¡Hola!
Warning: This post is full of whining and complaining. When writing this post, the author threw Philippians 2:14 out the window. Proceed with caution.
I have to teach myself Spanish before sometime next spring, and I am NOT excited. Long, long ago, I earned 24 hours towards a master's of arts degree. After I started working full time, I did not take anymore classes and basically ignored the fact that I needed to learn a foreign language and take three more classes to finish the degree. One of the stipulations of earning the degree is finishing it in eight years. I have somehow gotten so old, that this is my last year to finish it!!!
Sigh. I don't wanna go back to school!!!!!!! Sigh again. It would be really silly to just let those graduate hours go to waste, but I don't wanna go!!!! Really! I registered anyway though. Yet another sigh. There actually are several classes that I would be interested in taking, but since I'm a full-time mommy, I have to take classes that fit the best with our family's schedule. I signed up for the only online class offered, southeast Asian writers (I have never heard of any of the authors listed!!!!!!), and a form and theory of poetry and prose class on Wednesday nights. Blech. These two classes, which are very near the bottom of classes I would have chosen if scheduling wasn't an issue, are going to cost around $1600!!! Double blech. I think I will get a $500 grant, so maybe the classes won't seem so ridiculously priced. I guess everything is ridiculously priced now though. What's a gallon of milk up to now? Twenty smackers? :)
I'm one of those weird people that really liked school and love to learn, so even though I'm being awfully negative about going back to school, I'll honestly probably like the English classes I have to take. The problem is going to be somehow learning Spanish! For a master of arts, recipients have to know a foreign language. The language requirement can be met by taking classes or passing a test. The classes would cost another $1600, so I'm going to try to teach it to myself and pass the test. Pray that I have an aptitude for foreign language!!!! :) I've checked out some stuff from the library and am using a CD that I got for free somewhere. I might have to start watching Dora the Explorer soon. I have discovered, however, that my husband somehow knows any word or phrase I throw at him, so hopefully having him as a tutor will help. I knew he had three years of Spanish in high school but didn't know he remembered anything. The man is full of mysteries. :) I wonder what other secrets he has kept from me? Maybe he has a secret bank account in Switzerland...
I'm done complaining. For now.
¡Adios!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
My Future Daughter-In-Law :)
Rachel has a new baby girl! She's so precious! The baby. Not Rachel. Although Rachel is quite precious to me, but normally one doesn't refer to adults as precious, but if one did, Rachel would certainly be precious too. I'm such a good rambler. Anyway, go here to tell Taylor Rose and her precious mommy hello!!!
I love baby feet!
I love baby feet!Monday, August 3, 2009
Future Bookworm?
I can only hope!
Sometimes silence is scary. If I happen to leave Colter in a room by himself for a few minutes, and the house suddenly gets strangely still, I never know what I might find when I run to discover the reason for the quiet. Sometimes though, I find a sweet little scholar reading in his room! Even though it makes a big mess, I love it when he sweeps all the books off his shelf and onto the floor into a big pile. It's so cute when he sits in the middle of the pile to "read." It gives me hope that maybe someday, someone in our household besides me will read something other than sports books and the news (I love you, John, even though my inner bookworm really wishes you would pick up some fiction every now and then).
Sometimes silence is scary. If I happen to leave Colter in a room by himself for a few minutes, and the house suddenly gets strangely still, I never know what I might find when I run to discover the reason for the quiet. Sometimes though, I find a sweet little scholar reading in his room! Even though it makes a big mess, I love it when he sweeps all the books off his shelf and onto the floor into a big pile. It's so cute when he sits in the middle of the pile to "read." It gives me hope that maybe someday, someone in our household besides me will read something other than sports books and the news (I love you, John, even though my inner bookworm really wishes you would pick up some fiction every now and then).
Sunday, August 2, 2009
I Do Believe This Boy Is Darling...
Don't you?
These are just a sampling of Colter's 2nd birthday picture retakes. The pictures that my sister and I took in June a week before his birthday got eaten by the picture monster! The pictures mysteriously disappeared, so we had to try again. Even though Colter has already been two for a month and a half, I'm kind of glad the original pictures got lost because the second photo shoot turned out better. He actually smiled a few times. Yay for smiling two-year-olds!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Strange But True At The Zoo
On a beautiful 70-something degree day on the first of August, we visited the zoo for the third time this summer. We met my sister, brother-in-law and their three kids there, and Colter enjoyed exploring the zoo with his cousins. Zoo trip number three involved a crazy dancing monkey, a shaggy bear looking for pretzels, and an argument about a gibbon. It also involved some strange things depicted in the following photographs.
Look closely at the picture below. See the lady mowing? Although I didn't have a big lens with me to take a good picture, see the cheetahs the arrow is pointing to? See the fence? See how the fence is NOT between the lady and the cheetahs? What's up with that? Isn't that against some sort of zoo safety policy? What if the cheetahs decided it would be fun to catch the mower woman? It's not like she would have heard them over the roar of the mower. Even if she did hear them, I doubt she could get away. Didn't anyone ever tell her that cheetahs can run 70 miles per hour? This doesn't appear to be the wisest way to spend a Saturday morning. The lady almost deserves to be eaten!
Speaking of eating, we happened upon the alligators at feeding time. Look closely in the gator's jaws. Can you identify its lunch?
It's a BUNNY RABBIT!!! One of those cute, white rabbits with the pink eyes that people keep as PETS! When we walked past the alligator enclosure, a zoo keeper was tossing dead bunnies into the alligators' mouths. Eww. Thankfully, none of the little kids that witnessed the scene were too traumatized.
This isn't all that weird, but we thought it was funny. Mr. Elephant appears to have a crop of grass growing on his back. I guess he likes his food to go.
Have you ever fed a giraffe? At our local zoo, there is a deck over the giraffes where visitors can buy wafers to feed the giraffes. It's great fun, but watch out for the tongues! Giraffe tongues can grow 18-20 inches long! Really! Go here if you don't believe me. :)
All in all, it was a fun day, although I really was concerned that the cheetahs would eat the mower lady. It was fun to watch Colter interact with his cousins. He and my youngest nephew, Justin, who is only nine months older than Colter rode together in Colter's big Radio Flyer wagon. They got along well most of the day, but when we came upon the gibbons, my other nephew, Tristan, mistakenly told us to look at the baby gorilla. Justin said, "Oh, no, that's a spider monkey." Colter responded by saying, "No, ga-illl--a" so for a minute the dialogue between Colter and Justin was
"Spider monkey!"
Look closely at the picture below. See the lady mowing? Although I didn't have a big lens with me to take a good picture, see the cheetahs the arrow is pointing to? See the fence? See how the fence is NOT between the lady and the cheetahs? What's up with that? Isn't that against some sort of zoo safety policy? What if the cheetahs decided it would be fun to catch the mower woman? It's not like she would have heard them over the roar of the mower. Even if she did hear them, I doubt she could get away. Didn't anyone ever tell her that cheetahs can run 70 miles per hour? This doesn't appear to be the wisest way to spend a Saturday morning. The lady almost deserves to be eaten!
Speaking of eating, we happened upon the alligators at feeding time. Look closely in the gator's jaws. Can you identify its lunch?
It's a BUNNY RABBIT!!! One of those cute, white rabbits with the pink eyes that people keep as PETS! When we walked past the alligator enclosure, a zoo keeper was tossing dead bunnies into the alligators' mouths. Eww. Thankfully, none of the little kids that witnessed the scene were too traumatized.This isn't all that weird, but we thought it was funny. Mr. Elephant appears to have a crop of grass growing on his back. I guess he likes his food to go.
Have you ever fed a giraffe? At our local zoo, there is a deck over the giraffes where visitors can buy wafers to feed the giraffes. It's great fun, but watch out for the tongues! Giraffe tongues can grow 18-20 inches long! Really! Go here if you don't believe me. :)All in all, it was a fun day, although I really was concerned that the cheetahs would eat the mower lady. It was fun to watch Colter interact with his cousins. He and my youngest nephew, Justin, who is only nine months older than Colter rode together in Colter's big Radio Flyer wagon. They got along well most of the day, but when we came upon the gibbons, my other nephew, Tristan, mistakenly told us to look at the baby gorilla. Justin said, "Oh, no, that's a spider monkey." Colter responded by saying, "No, ga-illl--a" so for a minute the dialogue between Colter and Justin was"Spider monkey!"
"Ga-illl--a!"
"Spider monkey!"
"Ga-illl--a!"
"Ga-illl--a!"
"Spider monkey!"
"Ga-illl--a!"
"Ga-illl--a!"
You get the idea. It got kind of heated. Two-year-olds think they know everything. Sheesh, boys. It was a GIBBON.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Ha Ha Tonka
Not this ha ha Tonka....
But this one! It's Ha Ha Tonka State Park in Camdenton, Missouri.
On the four hour trip to John's parent's house, we pass by a sign that points to Ha Ha Tonka State Park. Even though the sign always catches my attention, and I've been passing by it routinely for over seven years now, I had never found out exactly what was at Ha Ha Tonka. John had told me that there were some castle ruins, but I didn't really get what he meant. I thought there were some rock piles or something. When we randomly decided to check it out recently, I didn't expect to find this....
A castle! Missouri has its own, real-life, medieval castle! Okay, not really. Some rich guy had it built in the early 1900s, but it's still a really cool castle! It's quite huge. 
The cute two-year-old in the big window should give you some idea how large the castle is.
The castle is on a 250 foot high bluff overlooking Lake of the Ozarks. If one looks down the bluff (and I mean wayyy down) he/she can see Ha Ha Tonka spring (Ha Ha Tonka means laughing waters). It's an awesome place to have a castle; when I build my castle, I think I'll choose a similar site. :) Unfortunately, the rich man who had the castle built died in one of the state's first automobile accidents and didn't get to enjoy his finished castle. The castle did not last long after it was built either, for it burned in the 1940s leaving the rock walls that visitors to Ha Ha Tonka State Park now explore.*
As it was fairly late in the evening when we visited, we didn't have time to traverse much of the park before dark. We will definitely stop again to check out the several trails and natural wonders, which include some caves and a natural bridge. Hopefully, we can go back when it cools down this fall because the park looks like a fun place to do some Missouri hiking!
*Source: A sign in the park. :)
But this one! It's Ha Ha Tonka State Park in Camdenton, Missouri.On the four hour trip to John's parent's house, we pass by a sign that points to Ha Ha Tonka State Park. Even though the sign always catches my attention, and I've been passing by it routinely for over seven years now, I had never found out exactly what was at Ha Ha Tonka. John had told me that there were some castle ruins, but I didn't really get what he meant. I thought there were some rock piles or something. When we randomly decided to check it out recently, I didn't expect to find this....
A castle! Missouri has its own, real-life, medieval castle! Okay, not really. Some rich guy had it built in the early 1900s, but it's still a really cool castle! It's quite huge. The cute two-year-old in the big window should give you some idea how large the castle is. The castle is on a 250 foot high bluff overlooking Lake of the Ozarks. If one looks down the bluff (and I mean wayyy down) he/she can see Ha Ha Tonka spring (Ha Ha Tonka means laughing waters). It's an awesome place to have a castle; when I build my castle, I think I'll choose a similar site. :) Unfortunately, the rich man who had the castle built died in one of the state's first automobile accidents and didn't get to enjoy his finished castle. The castle did not last long after it was built either, for it burned in the 1940s leaving the rock walls that visitors to Ha Ha Tonka State Park now explore.*As it was fairly late in the evening when we visited, we didn't have time to traverse much of the park before dark. We will definitely stop again to check out the several trails and natural wonders, which include some caves and a natural bridge. Hopefully, we can go back when it cools down this fall because the park looks like a fun place to do some Missouri hiking!
*Source: A sign in the park. :)
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