30 Days Interruption

I'm almost done with the 30 Days challenge and am really enjoying it. I found another challenge where each day is a picture of something and although I'll have to post from home in order to access my pictures, I'm looking forward to it. In the meantime, having a pre-planned topic to post about has been really nice and has made it easier to get here and post, but I want to take a quick break from it to update on what's been going on.

First, it's summer finally!!!! Okay, so it's actually my summer break. I wrapped up all my finals and final projects and am pretty thrilled with how I did. My final grades were a B in Colorado History and A's in American Government, Human Sexuality, and Pre-Algebra. And, not only did I get an A in my math class, but I got the highest percentage in the class and was the only student to get 100% on the final. That class has been the best experience and has done wonders for my confidence in getting through the other math classes I still have to take to get my degree. I've got 2 more to take to fulfill the prerequisites and then will have just one for the degree requirement. It still feels like SO MUCH MATH, but now I have more confidence in my abilities and it doesn't seem as daunting. I'm all registered for Fall classes and although I'm looking forward to them, I'm also SO glad that I have a break until August. In the Fall I'm taking Introductory Algebra, Science of Biology, Music Appreciation and English Composition II. The English and Music classes are online, the math class is on campus two nights a week and the Biology class is a hybrid course that is taught mainly online with labs done on campus every Saturday afternoon. I think this semester will be an interesting mixture and since I'm going to stop working my second job once the semester starts, I should be able to manage it better.

My kids are still in school, but their last day is next Thursday (5/26). End of the year activities are in full force now. The last choir concert was last week, the end of year choir picnic was last Saturday, the last band concert is tomorrow night and the band is competing on Thursday. We just wrote the last lunch money checks for the year and their fees for next year are due by May 31. Then we can all relax into summer mode.

We are in the process of finishing up the boy's room in the basement. The walls and closet are built and are waiting on the curtains to serve as his bedroom and closet doors. We'll probably do some shopping around this weekend so he can pick what he likes. There is also some discussion about whether or not to buy him a new bed. His twin bed is about 7 years old and is in great shape, but he is outgrowing it. We haven't done a measurement lately, but I would guess he is very close to or at 5'7". He has asked for a bigger bed, and although a twin and a full are the same in length, he would have more room to position and get comfortable or even lay diagonal if he wanted. A new bed is only in the budget if we find a really good sale, so he will likely be using his twin until that happens, but we haven't moved it down to the basement yet just in case. There is a recliner in the basement from when Shell's dad was here and my boy has decided that he wants it if room can be found. He slept in that last night for the first night in his new room. It's coming along.

There is no set date for moving Shell's mom here as of now. Her doctor is working on some things with her to try to get her more mobile, so we're waiting to see what happens with that. I'm staying out of it for the most part and told Shell to let me know when there is a time frame to start planning for. I don't want to dwell on the unknown. It'll happen when it happens.

What else... Shell and I celebrated our anniversaries during the time I've been doing the 30 Day challenge. On April 23, it was 19 years since we started dating and May 3 was the 8th anniversary of our commitment ceremony. May 5 was my birthday which got kind of buried in finals and I actually had two of them on that day. I requested the 5th and 6th off of work, so in the midst of test taking, I also had some down time. I had a really yummy ice cream cake on my birthday and presents! I got 4 cute shirts, 2 pairs of capris and 2 pairs of jeans from the kids and Shell gave me two signed books that I am so excited to read: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond (the Pioneer Woman) and Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult (who I LOVE!). Since my birthday was only 4 days before Mother's Day, we combined the two on Saturday with a barbecue at my parents' house. Saturday night was originally planned for playing cards with my parents, but the day before I got a call from Shell's best friend asking if I'd be interested in two tickets to see Lionel Richie perform Saturday night at a gala for the hospital she works for. Shell is not a fan of his, but my mom and I are so I took the tickets and we went. He was amazing and performed for 2 hours without any breaks. He did practically everything you'd want to hear and sounded great. The only songs he didn't sing that we would have liked to hear were "Truly" and "Endless Love", but since he has an all-male band there wasn't anyone to do the duet with, so I was okay with that omission. It was a fun way to do something with my mom for mother's day, and it only cost me $15 for parking!