cheaters.

Guess what I just caught my girls doing??? CHEATING!!! Natalie had homework and Trinity did not. All Natalie had to do was trace the letter "C" and then write a few of her own. Well, she kept insisting that she could not do it, while I kept insisting that she could. This went on for more than an hour. Later I left the room to blog, and when I came back, the girls were eating Halloween candy and playing. I looked around for Natalie's homework and found it in her folder, completed. As soon as I saw the "C's," I knew that they were not written by Natalie. I went to ask Trinity if she did her sister's homework. She said "No," but it was written all over her face. So I asked her again, and told her to tell the truth. This time she said "Yes." I still don't really know what to do when it comes to punishment, so I talked to her about how it is important that her sister does her own homework. She agreed with me, but I am very worried that this could happen regularly in the future! Imagine the switching of homework that these girls could do in high school!!!

h1n1.

The swine flu. For months now it has spread across the globe like wildfire. Scaring everyone into wearing masks every time they leave their house, making people obsessively disinfect themselves AND their belongings. I admit, I was a little freaked out when it became a "pandemic," but then I learned more about it in my microbiology class and found that the word "pandemic" only means that it is found everywhere-not that everyone is dying from it. I was also informed that h1n1 is not as terrible as its cousin, the h5n1 (AKA bird flu), which struck a few years ago. Because of this, I was not afraid. In fact, I often even played with germs in my micro class and liked it! And just in case you're curious, this is what swine flu looks like under a microscope:



Darling, isn't it?! Well, it turns out when you actually acquire this little guy, there is NOTHING darling about it!!! Back in September, I got sick. At first I thought it was a cold, or my allergies acting up. Then I seemed to feel better. But then a couple days later I was hit HARD with a fever, aches, chills, cough, and congestion. I felt BAD. Bad enough that I went to the ER to get tested for this "pig flu." When I got there, they immediately handed me a piece of paper that stated that the state of Florida was no longer testing people for swine flu. This confused me. They did the normal vitals and checked me in, made me wait for forever, then when the doctor came in he was like "Why are you here? You just have a cold." Then he gave me some steroids and sent me on my way. He was an ass. (Excuse me.) (And by the way, if the state of Florida is no longer testing for swine flu, how are they coming up with all of these statistics that the news people keep reporting?) Anyway, I did not get better, and I knew that I did not just have a cold. Days went by and I got to the point that it hurt to breathe. Just walking the short distance to my bathroom to pee was exhausting. I have NEVER in my life felt as bad as I did. My body ached, including my spine, my neck, and my head. I was having hot and cold flashes. For one week straight, I had a high fever of over 101 that would not break. I really thought I was dying. I almost wanted to. My mom finally talked to me on the phone one day and thought that I sounded so bad, that I had lost the will to live (I don't think I really had, but whatever.). So she somehow got her doctor Trish to see me on her day off. By this time, I was so dehydrated (both food and drink tasted terrible to me) that she hooked me up to an IV right in her office. They gave me Tylenol to try and break my fever (it did not go down the whole two hours I was there) and they tested me for the regular flu. It was negative. I kept saying "I know it is the swine flu." I had all the symptoms. She gave me a shot of antibiotics, plus a prescription, and told me that if I did not feel better in a day or two, to go to the ER again.

Well, surprise, surprise! I did NOT feel better. I was WORSE. I don't know how it became even possible for me to feel worse, but I did. I went back to the ER, but to the one on the other side of town (really, it is in the next town over) because their reputation is better, they get you in and out fast, and we know a nurse there. They took one look at me and knew I was not doing well. I could barely walk. My fever was still high, even though I was already taking Tamiflu (which I think I was allergic to because it made me itchy, but I finished it anyway), along with antibiotics and a cocktail of other over the counter drugs. They ran all sorts of tests on me (still not the swine flu test), gave me something to stop the itching and make me sleep, and then got my x-rays back and told me I had pneumonia. AHA! The swine flu causes pneumonia, among other things respiratory! Ok, that isn't really proof, but I just know in my gut that is what I had at first. Besides, my teacher said that there were others in the class with it. Anyway, I had the choice of going home with my meds or staying in the hospital. I chose to stay there. And I am glad I did. I got round the clock treatments and didn't get any sleep that night, but I finally started to feel better, after more than two weeks of being sick, including being sick on my birthday.

My IV antibiotics and breathing treatments were what did the trick. The next day I was told again that I could stay longer if I wanted, but I felt better and was so tired that I decided to go home. It still took me awhile to get back to normal, but I think I am finally there now. I was short of breath for weeks after, and I was still very, very tired. In the end, I ended up missing so much school that I had to drop the semester. I cried, because it means that I will not be able to apply for my program for another year, but my health is more important.

So to those who are in fear of the infamous swine flu, I say, be smart. Get vaccinated. (I'm going to.) Don't freak out, but do wash your hands a little more frequently than normal. I survived and you can too!

31.

On September 19th, I turned 31. Don't you love my cake pictured above?! Just kidding! I'm obviously not "1", nor is my name "Piper." But I do LOVE this cake! I am really into birds and owls right now, and this cake kind of shows the look that I am always admiring in craft stores or on Etsy. I actually found this cake on a super COOL blog. Seriously, if you LIKE to watch Duff and his crew at "Charm City Cakes" on The Food Network, then you will LOVE the Pink Cake Box. I spent FOREVER going through their blog, admiring all of their beautiful cakes.

And by the way, I actually did get a beautiful cake of my own for my birthday this year. I only wish I had photographed it! My awesome mother-in-law Tina got it for me from The Fresh Market, where she works. It was all white chocolate with pieces of white chocolate on top. Unfortunately, I did not get to enjoy it the way a birthday cake should be enjoyed. I actually only took a small bite of it, and that was it. If you know me, then you know that this is quite unusual behavior for me. All you have to do is say the word CAKE and I AM THERE. But this was not the case on my birthday. I was sick. I mean, sleeping all day, all night, only waking up to take more drugs kind of sick. I was down. Out for the count. Gone. I have never been so sick in my entire life. It is actually a whole other post in and of itself, so I will not say anymore about it. Let's just say I knew I had my birthday, but I didn't care. It didn't even hit me that I had turned a whole year older until AFTER my whole sickness ordeal.

As I realized that I was no longer just "30" but now "in my thirties," I began to cry. Stupid, I know, but I was finally feeling better after being so sick, and I had so many emotions that needed to come out. I cried because I knew I was getting older, because I didn't get to enjoy my birthday, so I felt like it came and went without me, and that is not supposed to happen!!! I also cried because I did not get to enjoy my beautiful cake. While I was sick things did not taste right, so I just told my family to eat it. And they did. Then, as I was pondering this post, I tried to think of happy things that are associated with the number 31. Here is what I came up with:

1. October 31st is Halloween! This is one of my FAVORITE holidays!

2. Baskin Robbins has 31 flavors of ice cream! Who can go wrong with that?!

3. January 31st is New Year's Eve! For as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed ringing in the new year with parties, festivities, fun, food, and the ever-popular ball drop in NYC!

Ok, so I could only come up with three. But those three are enough. I am 31 and I am happy. Happy Birthday to me!!!

moo-ve over!

So a couple weeks ago, we were headed to the VA. We like to take the back roads to the freeway, because it always seems faster. But not this time! Much to our surprise, the cars were at a halt, and further up the road we could see police lights and trucks swerving from left to right. As usual, we were running late for our appointment, so we really didn't have time for whatever was going on. But as soon as we realized what WAS going on, our annoyance turned into hysterical laughing and delight. You see, there was a COW running down the road! Hilarious, right?! The police, animal control, and probable owners were all slowly driving next to it, trying to coax it to go a certain way. The poor thing was looking a little confused, as he stopped, went one way, then another. When we finally got close enough, I took this shot...

My grandpa has a cattle ranch and my parents, along with two of my mom's siblings, all live on it, so we pretty much love cows here. As a child I used to run around in the pasture, and now my husband and kids do too. It's great. There's nothing cuter than a moo-moo!

the story of the one man.

One day, there was this one man, who went outside, and walked down his one street. He walks by his one streetlight. He looks across the street and sees a polar bear, looking in the window of a restaurant. He walks up to this one big polar bear and asks him what he is doing. The polar bear replies, "I am so hungry. I am just imagining eating the food in the restaurant." And so the one man asks the polar bear if he likes Italian food. And the polar bear says that he likes any kind of food. So the one man invited the polar bear to have dinner with him, at his favorite one Italian food restaurant. And the polar bear joined the one man at the one Italian food restaurant, and they both ate lasagna. The polar bear got full as well as the one man. The polar bear thanked the one man, as they parted ways. And the one man went home, inside his one house, through his one front door, up his one set of stairs, into his one bedroom, where he lay in his one bed, and went to sleep.

Every night before bed, Trinity asks her daddy to tell her the story of the one man. If for some reason he can't, she flips out. She loves this one man. He has many adventures, and his story never ends, because every night he does something new. Terry invented this "one man," but Trinity will sometimes decide what direction the one man story will go. It is often jumbled and sometimes doesn't make any sense, but as long as it is about the one man, Trinity is happy. We sure do love that daddy.

finding a niche.

For years Terry has been trying to get a college degree. He has had several majors throughout his college career, too. He has attempted a degree in Information Systems, Information Technology, Computer Science, Internet Security, and General Academics. Maybe there are more-I can't really remember. What I do remember is that while he enjoyed his classes, he was never really able to finish some of them, mostly due to his MS. He was also never truly happy with what he had chosen to do with his life. So he took class after class, and pretty soon he had all these credits and student loans with no degree to show for it. He finally just gave up. He figured he wasn't meant to get a degree. He figured he'd just stay home and do nothing with his life. Then we moved back to Florida. Again, he tried to take classes, this time to get an insurance license. Again he failed. This is where I finally stepped in. I have known for a few years now that the day would come, where I would need to leave the home and start working to support our family. I have had many mediocre jobs here and there, but never anything I could see myself doing for the rest of my life. So when the opportunity to go back to school presented itself, I couldn't say no.

You see, after we moved back to Florida, Terry's VA disability was finally increased to 100%. Some may see this as a bad thing. For us, this was a good thing. This meant that the girls and I could now have health insurance. This meant that more benefits were available to Terry. And most importantly, this meant that I was now able to go back to school, and the VA would help pay for it. It truly is a wonderful blessing. I am now working towards getting my ADN, or Associate Degree of Nursing (RN). But this post isn't about me. It is about my personal hero, my husband.

I started going back to school in January of 2009. I had so much fun, and Terry could see that. So as the semester was ending and I was preparing to take summer classes, Terry decided that he wanted to join me. Not in the sense that he wanted to take the same classes as me, but in the sense that he too wanted to go back to school yet again. I was a little worried. We'd been down that road so many times, only to find despair and disappointment. But he insisted that he could do it. And he did. He signed up for digital media classes--classes that would get him a degree in Graphic Design. And he LOVED it! Never had I seen him so excited about school. Two semesters later, he is still going strong. At first I was worried. I kept asking him, "Are you sure you're going to finish this time?" And he would reply with "Yes. I told you, I'm going to finish school this time, no matter what." He's determined to finish. It's what he's always wanted. He will be the first one in his family to earn a college degree when he's done. I am so proud of him. He has finally found his niche.

back to school.

On August 24th, Trinity, Natalie, and I all went back to school. Trinity is now in kindergarten, Natalie is in pre-k, and me, well, I am still working on my second degree.

The girls were so excited that morning, especially Natalie. She would watch Trinity do her homework last year or come to a school party where family was invited, and be so envious of the place that Trini got to go to everyday! Now that she gets to go to school everyday too, she cries when it is time to come home! She has just barely decided to use the potty, and I am so grateful that she is doing so well so that she can go to school. Trini loves kindergarten so far, and there are only a handful of children in her class. Yet another reason why I love Suncoast so much and hate the public school system. We know most of the teachers there and for going up to the eighth grade, the school is surprisingly small. I feel so blessed that we are able to send our girls to a private school, where they can get more one on one attention, and where school feels like family.

As for me, I am taking Anatomy and Physiology I and Sociology. I have the same professor for A&P that I had for Biology and Microbiology, so I am hoping it will be a breeze. We'll see. I am not sure where I stand with Sociology, but I am hoping it will be an easy "A."

Terry is also going to school this semester. His class started tonight. He is working on a graphic design degree, which he seems very adamant about. I am really hoping that he finishes. He's taking three classes (Quark, Illustrator, and Intro to Digital Media), but is lucky in the sense that they are block classes. So he has one for 12 weeks and then two others for 12 weeks. I wish mine worked out like that!

There are many people who have contributed to furthering our education. One of them is my wonderful great-aunt Jacqueline. I know that my Heavenly Father has opened the doors for me (and my family) and I am so thankful to the people who are helping us get there. Coincidentally, the visiting teaching message this month is about furthering your education and being committed to life-long learning. I never thought that I would NEED to go back to school, but I am happy I did. I love learning, reading, and filling my mind with knowledge. It is, after all, the only thing that we can take with us when we die. I hope that I have instilled my love for learning into my children. As of right now, they both love to watch educational programs on television, including shows on the science channel and the discovery channel. What kid normally watches that?! I don't know many.

Unfortunately I have also seen the effects of the mind crumbling due to disease. Terry is far from stupid, but his mind is not as it was. I have seen what challenges life can bring, and I know that it is important to do what you can, while you can. Maybe that is why I am always in such a rush? Either way, education is important. Everyday is an opportunity to learn something new. May we grasp the chance to learn while we can.