Wide Open Spaces

I have returned....

2010-09-13T17:06:00.001-06:00

Can't believe that I diasppeared for so long. Well, I'm back now. I might not post every day, but hope to post fairly regularly. I've missed everyone!

Blast From The Past

2009-04-07T20:44:00.002-06:00

July 1, 1990. I was 11 years old. This was the day I won Old West Trails Rodeo Jr. Queen. That's my dad and I hanging out before it was time to compete. We had to ride a horsemanship pattern and answer some horse, tack and rodeo questions. I could still ride that pattern to this day. I rode my ol buddy, Hawkeye. He was a great horse, and I miss him greatly.

Thanks for reading my blog and please feel free to comment.

Reason for the Season

2009-03-18T21:18:00.004-06:00

Personally I don't think anything says rebirth like the sunrise.......

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Whoa!

2009-03-17T22:13:00.004-06:00

Holy cow! I can not believe that it's been a whole month since I've posted. Sorry I went MIA. Things got really busy and time just flew. I going to do a catch up post of sorts. There were some things that I meant to blog about over the last month that I just never got around to so here are two of them.

I made these cute cookies that I saw on Mrs. 4444 Cooks for Bub's Valentine's Day party at school. They are the cutest cookies ever, but in true "boy" fashion, the 9 year old boys in his class delighted in the fact that if you bite into the maraschino cherry "body" the mouse bleeds. You gotta love boys!

Sunday was our Cub Scout Pack's Pinewood Derby. Both Bub and Shorty had cars in the races (Shorty was in the Open Class.). Neither won any races, but Bub walked away with both the People's Choice Award and the Scoutmaster's Choice Award. My parents and both brothers came to watch and cheer the kids on, and we had a pretty good time. Spud's design (Shorty's car) beat Rocker's design (Bub's car) so there's already discussion of design changes for next year.

Thanks for reading my blog and please feel free to comment.

PS. Come back tomorrow for my "Focus on Lent" picture.

The Next Generation

2009-02-17T19:09:00.003-07:00

This weekend I went to Mom & Dad's and got pictures of the two year olds now that they're out of the hills. Here's a picture of the next generation of Dirt Broke bucking horses.

Thanks for reading my blog and please feel free to comment.

Thousand Words Thursday

2009-02-05T23:02:00.003-07:00

This is something that Mrs.4444 does so I figured since I haven't posted since Friday, I'd give it a try. This picture was actually taken about 4 1/2 years ago.

Shorty at her best. It always makes me think of that LeAnn Womack song "I Hope You Dance"

Thanks for reading my blog and don't forget to dance.

Birthday Cupcakes

2009-01-30T10:42:00.002-07:00

Shorty turns 8 tomorrow...8?!?!? Wow. I made cupcakes for her to take to school. I was slightly baffled by her decoration request....

Bees!
Weird really, because Shorty is scared to death of real bees. If there's a bee around, you can pretty much guarantee that she'll get stung. Oh well, they were cute.

Thanks for reading my blog, and please feel free to comment.

Top 5 court cases of all time

2009-01-29T22:41:00.003-07:00

For my Intro to Law class I'm supposed to list my top 5 legal cases of all time and tell why I think they're important. I know there are way more out there (and some that are way more important that the ones I can think of) so I decided to see what my loyal readers think are the most important.

I must admit, it's times like this that I wish I had a following of dozens so I could get tons of cases to look at. Lets just say that I have high hopes for the four of you.

The cases I can think of are Heller, Plessey v Ferguson, Dread Scott, Brown v Board of Education, Roe v Wade and Marbury v Madison.

Thanks for reading my blog and please, please, PLEASE comment! :)

Sixes

2009-01-26T18:57:00.003-07:00

I was tagged by Eva for this meme. The rules for this one are as follows: list six random or weird facts about yourself, and then tag six others.

Here it goes:
1. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.

2. I no longer sing in public because I get stage fright.

3. When I'm extremely tired I talk in my sleep.

4. A lady that I work with is amazed that I can carry on three conversations at once and not get lost.

5. I have a thing for cameras. I currently own three not counting my video camera. I bought an external hard drive because my computer was getting full of pictures.

6. I love brussel sprouts and asparagus.

Since I only have 4 regular readers (and Eva is one of them) I just going to say that if you want to so this go for it, if not I totally understand.

Thanks for reading my blog and please feel free to comment.

Sigh

2009-01-20T16:39:00.003-07:00

No paycheck yet, but I got my tax refund already (Thank you H&R Block!). I was told that the paperwork for my employment has gone through, so I should be getting paid soon. Yippee!

On the down side, we lost a horse on Monday. This one was Spud's saddle horse, Jasper. We raised him from a foal, and he wasn't that old. I don't remember exactly, but I'm pretty sure he was no older than 10. He'd been having some strange health issues this past year, and nothing that we tried really seemed to be helping that much. It's a really big loss for us all, but especially for Spud.
That's Spud on Jasper, and Me on Champ. We will definitely miss him.

Thanks for reading my blog, and please feel free to comment.

Happy Annaversary Mrs4444!!!

2009-01-19T21:53:00.002-07:00

Tomorrow will be Mrs4444's 444th post. Her blog has become a daily read for me. She actually has 3 blogs...can you believe this woman?!? She is truly amazing. One of her other blogs is Mrs4444 Cooks. Someday I want to grow up and cook like her :)

When she posted the recipe for White Chicken Chili I put a request in the comment for Chicken and Corn Chowder. I absolutely love Chicken and Corn Chowder, but couldn't find a recipe that I really liked. The chowder I loved was the Safeway Selects soup, but of course the discontinued it....jerks.

Three or four days after I put in my request, Mrs4444 emailed me with a "present". She had found a recipe for me to try. OH.MY.GOD!!! Yummy!!!!!! Best Chicken and Corn Chowder EVER!

So if you like to cook, or just like to eat go visit Mrs4444 Cooks. You will not regret it.

And Mrs4444, I still have dutch oven envy!

Thanks for reading my blog and please feel free to comment.

Train Wreck

2009-01-14T12:40:00.004-07:00

Wow. Life totally train wrecked yesterday. Actually it started on Monday....

Monday morning, no paycheck. This is rare, but it does occasionally happen. Our official pay date is on Thursdays so they technically have until then to pay us. I call the finance center anyway just to make sure the moolah was on it's way. Nope! They didn't show a record of receiving my timesheet. So I faxed a copy of my signed timesheet and waited for a phone call.

Tuesday....still waiting for that phone call. I decide to be a pain in the butt and call again to ask about the status of my case. The nice lady on the phone tells me that they will have to do a manual pay for me and it can take 3-5 days. My supervisor doesn't think this is acceptable since I had my timesheet in on time and they lost it, so she tries to get the ball rolling faster.

BRICK WALL!!!!!

It turns out that the paperwork that my supervisor was supposed to turn in so that my employment was extended through the new semester never got turned in. She forgot about it. So I was officially not employed as of December 20th. Apparently I've been working for the last 3 weeks for FREE! A flurry of paperwork ensued as they tried to get the paperwork in and backdated. So far it's working through the system, and they tell me that as soon as I'm officially employed again they'll try to get a rush on my paycheck. In the meantime I have $3.00 to my name. Luckily I keep a stash of ramen noodles around for times like this.

So of course I was upset....ok, I was bawling! Then my phone rings...it's my cousin calling to tell me that my great aunt has passed away that morning. This great aunt had helped raise my mom and her brothers and sisters (7 kids total) after their mom (my grandma) passed away during childbirth when my mom was 4. So at this point I'm sitting at my desk sobbing. My supervisor was nice enough to give me some cash for groceries until I get paid again, and she sent me home and told me to use my sick leave as berevement leave.

So here's to hoping that the federal bureauracracy moves a little faster than normal this week so I can get paid again! Also, blogging will be pretty much non-existant for the rest of the week. Hope everyone has a much better week than I'm having!

Thanks for reading my blog and please feel free to comment.

Starting the workout routine

2009-01-13T17:29:00.007-07:00

I was going to start walking yesterday, but we had 50 mph winds so I said to heck with that. I started this morning instead. It felt good to get out and get moving. I went to work all bouncy and happy. My day fell apart after that, but at least it started out right. Sara used her treadmill last night, so she's getting a good start too. If anyone else out there wants to join us, I say the more the merrier!

Pound for Pound Challenge Thanks for reading my blog, and please feel free to comment!

Making a difference

2009-01-06T22:43:00.002-07:00

I have set my goal. In September I decided that I would lose 50 pounds by summer. To date I have lost around 20. My goal is to lose 30 pounds by May 3. To help me stay motivated, I signed up on the Biggest Loser Pound for Pound challenge. For every pound you lose Biggest Loser will donate $.10 to Feeding America. Feel free to ask me how my weight loss is going if you want. Feeling like people will make me accountable to my goals will help me stay on track.

Thanks for reading my blog and please feel free to comment.

Christmas Cookies

2009-01-03T13:07:00.004-07:00

I was going to post this picture after I got back from Christmas but forgot. Here are the sugar cookies that we made for Christmas. The cookies are truly a family affair. Mom and Shorty mixed the dough. Spud and I rolled them out and cut them. Dad, Bub and Shorty frosted them. Mom, Spud and I each decorated a couple. Family tradition dictates that Spud and I use the last of the cookie dough to make the swirled candy canes. As usual, a good time was had by all!
Thanks for reading my blog and please feel free to comment.

Woody's Hat

2009-01-02T01:14:00.004-07:00

My last post kind of depressed me so I'm reposting this story that I posted back on March 28 of this year. Enjoy!

On Easter Sunday my dad had arranged to get together with some friends and buck a couple of horses (My dad raises bucking horses). We loaded up the bucking horse he had at his house and a saddle horse for my brother and headed to town. Dad, I, Spud, Bub and Shorty all in the Mega Cab pick-up. We drove into town and stopped at the fairgrounds to drop off the horses we had, then headed out to the friends' house to help them load the other bucking horse and saddle horse and the branding supplies since we needed to brand the two bucking horses too. Just outside of the fairgrounds Dad stopped because Bub's door wasn't shut tight. Bub shut the door and we headed on.

When we got to the friends' house the adults went to help load. Bub came up to me and said "Mom, Woody's hat is missing."

I asked if he was sure that he'd brought it from the house and he said yes. So, I told him that it probably fell out at the fairgrounds and we'd look when we got back there. As we drove back I watched for the place where we stopped to shut the door, and sure enough, there was Woody's hat on the side of the street. Woody and his hat were reunited and all was good.

We proceeded to the arena, unloaded the other horses and got ready to brand. Bub and Shorty asked if they could play in the arena and I said yes. My parents live in a sandy soil area, so it is basically a big sandbox and the kids love it.

My mom showed up and we were talking with one of the friends when Shorty came running and giggling, climbing over fences to get to us. Following her was a VERY angry Bub. I asked what the problem was and Bub informed me that Shorty had BURIED Woody's hat in the arena.

I rolled my eyes and told her to go dig it up and give it back. She sooooo loves to torture her big brother.

Twenty minutes later we were ready to start bucking the horses and the kids were still digging in the arena, trying to find the hat. I helped them dig for another ten...no hat. Bub turns to me and says "Mom, a cowboy has to have a hat." At eight years old, Bub has great sad puppy dog eyes. Just kills me every time. Poor kid is heartbroken that Woody has lost his hat. The arena ate it. It was never found. Unfortunately, it's hard to find just the hat for a 16" Woody doll, so a brand new Woody is on his way thanks to eBay. And Shorty owes me at least $10 of her tooth and birthday money.

Thanks for reading my blog and please feel free to comment.

New Year

2009-01-02T00:54:00.002-07:00

Sitting at home by myself today had me doing a lot of thinking. I've come to so realizations about my life. There are things that I need to change and ideas that I need to let go of. These aren't new years resolutions, they are life changes that I need to make if I want a happier life.

1. I will exercise more. I've gained 100 pounds since high school and I don't like looking in the mirror.

2. I need to get rid of the clutter in my house. I live in a cracker jack box. A mansion worth of stuff simply will not fit and the clutter stresses me out. I have enough stress without adding more.

3. They say things happen when you least expect it. I've come to the conclusion that some things are just not meant to happen. I need to try to figure out how to make my life full without those things and just be happy and thankful with what I have.

Thanks for reading my blog. Comments are always appreciated.

Tag

2008-12-25T22:56:00.003-07:00

This is Spud. He and I were deer hunting during rifle season. This was the last day of the season.

HERE ARE THE RULES...
1) Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on the computer
2)Select the 4th picture in the folder
3)Explain the picture
4)Tag 4 people to do the same

I tag Mrs. 4444, Skeeter, Eva, and Sara.

Thanks for reading my blog, and please feel free to comment.

You better watch out.....

2008-12-16T21:24:00.003-07:00

After caroling with the cub scouts at the nursing home/assisted living home (I'm the assistant cubmaster because we all know I have too much free time on my hands).....

We saw Santa!

Merry Christmas everyone!
Thanks for reading my blog and please feel free to comment.

Another Blogroll Addition

2008-12-13T14:34:00.003-07:00

It was brought to my attention that I had left out one of my regulars. In my defense, she was just lurking so I didn't know she'd been visiting. I've added a link to
The Simpson Family on my blogroll, and encourage you all to go say hi.

Love ya Sara!

Thanks for reading my blog and please feel free to comment.

I got a picture of Bigfoot!!!

2008-12-10T08:43:00.002-07:00

I, ladies and gentlemen, have photographic evidence that there is in fact a bigfoot. Here it is:

What? He has big feet....that counts doesn't it? Love ya Spud!

Thanks for reading my blog and please feel free to comment!

Halloween cupcakes

2008-11-13T13:53:00.005-07:00

I almost forgot to post this picture of the cupcakes I made for Shorty's party at school.

Thanks for reading my blog and please feel free to comment!

What it means to wean

2008-11-12T19:57:00.008-07:00

Mrs. 4444 asked me what it takes to wean foals. Everyone who raises horses does this a bit differently, but here's how our operation works.

From May to the end of July the mare herd is split into three bands. Each band is placed with one of our studs (Tiny, Cowboy and Dealer). During this time period the mares foal and re-breed. We like for our foals to be born in May or June when the threat of blizzards is past. It also ensures that they are old enough to survive the nasty winter weather that they'll have to deal with before they turn a year old.

At the end of July the mares and studs are split and all the mares and foals are put together in a half section pasture.

Starting in early August we haul mares, foals, studs and the few geldings we have to rodeos. The foals wait in pens behind the bucking chutes while Mom goes and does her eight seconds of work. We are usually done with rodeos by mid September and it's back to lounging in the pasture all day.

We like to wean by the end of October so that the mares have one less mouth to feed through the winter. We have a panel corral set up in the pasture that the mares hang in. This makes it really easy to round up, sort, and haul when it comes time to rodeo or wean.

This time we had two people on horseback and one on a four wheeler. The herd is rounded up and put in the corral where we sort off a mare and her foal, take pictures, sort off the foal, and give the mare a dewormer. The mare is then turned back out into the pasture.

When all the mares are separated from the foals, the foals are loaded in a trailer and hauled to the corrals near the house. The foals are hauled because you cannot herd them without their moms and also because this gets the separation over with quickly.

Once the foals are at the home corrals an older gelding is turned in with them. This helps keep them calm. The gelding acts as a babysitter and mentor as the foals get used to life without Mom. The foals are fed hay and are grained daily so that they start getting used to being around people. Like I've said before, our horses aren't tame but we don't want them to be wild because that's how people and horses get hurt. The horses need to learn that people won't hurt them, but their job is to buck people off.

After about a week, the foals are moved to a pasture near the house, but away from the mares and are checked on and grained often so that they get used to people being around. As the foals get older they are broke to lead and then moved to a remote pasture and allowed to just grow up. When they are two years old they are brought to town where they are messed with in the bucking chutes. They are haltered and have a saddle put on them. They are petted until they see that they will not be hurt and learn how to stand and be calm. The saddle has a rope attached that allows the saddle to be released and fall off when we want it to. The two years olds are bucked with just a saddle many times throughout that summer and messed with in the chutes. The foals are kept separate from the herd until they are three years old.

So there is a very long description of our bucking horse operation. Thanks for reading my blog and please feel free to comment.

We're going to the moon!

2008-11-03T21:40:00.007-07:00

Ok, not the moon, the badlands! This is a really cool place that's about 20 miles from where I grew up. I've spent a lot of time here. The kids were out of school on Friday, and the Boy's & Girl's Club took the kids on a field trip. This was a partnership thing with my work, so I got paid to go!

Enjoy!

Thanks for reading my blog, and please feel free to comment.

Worthless Wednesday

2008-10-29T17:28:00.010-06:00

We're home sick today. I'm not sick, knock on wood, but the kids were sick last night and so we stayed home today and slept and ate soup and drank Sprite. They seem to be feeling better which is good because their Halloween parties are tomorrow and I'd hate for them to miss it.

Speaking of the parties...I have to make cupcakes for Shorty's class. She almost forgot to tell me, but luckily I found out in time. I'll have to post pictures later, because I haven't baked them yet.

I guess I'll catch you up on all that's happened since my birthday. The Saturday after, I went to another of Spud's games. My parents and my oldest niece went too. We went to Chuck E. Cheese's after and had a blast.

That Sunday I took another set of senior pictures. I think they went well, and I haven't heard from the family yet, so I'm assuming that they're satisfied.

The next week was mid terms. I'm sooooo ready for the semester to end!

That weekend I went to Mom & Dad's while the kids spent the weekend with their dad. Mom had to work, but Dad and I had a good time. On Saturday we hung out, did some paperwork, and did some target practice with the bow. Sunday we weaned foals. That's where the horse picture from the last post came from. We have 8 or 9 new mares so I had to get lots of pictures of them as well as pictures of all the foals with and without their mommas. I also have to work on individual pages to show the bloodlines of each mare for our web page. We're all really excited about the future of our herd. We're getting some really good bloodlines added to the mix and we're making some great network connections.

On a sad note we lost our foundation stud, Tiny Bay. He went down with colic and we put him down to end his suffering. It's a big setback, but we have a son of his out of our best mares that may be able to fill his horseshoes in a few years. We also have many of his daughters to keep the line going.

After I got home I was on fall break for 2 days. I took the opportunity to get more hours at work. Also last week we moved offices in our building. We're been waiting for this move for over a year. We had to wait for an addition to be built on to our building, an extensive remodel of the north side of the building, and a redo of three other rooms before our new space was finished. This also involved us moving out of our original space and in to temporary digs for about three weeks. Late Monday we got the go ahead, so first thing Tuesday morning I moved my stuff (I didn't bother to unpack anything so I was ready to go). My co-worker got most of her stuff moved before her and our supervisor had to go to a meeting. Our supervisor showed up about 10 minutes before their 9:00 meeting and decided since I had all my stuff moved I could move her stuff. It sucks being at the bottom of the ladder. Once all of her crap was piled in her space and she saw it, she freaked out. She hated our new office, there wasn't enough space, she had the least amount of storage of the three of us....blah, blah, blah. I thought she was going to have a nervous break down before the end of the day. She was in tears, she was ranting, she was raving. She was TOTALLY UNGRATEFUL that I had moved most of her crap for her! She even made a snide comment about me actually helping by taking some empty boxes to the front for her. i seriously almost snapped. V and I usually get along well and we actually go to the same small church. I wasn't sure both of us would survive the day. Things got better the next day though, and she is adjusting well.

Last Saturday it was back to College Town for another of Spud's games. It was the worst reffed game I've ever watched. We had receivers knocked down by the defender on two occasions with no interference call, no holding on the opposing team even though it was blatant and right in front of the ref, and an obvious catch in the last seconds of the game called incomplete by the ref who was behind the receiver. It was ridiculous.

Buuut...I got my first ever blog award from Mrs. 4444! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Sunday I went to an auction and spent money I didn't have on crap I didn't need. Someday I'll learn.

This week has been ok so far. Except for the kids being sick last night that is. Looking forward to Friday cause I LOVE Halloween! The kids are staying with their dad again Saturday through Sunday so I have the whole weekend to clean the house and give the yard a last mow and clean up before the snow flies.

So there you have it, an excessively long post after a two week drought. Hope everyone is doing great. As always, thanks for reading my blog and please feel free to comment!

Busy...no time to blog

2008-10-21T19:58:00.003-06:00

The Big Three Oh!

2008-10-09T09:37:00.003-06:00

I'm going to follow Eva's example and toot my own horn. Happy 30th Birthday to me! My brother almost had a nervous breakdown when he turned 30 (for the record, I have two brothers...Spud is 18, and J is 32). I had a lot of trouble turning 29 because I knew that I wasn't going to accomplish all the things I wanted to before I turned 30. So far 30 isn't a big deal, except my daughter told me I was old last night. But she also said that anyone who had a job was old, so I guess that's ok.

Hope everyone has a great day!

Pity Party is OVER!

2008-10-06T21:00:00.002-06:00

Ok, I've decided to stop whining about my life and get on with it. There is really nothing I can do about the ex situation except deal with whatever comes.

I went and watched Spud's football team play on Saturday. They won 37-7. This is the team's first 4-1 start since 1984. Go Rockers!!!

Spud is going through some difficulties so he asked me to spend the day with him on Sunday. We had some fun, but you could tell that he was still troubled. I'm glad that I was able to take his mind off of things for a little while at least, and I think we've reinforced the bond we have between us. We honestly think of each other as one of our best friends and people are often surprised because we are 12 years apart.

We went mini golfing, and I took pictures which I'll post here after I remember to get the camera out of the trunk of the car. All in all it was a pretty good weekend. Now it's back to the grindstone. I have a book report due tomorrow and a report on a rock (it's a mica schist) due on Friday. Hope everyone has a good week!

Thanks for reading my blog and please feel free to comment.

An Update

2008-09-29T23:09:00.002-06:00

So an update from my last post. I went in to talk to the kids' teachers today when i dropped them off at school. I needed to warn them of the situation so they can understand any behavioral changes that may occur. Lo and behold the ex and his 'fiancee" were enrolling her kids in school. Now we have two elementary schools in town, but God forbid he think it through before enrolling the kids at the same school. Her daughter and my daughter are in the same grade, which at this school means same class. *sigh*

Oh I almost forgot. Sunday evening when he dropped the kids off, he mentioned going to church that evening. The only church here that has a Sunday evening service is MY church. I go to a small church. By small I mean regular attendance is about 12 people. Some weeks we have more, some weeks less, but we are a small church that is trying to grow. However I at least felt that the addition of him and his new family were unwelcome. I did not say this to him, but I'm pretty sure the look on my face said it all. Hey, it was hard enough to keep my mouth shut! He didn't show for church, but had told the kids that he was going to, so Shorty was very upset. My baby cried, and I felt like dirt because I knew that he didn't go because of me. I can't imagine that he doesn't know that I'm not really happy with the fact that he's here.

I wish he would have thought of the intrusion he's making into my life. This is a small town. There are less than 4,000 here. Why does he have to squeeze himself into every aspect of my life? Why can't he discuss things with me before he makes promises to the kids? Why do I always have to be the bad guy?

I made it through the weekend with no cigarettes and no chocolate. I didn't eat emotionally either...I was too busy feeling nauseous. I'm trying not to let this derail my attempts at a healthier life, but it's really hard right now. Thanks for letting me vent.

Thank you for reading my blog and please feel free to comment.

That shattering sound is my sanity.

2008-09-27T18:02:00.002-06:00

I got a call last night. My ex was on the phone to ask if he could see the kids. I was slightly confused because he lives 400 miles away.

Guess who moved 8 block away from my house...the person I despise most in the world! I quit smoking in February, but let me tell you it's really tempting to light one up right now.

I immediately texted my little brother because he's the person I find it easiest to spill out my heart to. He told me to let him know if the ex needs slapped around a bit. This made me laugh. I call him my little brother, but he's 6'3", 270 pounds and plays offensive line on his college team. He also stated that he has some big friends that he can bring with him.

So my whole life has been thrown into turmoil. I now have to deal with him being involved in their day to day life. Sports, concerts, possibly parent-teacher conferences are all no longer mine to enjoy. I now have to deal with him and how his actions affect the kids. I'll put it this way, if he was a nice person I would still be with him.

In other news, I'm taking more senior pictures tomorrow. I don't know the kid I'm taking pictures for, nor do I know his parents. His mom saw the picture of the girl from earlier in the summer and got my number from her mom. I have another set of pictures coming up in October that I'm taking for the same reason. The mother of that one actually saw the picture of the girl that I entered in the fair and tracked down the mom to ask about me. Wish me luck with those and pray for my sanity.

Thanks for reading my blog and please feel free to comment.

My eyes hurt

2008-09-23T21:56:00.002-06:00

So a few weeks ago I went to the eye doctor because I've had the same pair of glasses for about 5 years and they are all scratched to heck. I decided it was time for a new pair, especially since my eyes were hurting after a day at work.

Spud talked me into trying contacts. So I picked out a new pair of glasses and learned how to put in contacts and was on my way. After about 5 hours I took out the contacts. We were at Spud's football game and it was windy and they were drying out and making my eyes hurt.

I faithfully wore the contacts daily for the first week. Every day my eyes would get irritated and I would end up rubbing them and then they'd get more irritated and turn red. I started wearing my new glasses more but still tried to wear the contacts.

But there was another problem...the prescription on the glasses wasn't strong enough. So on Saturday I was back at the eye doctor's office for a followup on my contacts. I told her how uncomfortable they were and she looked at them and decided that the material wasn't right for my eyes. She would have to order me something else. It was also decided that they needed to redo the lenses on my glasses. I managed to wear the contacts until today. My eyes hurt so bad today when I put them in that I just pulled them back out and threw them away.

Unfortunately I'm now stuck with my old glasses until the new glasses and contacts come in. They are so scratched and I got used to the clear lenses on my new ones that it's hard to see out of these.

I really hope the mailman brings me a present tomorrow!

Thanks for reading my blog, and please feel free to comment.

Back to blogging

2008-09-15T22:19:00.004-06:00

I took a week off and left the post about Lewie at the top on purpose. It was my little tribute to him. So here's what's happened in the last couple weeks.

We had our last rodeo of the season on the 6th and 7th. It was quite a rodeo. Saturday was nice and cool, and the horses didn't buck worth a crap. It was disappointing. I did however get to see a bull rider get knocked out during his ride. I've known quite a few bull riders in my life. They come in two types, crazy and stupid. I'm not saying that they're not nice...many of them are. That doesn't stop them from being crazy or stupid.

Sunday it rained all day. Ahhh...I love a wet rodeo!

Monday Bub started cub scouts. I must have been out of my mind when i said yes to that.

Tuesday Shorty started soccer. She has a love/hate relationship with soccer. She likes to play, but loves to be goalie and gets annoyed if she doesn't get to be. She's a pretty good goalie too.

Hope everyone has had a great couple of weeks. Thanks for stopping by, and please feel free to comment.

The phone call you hate.

2008-09-08T20:22:00.005-06:00

I got one of those phone calls today. My dad called and told me that L has passed away after a long, brave battle against lung cancer. I wrote about the last time I saw L on July 20, 2008. I'll figure out the link thing later.

I'd known L all my life and he was basically an uncle although his family and mine weren't blood related. He had a big booming voice, a wonderful laugh, told the greatest stories, was a wonderful hunter, made beautiful saddles, and was an all around wonderful man.

Tonight my heart is broken. His family lives at the opposite end of the state and with classes, work, and some recent car troubles, I'm not sure I'll be able to attend his service. It hurts so much to say that.

At the end of the family reunion in July, L gave me a big hug and said to me "Take care kiddo. I love you." I'm so glad I got to tell him I love him too. All too often we don't get or don't take that opportunity.

And because I know I never said it often enough, I love you Lewie, hope God loves your hunting stories as much as we did.

FOOTBALL!

2008-09-01T10:42:00.003-06:00

Football season has begun. We spent Saturday at Spud's first college game. He didn't get much playing time, but he did get in the game and he played well when he was in. In high school he was a offensive and defensive tackle, now he's a center. It was fun being there for the game and I'm looking forward to many more in the years to come.

And of course, I took pictures.

My how the time flies

2008-08-27T20:01:00.002-06:00

Well classes started again in Monday. I'm taking 13 hours of classes this semester. I'm also working 22 hours a week. Spud is in karate and cub scouts. Shorty is in soccer and karate and wants to be in brownies. I am losing my mind!

I have a couple of cool classes this semester. I'm taking a digital photography class. I'm so excited for this class. I want to learn how to be a better photographer and I figured that this was how to do it.

I also have a history class that seems like it will be pretty fun. The professor is fun and I really enjoy the whole atmosphere of the class.

I'm hoping to survive the semester, and I'll definitely be posting pictures that I take for class.

Have a great school year everyone!

What to do?

2008-08-21T21:44:00.003-06:00

Today I find out that the kids' dad had them keeping a secret from me.

This bothers me a lot. Not so much the secret itself (he's supposedly moving back here) but the fact that he encouraged my kids to keep things from me. And he made them believe that I'd be mad at them for telling.

I don't want to over react to this, but it really bothers me. Add this to the things that happened Tuesday night (see my previous post) and I'm not sure how to proceed. I want to call him and rip him a new one, but I know that won't do any good and will allow him to tell everyone what a b*tch I am.

Anyone out there reading this, please leave me some advise. I really need it. Be anonymous if you want to, just help. Thank you.

And they're off!

2008-08-20T21:09:00.003-06:00

The kids started school today. 2nd and 3rd grades. Man I feel old!

The kids spent Saturday through last night camping with their dad. I've finally calmed down, but after he brought them home last night (an hour late I might add) I saw some thing and some things were said that really ticked me off.

1. When he picked them up he told me that he had booster (car) seats for the kids. When they got out of the car at home, no booster seats. He LIED! And they were tooling around in a compact car with four kids in the back seat. I am livid over that.

2. He allowed, and I'm sure even encouraged, my son to call his girlfriend mom. She. Is. NOT. His. Mother!!!!!!!

3. My son came home with both his tennis shoes and his sandals ruined. Those are the only two pairs of shoes he owns. His dad didn't replace them because he "was out of money." Welcome to my world a$$hole! I had to super glue Bub's sandals so he has shoes to wear to school this week. I don't get paid until Saturday.

And the thing that pissed me off the most...

4. My 7 year old daughter now thinks she's fat. Her daddy made her think this. She is NOT fat. She has a belly right now because she's about 2 weeks from a growth spurt. I fully expect the new jeans I bought her for school to be too short in a month. He sees them once a year and judges how they must live based on that.

After this summer I'm seriously thinking that they won't see him next year. I know it's important for kids to have their father in their life, but when their father makes them feel bad about themselves (not to mention his constant use of the f-word and his obvious lack of concern for their safety) I think he does more damage than good.

I hate that my kids have to suffer because of my choices. Bub and Shorty, I'm sorry.

Thanks for reading my blog, and please feel free to comment.

Another day, another rodeo

2008-08-17T21:48:00.008-06:00

I just got home from another rodeo and had to post a couple of my favorite pictures. Here they are in no particular order....

Imagine me giving out an evil cackle over this picture.

Working hard or hardly working? I think we know the answer to that :)

As always, thanks for reading my blog and please feel free to comment!

Spud goes to college.

2008-08-12T20:02:00.003-06:00

Saturday was the big day. Spud moved off to college. Classes don't start until September 2, but he's on the football team and had to report early. The funny thing is that he's about 45 minutes closer to me even though he's about 3 hours away from home. I don't have to drive as far to go to his games.

Shorty had spend last week with my parents so I met them for lunch and saw a bit of Spud's school on Saturday. Then Shorty, Bub and I went school shopping. It was nice to have multiple national chain stores to choose from. That's the one big drawback to living in a small town.

So far my parents are holding up well. They've been married for 32 years, and this is the first time in 31 years they haven't had a kid in the house.

Dad has gotten very used to having Spud around to join him in his adventures. It's hard on him being alone while Mom is at work. I think it will be harder when summer is over (Dad's busy season) and Dad has less to occupy his time. The change will be hard on all of us. I got used to going to Spud's games and then spending the weekend at Mom and Dad's, and now I'll go to the games and then drive home. I've gotten really used to spending a lot of time at my parents' so it is going to be strange spending so much less time with them. There are times when I wish things would never change, but I know they must.

Thanks for reading my blog, and please feel free to comment.

All the pretty horses...

2008-08-07T20:44:00.007-06:00

So I went to a rodeo to take pictures of our horses. I also took this picture of Dad and Spud for our web site (Which, by the way, I finally figured out how to build...yay for me!). I also took some action shots to use on the web site and in our book that we use to keep track of the breeding program. Here are some of my favorites.
This is Boy George
Air Born
This guy hit the dirt courtesy of Lorena Bobbit (the name was not my idea, I wanted to name her Proud Mary)
The next generation.

P.S. Anyone who wants to gripe at me about the "abuse" these horses suffer, save your breath. Each one of theses horses has the potential to be worth more than I make in a year. Economics alone would prevent abuse, even if our morals didn't. I would give a more emotional rationalization, but money seems to talk.

As always, thanks for reading my blog. Please feel free to comment.

Fair Pictures

2008-08-07T20:36:00.005-06:00

So I entered three pictures in the fair. I figured it upped my chances at a good showing. I ended up receiving a purple and two blue ribbons. I was pretty darn proud of myself. Here are the pictures that I entered.
This received a purple.

These two received blues.

Thanks for reading my blog. Please feel free to comment.

My how the time flies...

2008-08-01T21:26:00.003-06:00

Unfortunately it's been longer than I wanted it to be since I last posted. In my defense things got really busy around here. Bub spent a week at my parents' house, and Shorty felt that we should do something with our mother/daughter time so we did a lot of nails/make-up nights.

We then spent a weekend at Mom & Dad's where we celebrated Bub's birthday and went tubing on the river. This is an annual family event, and I absolutely love it. Well except for the fact that we hit the river at 2:30 in the afternoon...when it was already 102 degrees out. I will never get on the river after 8am again. It was way too hot!

This week work has been insane. Our office has been going through major upheaval on many different levels. We have a brand new head honcho (she hasn't even moved into her house yet) and both staff positions that are below her are in acting status while we look for permanent people for them. The inmates are running the asylum.

On top of that, the head head honchos have decided that our servers are a waste of money, so we are moving to a centralized "data farm" in KC. This is a MAJOR thing. We have to clean-up and organize all our data (read: get people to give us the stuff they've been hoarding on their hard drives for the last...forever!). And guess what....Windows 2000 (which is what most of us were still using) doesn't work in the new environment, so we have to replace almost every computer we have. Conservative guess on that is 130 computers to swap out. It took me a day and a half to swap out mine (keep in mind that I'm considered one of the more tech savvy people on the payroll).

The icing on the cake is the fact that the budget is due next week and we've been told that anything that remains of this year's budget will probably be diverted to more important programs so we can't buy anything else until October 1.

In case you didn't know, I work for a government agency so we'll more than likely be operating under a continuing resolution until after the new president takes office. This makes it hard to set a budget because we don't know how much money we're being given to work with but we can almost guarantee it will be 10% less than last year. We operate on half a shoestring here.

The upside is that I get to go to a rodeo tomorrow and take pictures of our bucking horses in action. I'm also trying to set up a real website for our bucking horse business. I really wish it was as easy as blogger. *sigh* I entered three of my pictures in the county fair and I'll find out Sunday how they did. I hope they did ok. There were some really nice pictures there.

Hope everyone else has had a less stressful couple of weeks. Thanks for reading my blog and please feel free to comment.

Waiting for the Inevitable

2008-07-20T18:44:00.002-06:00

We had our family reunion this weekend. About 60 people showed up. By far the smallest reunion so far, but it was also later in the summer than our usual reunion.

One of the adopted members of the family, L, and his family came as usual. I wasn't sure they'd be here this year. L has lung cancer. He looks pale and thin and ill and I have the feeling that this was the last time I'll see him. I think he knows it too. When we hugged good-bye I didn't get the usual "Take care kiddo we'll see you later." This time I got "Take care kiddo. I love you." I think this is the first time he's told me that. At least it's the first one I remember. I think it was truly a final good-bye. It's hard to get all the emotions that I feel into this post. I also find it extremely hard to type when I'm crying. I guess what it boils down to is tell your loved ones that you love them every chance you get, they are never with us long enough.

Thanks for reading my blog and please feel free to comment.

A Request

2008-07-20T18:31:00.007-06:00

I had a request from Mrs.4444 from Half Past Kissin' Time to see the pictures that I took for my co-worker's daughter. Here are a few of my favorites. I took around 150 pictures and I thought there were some very good shots. My co-worker has been out of the office since I took the pictures and she won't be back until Tuesday so I don't know what they thought of them once I gave them the disk. As soon as I find out I'll post it.

As always, thanks for reading my blog and feel free to comment.

Picture Day

2008-07-16T23:21:00.003-06:00

Today was the day that I took senior pictures for my co-worker's daughter. I took over 150 shots, and I think there are some really great pictures in the bunch. It helps that this girl is extremely photogenic. They seemed really pleased with the preliminary results and I'm hopeful that they will really like the pictures when they're in a larger format (not must on the digital cam screen).

I'm also toying with the idea of entering this scenery picture in the county fair. I need to check out the exact rules and regulations first, but as long as it won't be too much of a hassle I think I'll do it.

Thank you for reading my blog and please feel free to comment.

Kids

2008-07-12T22:40:00.004-06:00

Kids pedal tractor pull....good entertainment

Someday I'll learn...

2008-07-12T16:26:00.002-06:00

There was a parade in town today. We're celebrating Fur Trade Days. I prefer the 4th of July celebration in the next town over, but as far as community celebrations go, it's ok. I did a superb job last week of wearing sunblock while outside. I went to the 4th parade and spent all that day and then next outside....no burns.

Today I forgot. No sunblock. I'm fried. Must. Go. Get. Aloe! One of these days I'll succeed in making the sunblock automatic before I head out the door... I hope.

Wow...a second career

2008-07-09T21:39:00.004-06:00

This past fall I was recruited by my mom to take my brother's senior pictures. Being in a small town, there is only one photo studio. They either had to book a sitting early in his junior year to get a time they wanted, or go someplace out of town so my mom decided that since I like taking pictures, and I'm pretty good at it (if I do say so myself) I could save them money by taking Spud's pictures myself and ordering prints online through Wal-Mart.

This worked out pretty well, and he got quite a few compliments on the pictures. I was pretty proud of the work I'd done and showed the pictures to some of my co-workers.

Monday one of those co-workers approached me and asked if I would be willing to take senior pictures for her daughter. After much discussion I agreed. I'm a tiny bit freaked out about it. Spud's pictures weren't any less important, but he wasn't paying me to take pictures. This time I'm getting money.

Momma L told me to come up with a price and let her know, and when I told her she actually laughed and told me she was definitely paying me more than that. So far I'm no good at the business part of it. Wish me luck!

Thanks for reading my blog, and please feel free to comment.

I will survive!

2008-07-07T20:32:00.000-06:00

65%

Created by OnePlusYou

Kids Concerts

2008-04-08T20:42:00.003-06:00

We just got home from the 1st grade/2nd grade Spring Concert. What a hoot. They actually do little song/plays now. I remember just singing a few songs when I was a kid. We finally got to do a musical play thing in sixth grade.

I did learn a very valuable lesson...teach your daughter not to play with her tights/hose. Picture Shorty...front row, nice and totally visible, hiking up her skirt and pulling up her hose. Good thing she had nice undies on. And of course she didn't just do it once...no, she did it three times in the 30 minutes they were on stage. *Sigh* We will work on this for next year.

Bub on the other hand was totally fabulous. He had a major speaking role...he was Poppa Bear. I was kind of worried about this, because Bub tends to mumble. I'm always after him to speak loudly and clearly. Tonight he stepped up to the mic and spoke loud and clear. Talk about a proud Momma.

Hope everyone's having a great spring! Thanks for reading.

Did this really "shock" anyone?

2008-04-02T19:05:00.004-06:00

By now I'm sure everyone has heard the story about the elementary students in Georgia that planned to kill their teacher for scolding one of them. I keep hearing pundits discussing how everyone is "shocked" when they hear the story. Maybe I'm being too picky here but saying that news is shocking, to me, implies that it is unexpected and out of the blue. Shocking is something no one would ever imagine. For me, this story doesn't qualify as shocking.

I find it appalling and horrible, but not shocking. Here's why...

When we live in a world where you can get thrown in jail for disciplining your children, this cannot be unexpected.

When we live in a world where teaching your kids inclusion and self-esteem is more important than teaching them morals, this cannot come as a surprise.

When teachers tell kids that if Mom and Dad spank you, call the police on them (my cousin was told this by her 4th grade teacher), this is not out of the blue.

When parents find it more important to be their kids' friend and they don't demand respect, this is the end result.

But what really ticks me off about this story is reading articles about how THE SCHOOL failed these kids. Yes, it's mainly the school's fault, and even the teacher has to bear some blame for them plotting to kill her. There is a passing mention of maybesomethingathome, but really, it must be the school.

Here's the deal parents.....when your kids don't respect the sanctity of life, it's YOUR fault.

When your kids have no clue how to handle disappointment, it's YOUR fault.

When your kids don't know how to deal with hurt feelings, broken record here, it's YOUR fault.

If your child shows major antisocial behavior, get them help. It's a lot less embarrassing having your child in counseling than juvie. It's time for parent's to stop trying to be cool and just be parents. I know it's popular to rebel against the way you were raised but look at the way you turned out, well educated and respectable. Don't you want that for your kids? I know I do.

The Saga of Woody's Hat

2008-03-26T17:09:00.004-06:00

On Easter Sunday my dad had arranged to get together with some friends and buck a couple of horses (My dad raises bucking horses). We loaded up the bucking horse he had at his house and a saddle horse for my brother and headed to town. Dad, I, Spud, Bub and Shorty all in the Mega Cab pick-up. We drove into town and stopped at the fairgrounds to drop off the horses we had, then headed out to the friends' house to help them load the other bucking horse and saddle horse and the branding supplies since we needed to brand the two bucking horses too. Just outside of the fairgrounds Dad stopped because Bub's door wasn't shut tight. Bub shut the door and we headed on.

When we got to the friends' house the adults went to help load. Bub came up to me and said "Mom, Woody's hat is missing."

I asked if he was sure that he'd brought it from the house and he said yes. So, I told him that it probably fell out at the fairgrounds and we'd look when we got back there. As we drove back I watched for the place where we stopped to shut the door, and sure enough, there was Woody's hat on the side of the street. Woody and his hat were reunited and all was good.

We proceeded to the arena, unloaded the other horses and got ready to brand. Bub and Shorty asked if they could play in the arena and I said yes. My parents live in a sandy soil area, so it is basically a big sandbox and the kids love it.

My mom showed up and we were talking with one of the friends when Shorty came running and giggling, climbing over fences to get to us. Following her was a VERY angry Bub. I asked what the problem was and Bub informed me that Shorty had BURIED Woody's hat in the arena.

I rolled my eyes and told her to go dig it up and give it back. She sooooo loves to torture her big brother.

Twenty minutes later we were ready to start bucking the horses and the kids were still digging in the arena, trying to find the hat. I helped them dig for another ten...no hat. Bub turns to me and says "Mom, a cowboy has to have a hat." At eight years old, Bub has great sad puppy dog eyes. Just kills me every time. Poor kid is heartbroken that Woody has lost his hat. The arena ate it. It was never found. Unfortunately, it's hard to find just the hat for a 16" Woody doll, so a brand new Woody is on his way thanks to eBay. And Shorty owes me at least $10 of her tooth and birthday money. Hope everyone had a great Easter!

Keeyah!

2008-03-21T14:38:00.003-06:00

This is my son. He started his karate program in January. He absolutely loves it and would go every day if I'd let him. Now my daughter wants to start.

Last one for today...

2008-03-18T18:43:00.003-06:00

I came across this picture and had to post it. We drove by this house every time we went to my grandpa's house. Lots of memories. Grandpa died when I was 10, and I still miss him every day.

More Pictures

2008-03-18T18:30:00.006-06:00

Here are some more pictures of Nebraska. These pictures are just of the scenery around here and my parents' house. Don't ever let anyone tell you Nebraska is flat. I also want to thank all of you for your comments. It nice to know someone actually looks at my page!

Pictures

2008-03-18T11:49:00.003-06:00

Thanks to Paul at Igotyourbackman (see the blogroll) I can now post pictures. I thought for starters I'd post some of our horses.

HELP!

2008-03-16T20:21:00.001-06:00

I want to add pictures to my posts, but have no idea how. If anyone knows can you please help me? Thanks.

-Nebraska Girl-

Life in the Great Plains

2008-03-16T19:04:00.003-06:00

Mrs. 4444 of Half-Past Kissin' Time asked me about living in the Great Plains. She said it sounded "romantic and cowboyish". I guess it can be at times, but I'd say it's more cowboyish than romantic.

I grew up in a ranch family. We ride horses. We rodeo. We hunt. We fish. We spend a lot of time outdoors. I'd post some pictures here if I knew how.

I don't tell people online where I live, because it's a small town. The 2000 census put us at slightly over 5,600. My parents live in a town of slightly less than 3,000. I work for a government agency and I want to be a teacher someday, so I felt it prudent not to throw my name around on the internet.

As far as my home state, Nebraska, goes there are some really interesting places to visit. There are forts that date from the 1880's Indian Wars era to WWII. There are some really neat state parks and museums. Some of these places require driving on dirt roads (and I mean dirt, they rarely have gravel) to get there.

If you ever get to Nebraska, even if you're just driving through, DO NOT drive I-80. I-80 will take you across the most boring and flat part of our state. Drive on Highway 20 instead, it actually has scenery.

And don't forget to stop at Carhenge

Food!

2008-03-16T17:31:00.009-06:00

I love to cook. I tend to spend weekends reading food blogs and tracking down new recipes. The new season of Top Chef started on Wednesday, and I was so excited to watch it. Unfortunately there were a lot of *Bleep*s. My 7 year old daughter likes the show too, and it bothers me to let her watch something with that much cussing, even when it's bleeped out. But anyway, one of the dishes made was a souffle. Being from Nebraska I've never seen a souffle. That's just not something my grandma ever made. Well, since it's the weekend and I'm looking up recipes anyway, I decided to look it up.

In doing so I stumbled upon a wonderful food blog Fallen Souffle. Bon apetite!

She didn't deserve the d*@# ring!

2008-03-15T19:27:00.007-06:00

I was reading this article today, and this line caught my eye:

"Now she is refusing to speak
to me until I get her a new ring."

The guy tries to create a unique proposal, and the ring literally blows away. The poor man is desperate to get the ring back, and when he tells his girlfriend does she sympathize with him? No, she complains that he lost HER ring! Why do men like women like that?

Who shot Thumper?

2008-03-08T21:18:00.003-07:00

I'm a rodeo girl and a hunter, so when my dad's cousin told us this story my jaw almost hit the floor.

"Somewhere between Guthrie
and Abilene, a small caliber
bullet exploded through a trailer
traveling south on Highway 83
and landed in the brain of Garrett
Nokes' rodeo calf-roping horse."

It bothers me that some of the commenters state that there's a lot of hog hunting in the area, but the tone suggests that this is just a natural result of that. I can't speak for other hunters, but I was taught from the very first day I picked up a gun that you never shoot at anything if you can't tell what's behind it. If you can't be certain that your shot isn't going to hit someone's cow or some innocent hiker, you do not shoot.

I know Garrett. He married into the family, and I high school rodeoed with him. This loss is more than just money to Garrett. To lose a horse that you really click with is devastating. When you consistently compete on the same horse you form a real bond with them. It hurts when you lose a horse like that. Add that to the fact that a well trained horse of that caliber can cost in excess of $50,000 dollars.

The scariest part, like Garrett said when telling this story to family members, is if he'd been going any slower the bullet could have come through the cab and killed one of the guys traveling with him, or even Garrett himself.

Remember This Next Time You Go To Wal-Mart

2008-03-05T21:57:00.005-07:00

Xavier's trip to Wal-Mart was a bit more interesting than he expected:

"I handed Little Darling her bag and
took her hand as we began to
negotiate the maze of parked automobiles.
I glanced back and saw that the two
young men had spread apart, one on either
side of us and to the rear. That is when I felt it.
They had matched my stride and were
circling me. Like an antelope, I knew I was
being stalked by jackals, only I
did not know why. Time was accelerating
at head pounding speed, and Little Darling,
blissfully unaware, was along for the ride."

It makes me realize that I need to pay more attention to my surroundings. A single mother can't afford to be distracted.

Interview lessons

2008-02-23T22:27:00.002-07:00

I volunteered to be on the policy council for the local Head Start this year. Thursday they called and asked if I would help interview for a position that was open. The council has to approve new hires, so they like a member to help with the hiring process. I found being an interviewer to be very enlightening.

What not to do in an interview....
1. Dress like you're going to the grocery store/laundry mat/city park. Seriously don't wear jeans.

2. Go in with absolutely no knowledge of what the company does. If you don't know what we do, can you really want to work here?

3. Give out personal information about your home life. Seriously the interviewer doesn't need to know unless it is something that may affect your ability to be on the job when needed (seriously ill child/spouse, etc is possibly need to know)

4. When asked why you want the position, state "I just really need a job" At least state why you want this job. Good hours for your family life, enjoyment of aspects of job.

After sitting through some interviews as the interviewer, I have to wonder if I ever looked that clueless in an interview. I'm sure I did, but I know I'll never be unprepared for an interview again.

Media Bias

2008-02-21T22:20:00.005-07:00

We all know that media bias occurs, but there are times when it becomes glaringly obvious. I had one of those tonight. I was watching CNN and they were airing a show called Broken Government: Scorched Earth. On this program was a segment about prairie dogs, black-footed ferrets, and Conata Basin. Believe me when I say that I have quite a bit of knowledge about this topic. I work for a Government agency mentioned in the broadcast.

So, knowing the issue and knowing the proposed response by said agency it really ticked me off to hear the news guy state at least twice that the plan was to "exterminate" the prairie dogs in Conata Basin. My dictionary defines exterminate thus: to get rid of by destroying; destroy totally; extirpate: to exterminate an enemy; to exterminate insects. I've read the plan. I've been in detailed discussions of the plan. No where in the plan is there any mention of "extermination" or anything resembling extermination, but thanks to the media, people who haven't even taken the time to read the proposed action will be screaming about things about which they are uninformed.

Thank you for reading my blog. Please leave me a comment.

A Fresh Start

2008-02-20T16:59:00.003-07:00

Since I obviously haven't been using this blog, I've been putting some thought into what to do with it. Part of the problem is that I am not currently working on my teaching degree. I decided to get a BA in History with a Minor in Political Science. I went this route because I can get a degree quicker (by a whole year) and with a degree I have a chance of landing a permanent position at my current job. I would still love to be a teacher, but I really LOVE the work I currently do, and can see myself doing it until I'm old and grey.

But, teaching is still on the menu. Since I have to be a student to keep my current job, I have devised a plan. I will get my BA in History, and if I fail to get a permanent position (not an easy thing to do actually) I will continue on and get my Master's in Education.

So back to the direction of the blog. I've come to the conclusion that it doesn't really matter if anyone reads this or not. It's more of a place to note things that have caught my attention and to vent or cheer about events in my life. If you do read this blog...thanks and please comment so I know you're out there.

Thank you,
Nebraska Girl

I hate making decisions...

2007-07-16T16:44:00.000-06:00

Well another school year is fast approaching, and I'm not sure what classes to take. I'm leaning towards just getting my history degree and saying to hell with being a teacher. It's not that I don't think I'd enjoy being a teacher, but I honestly don't know how I'll work the semester of student teaching. You can't have a job that semester and I'm pretty sure my financial aid won't pay the bills. Plus you're at the mercy of some department drone who decides where you'll teach. If they decide I have to teach somewhere outside of town it just won't work. I don't have anyone around to take the kids to school if I have to leave before they have to be at school and I don't want to make them change schools.

I would love more than anything to get a job doing GIS. That's what I do at my part time/temporary job right now, but morphing that into a full time/permanent position isn't promising. If I can get a job in that field, I'm pretty sure I'd be willing to move. I think I'd even suffer through life in the city if I could get the right job.

I keep hearing from the teachers in my family that it's not worth going into teaching in this day and age. I think that's pretty sad, and doesn't bode well for our future.

A Different Christmas Poem

2006-12-20T23:13:00.000-07:00

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,

I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.

My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,

My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.

Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,

Transforming the yard to a winter delight.

The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,

Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,

Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.

In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,

So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,

But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.

Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the

Sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,

And I crept to the door just to see who was near.

Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,

A lone figure stood his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old

Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.

Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,

Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

What are you doing?" I asked without fear,

"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!

Put down your pack; brush the snow from your sleeve,

You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,

Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts...

To the window that danced with a warm fire's light

Then he sighed and he said "It's really all right,

I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."

It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,

That separates you from the darkest of times.

No one had to ask or beg or implore me,

I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.

My Gramps died at 'Pearl on a day in December,"

Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."

My dad stood his watch in the jungles of 'Nam',

And now it is my turn and so, here I am.

I've not seen my own son in more than a while,

But my wife sends me pictures; he's sure got her smile.

Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,

The red, white, and blue... an American flag.

I can live through the cold and the being alone,

Away from my family, my house and my home.

I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet

I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.

I can carry the weight of killing another,

Or lay down my life with my sister and brother...

Who stand at the front against any and all,

To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."

"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,

\ Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."

"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,

"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?

It seems all too little for all that, you've done,

For being away from your wife and your son."

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,

"Just tell us you love us, and never forget

To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,

To stand your own watch, no matter how long.

For when we come home, either standing or dead,

To know you remember we fought and we bled.

Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,

That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

- Michael Marks

* I recieved this in an email where it was credited to LCDR Jeff Giles, SC, USN. However, according to snopes.com Mr. Marks is the actual author.

Neglect

2006-12-13T13:28:00.000-07:00

Gee, can you tell I've been busy. I didn't realize that it had been almost 2 months since I'd posted anything on here. I just took my last final of the semester and I should be at work, but I need some time to decompress. I'll put in a full day of work tomorrow. I have an hour till i have to leave to pick up the kids from school. We're on foot because my car stopped running for the second time in as many weeks. I'm so thankful that I live in a small town and can walk to where I need to be. I'm looking forward to the next 3 weeks, one of which will be spent at my parents' house. Hopefully I'll get back to posting here on a regular basis.

Thanks for reading my blog, and please feel free to comment.

A Soldier and His Family In Need

2006-10-24T19:47:00.000-06:00

I know I've been neglecting this blog, but since mid-terms I've been behind on my class work. I was taking a mental break from some papers tonight when I ran across this article on Michelle Malikn's blog.

As if things aren't tough enough for our soldiers, his wife is dying of cancer and will leave him with young children to care for. As if that isn't enough, his insurance doesn't cover hospice care. His wife wants to stay at home where she can be with her children and husband until the end, but they have to pay for it out of pocket.

Anyone out there who can help, please either donate here. As a fundraiser they are also auctioning on eBay a Buzz Patterson 3 book set with a personal message from Mr. Patterson to the winning bidder. Great books going for a good cause, so please bid early and bid often.

Thanks for reading my blog, and please feel free to comment.

Vacation!

2006-10-16T08:06:00.000-06:00

Wow, can you tell last week was mid-terms? What a long week that was. I went to visit my parents and watch my younger brother play football over the weekend. Now I have two whole days off. I get to put in extra hours at work. This is nice cause I need the hours. What I really want to do though, is sleep.

As is my usual custom, I read news while waiting for the kids to get ready for school (no vacation for them!). I also wandered through some blogs and I saw this story on the forgiveness shown by the Amish. Now I have mixed feelings on this one. I do feel that there are times when forgiveness is the best path, however, I do not believe 9/11 is one of those. Telling the extremists "We forgive you." is not going to make them decide that we're not so bad after all and they shouldn't hate us. Not gonna happen. If only the answer to that dilemma was so simple.

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I did it!

2006-10-07T02:36:00.000-06:00

Well I made it through my first teaching experience. I'd like to thank Polski3 for the words of wisdom and encouragement. I feel that it went pretty well. We were supposed to have a 20 minute lesson and mine was 15 at a stretch, so I need to work on accurately timing lessons when I plan them. I needed to better engage my fellow students in the lesson. I basically did a lecture with power point, which I'm sure would be appropriate from time to time, but I need to give the students a reason to participate in the lesson so they better understand and retain the knowledge. During these lessons we critique each other, and I got lots of positive comments on poise and clarity. I had statements that I had good presence, control, and authority in the room. Once I started my lesson, I wasn't really nervous except when I realized that it was going to be short. One person stated that I needed to have more enthusiasm during the lesson, so that is something I need to work on for next time. Like I said I think it went well considering it was my first time, and I got lots of good comments on what I did well and what I need to work on. Thanks again Polski3 for your encouragement.

Thank you for reading my blog, and please feel free to comment.

Now teach

2006-10-06T06:42:00.000-06:00

Today I teach. It's just in front of my peers, and it's only for about 20 minutes, but I'm extremely nervous. This is where I really figure out if this is a profession I can do. I woke up at 3:15 this morning after I had a dream that I missed class. I'm a wreck and I really hope I get it all pulled together in time. Wish me luck.

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I never claimed to be a genius

2006-10-03T20:14:00.000-06:00

I'm not a genius like Darrin but I did pretty darn good if I do say so myslef...
7/9 Intellect
You are 65% knowledgable and 84% intellectual.
My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 59% on knowledge

You scored higher than 72% on intellect

*The first time I posted this I spelled genius wrong...lol

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This may not be professional but....wtf?!?

2006-10-02T18:32:00.000-06:00

Has the world gone completely mad? In the last week there have been three major school shootings. First the psycho in Colorado who took teenage girls hostage and killed one before shooting himself. Then there was the whiny baby freshman in Wisconsin who didn't like being teased in school so he shot and killed his principal. And last but certainly not least the evil bastard who took over an Amish school, held the girls (some as young as 6)hostage, and opened fire on them, killing at least three, before he offed himself.

What is with the grown men shooting school girls. Wait, I guess I can't really call these wastes of flesh men. No man would ever traumatize or murder girls. The real men are the police and SWAT teams trying to save those poor girls.

And as for the kid in Wisconsin...where were this kid's parents?? Why didn't they teach him right from wrong?

I am both sickened and saddened.

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Can we say "Deranged"?

2006-09-30T18:06:00.000-06:00

Hugo Chavez. What can I say? He seems to believe that everyone is out to get him. After his wonderful U.N. speech he claimes Bush put a hit out on him. Now he claims that an opponent is trying to do him in. This guy needs a mental health evaluation. Let's see what Venezuala would do if we stopped importing its oil. Sadly, we won't do that because we are horribly oil dependant.

We didn't assasinate Saddam and he was a heck of alot bigger problem that 'ol Hugo is. Some people are too stupid for their own good.

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Pay up?

2006-09-28T21:22:00.000-06:00

So I'm reading this article and I'm wondering, does any judge think this is fair? Not a single person in my family ever owned slaves. Most of my ancestors came over right around the time of the Civil War. They were poor farmers who wandered out into the Great Plains for the opportunity to own land. But if this goes through I am going to have to pay for it. How is that fair? I have a credit card issued by BoA, and my interest rate will skyrocket if someone doesn't stop this nonsense. I have a novel idea...stop blaming slavery for your problems and put a little effort into your life. You just might get somewhere that way.

Thank you for reading my blog, and please feel free to comment!

Should we ruffle some feathers?

2006-09-27T16:56:00.000-06:00

I was just reading an article about an opera in Berlin that was cancelled because there was a fear that it would offend Muslims. I'm not going to get into my personal feelings on the anger of Muslims, but was this an over reaction to a percieved threat?

Should we be worried that we may offend someone with our art? Or is it only necessary to worry about offending those who may react violently? Is it ok to offend some groups but not others? How do you approach this topic in a classroom full of high schoolers?

One of my assignments this week is to create a lesson on a controversial topic. It seems like almost every topic these days is controversial to someone.

Thank you for reading my blog, and please feel free to comment.

I surrender

2006-09-26T13:06:00.000-06:00

I dropped a class today. I'm now down to 12 hours of classes, 15 hours per week of work, and as much time with my kids as I can wedge in and still get my homework done. I feel kind of bad about dropping a class, but I guess sacrificing a class in order to do better in the rest of them and lessen my stress load even a little bit it worth it. I don't think it's healthy to eat Rolaids like they're candy.

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Will the SAT go away?

2006-09-25T20:30:00.000-06:00

I just finished reading this story about the relevance of the SAT. I never took the SAT. Out here in the boonies we took the ACT. Our math teacher reviewed some of the stuff that might be on the test in class the day before the test. That was all the test prep we did. We knew we needed to take it for college, but it wasn't a high pressure thing for us. I think I scored a 25 or something like that..well it was a twentysomething anyway. The lowest anyone in my class got was a 16. My graduating class was 23 students so we knew everyone else' business. I don't think I even know anyone who took the SAT. I'd have to say out here the SAT already has no relevance.

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Visitors

2006-09-24T18:44:00.000-06:00

I've had visitors! Thanks to those who have left comments, they are very appreciated. I'm not really sure what my blog will mainly be about. I guess just life in general. Some will be on assignments or questions posed to me in class. Some wil be on my life and my kids (they are playing soccer right now and it's just hilarious to watch). Some will be on just general thoughts about what it may be like when I do become a teacher. I hope anyone reading this will find at least some of the things I write worth having a discussion over.

Thank you for reading my blog, and please feel free to comment.

Success

2006-09-22T16:59:00.000-06:00

I have links! It only took me three days to get it to work. It's sad that such a small triumph can cause such joy....sad indeed.

Thanks for reading my blog and pleeeeeease leave me a comment! (Yes I'm begging.)

Technology, I just love technology....

2006-09-21T19:56:00.000-06:00

Well at the request of my only commenter so far (thank you Mr. Chanman), my email address is now on my blog. I think. I've been trying to put links to the blogs that I read on this page, but can't figure out how. The help page makes it look like such an easy process...but I can't figure it out. They just don't show up. Hopefully one day I'll get it figured out.

Thanks for reading my blog, and any comments are appreciated!

A Miracle...or something

2006-09-20T17:52:00.000-06:00

Today I had an interesting conversation with my son's teacher. She said "Is this really the child I heard so much about before the start of the year?"

By this she meant "He's not nearly the demon he was said to be"

My son got off to a bad start last year and it ruined the whole school year. He refused to do his work, acted out in class, and eventually got violent (I was actually told that a para could sue me because he kicked her). The principal, classroom teacher, para, counselor, speech therapist, and special ed teacher had a conference with me to "try to deal with the situation". It was basically an hour of trying to figure out why he does this and how I deal with this type of behavior at home. I got the "You're so full of it" look when I told them that he didn't act like that at home because I do not put up with that type pf behavior. Well things continued to get worse, and in November they took him out of the classroom and put him in a room by himself with a para.

April rolled around and I had to fight to get a meeting with the "group" to discuss wether it was really in his best interest to move on to first grade. At first I was just told "We don't believe in retention." I eventually got my meeting and was convinced that moving on was best for him. I also was able to get him back into the regular classroom for the last few weeks of school.

The theme I saw most throughout the school year was "Be sensitive to his feelings." What a bunch of crap! All he was doing was pushing his boundaries and they kept loosening them instead of standing up to him. He walked all over them, and I tried to tell them that they needed to put their foot down and tell him how it was going to be. Never happened.

Fast forward to this year. I have been told by his teacher, his classroom aide, and the counselor that he is a joy to work with this year. He is actually one of the best behaved students in his class. He rarely gets in any trouble whatsoever. What is so different about this year? Did I do lots of work with him over the summer? No. Did he get counseling over the summer? No, in fact we stopped going to counseling and took him off the meds they put him on in February. So what changed? His teacher. This year's teacher will not put up with his crap and let him know that from the start, and he is a totally different child because of it. I love this woman! I haven't been called to the principal's office once this year...and we've been in school almost a month.

And the best part...this year he tells me he loves school instead of crying that he doesn't want to go to school because he's stupid.

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Fun and Games

2006-09-19T20:00:00.000-06:00

Stress levels are spiking. I have a presentation due on Thursday with an annotated bibliography that contains 15-20 sources. I've read exactly zero. The kids have had 3 soccer games in the last 2 weeks and I've had at least one reflection paper a day. I love upper division classes. One really should complete college before they have kids. Well better get to the books and get that presentation ready for Thursday.

The things I'll see

2006-09-18T19:57:00.000-06:00

Friday was my youngest brother's homecoming game, so I drove the three hours home to be at his game and support him. He's a junior, and a starting offensive tackle on the varsity team. As I'm standing in the stands (no way I could sit through that nail biter) watching the game, I notice a fairly pregnant student standing with the rest of the students. I'm no prude, but I was truely shocked. This was in a town of less than 2,000 in the middles of a conservative state and I remember back in my high school days ( a whopping 10 years ago) the only girl that got pregnant during school was looked down upon. Now that I'm approaching my professional year (that's what they call the year you are in block and go out to student teach) I find myself asking how I'm going to handle such situations in my classroom. Let the anxiety begin.

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Onward and Upward...

2006-09-12T21:11:00.000-06:00

Well I successfully completed the "Create Overhead Transparencies" project for my Multimedia in Instruction class. I think that class will be really helpful. Not only do we have to create projects, we present them so others in the class can see what has been done and get ideas for better ways of doing those projects in the future. I really hope I can take some good ideas from this class.

We've been discussing state standards in my Special Methods class. We also had a discussion on how to present 9/11 and other issues that may be controversial. I'm starting to feel more comfortable in these classes. The longer I'm in class, the less I feel like I'm in over my head. I have just as much ability as anyone else, and I can be just as good a teacher as my professors.

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On with the show

2006-09-05T17:56:00.000-06:00

Well I got to work and wrote about the DID model. It wasn't hard once I read over the material. The class discussion focused on the illustration to explain the model, but I found the reading to be a much better explination.

Now for tomorrow's Special Methods class I need to write a couple of paragraphs about my plan for my 20 minute teach. I'm scared out of my mind about this assignment. My instructor flat out told us that he will pull us aside and suggest we find a new major if he doesn't think we can handle teaching. Please don't let me be the one he pulls aside.

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Procrastination....

2006-09-04T18:49:00.000-06:00

I'm supposed to be doing homework. I need to write a 500 word paper of my understanding of the DID Model of education. The problem is I don't understand the DID Model of education. Maybe I should hit the books a little harder, but you know it's so much easier to create a blog and talk about the work I should be doing rather than actually doing the work. I guess I'd better get to work.

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Let the games begin!

2006-09-04T18:33:00.000-06:00

Well I have a blog now. I'm not really sure what I hope to do with this blog, but I'm sure I'll have plenty of things to vent about. Welcome to my world....