New Semester, Same people

I had sooooo many things to post about my first couple of nights of class this semester. I had a LOT of frustrations to vent about. THEN, I read my "Best friend that lives far away"'s blog, and realized - "If you don't have anything nice to say...." and decided that, like her, I should ZIP IT.

SO, I'll say JUST THIS: If I make it through this semester without losing my ever-loving mind, it will be a small miracle. :]

I'm taking my first 'criminal justice' classes this semester. It's totally different from my social work and psychology stuff I've been taking, and I'm really excited about it. In my "Intro to Criminology" class, he has assigned us the "Key Terms" at the end of each chapter. There are between 10-50 words in every chapter, and 19 chapters. They aren't due until the end of the semester - in May. I have all the terms typed, and the definitions for chapter one, and part of chapter two finished already. YES - this doesn't seem like 'homework', it is FUN. I know, I know, I'm a freak. BUT - Just think about it - when you find a topic you really like to learn about, and you get to learn MORE about it - why stop?? I have two friends who are taking the same class, with a different professor - who has NOT assigned the key terms - and they are going to type up the terms just for their own personal use. SO, see!!! I'm not crazy. At least I'm going to get a grade for it! ;)

I have my favorite professor this semester again! I think I like him best b/c he doesn't put up with any 'excuses' or 'carp' from anyone. He tells you the rules, and what he expects from you - and doesn't let you get away with being a lazy, white trash, whiney idiot. (shoot - I'm starting to slip into the 'not nice' thing....) BUT - he likes me, and my friends - mostly b/c we COME TO CLASS, DO THE WORK, and DO NOT COMPLAIN. Afterall, this is college. And we're "grown-ups". Not too difficult. Well, if you care about your grades anyway.

We got a new dog this last year. Char-Lay is half St. Bernard, and half Bernese Mountain dog. She is the CUTEST baby in the world. Well, I use the word 'baby' loosely. She only weighs 100 pounds, and is 8 months old. HA! Here is Charlie trying to get her 'rightful spot' on the couch.

Alright, heading to bed. Trying to think of a good story to share - need to be 'funny' for you guys! Will write more later!

~ Misty

My apologies...

My most sincerest apologies for not posting since....*gulp*.....June of 2010. I'd make a lot of excuses, but it just boils down to not wanting to write what was in my head. Being lazy. Being busy. The usual.

SO - I finished my summer classes with an A in my online class and a B in algebra. Funny thing is, I heard that she flunked me b/c I stood up and told her off in class! HA! That's not quite how it happened, but she did NOT flunk me. THIS is the algebra story. I have to write this down, b/c it needs to be remembered for future generations! :)

First, let me say that professors at colleges (unless they are TEACHING politics) are ethically not allowed to stand in front of your class and tell you how you should vote, or question WHY you voted (or will vote) the way you do/have. Second, it is the most annoying thing in the world to listen to people bitch about every single thing going on in the world - their local government, the state, national. Yes, you don't like it - I can't fix it - move on. TEACH THE CLASS!!! WELL - On August 2nd, we were in Branson for our normal summer, week-long, vacation. It was Tristan's birthday. It was also the last night of class before our final in algebra, and we were going to review for the final. SO - in the middle of vacation, and my son's birthday, I made the 2 1/2 hour trip home JUST for class. THEN - our professor - idiot that she is - stood in front of the class and told us that OUR President is going to have us thrown in jail if we don't have insurance. Now, you can argue all you want - but that is NOT what the outcome is going to be - and I think having health insurance is WAY more important than CAR insurance (and that is mandatory to have a car!) ANYWHO - this young, impressionable, 18 year old girl says, "OMG - I don't want to go to jail, what will I do!!??" I had already listened to about 15 minutes of political trash talk already and was a tad annoyed. HA! I said, "Oh, for the love of GOD - you will NOT get arrested! That is ridiculous scare tactics! I paid $700 for this class to learn ALGEBRA, I left my family on my son's birthday, and our vacation in Branson to come and review for this final! PLEASE, for the love of everything holy, shut up about your politics and TEACH ALGEBRA!!"

After a moment of stunned silence, she went back to teaching class. And I got a B on my final. So - don't listen to the rumors. She didn't flunk me - and if she had - it wouldn't have been pretty.

Vacation ended up being pretty great. The kids got to go to Silver Dollar City for the first time - I went out to eat with my Bestie Kelly. Had a great Italian meal in Branson, and then hung out until Kent and the kids got back. We did our usual Swimming, reading, games, shopping, go-Karts, etc. It was a productive Summer vacation!

The fall semester for school was pretty good. No really exciting stories - just the normal class stuff. ALTHOUGH - I did have a new professor - who is pretty cool. It was her first semester teaching. She was teaching "Family Therapy" and I really enjoyed and learned a lot in her class! Had to do some writings about our life - another reason I didn't blog. I had to write for classes! Also had to create our 'Genogram'. Made up our family tree and marked those with addictive behaviors, mental illness, and any criminal history. It was interesting.

For the first year in 5 years - I had a good Thanksgiving. No earth-shattering news/happenings in the month of November, so I finally felt like I could breath after dinner. Now, Christmas on the other hand - that sucked.

All in all - this year has been up and down - stressful, crazy, fun, horrible, and 'normal' for our family. Looking forward to the next year and what it holds. My Resolution for the year is to try to blog at least once a week - and happy things. Funny things. "NORMAL" things. HA!

Oh - and that reminds me - did I mention we got a new dog? And two birds. Yeah, it's still a zoo here.

More later!

~ Misty

Things that annoy the CARP out of me...

I had a good day today, I really, truly did. There were, however, a few things that just ticked me off! The following are a few:

1. My daughter blowing up over the littlest things. *snap*

2. Phone calls that wake up everyone in my house. Who really thinks it's appropriate to call a house before 9:00am??? Don't. Please. K. Thanks.

3. Starting to make cookies, and realizing you don't have quite enough margarine or flour. :/ (on an up note - mom lives across the street!)

4. Professors for online classes who think they are God's gift to professors. You're not. Seriously. And I'd rather have a conversation with someone who had knowledge of the world than someone who had to cite every single word out of their mouths (fingers). Sometimes, just living life gives you an education - it doesn't ALL have to be cited. AND - that is NOT PLAGIARISM!!!!!!!!!!!!! BITCH!. :/ I hate her.

5. People in online classes who wait until Thursday to post their discussion question. We only get FULL credit for replying 3-5 DIFFERENT days. :/ Um....that only leaves three, so YOU are making my grade suffer. Ass.

6. People who lose their temper and then use cuss words in their blog. *banghead*

7. Kids who argue with everything you ask of them. Yes, I was serious when I said brush your teeth, it's 11 and it's bedtime. NO, you can't watch the rest of your movie tonight. NO - it's not crazy that you have to finish it tomorrow. I could just throw it out, and you'd not know how it ended (except you've watched it FIVE THOUSAND TIMES ALREADY!!!!!)

8. People who continue to bitch about my President. Seriously - get over it.

9. Bills. Bills annoy the carp out of me.

10. Missouri Unemployment. I have to call every other month b/c you keep taking it out of the system that I'm a student - or whatever it is you've done this time. I'm getting really tired of not being able to pay bills b/c YOU eff up!!! LOSERS!

11. The kids take turns - Krys, Tristan, and Ave - cleaning the kitchen. Tristan forgets to wash pans. Krys forgets to wash counters. Avery doesn't do either. ALL of them forget to check other counters for dirty dishes, or the sink. And occasionally (like tonight) they mix it up and don't do the things they normally remember. I don't think it's too much to ask to have my kids clean the kitchen. Is it?

12. Algebra.

13. Mother Nature. She kinda sucks sometimes. :/

THat's all the griping I'm gonna do tonight. I think I'm going to head to bed, and wake up in a much better mood. IF no one calls and wakes me up. :/

Be safe and carry on!

~ Misty

Summer classes have begun

I started my summer classes this week. I'm taking my first online class - "Psychology of Gender". So far, it's interesting, and thought provoking! I think I may enjoy it. The only problem is we have to do a powerpoint at some point, and I'm not so good at those....guess practice will make perfect.

The other class is College Algebra. Monday nights. FIVE FLIPPIN' HOURS. Yes, that was NOT a typo. FIVE hours of Algebra. Yes, I'm insane. I just want to get this carpy class out of the way! My professor told me tonight (when I was having problem with fractions in a problem we were doing) that I needed to go back to 'basic math' if they were confusing. Um....'scuse me? Did you just call me STUPID???? I almost walked out. Too late to drop and not lose money, so I'll put up with the condescending witch for a few more weeks. :/

AND - on top of that - after we learned 'the hardest section tonight' she says, "Will you ever need to use this in this class again? or in life? NO, absolutely not". So my question is this, "WHY, oh WHY then, do we have to learn it???" Then I figured it out. To get through the pearly gates....:/ At least I got a laugh.

AND - in addition to beginning my classes, I developed a boil under my arm this week. And not just any boil - a 'carbuncle'. That's a ring of boils - I think there were about 7 total. I had two lanced. From what my brother says - they weren't nearly as bad as his (and I won't tell you where his were located - makes me cringe just thinking about it) but I was in PAIN. NEVER NEVER NEVER again will I disregard anyone who talks about the pain of a boil. And if you've ever seen one popped - gaaahhh - now I know why it hurt so badly. Thank you Lord for taking away the worst of it!!! Now I just have to heal the lancings and keep it clean. I'm hoping to be able to at least lay out poolside tomorrow. Gonna call and ask if I can SWIM (at least in a pool) this week. *crosses fingers*

Yeah....soooo....too tired to type anymore. Gonna call it a night and crash. More later, my 10 dedicated readers! :p

Carry on and be safe!

~ Misty

Random things for Friday...

1. My favorite episode of Spongebob is on. Squidward moves to his 'happy town'. "HEY! That looked like Squidward! That looked like Squidward too - in angry mob form!"

2. Took my lip ring out this morning - driving me crazy today. Can't quit biting it. I'll put it back tonight.

3. Going to color my hair this weekend. Too much gray showing. I have two 'streaks' that are driving me insane!

4. Rogan has "BLUE" eyes, and I'm "TWENTY-NINE".

5. Rogan doesn't understand the concept of 'random ideas for my blog'. Guess I have to come up with ideas myself. :/

6. My semester is FINISHED. I have three "A's" and two "B's" for the semester. Dean's list AGAIN! :)

7. I'm taking Algebra this summer. SIX HOURS a night - every Monday. Kinda gives a whole new meaning to "I HATE MONDAYS".

8. Getting my new tree today. I bought a weeping cherry tree for the front yard. Going to put my rock wall up, fill it with dirt and plant all the starts that Kelly gave me! Gonna look AWESOME! :)

9. I just ate golden grahams. It was good.

10. I might get to see my Baby Sammy next weekend! :) I'm so excited! I won't have to mail his birthday presents, AND I get to see him open them! :)

Alright - going back to facebook for a minute, then going to clean this house. *sigh* It's a never-ending job....

Carry on and be safe!

~ Misty

Everyone can read this....

so....I'm going to put 'out there' for the world to read: I LOVE MY DAUGHTER. If you EVER doubt it, check this: http://mistryunique.blogspot.com/2009/06/living-with-15-year-old-girl-google.html

Sometimes, I am soooo FED UP with 'attitude' and 'drama' that I VENT. YES- I vent to my 894 bestest friends on facebook. SO WHAT> If I saw you in person, and you asked me how I was, I'd prolly roll my eyes, and say, "Well, I DO have a 16 year old daughter - what do you think?"

SO - for the record. FOR THE WORLD TO SEE: I LOVE MY DAUGHTER!!! She is awesome. She is beautiful. She is SMART. She is PERFECT.

That said, let me add: She is also, "Stubborn". She is "delusional' about SOME things. She is 'frustrating'. AND, she 'elaborates' and 'mis-hears' things. She turnes it around to be the WORST possible scenario. Seriously. A 16 year old girl. Surprised? Me neither. I say, "I don't like what I'm hearing" turns into "My mom hates you". I say, "You shouldn't do that". She hears, "You are so stupid". I say, "I wish you wouldn't...." She HEARS, "GODKNOWSWHATBUTITMAKESHERMAD". *sigh*

So - when I'm posting about the hurricane of my life, and you think that I'm ungrateful, or stupid, or sharing too much - remember, I actually know every single person on my FB page and they KNOW ME. AND - they like a little giggle knowing the pay-back I'm getting - 'payin' for my raisin'' as my mom says.

And as for posting HERE - for the WORLD to see - anyone who has a 16 year old daughter KNOWS how much you love them, but at the same time - want to rip your hair out dealing with them!!! I love my baby girl, but I'm relieved to know that I have three BOYS to deal with as teenagers - I can't handle another "ME". :p

Carry on and be safe!

~ Misty

Opposite of Mondays

Was in a pissy mood yesterday, and it has 'slightly' improved today. Did a lot of sleeping today, just not in the mood to 'live'. And by "live" I mean DO THINGS. Just feeling lazy. I'm wiped out...when you spend a day crying all day/night, it takes a toll. SO - I was seeking out friends to make me laugh today, and things to make it better....so in that spirit - an 'opposite of Monday blog'.

Things that make me happy and/or smile:

1. The laughter of my children. One good belly laugh is enough to lift my spirit and make it last all day! And they are SO good at makin' momma laugh!

2. Not having to take finals. I'm not having one in Human Sexuality, and have more than enough points for an "A" in Minority groups, so ONE online test, and two others that are going to drive me insane, but I'll manage! :)

3. My pink rose bush has blooms on it. Granny is thinking of me! :) I think I look forward to those pink blooms more than any other thing about Spring. My constant reminder of the love she had for me. Well, for KENT b/c they were for HIM. *giggle* LOVE YOU GRANNY!

4. Realizing that things are just 'things'. I have my kiddos. I have my husband. I'm lucky enough to have my mommy! HELL, I'm lucky enough to have my Bubby!! So what if my phone was ruined.....it can't love me back (even though multiple texts from friends make me feel love!)

5. I'm going tomorrow to buy a new calendar. I bet I get it on clearance! :) No more 'depending on my iphone calendar!'. I'm going to WRITE IT DOWN. Can't lose it that way! :) AND - I get to use MULTIPLE COLOR HIGHLIGHTERS!!!! THAT alone makes it worth it.

6. New episodes of my favorite shows. NCIS tonight and Criminal Minds tomorrow! :) I have too many shows to list, but those are two I look forward to. Of course SUPERNATURAL will be new Thursday, and I'm worried about 'MY' Dean....;)

7. Having a clean house. This doesn't happen very often, and if it DOES, it doesn't last long. I'm hoping after finals week I'll stay on top of it more....yeah, here's to hopin! :)

8. Being able to pay the bills one more month. Going to sit down tomorrow and make out checks. Of course, it would be more satisfying if my UNEMPLOYMENT papers for last month had come - but, I'll get all $500 and something at once, and that should cover my treatments. Sa-WEET! :)

9. HAVING ZERO PAIN in my back!!! Okay, I exaggerate a bit...there IS still pain, but my new pills are working - so at the sign of any pain, I take a pill and it goes away. Finally not falling asleep from them. Can't wait until I can have my treatments and won't need the pills!

10. Having my friend Angela back in my life! I forgot how much we laughed together in school....we have great memories, and are only making more! LOVE YOU GIRL!

11. Knowing that my best friend who is my twin is getting to go home! I'm praying that it is going to be more peaceful and bring contentment to Kelsey Kay and Caitlyn. AND - Laury gets to be close to momma!!! I LOVE IT!!!

12. Looking at pics of my Baby Sammy!! He's ALMOST a year old!!! I can't believe it!!! That reminds me, I should probably MAIL the presents I've accummulated since christmas....

13. The satisfaction from blogging. I can't really explain it, but I feel like I've accomplished something if I actually post something! Now...if it only made a difference for those reading it.....

Going to bed now to read my book - ooohhh...that's #14. Reading a book for pleasure, and not b/c it's for school!! OH!!! And snuggling with my honey! I love that too.

Going to find a picture that makes me smile and post it....maybe baby Sammy....or roses or something....Alright - found it. Avery with our pet Chicks. I'd like to introduce you to "CHAR-LAY", "Kevin" and "Dug".



Carry on and be safe!

~ Misty