Defeated!

Today I finished my last CLEP test. That makes my total school credits earned in the school year 2011- 2012 54! It was crazy tough and I studied so much that I never even had questions about certain topics that I studied, frustrating yes but I passed so not as much as it could have been. That is just how CLEP tests work you are required to know just about as much as possible and will be tested on 90 questions. As I walked out of the big empty science building (which also happens to be oddly empty in sort of a creepy way) on campus for the third and final time my mind was swimming. 

All I could think about were the LONG nights when I was still struggling with thrush or several of the more difficult stretches since I had Davie when I would stay up until 3 in the morning just to get homework done. 

My own little isolated corner of the library.

Then there was this last week of studying at the library and taking Davie to a sitter for 3-4 hours of the day. Davie did great he didn't cry when I left and all of his sitters said he napped and was not fussy. THEN this weekend Davie got his very FIRST fever.... really, the timing couldn't have been worse. Thankfully though Davie was getting better and his fever was completely gone by Wednesday. I just felt so bad leaving him even for the 4 hours to study when I knew he was all sad and not feeling well. And not that I didn't before but I have a greater respect for those of you out there who have to take your babies to daycare everyday. David's mom had to do it for a while and so did mine. 

All I can say is that it is has been TOUGH but soooo worth it. I was really questioning my ability to continue with school full time since Spring semester ended but now that I successfully finished that last test I am going to continue to try and graduate with my undergrad when David graduates from medical school. I'm half way done baby Wa-Hoooo!

Lately

I can finally relate to all my friends and family who are constantly talking about how life will start once their (and their spouse's) semester ends. This last week I spent an enormous amount of time trying to type up a research paper for my film class. I have never struggled to get words on the page like that! As you all have noticed I am a talker and when it comes to writing papers the amount of words that come out of my little head is no different, so this paper was very difficult for me. I went to the writing lab, my mom got to listen to it and help (I'm sure she was just dying to do that :) and then I went to the writing center again.

The second trip was an absolute waste of my time, the girl assigned to help me was so useless! (did I mention she was also late?) The first time I went the gal chatted with me helped me brainstorm and basically just helped me get some confidence that I was on the right path. My second appointment the writing center aide basically told me EVERYTHING I already knew, wouldn't help with proofreading, oh and said she wasn't really sure what the point of my paper was... wha?? I knew I needed serious help with organization/ flow of my paper but the point was super clear, almost to redundancy and that's why I was there to make sure it wasn't getting to repetitive. 

ANYWAYS I managed to get it completely written it just took a lot longer than usual. I have a powerpoint presentation for my Health communications class and a comprehensive Math final and David has his last test next Friday. Friday can also be referred to as when our Christmas season officially begins. We don't even have our Christmas tree up yet :( BUT we have a crib in the nursery and a mattress for it! As soon as I can get that room a little more organized I PROMISE to take a picture we have been making SLOW but steady progress. This week we had our first Birth, Babies and More class at the hospital, it was so nice to be able to go with David, I love him so much. We had to leave early because that was also the night of my baby shower which went well and I got some more cute stuff. I'll have to take pictures of all this cute stuff that has slowly been accumulating at our house.          

Guess what this is? A pile of thank you's to all of the ladies who attended or brought a gift to my baby shower this summer. Haha I feel so bad it has taken me this long to send them out but I am also super paranoid that I might have forgotten someone. If I did and you are that someone it has nothing to do with whether or not I am thankful! I just have no brain and what little I do have is being consumed by school. Hopefully the ladies here in Toledo won't find me too lame when I hand deliver my thank you's. I hate sending thank you notes in the mail it takes me twice as long!

Yesterday was our ward party and we only went because I was told by my friend Lindsay about 2 hours before haha. I felt bad because we were supposed to bring food and we didn't, my only defense is we try our best to bring something most of the time. If you think about it we almost didn't even bring ourselves. It was sad because we had to leave early so David could study some more which means I have no pictures. Oh and tonight we are going to see the Nutcracker and I am SOOOOO EXCITED!!! (There are lots of caps in this post sorry I just don't know how else to add emphasis to what I am saying) And that is what has been happening lately. 

Testing, two times a charm?

This is the latest in my cosmetology license transfer. On July 23rd I sent out a letter to Ohio and Idaho State, the one to Idaho was to request they send a letter to Ohio proving I passed my tests and the letter to Ohio was to ask to transfer my license. Ohio received this letter on August 2nd and immediately put all my paperwork on hold until after Labor Day. Well I didn't know this until 2 weeks after they received my papers. It was the first time I had talked to a real human being and she was EXTREMLY short with me. I was trying to ask all of these questions in order to figure things out and she was constantly trying to end the conversation (freaking government workers).  When I did finally figure out what was going on I was furious but what could I do, so I waited. Two days after Labor Day I call the office again and I find that my application is still on hold. I wait another week with the same results.

In the meantime I find a full time job at Dillard’s; I like the job not the company, long story. Last Wednesday I got a call from the licensing people and they say they sent out a packet of info for me the day before. Two days later my mom says it arrived at HER house, uuuhhggggg! I have her overnight it and it actually gets to my house the next day.

When I open the letter and begin to read this is what I get, "As of September 14th, 2010 ALL out of state licenses will be required to take the practical, written and manager's exam in Ohio, no matter how long you have been licensed or previous exams you have taken." translation- more time and money for me. My blood was boiling!! The practical and written exam reviews in the packet they gave me were almost IDENTICAL from the ones I took in Idaho, really people? Really???? I graduated school with 500 more hours then these people and they are going to make me test again. Uhg! I guess I wouldn't have minded so much if they didn't take two months to tell me this but they did and now to put it lightly I am unhappy.

So that's where I'm at and the only good thing I read in the whole letter was the part where they told me I would be able to work under a permit. I can't help but be frustrated; this whole process is costing me time when I could have been working in a salon and LOTS of money. I am so NOT patient. I have begun to think I might never be I'm in for a LONG ride. The last piece of news is I have a job! I haven't started but this Saturday I'm going in to do some pre-marketing things with the boss so that when I do start working the customers that already go to the salon will know who I am. Did I mention my current manager's (at Dillard’s) first name is Carrie? Well it is and if the salon I'm looking at now works out I'll be working for ANOTHER Carrie.... and I'm Kari... weird but very cool. The End, I hope my venting didn't upset anyone but I am still fuming over this whole ordeal.

M&M's

David and I have been having an ongoing debate about M&M’s and whether or not each color tastes different. David insists the brown M&M’s are yucky and that the yellow ones are his favorite. He has been saying that he can tell the difference between the dyes on them. So yesterday we decided to put him to the test. We did this very scientific like. I opened a bag arranged the M&M’s in random order and fed them to David with his eyes closed and my hand covering the M&M to keep him from knowing the color. He then guessed each M&M as I fed them to him. We used two fun size bags (left over from our candy jars at the reception) to test his skill. Here are the results.

Test #1

Actual Color- Guessed Color
Red- Brown
Green- Yellow
Blue- Brown
Brown- Orange
Yellow- Green
Red- Red
Brown- Brown

2/7

Test #2

Actual Color- Guessed Color

Green- Blue
Green- Yellow

Brown- Yellow

Blue- Brown

Red- Orange

Orange- Green

Yellow- Red

Green- Green

Brown- Orange

Green- Blue

1/10

During this test procedure I couldnd't help but laugh on several different occasions it was just so funny to watch David try to decide the colors and in my head I kept thinking "Are we really doing this? Testing whether or not each color tastes different? They are all the same!" It was still pretty fun and humerous And it was David's idea. I think the one reply that cemented my theory was Test #2 M&M #3 the M&M was Brown and David answered Yellow, that right there to me says they all taste the same. However afterwards David told me that he thinks the Brown ones taste more like regular non-peanut M&M's and I will have to agree that I can ALMOST barely taste a slight hint of what he is sayin but not every Brown M&M has that regular M&M flavor so it still differs. David still doesn't like the Brown ones and Yellow ones are still his favorite so I don't think we really solved much haha but it was fun. What do you think??