Fall Quarter 2010

I haven't updated since the conclusion of Summer Quarter. No bueno.

I'm fully settled in my apartment. Sometimes, it feels too big....but it's still quite comfortable.

Classes have been in session for 4 weeks now. I feel as if my brain has already turn to an overwhelmed pile of mush. I'm hoping to make it out of this quarter successfully. I enrolled in an online class...again. That was definitely NOT the smartest move I've made. Oh well, I have to roll with the punches and suffer the consequences.

I think the stress is getting to me though...I feel off. I'm planning to go to the doctor about better stress management and possible ADD something or other. I also need to talk to her about my back....it has been SO sore lately!

Hmmm....my classes....

I'm taking Math 97 (algebra 2)...and its pretty easy thus far...the work load isn't too demanding either which is nice. Especially considering my chemistry class. I definitely love the content, and I've been enjoying my teacher...but the workload is undeniably intense. The class stressing me out the most though is my online english class. I keep mixing up dute dates and times and getting assignments mixed up...its a mess. I need to get on top of things in that class so I can salvage something out of it....

Oh well...at this point, I don't have much to say...but its been too long since I've made a post.

Until later....Good luck to me in this crazy quarter.

I've moved!

So much has happened in the last week where do I even start?!

Umm...first off school...lets get that out of the way! I ended up getting a 3.43 for the quarter. Hopefully I can bring it up even more, but its defiantly nothing to be ashamed of!

I'm enjoying my break, but I'm actually kind of excited about starting next quarter. <--SUPER NERD

I also moved on Tuesday...just like I said I would. The overall experience was pretty good. The movers arrived early, and finished early! They we're quick, stayed on top of things, and didn't break my stuff!....well...for the most part.

I've been working on unpacking, and as soon as I'm settled I will take pictures and post them on here to show off my place!

My parents spoiled me and took me grocery shopping and stuff, so that was a load of stress off my shoulders!

That's basically all I've done over the last week...I hope to finish unpacking in the next few days!

Summer Quarter Over!

I have successfully survived my first quarter back! I even got out of it with around a 3.3....once grades come out I will update for sure.

I pretty much stayed on top of things this quarter and consequently avoided much stress. Not to say there was no stress, because there was...I'm just glad I didn't slack off this quarter as I have in quarters past.

Now that school is over for 5 weeks, its time to focus on moving....dun dun dunnnn

I move TUESDAY!....today is Saturday...it feels closer than it sounds! I worked most of the afternoon on packing today...I still have a LONG way to go...but I definitely made progress. My goal tonight is to pack up as much of the loose items left in my room as I can....Hopefully then tomorrow I can get furniture out of my room and into storage and be left doing laundry....I think my goal is actually a little far-fetched...but we shall see how far I can get! Now that it's no longer 95 degrees outside I think it will be easier to work in my room. Key word; think.

I've been meeting my goals when I've wanted to...I must say I'm proud of myself about this. I usually lose interest in things when they get difficult and move on to a new dream.... This isn't like that... I think the schooling I'm doing now in preparation for my potential career is my life dream and every step, no matter how crappy, is worth doing.

Thankfully, the blessed and cursed task of moving has been made easier by the fact that most of my things are pre-packed in storage, and movers have been hired so I don't have to do almost anything!

I'm hoping to have internet by Wednesday, and once I'm all settled in I hope to update my blog on a regular basis so I don't forget important memories that seem overplayed in my head.

Utter Exhaustion...

I am starting to reach that point of being endlessly tired waiting for the quarter to end. I need to continue to focus so I can get out of this quarter alive though. Currently I may be procrastinating on some math homework I need to finish...that will stop after this post is complete.

I just feel like no matter how much I sleep, it's not enough. Today is my Friday at work (3 days off hell yes!) and one of my three days off will need to consist of sleeping in as long as I can and turning my phone on silent. (Sorry friends)

I also have a GIANT amount of humanities to work on this weekend...starting Friday. Last time I procrastinated until Monday and worked on it all day...needless to say it was a nightmare. I finished it and got a great score but little does the professor know what a stressful day my Monday was that week.

I think today's post is just a little venting because it is starting to wind down and I am feeling ready for it to be over. With hours being cut at work, and trying to get my apartment situation situated, and attempting to pack in free time, and trying not to ignore all my friends all the time I think it's just too much going on at once for me.

In between quarters (as I am sure I have mentioned previously) I will be moving and getting settled...and at that point for the first time in two years I will have a home again. I will have somewhere to relax and be alone to get homework done and vegetate at times (I hope!)

Well, I fear it is time to stop procrastinating on my math homework. Until later days *cheers*

PS. Happy birthday Gina (she's 23!)

As the first quarter starts to wind down...

I realized today I haven't written anything since the first week of classes! Maybe that shows how busy I've been?

I have been swamped! Let's see if I can catch up to what is current now!

First thing, I learned creepos at GRCC like to hit on me...and its harder to stay away from them than I thought it would be. Ew.

Second thing, Although working so hard all the time kind of blows, its really been paying off with my grades. I've never really had that experience before so its been fun.

Third thing, I move August 17th into my new apartment I've been posting about. My soon-to-be landlord called me informing me of ONE open apartment, so naturally I JUMPED at the chance. Luckily classes will be over when I move so I won't need to worry about it too much until school is out.

Fourth thing, I have a boyfriend now. Well...again. Same guy (Bryan) but everything is totally different this time, better. For fear that he may stumble upon this stupid little blog of mine I won't be going into detail about how then and now differ, but know that they do and the last few weeks of spending time with him has been nothing short of amazing.

I think those are my major points of interest of things that have been happening since I last posted, now I can get to the nitty gritty and booooring.

My photo class is intense to say the least; I will defiantly be grateful when it is OVER. But, on the plus side I have been getting some really good prints that I intend to frame and put up around my apartment! Maybe I'll even scan them into my computer and post them on my little blogety blog.

Um....I had a disgusting and treacherous battle with fleas recently...My cat ended up with a lion cut over it. All is well now, but it was not a happy time for a while!

This week has been/will be crazy. One reason being there are TOO MANY BIRTHDAYS happening! 3 of my friends in 3 days...its pretty much insane! I will look forward to that calming down for sure!

Hopefully I'll find more time to post once I am in-between quarters and throughout Fall quarter.
I look forward to reflecting on this journey as it comes to a close to see how I felt throughout the process.

I am quickly learning this process is a long and slow one...defiantly not lacking in tears and stress. My hope is one day this will all be worth it and I will look back and cherish the tears and the laughter that are sure to happen over the next 4 years.

Until next time to good luck and good fortune and watching your hard work pay off *cheers*

First week officially over!

One down....Seven to go! I can do this! I'm trying to aim high, stay focus, and trudge through the muck when I can't see the end!

First order of business...I got all of my GED scores back. Perfect score is 800, passing is 410, and average is around 500.

Individual tests:
Language Arts: Reading... 620 which is in the 88 percentile
Language Arts: Writing... 710!! which is in the 98 percentile
Mathematics... 660 which is in the 95 percentile
Science... 640 which is in the 92 percentile
Social Studies... 600 which is in the 84 percentile

My average score over all 5 of the tests came out to 646, which isn't what was expected by myself! I am extremely proud of me, and I am excited to focus solely on the schooling ahead of me. No more looking back!

Speaking of schooling my classes are over for the week as I mentioned, and so far I do have some thoughts!

My math teacher graduated in 2005....wow. He is a phenomenal teacher though. It takes a special kind of person to be able to teach math, and he defiantly has what it takes! I am not feeling lost or confused at all in this class....yet. haha!

My photography teacher is a really genuinely nice guy. He's so passionate about photography it just emanates from him. I've learned more from him about photography and my camera in two class sessions than I learned an entire quarter from the stupid jerk of a prof at TCC 5 or so years ago.

I'm slowly working through my humanities class, its a lot of focused reading...which anything that takes a prolonged amount of focus is kind of difficult for me....but the work is spelled out right on the website, so there is no excuse for anything other than success!

I'm defiantly feeling motivated...and tired. I hope the motivation keeps up, I can't afford for it to dissipate! But, now I have goals, and that is what matters!

The First Day...

Summer Quarter classes started today....on paper anyway. I was in class for about 15 minutes and then we were let out because there was nothing to go over. I am not going to complain about that! haha!

I took the rest of the day (seeing as I was already in Auburn) to finish my dreaded GED testing I've put off for so long, have lunch with a great friend...and buy a replacement camera. RIP stolen camera...I miss you....well...not anymore..this one is better by far! haha!

I also took a campus tour because when I pulled into the parking lot for class, I realized I had NO idea where I was going! Needless to say I got lost!

The last thing that is worth mentioning about today would have to be my GED scores for 2 of my 5 tests. My mathematics score was in the 95 percentile and my history was in the 87 percentile. Can't complain about that!!

I should be getting my other 3 scores on Wednesday...I will update more then!

Until then, here's to new ventures and watching your own hard work pay off! *Cheers*

Its been a week!...

It's been almost a week since I last posted. The reason for that would be that I honestly forgot to update because Monday my purse was stolen. It's been a long week working out that stuff, and there's more to do.

They stole:
Purse
Wallet
Driver's License
Military ID
Passport
2 debit cards
TI-83 Calculator (for school)
Olympus Voice recorder (for school)
iPod Touch
Camera w/ 800+ pictures on it

Those we're the main things...there was also lipstick, lotion, gum...that kind of stuff. They also had quite a bit of fun with my debit cards....which will be reimbursed thankfully! I finally have locations of transactions they did and am hoping to get video footage to catch them.

But on a good note, on Tuesday I went in to turn in the application for the apartment in Auburn I posted about...I was APPROVED without a co-signer and without additional deposits...for the 2-bdrm. I could NOT believe it! That was definitely a pickup to such a terrible Monday! I also got my beautiful new living room rug in the mail as well....its perfect. Actually it's even better than I had expected it to be!

Tuesday morning I also took Lainy to the doctor to check up on her lip since she was bitten by a dog on Sunday afternoon. It's been progressively getting much better, thankfully. She never should have been bitten...I completely feel that she of all people shouldn't have to go through this healing process....she loves animals too much to have one lash out at her!

But, while I was at her appointment I decided to call KIA to find out about how much my next service is going to be...it's going to be a LOT....to the point where I may have to postpone moving out a couple months just to be able to get a couple major things taken care of so I won't need to worry about them once I move.

I need to budget out everything out and start figuring out my steps since I've had a pretty good size financial set back with everything in my purse being stolen and my money temporarily gone.

Le sigh.

Apartment Hunting...

This shows the Green river | Kitchen Sink with dining light in background


Bathroom w/ upgraded features | kitchen w/ upgraded features

Green River w/ apartments on the right side (top) | Front of the apartment buildings


Another side of the scope of this journey is the apartment hunting. I start classes the 21st (as I've stated previously) so I want to make sure everything is easy, and mostly done. That way, when I start classes, I don't have to take any time for things like apartment hunting, or GED testing, or talking to UW or anything I could use as an excuse to avoid homework.

I went bouncing around Auburn all day about a week ago, just to see what's out there. I found a couple promising places that could work, but the locations weren't ideal, and the living rooms we're ridiculously small. I know, I'm a college student, and I'm supposed to live like one...either in a house with a bunch of roommates, or on campus, or in a crappy apartment either with or without a roommate.

Well, I already did that life. I want a cute place, that fits my stuff. I want to be comfortable. I want to be happy and relaxed when I walk in the front door. I want a designated place for homework that Benny won't destroy. I want comfort, and as much luxury as I can afford.

The last place I looked that day (after being encouraged to not give up by Alxys) was off the main roads....which I liked...I tried to avoid being impressed by how beautiful the landscape was. I almost gave up and left because the office was a little difficult to find, and I was at the end of my rope for apartment hunting that particular day.

But, I found the office and stayed and I was very happy I did! I posted some pictures of the complex above. The customer service has been superb, the price is pretty great, and I get to live right on the Green River in a serene and beautiful location!

My plan at this point is to start paying the deposits in August so I can move in September first...maybe before if $$ permits. We shall see. This is an exciting venture, and has been an excellent experience.

I guess the motto is that if you don't give up and settle you'll find the gem you we're looking for? I'm not sure...but I sure am glad I didn't settle for one of the places with tiny rooms, or not the cleanest. The Landings at River's Edge is clean, kept up, has good standing, and has been a comfortable environment and experience thus far.

I submit my application on Monday to hold my price and start the wheels turning on this part of the crazy, yet planned out, roller coaster ride that has become my life.

The First Steps...

The first steps at this point are complete. But, they entailed working out my schedule for the next couple of years via the AS option A (Biology) requirements, taking the COMPASS test (Green River class assessment) and of course registering for Summer and Fall quarters.

My big concern was that I wouldn't test into the math I needed or that the classes would already be full. Long story short there was a waitlist involved, but I am in the class and ready to go.

Classes start June 21st, and until that day, I play the waiting game.

On a similar note, I thought that while getting this Green River stuff out of the way was a must, it may also be a good idea to mosey on up to UW - Seattle to see exactly what I should major in, check if my mock up class schedule is acceptable, and what else I should add to it. I also wanted to be dazzled by the program, just to double check if this is the thing for me.

Well, I went up and spoke with Michelle in the Oceanography department, and boy did she dazzle me. She informed me that I am on the right track with my mock up class schedule for GRCC (woot) and she also let me know my path was clear! Oceanography major, with a Marine Bio minor.

She told me all about the program (which is incredible) but alas, I am too tired to recollect that day at this time. :( So sorry.

Monday I go in to take my GED test and get that done (after 4 long years) Nerrvous!

Classes start in less than 17 days. Here we go journey, I'm ready!

Here's to chapters closing, goals accomplished, and curiosity for the near future! *Cheers*

First and Foremost

I've always heard that writing helps get things out of your system and out of your head. I have a lot going on that keeps runnin' through my head (thank you t.A.T.u.) I figure if I get these ideas and thoughts out of my head...I may be able to sleep more soundly at night....and maybe stop having dreams about the ocean.

I'm titling this "An Oceanographer's Journey" because I have recently decided to clean my slate and start over in life. I am working on better financial responsibility, making more responsible decisions, and overall just working on growing up all around.

My clean slate is pointing me straight in the direction of getting back into school to major in Oceanography and see where my life takes me after that. First, I tackle Green River Community College, then once I conquer there, I will move on to UW - Seattle and take all my major classes and graduate as an alumni of University of Washington...and an oceanographer (with a minor in Marine Biology). From there I will conquer the world...or maybe oil spills, or mapping the oceans, or maybe save baby seals and nurse them back to health.

I don't know, but what I do know is that I'm starting on an incredible journey and I would like to keep an update of my journey along the way that I can look back on, and that others can follow as well if they so choose.

So here's to accomplishing goals, new adventures, and the fact that its never too late to make your dreams happen! *cheers*