FINAL'S WEEK!

Well, we are in the middle of final's week! Hopefully we are all doing well on finals and doing our best not to go crazy! I've currently just finished three of my finals, and I have two more to go. The end is near!

Hmmm... plans for this weekend... definitely partying, celebrating the completion of yet another final's week and consequently another semester. With a year left, I'm getting really excited to see the light at the end of this long, 4+ year tunnel. I'm begining to wonder what I'll do after I graduate. I've already been married and started my family, so maybe things will start to settle down after that... at least, that's what I keep telling myself. Maybe I should pick up a new hobby...

Last weekend I learned how to do carmel apples. You know, the fancy-schmancy kind with the carmel and the chocolate and the rolled-in-goodies kind. They were a lot of fun to make, and even more fun to eat! Mmmm... I also did a few pears in that manner. Very interesting, I would suggest trying it sometime. I also got a recipe for a 5-minute chocolate-cake-in-a-pinch. You put all these ingredients in a mug (I would suggest a rather large mug; mine overflowed and did a good job at giving me more work to get the microwave cleaned out) and put it in the microwave for 3 minutes. It's okay in a pinch, you know, those days when you just have to have chocolate and can't find any Symphony bars lying around the house, but I suggest putting chocolate chips in it to sweeten it up a little more.

Anyways, good luck with the rest of final's week!

LET THE COUNTDOWN BEGIN

With only three weeks of school to go this semester, my daily countdown begins!

Thanksgiving Day is also coming up quickly. This weekend we are going to my in-law's home to celebrate the holiday. It's been a long time since we've seen them last. In fact, it was when they came down here for the day about 6 weeks ago. It'll be good to see them again.

Does anyone have a good recipe for pineapple pie? It's my favorite, even though I've only had one slice of it in my life, and that was in a small cafe down in San Antonio, Texas when I was visiting a friend a few years back. Pineapple is my favorite fruit, and it now goes into my favorite pie, but I have yet to find a good pineapple pie recipe.

Well, good luck with studying for finals, and remember not to get too lax with the holidays coming up!

BLAH WEEK

This has been one of those blah weeks. You know, just doing the same-old, same-old. I blame the weather for the weird, slow feeling. It's been overcast, but deceptively warm here. My eyes say, "dress warm" while my temperature regulator says, "shorts!"

The end of the semester is getting closer. The ending chapters of textbooks are coming up, and teachers are trying to cram one or two more essays in before it gets to a point where studying hours overtake homework hours. Registration is now pretty much open for most, and next semester's classes look promising.

November and December activities will be combined into one continuous activity through the end of November and through the rest of the time that classes will be held in December. We are combining with CEU's service center in an Angel Tree program, and possibly a separate drive for clothing, books, toys, etc. on the USU-Price campus. Details are still being worked out, but I think it will be a great opportunity for fellow Aggies here to show the community that they are involved.

Fall Colors

Fall has been heralded in with the coming of a new president! New changes and new seasons await, and we all hope that neither one gets too icy!

We're 3/4 the way through the semester, and it always seems that the last 6 weeks go by pretty fast, but the seasonal holidays seem to stunt the motivations for homework. Now is the time to make sure you're buckled down and not getting lax.

My mother and grandmother are going to California next week. I wanted to go with them (they're visiting an aunt there), but couldn't afford the academic price. There's no way I would be able to keep up with the required homework for that week. Oh, well. Maybe next time.

It's been getting colder and colder. I'm glad I'm in Price this year rather than Logan (no offense, Loganites!), as it's a lot warmer here. I recently got word that the North has a few feet of snow, while we've still got temperatures in the 50's with no snow, but a bit of chilly wind.

I haven't even thought about the November activity... I should get working on that. I've found that combining USU activities with the more popular community activities works a lot better than doing activities alone. FYI. We had a pretty good turnout at the October activity, but it was geared more towards those students with small children, and I'd like to have more activities which are friendly to all age groups.

I've finished a resource list of scholarship opportunities for the Price students. I'm really hoping it will help students to be able to find scholarships and school funding a little easier. I know I'll be taking advantage of some of these resources; I hope others will, too.

HALLOWEEN GHOSTS AND GHOULS

IT'S HALLOWEEN!...

Yesterday we went to the USU-Price October activity, the Spook-tacular put on by CEU. It seems we had a lot better turnout than the last activity; during the half-hour my family was there, I saw at least two other fellow Aggies. I'm hoping even more came and enjoyed the activities after we left. The activity was a Halloween carnival with face-painting, a cake walk, popcorn, pictures, etc. Fun was had by all, even though my beautiful little bumble bee didn't win the costume contest.

I think the best part of Halloween right now is turning on the radio and enjoying such Halloween classics as Thriller, Ghostbusters Theme Song, The Adam's Family, and the Monster Mash. What a blast! I'm sure that when she's a little older, I'll enjoy taking my daughter around to show her total cuteness off to all the neighbors and eating all the candy she can't eat yet, but for now, she's really too small for trick-or-treating, and my husband and I are too old to get away with mooching candy off of people. Instead, a get-together with friends after the baby goes down will do for this year.

SIGH

The weekend was a success. The in-laws were all able to fit here in our small apartment, and dinner went off without a hitch, at least in my opinion. This next weekend, my family is all coming here for a visit. They are much smaller than my family in-law, so it will be much easier to fit and find seats.

We are all finally getting over our colds, my husband staying home from work yesterday to rest and heal a little more, while at the same time keeping anyone else from catching the sickness. I was kind of jealous, as he played games and rested all day while I had to do homework. It would have been much more fun for me if I had been able to play games, too. :0)

This week and next week I am working on putting together some resources where the Price students can go for scholarship opportunities. I am also trying to get an answer out of the main USU administration as to why extension campus students aren't eligible for the USU-sponsored scholarships that main Logan students are automatically put in for upon being accepted into the University. Price is really lacking in scholarship opportunities, so I'm trying to find ways where the students can have more access to scholarship help. If anyone has any information or ideas, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!

Catch-Up

YES! I've officially caught up in all of my classes! Now the trick is to keep it that way! After a few straight weeks of testing, I'm mentally beat. I'm looking forward to a nice, relaxing weekend. I've got the in-laws coming for a visit, some of them seeing our apartment for the first time. It's supposed to rain this weekend, which means that all 11 of us are going to have to cram into our small living room. Fun stuff. I hope no one gets all claustrophobic on us and runs out screaming in a mad episode.

In the meantime, my poor baby has this terrible cold (which she promptly shared with me) which doesn't let her sleep or eat very well. She's very grumpy most of the time, which is quite against her happy, active nature. It's like she awoke one morning with the offensive nature of a demon and has been wreaking havoc ever since. I'm pretty sure it's just the sickness and the consequential fatigue and hunger, but I hope it ends soon, as it's really tiring.

CEU has appointed a non-traditional student chair, so we're hoping to be able to work together in our research and activities for our collective students. This month we are going in two different ways where it comes to activities, as she feels students would prefer a volleyball game, and I feel they would prefer a Halloween event that the whole family can participate in and enjoy. Hopefully we can get some feedback on what the students like so that we can gear future activities towards things they would attend.

Slowly But Surely

Well, this week I've been trying to catch up in the classes where I'm behind. It hasn't been too successful, but I think I'm slowly but surely catching up. I've still got 3 tests to do this weekend. Blech...

I haven't had an internet connection these past few days, and it's been really annoying. All my classes are online, so I've had to work on stuff that doesn't depend on an internet connection. Really annoying. But I've got it back now, so all is well that ends well, right?

MIDTERMS

Last week was the beginning of midterm madness for me. Two essays and two tests on top of the regular work. It was hard to fit everything in. In fact, I ended up skipping the work in two classes in order to finish work in all the others. The class work I skipped can still be gone through and didn't have any work due, but I'm still behind in those classes. I hope I'll be able to make it up this week, but I've got another two tests and an essay due this week as well. Crazy stuff. I'm thinking next semester I'll take one class less to lighten the load a bit. It will still put me at full time status, but it won't be so hectic.

This week we're ordering new bicycles. The car troubles we've been having lately have thrown into sharp realization the need for alternative transportation should we need it, and our bikes are pretty much shot, being over 10 years old and rusting from the inside out. Eeewww....

My daughter learned to crawl on her hands and knees (instead of her famed commando crawl) and pulled herself up to a standing position for the first times this weekend. It was a proud parent moment for my husband and I. Kids grow so fast!

The Results Are In...

Well, we had 1 student show up for our activity this weekend; a real disappointment. At least that 1 student got rewarded for going to the activity by winning the half gallon of Aggie Ice Cream. Next month we'll try something new to test student activity theories. Maybe carving or painting pumpkins, or a childrens' trunk-or-treat. Anyone out there have ideas?? The big question now is, "how do we motivate our nontraditional students to go to these activities??"

Lots of homework, not much time. I'm still waiting for my abnormal psychology book to come in. The second book I ordered, that is. The first has been given up on.

Car troubles this week. Our alternator went out, and our bike tires were flat; we had to hoof it wherever we wanted to go, or get a ride from some understanding neighbors/coworkers. Not fun. The bicycle had rust water running out of it when we turned it over to replace the tire. This is the third tire this year. In one foul swoop, we realized we needed to replace a car alternator and a bicycle.

Gearing Up for Weekend Activities

I'm getting ready for a USU student activity this weekend. My husband and I are going to attend a community "frontier days" for a few hours during which students can come find us and win some Aggie Ice Cream. I hope we have a good number of people come so we can get students excited for the monthly activities I'll be planning. I'm having a hard time getting people to volunteer for committee positions. By the way, USU-Price has a website that makes it reallly easy to get information about programs and the campus. It's www.price.usu.edu. CHECK IT OUT!

My abnormal psychology textbook has been deemed a lost cause by the postal service. I've had to order a new book and waste another few weeks waiting and getting behind in class. I'm never ordering from ebay again.

My daughter has started crawling and sitting up lately. She's getting pretty good at it, but still has the occasional bumped head.

A New Perspective on Mississippi Mud

So my package finally came in -- ripped open without the textbook inside of it. Great! My textbook has been lost. It's now flying freely on vacation somewhere giggling happily to itself and chanting, "Haha! I threw them for a loop! I've escaped!" along with all the other miscellaneous lost items that never quite made it to the right post office. It must be in some other dimension, what with the ability anyone has had to be able to locate it. It was coming from Maine; maybe it saw the Mississippi River and decided to jump ship there, although all the accounts I've heard of the Mississippi paints a picture that's mostly mud-colored. It is an abnormal psychology book; maybe it likes that sort of thing in an abnormally psychological way.

My Ebay letdown

Week 2 in my online classes at USU-Price, and I already have a piece of advice for anyone starting out their college career... DON'T ORDER YOUR TEXTBOOKS USED FROM EBAY! The prices there are comparable to anywhere else, but their delivery timing stinks. I ordered my abnormal psychology textbook from them, and now, two weeks into the semester and three and a half weeks from the day I ordered it, I still have yet to see it on my doorstep. I ordered it with the belief that it would be here in time for the semester to start, but later received an email informing me that this was not the case, and to expect it between the 27th of August and the 9th of September. Way past the dates that I thought I had been given when I ordered it. Luckily, I was able to borrow the book of a fellow Aggie in my community, or I would be academically dead in my abnormal psychology class.

Lots of studying going on. I have just enough time in the day to be able to do my schoolwork and take care of myself and my family. I am quite blessed in that respect. Many days are faced with headaches, though. I'm sure that will change as I get used to the academic load. What a week!

AAAAHHHH!!!

School is in full swing now. VERY BUSY! Mulitple quizzes every Friday, tests every Saturday, and assignments and essays in between. I forgot how much time homework really takes up. It's all good, though, and I'm excited to be learning again, especially about such exciting subjects as abnormal psychology, terrorism, and statistics.

I'm still waiting for a book to arrive; I'm doomed if I don't get it by early next week, as I haven't been able to complete anything from my abnormal psychology class, and two chapters are due by Friday next week. Stressful, to say the least. I'll be spending this Labor Day writing essays. I'd rather be camping.

Pre-storm Times

I just have to say -- my daughter is SO cute! She's starting to crawl now, but doesn't quite have it figured out, so she scoots on her belly and uses her toes to push herself along. And she's discovered the joy and satisfaction that comes from the sound of paper tearing. My poor husband's Russian papers from college have been sacrificed unwillingly to her plight, as have a few Ensigns.

Today is the last Thursday before school starts back up again. I've received most of my books, and in an attempt to get ahead a little before the crazy storm starts up, I've started reading a few chapters here and there. The way I'm able to do school work now is quite a bit different from the way I was able to do it a few years ago. For one, it has to mold itself around other schedules, such as my daughter's feeding times, doctor's appointments, and her "awake" times. Nap time is the best time to do schoolwork for me. I'm also so lucky to have such a wonderful, supportive husband. When he gets home, he's able to take the baby and give me a few more hours of study time. He's looking forward to some more daddy-daughter time. I'm looking forward to more quiet time.

I'm excited to be able to start learning again. I didn't realize how much I would miss learning new things.

last-minute book hunt

Yeah!! I finally found the last textbook I needed for my Abnormal Psychology class! I used www.bigwords.com to do a price comparison and found the book for 2/3 the regular price. Sweet! Now I only hope that I can get the book before class starts...

The First

With my baby playing in the background, I take stock of my situation today. My husband and I just celebrated our second anniversary this weekend. It was good to get away for a few days, to spend time together without worrying about the baby, who was spending time with my parents.

I've just started back to school at Utah State University, doing online classes so I can stay home with my baby. I'm studying Quantitative Psychology, a combination of mathematics and psychology. It took me a while to get to this point, starting my educational career in mechanical engineering for 2 1/2 years before deciding the pressure and stress wasn't something I wanted to continue.

I took a year-long break when I got pregnant with my beautiful daughter and used that time to take stock of what I really wanted to do with my education.

So here I am now, finally able to finish my last three semesters. I've also become the new student body president of USU-Price, which presents many opportunities and challenges. This blog page was started to document the ups and downs of life from here on out.

And so begins the best of times and the worst of times!