Hello, everyone! I know what you might be thinking, "Another blog? Already? We just got one??" but it's almost the end of the year and I'm super proud that I've had another year of sticking to at least one of my main resolutions ALL YEAR!! I'm also happy that the resolution has meant staying in closer contact with all of the wonderful people that I am blessed to call my friends and family! (Just in case you didn't know last year's was to send an email at least once a month and this year it was to blog at least once a month, and while I haven't been able to blog EVERY month, It's the eleventh month and this is blog #19 or #20 I think so...it averaged out...)
I have to take just a minute to brag on my students. I took my Advance Science class (Seven 7th and 8th graders) to Texas Tech this weekend to compete in the Math & Science Competition and they represented our school very well! As newcomers to the competition, I knew it would be tough, but out of more than 300 middle and high school kids I had 2-Third Place Ribbons, 1-Fourth place ribbon, and one of my students was part of the 2nd place engineering design team!! It was a great day and it even induced an excellent conversation about college today in class!!
A few of you have asked about how things are going with my whole trek to join the Air Force so I thought I'd give you an update on that. I've lost 10 pounds since I've started, unfortunately my workout program is not what I want it to be, but I'm keeping the eating part in check, which for me really has been the biggest struggle. So I'm proud of that! When I don't have papers to grade or a class to substitute, then I go for a walk around the school. On the AFOQT side of things, the part I'm most worried about is the verbal part so I've added a few free apps on my phone that are vocabulary related. I just decided as I was typing this that I should probably also expand my reading library and start reading other things besides the Twilight books--MAYBE!! :) I've also been playing this stupid game on my iPhone that's helping with the Visual Relationships part, unfortunately it's very addictive, but it's a game that I can practice over and over and keep getting better at it, so I am a nerd and I will.
On another note, I'm getting ready for my first set of semester exams. I'm really nervous for me and my students. I also had to sign up to work Christmas night at the funeral home, which is sad, but it's money so I have to buy Christmas presents somehow right? I also have some shifts covered so that I can go to Austin as soon as school's out! Well, that's really all I have for now. Thanks for reading!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
November! Nice!
I just want to start out by saying that it was really hard to pick a title for this blog, I'm really hoping I come up with something better than "November! Nice!" before I finish typing this thing, but I like for it to be, oh what's the word, where the words start with the same letter, like "Super Sunday" or "Terrific Thursday" anyway, November is a hard month to do that with, I was going to choose narly, until I found out it was actually spelled gnarly...so that left nice...ANYWAY!
Well it's been about a month since I've started my "Air Force" diet, starting two new things at the same time became complicated and I was worried I would bail on the whole thing, so I've really been focusing on the diet and nutrtion part the last couple of weeks, but now I'm ready to get back on track with the excercise. I even made out a work out schedule earlier today. I'm going to start using some of those workout videos that I have, using a different workout each day. I'm also really going to make an effort to continue the walks I take during my conference period at school. My excitement about joining the Air Force, though it hasn't been at full force this whole time, is back at a high point after sharing the news with my dad's godmother, whom I might as well call Grandma Bernetta. I took her to the Umbarger Sausage Festival today so we had some time to talk in the car ride, so I told her. It was really nice to see the look of...pride, I think, on her face. I started thinking alot about Nanny after that- as I usually do during the month of November, with it both being the month of remembering the dead and her birthday. I started wondering what her face would look like when I told her and what kind of things we would talk about. How she would encourage me and give me advice the way no one else could, usually ending with us laughing about something. So, my point, which I have, is that in honor of Guinlyn Ann Stanford, aka Nanny, or my mother's mother, I'm going to kick November's ass- in a really positive great way. I'm getting things done, just this afternoon, that I've been putting off for awhile. I even have plans to have my apartment "shindig-ready" in time for a Christmas gathering of the friends, so be thinking of a date friends. Also each Saturday and/or Sunday I will be training with my iPhone app "Couch to 5K" not sure where or when each time, but anyone in the Amarillo Area is more than welcome to come along with me. Teresa and I had a great time the last time we went. Oh- I almost forgot something. So since my last blog and the big annoucement, I've been doing lots of research on Air Force OTS (duh, I'm a nerd that's what we do, right?) Well, I found an Air Force OTS Forum, where people who are applying, have applied or have completed and their families kind of share their thoughts, ideas, whatever. Well, I've found something out that kind of affects my "plan-ish" that I posted last time. I knew that I had to take the AFOQT and the Fitness Test. I found out that I have to submit a packet of stuff to the Selection Boards, either rated (pilots) or non-rated, including test scores, transcripts, letters of recommendation, personal statement and some other stuff. Well, they only have like so many boards a year and I'd probably have to wait until the Fall non-rated board to submit my stuff, and I've found out that sometimes, after being accepted, people wait like 7-10 months before they actually start OTS, so it's going to be a long process, but as Bernetta said today "It'll be worth it!" So I have quite a few great things on the horizon. I'm taking my Advance Science class to Texas Tech this weekend for a Math/Science/Engineering competition, please pray for us, I'm nervous about that. Next week is the St. Mary's Turkey Dinner and the premiere of New Moon- which for anyone who is laughing at this, because you haven't read the books, shut up and read the books! I haven't met anyone, no matter age, gender or occupation, that hasn't read the books and enjoyed them! So why aren't you enjoying them? Then of course it's Thanksgiving, which may be my favorite Holiday! Combine food, family, friends, football and board games- oh Hell yeah! I'm excited about the end of the semester, cause it means I get to go to Austin and see Betsy!! (which may also include a brief stop in Midland to see my wonderful friends that I miss!) Then it's time for a new year! I can't believe how fast this year has gone! I'm really ready to just knock the crap out of the end of this year, and I hope you know that I mean that in a really positive way!
I just want to end 2009 feeling fine!
[Do you see what I did there? you may need to read that last sentence out loud so you can be in on my little joke :) ]
Thanks for reading! I just want to end on this quick little note: I really hope you all have someone like Nanny in your lives. She was quite possibly the most amazing person I've ever known and I'm not sure if I would be me if I hadn't been her granddaughter (not to take any credit away from mom and dad here, of course). So if you do have a Nanny in your life- the kind of person who makes you laugh when you thought you wanted to cry, even if it means that she is laughing at herself, or can give you advice in a way that you know what you should or want to do, without forcing her opinion on you-take her to lunch or coffee and say Thank you! Well, now, that I've got my crying done for the day, I think I'll sign off! Have a great November! I'm sure you'll hear from me again soon!
Well it's been about a month since I've started my "Air Force" diet, starting two new things at the same time became complicated and I was worried I would bail on the whole thing, so I've really been focusing on the diet and nutrtion part the last couple of weeks, but now I'm ready to get back on track with the excercise. I even made out a work out schedule earlier today. I'm going to start using some of those workout videos that I have, using a different workout each day. I'm also really going to make an effort to continue the walks I take during my conference period at school. My excitement about joining the Air Force, though it hasn't been at full force this whole time, is back at a high point after sharing the news with my dad's godmother, whom I might as well call Grandma Bernetta. I took her to the Umbarger Sausage Festival today so we had some time to talk in the car ride, so I told her. It was really nice to see the look of...pride, I think, on her face. I started thinking alot about Nanny after that- as I usually do during the month of November, with it both being the month of remembering the dead and her birthday. I started wondering what her face would look like when I told her and what kind of things we would talk about. How she would encourage me and give me advice the way no one else could, usually ending with us laughing about something. So, my point, which I have, is that in honor of Guinlyn Ann Stanford, aka Nanny, or my mother's mother, I'm going to kick November's ass- in a really positive great way. I'm getting things done, just this afternoon, that I've been putting off for awhile. I even have plans to have my apartment "shindig-ready" in time for a Christmas gathering of the friends, so be thinking of a date friends. Also each Saturday and/or Sunday I will be training with my iPhone app "Couch to 5K" not sure where or when each time, but anyone in the Amarillo Area is more than welcome to come along with me. Teresa and I had a great time the last time we went. Oh- I almost forgot something. So since my last blog and the big annoucement, I've been doing lots of research on Air Force OTS (duh, I'm a nerd that's what we do, right?) Well, I found an Air Force OTS Forum, where people who are applying, have applied or have completed and their families kind of share their thoughts, ideas, whatever. Well, I've found something out that kind of affects my "plan-ish" that I posted last time. I knew that I had to take the AFOQT and the Fitness Test. I found out that I have to submit a packet of stuff to the Selection Boards, either rated (pilots) or non-rated, including test scores, transcripts, letters of recommendation, personal statement and some other stuff. Well, they only have like so many boards a year and I'd probably have to wait until the Fall non-rated board to submit my stuff, and I've found out that sometimes, after being accepted, people wait like 7-10 months before they actually start OTS, so it's going to be a long process, but as Bernetta said today "It'll be worth it!" So I have quite a few great things on the horizon. I'm taking my Advance Science class to Texas Tech this weekend for a Math/Science/Engineering competition, please pray for us, I'm nervous about that. Next week is the St. Mary's Turkey Dinner and the premiere of New Moon- which for anyone who is laughing at this, because you haven't read the books, shut up and read the books! I haven't met anyone, no matter age, gender or occupation, that hasn't read the books and enjoyed them! So why aren't you enjoying them? Then of course it's Thanksgiving, which may be my favorite Holiday! Combine food, family, friends, football and board games- oh Hell yeah! I'm excited about the end of the semester, cause it means I get to go to Austin and see Betsy!! (which may also include a brief stop in Midland to see my wonderful friends that I miss!) Then it's time for a new year! I can't believe how fast this year has gone! I'm really ready to just knock the crap out of the end of this year, and I hope you know that I mean that in a really positive way!
I just want to end 2009 feeling fine!
[Do you see what I did there? you may need to read that last sentence out loud so you can be in on my little joke :) ]
Thanks for reading! I just want to end on this quick little note: I really hope you all have someone like Nanny in your lives. She was quite possibly the most amazing person I've ever known and I'm not sure if I would be me if I hadn't been her granddaughter (not to take any credit away from mom and dad here, of course). So if you do have a Nanny in your life- the kind of person who makes you laugh when you thought you wanted to cry, even if it means that she is laughing at herself, or can give you advice in a way that you know what you should or want to do, without forcing her opinion on you-take her to lunch or coffee and say Thank you! Well, now, that I've got my crying done for the day, I think I'll sign off! Have a great November! I'm sure you'll hear from me again soon!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)