Summer of 2013 - Top 10

1. Enjoyed a few days at the local water park. Can't beat a place that is all water all day. Water slides, the lazy river, water play structures, etc. Especially on a really hot day.

2. Enjoyed a few days at the local theme park. This was a bit more challenging. I have 3 boys and one of them is not a fan of roller coasters, makes him feel sick. Fortunately we went with some friends who also has a son who is not fond of roller coasters. We sent those two off to do the mild rides while the younger kids did the big roller coasters. The theme park also has a water park within the theme park. When the boys were done with the roller coasters they would go hang out in the water park.

3. We enjoyed a few days at the beach. The weather was warm, the clouds were at bay, the water refreshing. Lots of holes to dig, baseball games to be had, and friends to enjoy.

4. We took a week long vacation with 2 other families. There were 3 moms and 8 boys. That was fun. We stayed in a cabin and enjoyed the fresh air. We spent a day at the local logging pond and another day at a much bigger lake. The boys experienced rock jumping and loved it. Three of the boys fished and each caught a blue gill. They even had the pleasure of cleaning, cooking, and eating it.

5. We spent 4th of July at a friends neighborhood park where they rent a giant blowup water slide every year. It is a great way to spend the hot day. Lots of food, friends, drinks, and best of all fun for everyone.

6. Trevor spent a few days with his Nana. It was peaceful at home and he got some one on one attention that I feel he needs. Nana and Trevor had a good time together, but I think they were both happy to go back to a "normal" routine.

7. We went on a zip line.

8. The cousins from Montana came for a visit......TWICE. They were in heaven. The boys love their cousins and miss them very much.

9. There was lots of dirt bike riding. They rode with their cousins, some friends, a local cop, dad, uncle, and a Supercross pro who placed 13th.

10. Lots and lots of pool parties.

Summer was a blast! Now it's time to get back to school.

The Day I Left Home

I have been out of the blogging world for a bit of time, mostly due to lack of content. There are many things I could blog, but I'm not so sure it would be reader worthy. I follow Fat Mum Slim and she has a list of many topics that I intend to explore.

#4 The Day I Left Home

When I graduated high school I went to the local Jr. College......for too many years. I had no idea what I wanted to do so when I got my AA I continued to attend the local Jr. College. I had applied to a local college, was accepted but didn't attend. I felt it was too close to home. My mom was also attending the school and I didn't really want to attend the same school as my mom (no offense mom).

 

I ended up taking Child Development classes for a semester just to take classes and explore my options. I loved the classes! That semester I received a letter from a school I had applied to the previous year asking me to fill out one sheet of paper, send it in, and I would be accepted. No application necessary. I had gotten in the previous year but wasn't ready to make my way in the world yet, I was comfortable.Well I sat on that letter for months and decided to just do it. I sent it by Fed Ex and then called the admissions office everyday until they told me they received it and I'm in. I basically had a week to get myself organized to make the drive and check out the campus.

 

The college I attended was about 2-3 hours from my home town, close enough to home but just far enough. It also had a great Child Development program. So I jumped on it. I didn't have a place to live, or a job in the area. I crashed classes and got into the 3 classes I was hoping for but kept my job in my hometown. So I was almost out of the house. 

 

My schedule was a bit crazy for the first semester and I didn't officially leave home until that semester was over. My classes were on Tuesday, Wedneday, and Thursday. After class on Thursday I would head home and go to work. I would work Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, again on Monday. Tuesday morning I would get up at 4AM and drive to be at class by 8AM. It was crazy busy, but I did it. Well I eventually got a job as a teacher in a Child Development Center, and after school program, so I was in my college town more that my hometown. So I worked at the after school program Monday through Friday and then went to my hometown and worked at my other job Saturday and Sunday. More craziness.

 

Whats worse is I didn't have a place to live for the first semester. I spent 6 months bouncing from couch to couch, studying, and working. The apartment I had applied to was in the process of being built so I was stuck. It was challenging but I did it. I managed to make it all work until my apartment was ready to move in to.

 

The day I officially left home was 6 months after I initially left home, if that makes sense. I moved into my apartment and was pretty much on my own. No parents, no sister, just me. My dad helped me pack up my stuff and take to my apartment. He helped me move my furniture, which was all my bedroom stuff, and get it all organized. It was a bittersweet moment. I loved that I didn't have to check in if I didn't want to. Don't get me wrong I had all kinds of freedom when I was living at home, but this was a whole new ball game. 

 

I actually had to go grocery shopping for myself, find a way to do my laundry (fortunately my roommate had her own washer and dryer), save money so I could go out once in a while (I called it my rainy day money that I kept in an envelope by my nightstand), save enough money to buy my books (thanks mom for lending me some money when I was short), apply for student loans, pay my bills, really watch my spending, and just make it all work any way I could. I still wonder how I managed with the craziness, but I have learned that if you want it bad enough you can make anything happen.