Journal entry #5

I just finished reading How to Say Nothing in 500 Words by Paul Roberts out of our Power of Language book for out lesson this week. my mind has never felt so much like a bowl of mush in my life. I know by reading what he was saying that I fall into the category of just trying to fill the page. Sometimes the words just won't come out. I am really going to have fun with the I Believe Essay I am about to put on paper. It is a personal narrative about something I Believe strongly in. These types of writing are not what gets me. It will be the next week with the more professional writing that I hope I can at least pass. When I feel strongly about a subject I feel like I can just jot down the words and they make sense. I hope my audience will be able to keep up with my thought process. I know that sometimes the words just tumble out and get all mixed up. I'm really going to try and put the pencil to paper and not put too many words in sentences. I think this is what I struggle with the most. Mr. Roberts feels the same way, he was saying that most of the time, people try to use more words than needed to make their point. I also agree with him when it comes to going down the road less traveled with a subject. Instead of trying to go along with everyone else on a topic, pick something that you actually believe and make it your own. If the audience (professor) has heard the same thing a hundred times, by the end you might get a worse grade than if you were the first paper read. If the professor has read the same words too many times, it's an automatic worse grade. Be creative and think of something new on a subject. Go at the same subject with a completely different angle. Choose words that are to the point. Don't try to make your sentences longer with more words just to fill the page. Don't use colorful words and words that are too harsh for your audience. Give them some spice on an old subject. Prove what you want to say by backing it up.
I also read The Maker's Eye: Revising Your Own Manuscripts by Donald M. Murray. He says that when a student finishes a first draft, they think their writing is complete. When a professional finishes his first draft, they feel like the writing can begin. I felt like he was talking to me on this subject. Every time I have wrote anything for this English Comp class, my first draft is what makes it to the TURNITIN button for Ms. Anthony. I feel really bad. I'm positive this is not my best writing. I will say that I do my rough draft and when I'm typing, I'm also editing at the same time. I'm getting ready to revise some of it before trying to type it up for my classmates when I finish my journal for the day. I do feel like it will be a much better paper this time. It is all about me and I hope my class can put up with the same old stuff from me for just a couple more weeks. This will be interesting, since they will be more grading this paper and helping me revise it for next weeks assignment.

Lesson 4.2 Freewriting to This I Believe

This I believe essays are awesome. It is a way to list all the things that pop into our heads that have importance. We believe in so many things. We also have feelings about what other people believe. I think it is Okay to disagree with others on what we believe because if we don't that makes us the same. None of us are the same. We have to be different is some ways, that makes us US! I love music and I think everyone does at least some kinds of music. It's good for the soul. I love music with a hip hop beat. The kind that makes you want to move. My kids think it's silly to dance in the car. My son always tells me Don't Sing, Don't Dance. I think it embarrasses him. Oh well I will dance and sing when I want because it makes me feel better. I think we can believe that which we choose to believe but we need to back it up. Sometimes this is hard to do. When you hear something you want to believe, but don't know enough about it to warrant why you believe, you need to do the research and find out why you want to believe. I think that some people don't want to put in the kind of work that it requires to prove their beliefs. I believe in true love. I thought I had true love a couple times in my life, but I was totally wrong. It is something that is important to all of us. God created us to have companions in our lives. He doesn't want us to be alone. I do know that the love for my children is true love in the purest form ever. You will do things for your kids that you won't do for other people. I know that songs can bring up and move you in a way that will say true love. I have no idea where I'm going with this. I'm just writing and writing and writing, I may even be singing along in this because I love music so much!!!!!  I have so many things to say that I don't even know what I want to say anymore. I think that my writing is getting faster and faster everyday. This is a good thing since I'm supposed to write for about 10 minutes. I know I should be about done.
Happy oh so Happy......that new song about being happy is my sons new favorite song. Wow I think I'm done.

Journal entry #4

5 things I would pack for a trip if I had no idea where I was going.

The first thing I would pack for my trip would be underwear! I know no matter where I'm going I always want to have some clean underwear. It's one of the things your mom always said before you left to go anywhere as a child. "Do you have on clean underwear? You never know what will happen, and you don't want to end up in the hospital without clean undies!"
The second thing I would pack is my camera. If you don't know where you are going, you definitely need to have a way to remember where you were at. Pictures are worth a thousand words and lots of memories.
The third thing I would pack is some comfortable shoes. Probably some tennis shoes for walking. That is going to be the most uncomfortable if you have lots of walking to do. This could totally ruin a perfectly amazing trip if you're not comfortable getting around.
The fourth thing I would pack is going to be money. If I'm going to be out and about and I see something that I have to have, you never know if they take a credit card, but money talks.
The fifth thing  I would pack would have to be some comfortable clothing. I think I would pack a long skirt that can be comfortable in any type of weather and some tops with three-quarter length sleeves on them. Not too cold and not too hot.
I guess these would be the basics in my suitcase if I'm going anywhere. Even if I do know where I'm going. I travel a lot for work and these are things I take with me where ever I go.
I have always wanted someone to whisk me off my feet and say let's go. Maybe this will happen for me one day.

Journal entry #3

I think I would like to tell you today what I would do if I could hire someone to do five things for me. I have always struggled with my weight my entire life. I have always thought about losing weight and lost and gained probably more weight than most people see their entire lives. I think my first thing I would hire someone to do for me is cook for me and my family. I would have them cook and prepare all of my meals 24/7. I would instruct them to make those meals healthy and flavorful. I would also have someone dress me. What I mean by that is this. I work in a job that I have to dress up a bit more than a normal job. I have a huge problem with paying full price for clothing. I like to shop on the bargain racks. That's all well and good till I get home. I buy one piece at a time, so when I get home the one piece that I bought, I can't seem to put it together with anything else that I have. If I could have someone to put them together for me and to let me know what looks good together and what doesn't. I know it sounds crazy, but I have told people for years that I could use the help. I would also hire someone to help me clean my house, especially dust. I enjoy having all dark wood furniture. The dust is just unreal. I can't keep it clean. I can dust it one day and the next day guess what? It is dusty again. I would also hire someone to drive me back and forth to work. If I could have a laptop with me to do my homework and pay my bills on the way to and from work. I live in Nixa and drive to Branson on a daily basis. It is almost a 2 hour trip per day in the car. I could get a lot of my school work done in the car in that time frame. I think the last thing I would hire someone for is a personal finance manager. I am very good with numbers, but I have a job right now that I don't have benefits and any type of retirement savings. This is one of the reasons I am going to school. I need to have a job in corporate America that offers those benefits and retirement options. I'm getting older and have lots of make up to do.
Will I ever hire someone to do these things for me? It's highly unlikely, but it sure was fun to think about some of the things that we do on a day to day basis that sometimes would just be easier to hire someone to do.
Thanks Ms. Anthony for opening up that conversation, even if it was only with myself.

Journal entry #2

As I sit here on Saturday night after my camping trip, I am wore out. I had so much fun with the people that I love. On Thursday we took off to the JamesRiver Outfitters. We set up our camp, we fixed dinner over the open flame. We had Bratwurst and hot dogs. Some cold beer, some chips and sodas. Wow I love an open fire. We were so scared that we were going to get rained on. When we woke up on Friday morning we made breakfast. We had pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs. YUMMY! We had to be over at the bus stop at the camp ground by 11am so they could take us to the drop off for the kayaking. We decided we were going on the 11 mile float. Well when we finally got to the river edge about noon. We get out and guess what Cathy does? Oh yea she falls and twists her knee. Ouch. So as I sit here tonight, my entire body is so sore from going floating and paddling down the river. I wouldn't change a thing though... We had an amazing time. We all got some much needed sun and some relaxation on the river yesterday. It took us about 5 and a half hours to get back to camp. We decided to leave a night early, so we are back sooner than planned, but as we were packing up tonight, I closed the trunk with all the stuff packed in it, and here comes the rain. Wow we drove home in the pouring down rain. I'm glad I'm not sitting in that tent tonight. I heard that there is a threat of tornado's out there.
After a trip like that, that's when the work begins. I'm typing but also doing laundry and getting ready to sleep in my own bed. I love taking trips but I love coming home also.
Good night for now. See ya in the morning!!

Journal entry #1

Today is the first entry into my journal. As I sit here ready for work and wondering what I will be writing about today, I'm actually a little overwhelmed. I have gone back and forth on the assignment sheet probably 30 times in the past few days. I keep looking back so afraid that I will be missing something for this week. I will be honest, Monday when nothing was posted for the assignment, I was so nervous. We are leaving today on a 4 day camping trip. I not only have had to do the shopping and packing for camping, but also have needed to work a bit ahead on classes so I don't fall behind. This week I really have to say, I sat and cried for a few minutes on Tuesday when I found out all the work required. Looking back it really isn't that bad. It just looked so scary with all the information on the blog/journal entries that were required for the rest of the summer semester. I am really trying to do my very best. I think for me when I started my classes, I didn't even have it in mind that I could actually be alright with less than an A in any of my classes. I still don't know that this will be ok with me. When I start something I am determined to be the absolute best at it. Sometimes this is a downfall for me because I won't even try something unless I know without a shadow of a doubt that I will master it quickly. Well here we are almost at the half way mark and I'm still hanging in there. I am having fun trying to keep up with it, but my home life is suffering a bit. That's why I decided to take the camping/floating trip today and come back on Sunday. My son is out of school for the summer and I started my classes just a few days after he finished for the summer. I need some quality time with him and some really good friends. I hope doing this will hit my reset button for the rest of the summer. I will come back a little refreshed and ready to tear it up again. I am under so much right now with work and family, that sometimes school is overwhelming to me. I don't want it to be a burden. When it becomes a burden, then it becomes a failure. I think that's where in my life I have to change a few things. When things get tough we tend to run, I'm not running..... I'm not running........ I'm not running. Full speed ahead.
As far as the assignment goes this week, it has been especially tough for me. "This I believe" is rough, I believe a lot of things and writing the Credo, I probably made it more difficult than it really had to be. I think if we would have been instructed to write the credo without knowing we would have to write the essay on it afterwords, that would have made it a bit easier. I was trying to do too much thinking ahead of myself. One of my biggest issues is getting in my own way. Trying to over think what I'm doing. Over analyzing. It's definitely a learning process for me. They always say "you can't teach an old dog new tricks", WELL....... I'm proving them wrong. I'm going to learn everything I can. I want to be able to at least think I can keep up with my peers. I might be able to keep up, but I want the confidence to know that I'm keeping up with them.
Well it is just about time to leave for work. Today will be a very short day and I'm hoping to be done early. We will be leaving for our trip when I get home and finish packing the coolers. When I come back I will have lots of stories to tell of camping, kayaking, cooking, and sleeping under the stars. Hopefully no stories of waiting out the rain in the tent. It's going to be a great weekend and I hope others in my class are doing something fun with family this weekend as well.

Assignment 4.2 Personal Credo

I believe in making your own way in life. Too many times we fall into the blame game and wanting others to take the fall for our mistakes, or decisions. We all make mistakes, that's how we learn and become adults. I believe in giving 110% in everything that I do. No matter what I'm doing. My kids, my job, my friends, they all get the best of what I have to give. I teach my children to be kind to others and if you make a mistake, own up to it, apologize and move on. We are not perfect, but you can strive for perfection, there is always room for improvement. I don't believe in standing in line for handouts, everyone needs help now and then, but thinking that you deserve it or that you are entitled to something is different. If you don't like your circumstances, CHANGE IT! We all have the power to do this. We are all given one life, use it the way you want. Don't blame your current predicament on something that happened to you 20 years ago. At some point in life you have to take ownership of who you are and why you are. I've always heard the definition of insanity as being, "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result", that's not really the definition of course, but we use it as a crutch these days. Make yourself happy and healthy, be who you want to be, don't expect others to do it for you.