The Start of Year 2

Such a beautiful picture! This was taken by my gifted friend Kender.
Tomorrow marks the beginning of the 2nd and final year in the program.... and I am already restless and ready to be finished. I have enjoyed the end of each term so far (mostly enjoyed being finished, not so much the process of learning to get there :o) and do look forward to the remaining 4 terms, perhaps with some trepidation and nervousness.

I am finding I am much tired than I was last year at this time, going into year 1. This makes me a little nervous, starting the full time work, school, teen parenting, relationship building juggling act once more.

Social Bases of Behavior and Behavior Therapy Part 1 will be the focus of this term.

I am fortunate to have the toughest prof (Dr. Rapp) and my favourite prof (Dr. Schulze) who is Queen of student support (or has been up to this point).

Hoping this overwhelmed feeling takes a hiatus soon... you know that feeling where life seems to be spinning out of control, moving at a pace that you are racing to keep up with?? I feel immersed in it.

I have been low on creative inspiration lately, so not too many cards being made.

Here is one to leave you with.

Happy Father's Day! 99 Balloons

One of the first things my son did this morning was repeat over and over how I needed to see this video about 99 balloons. He had mentioned it on the ride home from Dad's house last night, and hadn't forgotten about it this morning. Usually, when he repeats things many times like this, it means it's important to him or something he really likes.

I kept thinking it was another youtube video about Rock Band guitar or drum riffs. No siree. You may have already seen this video, but if you haven't I implore you to see it. On Father's Day especially!

Here is the link: Eliot's Story

My boy was wiping tears away from his eyes after the first 30 seconds. That then had me going. It was his second time viewing the video... I love how he is affected by life and the stories of others. I love how life hasn't beaten that out of him. And I love that he is OK with showing that kind of emotion. Total gift to experience life with him.

Happy Father's Day! Enjoy life. Savor family and kids! And forget that the house is dirty.

A new hobby

Hey All in Blogland.

I have been LOVING this month off from school. LOVING it.
And, I have new hobby! It's called 'Call of Duty: World at War'. I'll warn you now- this game is NOT for the faint of heart. There's gore. There's blood. There's flailing body parts. And carnage.
It's. Awesome.
I find myself dreaming of the game, playing it every second I possibly can. Date nights are often now comprised of J and I taking turns playing in 10 minute intervals. Hooray for gaming as a relationship-bonding experience!! C and I actually set xbox dates at night where we go online and join games to chat and kill many fake people.
So fun.
And now, as I'm sitting here at work, I still wish I was home playing CoD. This might be becoming a problem! Perhaps I will experience withdrawals once school starts up again in a 10 days. Oh, tears!
The goal is to be able to take on J and whip his butt. I greatly enjoyed kicking the tar out of C online last night. Teach him to steal my flag when I'm defending it! HA!
...right... back to reality.
*sigh*
Just a few more hours to go until I can drive home and hopefully steal a few rounds of CoD before J wants to play. WOOT!

And, alas, I have not forgotten about making cards, which was the original intent of this blog. I am just procrastinating in uploading the pictures!
Too busy sitting in front of the xbox. Tee hee.

Blog Candy

Woo hoo- blog candy!

Just came across this blog and the notice of upcoming blog candy. Get in while you can!

http://jarfullofjoy.blogspot.com/2009/05/blog-candy-wont-add-to-your-hips.html

Messin with the Blog

Ahh! Finally!! Couldn't for the life of me figure out how to stop the words from stretching across the side borders. It was making me crazy!!
Hopefully this is better.

Always nice to add in some new background fun too!!

One Semester Down + Family Visits

Almost to the half-way mark.
Grad stats is up next.
Ugh. I've already signed up for a tutor. They will hate my 2nd day in as I will be emailing and calling perseveratively. He hee.
It has been 1 week since school ended, and all I want to do is sleep! I'd prefer to hibernate as a bear if at all possible. Perhaps go away on a vacation and enjoy a break from the rigours of life?

Honestly, we were blessed with a fabulous visit from my brother and sister in law and their little Monkey, Simoneous. It was grand!! Photos to come.
And in the weeks before this, a visit from my sister, her clan and my Lois and her fam. It was heavenly!!! And so fast.
I hope that my boy remembers these visits with family. I hope he grows up to treasure time spent with family and friends- to prioritize this and work at not taking such experiences for granted.
Next up- a visit from Grams and Gramps end of May. Just enough visits with everyone before school starts again and I drop off the face of the earth for another semester.
*sigh*
1.5 years to go!!


Ahh, that Friesen.

Winter 2010

Oh, how I so look forward to the end of school.  I want some life back!  While I am enjoying some of what I'm learning, I am not a scholar and often struggle with the time investment required to maintain good standing in the program.

Not to complain, just a statement of life as it is: I look forward to when time that is currently consumed with school, can be relegated to other priorities in life (which can then resume their needed place).

It will be nice to go to BS on Wednesday nights and not feel weighted by the volume of coursework that is waiting at home.

Likely it won't be as simple as this, likely there will be other things in life that will volley for time.  

I would like to keep in mind my end goal for this program- not just to get some pretty letters after my name, but to create a better life where I can work less and spend that 'extra' time investing in people, relationships, causes that are important to me.  

I detest the rat race that is the lower mainland and crave other things out of life.

I do not want to work 6 days a week for the rest of my life, or wake up and realize that the best years have zoomed past and while I may have somewhat of a bank account to show for it, relationships with the people I love have significantly suffered.

No thanks.

I do not want that to be my story.

So, to my friends and family, please understand.  I want to get there, but have to wade through the process to reach that goal.

Who knows what the future holds?

(Been, stop right there)

To that end, celebrate life!

Theresa

Deadlines....

Sadly, this term seems to be all about deadlines.  

Seems impossible to stay on top of everything.  So, what am I doing tonight? Trying to alleviate the internal loss of control feeling that has pervaded my senses.  And this blog, you see, is one of the many things in life that is spiraling out of grasp.

I'm also baking cookies. Why?  I sure as heck have NO time for that (with 5 major assignments due tomorrow, a conference call with my school supervisor, exam + meeting crammed into 1 day).

It's insanity!  But, my bathroom is clean, and that gives me pause for a few deep, peaceful breaths.  Perhaps I am trying to find some of that calm and sense of accomplishment in blogland?

Made a card for Adam's birthday using my Kale and Ethan Dino-Mite set from MTF.  Also love the textured pattern paper (can't rememeber who makes it!).

Here are a few cards that have been made in the last little bit ('little bit' being a subjective term that I shall not elaborate on).

Until next time, I'm....

Some festive pictures...

To start off the year...

Another Christmas card.  Loved the ribbon on this one.

Coloured with my Copic Markers, Sakura glaze pen, Bazill basics paper and patterned paper.

Yumm.  Perogies.  This shot is for Friesen...

Let's try this uploading process again! Note the pictures will be in random order...

Mat, opening gifts on the Big Day... an electric razor! Yeah!

He he hee..

My boy and his Canucks jersey (post haircut).  You can feel the excitement just looking at his face! Ha!

(Apparently this is Chris' Angry Face??).  Poor guy hasn't seen anything yet...

Ahh, family.  

We had a new edition to the Christmas week this year.  

Chris.  Oh dang, love the many faces of my brother Harry.  It is a skill in itself to capture a picture where he is not mutating his face at the last second into something like this....

Here's Chris chowing down on some Borscht and Perogies (one of Mom's many specialties!).  Welcome to GF, Chris!

My awesome possum niece, Simoneous.  Many pictures taken of this little monkey over the week.  So delightful!

There's nothing like being welcomed in the driveway by Grampa (wearing his crazy toque!).  You can see his excitement at having his family home for Christmas (although Been wasn't able to make it this year).

Road trip to Grand Forks for Christmas.

I love the scenery on the trip up.  Any time of year it's just breathtaking.... you can see why!

J was the photographer/ videographer for this trip, hence the very candid photos of myself.  Thanks, Son. Ahhh!

A new year!

... and a new semester.

Hard to believe, but this one is going to be more intense than the last semester.

I'm not sure how exactly everything will work out this term, as I have fits of anxiety just thinking about how and where to schedule 6 hours of unpaid direct observation (for after school clients), on top of a very full course load and full time work + home and (somewhat of a) personal life.

Ack!!!

Oh, may the next 2 years SAIL on by...

No doubt this blog will become very infrequently posted on as, on my life or priorities, this will need to bear some of the flexibility brunt.  However, should anyone in blog land devise some way to clone humans, be sure to let me know.

Since blogger is not letting me upload any more photos, I will post them next time!

In the meantime, I did have the chance to work on a few cards.  Here's one...