This is where my screen name comes from.....

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland   "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The West
The South
The Inland North
Boston
The Northeast
North Central
Philadelphia
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

S always used to say "you sound like such a yankee", lol. You can all pretty much guess what she sounds like. I'm such a sucker for that accent. The people who wrote this description have obviously never visited southern Ohio. Southern Ohioans have a very pronounced accent, very much like southerners.

"Mountaineers are Always Free"

I thought a lot about Mom and Dad yesterday. All the activity at Arlington this time of year makes me think about them. I think they would have liked being there- although I sometimes wonder if my Dad would really want to be that close to the beltway and all the nonsense that goes on in DC.

The bands played a lot of Sousa yesterday- Mom would have liked that. Arlington is only about an hour from where she grew up. I'm glad my Mom is buried near her Dad, even though they are far apart in the cemetery it is still closer to him than his wife or his other children are.

I'm glad that Dad gets to "see" all those military folk running around every day. I'm sure he liked hearing the President speak. He was a Bush fan, although I'm not sure what he would have thought about 9-11 and everything that's happened since then.

I know they aren't really there-it's just where we left their remains, but when I think about my parents now I think of that place.
Montani Semper Liberi- Mom & Dad I still miss you.

deja' vu

Here we go again. My midweek with my dd was reminiscent of the old days- last year while the divorce was going on she was angry, resentful, confrontational, and distant.
Tonight was my midweek with her. While we ran errands she either stayed in the car to talk on the phone, or walked away from me and stayed away until it was time to go when we went in the stores. Once we arrived home I started dinner and she buried her nose in a book. Her dinner table conversation consisted of- so how are you going to support yourself while you go to law school? DS #1 chimed in and explained about student loans, etc. and DD said-how are you going to feed P? I then had to remind her about child support and spousal support.

Her grandmother picked DD up at the end of her visit and took her back to her house to spend the night. That's something that isn't supposed to be happening on a school night according to our divorce decree. Funny, the ex can't care for the kids he's got without his Mom, yet he wants to take P away from me.
If he thinks that's going to happen- he'd better think again.

One vote not to go

I talked to a friend of mine today who feels I shouldn't go to FL. We were in the paralegal program together at school. She has been an awesome friend.
She is one of the first lesbian women that I met after coming out. We met one day when she saw me crying in the stairwell at school. This was right after S left and I cried at school, work, and everywhere else.
Her and her partner have been very supportive of me these past couple of years. I have been able to count on them to come to my rescue when my car breaks down, when I need help moving something big, or when I just need to be around people who understand. It is okay with me that she thinks I might be making a mistake. I appreciate that I have friends who care and feel close enough to be honest.

My Ex Sent me an "Offer"

My boy loves the beach. We are both ready to go now!

My Ex says he won't let his son move with me to Florida without a fight.
Guess I'll be going though the legal process AGAIN.

Of course, he says we can avoid the fight by negotiating.
He says-
"Just make me an offer"
"Let's make a deal"
"It's not about money but..."

I'm already annoyed and it's just the beginning.

Pretty, Smart

AND SUCCESSFUL!!!

You'll have to take my word about the pretty part- S made me take her picture down. : (


My sweetie interviewed for a job in a bank branch inside a retail store. Two interviews later, she is awaiting an offer on a job in the downtown regional office of the bank! A job that they NEVER hire external candidates for, but my sweetie just impressed the hell out them! I could not possibly be prouder! Way to go S!

You Act Like You Are 25 Years Old

You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel like an adult, and you're optimistic about life. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. You're still figuring out your place in the world and how you want your life to shape up. The world is full of possibilities, and you can't wait to explore many of them.

What Age Do You Act?

1 Yes, 1 Maybe, 1 No

Ge*rgia State said "NO". They were all nice about it and everything, they said my interest was appreciated, but they get many applications and have to decline "many worthy applicants".
I knew this school was a long shot, so I am not too terribly disappointed. That leaves 1 application out there hanging around. It was sent to a school closer to where I live now. It's not somewhere I really have a burning desire to go to, and it is the only school that did not list being LGBT as a positive trait for admission. So let's just say, considering I was totally out in my application, that I will probably get another no here in a week or so.

I only needed one yes and I got that. The school is in a nice part of a nice city and I am excited about moving there. I'm glad I got that letter today, it helps me not focus on it so much and put the whole "acceptance" aspect of law school behind me. I can focus on finishing up these last two quarters and figuring out my finances, moving, etc. for starting law school this fall.

My boy

This is my main man. I never have to wonder how he feels about me, he tells me and shows me all the time. I have lots to decide in the next few days- more than I'd like to have to think about all by myself. I have to think about what will be the best for me and for my boy.

1 Yes, 1 Maybe

P and I just got back from a great weekend in Jacksonville. On Friday afternoon, I took a campus tour at Fl*rida Coastal and the facilities are great! I didn't get to talk to many students, because it was the last day of classes and there weren't too many around. The ones that were around were studying furiously for finals! I did pick up a campus paper and there was an article in there about how the non-traditional students feel "out of the loop". This is something that concerns me, although I feel like I'll have to address it to a greater or lesser degree anywhere I choose to go. From the article, I learned that about 10% of the student body would be classified non-tradtional in terms of age.

The city is beautiful, and the area around the law school is very livable. Our hotel was just a couple of blocks from where P would go to school. Jacksonville seems to be very spread out, but the road system is excellent and it wasn't hard to get around. There was very little traffic, even on a Friday afternoon.

I do have some concerns of course. How am I going to make it by myself in Jacksonville, with no friends or family around? How am I going to support myself and P and go to law school full time? I consciously chose not to pursue part time law school. I've been a paralegal and a full-time student for the last two years, I know I don't want to have that kind of hectic schedule for myself or for P while I'm in law school.

So if I go to Jax, I will have P, and be a full time student only (at least for the 1st semester, hopefully for the entire first year) Then I will work in the summer time while P is up visiting his Dad and sibs. 2nd year, I will probably try and find some kind of work to help with expenses. I would prefer not to borrow everything I need to live for the next three years. Borrowing tuition is bad enough!
There are so many details to work out/think about. P loved Jax and was very excited about the idea of living there. I'm excited too- it's less than 2 hours from S and she will be done with her degree in Dec. 08. Hopefully after that she will be able to find work in Jax. She doesn't want to go to grad school right now. She's ready for a break from college life.

When I came home I had a letter from Stets*n in my mailbox. I've been wait-listed there. Not too disappointed by that, it's not a rejection after all. I don't think they will be offering any scholarships so I'm pretty sure that one wasn't going to pan out anyway.
So far I've heard from 2 schools, and still waiting to hear from 2 more. I have until 4/30 to give Fl*rida Coastal my seat deposit.

Happy Birthday!!

I love you!

It's the weekend!

It couldn't come soon enough for me. I have been "on the hamster wheel" all week and it's not slowing down yet!
Today after work I met with my co-project manager to work on planning for our practicum. We are still trying to figure out our roles and share this job that normally is for one person. We worked for two hours and could have spent two more. I'm really out of my comfort zone but it is kind of exciting to try and figure things out for a "real world" project.
After that I went to my ex's for my oldest son's birtday party. N will be 14 on Monday. He is a good boy. He and his friends were eating pizza and playing video games- every 14 year old boys dream.

More good news!

"Congratualtions on your acceptantance to Fl*rida C*astal School of Law's August 2008 class as a full-time day student and as a Governors Sch*lar. This Scholarship, in the amount of $12,000.00 for the Academic Year, recognizes the previous success you have had, and demonstrates our expectation that you will succeed in your future academic pursuits."

I got in! I can't believe it. Anybody know any bloggers in the Jacksonville area? I need info!

I heart my tax preparer

One of my friends suggested I go see her tax preparer. With everything that happened last year, all the advice I had gotten (and TurboTax confirmed) that I was going to owe about $1500.00 to the IRS on April 15.

So despite all this info, my friend convinced me to drive 1 1/2 hours to have this lady look over my taxes. The whole way down there I kept thinking "You're an idiot to spend this money on gas so she can tell you you still owe $1500."
Well, let's just say it was definitely worth the drive. Instead of owing $1500.00, I'm GETTING A REFUND OF OVER $3000.00!!!! WOO WHO!!!

This lady did my state and federal return and charged about 1/3 of what the ex and I paid last year to Jackson Hewitt to prepare our taxes.


Thanks again to M & J for suggesting I have my taxes checked. You're the best!!

Watching my mailbox

Spring break brought a welcome respite from school. With all this time on my hands I've had lots of time to think about my law school choices and those applications sitting in an inbox somewhere waiting for someone to look at them. I am really anxious this week. I am waiting and wondering if I'll get any positive response.

I've got three applications out so far. I may do one more,but I'm not sure. I want to live and practice in the southeast, so all the schools I've applied to are in that region.

The three so far are-
Georgia State University College of Law- In downtown Atlanta, attached to a great university and much closer to S. They have a great reputation for welcoming older students.

Stetson University College of Law- In Gulfport Florida near Tampa. A beautiful campus and a top 100 law school. A great reputation for legal writing and trial advocacy.

Fl*rida C*astal School of Law - Jacksonville Florida. This is a relatively new school, and they contacted me first and asked me to apply with the offer of a scholarship. This one is the closest to where S lives currently.

Georgia State is the biggest stretch for me based on my test score- but I'm still in the ballpark so to speak so I'm hoping they'll give my application a look. I would love to have some options to choose from! Good thing schools starts on Monday, then I won't have time to worry about it anymore. I'll just be surprised when the letters land in my mailbox.

Killer Ribs

I have been in the mood to have ribs lately- Not sure where I heard about it, but I found a great recipe for crock pot ribs. I know, if you're a BBQ purist that's probably not a good thing but let me tell you- they taste great! This was my first try at making ribs and they were delicious. I made them according to the recipe and used Daddy Sam's "Just Slop it on" West Texas Original Recipe Barbecue Sawce. I had never heard of Stubb's, and I just looked on the sauce aisle for something interesting.

For Mom (and for Me)

Call Crse Crse Sect Grade
Num Pfx Num Num Course Title Cr Hrs Grade Points

97450 COMS 110 MM1 COMM BETWEEN CULTURES 4.0 A 16.0000

58903 COMS 235 OO1 INTRO TO COMM THEORY 4.0 A 16.0000

86048 COMS 245 Q01 INTRO:ORG COMMUNICATION 4.0 A 16.0000

58928 COMS 352 OO1 POLIT RHETORIC 4.0 A- 14.6800

97451 COMS 410 MM1 CROSS-CULTURAL COMM 4.0 A 16.0000

58924 COMS 450 OO1 CAPSTONE SEMINAR IN COMS 4.0 A 16.0000

Hours Hours Grade
Attempted Earned Points GPA
Term Undergraduate..........: 24.0 24.0 94.6800 3.945
Accumulative Undergraduate..: 56.0 200.0 217.3600 3.881

Congratulations! You have made the Dean's list for this quarter.

Finally. over.

It's 3:39 am and the quarter from hell is now officially over. Well, it was actually over on Saturday, but thanks to the tolerance and understanding of one of the best professors ever (Thank you Dr. K!) I have just submitted my last assignments in time for her to have them graded by her deadline for grade submission.

A big thanks to everyone who helped with my senior project on non-verbal communication. I'm hoping to post about the results later this week ( I know you're all on pins and needles waiting for that-yeah right!)

I have been sitting at my computer so long I may end up like that poor woman that spent two years in the bathroom and had to have the seat surgically removed.

It's spring break week for the kids this week so I have them all week. we are planning so fun and I hope we can all relax a little bit. I have a whole week to get ready for next quarter and to fret about law school admissions :)

Spring quarter starts 3/31. Only 16 hours, that should be a breeze after winter.

A great weekend

I have spent today trying to focus on schoolwork. After having a sweet visit with S, it's hard to get back in the routine.

She lights up my life for a few days, and then she has to go back south. It's been getting harder and harder to be apart.

She brought a new futon cover and bought some artwork to hang in my dining area. She is just sweet that way- always trying to make our home more comfortable and inviting.

It's hard to be here today without her after having her all to myself yesterday. I keep expecting to see her come out of the other room to sit down next to me.
We both need the visits to keep us going and I wouldn't trade one minute of our time this weekend. The hours and days after we say goodbye are some of the hardest in my life right now.

More pictures

The was the most snow we have ever had in one day 15.5" and the most for one storm 20.5" !


P now has an Orange Belt! I'm so proud of him!!!



This is P getting ready to break a board as part of his orange belt test. That table in the background is the panel of judges. He had to show them his forms and defenses, "free fight" with another yellow belt, and then go up and talk to the judge and answer his questions. Once he had all that done, he had to break a board. He is enjoying it so much and I think it is so great for his confidence.
I'm so proud of P.