Be Greatful for What You Have

 

Sometimes I feel like I have to drag myself to work, don’t get me wrong, I love my job.  It’s just having to leave the comfort of my warm bed or the fact of having to leave my children and husband for the day.

But It’s always worth it when I get there.  Someday’s my residents are very demanding, but at their age let them be demanding.  I know one thing if I ever have to go to a nursing home I do not want to be gotten up at 4:30 a.m., woken up every two hours to be checked on, or by no means have my pills crushed. 

When you look at their lives and look at your own, you realize that you don’t have it so bad after all.  These people were once businessmen and women, pillars of the community, doctors, lawyers, politicians, educators, nurses, contractors, and the list goes on.  I have met many interesting men and women at my job.  Some cannot fully tell you the details of their life, which is heartbreaking.  To live such miraculous lives and not have the recollection of such events.  But some do have a wonderful story to still tell.

I try to make it a point to have a personal connection with each and every one of my residents daily.  It’s nice to know that on my days off, and when I return, they ask how was your weekend “Angel”.  Many of them do not have any family or friends that come and visit them, so the staff is their families.  I consider each of them my family members.  I spend more time with them than my own family in some weeks.

We have a motto at our work it is “We have dedicated our lives, to make theirs better” and I fully stand by this motto.  When the day is over and I get to go clock out for the day and go home to my family, these men and women remain.  Only to see the changing of shift faces.  When you see these people and what they no longer have or have access too, rather it be personal items, family, or just a memory that cannot quite remember, It makes you realize that you need to be greatful for what you have in your own life.

 

395 Words

10 minutes

I believe that I am a good photographer

 

          I have always enjoyed taking pictures, rather it be flowers, seasonal scenery, or my favorite thing my children.  I remember when I used to take pictures with an old camera that required the 110 film cartridges.  Then I moved up to disposable cameras.  Those were awesome, just take a picture till the film was gone drop it off and your pictures were developed.

          When my daughter was born, I decided that I wanted a good camera, one I could really capture memories with. So I went out and got myself a good Fuji camera.  I absolutely love this camera.  I have taken thousands, and I mean thousands of pictures with this camera.

          I like to take side shot pictures with my camera of my children, I feel like it really captures the essence of their little faces.  I have entered numerous pictures in the county fair, and have done very well.  I have placed third, second many times, and first a few times. 

          I love also to take black and white pictures.  I have many photos of the kids in my bedroom that are all black and white pictures that I have taken and blown up to 8 X 10, and 10 X 13 photos.  My favorite on of my daughter is when she was three and is sitting in her swimming pool holding a beach ball.  And the one of my youngest son, about eight months old, with an Indianapolis Colts football helmet on.  The helmet is twice the size of his little head, but it so cute tilted over.

          I love taking pictures, pictures can say a lot about a person.  I love the memories I have created by taking pictures.  I have made all three of my children wonderful scrapbooks with pictures of their first years.  These memories I can hold on to forever.

 

315 Words

10 Minutes

Know Your Audience Blog Post

Lesson 4.4

 

                In taking online classes one of the biggest disadvantages is not having the opportunity to have the face-to-face interaction with your teacher and classmates.  It’s not the “traditional” classroom setting that most of us are used to.

                The “Know your Audience” question gave us all the opportunity to have that personal interaction with each other.  I really enjoyed the opportunity to learn a little about each of my classmates.   

                There were many interesting questions.  Some questions really made me have to think on my answers, while others were more relative questions.  One question that really made me think was “What painting best describes you, title and painter?” I had to do some research on this one.  Another one that really made me have to think was the “What color is your attitude? Explain well.”  This question could have had many different answers depending on what day I was asked. 

                There were many fun questions as well.  Like “Where would you like to vacation?”  This question was an easy question for me to answer.  My husband and I have been talking about going to Hawaii for quite some time.  It is our “dream” vacation.  After completing my education, I think, I am going to reward myself for all my hard work with such a vacation. 

                It’s nice to feel like I’ve gotten to know a lot of my classmates through this assignment.  Chances are we will never get to meet face to face, unless we already know each other outside of school, or possibly are taking the same majors and do end up, by chance, in the same seated classes.

                These questions also gave us all a glimpse into one another’s likes, dislikes and personalities. Some were more serious, while others were light in humor.  I believe we can all learn from each other, rather be our interactions on the discussion boards, blog posts, or our writing groups to develop our own style of unique writing. 

                I look forward to getting to know each of my classmates even more through these final weeks of our short summer session together.

 

353 Words

What I believe to be the best movie of all times:  The Wizard of Oz

  

     The Wizard of Oz, I would say is my favorite movie.  I started loving this movie as a young girl.  This movie would come on every year about the same time on TNT, around the middle of November.  My grandma and I would look forward to watching this movie all day.  I would help her get the popcorn ready, this was the closest thing I had to going to the movies with my grandma. 

     This movie was originally put out in the movie theaters in 1939.  My grandmother was young girl, she would tell me how her and her mother went to see it at the movies.  And how that a lot of the movie had been edited and removed.

     Judy Garland, who plays Dorothy a young Kansas girl, who is taken away by a twister to the wonderful magical world of Oz.  She meets the Munchins, Glenda, the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion along the way.  Oh and let us not forget my most favorite character the Wicked Witch of the West.  All to get the the Wizard of Oz to grant her the one wish of being able to go back home.

     I have always been fascinated with this movie, I don’t know if its because of the memories my grandmother and I made watching this movie, or the movie itself.

     I love how the movie starts off in black and white, and when she arrives in Oz, and opens the door in Munchin Land, it is all color and beautiful.  This movie was made along time ago, but the graphics and attention to detail are remarkable. 

     I have many collectables of this movie as well, I have for the past several years, gotten snow globes with the characters inside them, I have salt and pepper shakers, and a pair of ruby slipper Christmas ornament.  I watch this movie all the time.  My husband doesn’t care to watch it with me because I recite the movie. 

    I would have to say that I have traveled the Yellow Brick Road on many occasions, and love it each and every time that I do.

 

369 Words

10 Minutes

    

 

The Cardinal

 

     Many people think that the red cardinal symbolizes a person in your life that has passed on and has came to visit you.  I go out onto my deck every morning to look at the view, and every morning there is a beautiful red cardinal perched on my fence row.

     I like to think of it as my grandfather coming to tell me good morning, I know to some of you that sounds crazy.  But I always say “Good morning, Grandad” and the bird looks at me then flys away.  This has happened everyday for over a month now.  It gives me a reason to think about whats beyond.

     My grandfather was a very special man, my grandmother and him had six children of their own, four girls, and two boys.  All stair stepped in age.  My mother had me a an early age for thirty-eight years ago, at age eighteen.  My grandparents raised me pretty much from infancy, my mother, whom I love dearly just wasn’t ready for the responsibility of a child at the time.

     My grandfather, loved me like I was one of his own daughters.  In fact, he is the one who named me.  My mom struggled with many names, but when my grandfather came into the room after I was born, he said “Look at that beautiful little Angel”, thus how I got the name Angel. 

     My grandfather taught me many things in life, how to ride a bike, how to “properly” mow the grass, how to garden, how to drive a car, and how to be the person I am today.  I never knew my real father, but I was blessed to have such a great man be my “bonus” dad.  I always called him Grandad, and when he died, I was devastated.  Seeing this little bird everyday, in some way makes me feel a peace that he is still with me.

 

320 Words

10 minutes

The Night Before My 17th Wedding Anniversary

The Night before my 17^th  Wedding Anniversary

 

     I will never forget the night before my 17^th wedding Anniversary this year.  My Anniversary was last Saturday, June 20^th.  I arrived home from work Thursday night and had to get straight to bed, I was scheduled to go back to work at 6:00 a.m. the next morning. 

     We had been under a flash flood warning since 7:00 p.m. and wasn’t suppose to be lifted till 11:00 a.m. the next day.  Well my husband, Jackson, comes rushing into our bedroom around 2:30 a.m. saying “Your not going to make it to work, you need to call in now.”  I wasn’t fully awake and was really wondering what he was talking about. 

     So I got up to walk out on my front deck to see that our yard looked like an island in the middle of Tablerock Lake.  I live in Reeds Springs, little did I know this town is rhetorical for flooding. 

     My husband and oldest son, Roger, was all dressed up in there rain coat, boots, and hats.  We had to move our vehicles as far up in the yard as possible for the flood waters were literally rushing.  My husband tried to break the drainage pipes across the yard free, but the currents were so strong he could hardly stand.

     Waves were crashing like the ocean in my drive, rocks the size of basketballs rushing down the hill across the drives like balloons in the wind, logs floating down the road, It was the most crazy thing I’d have even seen.  I had never seen a “flash flood”, well know I can say I have.

      My husband and son traveled the waters, that were by now waist deep, to check on our neighbor at the end of our road, her poor little dog was tied up, holding his little neck just paddling away trying to survive.  My son freed the dog, and my husband was saving turtles.  I told my husband turtles can swim, he said to me “Not when there flipping end over end at 30 miles per hour.”

     Finally around 5:00 a.m. the rains let up and we decided to try and call it a night.  When we awoke on Saturday morning, we discovered the real disaster.  Our driveway and our private road was washed out.  We had a 20 foot around by about 5 feet deep sink hole to the side of our drive where the waters had completely washed the road away.  A two foot trench lined the backside of our drive, our road was under approximately 3 feet of water.  Our drive rocks washed down the road.  Thankfully my father-in-law has a little tractor and leveled our drive, however it took three days to do so.

 

460 Words

10 Minutes

I Believe that I Am a Great Multi-Tasker

June 25, 2015

     Multi-tasking, well I believe that I am the queen of it.  Where do I begin to explain the reasons why?  First of all I am married, have three children ranging from ages five to eighteen. Yes, there is quite an age difference.  It’s a busy household at our home.  I work anywhere from forty to fifty hours a week.  I usually work the 2pm-10pm at night shift.  But, recently have been working the 6am-2pm shift.  Now that I have started school, I usually get up around 7 am, and get on the computer.  On Mondays, I use this time to prioritize the weeks assignments.  I didn’t quite realize how difficult it would be taking two on-line course over the summer session.  With my two classes together, I have anywhere from twelve to fifteen assignment due throughout different days of the week.  So it’s important to make a plan of action in the beginning of the week, or I would never have enough time to get everything completed.  I usually work at least four hours before work on lessons, then take my books to work with me to read or make notes on upcoming assignments.  My lunch and regular breaks are spent doing school work.  After work, I again work on school work till its time to go to bed.  Then repeat the same routine daily.  I also while working on school work, have two of my children that require my attention.  I have to make breakfast, get clothes ready, give bathes all the normal “mom” duties.  It’s sometimes very hectic at my house with everyone pulling me in different directions.  I want to have more time to be with my children, working on the 2pm-10pm shift doesn’t give me much time with them.  When school is in session, I wake my daughter up, get her ready for school and drive her there.  This gives me only about 45 minutes with her each day, because the time I get home at night she is already asleep.  I know when I get my Nursing license I will be able to have more pull on getting a different shift.  The job I do now there is no position to give me a full time position.  But as a nurse, I will be able to go onto a full-time dayshift position, to have more time of an evening with my children.  My daughter is eight and going into third grade, while my youngest will start Kindergarten next fall.  The time is coming upon me soon for ball practices, cheerleading, softball, girl scouts, and many more activities that are hard for them to be in because I can’t be present to help out.  I don’t want my children to miss out on a great fun-filled childhood, therefore I am making the change now, before I look and see them graduating high school, liked my oldest son just did this May.

428 words
10 minutes

I believe I am a blue ribbon winning pie baker

I believe I am a Blue Ribbon Winner
June 24, 2015


  Five years ago, our small town fair had it first "Cooking Challenge".  The first prize was $25, it was more about the prestige in our town and getting your picture in next years fair book and local newspaper, than actually winning the prize.  The subject was "Rhubarb".  If any of you have ever cooked with rhubarb, you know it is a very temper mental vegetable or some like to call it a fruit.  I decided to make a Strawberry-Rhubarb pie.  I went to an elderly lady across town's house to pick the fresh Rhubarb.  I tried to get the best pieces available.  It had been a really raining spring, much like we've had here in Missouri this year, which makes Rhubarb not want to ripen well.  I went home and carefully cleaned it, diced it, and blanched it adding my "secret" ingredient Strawberry Jell-O.  I made my crust from scratch, rolling with very much attention to detail.  I put the first shell in, then put my filling in. Then I carefully cut out a lattice top.  Baked it golden brown.  It looked like something that should have been on the cover of Rachel Ray's magazine.  Then I decided it needed just a little more "special touch" so I made some homemade vanilla icing and drizzled it over the top making a flowering pattern, it was absolutely beautiful and what I thought a work of art.  I took it down to the fair, registered it in, and got a number I was No. 3.  I waited for the contest to start, anxiously awaiting for the judge to go to my pie.  She felt the crust all around the edges for texture, then cut a slice and put on a small white paper plate.  She took 2 bites, smiled at me, and moved on.  Then after a few more tastings of my competition, she came back to my pie again.  This time she finished the piece.  There was 11 of us waiting patiently to see would win the prize.  She announced second and third place, neither was me.  I had a flutter in my stomach, thinking well either I won or didn't even place.  Finally she said, the winner is the maker of the pie which is titled "Summer Rhubarb Drizzle Pie".  I was so excited, they gave me my check, took my picture for the paper, and pinned it win the First place blue ribbon.  I went on for the next three years, to win first place each year in the Cooking Challenge.  I think some of the fair women was happy to see me move out here.

Assignment 4.2 This I Believe Personal Credo

      I was raised by my grandparents, therefore I have a lot of respect for the elderly.  I would always visit my grandmother on a daily basis, do errands, laundry and clean her house.  I did this not only for her but helped with some of her neighbors in her apartment complex.  I would take her neighbor to get her hair done and to the grocery store or just take them on drives to get them out of their apartments.  When I moved out here to Missouri, I felt like to fill the whole in my heart for my grandmother, I would become a CNA and work in a nursing home.  I absolutely love my job.  I am now a Med Tech, but still do a lot of one on one care with the residents.  You have to understand that these people were once our age, had homes, had lives of their own and never would have imagined being where they are today.  I try and make each and everyone of my residents feel like there my grandmother or grandfather.  I have grown to love these people.  I couldn’t imagine not having this job, this is why I have decided to become a nurse.  I plan on staying in the nursing home field, because of my love for these elderly.  I believe this is my calling in life.  These residents of mine, are a part of my family.  I have dedicated my life to better the quality of their final years.

250 Words

I believe- Freewrite

I believe that I am a wonderful wife, for many reasons.  I met my husband 20 years ago, and 17 years ago today we said “I do”.  We have three children, two boys and one daughter.  Roger, Joshua and Lilly.  Roger is our oldest, he is 18.  Lillyan is 8 and Joshua just turned 5 in April.  We lived most of our lives in Indiana, where we both were born and raised.  Until 3 years ago, we decided to move out here to Missouri.  His parents and sister already lived here.  All my family lived in Indiana.  I prayed for a long time for God to give me direction on what I should do, move out here so my husband and children could be with his parents or stay in Indiana with all of my family.  I was a hard decision, but I decided yes we would move out here.  I left all of my family, my mother, brothers, cousins, friends, and my grandmother who I had seen almost everyday of my life.  See I lived only two blocks from my grandma and would take the kids over there everyday and visit with her, help her do her laundry, clean her house, run errands in town for her, she is my best friend compared to my husband.  She was the one I had the most of a hard time leaving.  I call her everyday to check on her.  It breaks my heart sometimes to know that she is there at the apartment by herself.  I have aunts and uncles and member of her church drop in on her quite frequent but its not like me being there for her.  My husbands parents moved to Colorado when I was 7 months pregnant with our first child, then they moved to Missouri about 12 years later.  We would only see his parents maybe twice a year.  My children we missing out of knowing their grandparents.  My husband was missing out on spending time with his father.  I decided to move here so my children and my husband could have these last precious years.  I wanted my children to know their other grandparents and I wanted my husband to have that relationship with his father before it was to late.  I miss my family dearly, but when I see the look on my childrens face when grandma and grandpa are here, or see the bond my husband has with his father it was all worth my sacrifice.

Word Count (414)

I Believe

I Believe that:

1. I am wonderful mother.
2. I am a wonderful wife
3. I am a wonderful daughter
4. I am a wonderful sister-in-law
5. I am a wonderful daughter-in-law
6. I am a great sister
7. I am a great cook
8. I am a great gardener
9. I am a great hobbiest
10. I am a great painter
11. I am a good singer
12. I am a great baker
13. I am a blue ribbon winning pie baker
14. I am a fair winning flower arranger
15. I am a great CMT.
16. I am a loving, caring person with the elderly
17. I am a generous person
18. I am a collector of many things
19. I am a great multi-tasker
20. I believe I will be a great nurse.
21. I believe that I am a server of God
22. I am a somewhat pretty good cake decorator
23. I believe I am a great photographer
24. I believe that I am a very punctual person
25. I am a creature of habit
26. I am a loyal person
27. I can be a great friend
28. I believe that second chances are worth giving
29. I believe I am an unselfish person
30. I believe I keep a pretty clean house
31. I am a very respectful person
32. I believe I can decorate a home pretty well
33. I am a good hairstyler
34. I believe I am great at crafts

Jung Typology Results

     When taking the Jung typology test, I realized some of my strengths and weaknesses.  I was scored with a INFJ.  I learned I am more of and Introversion person than and Extroversion.  I do tend to be shy is some situations.  I use my intuition over senses.  I would definitely agree with this, I "go with my gut" in a lot of my decision making processes.  I also learned that I am more apt to go with my feelings over thinking.  This is one area where I would have to somewhat disagree.  I am a very good thinker and planner.  And the final category placed me being more toward the judgmental side over perceiving. This is one area I would like to improve in, I hope that way my writing will be more factual than bias.  This was a very interesting test, and I was very interested in reading the results.  I hope that this will help me be a better critical thinker and more of a outgoing person when it comes to my writing.