Blessings Galore…

Although it’s almost 9 am, the house is quiet; which is quite a feat with 16 people in the house. The aroma of Gerald’s famous Creole turkey fills the air and shortly there will be all the fixings to go with it. Today is Thanksgiving, but I have been filled with thanks all week. I could have passed on having a math test Tuesday afternoon, but it is great to have the house full of friends and family. There is no greater feeling than knowing you can be yourself, and know you are still loved anyway. It is quite amazing to see how beautiful our kids are, inside and out. I know, everyone thinks their kids are amazing, but mine are amazing people. This semester in school we read a poem by Ben Jonson he wrote just after the death of his first son who was only seven years old.

On My First Son

by Ben Jonson

Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy ;

My sin was too much hope of thee, lov'd boy.

Seven years thou wert lent to me, and I thee pay,

Exacted by thy fate, on the just day.

Oh, could I lose all father now ! For why

Will man lament the state he should envy?

To have so soon 'scaped world's and flesh's rage,

And if no other misery, yet age !

Rest in soft peace, and, asked, say, Here doth lie

Ben Jonson his best piece of poetry.

For whose sake henceforth all his vows be such

As what he loves may never like too much.

Our professor asked us what the last line meant, what does he mean using the words “love” and “like” in that way. Being the only mom in the room, I raised my hand… As a parent we will always love our children, no matter their shortcomings, or choices – good or bad, but to truly like them means that even if they were your children you would like being with the anyway. In this time that is a rare occurrence. Usually people think that to love someone is the greater act; however in this instance to “like” is actually a more profound emotion. There is no doubt of my love for my children, but I truly “like” who they are. They are so much fun to be around, but it is amazing to see their interaction with people. They have good and compassionate hearts, full of wit, overflowing with personality, each one so different from the others but all of them intelligent and beautiful.

Kirsten Mullen is my Hero!

A previous post is concerning my Renaissance Literature class. It is indeed challenging and Armitage while always entertaining is really a tough instructor. I thoroughly enjoy the class, but dread the tests and assignments with fear and trembling.

My other English class is polar opposite. It is Introduction to Folklore and while it started out quite interesting about the Brothers Grimm, I have this love / hate relationship with the class. The last several weeks we have been focused on the North Carolina hill country ballad singers and bluegrass. While this was interesting for the first couple of classes, it drug on and on and on…. There is only so much bluegrass a person can take. One video on the tradition of telling “Jack Tales” in the NC mountains was so bad I couldn’t understand a word the man was saying. Literally, I sat there for 20 minutes with a blank stare. I’m not sure if it was his mountain, southern accent, his mumbling, the horrible film quality… I had no idea what the guy was saying. So now I’m thinking not only do I need bifocals, I need a hearing aid. (I was truly relived in recitation that week that even the young kids didn’t understand this man.) This past week in Folk we had a pleasant surprise. A wonderful guest speaker. Firs t of all she is this beautiful black woman, with lovely long graying black hair. I love that she embraces her age and wears her mane with pride. Anyway, she is doing some work with Terrell County here in NC. She has some crazy stories. The class was mortified to learn that in the small town where she was working on her project had a “Whites Only” library until 2003. 2003! I just about died on the spot. Of course her story is much more intriguing with stories of the KKK still having regular meetings in this town (as of 2006). Anyway she had us captivated. I found out she was from Texas, so now I like this woman even more. After class the professor invited us to join them for lunch (which was brave since our class is over 100 people). Only four of us took him up on his offer (plus the TAs) but we had a delightful lunch with Kirsten. I could have sat there all day.

THE AUTUMNAL by John Donne

NO spring, nor summer beauty hath such grace
As I have seen in one autumnal face ;
Young beauties force our love, and that's a rape ;
This doth but counsel, yet you cannot scape.
If 'twere a shame to love, here 'twere no shame ;
Affections here take reverence's name.
Were her first years the Golden Age ? that's true,
But now they're gold oft tried, and ever new.
That was her torrid and inflaming time ;
This is her tolerable tropic clime.
Fair eyes ; who asks more heat than comes from hence,
He in a fever wishes pestilence.
Call not these wrinkles, graves ; if graves they were,
They were Love's graves, for else he is nowhere.
Yet lies not Love dead here, but here doth sit,
Vow'd to this trench, like an anachorite,
And here, till hers, which must be his death, come,
He doth not dig a grave, but build a tomb.
Here dwells he ; though he sojourn everywhere,
In progress, yet his standing house is here ;
Here, where still evening is, not noon, nor night ;
Where no voluptuousness, yet all delight.
In all her words, unto all hearers fit,
You may at revels, you at council, sit.
This is love's timber ; youth his underwood ;
There he, as wine in June, enrages blood ;
Which then comes seasonablest, when our taste
And appetite to other things is past.
Xerxes' strange Lydian love, the platane tree,
Was loved for age, none being so large as she ;
Or else because, being young, nature did bless
Her youth with age's glory, barrenness.
If we love things long sought, age is a thing
Which we are fifty years in compassing ;
If transitory things, which soon decay,
Age must be loveliest at the latest day.
But name not winter faces, whose skin's slack,
Lank as an unthrift's purse, but a soul's sack ;
Whose eyes seek light within, for all here's shade ;
Whose mouths are holes, rather worn out, than made ;
Whose every tooth to a several place is gone,
To vex their souls at resurrection ;
Name not these living death-heads unto me,
For these, not ancient, but antique be.
I hate extremes ; yet I had rather stay
With tombs than cradles, to wear out a day.
Since such love's motion natural is, may still
My love descend, and journey down the hill,
Not panting after growing beauties ; so
I shall ebb out with them who homeward go.

What a difference an “A” makes…

I have struggled getting adjusted to the rigor of a real university. My days at community college were more like glorified high school. While it kept me on my toes, there was never any question of whether or not I would pass. If fact, it was always just a question of would I make an “A” in the course. Life at a four year university is not quite so simple. In Spanish, I literally would wonder if I would actually pass the class. (Thankfully, I dropped that this semester, but I will be facing it again come the spring.) After concluding my community college career with a 4.0, I have resigned myself that the world will not end if I make a “B” or even a “C” at Carolina. After summer school my GPA at UNC is 3.42. Blah!! That is so hard to contend with. Sooo, I have really been working hard and this semester isn’t all that I had hoped. First of all, it is VERY frustrating because I have no idea where I stand grade wise in a class. I took 3 quizzes in one class before fall break and we still haven’t gotten one of them back yet. I completely bombed the mid-term in that class because I didn’t read the directions on the test. Yes, that’s right… I barely passed because I didn’t do part of the test because I didn’t read. Dumb, dumb, dumb… Anyway, I’m feeling pretty inadequate about now and some of the girls in my class are sheer genius. I have resigned myself to be content with a “C.” I was really dreading getting my mimesis back. My professor goes through his ritual of reading several students poems aloud in class, and the more he reads the more I am convinced “another one bites the dust.” These poems are funny and witty. Mine is somber and melancholy. He spends the entire class period discussing and reading what brilliance my fellow students have achieved. At the end of class, he quickly passes everyone’s papers back. I wait, and wait… is he ever going to get to me?? Did he lose my poem and I’m going to fail the class for sure?? With the final sheet of paper in his hand he calls “Longoria.” AHHH!! I reach for my paper and almost faint dead away on the spot. I got my first “A” in Armitage’s class and all is well with the world. J

DDMS Football Rocks!

Okay, so I don't have time to write, but this article just came out in the paper and I had to post. :)

Don't know how to make it a live link, but copy and paste to read the article.

http://www.carynews.com/2010/10/23/21595/gridiron-girl-is-on-the-ball.html

Run for your LIFE!

This was for extra credit in my folklore class. We were sharing family stories and this is one of the best bits of folklore ever! Next time my in-laws are here I'll ask for details. :)

My husband’s family has lived in the Texas area for generations, long before Texas became a part of the United States. His family is of Mexican descent, but they are most proud of their heritage associated with the Mulatto Indian tribe that caused their family to settle in Texas. The main tribe of Indians in that area participated in offering human sacrifices to appease the gods. Often times they would capture the Mulatto Indians for their human sacrifices. A great grandfather, when he was a young man, discovered that they were looking for him to be the next sacrifice and he fled the tribe, leaving his family behind. He headed further north into what is now South Texas. Upon his arrival he was awestruck by a beautiful young woman who had just moved there from Spain. The two developed a budding romance, married and started a family. It is the area where his descendants still live today.

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL?!?

There are times in life that pleasantly surprise you. Many people “talk” about character, but seldom do people follow through with their good intentions. At times it is difficult, because the temptations are just too great. If you not into football, no worries, this really isn’t about football, BUT if you are an avid football fan this will warm your heart.

Wednesday afternoon, not a cloud in the sky, about 75 degrees… a perfect afternoon for football. The cheerleaders are cheering, the crowd is yelling… DDMS has its first touchdown of the season, the crowd goes wild. It’s time for the extra point and out runs number 4 with a ponytail hanging out of the back of the helmet. The crowd is on its feet and the girls’ soccer team on the adjacent field instantly stops practice to cheer at the fence line. And the kick is good! Excitement in the air. At halftime, DDMS is winning 14 to 0. At halftime a coach walks #4 congratulating her on a job well done, with her helmet off, now everyone knows why the soccer team was excited. As the cheerleaders take the field, on the right side of formation there is a young girl, cheering, having the time of her life. She has the biggest smile and the brightest eyes. Shaking her pom poms a little off beat, and jumping a little behind the other girls, it soon becomes clear she is special needs. The rest of the girls don’t mind and when it’s time to build a pyramid, the young lady with the bright eyes twirls and cheers in front. Such a beautiful sight. At this point, I’m in awe of my son’s school… my heart is warmed by allowing a young female soccer player a place on the football field and allowing a special needs girl to live a dream. But my heart explodes halfway through the third quarter. My son is a starter on both sides of the line, he’s loved football since he was very young and although only an 8th grader has been playing football for his fifth year (not counting flag football at the Y when he was really little). So he plays most of every game, which is exciting for him, but the coaches of DDMS did something extraordinary in the middle of the 3rd quarter. With the score 21 to 0, they pull out all of their starters. As my son exits the field, I am filled with a sense of pride. There are people all around me who are on their feet. It is their sons’ first opportunity to stay in the game. They are excited and watching the numbers on jerseys wiz by. The starters on the sidelines are wild with excitement cheering on their team. There was a close call at the beginning of the 4th quarter when our team gets caught in the inzone allowing the other team a two point score. But the coaches are resolved. The starters stay on the side lines, cheering as the team wins their first game of the season 21 to 2. Everyone is ecstatic!

DDMS is a class act. They teach more than academics and the fundamentals of the sports. They teach character. It is a rare feat in this day.

PROCRASTINATION

There is so much to get done, but instead I fill my time with facebook, reading Yahoo news, and checking my limited email. I even took a peak at the statistics of my blog… Total of 75 views to date, 3 of which are from Canada. Wow! Who would have thought, especially since I only have two followers (counting myself). Lol

For those with inquiring minds, I finally have closure on the vaccination saga. Luckily my former high school has a fantastic registrar who forwarded my immunization records to Carolina. One shot later, I’m clear for enrollment, which is a good thing since school started a month ago. : / Anyway, my phobia of shots was unwarranted. Turns out the needles are sharper and smaller than they used to be. After 4 kids, you would think that I would have overcome my childhood fear, but those IV’s are horrendous!

On another day, I’ll have to give details of my adventures in Spanish class. It turns out Spanish is giving more grey hair than all four of my kids combined. There has got to be better alternative for teaching foreign language… but that is a blog for another day. Now to work on 2 papers and estudio espanol!

Vaccine Documentation

As I look to a new semester of my undergraduate career, I am faced with the looming task of completing the university’s “To Do” list. Parking Permit, check. Financial Aid Application, check. Loan Counseling(as if completing this for my two older children and my husband wasn’t enough, I have to do it again!), check. Sign promissory note, check. Class Schedule, check. Order books, check. Vaccine Documentation… WHAT?!?!

The university informs me that I must provide vaccine documentation complete with the doctor’s name and the lot number for the vaccine, to which I laugh out loud. She doesn’t understand my amusement and explains to me that all I need to do is call the doctor’s office and they can fax that information to them, which I respond with another laugh. I proceed to inform here that I am old, my doctor died many years ago, the clinic in which I received those shots no longer exists, and they didn’t do lot numbers for the immunizations back then. Confused, she tries to explain it another way and then chastises me saying I really should have a copy of that documentation as it is very important. (More chuckles from my end of the line.) Again I reiterate, doctor dead, clinic gone (mostly lies under that new HEB they built in my hometown), and trying to explain to my almost 79 year old mother where she might look for my immunization records would be a daunting task. So then she explains that I would have to have ALL the immunizations again. At this point, I am no longer amused.

So what do I do??? Email my mother… She responds that it isn’t in her filing cabinet of important documents. I tell her, of course not, they didn’t buy that cabinet until I was in middle school. I told her it is most likely in my baby book. Which she is still looking for…

Next course of action, call the high school I attended. I have an interesting conversation with the registrar. They will look at the microfiche and see if they can have a clearer copy of the immunization records sent to the school (yes, I did say microfiche – Now that really makes me feel old!). She also proceeds to tell me that the doctors call them for immunization verification on their students because the doctors don’t keep records for longer than two years. Mortified, I explain to her that it is required by federal law that medical records be kept for the life of the patient. She responded that she didn’t know such a law existed. I explain to her that my husband has more than 10 years of experience with archiving medical records with “storage.” He knows the law well as he has worked for Dell and now IBM providing these services for medical clinics nationwide. I must say the registrar now has ammunition to tell those doctors she no longer wants to do their job and to keep up their own records as required by law. But they still doesn’t help me.

After that… I ignore the situation entirely. I know… that’s not a good plan. So here I am, less than a week before school starts and we’re moving in 10 days and I must figure out what I need to do about the Immunization Documentation. Any ideas?

Twenty Four Years!

There is so much going on, what is most pressing on my mind?? I had a lovely reprieve this week as my husband spoiled me rotten for our 24th anniversary. He is still my best friend and I’m so glad we ran away together. (Can we run away now for a month and leave the kids in charge of packing and moving? Lol) Before we could get out of the driveway there was a little package at my feet. Women love little packages.  Then it was off to Durham to a lovely little restaurant. It is locally owned and they try to use local ingredients. It was AMAZING!! I recommend trying the Tasting Menu. A little of everything and it was to die for!

http://www.nanasdurham.com/about-nanas

After about a two hour dinner, we were off to the movies. Inception was a tad bit disturbing because the night before I had a dream about not being able to tell if I was in a dream or not. Hmmmm Anyway, it was a much needed break from the things I’m supposed to be doing, like packing and getting ready for school!

Silver Lining...

There is a silver lining in that Carolina Blue sky. North Carolina has numerous perks within its borders. Our summer has been filled with mini vacations and we have never left the state. Early in the summer we drove a couple of hours to the beach. Beautiful white sand and blue ocean. Get this my Texas friends, you can actually walk barefoot on the beach. Even in the middle of summer! I remember the days of my youth on Texas beaches where the sand was so hot your feet fried just running to the water. Later in the summer we drove a couple of hours to spend a week on Lake Gaston just south of the Virginia border. It was amazing!! Although we haven’t made it to the mountains yet this summer, they are calling my name to draw me out of the summer heat. But with a move just around the corner, it will have to wait. Fall Break?

CAROLina Blues

In case you haven’t quite figured out the title of my blog, here is what I was thinking…. Those that know me know my name is Carol and that 4 years ago we moved to North Carolina. Also, I was recently accepted to the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill; affectionately known simply as “Carolina” here in this state and to those who are endeared to the university. There is also a saying here that goes something like: If UNC wasn’t the best school in the nation then why did God make the sky Carolina Blue?? So now you are beginning to see the title’s real meaning. I also happen to have blue eyes and blue is my favorite color. (It was my favorite color BEFORE I started going to UNC - lol) Blue is also a reference to my transition here. In an earlier post I mentioned I was BORED, but the truth of the matter, I was lonely. I missed my friends and the great state of Texas where in the shadow of the University of Texas we bleed burnt orange (so sorry to my Aggie friends – I converted; have mercy). So I was blue…

Moving AGAIN?!?

Some of our friends have asked “Why in the world are you moving again?” To answer that question I’ll have to point to the wonderfully confusing, slightly dysfunctional, ever changing school system of Wake County. If you live here, you know exactly what I’m talking about. At least our school changes have been of our own making. I feel so bad for the poor parents that have taken their children to a different elementary school every year and they never even moved out of their house. Yes, my friends, that is the ever changing school boundaries. It can cross over you every year or you could be slated to go to a school 45 minutes away when there’s a school less than 2 miles from your house. Sad but true… Of course the people of Wake County have had it, so they elected almost an entirely new school board. But guess what… more changes are eminent.

How do we fit into this madness? Like most school districts in the country Wake County is suffering from a shortage of funds. Crazy economy coupled with a myriad of circumstances have forced schools to make hard decisions. At the end of the school year, we received word that the orchestra program at our middle school had been discontinued. We applied for a transfer to a school that is actually closer to our house that has one of the best middle school orchestras in the district. We thought this would be a no brainer… we thought wrong. We were given the opportunity to appeal, which we did. In the mean time, our school reinstated their orchestra program. What started out as a full time program was downsized to half time one year to now a limited part time program. In my opinion, this does not display that the school is interested in really keeping the program intact. It also gives a greater likelihood that we would lose yet another orchestra director because of the ever decreasing limited role to only very part time. The infamous school board gave us 2 minutes (no that is not a typo) to state our case. That’s 120 seconds to justify the logic of why a talented musician should have the opportunity to go to a school that has a full-fledged orchestra program. We did our best with more than 20 pages of back up documentation, but at the end of the day our appeal was denied. So being the adventures that we are, we decided to pack our bags in move 3.7 miles to the south to ensure we are in the school of choice boundaries.

Moving...

Since we are moving again at the end of the month I have been trying to sell some of the clothes the kids have outgrown or simply no longer wear. I ran into this precious older lady who looks for deals and buys all her grandkids clothes and clothes for her nephew’s daughters. She is a woman with modest means, but with a huge heart. When I met her in the parking lot of the Old Navy, she drove an older Crown Victoria. We had a quick exchange, she told me a little about her grandchildren and great nieces then we went our separate ways.
Interesting that she emailed me later that night with a long list of resalers in the area. She told me the places she makes her best finds. She expressed remorse that she has been buying all these clothes and her nephew and children just take it for granted. She explained it was her last installment as she has one more son who will be graduating from high school soon. It broke my heart that she has given so much and just wants to be appreciated. Here is what I wrote back to her:

Thank you for the valuable information! I had no idea there were so many options. I used to donate the kids outgrown clothes but I grew weary seeing people that work at those places pick over them and sell them for a profit for themselves on ebay. If I donate the clothes outright, I want them to go directly to someone in need. I did ebay for awhile, but it's exhausting packaging everything up and of course ebay wants their share so I decided to give Craig's List a try. Some things have gone fast, others more slowly so I will check into the resources you sent me since we are moving at the end of month.

You truly do have a big heart... it is a rare gift. Sometimes our deeds are not rewarded in this life, but He sees and counts it more precious than diamonds and rubies.

The Beginning

I decided I would document my adventure as a middle-aged mom who has decided to return to school. After our move to North Carolina with no friends and all the kids in school, I was BORED! So I went back to work making $8.00. Wow! Being 40 years old and only making $8 an hour was a humbling experience. But I loved my job and I was compensated with free classes for my daughter (gymnastics). Almost two years later, it was time to finally get back to school. It has been an adventure....

Seasoned Youth

Taking a deep breath and hoisting my backpack on my shoulders, I strolled across campus. This was unlike when I took my daughter to embark on her college career three years before or even when I left my son at his dorm last August. This time I was the student; a mature face against a myriad of youth. Fearful my aged brain would have difficulty retaining the plethora of instruction, I cautiously stepped into my first class. I realized little changed in my twenty year absence, except for the wretched TI 84 calculator (I still say it’s cheating!). There are reading assignments, projects, papers, and tests. It was actually comforting to be back in a surrounding where I knew exactly what was expected over the sixteen week course and I could utilize my trusty planner to navigate the semester. Though some classes proved more challenging than others, I found my place like a trusted sage amongst the restless youth and seized the opportunity to impart the wisdom of life’s learnings. Soon, I traded TI 84 tutoring for simple life lessons. With the passing of time as my teacher I realized much like Daniel Wallace; I needed a college degree to attain the credentials needed to accomplish my real goals. Surrounded by these budding adults, I became more resolved about my future ambitions. In this place of instruction my passion became evident; to enable the future of America by fostering the sparks of education seasoned with a dash of real life experience.