Hello everyone!
I just wanted to wish you all a truly blessed Thanksgiving day...
and while i'm here, as mentioned in a previous post, i will post the entire lyrics to that carrie newcomer song...
you can find carrie's website here...
when one door closes (another door opens wide)
carrie newcomer
when one door closes another door opens wide
it's hard to believe all of these locked doos i've tried
and you can't pray for what you want, or what you'd have instead
you can only offer up your heart and ask that you be led...
life's gonna take you where you never thought you'd go
when you finally think you've got it down, it isn't so
there are windows and doors you're not finished with yet
it's not always getting what you want or wanting what you get...
when one door closes another door opens wide
it's hard to believe all of these locked doos i've tried
and you can't pray for what you want, or what you'd have instead
you can only offer up your heart and ask that you be led...
it's not getting easier so i'm not going to pretend
that i know this story from it's beginning to it's end
oh believe me when i tell you, believe me if you can
if i could turn down the noise of my own will and choice
i could hear the truth of my life in a clear voice
i will bow down my head to the wisdom of my heart
cool my heels and hold on to the best parts...
when one door closes another door opens wide
it's hard to believe all of these locked doos i've tried
and you can't pray for what you want, or what you'd have instead
you can only offer up your heart and ask that you be led...
when one door closes another door opens wide
it's hard to believe all of these locked doos i've tried
and you can't pray for what you want, or what you'd have instead
you can only offer up your heart and ask that you be led...
....
see why she "speaks to my condition" so much?...she really is an incredible artist...you would be wise to check her songs out..many are available to listen to on her website under the "listen & shop" tab...then under the "jukebox selections" click on any of the little titles..."regulars and refugees" is her current album full of stories of all the different patrons at betty's diner... "wilderness plots" is a cd she made with several other people..."additional selections" is all the sings from her "best of" cd including three songs that hadn't been relesed before...and unreleased demos are just that...under that section, "geodes" is one of my favourite tunes...
you can also "turn the page" by clicking the little double arrow things on the right hand side of the jukebox....
anyhow...i must be on my merry little way...we're having the meal at pam & bob's this year (actually, that's where we usually have it...) but many of my siblings won't be in attendance...tony & ning are in virginia...albert is mad at us and basically disowned us so he won't be there...patrick is coming with mom & i, since he lives here to....mike & becky & rebecca are coming down...joe is in enfield with aunt elaine, uncle john, uncle frank, and aunt elaine & uncle john's two kids jj & brenda...jim & tanya & the kids are in anchorage...it's their first Thanksgiving in their new place...i think they like being there, but i wonder if jim misses the quaint-ness of anderson - where they lived before...and ray & kelly are spending teh day with kelly's folks so they won't be around today, which is kind of sad...
i hope ray sends some jack daniels over for the burbon mashed sweet potatoes, because that's been a bit of a staple these past few years...(it's about one shot of jack daniels to a rather large vat of sweet potatoes...not nearly enough to phase anyone or mess with anyone's medications, don't worry!...) ohhh...and we'll be missing his maple butter, too...that has become one of those "expected" things...maybe i'll call him for the recipe for the maple butter and make my own...
and ning usually brings lympia and pancit, which will be missing this year, too...she's a really good cook, and before her i didn't know that they had such delicious foods in the phillipines...i know if i ever go over there for any reason, i'll look for banana ketchup and lympia, and i could probably live on that and be happy for the length of my stay over there...hee hee...
okay, i'm off...have a truly wonderfully blessed day, everyone!!...
-ramona anne
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Thursday, November 08, 2007
three months later...
so, it's been a while since i updated...
what has happened?...oh, so very, very much...first of all, my brother albert came to stay with us for a while...no joke...he was here for about eight weeks, maybe more...he was diagnosed with a brain tumor...it's since been removed and he has sinced moved out of the house here, and moved in with a friend in town...i'm glad to have the house back to what it was before...i won't go into detail about his time here, i'm just going to say i'm much more relaxed than i've been in like, eight weeks...
....
back in late august/early september i did a few things...first of all i finished my summer job at the AMC...i miss my co-workers...i miss the familiar faces and the good natured joking and ribbing that went on there...i miss crew lunch (wow...who'd've thunk it?!...) of course, it wouldn't be the same anyways if i went back...amer & nimer (the guys from Jordan) aren't there...neither are the four "kids" from taiwan...those six people really made the job what it was to me...i really bonded with them all and i miss all of them terribly and there's not a day that goes by that i don't think about them...seriously...
i left the AMC to launch into my academic career at lyndon state college...i am taking three classes - i did have four originally, but i had to drop one...
lyndon isn't quite the fit i thought it was going to be...i'm sort of committed to going there though until the end of the spring semester...then if all goes well in the fall i can transfer to plymouth state university here in new hampshire...and my commute will be MUCH easier...you see, plymouth sends their instructors up to the tech. in berlin...so i'll be looking at about a 25 or so minute commute to those classes...much easier than the hour & twenty five mintues each way to lyndon...(yeah, i spend almost 3 hours a day on the road each day i have classes...) not fun...but necessary...
...
in late september, i had a truly wonderful experience...i went to see my most favourite folk singer, carrie newcomer...she was playing over in portland maine...i had had class that day - and had actually gone out to lyndonville, vt...then from lyndonville to newport, vt...from newport back to lyndonville...(now, from my house to the college is about 55 miles...so round trip just to the college & back is nearly 110 miles...add to that the trip back & forth to newport, which i think is about 40 miles one way from the college...so 110 plus 80 is...190 miles...just for classes...)
and then portland maine is about 100 miles from where i live...one way...double that and we have 200...plus 190...that's close to 400 miles...but carrie newcomer is so well worth it...i enjoyed the show greatly (though i missed the firat 20 minutes of it because i got lost in protland...) still, the show itself was fantastic, and the conversation with carrie after the show was absolutely wonderful...
there's an old Quaker saying "thee speaks to my condition"...and so often carrie newcomer's words - sung or spoken - do just that...
carrie is a Quaker, and i have a few friends who live not too far from here who are also Quakers...the more time i spend around these people, the more i look at my own walk with God and my own values and beliefs...and the more i wonder if i am in the right place at my current church...don't get me wrong...i absolutely love p. shane (that's short for pastor shane...) and his family...and everyone, really, at harvest...
however, there's something to be said for the Quaker practice of sitting in silent expectation, waiting on the Lord or the Spirit to speak to you, to guide you, to lead you...
i feel that we can get so busy going to church, and bible studies, and prayer meetings, and all of this other stuff...that we often miss what God may be wanting to do with us, in us, and through us...
it's just something i've been pondering quite a bit lately...
carrie newcomer sings in one of her songs a verse that i often find myself meditating on...here it is:
if i could turn down the noise of my own will and choice
i could hear the truth of my life in a clear voice
i will bow down my head to the wisdom of my heart
cool my heels and hold on to the best parts
...the whole song is amazing...really, it is...maybe i'll post all of it in an upcoming blog...but really, so often i find myself thinking about those lines...i really don't hear the truth of my life that often...and i really want to...i guess i'll just have to do some real heavy thinking and soul searching in the days and weeks ahead....
okay, i think that's about all for now...it's late - almost 11:00...and i need sleep...
oh, wait, there is one more thing...it would be an absolute shame if i didn't mention this...
thursday (yesterday) on the way to lyndonville, i was traveling on route two...and i saw something in the road - in the other lane - and it was a living something...it was grey and black and at first i thought it was a cat...but then deicded that a cat wouldn't be out in a terrible rain storm...so then i thought maybe it was a little dog like a terrier or something...but then decided it wasn't shaped right for a dog, either...i slowed down because i really wanted to see what it was, and because if it decided to move, i'd want time to react in case it came into my lane...i drove by and i saw these two big brown eyes, and this beak and instantly it registered "hey! that's an owl!" ...it was 7:10 in the morning...owls are nocturnal and are rarely seen during the day, although it wasn't all that long after daylight that he was out...
i was going to turn around to take pictures and make sure he wasn't hurt, and to try to scoot him off the road so he didn't get hurt...but then i saw him fly off in my rear view...still, it was an AWESOME thing for me to see...
the only other time i saw an owl in "daylight" was two summers ago when i was in alaska and i saw a great grey owl...although the thing about that is that it was daylight almost 24/7 during my time there, so owls were forced to hunt in daylight regardless...however, at the time that i saw him, it was "night time" probably well after midnight...so it would be a "normal" time for an owl to be out hunting...he flew off with a large catch in his talons...it looked to be an arctic hare...that owl must've been about two feet in height - no kidding...
also, speaking of alaska...they got their first snow in anchorage back in early october...(my brother jim lives there...that's why i was there two years ago...) we got our first snow here in new hampshire today...as of 10:00 the total snowfall is about 4 to 6 inches...looks like i'd better see about getting studded snow tires pretty soon...they are better than all season raidals, which is what i've got on there now...
okay...i'm off to get some sleep...tomorrow i've got a lot of things to do with my birdfeeder project...(it's been difficult this year with those!!) and i'm taking the car down to get a cd player installed...i got a cheap one at wal-mart for just around $50...i was sick of not having music in my car, especially with the almost 3 hours a day i spend traveling each day i have class...it'll be fun to have a cd player...and it's got a plug in for my ipod...how fun!!...
have a truly blessed weekend, everyone...
-ramona anne
what has happened?...oh, so very, very much...first of all, my brother albert came to stay with us for a while...no joke...he was here for about eight weeks, maybe more...he was diagnosed with a brain tumor...it's since been removed and he has sinced moved out of the house here, and moved in with a friend in town...i'm glad to have the house back to what it was before...i won't go into detail about his time here, i'm just going to say i'm much more relaxed than i've been in like, eight weeks...
....
back in late august/early september i did a few things...first of all i finished my summer job at the AMC...i miss my co-workers...i miss the familiar faces and the good natured joking and ribbing that went on there...i miss crew lunch (wow...who'd've thunk it?!...) of course, it wouldn't be the same anyways if i went back...amer & nimer (the guys from Jordan) aren't there...neither are the four "kids" from taiwan...those six people really made the job what it was to me...i really bonded with them all and i miss all of them terribly and there's not a day that goes by that i don't think about them...seriously...
i left the AMC to launch into my academic career at lyndon state college...i am taking three classes - i did have four originally, but i had to drop one...
lyndon isn't quite the fit i thought it was going to be...i'm sort of committed to going there though until the end of the spring semester...then if all goes well in the fall i can transfer to plymouth state university here in new hampshire...and my commute will be MUCH easier...you see, plymouth sends their instructors up to the tech. in berlin...so i'll be looking at about a 25 or so minute commute to those classes...much easier than the hour & twenty five mintues each way to lyndon...(yeah, i spend almost 3 hours a day on the road each day i have classes...) not fun...but necessary...
...
in late september, i had a truly wonderful experience...i went to see my most favourite folk singer, carrie newcomer...she was playing over in portland maine...i had had class that day - and had actually gone out to lyndonville, vt...then from lyndonville to newport, vt...from newport back to lyndonville...(now, from my house to the college is about 55 miles...so round trip just to the college & back is nearly 110 miles...add to that the trip back & forth to newport, which i think is about 40 miles one way from the college...so 110 plus 80 is...190 miles...just for classes...)
and then portland maine is about 100 miles from where i live...one way...double that and we have 200...plus 190...that's close to 400 miles...but carrie newcomer is so well worth it...i enjoyed the show greatly (though i missed the firat 20 minutes of it because i got lost in protland...) still, the show itself was fantastic, and the conversation with carrie after the show was absolutely wonderful...
there's an old Quaker saying "thee speaks to my condition"...and so often carrie newcomer's words - sung or spoken - do just that...
carrie is a Quaker, and i have a few friends who live not too far from here who are also Quakers...the more time i spend around these people, the more i look at my own walk with God and my own values and beliefs...and the more i wonder if i am in the right place at my current church...don't get me wrong...i absolutely love p. shane (that's short for pastor shane...) and his family...and everyone, really, at harvest...
however, there's something to be said for the Quaker practice of sitting in silent expectation, waiting on the Lord or the Spirit to speak to you, to guide you, to lead you...
i feel that we can get so busy going to church, and bible studies, and prayer meetings, and all of this other stuff...that we often miss what God may be wanting to do with us, in us, and through us...
it's just something i've been pondering quite a bit lately...
carrie newcomer sings in one of her songs a verse that i often find myself meditating on...here it is:
if i could turn down the noise of my own will and choice
i could hear the truth of my life in a clear voice
i will bow down my head to the wisdom of my heart
cool my heels and hold on to the best parts
...the whole song is amazing...really, it is...maybe i'll post all of it in an upcoming blog...but really, so often i find myself thinking about those lines...i really don't hear the truth of my life that often...and i really want to...i guess i'll just have to do some real heavy thinking and soul searching in the days and weeks ahead....
okay, i think that's about all for now...it's late - almost 11:00...and i need sleep...
oh, wait, there is one more thing...it would be an absolute shame if i didn't mention this...
thursday (yesterday) on the way to lyndonville, i was traveling on route two...and i saw something in the road - in the other lane - and it was a living something...it was grey and black and at first i thought it was a cat...but then deicded that a cat wouldn't be out in a terrible rain storm...so then i thought maybe it was a little dog like a terrier or something...but then decided it wasn't shaped right for a dog, either...i slowed down because i really wanted to see what it was, and because if it decided to move, i'd want time to react in case it came into my lane...i drove by and i saw these two big brown eyes, and this beak and instantly it registered "hey! that's an owl!" ...it was 7:10 in the morning...owls are nocturnal and are rarely seen during the day, although it wasn't all that long after daylight that he was out...
i was going to turn around to take pictures and make sure he wasn't hurt, and to try to scoot him off the road so he didn't get hurt...but then i saw him fly off in my rear view...still, it was an AWESOME thing for me to see...
the only other time i saw an owl in "daylight" was two summers ago when i was in alaska and i saw a great grey owl...although the thing about that is that it was daylight almost 24/7 during my time there, so owls were forced to hunt in daylight regardless...however, at the time that i saw him, it was "night time" probably well after midnight...so it would be a "normal" time for an owl to be out hunting...he flew off with a large catch in his talons...it looked to be an arctic hare...that owl must've been about two feet in height - no kidding...
also, speaking of alaska...they got their first snow in anchorage back in early october...(my brother jim lives there...that's why i was there two years ago...) we got our first snow here in new hampshire today...as of 10:00 the total snowfall is about 4 to 6 inches...looks like i'd better see about getting studded snow tires pretty soon...they are better than all season raidals, which is what i've got on there now...
okay...i'm off to get some sleep...tomorrow i've got a lot of things to do with my birdfeeder project...(it's been difficult this year with those!!) and i'm taking the car down to get a cd player installed...i got a cheap one at wal-mart for just around $50...i was sick of not having music in my car, especially with the almost 3 hours a day i spend traveling each day i have class...it'll be fun to have a cd player...and it's got a plug in for my ipod...how fun!!...
have a truly blessed weekend, everyone...
-ramona anne
Thursday, August 09, 2007
keeping secrets...or not....
i went to see some friends, ken & peg (more specifically, peg...) who i hadn't seen in a number of years...(i think i'd only seen them once in the last six years...twice at the most...i can't remember if their son got married before or after they moved out to the west coast...) at any rate, i've not seen them really in six years...
i was making some mention to peg about my recent family reunion and i said "my brother's fiancee wasn't there becuase she thought a chiropractor's appointment was more important..." and then she said "which brother is that?..." i told her "my brother ray..." she asked me "is he the one that abused you?..." i said "no...that's albert..."
and i think i finished talking about the wedding and then somehow, a whole conversation about my brother albert's abuse towards me unfolded...
it was not anything i cared to talk about, honestly...
i think she asked me what my mom thought or said about it, and i told her "i don't think she even knows..." she looked at me and said "she doesn't know?..." i said "i've never really told her..."
boy, that was a mistake, sharing that bit of information...
she was telling me that i should tell my mom...and that i should also sit down and have a conversation with my mom and albert together and tell albert that even though what he did was wrong, and that it was a violation, i forgive him...
she said i couldn't move forward in what God had planned for my life until i did that, and that in order to be released and fully forgiven myself, i would need to forgive and release my brother, and that until i did that, God wouldn't forgive me...
now...i thought i'd forgiven my brother...i really have tired to...just because i don't feel safe around him and just because i don't want to be sleeping under the same roof as him, doesn't mean i haven't forgiven him...it just means that i don't feel safe and i don't trust him...there is a difference...
i buy him gifts at Christmas time...i talk to him on the phone sometimes when he calls...i did some favors for him when he was in jail...(i called someone for him - actually an older gentleman who is a pastor, who has ministered several times at my church...and asked him to contact this other person...so i called pastor leo and asked him to get in touch with this other guy and ask about some of albert's belongings...)
i really have to make a concious effort to be nice to my brother some days...especially when he is treating me like crap...(i'm only human, you know)...
but i really feel like i have healed and moved on A LOT in my life...honestly, i do....
so to have peg tell me that i should a.) tell my mom what happened... and b.) sit down and have a conversation with albert and her about it and c.) that God wouldn't move in my life until i did these things...really put me in a bit of a funk...
the more she talked to me, and the more i shared with her, the "smaller" i felt...i literally felt myself regressing to when i was a little girl...to when these certain events would be taking place...and i felt lost, stranded, hurt, sad, lonely, unloved, ugly, all of these things...and all because of this conversation....
i'm still strugling with some of these feelings and thoughts and it's been a few days...
i really felt as though i was in a good place before this conversation happened...but when it was taking place, i felt myself go back, and i don't think that's where God wants me...
...
many many years ago, when i was in oh...fifth grade, maybe, i had reported some sexual abuse stuff...not the ones with my brother, but with some other people...i had been talking about it all day at school, and the last thing i wanted to do was talk about it any more when i got home...however, my mom kept pestering me and badgering me about it and i finally had a nuclear meltdown...
she asked me if my brother albert had ever done anything to me...and i wanted to, at that point, shut her up and get myself to bed so i wouldn't have to talk about it anymore...so i said no so i wouldn't have to talk about it anymore...
and i went about my life...
so, that's part of the reason i don't want to tell my mom...after all, why should i bother her with it...she's almost 72...i don't feel that it's that important to tell her...for lots of reasons..i know it will cause huge waves in the family...even worse than there already are....he'll deny it, of course...it'll be my word against his...and it'll make my mom feel like she has to choose sides...
i remember having to put a restraining order on him in the past...for domestic violence....and even though he violated that several times, she still sided with him....i was 16 at the time...
so, where would she land this time around?...whose side would she take?...she shouldn't have to take anyone's side, really...
it hurts...it hurts my heart to think of putting my mom in that position...and it hurts knowing that she's likely to side with him...for whatever reason....she's done it many times in the past...what would make her change now?...
so, i'm in this place...and it's not a fun one to be in...it's hard...
especially with no real great church support system or anything around, either...(i've not been to church since early june, really...i have to work sudnays...thankfully only until the end of the month, though...)
so anyhow, that's where i'm at...that's what happened monday in keene...
i've not made any decisions yet as to what i'm going to do...
i know this:
my brother is not a safe person...he's been known to randomly lose his temper and explode and he's dangerous when he's like that...sitting down with him is NOT a good idea...(i had mentioned some of this stuff to my cousin JJ and the thing about that is that he isn't saved, but he knows the family, good bad and ugly...and he said "sit down with albert?...do you have a death wish?...that's not safe, you know..." i said "yeah...i know..." ... so that is one idea that i'll probably nix...)
but, what about telling my mom?...and the way it sounded like God's moving in my life was conditional upon telling my mom and having that conversation with her and my brother?...
i'm really just stuck in all of this...and wishing someone could help pull me out...that's all for now...
i was making some mention to peg about my recent family reunion and i said "my brother's fiancee wasn't there becuase she thought a chiropractor's appointment was more important..." and then she said "which brother is that?..." i told her "my brother ray..." she asked me "is he the one that abused you?..." i said "no...that's albert..."
and i think i finished talking about the wedding and then somehow, a whole conversation about my brother albert's abuse towards me unfolded...
it was not anything i cared to talk about, honestly...
i think she asked me what my mom thought or said about it, and i told her "i don't think she even knows..." she looked at me and said "she doesn't know?..." i said "i've never really told her..."
boy, that was a mistake, sharing that bit of information...
she was telling me that i should tell my mom...and that i should also sit down and have a conversation with my mom and albert together and tell albert that even though what he did was wrong, and that it was a violation, i forgive him...
she said i couldn't move forward in what God had planned for my life until i did that, and that in order to be released and fully forgiven myself, i would need to forgive and release my brother, and that until i did that, God wouldn't forgive me...
now...i thought i'd forgiven my brother...i really have tired to...just because i don't feel safe around him and just because i don't want to be sleeping under the same roof as him, doesn't mean i haven't forgiven him...it just means that i don't feel safe and i don't trust him...there is a difference...
i buy him gifts at Christmas time...i talk to him on the phone sometimes when he calls...i did some favors for him when he was in jail...(i called someone for him - actually an older gentleman who is a pastor, who has ministered several times at my church...and asked him to contact this other person...so i called pastor leo and asked him to get in touch with this other guy and ask about some of albert's belongings...)
i really have to make a concious effort to be nice to my brother some days...especially when he is treating me like crap...(i'm only human, you know)...
but i really feel like i have healed and moved on A LOT in my life...honestly, i do....
so to have peg tell me that i should a.) tell my mom what happened... and b.) sit down and have a conversation with albert and her about it and c.) that God wouldn't move in my life until i did these things...really put me in a bit of a funk...
the more she talked to me, and the more i shared with her, the "smaller" i felt...i literally felt myself regressing to when i was a little girl...to when these certain events would be taking place...and i felt lost, stranded, hurt, sad, lonely, unloved, ugly, all of these things...and all because of this conversation....
i'm still strugling with some of these feelings and thoughts and it's been a few days...
i really felt as though i was in a good place before this conversation happened...but when it was taking place, i felt myself go back, and i don't think that's where God wants me...
...
many many years ago, when i was in oh...fifth grade, maybe, i had reported some sexual abuse stuff...not the ones with my brother, but with some other people...i had been talking about it all day at school, and the last thing i wanted to do was talk about it any more when i got home...however, my mom kept pestering me and badgering me about it and i finally had a nuclear meltdown...
she asked me if my brother albert had ever done anything to me...and i wanted to, at that point, shut her up and get myself to bed so i wouldn't have to talk about it anymore...so i said no so i wouldn't have to talk about it anymore...
and i went about my life...
so, that's part of the reason i don't want to tell my mom...after all, why should i bother her with it...she's almost 72...i don't feel that it's that important to tell her...for lots of reasons..i know it will cause huge waves in the family...even worse than there already are....he'll deny it, of course...it'll be my word against his...and it'll make my mom feel like she has to choose sides...
i remember having to put a restraining order on him in the past...for domestic violence....and even though he violated that several times, she still sided with him....i was 16 at the time...
so, where would she land this time around?...whose side would she take?...she shouldn't have to take anyone's side, really...
it hurts...it hurts my heart to think of putting my mom in that position...and it hurts knowing that she's likely to side with him...for whatever reason....she's done it many times in the past...what would make her change now?...
so, i'm in this place...and it's not a fun one to be in...it's hard...
especially with no real great church support system or anything around, either...(i've not been to church since early june, really...i have to work sudnays...thankfully only until the end of the month, though...)
so anyhow, that's where i'm at...that's what happened monday in keene...
i've not made any decisions yet as to what i'm going to do...
i know this:
my brother is not a safe person...he's been known to randomly lose his temper and explode and he's dangerous when he's like that...sitting down with him is NOT a good idea...(i had mentioned some of this stuff to my cousin JJ and the thing about that is that he isn't saved, but he knows the family, good bad and ugly...and he said "sit down with albert?...do you have a death wish?...that's not safe, you know..." i said "yeah...i know..." ... so that is one idea that i'll probably nix...)
but, what about telling my mom?...and the way it sounded like God's moving in my life was conditional upon telling my mom and having that conversation with her and my brother?...
i'm really just stuck in all of this...and wishing someone could help pull me out...that's all for now...
to be continued...
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
shukraan
that is how you say thank you in arabic...
last monday, the 30th of july, i went and picked up amer and nimer (the guys from jordan that i work with), and we met up with ruth and patrice for dinner, and then we left the restaurant and headed to patrice's house, and ruth got out some of the things she'd taken home from jordan and we all stayed up really late and ended up sleeping over, which was pretty fun...i took lots of pictures, and had my own picture taken a bit...everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, and the boys really felt comfortable...ruth and patrice are amazing hostesses (ruth must get that from her mom) and i just felt very blessed to be part of it all...
tuesday the 31st marked 12 years since the loss of my father...i remembered him a bit, and that was nice...i miss him more as an adult, i think...
after that, i breezed through a few quick days at work (wednesday, thursday & friday) ...after work friday, i took off to enfield,nh...i spent friday and saturday night sleeping in a tent on the farm, becuase it was family reunion weekend!!...there was breakfast on the farm sunday morning, a folk show in cambridge, mass with my cousin JJ sunday evening, and then back to enfield, nh...this time i spelt at my aunt's house, in a bed, which was much better than the hard ground!!...i got up earlier than i wanted to and mostly puttered around, then i headed down to keene, nh...i saw peg & ken and met a new friend, brenda, who is currently staying with ken & peg...
it was good to see then again, it had been quite a long time...peg & ken moved to the west coast six years ago, and i had only seen them twice, i think, since they moved out there...(i'm trying to remember if kenny & katie got married before or after ken & peg moved out to washington, because i know they were tehre for that...and i also know that they did come back one time when they sold their house in keene...)
anyways, it had been a while since i'd really seen them and it was good to be there...
i haven't been to church all summer, really, and being loved on by peg was something that i had desperately needed...i'm really glad i went...
she shared some things with me and told me to consider some things and be praying about them, and i have been...i guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens next...
monday night i spent the night in enfield again, after leaving keene...tuesday (yesterday) i came home and unpacked and went to bed and then it was back to work today...
my four days of summer vacation flew by way too quickly...but, i guess that's what happens when you're enjoying yourself so much...
and now, it's time for bed again...it's almost 10:00 and i'm really in need of rest and sleep...
have a happy week, everyone...
-ramona anne
last monday, the 30th of july, i went and picked up amer and nimer (the guys from jordan that i work with), and we met up with ruth and patrice for dinner, and then we left the restaurant and headed to patrice's house, and ruth got out some of the things she'd taken home from jordan and we all stayed up really late and ended up sleeping over, which was pretty fun...i took lots of pictures, and had my own picture taken a bit...everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, and the boys really felt comfortable...ruth and patrice are amazing hostesses (ruth must get that from her mom) and i just felt very blessed to be part of it all...
tuesday the 31st marked 12 years since the loss of my father...i remembered him a bit, and that was nice...i miss him more as an adult, i think...
after that, i breezed through a few quick days at work (wednesday, thursday & friday) ...after work friday, i took off to enfield,nh...i spent friday and saturday night sleeping in a tent on the farm, becuase it was family reunion weekend!!...there was breakfast on the farm sunday morning, a folk show in cambridge, mass with my cousin JJ sunday evening, and then back to enfield, nh...this time i spelt at my aunt's house, in a bed, which was much better than the hard ground!!...i got up earlier than i wanted to and mostly puttered around, then i headed down to keene, nh...i saw peg & ken and met a new friend, brenda, who is currently staying with ken & peg...
it was good to see then again, it had been quite a long time...peg & ken moved to the west coast six years ago, and i had only seen them twice, i think, since they moved out there...(i'm trying to remember if kenny & katie got married before or after ken & peg moved out to washington, because i know they were tehre for that...and i also know that they did come back one time when they sold their house in keene...)
anyways, it had been a while since i'd really seen them and it was good to be there...
i haven't been to church all summer, really, and being loved on by peg was something that i had desperately needed...i'm really glad i went...
she shared some things with me and told me to consider some things and be praying about them, and i have been...i guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens next...
monday night i spent the night in enfield again, after leaving keene...tuesday (yesterday) i came home and unpacked and went to bed and then it was back to work today...
my four days of summer vacation flew by way too quickly...but, i guess that's what happens when you're enjoying yourself so much...
and now, it's time for bed again...it's almost 10:00 and i'm really in need of rest and sleep...
have a happy week, everyone...
-ramona anne
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
physicals, caterpillars, and ice cream...
disclaimer: the following blog is NOT rated "G"...i really don't have a good rating for it, but it's just not rated "G"....so, read on but be fore-warned...
....
yesterday was a very interesting day for me...i had my yearly physical (complete with breast exam and pap smear...) during the breast exam the doctor made reference to their weight/size and asked if i'd ever considered breast reduction...the sad part is, it is something i have thought about...i'll be honest i don't always like or feel comfortable with my body...i especially don't like my breasts...they get in the way of everything...
it's kind of like SARK (a wonderful author and artist who is very wonderful!) said in one of her books "Large breats are like pets. Everyone likes them, but you're the one who has to
take care of them" visit SARK online here
anyways, i metioned - casually - to my mom the idea of breast reduction...she said that it's highly possible that i couldn't breastfeed my children (if i ever have any?!...) if i had the surgery...so, i guess i'll just deal with it and accept the fact that they're large, and heavy, and that they're always in the way...
....
okay, enough about that...
the other things that happened yesterday was that i found a monarch caterpillar...the first one of the season...it was big, and i'm sure it will be spinning it's chrysalis soon...
also, in the evening i went to pick up my car at brandon's (brandon is my current mechanic...he's a nice guy and i've known him my whole life...i trust him more than i've trusted anyone else - except maybe my brother mike - to work on my car...) he's extremely reasonable price wise, and he's willing to work with me for payments...
anyhow, while i was there, corey, his nephew, who i have known his whole life, was there...brandon was babysitting him...(although, at 12, i'm not sure how corey feels about being "babysat"...) i asked if i could take corey fishing...brandon said "i don't know, ask him..." so i did, and he said yes...so i took corey fishing...it was my second time fishing this season so far, despite having my fishing license since april...
so, we're out fishing and we're not having a lot of luck at this one spot, so we decide to try elsewhere...on the way to the second place, we stopped at the store to get some snack type things, and while i was there this guy, whom i don't know, and had never seen before, bought me an ice cream cone...it was interesting and it kind of caught me very much off guard...
i thanked him and then went to the car...corey shot me a look and i said "what?..." he said "ice cream?..." i said "yeah..." and i realized that he was mad because i hadn't bought one for him...he then said "did that guy buy it for you?..." i said "yeah, actually, he did...do you know him?..." corey shook his head and said "never seen him before..." i said "me neither..."
oh, well, it was kind of a neat thing, although it was just very odd, for sure...
anyhow...that's what my day consisted of yesterday...oh, and between coming home from the doctor's and going to get my car at brandon's, i took a two hour nap, and it wasn't as restful as i would have liekd for it to be, but it was nice to be able to nap....
i also napped for an hour today and then becky & rebecca came in and rebecca stayed and played here for a while...she's such a sweet kid!!...i do enjoy my neices and nephews, so it was nice to have her around...
...
sunday was my last class with patrice...i miss the class already!!...it's okay, though, because i can now begin on my reading for lyndon state in the fall...i'm going to read "a long way gone memoirs of a boy soldier" by ishamel beah it should be good...but it'll be heavy, i'm afraid, compared to the SARK i've been reading...
ah, well...i guess it will help me to be more grounded, perhaps...
i guess that's about all for now...i need to help mom make supper and then i think i'm going to take a nice bubble bath so i don't have to take a bath before work and then i can sleep in a little later than usual tomorrow....
have a happy week, everyone...
-ramona anne
....
yesterday was a very interesting day for me...i had my yearly physical (complete with breast exam and pap smear...) during the breast exam the doctor made reference to their weight/size and asked if i'd ever considered breast reduction...the sad part is, it is something i have thought about...i'll be honest i don't always like or feel comfortable with my body...i especially don't like my breasts...they get in the way of everything...
it's kind of like SARK (a wonderful author and artist who is very wonderful!) said in one of her books "Large breats are like pets. Everyone likes them, but you're the one who has to
take care of them" visit SARK online here
anyways, i metioned - casually - to my mom the idea of breast reduction...she said that it's highly possible that i couldn't breastfeed my children (if i ever have any?!...) if i had the surgery...so, i guess i'll just deal with it and accept the fact that they're large, and heavy, and that they're always in the way...
....
okay, enough about that...
the other things that happened yesterday was that i found a monarch caterpillar...the first one of the season...it was big, and i'm sure it will be spinning it's chrysalis soon...
also, in the evening i went to pick up my car at brandon's (brandon is my current mechanic...he's a nice guy and i've known him my whole life...i trust him more than i've trusted anyone else - except maybe my brother mike - to work on my car...) he's extremely reasonable price wise, and he's willing to work with me for payments...
anyhow, while i was there, corey, his nephew, who i have known his whole life, was there...brandon was babysitting him...(although, at 12, i'm not sure how corey feels about being "babysat"...) i asked if i could take corey fishing...brandon said "i don't know, ask him..." so i did, and he said yes...so i took corey fishing...it was my second time fishing this season so far, despite having my fishing license since april...
so, we're out fishing and we're not having a lot of luck at this one spot, so we decide to try elsewhere...on the way to the second place, we stopped at the store to get some snack type things, and while i was there this guy, whom i don't know, and had never seen before, bought me an ice cream cone...it was interesting and it kind of caught me very much off guard...
i thanked him and then went to the car...corey shot me a look and i said "what?..." he said "ice cream?..." i said "yeah..." and i realized that he was mad because i hadn't bought one for him...he then said "did that guy buy it for you?..." i said "yeah, actually, he did...do you know him?..." corey shook his head and said "never seen him before..." i said "me neither..."
oh, well, it was kind of a neat thing, although it was just very odd, for sure...
anyhow...that's what my day consisted of yesterday...oh, and between coming home from the doctor's and going to get my car at brandon's, i took a two hour nap, and it wasn't as restful as i would have liekd for it to be, but it was nice to be able to nap....
i also napped for an hour today and then becky & rebecca came in and rebecca stayed and played here for a while...she's such a sweet kid!!...i do enjoy my neices and nephews, so it was nice to have her around...
...
sunday was my last class with patrice...i miss the class already!!...it's okay, though, because i can now begin on my reading for lyndon state in the fall...i'm going to read "a long way gone memoirs of a boy soldier" by ishamel beah it should be good...but it'll be heavy, i'm afraid, compared to the SARK i've been reading...
ah, well...i guess it will help me to be more grounded, perhaps...
i guess that's about all for now...i need to help mom make supper and then i think i'm going to take a nice bubble bath so i don't have to take a bath before work and then i can sleep in a little later than usual tomorrow....
have a happy week, everyone...
-ramona anne
Sunday, June 17, 2007
six months later...
so, i realized that the last time i really updted this thing was... uhm... six months ago...yikes...
lots has happened in six months...too much to catch you all up on...
i will say that i got the chance to volunteer for new hampshire fish & game...i stocked atlantic salmon fry...it's part of a restoration/conservation project, and it was great fun to participate in that!...i went out twice to do this, and really enjoyed myself!...
what else has happened that's extremely notable?...oh!...i realize, upon reading my last post that the last thing i'd metioned for college was applying to lyndon state college in vermont...
i got accepted to lyndon stat college, and i got a very nice financial aid package, including a $1000 honors scholarship...i guess it pays off to ear A's and B's in college...
i will actually be heading to lyndon on the 25th of this month for an orientation and registration thing...it should be pretty neat...
what else is happening?...lots, i guess...i saw a GREAT live show not that long ago...garret soucy, siiri soucy, and cliff young, also known as tree by leaf...they came to play in gorham, nh, which is where siiri's family lives...it was great to see them, and totally awesome to talk with garret after the show...we had a great discussion about lyndon state and about ornithology, which is always a fun thing to discuss...
...
my time with tanya & aidan back this winter was amazing...aidan's a happy, healthy little guy, and i just loved visiting with them, though it was only for a weekend...tanya was pregnant when they were here (which is something that was known before she came down...) she wasn't due until march, but she had kieran john about five weeks early...desipte being premature, he still weighed a good 6 lbs. 13ozs...he spent nine days in the hospital with breathing assistance...he has since been hospitalized for respratory problems, but thankfully seems to be through all the worst of it...
it's always scary for jim & tanya when that stuff comes up, because that's how they lost bailey...kieran does seem to be doing really well, though, and they keep a close eye on him...
jim & tanya & the kids will all be here soon, actually...they're in massachusettes right now and i will soon be seeing them all on wednesday...i am VERY excited!!...
....
i am almost finished with my classes at granite state...on the evening of the 25th i have my last class for my associates at granite state...it's kind of fitting, in one way, that my last day at granite state is also the day that i register for classes at lyndon...
graduation was last weekend...my dear friend linda came out from illinois for the event...here's a picture of linda, my mom, and myself...linda is the taller blone haired one...mom has the grey...with nine kids, she's earned every one of them!...
melindamom5050.JPG)
my weekend with linda was WAY TOO SHORT!!!...but, it was an incredible time, for sure...there are lots of memories that i will cherish....i totally embarassed us at the store, by knocking over this nice hart's brand seed display...linda was kind enough to help me pick them all up...(thanks, friend!!)
the whole weekend was just way too marvelously incredible to put into words...it was great meeting her at the airport...it had been five years since we had last seen each other, so this was extremely special!...
after a night of very little sleep on my part (i made the mistake of ordering a "medium" iced coffee at mc donald's...it wasn't even that good, for one thing...and for another thing, i don't normally drink coffee of any sort...it turned out being a 24 oz cup..and it was NOT decaf...one 8 oz cup of regular coffee has enough caffine to keep someone awake for 6 hours on average...times that by three...24 ozs and 18 hours...no wonder i didn't sleep that night...it was okay, though, because i felt pretty energetic when we started our day anyways...
we had a rental car and we made good use of it...we hit the rest area at exit 32, which is a GREAT rest area to go to....then we went to the flume and hiked through that...i conquered my fear of wooded foot bridges pretty well that day, thanks to a good friend's encouragement and support!...it was awesome!...
after the flume we had a nice picnic lunch...we then headed north a bit and did the basin, and then continued still northwards...we stopped finally in whitefield and had ice cream cones at jack's (formerly the triangle dairy bar) ...ice cream for supper is not something i'd do normally, but this was a super special occassion -- linda was here...(oh, and it was my graduation...but, more importantly, linda was here!!...)
after supper, we went to check her into her room at the B&B in stark...after she got settled a bit, we went to the falls, then to my house...then we went to the store and picked up the seed display...after that, we ran around berlin for a bit then we went back to my house, talked to my mom some, and she went back to the B&B and i relaxed a bit and went to bed myself...
the next morning she picked me up and we rode together to manchester i got ready for my graduation and then she went and met up with my mom and her & my mom sat together for the ceremony...
it was so incredible to walk into the ceremony and see their faces!...it was great, too, because i really had no idea where they would have been sitting...imagine my sheer delight when i realized they were sitting on the same side that i was!!...and really close to the front!!...and i was one seat in from the end!!...i like to think that was divinely planned....
also, my aunt theresa was graduating with me (with her bachelors degree) and seven of her eight kids were there...also seated in the same section that my mom & lidna were sitting...it was great to look up and see yet another face i recognized with all those cousins there!!...also my sister and brother in law were there...AND -- my aunt joyce from florida!!...
it was just such an incredibly awesome day...i'm so glad they were all there...
....
modnay was back to normal...i had work and my class...tuesday was also work and class...wednesday was work then bible study...thursday and friday were just work with nothing really big happening, but it was nice to have some time to just chill...saturday was my cousin leah's graduation party, and we went to that...today was church and a going away dinner right after the service for some friends who are moving to the concord/pembrooke area...
i also did some homework this afternoon for my class tomorrow...i've still got homework for tuesday's class (that's one i picked up through the community college and i'll transfer those credits in to lyndon state for a jump on my degree there...) but that homework is easier and much more fun to work on, so i know i'll get it done pretty quickly...i can probably even do it tomorrow after work and before class...
....
i am, at this very moment, listening to the folk show on new hampshire public radio...the host of the folk show just mentioned that emmylou harris is playing at a folk festival later this summer...i looked it up and there seems to be a really tight lineup...alison krauss AND emmylou harris...at the same festival?!...in the norhteast?!......yup, it's true!!...
http://www.festivalproductions.net/newportfolk/index.php
the catch -- it's the same weekend as my family reunion...(and as the inside out soul festival...)
the good thing -- emmylou & alison are playing on sunday...i could do the reunion on saturday...and maybe even the breakfast on sunday morning at the farm...and still catch part of the festival...also on sunday cheryl wheeler and ralph stanley will be appearing...
boy oh boy...if i can pull this off, that would be a GREAT thing, though rhode island would be a trek from the farm...and then back to NH to work monday morning...it's probably a little too much...but i can dream, can't i?... :-)
i recently saw cheryl wheeler with brooks williams, anais mitchell, and bill morrisey at the NHPR "folk show folk show"...it was a great evening (even better b/c mom and i had won the tickets to the show!!...) i got to speak with brooks williams after (i could have spoken to any of them after, but brooks was most interesting to me because he has a connection with mark heard) .... so, we spoke about mark for a while, and it was just a neat connection to have made with him...
if i don't make it to the folk festival, it'll be okay...it might actually be a little more reasonable for me to try catching some of sunday's lineup at the soul fest...maybe bill mallonee would be playing that day...it'd be nice to see him again and catch up with him...
it's really a lot more reasonable...and there might be other bands there that day that would be worth checking into...maybe that's what i'll plan to do instead...maybe i could even represent the phantom tollbooth to some degree while i'm there...
....
anyhow...i should go and get some sleep...tomorrow i start full time at my new job, and after just one training weekend earlier this month i KNOW i'm going to want to be rested up for the day!!...
have a great week, everyone...thanks for reading!!... :-)
leave a comment if you so choose!!...
blessings to all...
-ramona anne
lots has happened in six months...too much to catch you all up on...
i will say that i got the chance to volunteer for new hampshire fish & game...i stocked atlantic salmon fry...it's part of a restoration/conservation project, and it was great fun to participate in that!...i went out twice to do this, and really enjoyed myself!...
what else has happened that's extremely notable?...oh!...i realize, upon reading my last post that the last thing i'd metioned for college was applying to lyndon state college in vermont...
i got accepted to lyndon stat college, and i got a very nice financial aid package, including a $1000 honors scholarship...i guess it pays off to ear A's and B's in college...
i will actually be heading to lyndon on the 25th of this month for an orientation and registration thing...it should be pretty neat...
what else is happening?...lots, i guess...i saw a GREAT live show not that long ago...garret soucy, siiri soucy, and cliff young, also known as tree by leaf...they came to play in gorham, nh, which is where siiri's family lives...it was great to see them, and totally awesome to talk with garret after the show...we had a great discussion about lyndon state and about ornithology, which is always a fun thing to discuss...
...
my time with tanya & aidan back this winter was amazing...aidan's a happy, healthy little guy, and i just loved visiting with them, though it was only for a weekend...tanya was pregnant when they were here (which is something that was known before she came down...) she wasn't due until march, but she had kieran john about five weeks early...desipte being premature, he still weighed a good 6 lbs. 13ozs...he spent nine days in the hospital with breathing assistance...he has since been hospitalized for respratory problems, but thankfully seems to be through all the worst of it...
it's always scary for jim & tanya when that stuff comes up, because that's how they lost bailey...kieran does seem to be doing really well, though, and they keep a close eye on him...
jim & tanya & the kids will all be here soon, actually...they're in massachusettes right now and i will soon be seeing them all on wednesday...i am VERY excited!!...
....
i am almost finished with my classes at granite state...on the evening of the 25th i have my last class for my associates at granite state...it's kind of fitting, in one way, that my last day at granite state is also the day that i register for classes at lyndon...
graduation was last weekend...my dear friend linda came out from illinois for the event...here's a picture of linda, my mom, and myself...linda is the taller blone haired one...mom has the grey...with nine kids, she's earned every one of them!...
melindamom5050.JPG){kind=link}
melindamom5050.JPG)
my weekend with linda was WAY TOO SHORT!!!...but, it was an incredible time, for sure...there are lots of memories that i will cherish....i totally embarassed us at the store, by knocking over this nice hart's brand seed display...linda was kind enough to help me pick them all up...(thanks, friend!!)
the whole weekend was just way too marvelously incredible to put into words...it was great meeting her at the airport...it had been five years since we had last seen each other, so this was extremely special!...
after a night of very little sleep on my part (i made the mistake of ordering a "medium" iced coffee at mc donald's...it wasn't even that good, for one thing...and for another thing, i don't normally drink coffee of any sort...it turned out being a 24 oz cup..and it was NOT decaf...one 8 oz cup of regular coffee has enough caffine to keep someone awake for 6 hours on average...times that by three...24 ozs and 18 hours...no wonder i didn't sleep that night...it was okay, though, because i felt pretty energetic when we started our day anyways...
we had a rental car and we made good use of it...we hit the rest area at exit 32, which is a GREAT rest area to go to....then we went to the flume and hiked through that...i conquered my fear of wooded foot bridges pretty well that day, thanks to a good friend's encouragement and support!...it was awesome!...
after the flume we had a nice picnic lunch...we then headed north a bit and did the basin, and then continued still northwards...we stopped finally in whitefield and had ice cream cones at jack's (formerly the triangle dairy bar) ...ice cream for supper is not something i'd do normally, but this was a super special occassion -- linda was here...(oh, and it was my graduation...but, more importantly, linda was here!!...)
after supper, we went to check her into her room at the B&B in stark...after she got settled a bit, we went to the falls, then to my house...then we went to the store and picked up the seed display...after that, we ran around berlin for a bit then we went back to my house, talked to my mom some, and she went back to the B&B and i relaxed a bit and went to bed myself...
the next morning she picked me up and we rode together to manchester i got ready for my graduation and then she went and met up with my mom and her & my mom sat together for the ceremony...
it was so incredible to walk into the ceremony and see their faces!...it was great, too, because i really had no idea where they would have been sitting...imagine my sheer delight when i realized they were sitting on the same side that i was!!...and really close to the front!!...and i was one seat in from the end!!...i like to think that was divinely planned....
also, my aunt theresa was graduating with me (with her bachelors degree) and seven of her eight kids were there...also seated in the same section that my mom & lidna were sitting...it was great to look up and see yet another face i recognized with all those cousins there!!...also my sister and brother in law were there...AND -- my aunt joyce from florida!!...
it was just such an incredibly awesome day...i'm so glad they were all there...
....
modnay was back to normal...i had work and my class...tuesday was also work and class...wednesday was work then bible study...thursday and friday were just work with nothing really big happening, but it was nice to have some time to just chill...saturday was my cousin leah's graduation party, and we went to that...today was church and a going away dinner right after the service for some friends who are moving to the concord/pembrooke area...
i also did some homework this afternoon for my class tomorrow...i've still got homework for tuesday's class (that's one i picked up through the community college and i'll transfer those credits in to lyndon state for a jump on my degree there...) but that homework is easier and much more fun to work on, so i know i'll get it done pretty quickly...i can probably even do it tomorrow after work and before class...
....
i am, at this very moment, listening to the folk show on new hampshire public radio...the host of the folk show just mentioned that emmylou harris is playing at a folk festival later this summer...i looked it up and there seems to be a really tight lineup...alison krauss AND emmylou harris...at the same festival?!...in the norhteast?!......yup, it's true!!...
http://www.festivalproductions.net/newportfolk/index.php
the catch -- it's the same weekend as my family reunion...(and as the inside out soul festival...)
the good thing -- emmylou & alison are playing on sunday...i could do the reunion on saturday...and maybe even the breakfast on sunday morning at the farm...and still catch part of the festival...also on sunday cheryl wheeler and ralph stanley will be appearing...
boy oh boy...if i can pull this off, that would be a GREAT thing, though rhode island would be a trek from the farm...and then back to NH to work monday morning...it's probably a little too much...but i can dream, can't i?... :-)
i recently saw cheryl wheeler with brooks williams, anais mitchell, and bill morrisey at the NHPR "folk show folk show"...it was a great evening (even better b/c mom and i had won the tickets to the show!!...) i got to speak with brooks williams after (i could have spoken to any of them after, but brooks was most interesting to me because he has a connection with mark heard) .... so, we spoke about mark for a while, and it was just a neat connection to have made with him...
if i don't make it to the folk festival, it'll be okay...it might actually be a little more reasonable for me to try catching some of sunday's lineup at the soul fest...maybe bill mallonee would be playing that day...it'd be nice to see him again and catch up with him...
it's really a lot more reasonable...and there might be other bands there that day that would be worth checking into...maybe that's what i'll plan to do instead...maybe i could even represent the phantom tollbooth to some degree while i'm there...
....
anyhow...i should go and get some sleep...tomorrow i start full time at my new job, and after just one training weekend earlier this month i KNOW i'm going to want to be rested up for the day!!...
have a great week, everyone...thanks for reading!!... :-)
leave a comment if you so choose!!...
blessings to all...
-ramona anne
Monday, January 08, 2007
this just in...
my sister just phoned to tell us that my sister in law, tanya, and my nephew, aidan, are going to be up this weekend...
tanya's aunt passed away and her mother is not doing well, so tanya & aidan came down to massachusettes from alaska...they will be up in NH on saturday, so i will get to see them...the circumstances aren't the best, however, i miss my family in alaska, so having tanya & aidan, even for a day or two, is something i'm grateful for...
by the way, these were not the original plans i had for saturday...we were planning on attending my aunt's 60th birthday party...and i was really looking forward to that...but now plans have changed and it will be a day of staying close to home and visiting with more immediate family...
which isn't always a bad thing...
tanya's aunt passed away and her mother is not doing well, so tanya & aidan came down to massachusettes from alaska...they will be up in NH on saturday, so i will get to see them...the circumstances aren't the best, however, i miss my family in alaska, so having tanya & aidan, even for a day or two, is something i'm grateful for...
by the way, these were not the original plans i had for saturday...we were planning on attending my aunt's 60th birthday party...and i was really looking forward to that...but now plans have changed and it will be a day of staying close to home and visiting with more immediate family...
which isn't always a bad thing...
college news...
today was a fairly good day...i woke up at 5:00 and couldn't go back to sleep, so i got up at 5:30 and took my time getting ready for work...then i left early, which was a good thing because the roads were rather slimy...a mixture of snow and sleet and rain made driving less than ideal, and the road crews weren't out yet -- or if they had been out, the snow had piled up again before they could take care of it...(but usually they treat the roads as well and any snow that falls on it ends up melting and things...)
anyways, i got to work and i had a great morning with the kids...i accidentally hurt j's foot in the couch recliner thing, and i felt TERRIBLE about it...but a little cuddling and a wet washcloth with cold water and he was (almost) as good as new...there's a bit of a bruise, but he assured me that his foot felt "really good"....
he's such a trooper, that little guy...today i got a phone call at their house from lyndon state college...things are in motion for me to apply there and hopefully i will get accepted...
i will take a tour of the place on the 23rd at 2:00 in the afternoon...in the mentime, i will be sending in my request forms for my transcripts so they can be sent right to LSC...and i will also be getting my GED test scores sent to them i think as well...
after that it will only be a matter of time before i find out if i'm accepted or not...
if i am accepted, i will be attending in the fall and will be working towards a bachelor's in education...wow...that's just such an amazing thought!!....
also on the 30th i will meet here in berlin with the director of the education program for granite state college and see about their education degree...that way i will know what's what, and i can decide how i might want to do things...
so, this is all very amazing and very exciting at the same time...
....
i start my winter term tomorrow with a drawing course...and then wednesday is my creativity class...i'm glad that classes are starting back up...i always get bored during the long holiday break...
i guess there's not too much else going on right now, but as i look ahead at all that's happening this month, i can tell i'm going to be one very busy beaver!...i've got something planned for every saturday this month...as well as some other things scattered throughout the month...it's going to be a busy but hopefully enjoyable month...
....
last night when i went to bed there was mostly bare ground...today there is about two inches of wet heavy sticky snow...but it's so wet you can't do anything with it except maybe splash in it...
this has been the most unusual winter i've ever seen...
anyhow...i'm off to find some supper and perhaps watch a movie with mom...last night we watched "fly away home" which is such a sweet movie...
tonight it's eitehr the phantom of the opera, a prairie home compnaion, or children of a lesser god (but i don't know how she'll like that one) ... i might stick with one of the first two...just because chidlren of a lesser god might be a bit rough for her...still, it's a good movie...
i guess i'll see what (if any) she feels like watching...
....
have a great week, everyone....
-ramona anne
anyways, i got to work and i had a great morning with the kids...i accidentally hurt j's foot in the couch recliner thing, and i felt TERRIBLE about it...but a little cuddling and a wet washcloth with cold water and he was (almost) as good as new...there's a bit of a bruise, but he assured me that his foot felt "really good"....
he's such a trooper, that little guy...today i got a phone call at their house from lyndon state college...things are in motion for me to apply there and hopefully i will get accepted...
i will take a tour of the place on the 23rd at 2:00 in the afternoon...in the mentime, i will be sending in my request forms for my transcripts so they can be sent right to LSC...and i will also be getting my GED test scores sent to them i think as well...
after that it will only be a matter of time before i find out if i'm accepted or not...
if i am accepted, i will be attending in the fall and will be working towards a bachelor's in education...wow...that's just such an amazing thought!!....
also on the 30th i will meet here in berlin with the director of the education program for granite state college and see about their education degree...that way i will know what's what, and i can decide how i might want to do things...
so, this is all very amazing and very exciting at the same time...
....
i start my winter term tomorrow with a drawing course...and then wednesday is my creativity class...i'm glad that classes are starting back up...i always get bored during the long holiday break...
i guess there's not too much else going on right now, but as i look ahead at all that's happening this month, i can tell i'm going to be one very busy beaver!...i've got something planned for every saturday this month...as well as some other things scattered throughout the month...it's going to be a busy but hopefully enjoyable month...
....
last night when i went to bed there was mostly bare ground...today there is about two inches of wet heavy sticky snow...but it's so wet you can't do anything with it except maybe splash in it...
this has been the most unusual winter i've ever seen...
anyhow...i'm off to find some supper and perhaps watch a movie with mom...last night we watched "fly away home" which is such a sweet movie...
tonight it's eitehr the phantom of the opera, a prairie home compnaion, or children of a lesser god (but i don't know how she'll like that one) ... i might stick with one of the first two...just because chidlren of a lesser god might be a bit rough for her...still, it's a good movie...
i guess i'll see what (if any) she feels like watching...
....
have a great week, everyone....
-ramona anne
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