School'sOut

        



       Today was the last day of classes for the semester and I am glad to say that I survived !! For someone who never considered ever going to college I have faced my fear and I actually liked the college experience. I have really enjoyed the last few months of classes but let me also say that I am very much looking forward to this 3 week break.  I have met some great people and have had excellent teachers, which I am very thankful for because it made the whole process alot easier. I know as time goes on the classes are going to get harder and the teachers probably won't be as nice, which is to be expected but I have now gotten a taste of what school is going to be like and hopefully it has prepared me for what is yet to come.
        I must that starting over after 16 years is a little intimidating.Thinking to myself are they going to think of me as the old lady in class or am I going to feel out of place. I didn't feel that way and it was a pretty good feeling. I think it was hard at first I hadmyself a little worked up about the transition and thankfully it was a pretty easy one.
       I know I have alot to learn yet to refresh all the things that I learned 16 years ago but it will all come in time. No need to rush I have plenty time of time to play catch up. All I have to remember is that it just takes alot of hard work and determinaton to achieve whatever goal is is that you are aiming for.

ChristmasTime

    Well the holiday season is in full gear. Even though the weather is still really nice it is indeed the Christmas season. It  was a little funny yesterday as my family and I were on our way to get our Christmas tree and we actually saw people golfing.
     Now Christmas has a different meaning to everyone. To me Christmas is all about the tree. Getting the perfect tree is the best part of the holiday season. Every year my family has the same tradition we go out to the tree farm and walk around until I find the perfect tree for the year. To me its all about tall and fat. I don't want some skinny Charlie Brown looking tree, I want the fullest tree I can find without it over taking my living room. My husband doesn't even bother trying to pick out a tree because he knows it won't be the one that I want. Once I have found the perfect tree we cut it down and load it onto the car, but not before we get a cup of hot chocolate and a doughnut and I make my son get his picture in front of the yearly Christmas sign. I figure this is probably the last year he will let me do that. He is getting older and probably doesn't enjoy the Christmas tree adventure as much anymore, but I still get lucky to the point that he at least humors me and pretends that he does.
      Now picking out the tree is the easy part the hard part is getting it home and it the stand and into the house without me and my husband arguing. Once that is done it's time pull out all the lights and the decorations. It never fails every year once you start putting the lights on the tree that at least one or two strands don't work. That is another part of the Christmas tradition running to Walmart at 9:30 at night to buy new lights so we can finish decorating the tree.
      After it is all said and done I love to shut off all the lights and just sit and look at the Christmas tree and think that I have been blessed with another year with my family.

1 weeks left

                                                         


       I must say that the whole college experience has been more enjoyable than I thought it would be. I have met alot of new people, taken some good classes and over all I have gotten alot out of school. I know had I been mature enough back 16 years I could have gone to school then and things would probably be a little different now.
       Well after all the stressing I did before actually going back I now know it was for no reason. I have struggled with some of the work. Relearning all the things that I had originally learned 16 years ago but I did the weekly work and took all the test and I survived. To others this may not mean a thing, but to me it was a great accomplishment. Considering when I was in school I really disliked it. I didn't want to be there I couldn't wait to graduate and start my life and that is what I did.
        Even after all the enjoyment I got out of the experience I am glad to know that I only have 1 week left and then I get to enjoy a 3 week vacation. This will  be a time to rest my brain and relax before the next semester of classes start. I will get to spend some weekdays with my family and catch up on together time with them. I know the 3 weeks will go by fast especially with the holidays getting close. Regardless of what I do over this break I will remember the first semester that has gotten me motivated to keep going and that is what I intend to do. I know my classes are going to get harder as I keep going but I feel that being older and more mature now will help me get through it all.

Holiday Season

      So the holiday Season is well under way. Thanksgiving has come and gone. What a great day to get together with family to laugh and eat! Who doesn't love the traditional Turkey dinner with all the fixings. The holiday weekend usuallyy starts with some family members traveling from somewhere to get to the family for the long weekend.
      My Thanksgiving was nice and relaxing. We drove to Cincinnati to spend time with my husbands family. We also saw family members from Kentucky and Florida. It is sooo nice to see and spend time with the family members that you normally only see every few years, but when you see them you realize how much you actually miss them.
     Thanksgiving morning I started my holiday with a 10k run. Which is 6.2 miles. It was an amazing race. Running through the streets of Cincinnati Ohio and Newport Kentucky with 2 of my family members and 18,000 other people the energy around me was so exciting. Talk about a way to get the adrenaline pumping. Crossing the finish line with thousands of people cheering and music blaring it was the perfect finish to a wonderful run.
    Then we had the best Thanksgiving dinner. My father in law and husband cooked which is the normal in our family. It was the biggest dinner with everything you could possibly want on for a dinner. Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing everything homemade nothing instant or out of a box which is what I would probably get if I had gone to my side of the family. We finished the day off with some homemade cheesecake. Talk about gaining 10 pounds in one day.
     Even though the weekend was extra long the time still flies by so fast. Before I knew it, it was time to come home. Saying goodbye is always hard, especially when you know it is possible that it will probably be at least a couple more years before you see your family members again.

Healthy Eating

   I am all about eating healthy on a regular basis with the occasional splurge of a cheeseburger or a steak sandwich. What I am just trying to figure out is how to eat healthy on a budget. I find that it is so expensive to eat healthy. You always see all the fattening foods on sale such as frozen pizza's, candy and chips but, what about the fresh produce and the healthier meats. When they do go on sale it's not very often so it's not like you can stock because you can't stock up on produce it will just go bad.
    I can see why it is easier for people to turn to the frozen and boxed processed foods because that is what is easily available to people on a grocery budget. I even use coupons but, when trying to eat healthy couponing does you no good because their are never coupons for healthy foods and once again if their are it is not very often.
   I have come to find that what you spend for one or two healthy meals could be your weekly budget for all your groceries if you weren't eating healthy. This is what is so frustrating all you hear is eat healthy, exercise but both of things are hard for everyone to afford. What we need to keep in mind is that we can still eat healthy on a daily basis even of your fridge isn't stocked with all healthy foods we just need to be a little more careful. It's all about portion control.
   I wish eating healthy was easier but for me it's not. The right thing to do would be the healthy choice but sometimes it is easier to go the easy route and just swing through a drive thru.

Work

This was the week from hell at work! I don't know what it was. I don't know if their was something in the the water or what, but their was something seriously wrong this week. I think I dealt with every idiot/ dumbass this week. I don't know if that is even possible, but it was pretty damn close.
  I work for State Farm Insurance as a licensed agent and I am not going to lie I know my job. All the ins and outs of insurance policies,claims and most guidelines. After 12 years it pretty much gets burned into your brain. I won't say that I love my job, but at certain times I really do enjoy it. I love the people I work with. My boss is great when it comes to flexibility and a laid back work environment. I couldn't ask for better coworkers we keep each other sane during weeks like this last one. I consider myself to be pretty laid back and easy going. I don't let much get to me that I can't just shrug off and get past but this week was different.
 People need to understand just like everything else insurance rates go up, but what doesn't. The cable goes up, the phone goes up and so does consumers. It is just a part of life. I do my best to work with people to help them find the lower rate but sometimes their is just nothing more we can possibly do. Just because they call everyday with the same complaint that doesn't mean that their rate is going to miraculously go down. It doesn't work that way I wish it did, but it doesn't.
 If I have to listen to one more person complain and tell me that they are on a fixed income I am going to SCREAM !!!. Well guess what? I am on a fixed income to! I know everyone has different incomes some may be more than others, but come on. I don't know many people that aren't on fixed incomes. I don't know many people with unlimited funds that they can just spend and spend and spend.
  Last but not least if one more person tell me how to do my job. I am just going to tell them they can have mine. Don't tell me how to do my job. Don't sit there and tell me I have no idea what I am talking about, when after I sit their and listen to them speak they are the ones who have absolutely no idea what they are talking about. I think some people just speak because they just like to hear themselves speak no matter how ridiculous or stupid they actually sound.
  Well now that I have gotten that off my chest I feel much better. All I can hope for is a better upcoming week.

Half way mark

  So the first semester of school is at the half way mark for myself as well as my son who is a freshman in high school. I actually think college is going smoother for me, than high school  for my son. It is hard to think that is even possible, but it seems to be. I am so far passing all my classes and actually enjoy school. Which is hard to believe since 16 years ago I disliked school so much that I always said I was never going to go to college. I now understand the importance of a college degree. I should't say that. A college degree has always been important, it's just now I am mature enough to see the big picture that I didn't see before.
  I preach to my son everyday the importance of school. It seems that these days it is in one ear and out the other. He frustrates me so much! Learning comes to him naturally to him, he doesn't seem to struggle which is to his benefit. The issue we are having is that if he doesn't understand something, he figures well I guess I just won't do it. So then I get a call or an email from the teacher letting me know of the situation which makes him so mad. Which I don't understand why he gets mad, it's not as though I won't ever find out. So for the last couple of years we go through the same thing. He spends the last month before the marking period is over turning in all the missing assignment, paying extra attention and passing all his quizzes and tests just to get a passing grade. If he would just do everything when it is supposed to be done he would save himself so much time and save argument between the two of us.
  I would like to say that I forget what it is like to be a teenager, but that would be a lie and besides I am not that old. It is  just sometimes hard being on the other side of the situation. I was once the moody teenager, the kid who didn't want to do homework, the one who always talked in class and got in trouble for it. Now I have to be the adult. Talk about a role reversal. All I can say is that everyday is a learning experience for both of us.

Fall

       






            What a beautiful day!!! The sun is shining, the wind is blowing, the leaves are falling and the colors are amazin!!.What a beautiful fall afternoon! Something about fall is so relaxing. I don't know if it the subtle breeze or the smell of a cinnamon or apple candle burning. Could it be the smells of certain foods being cooked that you wouldn't cook in the summer because it is to hot to use the oven. I have no idea what it is I just love the fall.
         I love laying on the couch curled up in a blanket enjoying a lazy afternoon of watching T.V. or being outside doing yard work picking up all the bright colored leaves. Going for a nice afternoon drive checking out the scenery appreciating the last few nice days we have left until the weather gets to cold, and all you want to do is stay inside. Go for a nice jog enjoying the fact that it is still warm enough to still be outside but just cool enough that you might have to wear a long sleeve shirt. So many things make us enjoy the fall season.
         It's not only the weather that makes fall a great season it is so many other things. Enjoying a good football game, watching kids play soccer and according to my husband hunting. That one doesn't really matter to me, but for some it is the best part of fall.
          For now we get to enjoy the fall season for a few more weeks.It will start to slowly get cooler and cooler and eventually it will just be altogether cold. Fall will have passed and then we are on to winter which is another great season but I could definately do without snow. So for now lets enjoy what time we have left and not think about the snow and what is yet to come.

          I

         

Hall of Fame

            

           


             Today was an amazing day for my family !! My father in law Ray Eddy Jr was inducted to the Saginaw Bowling hall of fame. To many that may not seem like much, but to our family it is a huge honor .Bowling is something that kind of runs in the blood. If you are from Saginaw and you are familiar with bowling Eddy would be a name that you would recognize. They have been some of the top bowler in the area for years, generation after generation.
              Not only is it an honor to been inducted, but knowing that you were nominated by your peers and members of the bowling community. Being recognized over the years for all of your many accomplishment and achievements. I mean what an honor! This is even more special for other reasons. Back in 1999 my father in laws dad was also inducted in the fall of fame. He passed away in 1976 so it was an honor for my father in law to stand up and accept that award in honor of his father and now he was honored with an award of his own.
              My father in law not only gets to enjoy his own accomplishment but he also gets to share and enjoy the accomplishment of his children and grandchildren as they are all bowlers as well. His son my husband is also one of the best bowlers in the area and hopefully will be able to share the same award as his dad and grandfather in the future. Our son is also bowler and also hopes to oneday share the honor with his grandfather and great grandfather  It awesome to sit back and watch and enjoy  all the generations of up and coming Eddy family bowlers. 
              Some people hope that their kids will one day grow up to be a basketball player or a football player. Not us !! My family has found their awesome skill and I think that is what we will stick with for now and in the future. Be prepared because the Eddy name will be around for years to come.

Working Out

       


   

        It is a very hard routine to get into. Once you do it is almost addictting. Going to the gym working every muscle in your body, working up a great sweat and really pushing yourself to the limit. It is amazing how good it can make you feel and also the sense of accomplishment is unbelievable. Some people may think I am crazy but others will know what I am talking about.
        I am not a die hard by any means. My life does not revolve around being at the gym, but I do go in phases. Either I am really into it and go almost everyday or like any novelty it wears off and you tend to stray away.
        Well now I am ready to get back into a routine. I used to be a regular at the gym, but with such a busy schedule these days I thought it was going to be a waste to pay a monthly fee for something that I would not be able to use. I kept telling myself that I  have enough workout equipment and workout DVD's at home so why pay for a membership when I can workout at home for free. Well that is not the case. If you are anything like me that is not going to happen. I tell myself everyday that I am going to go get on the treadmill or do one of my workout videos, but guess what? That never happens.
        I could even go as far as to get myself dressed like I am going to workout and still not workout. I am the type of person who needs to be in a class full of people with an instructor in my face telling me what to do and making me push myself harder than I could ever do on my own. You would think with all these T.V.advertisement for all these awesome workout videos that are supposed to get your body in rock hard shape in 90 days it would give someone motivation to workout at home. Well I am not one of those people.
         So I have now decided to get my life back in order and get my body back into shape. I will never be a supermodel. I just want to wake up in the morning knowing that I am going to have no trouble putting my jeans on.

MIrror images

      As we grow up we tell ourselves that we are not going to become our parents. Well surprise !!! Whether we like it or not in some way or another we become our parents. It may just be a common mannerism or a phase they use, but we are our parents.
       Don't get me wrong it may be different for some people but I think If you take a  really good look at yourself you will see the likeness. I didn't notice it myself at first. I had always noticed it in my husband. It scared the hell out of me, because at certain times and with certain things that he would do or say it would remind me so much of his mother. Like I said SCARY !!! I have already seen the similarities between my son and husband, and many times have had to tell my son to quit acting like his father, because to me it can be very annoying. It wasn't until the other day when I was sitting there having a conversation or should I say an arguement with my son, getting ready to spit out my final remark, when I opened my mouth said the words and  then just sat in silence, as I had just realized that at that exact moment I had become my father. I knew I had heard that arguement somewhere before over and over again . I was completely horrified !! I couldn't believe what had just happened. All this time I was so scared of my husband becoming his mother when I should have been really scared of becoming my own parent. I think what surprised me even more is that my son had already become me, every excuse he had, I remembered using the same excuses back in the day. but I don't dare tell him that.
         Who would have thought that would ever happen? Definately not me. It is funny now that I look back at everything from my childhood until now, and I realize that it is was pretty obvious it would happen sometime. All those years thinking that we would be better parents then our own. Telling ourselves that we will never do that with our own kids when in reality we do.

A long week

     Why is it when you want time to fly by it doesn't? When you just want the week to be over with so you can relax for a bit, the time just drags! That is how my work week has been. I swear I spent half the week just staring at the clock waiting for my day to be over. The worst part is the more you stare at the clock the slower the day goes,  but for some reason I can't take my eyes off the clock.
    
     So this week has not only been long it has also been very busy. I must say that I am starting to get used to the school plus work routine. It took me a few weeks but I am figuring it all out. I do need to work more on my time management skills, but that will take some time to figure out since that has always been an issue for me. I have never been one to use my time wisely.

       I ran my first half marathon 13.1 miles. It was hard but I was able to stick it out and finish. I was so excited to cross the finish line.The feeling of accomplishment was so amazing. This was one of those things that I never thought I would ever do which is why for me the finish had so much more meaning. It is awesome to think of the things that we can accomplish when we really put 100% effort into them. It is a lesson well learned and I hope that I can pass that on to my son.
    
       Even as adults we still learn anew things everyday. We surprise ourselves. Like they say you are never to old to learn.  I learn them on my own, I learn them from my son, everyday is a new learning experience. What I really need to learn though is to stop starring at the clock. That would help me so much throughout my work days.

       Well I really have don't have much more to say this week. It's just the same routine week after week. Some weeks more exciting than the others. This just doesn't happen to be one of them.

Part 2


  So this first week of school is over. My son survived his first week of high school and I survived my first week of college. Two major steps in both of our lives and we both made it through. I didn't think that either one of these things was going to be that big of an adjustment but it was definitely a bigger adjustment than I thought.
  Getting back on a regular schedule has to be the hardest part. After three months of doing whatever and going to bed whenever. It is very hard to tell a teenage boy to go go bed at a decent hour and even harder to wake them up in the morning at a ridiculously early hour. Especially when I don't even want to be up at that time. After about 5 times of going in to his room and trying to get him out of bed  he stumbles out of bed and in to the shower. Pushing time to the point so that he just has enough time to get in for a very quick shower, get out ,get dressed and out the door. That is definitely one routine that I hope changes. I figure by the time school is about to be over he will have it figured all out just in time to be on break again and screw the routine up.
  Not only is it about getting back on a schedule but also everyday reminding him to do homework and get everything ready that he needs for school the next day. Than I sit their and think not only does he have homework to do but so do I. Wow !!! after 16 years of not being in school I have homework to do. What a wake up call. I also have to figure out time to sit and concentrate on my work. Between both jobs, school and all the other activities we do in our family. It's about taking the time to sit down and do what I need to do to get my things done. I have never had to deal with that .It has always been about me working around my families schedule and going from there, but now it is going to be a little about me and that is a very weird feeling.   

Monday September 4, 2012


   So this week has been busy, interesting and challenging for me. That is definately alot to handle for one week. I spent the week getting my 14 year old son ready to start high school as well as the fact that I started my first semester in college. I dont' know which one is worse the fact that my son is starting a new phase in his life or facing the fact that I am as well.
   It all started with high school orientation that of course he didnt want me to go to but I went anyways. I didn't go on purpose to embarrass him or anything like that but I knew that their were things that I needed to pay for. Plus the fact that I had talked to some other parents and they had mentioned that they were going as well. So I knew it wouldn't look strange if I was there. Here I am walking through the halls of the school that I once attended remembering all the good times I had in school, but this time I am not going to class myself I am showing my son around, helping him find his way around. Now talk about a reality check.
    Next we are off to school shopping which at one time was the easiest thing to do. I could just run out to the store, pick up a few shirts and couple pairs of jeans and a pair of shoes and be done with it. Not anymore !! I get that he is getting older and he is getting his own sense of style, but when did the styles change so much. I like to think that I know what is in stlye and what looks good but if you ask my son he would tell you a totally different story. The hardest part of the whole journey is getting the kid to try on jeans. We go from store to store looking for jeans. He is just the type to pick them up off the shelf and say here we go they fit. He doesn't check the size or anything like that. So I have to tell him try the jeans on. So all he can do is complain. Which I can't blame him because I hate to try things as well ,but what I hate even more is returning things. It is such an inconvience and a waste of time. So all he can say is they don't fit, I dont' like the way they fit. For every pair he had some excuse. Finally we called it a day and left. We go back later in the week and end up buying the jeans that he didn't like the first time because for some reason now they fit and he likes them.  Every store I ask him do you want to go in and see what they have he says no I don't like that store. So I go in anyways and to my surprise we end up spending money in each and everyone of the stores. It's not like he just got one thing in each store he got multiple things in each store. Well let me tell you for not liking any of the stores my ATM card sure got a workout that day.
      So not only is my son going to school but I am going as well. I decided that it is time for me to finally grow up and decided what I really want to do with my life. I work a full time job and have been at the same job for 11 years but I have come to the conclusion that I don't really like it anymore. I want to do something more than just sit at a desk all day. Don't get me wrong I have been blessed with my job. I have a great hours, a great employer, I don't have to work weekends and great flexibility. I just think it is time to make a change so that is what I am doing. I figure that by time my son graduates from college I will hopefully be doing the same. All I can do is take it slow just a few classes at a time and in time I will finish. You know what they say better late than never.