skills. I believe that this is helpful because I want to capture my audiences attention. This is just a few things that help me in my writing. I hope it helps you too.

Sunday July 17th

We finally made it back home and we are all in one piece. Having two kids and two adults in a car ride for 22 hours is definitely not fun. Everyone needs their space and a car is not big enough. I am suggesting a van next time so everyone has room to spread out and we do not feel like we are sitting on top of each other. The first thing we did when we got into town was drop the kids off at their dads. They really missed him after being gone for two weeks. I think it is amazing how a child's mind works. When they are around us day in and day out they hate us or do not want anything to do with us. However after a couple of weeks they want to follow your every move. They realize that life is not so bad when were around. So after we dropped the kids off we finally made it home. After being gone for two weeks I felt as if I was walking into a strangers house. After unloading the car and getting everything back in order I thought I would grab something to drink. This, of course, back fired because our house guest ate us out of house and home. The last thing you want to do after being in a car for 22 hours is go to the grocery store. However with no milk, bread, cereal, or anything of real substance it had to be done. Well being home feels fantastic even though we do not have beaches or the ocean but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I began to think on vacation how nice it would be to move but then all the things that we love about going on vacation would be an everyday occurrence and we would then take it for granted.

Saturday July 16

So today was our last day in Florida. We had one stop left to make which was the Lion Safari. The drive through Safari was almost an hour long. It was amazing though seeing animals we do not see on a normal basis. The lions were amazing to look at. They were behind a fence but the pictures we were able to take were amazing. The next animals that we do not see on a normal basis is the Rhinoceros. They are huge animals and are able to roam without being behind a fence. My favorite animals though is the giraffe. Seeing them up close and in person is breath taking. They are huge animals and can reach heights up to 18 feet. We got to feed the giraffes and even pet them. They are super gentle animals and very loving animals. Their tongues are super slimy though and they have very bad breath. The experience was a once in a lifetime opportunity though. I would definitely recommend it. Then it was back on the road to head home. They drive is horrible. After being in the hot sun and then driving 21 hours it can take a toll on ones body and mind. You start doing crazy things, like singing loudly in the car to stay awake. All in all it was an amazing two weeks. Now it's back to the grind stone and normal everyday tasks. I could not have ask for the trip to come at a better time because it gave me lots of great things to write about. Well now it is one to start my second essay about a place. I do believe that it is going to be tougher than I anticipated. Hopefully though i can breeze through it with no problems.

The Childrens Museum

Today was an early start. We had bought passes to four places here in the Miami and Ft Lauderdale area. We had done the zoo and the seaquarium and now it was time for the Children's Museum. It was located in Ft Lauderdale so it was a 45 minute drive. It is located in Broward County which it where the TLC show The Police Women of Broward County is filmed. I almost wanted to get pulled over just so I could be on tv but I thought better of it so it was on to the Museum. When you first walk in to the museum it's open and they have a huge pulley system that transports balls all around to front opening. When you walk into the museum they have a section on the aquatic sea life that is being endangered by our polluting. Then right next to that they have a spot about how to recycle and conserve energy. On the second floor that have a huge section on space. There were many different machines that simulate what it would be like to fly in space and what a space craft looks like. I thought that the coolest machine was one that you could get into and it would simulate a space flight. Could you imagine just being able to float in the air? I bet it would be cool. The last and final section was on your heart and health. They had this cool looking spin bike that was hooked to tv screen and you could type in different foods and it would tell you what you needed to do to work it off. A banana takes 17 minutes to work off but the 2 slices of pizza takes about 2 hours. I said to Audra no pizza for me I never get it worked off. We finished our day at the beach and souvenir shopping then headed back to the house for dinner. We are now finishing up laundry and getting ready to leave tomorrow back to a normal life. We do have one stop on our way home which is the Lion Safari. So until next time have a good night. 

Thursay July 14th

Today was not a very productive day. We lounged around the house and went swimming. We also watched a lot of tv. Charley, Audra's dad, is a big current events person. He watches everything from MSNBC to FOX NEWS. This is something I wouldn't normally watch but here it's different because he is good at explaining what there saying. I understand more that way and I get caught up on my current events. The big issue right now is the fight between Democrats and Republicans and whether or not they want to raise the debt ceiling. I wouldn't normally see this as a big issue but when they talk about paychecks not going out in August for SSI and other government benefits it really hits home. My grandparents draw SSI and it makes me wonder that if they don't receive a check will they be able to maintain on just a 401k or my grandfathers pension. It's things like that I truly do not think about because it does not affect me. This is why my I believe essay hits home in more ways then one. When I was working paycheck to paycheck I knew that SSi was being with held and that went I retired I would be able to draw but with the issues the government is having, even back then, I began to wonder will there be anything for me to draw? This is why education is important because I want to be able to have a job that I love and make enough money to put back for retirement in case there is no more SSI. I know it's a far stretch but I want to be prepared and I want to be able for my children not to have burden about how they will care for me along with their families when the time comes. I am not a political person but I do care about my future and my kids future.

Seaquarium

Today was another early start. We were headed to the Seaquarium. This place was amazing. It's a fairly good size park but nothing like the zoo a couple days earlier. The first stop on our agenda was the Dolphin show. It was a good way to start the day by getting wet to keep cool. Dolphins are amazing creatures. The can do just about anything. There were 4 Dolphins in this show. They were phenomenal the way the jump, twist, and turn in the water. The next show was called the Flipper show. There was another set of 4 Dolphins this time the main one was names Flipper. Original right? An interesting fact about this Dolphin named Flipper it was the Dolphin featured in Ace Ventura Pet Detective. The Flipper show was a little bit different. The trainers would dive into the water and do tricks with them. At one point in time the Dolphins were riding surf boards which was pretty cool. We also got to see amazing tropical birds of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Next to the birds was a small pool filled with water that held sting rays. This was the most interactive part to the day because we got to stick our hands in and touch the sting rays. They are very smooth and slimy feeling but extremely pretty. We got to see the endangered manatees and sharks feed. It's amazing how fast they can devour food. We also got to see sea turtles that are brought in from the wild who have been injured and that are being taken care of at the park. Then it was on to the next show that included pacific blue dolphins and the orchard whale. The killer whale weighed in at over 7000 pounds. The whale even though is big in size was able to do some amazing tricks. My favorite was when the trainer would jump in and dive towards the bottom, then both the whale would lift the trainer up by her feet with it's nose and they would be jumping parallel and both land in the water. The pictures that I was able to get were breath taking. After a full day at the park it was time to come back and wind down for the evening with a quick swim. Well until the next adventure stay cool.

Another day at the beach.

Today was an early start for me. I had to head down to Miami Dade College to take a proctor math exam. It was interesting to see how different the process is from back home. They have cameras set up at every station to make sure you don't cheat on an exam and on top of that it's $30/hr. Thank goodness the test only took about an hour and then it was on to the beach. If only Missouri had beaches I would do online school every change I got. I would take my computer to the beach and go to town on my homework. I wouldn't mind the sand at all. Well a little more about the beach. The tide was extremely shallow. There were sand bars every where and you had to walk out a good 30 feet to even think about being waste deep. We were there for a couple of hours and even managed to squeezed in a little shopping. Then it was back to the house for dinner. Audra's uncle Jim and his wife Tammy were coming by. I swear every time I eat here I can another 10 pounds. Leonor fixed a fantastic dinner of ham, bbq chicken, corn on the cob, and potato salad. Then it was chocolate cake for dessert. It was great company and conversation until it turned to politics. Audra's dad Charley is very into politics and current events so I am definitely getting an education with the national debt crisis that is currently going on along with the assassination of the big guy in southern Afghanistan. I really hope that I got that right or I am looking like a huge idiot right now. Well tomorrow is a big day we are going to the Sea Aquarium. I hope the one thing that I get to see is penguins but I will definitely write about it for sure. Well until tomorrow, I hope everyone has a good night.

July 11th

Today was hot. It was the hottest day yet since we have been in Miami. I would step outside and the sweat just started dripping. After a late start we decided that we would brave the heat and do something. We decided to head to the Miami Zoo. The zoo is huge it's hard to know where to start. We finally picked a point and started walking. The animals are mostly safari animals. It's so hot there are no cooler animals. It's amazing to see all the different types of animals when you stop and pay attention. We did get to see some new animals. They had koalas and kangaroos. When we stop to get a closer look at the kangaroos there was a baby hanging out of one of the pouches. It was crazy that all you could see was the feet of the baby kangaroo dangling out. Then it was on to the flamingo's and exotic birds. I cannot put enough detail onto what we saw. The saying a picture is worth a thousand words is so true. If I could just post pictures as a blog and know that it would count as 300 words I sure would because it would example the zoo a thousand times over. I can guess what you are thinking. It's just the zoo but its so much more than the Springfield Zoo. It's seeing all kinds of different animals we don't have back home. After a couple of house and dripping sweat like we had been in the pool all day it was time to head back home for a real pool that would be a 100 times cooler. Well until tomorrow.

Sunday a time to relax

Well it has already been a full week and it has gone by so fast. The good thing is we still have another week. Charley and Leonor, which is Audra's parents, are so good to us. They make sure that all of our needs are taken care of. This morning Leonor made french toast for breakfast, which was amazing. We decided to just hang around the house today since we had come off a busy week. We took the kids to the pool for a little bit. It was blistering hot today. So the pool felt amazing. We were out for a couple hours and I didn't think anything about it but I came back burnt. Thank goodness we put sunscreen on the kids or they would have been burnt as well. When we came back to the house Audra had decided to lay down for a bit and I helped Leonor get dinner ready. Well I wouldn't say helped really I made the salad. After dinner I decided to try and start blogging since I had been slacking for the past couple of days with being busy. I sat down in the chair and fell asleep while everyone else watched tv. It was a good power nap and now I am all caught up on my blogging. While I was blogging the kids went swimming again. I told them by the time we went home we would be taking home fish not kids. They came back from swimming and we had some ice cream now we are winding down for the evening. Audra and Baylee are laying on the couch watching tv, Austin is on the computer in the chair, Leonor is working on a quilt and Charley is in control of the remote. Well until tomorrow.

July 9th Alabama Jacks

The week had gone by so fast that I can't believe that today is already Saturday. We are headed to Alabama Jacks. Alabama Jacks is a restaurant and bar that sits on stilts over a channel that feeds in from the Atlantic Ocean. It is located right before you get into Key Largo, which is the first key. It has been there since the 1950's. It is all open with no windows just a roof. The boats from the channel can pull up and dock and come right on in for food and drinks. It had been visited by famous people who live in the Keys. It has been visited by Kathy Lee and Frank Gifford to the CEO of Wal-Mart. The atmosphere is amazing. There are bikes out front along with fancy cars. They have a band that plays every Saturday and Sunday called the Card Sound Machine Band. Audra's uncle Jim plays the steel guitar and her cousin Randy plays the drums in the band. They are amazing. The pretty much country music and they even have ladies that dance. The ladies range any wear from their 40's all the way into their 80's. They wear the old time dresses with bloomers underneath. Betty is one of the dancers and she is 80. She can move like she is 20. She definitely gives the customers a show by flashing her bloomers. She is so sweet though. She got Austin, my 12 year old, up there to dance. He had a good time in doing so. I think she taught him some new dance moves that he is proud of. After a couple of hours we decided to head back to the house because I had homework to finish up. Thank goodness that it didn't take very long. Then Audra and I headed towards South Beach for a nice sunset stroll on the beach. It is amazing to stand on the beach and hear the waves crashing up with the city lights shinning in the background. The night life is amazing. There is always a crowd and it amazes me that people can walk around with their drinks and go from store to store. Well until next time.

July 8th last day in Key West

We woke up bright and early for our last day in Key West. We caught a quick breakfast at the resort before we headed out for the day. Our first stop was the tattoo shop to get a permanent souvenir. I got my industrial pierced. It was a little painful at first but it was short lived. After that we stepped outside for what was the start of a beautiful day. It was tons better than the day before with no rain in sight. We decided that we wanted to get in a little more shopping before the day was done. It seemed to be what was just a couple of minutes but hours had past and the kids were getting hungry. We stopped for pizza and talk about making a profit a larger one topping pizza and four drinks was 38 dollars. Crazy I know but well worth it. I can honestly say it was the best pizza we have ever had. After lunch we headed down to the beach. The beach is located in Fort Taylor. They have a huge ship that is no longer in use right at the entrance. Then you drive until you reach the beach access area. We had bought the kids boogie boards to play with and they thought it was the coolest thing. They are like surf boards but a miniature version. You ride them as the waves come in towards the shore. The kids had decided to use them as flotation devices and swim towards a group of rocks that were gathered a little ways out. Audra decided she was going to follow them. They all climbed up the rocks and I was the lucky one to stay back on the beach and get their picture. Once they had swam back to shore we decided before we left out for the day we would try a jet ski tour around the island. We traveled like 3 blocks to book the tour but by the time we got there only one jet ski was remaining. Unfortunately we needed two of them. So after the failed jet ski attempt is was finally time to head home. After 3 very fast paced days we loaded up into the car and I started to drive back while everyone else fell asleep.  

July 7th The Ultimate Adventure

We woke up a little early because we needed to start the walk down Duval Street towards the ocean and charter boat boarding point around 9:15am.  The sky looked cloudy and it was sprinkling a little bit during our commute.  Upon arrival, the captain explained to us that the Ultimate Adventure tour would still go on even if it rained. The boat departed about 10am.  We ate breakfast on the charter boat.  Breakfast consisted of bagels, pastries, fresh fruit, and orange juice.  We traveled on the boat for about 30 minutes and stopped at a place in the ocean where all the activities are.  We were able to play on many inflatable toys.  We rock climbed, jumped on a water trampoline, slid down water slides, and kayaked. We were one of the last groups to para sail and jet ski. Unfortunately, not long after we came back from para sailing, a bigger storm then what was expected rolled in.  It was lightening so our fun had to end.  On one end, I was a little relieved because I was already exhausted from all the activities but I was also disappointed.  I have been on the Ultimate Adventure before but my children had not.  We did not get to jet ski or snorkel and they were really disappointed.  We were each refunded money for the two activities we had missed.  We were served lunch on the ride back to the dock and this consisted of fried chicken, sandwiches, potato and macaroni salad, cookies, soda, beer and wine.  We headed back to our room and napped for a couple of hours.  We spent the rest of the evening shopping.    

July 6th Headed to Key West

We are on the road again but instead of heading home, Key West is out destination. The drive takes forever though. It is one lane and what should be an hour and a half drive turns into three. The drive itself though is gorgeous. You have water on both sides of you and the smell of salt water makes you feel somewhat  tropical. The seven mile bridge is amazing. The boats on both sides of you, the crystal blue water and the palm trees really come to life. When we finally arrive in the Keys, the first thing on our agenda is finding a place to stay. It is always so crowded but we seem to have luck on our side. We found a great hotel right off Duval Street called the Wicker House. Once we were unloaded we decided that we would shop around for a bit. Walking down the main strip which is Duval Street you can see the diversity that the city brings. You have great mixtures of  culture surrounding you in every direction you turn. It is a great experience to shop in the Keys because if its not a real department store, you can talk them into a reasonable price. We stopped for dinner at a local joint called Cheeseburgers which was phenomenal. We went back to the hotel and swam for a bit then it was time to hit the night life. We went to a night club called Aqua. They have great drinks and entertainment. It was around one when we decided to leave thinking that the bar would be closing but we were wrong. Clubs in the Keys go till 6 in the morning which is definitely different from back home. Well its off for now tomorrow another adventure awaits.

The Beach

Well I woke up to the smell of eggs and bacon again. It's always amazing the smells that come from the kitchen when someone else is cooking. We started early this morning. Today was Baylee's birthday. She was excited because we were headed to the beach on her birthday. After breakfast was finished we packed up the car and headed to South Beach. It's amazing that here in Miami it doesn't matter where you are going it seems to take 45 minutes to get there. After about an hour, which included trying to find a parking spot, we are walking down Ocean Drive and headed to South Beach. We get to the beach and of course the kids want to immediately jump in the water. However they are always greatly disappointed because sunscreen comes first. Today we brought along the football to toss around in the water. It was fun for awhile until the football got water logged. After a couple of hours we decided to do a little shopping. We start packing everything up and all I hear is Austin yelling I see boobies. The was a girl who had decided to take her top off to sun bath. It's a good thing we were leaving because that's the last thing you want your 12 year old son to see even though I know it's inevitable. Well tomorrow is going to be a long day we are going to head to Key West for the next three days. Well it's off to bed it's been a long day.

4th of July

Well today was the 4th of July. It's been an amazing day. This is the first holiday I have spent away from Springfield. We decided that it would be a great day to go to the beach, so we headed to Miami beach. It was packed of course being the holiday weekend. We rented a cabana which was amazing. We had the option to either be in the sun or just hang out in the shade. The kids always get a kick out of going to new places. Today it was the sand and the ocean. Poor Austin gets in the water and decides he is going to dive like he does in the pool but as soon as he did he regretted it. He came up like he was on fire. He said that his eyes and noise burned and that he swallowed a whole thing of salt. I felt bad but I couldn't help but chuckle. We decided to head back to the house to get ready so we could get cleaned up to watch fireworks. Miami has so many options on the 4th. We decided to go to Homestead Miami Speedway. It's a huge race track where they hold the last race of the season. It was amazing though. They had the track open to where you could walk around. It was great to see. I have never been a nascar fan but it was amazing. We got to see the pit and they also had the pace car out on display. Then it was time for fireworks. They were amazing. I had never seen a show like it before. It started of small but it soon turned big. I like the fact that they played music to go along with the fireworks. The build up to the finale was well worth the wait. It was all sorts of amazing colors and we couldn't of ask for a better show.

Miami :)

Today is the first full day of vacation. After the drive yesterday and being awake for over 24 hours straight, I got to sleep in this morning. The best part of waking up was that it was the the smell of bacon and eggs being cooked. The kids were great this morning and they sleep in as well because they are usually up around 8. When we were finished with breakfast, we decided to go swimming. It was a blast. It was hot so the water was refreshing. Swimming with the kids is always interesting. They are always trying to out do one another. It starts with who can hold their breath the longest then goes into who can find the diving sticks the fastest. Baylee always gets mad because Austin is still just a tad faster than he is. When Baylee gets made its over from there. She is all done playing. After this happens its Melissa will you play with me. I dread it but I get the easy part. I just have to throw the diving sticks. We swam for a couple hours or so and went back to the house. I open the door and I smell homemade enchiladas. So we ate but it killed me. The reason it killed me is because I worked hard before we left to lose 12 pounds and by the time I go back I will have put those 12 pounds back on plus some I am sure. After dinner Audra and I decided to run to Target and take back the redbox movies we had rented. Target was easy it was redbox that was the issue. We asked someone at Target if they knew where the nearest redbox was. They said ya there is one at Publix. That's great is what we were thinking. Of course we get to Publix and all they have is a Blockbuster dvd rental box. We look at each other and say great, that is five movies at 1 a day. It took us over and hour and many u turns but we finally found a Walgrens that had a redbox. We are definitely winding down for the day. The kids are swimming again so I am sure they will sleep good later. Well until tomorrow for the next adventure. It's on to South Beach.

Finally in Miami

The drive was amazing except for the overnight part oh and the kids fight. It always seem to be inevitable when there is a trip involved. If i had a 1.00 for every time I heard she did this or he did that I would be rich. I did finally breath a sigh of relief when they finally feel asleep. I was so worried that it wouldn't last very long but to my advantage they slept all night and most of the morning. When they did wake up it was the famous question "Are we there yet?" The look on their faces when I said we were still in Alabama was priceless. Driving was well worth it though. The kids have never been that far in the car before and to see their faces going for through the different states and seeing new things is amazing. The questions that they ask are phenominal. Austin said why would anyone want to live in Key West if the world floods. It will be the first piece of land that we loose because its a peninsula. I like that both of them think outside the box. It difinitley keeps me on my toes. When we finally made it to our destination it was 100 degrees and sunny. The general consenses was skip the unpacking and just go swimming. However it would have been a great idea but Audra's (my partner) parents had lunch made and waiting for us when we arrived. I was relieved because I was starving. So in the end stomach's out weighed swimming. Needless to say once our stomachs were full it was on to swimming. All in all the day could not have been better. There will be more to come on my adventures in Miami and Key West.

Finally time

Today is the day. We get to hit the road for our 2 week vacation. We are headed to Miami, Fl. My partners parents live there so we a blessed to go once a year. I am looking forward to the vacation but not the drive. The drive I am dreading because Austin is 12 and Baylee is 10. I can remember vividly how I drove my parents nuts with the question "Are we there yet?" I can still remember my dad taking in a deep breath before he answered every time. Of course the answer was always not yet. I thought I might try a different approach. Since it's such a long drive I decided to give them a time. Note to self it doesn't matter what you tell them the question still remains the same and they ask it just as many times. I thought by occupying their time it would distract them. Dvd players that you can take in the car come in very handy especially when on every corner there is a redbox along the way. They only bad thing about this is that instead of driving I feel the need to watch the movie. I can say that by hooking the dvd player to our car stereo is does help with knowing what's going on. I did have to use my imagination because it's like listening to the radio and having to picture the scene in your head. I do want to come up with an invention for a bathroom in the car because of course the next famous traveling question is I have to go to the bathroom. If it wasn't for the bathroom breaks we could shave off about 2 hours. The great thing about my kids is that there is never a dull moment so things go by quickly. We finally made it after 22 hours. You could here the sigh of relief when we stepped out for the last time and knew we didn't have to get back in.

Getting To Know Your Audience Blog

I greatly enjoyed the 20 question game. It gave me a lot of insight as to who is in English 101 without getting to meet the person. I was impressed with the questions asked as well. Some were very insightful into getting to know a person. My favorite question was "Which road would you take and why? The neat, trimmed stone path that everyone travels? Or would you take the overgrown trail that leads into the deep forest? Both take you to the same destination." This question was split down the middle. My favorite answer was "The neat and trim stone path is skipping through life not really shaping who we are or why we are here," and "The over grown trail in the deep forest is going to require some clearing and some big mistakes in navigating to that destination." I thought these answers were amazing and so true. Nothing in life is every easy.  It is the trials and tribulations that shape us into the people we are today. I also noticed that we have a great age range in this class. I noticed this on the TV show question. There were some great shows listed and the shows picked would give you a good idea what generation each person may be from.  Another one of my favorite question was which time period would you live in. I was surprised that so many of us put the 1950's. Most everyone seemed to have the same idea, it was simple and family oriented. I thought all the questions were amazing though. I know that most of the "kids" in our class are family oriented. Some of them are married and have kids and are trying to make a better life for themselves and their families. In the end we all have the same common goal. We all want to be great at what we love to do and help people along the way.

Getting Ready Part 2

Today has been interesting to say the least. I started at 730 this morning and I am still going strong. I am pretty sure that vacation is motivating me especially since we leave tomorrow. After the car situation yesterday I had to get the brakes changed bright and early this morning. That was 2 hours gone that I will never get back. It seems like it always happens when its car related. Then the rest of the day was non stop. I had to go get a new a pair of shorts after the car was done. Yesterday evening my partner was ironing and I got a phone call she said "do you know the white plaid basketball shorts you just bought I was going to get a wrinkle out and I accidentally melted them." I was like no big deal I can replace them. After that I had to pick up Austin our son from basketball and take him to get his hair cut. Then it was on to clean the car. I had been putting it off for several days so I had to bite the bullet and clean it. It seemed like the never ending list was finally dwindling down. Ha no such luck. I had to make a last minute trip to Wal-Mart which is never fun. Then it was finally time to go home. As I pull in the driveway I noticed that I needed to mow the yard. I swear I thought I was never going to see this day end. I ended up mowing the yard in 100 degree weather which sucked. As I finally sit down to write this everything is done and we are ready to hit the road.

Getting Ready Part 1

Today has been a busy day. This is the first time I have been able to sit and think about whats going on and what I need to do. I am trying to concentrate but I can hear the kids bickering back and forth. We are leaving in 2 days for Miami and Key West. So needless to say I have been busy this week trying to get the house clean and laundry done. These chores are never ending but while trying to leave it seems impossible. I also had an appointment today to get the car looked at and I was so aggravated. After sitting for 2 hours for a simple oil change they come back and tell me I need new brakes and roters. I was blown away. I have had the car a little less than a year. Its a 2008 and was owned before me but after hearing 700 dollars to fix I was flabbergasted. I decided to get a second opinion. Thank goodness I did. Come to find out I just need new brake pads for the front and back. So 700 dollars quickly turned into 150. I must have done something good to have a break like that. Well the kids have finally settled down. They are just so excited to be at the beach already. I cant blame them though I am exited myself. I am just dreading the 21 hour car ride. Well I better get back to it. The dryer just went off and I don't think its going to unload itself.

Setting Goals Freewriting

I believe in setting goals. I have done this throughout my life time. It helps me accomplish many things. They can be easy goals or hard to reach goals. My favorite are hard to reach goals. I chose these because I like a challenge. I like to know that I am capable of what seems impossible to me. The tv is on and I lost my train of thought. Oh back to goals. I recently set a goal of finishing my nursing degree. for me this is a challenge. I have been out of school for 10 years and decided to go back. This goal helps me achieve many other goals that I have set. making a better life for my family, being able to have a home a car to drive. I want to be able to travel the world and to do this I need a job that is dependable. I also want to be able to pay it forward.. I like to help other people and know that I have made a difference. This freewriting is a little harder than what I thought. I am suppose to keep writing and this seems impossible. I feel that I should be outside where its warm. oh back to setting goals. I like to set little goals throughout the week as well. These are not quite as challenging as the big goals. But they are still goals. I think that little goals are good why we achieve the big goals. I know that if I just have the one big goal I will get complacent and that is not good. If I give up on a goal I feel like I am a failure. I like the fact that I can write a goal down and if it takes me 6 months or 4 years to accomplish it I feel good about myself. That I have done something for me. I think my time is almost up. oh wait I still have a minute left. I can;t think of anything else to write. I believe I am done :) 349 words

This I Believe

I believe in miracles
I believe in decent people
I believe in God
I believe I am a good student
I believe I am a good partner
I believe that dreams do come true
I believe in doing the right thing
I believe that we are all equals
I believe in human rights
I believe we all make mistakes
I believe I am a good daughter, sister, and granddaughter
I believe laughter is the best medicine
I believe that we can all succeed
I believe that I am funny
I believe that anything is possible
I believe  in setting goals
I believe I am almost done writing
I believe in everyone to a fault
I believe sometimes I am to nice
I believe we all want something better
I believe that if we help one person it starts a domino effect
I believe we all have faults
I believe I only have 3 minutes left
I believe sunsets are beautiful
I believe that I am always looking
I believe life makes us who we are
I believe that kids make everything better
I believe that everything happens for a reason
I believe that we put to much faith in material things
I believe

Reflection

 I took the Jung typology test and I was very impressed with the results it gave. I was listed as a ESTP. After reading the writing portion, I was blown away with what it said. I tend to write short pieces that are not very lengthy and wait until the last minute to do them. I procrastinate because if I wait until the last minute, I feel I will get it done and not be so heavy to critique my piece. When I start my writings early I have a tendency to keep going over what I have wrote and find something to change every time. As a student I tend to procrastinate in all my classes. I feel that if I wait till the last minute, I can somehow accomplish more than if I started early. I am starting to learn that as a writer it just takes time. I cant always be rushing through to the end product. I need to learn to take the time to write a great piece. The key however is writing it first then going back through to edit it. I try to write and edit all at once. This is why writing for me is a never ending process because I feel there is always something that needs to be changed. You have to find a writing process that fits who you are. This makes the writing process so much easier.  In the first couple of weeks in this class I have come to realize that I am not the only person who thinks some of these things. By talking back and forth we can all learn from each other and make ourselves better writers in the end.