Back to Blog!

It has been some time since I have blogged, about 4 years to be exact. Lots of things have changed and yet many things have remained the same.

So why back to blogging you might ask?

I have been doing a lot of reading of blogs and it has rekindled the fire that burned in me to share things with you. Things like shopping hauls from Dollar Tree, my continued love of stockpiling, learning creative budgeting tips, genealogy, postcrossing, freezer meals and my current efforts of getting things in order to buy a home and so much more.

My children are a bit older, 11 and 13, and so life is definitely more busier. Sports and band top the list of things we are doing outside of work/school. We are still always planning fun road trips.

I'm looking forward to sharing a host of wonderful things with you!!

So here we go 2019. It's going to be a great year.

Just Breathe

I noticed it had been a few since I have blogged so I decided to drop a few lines to share what has been going on in my neck of the woods.. 

My life is somewhat crazy. I'm more often than not running somewhere. I do not mean literally running, I mean going different places. Grocery shopping, picking kids up from school, paying bills, appointments, events and so forth. Thought I should sit down for a minute and just breathe..

For starters, my 6 year old is now a Daisy girl scout and oh how she does love it! It's heartwarming to see the little girls faces aglow when they gather around in circle time. What a nice feeling to acquire 15 more little girl friends nearly overnight. 

We have also added Kenpo Karate to the mix! BOTH kids are involved with martial arts now. They both sat through, or should I say participated in a sample class and they LOVE it. Its one hour a night, two nights a week. They were so proud of the moves they learned and their sense of pride was very apparent. After the class they made it known they both wanted to go back! I am so thrilled to see where this program takes them.

As for me, well I am cracking the books. Classes are in full swing.  The classes I chose this semester have me doing a lot of writing! I have 4 papers due every Friday as well as discussions. I am preparing for my transition to OSU in the fall which has me energized about things to come. I am hoping to perhaps even work part-time on campus since my 4 year old will officially be in Pre-K, which is all day and part of the school district. 

My eating plan has been “okay." I am continuously learning about triggers. As of late I have learned that I enjoy eating more when the weather is gloomy. However, when the sun is out I want to move, move and move some more. It makes me wonder about something...I LOVE rainy, cold weather. Always have. Now I find myself focusing on the correlation of this weather-food relationship. And lately it’s been gray which has seen me going over my caloric goals.

When the sun is shining we can be found walking/biking throughout the neighborhood. Something about fresh air just puts a bounce in my step. The kids love to ride their bikes! I think it’s the sense of freedom that extends past our driveway that the kids find exciting as well.

Anyway, that is about it for now. It’s gray outside. Snow is moving into the west side of our state. I don't think we will get much if any here in the central area, but we shall see. Just trying to stay busy! 

Peace to you all. I hope life is treating you well. Make sure to be kind to yourself!

I DID IT!!!!!!!!!

In 2009 I had been working for a staffing agency. I had been with the company since 2004. As  a single mom I was doing very well financially raising my then 2 and 4 year old. I had just received a 5K raise and within a few months the company sold. The economy was spiraling in a downward motion, clients were backing off from using temporary employees due to cost and things were not looking good. In my office it was just myself and one  other lady who had been with the company several years less than I.

I will never forget that year. I turned 39 May 14th and May 18th I was laid off. I will never forget the immediate sense of fear that came over me. My mind turned immediately to my kids. How would I take care of them? There were no jobs to be had. Being in the business I was in, I was well aware of the job market. I was scared. They chose to keep the other girl who is a dear friend of mine. The only thing I could think was that I had kids, she didn't. My priority was them, hers was her job. She was more valuable to them. As angry as I was about it, I understood the business side of things.

This was not the first time I was laid off. In October of 2001 I was hired on as the customer service rep for a start up company that made memorial markers. I had my own office, I got along well with everyone, the job was perfect. December 31st the following year they closed their doors. 40+ people immediately joined the ranks of the unemployed.

So, when I lost my job this time, I decided that I was not going to go through this again. I was going to, for the first time, go to college. I would pick a career that offered much opportunity and I would do it. My goal was to go to Northern Oklahoma College and then transfer to Oklahoma State University and earn my bachelors. Having never been to college, I would have to take remedial classes in a couple areas so I could get back into the mainstream of students. I was determined for myself and my family that I would make something of myself. I enrolled in July of 2009.

Three years later, I have taken all the courses I need at NOC and submitted my application to OSU. I was nervous, but I knew I had good grades. I knew that a 2.5 GPA was required to transfer in and I was sitting golden with a 3.28. I checked status everyday until yesterday when I saw the following screen:

ADMITTED! Me, I was admitted to OSU! At 41 years old and managing to raise two kids, ages 4 & 6, literally solo, I DID IT! My eyes filled with tears and my heart swelled with pride. You can't imagine the sense of accomplishment I am feeling right now. I just keep telling myself "YOU DID IT!!!!!"..Goal accomplished. 3 years later, but I did it! So while 2009 was a scary, dark time in my life, 2012 is proving to be the light at the end of the tunnel. Just like with weight loss, if you keep at it, and you do your very best, your goals will be accomplished. Never let anyone tell you that you can't....because my friend, YOU CAN!

GO POKES!!!!!