This is my favorite time of year…The wonderful holiday season filled with lots of love, family, friends and great food! As you all know I love to cook and especially during this time of year.  As the years go by the food tends to get a bit traditional and boring so I thought what I could do differently this year to still provide that comfort food that everyone loves, but come up with some new dishes.

During Thanksgiving in our home while growing up we would always have the same traditional dishes every year. And while these dishes were absolutely delicious and I will always eat them. They do get a little boring. We would have both turkey and ham because my dad was a meet man. Always need to have protein so we could grow up big and strong. Then we would have the traditional sides like mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn and my favorite green bean casserole.  Oh and of course we would have yummy homemade gravy to serve over top.  They would also have cranberry sauce, but I was never a fan of that and nothing has changed. I am sure there are other dishes served during these times…I would love for you to share some of your family traditional dishes to help give me some new ideas.   

Last year I attended a holiday dinner party and tasted an amazing dish that I have craved all year long. It was a Cauliflower and Gruyere cheese. Oh my goodness; this dish was amazing. The wonderful lady who made it started off by making creamy rue and then mixed in the cheese and cauliflower, followed by baking it and it was the hit of the dinner that night. I also had a dish that a girlfriend made for me about 4 or 5 years ago that I cannot forget about.  Apple sage stuffing and boy is it yummy! Now prior to having this I was not a big stuffing fan because it was boring. Cooked bread with chicken flavors…yuck! Today you can actually buy breakfast sausage that already has sage in it and then diced apples for a sweet flavor along with your traditional stuffing mix, onions and celery. It over flowed with sweet and savory flavors that melted in your mouth.  While these are previous year recipes they are on my list of favorites that I do not get to have that often.  

This year I have been watching my traditional Food Network channel and trying to come up with some new ideas for this year’s Thanksgiving dinner and I have found a few tasty recipes thus far. The vegetable of the season seems to be Brussels sprouts. And while this was not my favorite veggie as a kid I am curious to try cooking it a few different ways that might peek my liking. My dad would just steam or boil them and my mom would put the cheese sauce on them to help cover up the bitter taste of them. I have found two different recipes that might be really good. One was a Brussels Sprout and cheese casserole. It reminded me of the cauliflower dish I mentioned earlier.  Another one was Brussels sautéed with nutmeg, salt, pepper and think pieces of pancetta bacon. Looked very tasty too! I do not have many green bean fans in my family now so the traditional green bean casserole is out of the question. I also saw a recipe for Leek bread pudding made with cream and cheese. Hmmm cheese seems to be the theme. I promise I can eat vegetables without cheese it just so happens to be the trend in the recipes that I have found this year. Any other ideas are welcome for sure. I am responsible for a few side dishes this year so I am collecting ideas.

If any of these dishes sound good to you let me know and I will pass the recipe along. If I happen to try any of them I will let you know how they come out too. In the meantime please send me some of your favorite dishes for the holidays! And I wish the best to you and your family during your Thanksgiving Day of Grace!!

Here we are starting week six and we are half way through the semester already. Man where does time go? I could say that about the whole year; well I could say that about the last five years, but we are going to talk about this semester. I have enjoyed this semester as I am taking a very interest class called Communications. I wanted to update everyone as to what I have learned this far and how it truly is important in day to day life situations.

Thus far we have touch based on several topics including culture and communications, perception and the self, listening, verbal messages and nonverbal communication. Not only have I learned a lot about myself during the last few weeks of class, but I have learned a lot about others around me. We need to understand communication to help us understand our selves, but also to help us in personal relationships and employer relationships to help understand others.

Now for most of us we live in a melting pot which means we are surrounded by people from all over the world. Therefore it is important to know other cultures and how they communicate. For example we shake hands to introduce ourselves, but in China they do not shake hands. So when you shake their hand it is not natural to them and they do not have a firm handshake. We think of it as being weird; until you understand their culture and then it is no longer weird.  Also understanding how we perceive something may not be the same way you perceive something. It is also important to understand how to say things. When telling someone that they make you mad when they do something; you should change the verbiage to “I feel angry when you interrupt me.” It comes across better and allows the person to understand where you are coming from. This is very useful during work hours as we need to be careful when saying things.

So I highly recommend the Communications class to everyone as it is important to know how to communication with your loved ones, friends and co-workers. By understanding people, knowing how to communicate your thoughts and feelings, and interrupting others will add value to your life. So as I communicate with all of you on how I am doing throughout the semester; I hope all of you will reach back out to me about your accomplishments – share your stories – and communicate.      

It’s always a fun time of year for most as we get to dress up in costumes and parade around town without a care in the world. The question I have is do we really know how Halloween got started or where it originated? I am sure many people do not and there are many others who do not even celebrate the holiday as they feel it is celebrating evil.  So I thought I would share a little history with my fellow trick- or-treaters.

According to Wikipedia the roots of Halloween came from the Celtic Festival of Samhain and the Christian Holy day of all Saints. It originated in Europe and then came to America by immigrant settlers. The word Samhain means the summer end. The Celts believed the border between this world and the other world became thin during this time allowing evil spirits to enter into this world so they wore evil customs’ to trick the evil spirits into thinking they were evil too so they did not harm them (Wikipedia.com). They use the colors orange and black to represent Halloween because orange represents the harvest and black represents the evil spirits. It gives you a better understanding of the holiday and the history behind it.

I personally love this holiday because I enjoy dressing up. I have never been much of a creative person so I enjoy watching the creative minds of others. Over the years I have seen some really neat costumes. One year I saw a guy who dressed up as a night stand. He wore a lamp shade and then made a table around him and dressed it up with an alarm clock, reading glasses and a book. It was pretty neat!

 For Halloween I normally just go out and buy something to wear verses trying to come up with something on my own. However this year I could not afford to go out and buy anything so I needed to come up with something using whatever I had from past years and clothes in my closets. So I decided to be a Greek Goddess because I already had gold rope, gold jewelry and a white dress…put it all together, do my hair and you have a Greek Goddess costume. It was very easy and I got a lot of compliments on it. My boyfriend was a pimp using parts of a Halloween costume from a few years ago. His brother and sister-n-law dressed up as gothic punk rockers using old costume parts and his cousin was a 70’s guy using some of his parent’s old clothing. No one spent any money and we put together some great outfits.

It’s a fun time of year and I can’t wait until I have children to celebrate with and carry on the traditions. I see Halloween as a time to go trick-or-treating, have fun dressing up in costume, telling ghost stories and carving pumpkins. For those who celebrated, I hope you had a great time dressing up and carving pumpkins.               

Rasmussen unfortunately does not have a football team so I support our local University called UCF.  Also many of my friends and my boyfriend attend school there so I go to the games with them to show my support.  Not to mention I have a love for the game and watch a lot of football; both college and NFL.   Well I went to a game this past Saturday and I just had some fans really bother me so I thought I would share my experiences with all of you.

So we all know that football is a sport and sports are mostly competitive, right? And usually at a football game fans of one team with taunt fans of the playing team, right? Yes and while all of this is normal boys and girls it is just a football game. We can be completive without being rude or nasty. And that is what I experienced this weekend. And the sad part is these guys probably never even went to college or at least this college. I was watching UCF vs. Miami and some of the Miami fans were out of control. They were telling the girls how stupid they were and starting fights with the guys. These girls and guys were students of UCF trying to support their team and school.

Now this is something I might expect at a pro game, because there are a lot of rude pro football fans, but this should not be happening at a college game.  So there really needs to be game day etiquette and the visiting teams and home teams need to be aware of this proper etiquette. The visitors need to respect the home team fans and prevent from saying insulting outburst and if you act like a goof then expect to be treated the same in return. There should be no acting out against young girls and most certainly don’t get mad when one home team fan is sticking up for another fan. If you had too much to drink before the game, eat something and drink a coke cola.

 And for the home team fans… Make sure you keep your team spirits contained. It is not necessary to shout profound language to the visiting team, even if you think their team cannot play. And if your team isn’t playing well you have no room to talk about the other team. Keep the mouth closed…

 I enjoy going to football games and will continue on going and hopes that one day I can take my children to games too. I do not have a problem with being competitive, but there needs to be a fine line to draw at any game college or professional. Make sure you are aware of your surroundings and do unto others as you would want them to do unto you. What are your thoughts on game etiquette? Do you feel this way too or am I out of control? I would love to hear others and their experiences at football games.

 May your favorite team win the National Championship!!    

Ah… yes it is that time once again. We are starting school this week and as always I am looking forward to another semester. Yes, you may laugh; however I do enjoy learning. Now if you asked, do I enjoy the massive work load I carry every day, week, month or year absolutely not, but there is a light at the other end of the tunnel.

I am only taking one class this semester because I have some other things I am studying and doing that will take some more of my time. So my class this semester is Communications and we are going to be studying on how we can use communications with our careers, families and all other aspects of life. Understanding how to communication amongst each other will really help through life situations because you will have a better understanding of different people and how each person communicates.

I know already that communication is very important when it comes to relationships, family, friends and work. So I am curious to see what I will learn throughout this semester. I am sure it will expand the knowledge I already have and make certain situations that much more clear. My friends and boyfriend make fun of me, but they thank me too because I make them express themselves more than they normally would have.

If you really think about how we communicate with one another everyday and how some people communicate a little more or better than others you will start to learn or see how important it really is to be able to talk with and understand different people.

The year is flying by and the holidays are almost here. I am sure this course will fly by too, but I am going to keep everyone posted as to what I am learning and how we can use this important information in our everyday lives.  I would like to hear from others and their thoughts on communications and what their knowledge of it or experiences has been regarding it. So until next time…Enjoy your classes and let’s keep the communications open.

Summer Semester is finally over, and I do not have any plans for fun…Wow! Normally around this time I am packing my bags to take a little trip. It is nice to have a two week break every eleven weeks. However this break I am broke and staying home. Not to mention I went on a little break already before school ended. It wasn’t a vacation, but a best friend got married and I was in the wedding. There is more to come on that later.

So I ask myself…what I am going to do during my break. I will be relaxing as I always seem to be on the go and on the computer so I am going to take a step back and breathe a little fresh air. This week I have been a little under the weather so a little R&R is good for me. I am also going to take this time to study for my Real Estate exam.  I finally got approved to take the state exam… Whew, what a relief!

I am also going to take time to do some little things around the house that I have had on my list for way too long. You know…like spring cleaning except it is fall time. Spring came and went way too quickly I did not have time to do any cleaning.  It is amazing how quickly the year has passed us by. Not to scare anyone, but the Holiday season is right around the corner.    

No the less, I am going to sit back and relax. I really value the next two weeks and do not know what I would do without it. These days it seems like I have so much I want to do and just not enough time in the day. Not to mention I do not have as much energy as I use to so I can only go full throttle for so long.    

 I hope all of you have better plans for your break….Be safe and don’t forget to stop by and share your stories.

I wanted to take some time to talk with you guys about making sure you eat right and also keep active in the gym as it is very important too. It will keep you going on those days when you feel you cannot make it another step…We need to stay in good health so our bodies and minds stay in good health. Especially during these difficult and stressful times in the economy today; like loved ones losing their job, or you losing your job, money being tight, challenges trying to pay bills; all these things can build up a ton of stress which can make us ill and cause many health problems.

When starting out your week it is best to plan ahead of time. If you have a really busy work schedule and perhaps going to class too it is easier to plan meals and dedicate an allotted time to working out.  If you plan your meals in advance then you can make sure that you are still getting the good nutrition that is needed to fuel your body. When we do not plan we end up eating foods that are bad for us and high in fat. This is what we want to avoid because what does fat do…it makes us fat. I started cooking certain dishes on Sunday and then freezing them so during the week all I have to do is defrost/heat and eat. Not to mention you can throw in a quick side salad and you have your daily vegetable serving too. To give you some ideas; you can make casseroles or if you have a crock pot you can cook all kinds of meals – They sell books that give you tons of recipes to make (check out Amazon recipe books). You could even prep the night before and then in the morning before leaving put it on low and off for the entire day – when you come home you can eat. It doesn’t get much easier than that unless you have a butler or someone at home cooking for you. I unfortunately do not have either one.  

The next most important task we should practice weekly is exercise. Most of us hate it; we probably all hate it, but in order to remain healthy, live longer and stay in shape it is necessary. First I want to start by saying I am not certified and I am only going by what I have learned in my life of exercise and working with trainers.  If you have not worked out in years it is always best to speak with your doctor before beginning any new exercise. Exercise is not only to keep us in good physical shape, but it is good for our heart which keeps our blood pumping making our other organs run smoother and makes our skin healthier.  It also helps to keep your metabolism up which helps fight off the bad fats we eat and it keep the immune system stronger. I could go on and on, but you get my point. I go to the gym for an hour, four days a week. Now that is asking a lot for many of you so do not panic. They say if you give yourself at least 30 minutes day three times a week you can maintain good health. The key word there is maintaining so if you are trying to lose weight or get a certain figure then you might need to increase.  I have found the best work out plan for me; which would be best for most women is Supersets workout. This type of workout keeps you moving constantly and very little breaks therefore you are continuously burning fat. To give you an example:

Start by doing;

-Crunches/sit-ups

-then run for 2 minutes on treadmill

-then a set of regular lunges (15)

-set of squats- (15)

-set of side lunges (15)

-then back to treadmill for 2 minutes

**All of this would then repeat 2 more times and then I would have another 3 different exercises and so on – until I reach my hour mark. It is pretty intense because I do not take a break, but I feel great from doing it and I know I am making a difference to my body. If you do not have a gym you can walk or run outside and you can do all types of exercise in your own home without ever leaving or buying expensive workout equipment.

I also started taking vitamins because it is very important as we do not get enough nutrients from our daily foods. You can take regular vitamins daily, fish oil is important (I recently started taking Krill oil with primrose-more Omega 3’s then regular fish oil), and then whatever your personal body may be lacking; like iron or vitamin D, B or C.

These are all very simple things to keep you going day in and day out. If any of you have any questions or want some more ideas on working out and different cardio/exercise techniques let me know. I would be more than happy to help to the best of my ability. Happy Health!!    

This is the time of year we always go see Dave Mathews Band as they do their Summer Tour in Florida. We are huge fans and I personally have only been going to see Dave in concert for the last three years.  I am not sure what I was waiting for because this band is amazing in concert. They are all about the action and bright lights, musical instruments and pleasing the fans.  DMB puts on an amazing performance year after year.

The last few years it has rained without fail during every show we have attended. Rain or shine we are always there. There is something about getting drenched while hearing jamming music just makes it all that more entertaining. This year we decided to go to two shows; one in Tampa and one in West Palm Beach. The Tampa show was first on Wednesday and we did not get rained on during the whole show amazingly; however that caused it to be miserably hot will dancing around in the crowds. Still no stopping us… They played 19 songs and it was mostly their new songs which if you have not heard their new CD it is a must. It is called Big Whisky and the GrooGrux King, 2009.

The following Saturday morning we got up early to drive to West Palm Beach which is three hours from home and we rented a hotel room on the beach so we could spend that day and the next on the water. We made a nice little weekend getaway around the whole concert. By the way when I keep referring to “we” I am talking about my boyfriend, his brother and wife. We love going to concerts with each other as no know gets grouchy or wants to leave before anyone else.  Anyhow we arrived in West Palm and check into the hotel and then relaxed for the rest of the afternoon until it was time to get ready for Dave. During the week when we see DMB we always miss the first couple of songs because we are going right after work of course, but this time we wanted to get there early so we could see the start of the show. 

On the way to the show it starts to down pour like cats and dogs. I was getting really bummed because I did not want it to be raining as we were walking in. Not to fret little one because the rain stopped just in time for us to walk up to the show and find a nice seat on the lawn area. The night starts to fall, people are gathering in closer and closer as we all wait in anticipation… Drums…screening….guitars...and the fans go wild. This show was fantastic and extremely up beat as it was the last show in Florida for this summer. They played a combination of both new and old songs. DMB has only 5 CD’s I believe so we know every song there is and we sing right along with everyone they play.  They played 19 songs that night which is a lot for one show and we sang and danced around the whole time…until the end.  Oh and by the way we did get rained on during the show, but it was only for 5 minutes. By that time it was nice and refreshing. Well until next year…We Love you Dave!

I told you that I would keep you updated with me Real Estate schooling so here it is – I finally finished the school which was a total of 63 hours in two and a half weeks. It doesn’t seem bad when you look at it like that, but with the amount of information that gets crammed into your brain during this time is unbelievable.

So they give you a practice test to take before the first test and the practice test covers all types of random information from the text.  The questions are pretty hard and geared towards real life scenarios and the tricky part is they will have one correct answer, one answer that is partially correct and then two wrong answers. Tricky – well I didn’t do well on the practice exams so I freaked out. I had one more day left to study and needed to pass this exam so I can take the state exam which will be 10 times harder.  Needless to say…I called in sick the next day which I never do by the way, but needed this time to really study. See that was the challenging part of all this. I was attending the classes, going to work, working on my degree and trying to get sleep so I could make it through each day. What I didn’t have was time to truly study.

I spent the next 24 hours studying for the exam the following day. Once I finished my studying I was feeling much better than the day before, however I was still very nervous. They really talk up the test and scare you so you do not know what to expect. We had 3 hours to finish the test and of course the first question was difficult. I needed to get a 75% in order to pass. Now it is on…I went through the exam and the ones that I did not know right away I circled and saved for the end. By the time I got everything finished and went back over the ones I had circle there were 14 questions I was not sure about.  Out of that there was one I knew the answer to, but was a little iffy.  I finished up the exam to the best of my ability and went home for the night. I had not even passed the test yet and I just felt a huge relief of pressure release from my chest. It was like I was floating on a big white cloud. The test scores will be ready before noon the next day…the suspense sets in.

Well…I passed! Wahoo!! The funny part is I actually missed 13 questions giving me an 87%. Now I will never know if they were the 13 that I did not know or if they were a different 13, but it doesn’t matter at this point. I am now waiting for the state to approve my application so I can take the State Exam. Once I get the okay I will be on to the next one and then I will finally have my real estate license. So stay tuned…

As if attending class online for Rasmussen is not enough I signed up for the Florida Real Estate course a couple of weeks ago.  In order to obtain a real estate license in the state of Florida you have to complete a 63 hour course and pre-state exam. Well being my life is extremely busy as is with regular class and working fulltime I went with the night and weekend classes over a period of two and a half weeks.  Let’s just say I did not know what I was getting myself into.

As I am getting near the end I will say it was well worth it, but I had no idea how intense the class was going to be. I did not realize how regulated real estate is until now. I knew there was some government involvement, right because they are involved in everything, but they are all over real estate. It’s good because they are here to protect the public without a doubt and their own pocket of course.   

The class is teaching us about everything from principals, practices and the law. I thought I had a upper hand because I worked in a law real estate law firm for 7 years, but I must say the correlation was very small amounts far few and between. I did recognize some areas when talking about Fair Housing Acts and Civil Rights Act from 1866, but again very small sections. This class did provide me with a lot of history knowledge regarding laws and why the laws were developed. I also learned about financing and mortgage markets, plotting, mapping and zoning. This class also contained a lot of math which makes sense now, but I had no idea in the beginning.

I still have a few more days of class to attend and lots of studying before I take the state exam. I have had many tell me the state exam is not easy and it can take many times to pass. I however would like to pass the first time so I will be wise and utilize all the tools and resources to my advantage to make sure I am fully prepared to pass the exam. I have to get a 75% to pass so I am a bit stressed at this point. However before I can take the state exam I have the exam from the class that I have to pass first. That is the one I am worried about the most right now because I have limited time to study.

Which means I have to run for now, but I will keep you all posted as I pass exams and move along to the next event… If anyone has any stories they would like to share or pointers on preparation and passing feel free to share. I would love to hear what others went through.

 FLORIDA

As I had mention to everyone I am currently taking World Geography as an elective class and I am really learning a lot just three weeks into the course. Or should I say I am learning how much I did not know.  Let’s just start by saying the last time I opened a World Atlas was in middle school or at least that is when I can remember last looking at one. It is amazing for me now seeing where the different regions are are and all the countries within.

I have elected one of my classes to be World Geography and I am so excited to take it. There are similar subjects like History or Social Studies that I could care less about, the joys of learning about different geographical locations and cultures behind it truly excite me.

Some laugh at me and think I am crazy, but others understand my excitement.  I think it is very important for everyone to know more about World Geography and the reason behind cultures, religions and beliefs. We should be able to look at a map and point out where Iraq is or we should know what the largest country is if ever asked and what the smallest country is and where it is located on the map too. Many young Americans know none of this and it is sad.

Especially today we as American’s need to know more and more about other parts of the world so we have a better understanding of our new neighbors down the hall that just moved here from Africa or India. Or when you see someone who is brown skinned, not to assume he is Taliban. And not all people from India are Pakistan or Hindu. The entire world is one big melting pot and we need to know as much as possible about it all.

I feel I am pretty diverse in knowing more than the average young American when it comes to different cultures, religions or beliefs. I eat food from all over the world; I cook food from different parts of the country; I have been to different cultured weddings (Russian, Indian); I dress accordingly to respect their cultures during gatherings or celebrations; however I am not very good when it comes to pointing out something on the map or telling you what countries are in what continent. I don’t even know if that statement makes sense.   

Therefore I am looking forward to this class and I will absorb as much knowledge as possible from it. I will have a greater appreciation for the people around me and I will be able to hold better conversations when speaking with someone from another country. Isn’t it just so exciting!! I will keep you all posted as I sail through my class while becoming wealthier in knowledge.

I always like utilizing my breaks to the fullest…This break I am going to take a mini break and head down to the Florida Keys. To many the Keys are known for great snorkeling and scuba, but to me it is filled with many great memories from my childhood. The Keys is also a place my father loved and enjoy thoroughly while he was alive.

To fill you in…I lost my father back in October of 2007. He passed due to heart complications and was at the ripe old age of 63. My dad was a joker so he would get a kick from the statement.  The truth of the matter is 63 is very young. And we were very unfortunate to lose him this early. However he lived a wonderful life as he fought for his country, raised a family of 4 kids, loved and laugh always.

At the time of my father’s passing we had a Memorial Service at a nearby family church and then my father was cremated. I have had his ashes in my possession since because I did not have the strength to release him properly.  I have reached a point where I feel I have enough strength and now’s the time to scatter my father’s ashes.  Each of the children will have a small urn to keep some of dad’s ashes and then the rest will be scatter throughout the Keys. This was what my dad always requested I do if he were to pass. And while at the time I told him he was crazy and I was going to bury him I could not do that now. It is much different when someone is gone…you want to do things as they wished and give them the respect they deserve. So I am granting my father wish and I am going to spread him about in the Keys were he enjoyed life the most; near the Ocean.

I will also have a nice little ceremony and have some flowered lays with pictures attached. I will send them out to sea and say a prayer for my father and his life he led. This is going to be good for the both of us. I need this closure for myself and my siblings.  I miss my father very much and still have days filled with anger and tears because he left me. I believe this will be something I will continue to have for some time to come, but I think scattering him and having some closure will help a lot.  

In Loving Memory of Rodney Reed – Love you dad!

Just 2 weeks left of spring classes and then spring break is here. And I cannot wait! This semester has been challenging, but yet eventful. I have learned great things in my Excel class and even in Business Ethics.  When the end of the semester is near things get really crazy because it is important to make sure you have all your homework assignments from past weeks. This is also a good time to review your grades on past projects and see if you can fix what you got wrong (this usually only works if it is an ongoing project throughout the course).

Reflecting…My professors were excellent this semester as they helped me through all of my challenges. Some more helpful than others, but that is a given considering each professor has their own way of teaching. I defiantly struggled through these classes towards the end of the semester; of course as we got further along in the semester the difficulty level got greater. I especially learned a lot in Excel and I really feel I benefited from the class. In the business world Excel is utilized for many things and formulas being the biggest use. That was one area I was always challenged in, but now the simple formulas are nothing for me. I also learned how to utilize the Analysis function which is helpful in both business and personal uses.

I also got to utilize the Mentor Center for the first time ever during this semester and that was a huge help because these last few weeks were very challenging for me, so thanks to everyone in the Mentor enter. I will continue to utilize it as I continue on with my degree. The library is a helpful tool also as I needed to find articles to research and write about. All the tools are right online to help the students get through the courses. Great resources and tools!

And as I was working my way through these difficult weeks of class; I also watched the season finales of Grey’s Anatomy and American Idol. Now that is challenging…Thank goodness for DVR (records the shows). While online school is great because you can set your own schedule; I still need every other evening to do homework which meant I could not watch my shows when they were on, but I recorded them to watched them after I finished school work. Now of course I have no favorites on TV so I will spend my break at the pool.  Fun and relaxing in the Sun!!

Well…I finally used the Mentor Center for one of my classes and all I have to say is “Great Job Rasmussen”! I logged in and went to the calendar to see a list of tutoring classes and who was going to be teaching each class. Once I found the Excel class, I clicked and saw my Professor was teaching the session so I notified her to let her know I will be attending the Excel tutoring class. It was that easy…

Wanting to make sure I could utilize the Wimba system, I logged in early to make sure I had everything set up and ready to go. I was worried about it not being able to work because I do not have a microphone. Well…no need to worry because if you do not have a microphone you can type comments or even better…you can call into a session (they give you the number and pin). The initial sign-in walked you through setting up your computer and downloading the Wimba software which took a total of 5 minutes.

The only thing I did have a problem with is in the calendar it doesn’t state which time zone the classes are listed as and I just assumed it was under Eastern, but it was not. Luckily my teacher told me that it was Central at the last minute which eliminated me from freaking out. That is something that can be fixed easily though. Once I started working with the professor, I told her I had to call in because I did not have a microphone so she called in too and then we were able to communicate back and forth. I just put my ear piece in and was able to work hands free. She wanted to see my screen so after a few attempts she managed to log into my screen. I guess that has some kinks that they are still trying to work out because she stated sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. It took her about 15 minutes to get logged into my computer, but once she was in it was great!

The Professor worked with me for 2 hours well minus the setup time. She assisted me in figuring out some challenges with Excel and calculating some difficult formulas.  It was as if I was right there in the same room with her and she was instructing me on what to do. Technology has come a long way and is really making the online education system stronger. So if you are a student and haven’t used Wimba in the Mentor Center yet, I highly suggest if you are having any difficulties or challenges in your classes, utilize Wimba.

Wow…Can you believe who the final winner was? I must say I was totally shocked by the results.  Don’t get me wrong; I think Kris is a talented singer however I feel Adam was by far the best in that competition. Even as I was watching the final show I was just amazed at the different levels of Adams signing expertise.  There is not a note that kid can not hit. Regardless he is going to make it big..I have no doubt in my mind.

The rumors I have been hearing around town…People felt that they were not going to promote someone who could be gay; therefore they were not going to vote for him to be the American Idol Star. If this is true I think that is the most absurd thing I have ever heard. What is the problem with people and excepting the rights of gay Americans? This is a free country and if that is the life they want to live then more power to them…it should not be someone else’s decision on who one can love or not love. It just makes me ill…now back to the topic; we do not even know if Adam is gay or not and even if he is the name of the show is American Idol with the purpose of finding the next singing superstar. That is what we all should be voting on and if you are voting for different reasons then maybe you should not be expressing your opinion.  That is my opinion and I will leave it at that.

I wish Kris the best of luck and I congratulate him in being the winner! I think he is talented as well, but not to the same degree as the other contestants that were in the top 13. Funny thing is I was questioning why he was even in the top 13. I just did not feel he was as talented as some of the other singers. Obviously someone felt differently or he had enough people in his hometown voting for him.

I thought the season finale was a great 2 hour show between amazing guest and the final 13 contestants putting on excellent performances. This past show really was one of the best American Idol’s to date. It makes you wonder about how many real talented people are out there that never get noticed. We need more musicians today as I do not feel there are enough really talented stars. I feel this way because I am a huge music fan and I just do not feel the quality of music is as good as it use to be. 

My favorite performance was the Carlos Santana and Fergie performances. Although it was nice to see   all the performance that night; they were my favorite.  I think it is great how some of the old school artist come on American Idol and sing along with the contestants.  It must feel pretty good for them to have these young singers singing their songs like the best of them.

I am looking forward to next season because they are coming to my home town…Orlando, FL. I am sorry to announce you will not see me trying out for the show because signing is not my forte.  

I cannot believe how quickly this semester is flying by…It seems like I just started a couple of weeks ago, but in all actuality is has been 6 weeks. I am doing very well in my classes although I will admit some weeks are tougher than others. I will tell you that I seem to be having most difficulty with APA formatting and citing sources.

I have been writing papers in school for about a year and a half and while I have improved some; I have not manage to truly perfect APA formatting in all areas. There seems to be so many different rules and it is hard to learn all of them. Just when I think I am doing great…”Bam” – I get docked for citing something improperly.  Also because I am an online student most of our papers are utilizing online sources and I have not found anything that list APA formatting for online articles or pages. Is there a book or something that would give more information?

I have more and more classes wanting you to use resources to write your papers and cite the sources. I am not good at doing this because I like to read something and then put it into my words and how I interrupt what they are saying. I guess this is not what APA is all about. So I ask myself how do I combine the resource into my paper without changing the wording and then remember to cite it….Hmmm. Maybe I am making this out to be more difficult than it is, but I just get way too overwhelmed when it comes to formatting papers correctly.

Other than that school and my online classes are flowing efficiently. I cannot believe there is only 5 weeks in the semester left. My classes this semester are fundamental; Business Ethics and Excel – I love the Excel class because I am truly learning so much more with tables, pivot tables and formulas. And it is with the Microsoft Excel 2007 version which doesn’t get any better than that. I wanted to take Excel before having to take any other Math or Algebra classes. It will be a huge help! My Business Ethics class is going ok, but I will be honest in saying it is not my favorite class. We are allowed to have classes we do not like, right? I am just not all that intrigued by it.

Well I have to run, but I hope things are well on your end. And let me know if you have any suggestions on the APA Formatting because I could really use some help before going into the next semester. Maybe there is a recommend book I can buy or something?     

I recently moved within the same complex to a lower level apartment. Economically it was better for me and over all I will save $3600 in rent. I have a dilemma though with the neighbor above me and his out of control dog. I moved in February 2009 and to my surprise I realized that my new neighbor has a dog and not just any dog, but one that missed the obedience bus while growing up. The dog barks uncontrollably and jumps around like he is a child. I just moved from the top floor where no sounds were above me except the pleasant sounds of the rain and now I live below the Ogre and his dog.

My first reaction was to tell the Manager of apartment complex and let them deal with it. My complaint is not only the dog, but the guy walks like he weighs 600 pounds.  It is completely unnecessary and on top of the dog barking out of control it is going to drive me crazy. The apartment manger came back to me with “He just started putting him a kennel so you if you can bare with him until he gets use to it”. Are you kidding me…what about me? She then stated that the neighbor said he would try not to walk so hard.  Well I told her I would do my best to tolerate it, but how long can I really do that?

I complained several times within the my first month and called the complex and told them I wanted to complain to corporate since they were not going to do anything about the situation. Next thing I know there is a knock on my door. Oh and did I mention that the manager is a dog lover.  The knock was the neighbor from up stairs. When I opened the door he was amazed at how loud the barking was in my living room. He apologized and gave me his cell number so I could call him if it was bad.  I asked if he could put him in the closet area or bedroom. That way he is not right over my head while I am studying.  He was going to see what he could do and would try to make the situation better.

Things were better after that for a while and then I think he started getting lazy. He is now putting dog in the front room again. He is leaving him on the porch and the dog pees off the side onto my porch. And I forgot to tell you when the dog is in his cage he shakes it around trying to break loose which makes this horrible rumbling sound.  It is insane and the dog rally needs to go through some type of obedient school.

I am up to my ears with frustration over this dog and his owner. I have tried to be patience while the dog gets use to the cage, but I cannot take this anymore. What is my next step? Can I report the neighbor to the county for leaving his dog locked in the kennel for long hours or locked out on porch during hot climate days? I hate to be mean, but he is not helping either and I have been dealing with this for over 3 months. Does anyone have any ideas? Has anyone ever been in this type of situation? HELP!!      

Two weeks of relaxation from school work and now back to the grind. It did not even seem as if I had a two break because it went by so fast. It really makes you think about life within its self.  I have been in school now for a year and 3 semesters and I still have a ways to go.  So I spent a few hours this week trying to figure out how many classes I can take at a time and how much longer do I have in school.

The results: Keep in mind that I am working 50 hours a week, but if I can take 2 to 3 classes a week; I can finish school within the next year and a half.  I am 62 credits away from having my AS degree in Business Management with a minor in Business Administration. So if I pack on a couple extra classes per semester I can get through this much quicker and relive myself.  Yes, I know it is kind of sad knowing it took me 3.5 years to get my AS degree, but at least I have it and it will hopefully take me a little further in my career. Who knows I may not stop here; the great thing about getting my degree from Rasmussen is the credits are regionally accredited. This means I can transfer them to just about any major University and continue my education towards my bachelor degree.

So for this semester I am taking Business Ethic, Ethics and Excel. They are all pretty easy classes and should be able to breeze through the semester. Now that they have to Student mentor section in the online portal I can have assistance at my finger tips. As for Excel I am pretty good already, but need to learn the formulas better because I will need that for my Accounting II course. As for the Ethic classes; this should be pretty easy for me since I have been in the workforce for some time now dealing with it day in and day out.

Oh and I almost forgot, we also have Wimba now too. The teacher can record a lecture or assist with a project and we can hear it on our own desk top. I am still learning how to use it, but I believe we can record questions about our studies for the teacher, but I need to get a microphone on my computer first. This is going to be pretty great and really take online courses to a whole other level.

Well I look forward to a great semester and I hope to have you along the whole way to share my student experiences.   Please feel free to share your thoughts and opinions as I discuss my student life experience, current events and school.

Okay I know I can not call myself a superstar, but that is what I feel like after this last semester. As you read previously in my blogs; this Accounting Payroll class was defiantly challenging and really took a lot of hard work and dedication. Not to mention the computer nightmare at the end of the semester that drove me bananas.

I spent many of long nights on the computer scratching my head and really trying to understand payroll and all the laws, codes and taxes that come along with it. Not to mention how confusing the test questions were which really brought my grades down.  I do not know what it was, but I was having difficulty really understanding this class. As I had mentioned before; thank goodness for the teacher and her patience with me. The one good thing was I got to write a paper in this class, the paper was about the Family Medical Leave Act. I am pretty good at writing about something once I have the topic of choice so that was a relief. The downside of that was the APA formatting as I am still having difficultly with this. I try to use sites online that help with this, but the citing that I had trouble with was citing internet sources. Still have a lot to learn I guess. 

The Payroll class was great overall and I say this because I learned a lot of great things regarding taxes and how they are figured out. I learned how laws differ from state to state, I learned about what companies have to pay towards your taxes and I learned the break down by city, state and federal. Along with much, much more so if you ever have to take this class I will say it is not easy, but you will learn a lot through out which makes it all worth while at the end of the day.

Here is a funny one for you just to show how learning this stuff can be helpful. I had a meeting with an Insurance person as work the other day. They are now hiring companies from the outside to come in and handle all this insurance. So I meet with this lady and she proceeds to tell me about the hidden paycheck I get from my company. As she asked if I knew what this was I stated no and please explain; she began to tell me what my company contributes for me to Social Security, Taxes that are matched (both state and federal) and the matching of Medicare. Well if it wasn’t for this class I would not have known that all of the above mentioned things are not the employer doing that out of good faith, but they pay or match those things because the law requires it. It kind of upset me because they were making it seem as if they are doing a great thing and I should feel lucky. The audacity of people…

 None the less this was an interesting semester and I am please to announce that I recovered my near failing grade of a D- at mid terms and brought it to a high C. Yes that is right I passed the class and passed it with pride on my back. It was so difficult for me and I ran into so many challenges along the way with getting laid off from work, searching for new employment, computer failing on me three weeks before finals and I had to redo do three weeks of homework to finish the remaining three weeks, but at the end of the day it was all worth it. I Passed and Passed with a C.

Let’s face it guys and girls…I do not get to watch much TV, but I do have a few select shows that I can not miss out on. The Pick of the Season this year is Grey’s Anatomy, American Idol, Nip Tuck and my favorite of all The Food Network. Now I know that is not a show, but a TV channel; there are many great cooking shows that I watch day and night.  The TV is a great break for me and allows me to unwind after long hours on the computer. I am not a real big TV person as you can tell I do not have many favorite shows, but there are some that I just can’t miss.

American Idol is one of them and I have been watching the majority of the shows this season. I will admit to missing a few of the audition shows, but those are more for entertainment of other people’s expense. I mean some of these people that try out for American Idol are awful.  How do their families allow them to go on National TV and humiliate themselves? I am not saying I do not laugh with the best of them, but geese. I really like the part of American Idol once all the weak contenders are voted off. Then that is when the show really gets good.

Right now they are down to some amazing artist on American Idol. I think it is one of the best seasons in a long time and they have really discovered some real talent. There are a couple people that I am not impressed with like Megan Joy for one. She is just ok and there were many “just ok people”. She is a pretty girl, but no comparison to the others on the show as far as talent. And what is with that cork screw thing that she does while she is singing. Ah it bugs me.  Also Scott Macintyre is another one that I think is just ok and really isn’t all that great. Plus he looks weird when he sings because his top lip doesn’t move. Not that makes a difference, but you know how some things just bother you about a person…that is one of them for me. So anyhow while they have made it this far I really do not see much light at the end of the tunnel for them. Now I will tell you who I really like and I think they are amazing. The first one is Adam Lambert and let me say Wow because this guy can sing. Yeah I will agree the theatric side of him is a bit much sometimes and his look can be a little weird, but that is Hollywood for you, right? He really knows how to use his voice and can do just about anything. I have not heard one bad song from him. I know some may disagree, but I that’s my opinion. Allison is another great contender on the show. Yes I will agree she has had some good and bad choices for songs, but I really feel she has a great voice and sounds amazing. Not to mention she is only 16 and can really show some vocals. Great show this far for the season and I am so anxious to see who makes it to the finals.

My other show that I just can not live without is Grey’s Anatomy. This show has caught my heart since day one. I love every character on the show and I am always in suspense as to what is going to happen next. The last show I watched was Mc Steamy freaking out because of his last surgery and is refusing to do any more. I will agree that he has killed some people in his career, but like Meredith stated he does get them as last hope. He really needs not to be so hard on himself and what is he doing pushing Meredith away…I was ready for them to get engaged. The other character that has been bugging me is Izzy and her talking with her dead boyfriend. That was starting to get old and a little weird, wouldn’t you agree? I am sad to hear she is sick and I wonder what is going to happen next. I have the next episode recorded I just haven’t watched it. I can not wait to see what is going to happen. Do you think Meredith is going to be leaving? Ah see this is what keeps me going. Well stay with me for more of my favorite TV show talks and all of my other blogs as a student’s life.             

Do not let yourself get into the situation I did this past month.  Computers are technical pieces of equipment and they will break down. And that is what happened to me around the first of March. Three weeks left in the semester and I need to do every assignment, quiz and post to make sure I get a good grade and pass this class. Remember in my last blog I told you I had a low C. So I was in panic mode and was not sure what I was going to do.

Well I had to figure something out and something quick. My boyfriend is an IT Support person who would know what to do, but guess where he is…London, England for 3 weeks. And because it is International we can not talk on the phone because of crazy charges. Needless to say it is not getting fixed right now and the Payroll Software that I have been working in for three weeks and adding payroll disbursements for the next few assignments is stuck on the computer and I can not get it to turn on so I can generate reports to continue my homework assignments. Guess who is in big trouble? Yep, me… What am I going to do? Well I use to have a laptop that I kept for back-up when my computer was done but that thing died and if my boyfriend was home I could go to his place, but I can not do that so I decided to reach out to a few friends to see who would allow me to use their computer, This is when you can really test who your true friends are.

I found one of my friends to let me use their computer and not only was I using it, but I needed to download this Payroll Software and redo three weeks of work which is several hours worth, mind you not. This had to be done before I could even start working on my home work assignments. And because I was at someone’s  home I did not have hours at night to stay up and work on this  because people needed to go to bed, so on days when I could use it I would work for a few hours and save. It took much longer to do it this way but it was my only option.

Needless to say several days and many of sleepless hours I managed to redo three weeks of homework and do three new weeks of homework. It was a relief when I completed my last assignment, that’s four sure.  My teacher was aware of my situation and was as flexible as only one can be, but deadlines are deadlines and nothing could be done about that. I managed to complete my homework assignments and exams and get them in on time which made all the headaches and stress I went through results worth my while.   Now let’s keep our fingers crossed to see what the end results will be. Moral to the story is having a back up computer near you at all times is important, especially when taking online classes. Also I recommend backing up your files on a regular basis. I recently bought a external hard drive with 80GB at Cheap Guys Computers, but you can find one any where like Amazon and Comp USA  to just name a few. Also we have a local company that teaches you how to protect your computer from viruses and how to do recoveries for free www.lakemarycomputerdoctor.com. The backing up of the Payroll software is not as easy of a solution, but there has to be some way to back that up for school. Any ideas would be great.

Stay tuned… for results from school and my final grade for the Payroll Class.

I have been taking online classes with Rasmussen College for almost two years now. While all of my classes have been challenging and really require your focus and attention; I will say there are few classes that are really challenging and wish I had more one on one time with a face to face teacher during these times. Not saying classes should be easy, but some things you really need to have a clear understanding.

My classes that have been the most challenging are Accounting I and Payroll Accounting. Accounting one I had to take twice because the first time I just didn’t get it. Then the second time I barely passed. However I passed and that is what really matters. I was studying hard and asking the teacher questions and genuinely trying to get a B or higher, but there is just so much to learn and accounting in general is a hard/confusing subject. The whole aspect of debits and credits are just the beginning of how the process works. The funny thing is I have been in accounting and finance for several years of my working career, but never really dealing with bookkeeping and general ledgers.

Then there is Payroll Accounting which is another difficult subject. I have a new found respect for payroll and human resources managers. Keep in mind when you learn a subject like accounting in college they teach you have to calculate everything manually without the use of a software database. This is a great thing, but it really shows the complexity behind it. Payroll has so many taxes, codes and a guideline that has to be followed it is very complex. There are Federal laws, state laws and city laws. You have different Federal Acts to follow and you must always stay updated because additions to the Acts can take place at any time. One wrong file or late payment to the government can cost you money.

I am currently in the Payroll Accounting class and I had a D mid semester.  This class has been very challenging, but I have been hanging in there and my teacher has been amazing. I have probably spoken with this teacher more then any of my other teachers in the last 2 years. She doesn’t mind and loves trying to help which has made a difference. I have a few weeks left but my grade has increased to a low C and I am finishing the semester strong. If the teacher wasn’t so helpful, I would probably be facing the problems I had with my accounting I class.

Rasmussen offers free tutoring which I wish badly that I could take advantage of, but I am not near a campus. The closest campus to me is Ocala, but for many of you the campuses are near. I recommend if you are having trouble with a class, please reach out to the school tutor. There is online help too through Smarthinking, but that is more for a specific question or paper needs you might have. Great to have...I used it after midnight one night. Tutoring is expensive so having Rasmussen include that in our tuition is great!

Well I will keep you posted as I get to the end of my payroll class. Wish me the best in luck as I near the end of this semester and as always if you ever have any ideas, suggestions or feedback; please feel free to comment.    

Hello everyone! I hope this New Year is treating all of you well. My last blog I shared with you that I had found a job and I told you I would follow up to let you know how things are coming along. I also want to let all you how school is and catch everyone up.

The new company I am working for is Fabulous! I love everyone there from the top, right down to the bottom. I am also doing very well. I learned the processes quickly and have already been helping private clients. This job allows me to help others and I love helping others. I have worked for small, medium and large companies in my past and I have come to realize the bigger the company the more stresses you endure. The larger companies are in your face all the time wondering what is going on, when the smaller companies are only in your face if the work is not getting done. And that is more my style because I am motivated by working for good people/companies. If you are good to me, I will work that much harder for you, but if you are stressing me out and breathing down my next I loose all self motivation. I know there are people out there who need a drill sergeant to stay on their back or else they do not work, but that is not me.  Company’s loose sight of the real workers out there and at the end of the day they drive them away.

I am only in my first month with the company; however things are going really well. I am going to do everything in my power to make sure this works out for me 100%. I will keep all of you posted along the way to let you know how I am progressing.

 SCHOOL…

School is coming along as I complete courses and gain more credits. It is defiantly a journey, but well worth it. This semester I am having some struggles, but my teacher has been working with me the last couple of weeks. The class is Accounting Payroll and I do not know what it is, but I have so much trouble with Accounting. Since the teacher has reached out and assisted me I have increased on certain areas, but I have a ways to go. We are in the middle of the semester so I have to really focus and dedicate more time to learning it. The funny part is I actually want to learn this class and I want to do well in it. Accounting Payroll is a great skill to have for any management role in an organization.

Recently, I used Smarthinking, which is an online tutoring tool that Rasmussen provides to all of their students. It is a great resource to have. It was late one night and I was working on some payroll problems. I sent in a question and a student started instant messaging me within 5 minutes. He coached me through the problem and it worked out great. Where else can you get that kind of help at 1:30 a.m.? For me I live alone so there is know one to consult, especially at that time.

Well if anyone can recommend some tips on Payroll Accounting I would love to hear your thoughts on what helped you. In the meantime I will continue to plug along and push for a great grade.

Take care for now and will talk with you next week.   

Day 22 and still unemployed… Wow when I put it in to that perspective it really hits me in the stomach. I am religiously looking for a new job every day. I sit at my home computer desk and actively search many websites and apply any where between 35 to 50 jobs per day. This keeps me busy for 7 to 8 hrs a day between filling out applications, answering personality surveys, weeding through the junk and fraudulent jobs. I have also gone on some interviews; some were good and some were scams; where they wanted money from me to start something. Needless to say searching for a job is a fulltime job…of course with out the pay. There are good and bad things to go with being unemployed now a day’s. The good side of it is the internet. Back in the day before everyone was on the internet you had to go to your local businesses to apply for a job, read the local help wanted ads and fax your resume. I couldn’t imagine my gas bill if I had to do that. I would also not be able to get out there to as many companies and it would lower my chances of finding that perfect fit. Therefore I am very thankful for the internet and the services that are provided to assist people in finding employment!

There are so many services and tools online to help each and every person find a job without ever having to leave their home. The key is to be creative and use your search engines to find all job postings from the big companies and the small companies. It is free to register with CareerBuilder, Monster and OrlandoJobs. So that was a given to register with all three of them. I also search the local news paper online, craigslist and all government websites. I have a friend who has sent out a mass email letting people know I am searching and needing job. I also have Facebook and Myspace where I have posted and emailed people letting them know my situation and would love any information people could pass along.

These service  companies such as CareerBuilder do not only list job posting, but they provide FREE services to help you write a great resume, cover letter and guide you on how to perform a great interview. That was never provided back in the day…And for those that choose to pay there are companies out there such as Allen and Associates who will help guide you in the right direction to get the right job.

Now you think all of this would defiantly guarantee you a job, but unfortunately in today’s market it is not that easy. Every place I have gone for an interview, there have been 10-15 other people there within that hour interviewing for the same position.  That is the scary part for me because I have no idea what I am up against.

Friends it’s about time that someone mentions the overuse of the word "friend." It seems that people today have become nearly as obsessed with this word, as they have with the word "love."

I am half way through the semester and the day to day stress with work and life has me drained. As I am sure many of us are going through the same things with the economy turmoil, however I cannot help but to think my world seems as if it is crashing down on me. I wake up every day with butterflies in my stomach wondering if today is going to be the day they let me go at work. And these are not good butterflies either. This is just not healthy, I can not eat well, can not sleep well and it is just draining me. Ahhhh…

I can say one positive thing about school is that it gives me a positive sense of security because once I am finish I will have a degree to back me up in my career search.  However right now I do not have that and that is what scares me more than anything in the world. I am on my own with no family to help me if something goes wrong. I know people who have been laid off and it has been months and still no job. What will I do? I am continuously searching the internet and applying to jobs in hopes one bites if something does go wrong with work.  If anyone out there knows of anyone in Orlando that is hiring, please let me know.

As for school my classes are going great! One of my classes is in Customer Service which I really like. It makes some interesting points which causes me look at my job a little differently every time I learn something new. I have also learned there are companies out there that need lesson in training their staff with customer service skills; some people are horrible when it comes to service. I deal with people all day long whether they are clients or candidates looking for employment.  It is very important to treat everyone with excellent customer service no matter what the situation is. I speak with people everyday who are laid off from work and they are stressed; relying on us to find them a job. Sometimes they get upset and irritated because we can’t find them a job quick enough. This then can cause certain people to lashes out. I tell my colleagues it is still very important that they do not take this to heart and should treat them with respect; having empathy. It is only their fear that is making them react this way and we are the only people who can speak with them and give them a sense of security.

My teachers are great and the students in my classes are great too! So far the grades are still up there and I hope to continue on the same path.  All I can do is take one step at a time and pray I make it through the crazy times. Who knows when things will start to turn around. If anyone else is going through the same things; my heart goes out to you and your loved ones.

Strength & Courage

Have you ever sat down and really looked at your spending? I have been financially comfortable until this last year and have reached a point where I need to look at what I am spending before hand. This is a really big must have for me, but it is not going to be easy. I have the same amount of money coming in as I have going out…Yikes

In the last two months I have noticed my money cushion diminishing at a high rate. Having the money cushion is great, but it tends to hide what you are really spending because everything is flowing comfortably. Well, let me take that back because if I balanced my checking account like I should I would have noticed these things a long time go. However this is not the case so going forward I need to be smart and make some wise life altering decisions.

I am not sure if any of you what Opera, but she had a show on last week that talked about saving and spending money on necessities verses wants. Her guest talked about stretching the dollar to get its maximum benefits. Most of the families are cutting corners because of the economy and challenges they have all had, but there was one family who has been living this way for years. This family only lives on the necessities, the husband car pools to work, mom bargain shops for groceries and tons on other cut backs are made. They live on an income of $58k a year with a family of 6. This is amazing and I highly recommend going to Opera.com to check it out – they give great tips to follow.

On the same show there was a lady who has mastered the bargain shopping to a whole other level. This lady gets 3 papers every Sunday and cuts out the coupons and then matches those with items on sale at her local grocery store. Basically she is saying that you need to base your meals on the food that is on sale. This lady had a $137 grocery bills before coupons, but after the coupons the bill came to $37. Wow…that is amazing.

All of the ideas they were giving seem difficult, time consuming and just plain challenging, but I think once you create a pattern and new habits; then things will appear to be easier. I have reached a point were I do not have a choice, I need to learn how to cut back on spending and start saving. The other thing is to get rid of the credit cards. Credit cards should only be for emergencies and nothing else.

So I have first calculated my monthly spending and then looking to see what I can cut back on or get rid of. My next step will be to figure out the grocery bill shopping because I spend a lot on food here, food there and so on. I am always open for help ideas so if anyone knows of any great ideas on savings please let me know.    

I finished the summer semester courses and my two week break seemed as if I blinked and it was here and left before I could enjoy it. I guess that stems from working to much and everyday life stresses.  This semester I am adopting another class as I am trying to expedite my time attending school. I try to take additional classes when I can. However; working 60 plus hours a week doesn’t leave to much room for those extra classes. So I will take two for know and see how things go.

My classes this semester at Rasmussen are E-commerce and Customer Service. The E-commerce class is going to help me a lot in my working career now because I do a lot of online recruiting, marketing and searching for new business. Therefore I am actually excited about this class and anxious to learn a lot. The Customer Service I am not real sure about because I did not know they even had this type of course. It makes sense when you think about it because it is great for everyone to learn how to deal with customers whether they are outside of your company or inside. Inside meaning co-workers because we need to learn how to treat one another too.

Of course as I decide to take on more challenges with school, work wants to give me more challenges too. In Orlando we are really struggling with the economy and businesses are laying people off left and right. It has been addressed that I could be one of these people next. These are the times when I wish I could blink my eyes and be finished with my degree.

I was searching for jobs on CareerBuilder.com the other day with my boyfriend. He has his Bachelors degree from University of Central Florida and I am earning my degree now. The difference and stress levels from his search and mine are completely different. He is searching for areas of knowledge and compensation and looking in one field while I am searching for all of those plus education requirements and looking under several different fields. While there are companies out there searching for people with my experience they are requiring a four year degree. Even the sales positions were requiring a degree. What the heck… He was finding things left and right while I kept running into road blocks. This really scares me and I can only pray that I am not put into this difficult situation again.   

If only I had gone to College right after high school things in my life would be so different; however I did not so I have to move on. Thank goodness for the resources we have now which allow me to earn my degree online and work to pay my bills at the same time. Stay with me this semester as I journey through these courses and hope to learn lots – who knows, maybe I can share some things with all of you.

School is out for break and I need a break….As I am sure we all need a break from time to time. Therefore with the next two weeks off, I thought to myself what I could do…Hmmm. I need something to help me relax as well as focus on strengthening my body, mind and health. What can do this better than, Pilates.

I have heard my friends and coworkers mention taking Pilates and Yoga in the past, but never ventured out to try it myself. After really reading up on Pilates I became very interested and decided to try it out.

Pilates is an exercise that focuses on the core of the body. Once you can control the core of your body you then can build on making it stronger, taller and leaner. In return relives stress, fatigue, troubled joints and back problems. They say if you do this 2 times a week you will feel a difference in 2 weeks, you will see your body change in 90 days. Check out this website for some more information and ideas. http://pilates.about.com/od/whatispilates/a/WhatIsPilates.htm   

I went to my first class at In Balance Yoga and Pilates, in Lake Mary, FL this past Saturday and I absolutely loved it. I learned while I was there that I have some work to do, but I am excited to take on these challenges. At the end of my class that day I felt great and was ready for the next class to start. I felt so relaxed and clear minded it was amazing. I did have some challenges that will take some time in over coming. One of them was breathing...I have never been a good breather and take weak breathhes from the chest up, not tummy up. The other problem was not being able to stretch as far as others in the class and at one point my hips were exhausted that I had to rest. Apparently we hold all of our stress in our hips which is why it is good to stretch them and relese the stress. I went home and relaxed on the coach for the rest of the evening that day with not a care in the world. My boyfriend commented on how relaxed and refreshing I looked. The next day I was sore, but it was a good sore as if I accomplished a great workout. I figured I will go for a month (2x a week) and learn everything needed so I can do this in my living room on my own time.

My day to day experiences can be stressful and challenging which makes me tired, worn down mentally and physically and even gets me ill at times. However by doing Pilates now I truly think this will help me take life to the next level. I will keep you posted on my results as I come along this great journey.

Wakeboarding is a sport that evolved from surfing and snowboarding. The sport was introduced in 1989 by two brothers named Porter and Murray Daughtry. Porter invented the Skurfer and Murray is a Pro-snowboarder. Between the two they joined thoughts and the love of each sport and came up with wakeboarding. The sport itself has risen overtime and has become a sport of pleasure and fun for many people. It has also become one of the XGame sport challenges.

The wakeboard is a surfboard type of material with two boots attached by screws. You then position yourself behind the boat and are pulled at speeds ranging from 18-27 miles per hour depending on the person. When positioning to start you are in the water with your knees bent and the board directly in front of you. The boat then takes off pulling you up out of the water. This can take many attempts before figuring it all out. There are different levels of tricks that you learn and become proficient over the course of time. Some wakeboards have gotten so good that they are performing jumps high in the air, doing Surface 360’s, Powerslides and much more. Check out Danny Harf who is a professional wakeboarder in Orlando. http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1374480188

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Do you ever feel stressed and exhausted around the holidays and breaks that come with work and school? Well I most defiantly do and I have been attending school for a year and a half and working for the last 11 years. You might ask what makes you feel this way…

When a holiday is near work becomes crazy with deadlines, pressure and everyone else around gets crazy too. You have to get certain things done before the day off arrives and when you get back to work you have to work over time to get caught back up. Then you have school which creates the same type of functional roles. You must get the homework completed, turned in and perhaps even the following week depending on the time and length of the holiday. All of this together is exhausting and stressful, but I will say the holiday is that much more appreciated.

Here at Rasmussen we have 11 week courses which I think helps a lot because it gives the professors more time to cover all the material as well as give you more time to digest it. I have a lot of friends who attend other online programs and they had 5 week courses. They did not feel as if they really learned the material because professors had to cram the information just so they could cover the material. Could you imagine having 5 week courses and trying to work 60-70 hours a week, do school work and take a holiday or vacation? I really would be stressed and exhausted and probably not make it.

I am in week 9 of my 11 week courses for my Accounting class. I especially need the whole 11 weeks to learn this material. This class has been one of my most challenging courses in the last year and a half of college. This is when time, a good professor and patience really take ownership.  My next semester gets even more struggling and stressful with holidays, but I have to take it in strides and just keep moving. I will need all of your support as I head through these next few months – Counting on each other for support is great strength.      

 The Olympics are over and lots of medals have been handed out. During the Summer Olympics 2008 we have seen people from all around the world beat world records. These amazing athletes surpassed athletes from years of history since the beginning of Olympic times. Why do you think this is?

I have heard some say things like athletes are taking illegal stimulants to increase endurance and strengthen their bodies. I was at work one day and people were stating that they were waiting for someone to find evidence that Phelps is taking illegal enhancements. What about Bolt and all the world records he beat during the Olympics this year? Do you think he is on something too? Well I don’t think so; I think we as people are more educated and stronger.

When it came to being an athlete, I was not in the picture. It wasn’t that I hated sports, but I never learned how to play anything. Let’s just say my family was not very active when it came to sports; therefore I had no one to teach me. If you don’t know how to play the sport, then how are you supposed to like it and achieve success with it?

I remember in middle school playing basketball and enjoying it, but didn’t understand it enough to compete with the big dogs so I just stayed off the porch. Since the Olympics have been on I have watched it everyday. I see these amazing athletes who strive to achieve success and be the best they can be at it. That is a true dedication and love for the sport. That is what I lacked. Now I sit here all grown up and wish I had that love. For example I never really learned how to swim well. I know enough to get stay afloat, but nothing like these swimmers we have been watching. Michael Phelps amazes me with his determination. To be honest…I want to go to the YMCA and take lessons tomorrow.

This is the dedication I need to get me through school. The love and dedication to learn and be the best I can be. I proved to myself today while doing a homework assignment that if you have the drive to do it – nothing can stand in your way. I have been having difficulty with my accounting class and I was determined that I was going to figure this out, no matter what it took. I want to learn more accounting and perhaps go in that direction with school to have an Accounting degree instead of a Marketing degree. So if I want to go down that road, I just can not skate by accounting- I need to conquer it with success.

So I will continue to watch the Olympics and as I do I will gain more and more strength from these athletes and in return I am going to use that strength to get me through this accounting class and the others classes to come. 

That is what everyone in the Tampa Bay area was saying last weekend. In Tampa, FL once a year the whole town along with many others from all over come to celebrate what is called Gasparilla. I do not know much about the story, but it has something to do with an old pirate named Gaspar, that took over the Gulf of Mexico back in the 1700’s. It is amazing how the whole city gets together to celebrate this event.

The streets are blocked while everyone roams free to drink and eat the food that is supplied for the event. A lot of people bring their own food and drinks. Beads are flying everywhere as if we were at Marti Gras in New Orleans. They have a pirate boat show which re-in acts the taking over of Gaspar’s ship. The streets are filled with camaraderie and happy faces.

While I knew this event was coming up, I did not know that my boyfriend and I were going to be attending. Of course the work week was already filled with craziness and jammed pack with lots of things to be done. There was no way I could make it and get my home work done. Well, that’s what I thought, but I figured it out. You know that saying “If there is a will, there is a way."

It is so true. Moral to my story is I got right on top of completing my homework and made it to the parade and had an awesome time.

We get so wrapped up in our everyday events of life that we tend to leave things on the table because we do not believe enough in ourselves to get them done. “Oh, I do not have enough time” or whatever our put off statement might be. However when we really want something we work our hardest to get it. This is how I am making it through school. I have my days where I feel so over whelmed and want to shoot myself (not literally), but I take a minute to stop and ask myself… “What am I doing this for?” I am doing this because I want to have a better education and have more flexibility with my career options. Once I make myself realize that, I then kick right back into gear.

Times are hard, but nothing is impossible.    

We wonder why life passes us by so quickly and I believe we do it to ourselves. The past week has consisted of work, moving into my new home, my birthday, my boyfriend’s birthday and let’s not forgets SCHOOL. Wow…talk about being stressed. These are all good things and things I chose to take part in, but boy am I tired. It is times like this when I wish I could freeze the clock and take a nap.

My move into my new place went really well; all though I was very nervous because the forecast called for rain and that would not have been good. As I am sure you all are aware of the head aches that come with moving. It consist of the pre-move which involves finding a place, qualifying for it, packing for the move, turning on utilities, furniture shopping (if needed), the move itself and then you have to unpack and put everything away. If you have someone to help great, if not I hope you have energy. So that is where I am at. It is time to start unpacking, but I have school work to do and work during the day. I live by myself so there is no one to help around the house. I hate having things sitting out and in the way so I get bother just by walking in the door.

For me school is the most important so for now I am going to learn to get to my homework first and then if I finish in time, I will focus on unpacking. As we get older most of us know what decisions are the right ones and what decisions are the wrong ones. It boils down to what we value as importance and non-importance. Being an online student we have to be sure of what is important to us because learning ultimately rides on our own shoulders. It takes lots of discipline to be an online student and this is what we signed up for.

Do times get tough?

Absolutely, but be strong and ride it out…It does not last forever and the rewards at the end are GREAT!

It did not feel like a new year until last week Monday. That is when the traffic was back to normal, school started for most and every company has set new goals for 2008. I was listening to the radio and they stated that January 7 is a popular day when everyone starts looking for a new job. It makes sense if you think about it… I am sure a lot of companies skipped giving Holiday bonuses and such do to revenue being down. Also if people are unhappy with their job, they will always wait until after the end of the year to look for something new.

I however have already been down that road so my focus is on other things. School is obviously one of those hot topics of mine, but I also am moving this Saturday and that I am not looking forward too. Well let me rephrase that, I am excited about moving into my new place, but moving is never fun. Especially when it is the same week school starts. Let’s just say I did not plan it this way.

I have been living with roommates for most of my adult years and I have finally decided that I am ready to have my own place. Yes, I know that lots of responsibilities come with this, but I am ready for it. I am not going to the extreme and buying a place or anything because that really scares me, however renting something seemed so much more pleasant to the thought. As we speak I am currently sharing a place and when it comes to studying and stuff I have a hard time. My roommate is not rowdy or anything. I just have a hard time reading and study with noise in the background. My brain tends to listen to what’s going on around me instead of focusing on what I am doing.

I think they might have a name for this…