Saturday, March 26, 2011

Poetry!!!

Poetry to me is like Romeo and Juliet. I don't particularly like it and I don't get it. If I had to set down and write a poem I would try to make every line rhyme like a song does sometimes. I'm clueless to how it really is because I like to read but Poetry is not my choice.

When I hear Poetry, what comes to mind is TOTAL BOREDOM! Sorry but I just don't get it. I'm hoping that after reading the assignment Poetry I will have a better understanding and not ward off the word. Every time I've had to read it in the past I always have to go and reread it because I just don't comprehend. Its like a mental block so I'm trying to clear my mind and go in open minded. Never know I may gain a lot of passion for Poetry and grow to love it. I welcome a challenge and I'm ready to jump into poetry!!!

Friday, March 25, 2011

Parties, Parties, and more Parties.....

Whew, I'm a busy girl!!! Besides work, school and a family, I have a sis that is getting ready to give birth to her first baby. A sweet little boy who is due in June. I can't wait and then I'm like OMGosh I've got so much to plan and get ready and it just doesn't seem like we have much time. I have a shower coming up for her in a couple of weeks which will be her diaper shower. Followed by my daughters birthday party the next day and then her other "normal" shower the following month. Who knew you would need so many showers to get all that you need for a small one. But that is one thing she is going to figure out soon. She only had to take care of herself and most recently her husband so this will be a rude awakening but also a pleasurable experience that will bring so many memories. Some trying and some wonderful but no matter what it will be so worth it. There is no feeling like hat first time they hand you your fresh little bundle of joy. No words can describe to feeling that comes over you at that time. It brings a lifetime full of happiness and some sadness. I'm so excited for her to experience this and it will be here before we know it:)

Book Club

I love to read!!! I just wish I had more time to leisure read instead of reading for assignments. My fellow coworkers have came up with the idea of a book club and we started two weeks ago. Some have already finished their book and I'm not even halfway there. I try to take at least 20 minutes a day and leisure read because I find it very relaxing.

We started the book club with Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah. I discovered Kristen over the summer before I started school and it was love at first sight:) I read Between Sisters and gave it rave reviews as it was a story that pulled me in head first and I lived it. I really played it all in my mind as I was reading and never wanted to put it down. It was both touching and reliable. I love the books where the story line is very attracting and makes you yearn for more. Lucky for me she has several books available that I can download to my Nook and read til my heart's desire this summer. Gosh I can't wait!!!

Cutting it CLOSE!!!

I'm really cutting it close with assignments lately. Which is sooooo unlike me because I'm always trying to get ahead and keep a safe distance. I feel so overwhelmed!!! Maybe I shouldn't have such a full load right now. Its the halfway mark and a lot is due plus Anatomy is TOUGH:-/ I have a very strict and prompt professor which I appreciate but sometimes its hard to follow. He gives so much homework then complains about having to grade all weekend. I get it believe me! Do you really think I want to spent my weekends doing homework???? Not hardly! I have two small children who are doing without me right now and not to mention the sleep deprivation. I thought I didn't sleep when my kids were babies, boy was I wrong. I get less sleep now and they sleep all night long. Looking forward to the summer so I can get that much needed break. Oh summer how I wish you could be here tomorrow:) I'll stop there with my vent for the evening.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

"Neighbors" by Raymond Carver

Without using a dictionary minimalism to me would be bare essentials, the basics, using only the means necessary to live. After looking it up I discovered that it means;

Music . a reductive style or school of modern music utilizing only simple sonorities, rhythms, and patterns, with minimal embellishment or orchestrational complexity, and characterized by protracted repetition of figurations, obsessive structural rigor, and often a pulsing, hypnotic effect.
 
minimalism. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved March 12, 2011, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/minimalism
 
 
So yea, I guess I was a little off but going on my definition I can relate more to the "Neighbors" by Raymond Carver.
 
On page 137 it refers to how Bill and Arlene feel they have by passed by and how Bill attends his duties as a bookkeeper and Arlene to her secretarial duties. They seem to have have simple, plain jobs when comparing to their neighbors who are living the high life and traveling and always entertaining guests.
 
On page 138 it refers to how Bill drives the car to and from work and Arlene rides the bus. This makes me think of them as normal people who live simply and not outside their means.
 
Also on page 138, it reads how Bill went over to the Stones' apartment and looked through their cabinets and refrigerator, admiring the fine wine and cocktail glasses. This was fascinating to Bill because he would never acquire glasses and fine foods as these.
 
Bill and Arlene throughout this story became infatuated with the lives of the Stones. Even people today who have "normal" lives find themselves wanting to compare and trying to live up to others who are more successful and live wealthy lifestyles. They used every opportunity to explore the way the Stones' lived by combing through their apartment and checking out their goods. They admired and even tried on their clothing and basically invaded their private spaces. They even wished for them to never come home. This story leaves the door wide open because you don't know whether they will be able to get back into the apartment and you still don't know what was on those photos.

"Blue Winds Dancing" by Tom Whitecloud

To choose something important to me, I could honestly ramble on all day! I will narrow the field and select from importance and that would definitely be the loves of my life which are my children. They are my loves, my life, and my reason for existence. They are blessing from up above and I thank God everyday that he has given me life to share with my beautiful little creatures. Yep, I'm a proud mama:)

My first born was my bouncing baby boy whom we named Kaden. He is now 7 years old and keeps me on my toes. He was born 10 days early and he to this day is ALWAYS early. He goes to bed EARLY and you know what that means.....yep he gets up with the chickens! To describe my sweet boy, he is 4'2" tall and weighs in at a whopping 50 lbs. When his hair gets a little long he has golden blond curls but mainly in the front. His normal cut is somewhat of a bowl cut but blend in the back. He has gazing blue eyes with a sweet little, missing his front teeth, SMILE! He was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 3 and is always up for a challenge. I believe he lives in his own little world sometimes but I know one day he will overcome it. He is always on the go and keeps me on my toes. He is a very sneaky kid and you have to keep a watch. He does a lot of things to get attention but all with good reason. He is very mean but at times affectionate to his sister. He loves her and wants to do everything like her, even it means playing with Barbie and baby dolls.

On to my second child, my big, big, big girl named Haven. By overstating the big, I mean she was born @10lbs. and was 23 1/2inches long. Yea, she was a WHOPPER to say the least. She will be turning the big 4 next month and she already knows everything. Her favorite phrases are, "I know mom," "I'm a big girl," "I can do it all by myself." She is so independent and just what I needed. She helps to balance out my son and she really helps to calm him at times. Could be why she is so smart and knows it all:) To describe my princess, she is 3'3" tall and weighs  32 lbs. She has sparkling baby blues with straight as a board blond hair down her back. She has a beautiful smile with no teeth missing yet and with an sassy attitude that can get a statue to jump. She rules her daddy and grandpa and knows how to work her magic to get what she wants. She is very smart and always stays a step ahead and knows exactly what to say to pull at your heart strings. She believes she is a beautiful princess and of course she is, I would never tell her different. She is a loving and passionate child who knows no strangers. She has a mind of her own but what child doesn't and she has a way of making us laugh all the time. The saying, "Kids say the darnedest things" applies to Miss Haven all the way.

My children as you can see are my life! I always put God first, my family second, and work and school third. I long for the day that I will be able to focus more on them, my life is so busy right now with full-time school and work but I keep telling myself its all for them. I'm working to provide a better future for them and I wish them the best in life and I try my best to be the best mom I can be and give all I can give.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

"Cathedral" by Raymond Carver

"Raymond Carver is originally from Oregon, lived in Washington and spent most of his adult life in California. He studied at Chico State and at the Iowa Writers' Workshop. After doing blue-collar jobs for a time, he worked as an editor and then, finally, as a teacher. Carver is considered a master of minimalism-that is, fiction that stresses only the essentials of action and description. Generally his writing is economical, stripped to the bone. Many of his characters seem unusual if not odd or even cruel."

Cathedral to me was a very touching short story. I enjoyed to moral of the story and how it makes you take a step back and take a different look at people with disabilities. I love how the story gave you the background of "blind man" who was later named as Robert, and the narrators wife which I don't remember ever reading her name. I admire her love for the "blind man" and how after all she had been through and where she had traveled she still made time to make a tape and send it to him. It was their "thing." It brought such comfort to both parties. It is tragic that he loses his wife but it also is great that he gets to visit family and come meet the narrator and his wife. The narrator is a little jealous of his wife's relationship with Robert and he is not to good at hiding the fact. He definitely had a wall up and didn't really like the idea of Robert being in town and making a visit but by the end of the story I believe he had a WHOLE different outlook on life:)

I can definitely share my important life lesson learned when relating to Cathedral. I remember even when I was younger, being in a restaurant or out shopping and seeing children acting a fool in public. I was shocked that first of all the kids were acting like that but that the parents were going along with it and not trying to discipline them. I just kept thinking, man if that was me my mom would have already jerked a knot in my tail end. When it disrupted anything I was doing I was ready to say to the parents, "Do something with your child!" Today, I take a different approach. While of course I'm more mature with a husband and two children of my own, my son has Autism. With Autism children have no sense of time, responsibility, they can't control their emotions, they seem confused, they only hear some of what you say because they most of the time live in their own little worlds. My son is now one of those children that are getting the stare downs from other parents and I'm normally the one blowing up at them because they don't understand what I'm going through. There is just some much confusion going on in his mind that he gets overwhelmed and certain sounds, crowds, and places set him off. We try our best to ignore it and sometimes try to discipline but it normally has a reverse reaction. So today instead of giving those looks I say a little prayer for the parents but you never know the situation and just because the kid is having a meltdown doesn't mean they're a brat.