An Homage To A Great Teacher!

Well folks, it's all over but the crying. I am finished school, and after my practicum, I will be officially graduated. I'm even getting a graduation picture, just like a real person!
Today I went by my school to sign off on my marks and I wanted to bring my wonderful Professor some sort of gift for all her efforts. I was going to get her a plant, but that just wasn't good enough for this wonderful lady, so I ended up getting her a ginormous slow cooker. She loves food, and she is probably one of the busiest people on the planet, so I thought that would be a good idea especially since she has growing teens to feed. We must have hugged and kissed each other a hundred times. It was like we missed each other all ready! But she was gracious enough to give me her personal cell # and e-mail address, promising to remain good pals forever. And I will be keeping in touch with her, as she has single-handedly changed my life. You know how you can pick out just a few people in your life that you know changed the course of your future? Well, she's one of those people for me, and believe me there hasn't been many in my life. I could sing her praises all day long. She really cared about our success, and her job is completely thankless. Some of the stranger types seem to give her a hard time, for no reason, but, if you show up, listen to her and do as she teaches, you can't lose. She is also very musically talented and gave me one of her CD's, on which she wrote all her own music. Her voice is smooth and beautiful. Holly and I were floored. God Bless You, Doc....Don't stop doing what you do. You made me believe I could actually do it and you will forever be my mentor, my model and now, my friend! Love you!

How Time Flies...

Has it really been that long since I wrote?? Wow!
O.k. All the latest that's fit to report. I will be finished school on Friday, May 7th and then have my big exam the following Monday, May 11th. From the 12th until July 3rd, I do my practicum and that's it, I'm done!! I am on the honour roll, can you believe it?? It was a shock to learn that. I never did well in school before, but I really enjoyed this course. I've learned a lot.
Now for the fun part...we have given up our apartment for July 1st and will be living up at the 'love nest' for the summer. I really wanted to get out of this town, as I hate it here as does Holly. We are so excited to be up north we've already started packing. I really shouldn't say 'we' as it is Holly who is getting us ready to go. She has been so helpful to us, while I've been at school. She's kept the house clean and made some great meals. I'm very proud of her. She is finally done with high school and is really looking forward to going to a bible school in Toronto in the fall. So, we will be moving to Toronto in September and I know I will be able to find a job there. I know of one place in particular that works with Native men who are alcoholics and since I'm native, I would do well there. They are a new agency and are always looking for people, so that would be great. But there are so many opportunities in Toronto, I'm sure I will find something I like.
Holly has also been working on getting her driving license and should have it by July.
Life is very exciting right now, and there's a lot of pressure for this final exam. Please say a prayer for me to remember everything as it's worth 70% of my mark. Whew!!
Right now my mood is very positive, excited even, and everything is going so well. I feel like we will be starting fresh and living a new life, which always excites me. We all have 'Jazz Wings' over this! I think I'm a gypsy at heart. I have never stayed in one place very long except when the kids were growing up and going to school. I didn't want them to have to adjust to a new school all the time, so we stayed put all through their school years. It was a good decision as now they have friends who will probably be lifelong, BFF's!
Everyone in my 'petting zoo' is doing fine except for one fatality. My sweet Heffalump died about a month ago. He first got something called 'Bumblefoot' and lost weight rapidly. Holly began to hand feed him smoothies and oatmeal and we even took him to the vet for some antibiotics. He seemed to rally a bit and gain a bit of weight. But the next week he again lost more weight. I looked in on him one day, and he looked just awful. I picked him up and held him for about an hour. He died in my arms, being petted and talked to which he loved. He tried to squeak for me but barely got it out. I know he was only a hefalump, but I was truly sad to see him go. I loved him very much and if I was feeling down, I would pet him and he'd talk to me and give me wet little kisses. I really miss him. Sleep well, my little sweetheart! I have him in the freezer so I can bury him up at the love nest.
Anyhoo, you may or may not be glad to hear I have quit smoking for nearly 2 months. My life is really not worth living anymore, and I still crave it terribly. Everyday I say to my family, 'I'm smoking tomorrow and you can't stop me!', and everyday they reply, 'O.K. Go ahead'. And every day I don't, but I haven't got a clue why not?! Can anyone give me just one good reason why I shouldn't smoke, cause I can't think of one. Everyone says, 'So you won't die.' That's it, that's the reason. Are you kidding me? Do I really want to live longer and be this miserable?? I really can't see any good reason why I can't smoke. But I tell you what...if my Doctor ever says, 'Tory, you have terminal cancer.', I will leave his office, go to the store and get the biggest pack of smokes ever. And I will enjoy every puff...so there! Sigh....
Actually, I think it would be so hypocritical of me to counsel addicts while smelling of cigarettes. That is honestly the only reason I quit. Plus Holly kept nagging about some crazy second hand smoke stuff...whatever...brat...sigh...why doesn't she move out?...sigh..
O.K. I'm over it...
Anyway, I will be able to write more often once I'm up at the love nest, as my summer will be my own. Boy, I really can't wait. Holly and I are going to be alone for a lot of the time as NIA Hubby will be staying with his mother on work days and just coming up on the weekends until his holidays kick in. So, Holly and I are going to go to garage sales, fishing, lots of swimming at the beach and in the pool after dinner. We will be going to the driving range, the farmers market, reading, I will work on my book, and she will continue with her Hebrew lessons. Not to mention I have some books pertaining to different therapeutic measures that I'd like to read before I start a job in the field. I also have several books I want to read for pleasure as I have read nothing but psych books, reports and other technical things for so many months now, I have to get caught up on the Twilight series, at least that's what my girls tell me. Actually, I read the first one and it was really good.
Anyway, Holly and I are also looking forward to experimenting with food this summer. She has become very interested in cooking lately, and has learned a lot. We watch the food network together a lot and I answer her questions. So, we've gotten together a bunch of recipes to try out. NIA hubby is mostly a meat and potato's man, so we're going to cook with recipes I don't think he'd like.
Well, this was a long post, but I have a lot of stuff happening right now.
I hope you are all well. Yes, Forsythia, I will be blogging once again starting in July. Hi Andrew, I hope you're doing good. I will catch up on all your blogs tonight.
Take care

Still at school....So just a quick note...

Whew~been so busy with tests, tests and more tests..I feel like a lab rat. But I'm doing fine as far as marks go. I just got my mid-term marks and my average was 90%. Not bad for an old lady when there's so much memory work. I have thought and thought about the kind of counseling I'll be doing. I started out wanting to counsel abusive men, and I still may do that, but I'm leaning more on Christian counseling at a church. Well, it could all change again before I'm done, so I'll keep you posted on that.
Holly is doing fine, trying to finish up her high school and then off to pastor's college. Hey, maybe she'd let me be a counselor at her church. Oh boy, mayhem....I can see it now.
Other than that, there is so much not new around here right now. Except, once I get my degree, we will be moving into the city, (Toronto) to be closer to my wonderful mommy-in-law. And work will be better there as well. Sometime in the next few years we will be moving back to the Ottawa area as I miss it so much. I absolutely hate where I live now and I've been here for nearly 6 years and have never warmed up to it.
Holly has been learning to speak, read and write Hebrew. It's hilarious to hear her. She tells me that she is actually dreaming in Hebrew at this point, which is really good. It's funny when I go past her room and she has a Hebrew radio station on...Shalom, you crazy kid!! Actually, she will need it for pastor college and this will put her ahead of the others as it is usually one of the courses you take in order to study the bible.
All the animals are doing well. Lumpy is as fat as ever and the birds are still evil, but we love them. Poppy has 6 eggs on the go right now, but she's not sitting on them much. Maybe she's fed up! Oh well, who has the time for 6 babies right now? Not me, if I can help it. And poor Bunny has lost 2 or 3 teeth in the last few months or so. I think she's older than we think.
Anyway, consider yourselves up to date on my boring life. So sorry I'm posting so little lately. Maybe once I get a job, I'll be able to post all day, every day...lol.
NAI hubby is doing just fine. He's busy at work and managing just fine without me, which is great. I love that about him....I think.
By the way, I seem to have lost my Title Header and no matter what I do, I can't get it back. Any suggestions??? This has been a problem for months and it's driving me crazy. Oh, well.
By the way, I'll be posting new pics of the grandbabies in the next few days. You won't believe how they've grown. You'll find them on my photo/video blog.
Take care

Merry Christmas and Pass the Vodka...

Well, it's that time again people. Christmas cheer, family, birds 'banging', me falling...oh wait...that's just a Friday for me, I forgot.
I hope you are all readier for Christmas than I am!! Nope, not in the least bit ready...sigh. And we're getting the tree today....where did I put those decorations??? I believe they're under a my small mountain of small kitchen appliances in the storage closet. You know, the one that's so crammed full of junk you can't close the door anymore...sigh.
Holly had her surgery on Tuesday. She's doing very well, but has a mouthful of cankers that are causing her more pain than her teeth. Poor Holly! But she has found some solice in swigging vodka every once in awhile. Either it helps the pain or she just doesn't care anymore!! Merry Christmas Holly!
Well, some good news. Ashley, Rob and the grandbabies came on Monday. The kids are getting so big! and so are the grandbabies..lol. I love having them here; I just want to keep them forever..all of them. Somehow, we'll pull this mess together and make a beautiful Christmas of it because I have all the main elements for the best Christmas ever. I have my loving family here all together for the first time in a long time and that's all the Christmas I need.
So, now for 'Adventures in Toryland'. Ashley, Ariel and I go for a simple trip of grocery shopping yesterday, but it was snowing like blazes. We took our bundle buggy with us and when we came back we got stuck with the buggy in the deep snow. Ashley and I are pulling and pulling until I (of course) fell down. That was it. I could not get up no matter how we tried. I was about ready to get out my blackberry to phone Rob to come and get me, as everytime Ashley tried to help me, I would fall again and spin. We look up, and there's a man shoveling snow. Ashley asked him to help us and he came over and helped me up and even pulled our cart for us into the building. It was then I realized it was my next door neighbour! Embarrassing! Ashley couldn't stop laughing long enough to be of any help to me at all...the rotten kid. She's just like her sister...sigh.
Anyway, school is going great and keeping me busy. Homework and more homework, but I'm enjoying it.
Just in case I don't write again before Christmas, may I extend God's Richest Blessings to you all from my family to yours.
Take care

School, School And More School...

I know, it's been awhile..the title says it all. Lots of homework but my grade average is about 95%, so I'm happy with that.
I am so enjoying school, I love learning, it turns out and by the time I'm done, I will have a college diploma as an addictions counselor and community service worker, another words, a social worker. It seems so hard to believe at my age that I will get this diploma and I'm really looking forward to being a help to people. It will make my life worth something, you know?
NIA Hubby and Holly have been so supportive. They have both managed to take care of most of Christmas for me and getting the house ready.
Now for some really fun news! Ashley, Rob and my grandbabies will be down for Christmas this year, for the first time in at least 4 years. I'm so excited to see their little faces making ginger bread houses and cookies etc...So fun.
Poor Holly has to have surgery on Dec. 16, to have her wisdom teeth out...ouch. They have not been able to push through the gums because there is not enough room, so they will have to go after them. I will take the day off school because she has never had an operation before and I know she will be anxious about it.
Tomorrow I go for more laser surgery on my eyes. They have found more bleeding in my eyes and aren't sure they can save my sight, but oh well, life happens. My school is really good about letting me take Holly there to do my notes when I have my laser surgery, so she will go to school with me tomorrow. She's a good kid.
That's all the news for now. I'm not that interesting really right now because my life revolves around school, But I miss you all and a special thanks to Forsythia for hanging in with me.
God Bless you all this Christmas season! May you and yours stay close and warm.
I'll write again soon-er!
Take care

School Days...

Well, I'm back. I've been so busy with homework for this particular module at school. It was body, mind and health and it was very interesting. I really enjoyed it. There was quite a lot of work to do but i loved it. We had 2 tests, an essay and a presentation. I am really convinced that God has truly been directing my ways these days. I can actually get up in front of my class and do a presentation without any signs of a panic attack or anything. I'm getting quite comfortable up there and that's just not me.
We are starting to get some practical teaching on how to practice therapy and I find it very exciting.
In this module and the last, (psychology) my overall mark was 88%. Now before you start thinking about how brilliant I am, I should tell you about our phenomenal teacher. She has her Doctorate, so she's actually a professor. But she's very low key about that and asks us to just call her by her first name. That's actually very helpful to me as, if I had to keep being reminded of how smart she is, I could be intimidated by her. Her manner is not intimidating and she's a lot of fun. But the main thing I appreciate about her, is that, she sets us, her students, up for success. She teaches in such a way that it's really hard not to pass. The way she prepares us for tests is actually the main reason I'm getting decent marks. I really believe this and I thank God for her every day. Each module has ridiculous amounts of information that we have to absorb and at first it doesn't seem humanly possible, but she manages to get it pounded into our silly little heads and with just a little effort on the students part, it works out somehow. For example, the textbooks from which we study can be very convoluted in their definitions. Often, the definition makes no sense at all to me, but Teacher explains it so much simpler and makes it very understandable. She is also brilliant at getting you to retain what you've learned, which was something I was particularly worried about at my 'old age'.
So, yes, school is great and I'm loving it.
In other news...I take Holly to school on the days I have a test because once we write the test, we are able to leave. So, it's company for me and we usually go out for lunch after. Good bonding time for us....er..most of the time. So, yesterday, Holly came to school with me and afterwards went to Wendy's for lunch. We had a good time and went outside to sit on the curb in the parking lot while we were waiting for NAI Hubby to pick us up. He forgot we were at Wendy's and drove by us to go to the school. I started to get up from the curb when I saw him coming and Holly held out her hand to help me up. Good kid, right?? Noooo! She yanks my arm out of the socket, I go flying on my face in the parking lot, landed on my elbow and knee, did some sort of weird 'break dancing' move, (break dancing was never my strong point), my shoe goes flying across the parking lot probably nearly putting Holly's eye out. Suddenly she lets go of me and I'm spinning on my fat belly uncontrollably. When I finally stopped, I look up and she's got her phone in her hand calling Hubby to tell him where we are. She then hangs up the phone and looks down at me. 'What are you doing?' she asks innocently. Urgh, kids. I told her I was practicing my hip-hop moves. How could she have missed that entire theatrical program I put on in the parking lot? I hope no one from school was driving by!
More news of schools and fools to come.
Take care all.

Yes, yes, yes, I know I suck. I am so sorry about the long lull in my blog. I have actually been really busy and have a good excuse for not being here.
I stayed up at the love nest for 5 whole weeks! As you know, one of those weeks were with the grandkids. We had such a wonderful time in spite of the fact that the weather wasn't co-operating a lot. We went fishing and I watched my babies catch their first fish. Yay, a milestone I didn't miss. Scarlett started walking the day she arrived and was walking like a little soldier by the time she left. It was so cute.
I spent the rest of the time relaxing and enjoying my time up there.
Now for the big news! I started school last Monday! Yes, I actually did it, even though I didn't think I could. I am in college for the Addictions and Community Service course. I'm loving it, I really am. The teachers are fantastic and the students are wonderful as well. So far, so good as far as understanding and retaining. This was a concern for me being a 'mature' (nice word for ancient) student.
I had a couple of mishaps at school though. I fell down 2 days in a row. Embarrassing, but I'm used to that! But the second time I fell, on Thursday, I actually sprained my arm. My wrist, fingers and shoulder were throbbing and I couldn't really write very well on Friday, but it worked out. I'm so excited, as on Monday we start psychology. I am very interested in that subject, but I hope I can retain all the facts. I'll just try my hardest and pray.
So, I was thinking...what should I do about my blog as I don't want to just let it go, as I have done for the last couple of months. I have decided to leave it until the weekend, and make an effort to let you all know how it's going. That's better than nothing, right?
So, I'll meet you here next weekend to let you know how my week went.
I have missed you all, and will try not to neglect you through my schooling.
Take care all..