School Girl

Ah, college, how I love thee... or, not.
I'm not sure what possessed me to take a computer class during the summer semester, since I'm one of the most computer illiterate people alive. I can do the basics, using social utilities, and forums. Other than that, I'm no good. I probably good have handled the workload for this class just fine had I taken it during a regular semester time (16 weeks, I think) instead of a 6 week condensed class. I really thought it would be an "easy A." Boy was I wrong. It's not so much that the class is hard, sure, it's hard to understand for me at times, it's just the sheer workload that must be completed on my own time. I have no idea how people with full time jobs are getting this stuff done! I'm still behind, but luckily the teacher seems to be pretty relaxed about it, as long as you get it up fairly soon after it is due. I have a bunch of catching up to do between now and next Monday, the next class session. Luckily that's plenty of time. I have two more in class sessions left, plus the final exam which is taken at home the following Monday. I'm so thrilled this will be over with soon. Next semester I'll be taking English; College Composition II, and Intro to Cultural Geography, People & the Land. Those classes are only one day a week each, and I'm sure will be lots of work as well, but at least I have an entire "real" semester to do the work! I never thought I'd be wishing for a longer class. I must be growing up.

Emma walking!

Shopping without Emma!

For the new job at Silverado I had to go buy some new jeans, shoes and a belt. They specifically wanted me to have dark indigo wash jeans, all black "athletic" shoes, and a black leather belt with a silver buckle. Sounds pretty easy right? Not so much. It took me about 2 and a half hours to find exactly what I needed. I can't even imagine what it would have been like had I taken Emma with me. She's generally pretty good in malls, but only for about an hour before she wants out of that stroller. Not having to fit the stroller into dressing rooms was fabulous as well. I first looked in New York & Company for some jeans. The prices seemed lower than normal so I gave a couple pairs a try. Apparently they like to run small on their sizes. I tried on a size 6 short, which is my normal size just about everywhere. I'm even a 4 in some places. These jeans "fit," in the sense that I got them all the way up, and could button and zip them, but not without sucking in my gut to the point of breathlessness. Once I had them completely up, I let my gut out, and by golly was that an awful sight! I'm talking one GIANT roll hanging over the edge of the pants. It was incredibly uncomfortable. On to the next store I went! I found myself in Forever 21, feeling rather out of place. I'm not the clubbing type, nor do I really have the body for the clothing- thanks Emma! Much to my surprise I found a pair of jeans that fit pretty well in the correct wash. They are a bit too long but fold nicely under. They were only $12.50 so I bought two pairs. That was a relief. I felt like I was getting somewhere. With jeans out of the way, I was in search for shoes and a belt. I saw Lady Foot Locker and thought I'd give it a shot since it was right there. Sketchers was right next door, and I find myself wishing I had gone there first because their prices are probably better. Oh well. I bought a pair of entirely black Chuck Taylors for $44.99. Hey, they're technically "athletic," right? I won't return them no matter what my new empoyers say. That's the best I could find for what I could afford. I hate that I have to buy all these things before I'm getting paid. I understand *why* but I still wish I didn't have to. My credit card didn't appreciate it. With shoes taken care of, I remembered my mom telling me that New York & Company was having a belt sale. As much as I didn't want to go back to the store that made me feel like I'd gone up 2 sizes without realizing it, I went back. I grabbed the first belt I saw that matched the criteria, and it also happened to be the least expensive of the bunch, coming in at $16.95 before the 30% off. I grabbed it and got the heck out of the mall - well, after I stopped at Auntie Anne's, of course! When I checked my receits at home, I noticed they charged me $19.95 before the 30% off, which made me a little mad, but it's not worth going back because the mall is a good 25 minute drive from here.

I tried on my little ensamble when I arrived home, and it all works pretty well together. Silverado will be supplying me with a white button down shirt (which must be pressed and cleaned before each shift - professionally!) as well as an ugly south western style mini vest. Whoopdeedoo. I'll look like a fool, but I'm getting $10/hr for it, so what gives.

A fresh start

Emma has been observing as I attempt to get some things organized in our "play room," which triples as the computer and main TV room. It's technically our dining room, but it's been converted to this space because it's conveniently by the stairs to go up to the bedrooms, and it's also directly off the kitchen. Our dining room table fits nicely in our kitchen, so we basically gained a room. It is jammed packed full of stuff. Two computer desks, two desktop computers, a giant file cabinet which holds our giant printer, a big comfy chair, a cedar chest holding our TV, a toy shelf, and book shelf, you name it, it's in here. Along with the big furniture in the tiny room, this room is the "catch-all" for everything that comes into this house. I am terrible about finding a home for things, as well as putting things away that have homes. I think that only things in this room that actually have a place are all of Emma's toys. The grown up stuff took a back seat in here. The drawers are packed full of who-knows-what, with no order what-so-ever. So far I've organized and tossed everything from one side of the room. Emma got antsy though and would no longer happily stay in her exersaucer, so here I am wasting some time before moving on to the next desk. It shouldn't take too long, considering I'm pretty sure most of it is garbage :). That's my update for today. After all of this, I am taking it easy and making easy peasy pasta tonight!

An exciting time!

Emma is finally trying to learn how to walk! She's been standing well on her own for weeks, but she is now feeling confident enough to attempt a few steps at a time on her own. Generally I have to bribe her to take steps. I'll tempt her with a fancy toy and she'll either take 3 to 4 steps to retrieve it, or "cheat", as I call it, and crawl over to get the toy. It all depends on her mood I suppose. She would much rather try on her own than do with help now, though. Having that little lion walker has jump started her into trying. We're very excited about this, but I'm a little scared now. What to do with a little walking child... ? ... Goodness, we have a toddler.

Today's the day...

As of today, I have now become not only a full time mother and part time student, but I added a job into the mix. I got a hostessing job at a restaraunt called "Silverado" in Annendale. I've been itching to work, at least a little bit, for some time now. I worked from the time I was 14 to the time I found out I was pregnant. A part of me seems to really need to have that kind of commitment. Although I'll only be working 2 days a week, this will be my second job - technically speaking. I've been working at my church as the sole nursery caregiver for a few months. I decided to keep that job since I've been working really hard to revamp the nursery for the kids. It desperately needs cleaning, sorting, and tossing. I really want to make it a place that all kids feel free to play, and where parents can feel safe leaving their children. I, for one, never wanted to put Emma down to play in there. The place hasn't been really cleaned in a long long time, and there are many toys in there not fit for children with a tendancy to eat everything they see. It's not the type of place our church needs. With that said, I plan to continue working there for the little cash that provides, and add this new job on top of it. The money is really the issue. While we have plenty of cash to survive somewhat comfortably, I have felt that we need more money going into savings for things such as vacations, Christmas shopping, and unexpected expenses. I am hoping to feel more comfortable with our financial situation with that few extra bucks every few weeks.