All done!

Well, the new building is here and set up. It looks great and they really did a great job setting it up. It was kinda hairy at first, he went one way and then the other before settling on a way to come in and then he had to battle the trees to get in, branches that is.


The came in and dropped the building and then they used a chain to straighten it up. Once they had that done, they had to level it up and that only took about 5 minutes. Yay! It is finished! Now to get all of the stuff into it! LOL Whole 'nuther post!


Nothing to see here...



...Sad, isn't it? The only thing left of the old homestead is a concrete slab.
Tomorrow the new building comes to be placed next to where you see the slab. You can just barely see the dirt pad that it will be sat on in the lower left corner of the picture. I am looking forward to having a safe building in which to place our stuff that needs storing, but I will miss the old garage.
So long old friend.

Tired...

...and it shows. I have not been sleeping very well, and I am not sure why. I am sure that some of it has to do with nerves getting settled into TU but other than that, nothinig comes to mind that would cause it.

I am currently starting to read Ragged Dick by Horatio Alger. I have read something previously of his and I don't recall liking it. Maybe this will be the exception.

I will post photo's latetr of the garage, on the ground and in the trailer to haul off. It is definitely a strange sight not seeing it there. I hope it helps when the new building is moved in tomorrow. Wow. We have been waiting since July 10th and it seems like forever and now it is upon us.

Well, off to read.


Well, here they are, the pics of the garage from the morning. Not much more to take pics of, really, the have the second load on the trailer and the third will get loaded tomorrow. All gone.


School Again...

And that will be my life for the next two years. I am ok with that, just extra tired today as yesterday was a long day. Today should be better, I get out between 4 and 5 and should be able to get home at a reasonable hour.

I left my camera home in hopes that Danny will take more pics of the garage. It is completely on the ground now with only one wall, the south, in any semblance of a solid piece. They are supposed to start loading it up today to haul off.

I am awaiting my second English class about 10 feet from the door. It is a huge table with comfy chairs around it, so I should be comforatble while I am reading yet another 6 books, right?? LOL
This is a very small area I am sitting in on a hallway with no table in front of me. They have very little room in this building it would appear.

I got the cameras that Euvah sent, a Pentax K-1000 and her little 35 mm and they are exactly what he wanted for the first two cameras. Yay! Thank you, Sis! I am excited about Photography but also VERY nervous because I shake so much I am afraid I will have trouble getting good shots. But I will learn to adapt I am sure.

My Spanish Prof seems to be nice, I already have Spanish homework and should have worked on it last night but was so exhausted, I just vegged and then headed to bed.

I picked up the six books for the first english class, one is the Communist Manifesto, Hard Times by Charles Dickens, The Doll House by Henry Ibsen, Germinal by Emile Something and I cannot remember the other two. I have to go today and pick up the ones from the TU Copy center that are excerpts only. I have read the Dollhouse and did not care much for it, but that at least gives me a leg up on one book.

I guess I will start working on my 1/4 Second Project while I sit here waiting. Y'all have a good day!

TU...

As I sit here waiting for class to start, it occurs to me, I am actually starting TU!!! I know that I have KNOWN that for a while, but it is only now, when I am sitting here in Oliphant Hall at TU, that it is really hitting me.

My first class is Photography I and I plan to ask him if I can only buy one camera, what camera does he suggest. I am less than 3 feet from the door of the classroom so no chance I will be late.

I left the houose at 8:00, stopped and got coffee and tea and cashed a check and here I am. I was here by 8:57, so I think I can probably leave a little later next time!

The drive was not bad at all, just a little heavy in places but no stoppages, so all in all, good.

My stomach is in knots and I just finished my huge tea that I got on the way out of Okmulgee. Seemed like the thing to do since there are so many signs saying, "Absolutely NO food or Drink!."

Ok, well, I guess I will write more later. Almost time to go in.

Well, finished that class. Looks to be interesting and I think I will like the instructor. Very straight forward and no nonsense with a kind of laid back air to him. I have to find 675 pics, called the 1/4 second project. They have to be interesting and different. Should be interesting coming up with them.

I am now in my next classroom waiting. I believe this is an English class, big surprise, and no one here yet but that should be fixed in short order. I have been sitting in here in the peace and quiet just surfing the web and doing not much.

What a day. Here I go again. The instructor is here, better run.
Well, it is HOURS later, I am currently at home trying not to fall out as I type. I have six, yep, you read that right, SIX books to read for ONE of my English classes...and I have three English classes. Yikes. Methinks I will be one busy girl!
Ok, on to what I came home to.
It is no secret we have been sl,owly but surely working on taking down the garage so we can get a new building in here on Thursday. Well, today I came home and Dad was in the house, Danny caught me getting out of my car and said, "Liz. Take Dad's sledge out back to the guys." So I came in, and immediately walked out back with the sledgehammer to this:
It is sad to see it gone, but it needed to happen a long time ago. A few more pics of the carnage:
And with that, I think I will start my homework. Love you guys!

OhMyGosh!!!!!!!!!!

I am sooooooo excited! I GRADUATED WITH HONORS! And I got on the Presidents Honor Roll. Jim, C'Cie, Danny, Yvonne, Jeanie, Robbie, Holly, Lindzy, Michael, Margaret and Elece came to watch and I was sooooo excited! I missed Euvah and Shari terribly but they will be at my next graduation. I have faith!




Well, It is all done but the crying. I did not sleep a wink las night because I was nervous and so when it was all over I came home and fell out. I did not fall, I almost did, but I didn't. And everything stayed straight and not bunched in my underwear. I was laughing so hard, we were in line to walk out to the venue and some of the girls needed to go NOW. So they took over the mens room! It was too funny.




All in all it was very laid back though. They lined us up, I gather a LOT of the Graduates decided not to walk which I think is sad and away we went through the madding crowds. And madding they were. Flashes going off left and right, the crowds right there on top of us while we walked to our seats. I just tried to really stay in the moment and FEEL it all. The National Anthem was sang by a friend, Ashley Green, and she did a fabulous job. It was so moving. And to think, it was being sung for ME. I mean it was being sung for more than me obviously, but it FELT like it was personal, and isn't that what it is all about? Being personal?




Dad gave me quite a scare, he fell on the way out of the hall to go eat. I mean he fell hard! I nearly had a heart attack. The guy that was with the school nearly had one as well, I know it was because he was thinking LAWSUIT. But that never crossed my mind. I just wanted Daddy to be ok and he was, thank God!




We went to Mazzio's with Holly, Lindzy, Jeanie and Robbie and really sat and visited a lot and just enjoyed ourselves, Jeanie bought the dinner as my grad gift, Thank You, Jeanie, have I mentioned I love you lately? Anyway, then I came home and took this picture:



...and then fell on the sofa and slept for two hours. More later! Oh yeah, one last thing, and not least for sure, Danny and Yvonne got me this:




What a week!

So, I have been so busy with getting finished with my last class at OSU-Okmulgee and getting ready for Graduation and then I had to go to TU to get assimilated, pick up my parking decal and generally get ready to start two days after I graduate at OSU, and to top it all off, I am sick. Yuck. So, that is why I have not blogged, that is my story and I am sticking to it!

Went to TU on Friday with Shela to avoid the crowds at Orientation, and picked up my parking decals, yep, plural. I also dropped off my immunization information to the Alexander HEalth Clinic. They say since I am living at home, no need for the meningitis vaccine but I think I may get it to be on the safe side. That is one thing I do NOT need is to get that and expose Dad.

Shela went with me and helped me find all of my classes, I am good to go on all but one and that one will be a killer but they are saying it will be moved to a lower floor. It is three flights of very old stairs up at this time. I am praying that they do get it moved.

I called my doc in Muskogee and told her I thought I had a sinus infection...ok, I *know* I have a sinus infection...anyway, she called me in my prescription so had to slip by there from Tulsa and get my meds and get some paperwork figured out. That over, we had only spent two hours in Muskogee and like3 or 4 in Tulsa. Shela was supposed to be home by two. Yeah, that did not happen. ROFL Sorry, Shela! I really did try!

I picked up my cap and gown on Tuesday as well as my Honors stole and Tassel! I am so excited. I have never graduated with Honors. Well, obviously since I have never been in college before, but seriously, I did not even come close in High School because I was lazy and afraid of failing. I barely made the walk with HS, if you want to know the truth. This picture sucks, but here it is.

I have taken all of my tests and am now working on my final paper for my one class I have remaining at OSU-Okmulgee. I will turn it in tomorrow and voila! All will be done and I will good till Saturday morning! Yvonne is supposed to help me with my hair, and she, Danny, Jim and C'Cie and Dad are going to my Graduation Reception where I will find out if I won the Outstanding Graduate Award (which I doubt, I was really, really tired when I wrote my one page for it!) and then the Commencement Ceremony follows that immediately.

So that is my week in a nutshell. More later!

Back to the Real World...

Well, after a loooong day of flying, I am home again. And it is wonderful but sad at the same time. I already miss Euvah, Shari and the kids and that incredible view from Shari's kitchen. I am missing the cool weather too. LOL Oh well, life is good. I have had my first ever true vacation as an adult and it was magnificent!

The ride home, for me at least, was uneventful. Euvah did not have it so well, her blog is http://cajunsis.blogspot.com/, and you can hear her tale of a not-so-good-very-bad-flight there.

We met Christy our last day there and that was awesome! She and Becca are great folks and Lord knows that Becca is going to be a heartbreaker. She is just gorgeous! They are both the sweetest girls and we really enjoyed the short amount of time we had. Of course, Cannot go without saying that Melanie, Christy's mom is awesome as well! She is just a very sweet lady and the store is great as well. I spent some money there of course and enjoyed it tremendously.

After we spent time with Christy, we very nearly did not make the return ferry on time. They actually closed the gate at us. But...they let us through a few minutes later and we were among the last four cars to get on. Yay, us! We walked up to the sundeck one last time (Ok, none of the others had had a sun deck so in actuality it was the first time for the sun deck but it was the last time on a ferry) and enjoyed the breeze and incredible view. The girls were thoroughly sick of the wind and decided they wanted to go down, so down we went, into the car and very shortly after off the ferry and home to pick up our stuff and head for the hotel.

As were driving the last mile or so, we ended up behind Linda and Geri (Shari's MiL and her best friend and while at a light waiting to turn left, there went John about 2 cars in front of Linda and Geri. Too funny. We all made it home at the exact same time. Linda, Geri and John took the children over when we got there so that we could get ready to leave and after out final goodbyes with the kids and John, Linda and Geri, we were on our way to a final supper and the hotel. As we were coming down a 61% grade, Shari's brakes would not stop the van and they started smoking horribly. She managed to get us stopped using the emergency brake and we slipped into a parking lot asap and parked it. Luckily it was only smoke and not fire, but the brakes were horribly hot and so we went to eat at Claim Jumpers while they cooled. Wonderful food, but VERY pricy.

After the brakes had cooled significantly, we went to see Brenda (John's Sister) at her second job and then headed for the hotel. Thanks to Brenda, we got a great deal at the Hilton by the airport. Wonderfully comfortable beds and a crying shame I could not sleep. But I got to rest in it for several hours so all was good.
We got up at 0430 and were at the airport by 0500, way too early for ANYONE, but we did it.

Our plane was delayed because the plane at our gaqte before us had mechanical problems and could not leave until they were resolved but we made it about 45 minutes late. Thankfully we had long layovers in DFW!

Well, have to go shopping, so I will write more later.

We're Baaaaackkkkkkkk...

So, we were in Eastern Washington, Monitor,WA to be exact and while where we were staying was gorgeous, it was also very different. It is the high desert and lots and lots of brown all the way around.

We went to Leavenworth the first day over there, what a beautiful little town. All Bavarian architecture and beautiful trees, sloping sidewalks and flowers...flowers everywhere! It is just beautiful.

Next we went to the Grand Coulee Dam. It is the most power dam in the United States, but it is not nearly as impressive looking as the pics I've seen of the Hoover Dam. But it was impressive nonetheless. It was actually very interesting. I am way too tired right now to remember everything though, lol.

On the way home we took the North Cascades Pass which is breathtaking. You would not believe the view and pictures simply cannot do it justice. WHat is more amazing is that the speed limit on that windy, twirly road is 60 MPH. LOL You would be amazed at the view and the speed limit. Shari is a good driver so all was well!

Well, today we are off to Seattle! Can't wait to see it and the Space Needle. Yikes! Only one more full day here. That sucks.