I learned to take a new picture!

Today I learned that in order to take pictures in the dark with my DSLR, I have to take the camera out of auto focus!  TWO YEARS it has taken me to figure that out!  Aint that somethin'?

Entire graduating class of young Black Americans accepted into college!

You send your kids to school in hopes that they will do their best and succeed.  
High school is a challenging time for kids.  Urban Prep is a school that is dedicated to the success of its students.  An all boys school, all 104 African American young men have been accepted to college!  A huge feat for any school, but a repeat achievement for Urban Prep.  Yes, for 2 years in a row, all of the graduating class of this phenomenal boys school are able to attend college and further his success, many with extensive amounts of scholarships and grant money being paid on their behalf.  


It's every parents' dream to see their child go off to college.  This is the beginning of a brighter future.  For many of these families, these boys will be the FIRST in their family to step foot inside a college, so the achievement is that much sweeter.  



Urban Preps mission is "The mission of Urban Prep is to provide a comprehensive, high-quality college preparatory education to young men that results in graduates succeeding in college." 

Their goal is to reverse the poor graduation rates among those living in Urban communities, particularly among young Black men, and to give more of these African American men a chance a a successful future.

I'd say that based on the last 2 years, they are making that happen! 

Gee, thanks...

CJ:  Did you put powder on Ginger (the dog) to stop her from itching?


Me:  No, I put it on her to try to get rid of her funk.


CJ:  Well, I guess I need to start putting powder on my feet.


Miss Missy to CJ:  She puts it on her armpits.


Wow, is nothing sacred between mother and daughter?

MEN!

Bought a hot new pair of heels today.  Hubs says, "Those shoes look alright, but don't you think they might break?"

WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU TRYING 

TO SAY?!?!?!?!

"Friends Wanted"

Back home, I became friends with a girl who, once we started hanging out, stuck to me like glue.  I'm not great with the friends thing.  I mean, I'm friendy-LY, but I don't take on many friends at all.  

But this girl was persistent, to say the least.


We'll call her GiGi.

GiGi had just moved into the neighborhood from Germany.  She and her hubby were military.  She was of Italian and Germany decent and this was her first time away from home.  She has a 3rd grader, who was in my son's class and a toddler that was just starting to walk.  We met at my neighbor's house, they were having a birthday party or some kinda get together... don't really remember.

When I first saw her, I remember thinking how pretty she was.  I also remember wondering if my husband was checking her out.  She must have really been beautiful because not many people can make me insecure!  


Later, I invited her to Miss Missy's birthday party.  Miss Missy was turning 4 and she had daughters, soooo....


Well, after that, there wasn't a day that went by that I didn't hear from her.  Our husbands deployed around the same time.  I think GiGi, well I know GiGi became pretty lonely.  She didn't let me forget that she needed something to do... everyday of the week.   


See, for me, deployment wasn't a devastating thing.  I was okay with being by myself.  I was okay with just spending my days to myself and spending my evenings with my kids.  GiGi... not so much.  

The phone calls came everyday like clockwork.  


"Kay, what are you doing today? Can I come over?"


"Kay, what are you doing today?  Wanna go to the mall?"


"Kay, what are you doing today?  Wanna take the kids to Monkey Joes?  Chuck E. Cheese?  Bowling?  The Movies?"


It became expensive to me GiGi's friend.  While I liked the girl, she was impeding on my ME time!

I continued to hang with her because, like I said, she was a sweet girl and we had a lot of laughs together.  I knew that she was lonely.  She didn't know how to be without her husband.  She was her whole world and the idea of not having him there and actually having to "be a mom" scared her to death!  

GiGi was a diva, much like herself.  

You know, the so-not-a-minivan-girl type.  

The heels-to-a-football-practice type. 

The never-to-be-caught-without-lip-gloss type.  

The makeup-at-the-gym wearing type.

She was one that I enjoyed having run in my circle.


But OMG was she clingy!  It got so bad that I had to start forwarding her to voicemail.  Making up excuses.  Finding other things to do.


******************************


Now, I understand how she felt as I long for female companionship more than I ever have before.  In Grooveytown, I may not have hung out with friends a lot, but they were there when I wanted to.


Here, and I know this sounds pathetic, but I find myself looking at women, sizing them up for potential girlfriends.  I find myself wanting someone to hang out with, who laughs at the same things I laugh at and likes the same things that I like.  


I know how she felt now that I'm in her shoes.  I'm not the stalker, constant phone calls, buggaboo type, but I can understand longing for a friendship.


Now, I feel a little pathetic....

Valentines... Bahh HUMBUG!

Valentines Day.

I've never been a fan.  

It's a day the more money you spend, the more LOVE you have for your significant other.  

It's a day where the bigger the bouquet, the more bragging rights you get at the office.  

Again, not a fan.  Why is there one day out of the year when you are suppose to show your love through candy and flowers, or if you're really lucky, jewelry or a car.

Which brings me to Hubs and my first Valentine's Day together.  I got a car.  A Mitsubishi Mirage.  We were just a few weeks shy of moving to Germany on our first PCS tour together and he drove to my parents' house in a car.  I was expecting him to arrive on the Grey Hound.  Imagine my surprise when he told me to come outside and there was a car out there for me... for us.  We needed a car to take overseas with us.  But it was mine when he bought a hooptie when we got to Germany.

Nice.  He never topped that Valentine's Day gift.

Valentine's Day is not my favorite holiday.  Matter of fact, unlike MOST women, it's my LEAST favorite.  I have never been a fan.  In High School, I wasn't the one receiving tons of candy grams or carnations, probably because my boyfriends were loser high school drop outs.  

I dread the day when I have to pick out a gift that means I love you for a man.  You can't give men roses (so says my husband).  I can't give a big box of candy because my husband would never let me forget how he doesn't really care for sweets (unless it's right in front of him).  I tried a personally hand-made card that I thought was adorable with words from my heart, but the feedback was more along the lines of, "You couldn't even buy me a real card?"  

I never have money to spend on a gift because, well... I don't have a job and it just seems kinda not right to buy someone a gift with their own hard-earned money.  

I.am.so.not.the.romantic.

Neither is Hubs.  Romance has never been our thing.  Romance is kinda corny to me.  I feel dumb when I try to be romantic.  That's why Valentine's Day SUCKS!  There I said it.  I SUCK at romance and so therefor someone should turn and arrow on that damn cupid!  

THE END!

Looking back...

A little over a year ago, I posted THIS post about my confidence.  To date, it is one of my favorite posts because confidence is my one my favorite traits... in myself and in others.

Read it again here.

Jennifer Hudson in my new inspiration!

I'm sitting here watching Oprah. 


Jennifer Hudson is talking about her weight loss.


She is STUNNING!


I am looking at her legs and I'm thinking, " I WANT THOSE LEGS!"


One of the hardest things to do lose weight.  I think it is more than difficult to stay motivated and make the necessary changes in your eating habits and your lifestyle to lose the weight and keep it off.


I started a weight loss journey about a year ago.  It was after I saw pictures of myself at Christmas time.  Now while I have never NOT considered myself as FINE, I was not the fine that I wanted to be.


Don't get me wrong, y'all, I was still walking down the streets having guys snapping their necks to get a second look!  But there was something that I was not happy with.


These last few months since Hubs has returned from the desert, I seem to have lost my way.  Somewhere along the line, I gave up on my "new lifestyle" and stopped trying to be healthy, stopped working out, stopped eating right.  I miss those days.


Since I've arrived in AZ, well.... since the movers picked up my scale in GA.... I have gained 7lbs.


I'm going to leave it at that and not talk about me anymore.


Back to Jennifer.  She looks awesome.  Weight Watchers has worked for her.  I want to be like Jennifer.  As of this moment, she is my inspiration.  She's a size 6.  One size smaller than my goal.  I want to be her and I have to stop procrastinating and just get there!


I passed out a few days ago.


My alarm went off and I pushed snooze.  My alarm went off again and I pushed snooze.  It went off again and I got out of the bed.  I stood up and thought, "Wow, I feel dizzy."  The next thing I remember was being on the floor and hearing Hubs say, "You okay?" and grabbing my hand to help me up.  I hopped up and said, "I'm okay."  I went on to continue my morning as if nothing happened.  Felt a little shaky, but I was good.  While I was in the hospital to pick up a prescription at the pharmacy, Hubs convinced me to see the doctor.  They blood work and told me to come back in 2 days.


Well, today I got the results and je suis bien.  I'm good.  They didn't find any reason for why I fainted.


So, I think that I want to get healthy.  Time to start making some changes and stop making excuses.  Jennifer is going to be my inspiration!  I mean , she is HOT at a size 6.  
And if she looks that good, then I'm so sure that if I lose my weight, 

I'm gonna be STAGGERING!!!!

Can't WEIGHT!

Stinkin ebooks!

Last Semester, I pulled through my classes with an A- and a B+.  Not bad for someone who was traveling across country, staying in hotels and dealing with the holiday rush all at the same time.  BUT I no longer have a 4.0.  I'm down to a 3.83, but I guess I can live with that.  

This semester, I'm not going to like having to do my marketing class with an ebook.  I don't like ebooks.  I don't like not being able to highlight stuff , you know, so that I can go back and and read the important parts.  I think that if they should give the option of an ebook or a REAL book.  I'm so sure that this is what the world is coming to, well with Nooks and Kindles, but when you're talking about academic, it just seems better for a girl like me to be able to highlight and tab and fold pages and stuff like that.  

With all that being said, please hope with me that I am able to find a niche with this class without a conventional book and somehow come out with a 4.0.

Anyone use ebooks successfully and find them easier?

It's so COLD in the AZ!

It's really amazing how COLD it is in AZ.


I'm completely surprised because apparently it is normally flip flop weather at this time of year here.  


I guess this is my WELCOME TO ARIZONA!  


It feels like Michigan here... just without the snow.

How COLD is it??


Yesterday morning when I got into the car to taxi the kids off to school, my temperature read 8.  YEAH EIGHT!  And that's after the car had been running for 30 minutes!  By the time we got the the gate at Ft. Huachuca, the temperature read 11.   


WHOOO HEAT WAVE!
 *************************************************

HOW COLD IS IT??


Had to do laundry yesterday.  Living in an apartment sucks when you have to carry all of your laundry to the laundry room.  It was absolutely freezing outside.  You'd think that I had walked a mile the way my fingers felt after walking to the next building.  Cold really does bite.  


In between cycles, I took the dog outside.  She's not allowed pee in the grass here.  The apartment cherishes their grass.  There's not much grass here in AZ as you an imagine.  Our little apartment complex actually has grass.  The keep it painted green.  Yeah, it's painted grass.  But the dogs are not suppose to pee or poop in the grass.  They recommend you take the dogs to poop in the rocks.  Ginger didn't like that much at first.  You know she's such a lady and she was prancing on the rocks as if they hurt her feet.  So when I walked her with me to the laundry room, she peed on the side walk.  When I went back to put the clothes in the dryer 20 minutes later, the peed on the sidewalk had frozen!  I thought I'd be frying eggs on the sidewalk here!


I know... GIVE IT SOME TIME!

Apartment life means that I have to get up in the morning and actually walk the dog.   I can't just open the back door and let her roam the yard now.  This morning, I armed myself with 2 coats (one leather, one wool), a pair of leather gloves and a velour hat.  Oh and my turtleneck sweater.  

Did I mention I have always hated turtlenecks because I feel like I'm being choked?

*********************************************************************************
How COLD is it??




Off to take the kiddies to school this morning.  Temperature was much better than yesterday.  20.  Still cold and the kids are dressed up like Eskimos.  I had to go to our storage to get their big winter coats.  It was cold when we left Georgia so I let them bring them for the trip.  Glad I did because pipes are freezing up around here.  They said the pipe froze while they were at school yesterday.  And guess what?  School was closed today.  I drove all the way on post and the school was CLOSED.  I picked today not to check my Facebook and come to find out, school was closed.  GREAT.


I could have slept in.


How cold is it?

Apparently the post tenants were asked to turn their thermostats down to 55 last night because the post is running out of gas to heat the post.  On the coldest night of the year, they ask you to turn down you heat?  

Kinda glad I'm not living on post yet.  I kinda like it cold at night, but not in the daytime.

What's great is that by Monday, it's suppose to be 69!  So I can't complain because soon enough I'm going to be complaining about the heat!