Last month I officially became a college graduate with an Associates of Arts degree from the University of Phoenix. You may recall that I was working on a degree in Elementary Education, but that path has changed as well. Though this degree has a concentration in that field, I have decided to go back into Information Technology and use the 20 years of experience I already have.

In September, I will be going back to school to work on a Bachelors of Science in Information Technology. I am fortunate that 57 of my 62 earned credits will transfer, but I do have to take one extra math class for this new degree.

I have chosen a concentration in Multimedia and the Visual Arts. This will teach me skills I need to build the consumer facing side of web sites and other online communication. With a firm understanding and 20 years experience working on the server-side of things, the classes I will be taking should give me a well-rounded set of skills for the entire aspect of web sites and online communications.

I am both excited and just a bit nervous. Previously, I would be assigned two classes that each lasted nine weeks. This spread the work load out a little more. When I go back, it will be one class at a time in 5 weeks. Though I will only have to focus on one subject a time, the shorter time period and more advanced classes will likely mean more work for me. Oh well, it will be worth it.

I know in the past I said that I really wanted to teach, and that nothing will stand in my way, but I have to look at the facts. I know the IT world – I have lived in it for many years. I am comfortable here, and quite honestly, I am much more valuable to employers with the experience I already have.

So this past Sunday I finished my U.S. History class, and those of you who know me just KNOW that I absolutely hate U.S. History. This course was early U.S. History up until the Civil War, and the final project was to create a timeline of events that led up to the war, and an essay that explained the timeline. I worked on it for several days right up until about 12:45am Monday morning, leaving only 15 minutes to submit the assignment for a grade. Again I told myself that it wasn’t good enough, but since I had no time left I had to submit it.

Anyway, the paper was worth 200 points and with having turned in a few assignments late while I was sick, I needed a good grade on this paper to be sure I was able to get a decent grade. What I turned in at 12:45pm was what I basically had done by 10:00 Sunday night, but thinking it wasn’t good enough I kept trying to add more to it, or changing this or that to make it better. Unfortunately, I found out today that I had submitted the copy I had saved at 10:00 so all the changes I made in the following hour and 45 minutes were not even seen by my instructor – I felt like such a dumb ass.

Then today I get my grade – 185 out of 200, and what I lost points on were NOT items addressed during that wasted time late Sunday night. So again I have been reminded that I am too critical of my work. I guess in the future I need to write enough to satisfy the requirements and not second guess, since EVERY single final I have done since starting school has been about the same. Each time I submit a final I think to myself “you should have taken more time and done a better job”.  Then I get the grade and always seem surprised when I get a higher grade then I expected.

Oh, and for the record, the final grade for the class was an A-, the very FIRST time in my entire life I have earned higher than a C in any History class. To date, I have three A’s, two A-’s and 1 B- and my cumulative GPA stands at 3.67. Now I have the rest of this week off before starting my next block of classes, AED201: Teaching as a Profession and HUM205: World Culture and the Arts. I was supposed to take the Humanities class in my last block but withdrew from the class when I could not afford the $110 for the required textbook, which arrived today. Wish me luck!

Finally, after a week of waiting and dreading, my grades for the first block of courses are in, and I have to say I did better then I expected. As you know, we take two courses at a time and each block lasts nine weeks. My first block consisted of GEN105, Skills for Learning in an Information Age, and ENG101, Effective Essay Writing.

The GEN105 class was basically a “how do you use the computer for online classes” type of course. Basically we read online materials in Word document or PDF form, then use a discussion forum to submit assignments and answer questions. We also use this system to discuss topics with other students. Imagine that, me having to take a class to learn how to use a computer. Of course, I aced that class!

The ENG101 course was a bit more complicated, and basically taught us how to write essays, not a skill everyone has. This course required us to write what is known as an expository essay, where you simply write about the facts and use no opinion and do not try to influence the reader in any way. Those who know me KNOW that I am an oppinionated ass and always ready to argue about any topic you can think of. Writing this essay was a lot harder then I thought, and I was certain that I would receive a poor grade. I had already missed an assignment and turned one in late because I just did not plan well. Since the final essay was one quarter of the grade, I tried my best to do well. I was surprised to see my grade was an 82%, which helped my final grade, even if it was only a B-.

With the possiblity of moving I had taken a week off from school so I did not start again until today. My next classes include CIS105, Survey of Computer Systems, and ENG102, Research Writing. So one more bird course and one more tough course. Once I get through these I start on courses geared towards education, including history and social studies, my two worst subjects. I will try to keep you updated on my progress, but just know that I am dedicated to earning my degree in Elementary Education, so will likely be here in Kansas City for the next four years.

People used to tell me that I move too often, and they would be very correct. I have lived in more places then I can remember, and this year is turning out to be the worst for moves. We have already moved twice, once to Chicago and then to Kansas City where we are as I type this message. However, at the end of this month the Lambert clan will pack up and  move again. It’s comforting to know that we will be moving back to familiar territory, closer to home. I have accepted a job in Minneapolis and will begin on June 29th up there. This comes at a good time since the previous position wasn’t working out for us.

I am going to try and make this the second to last move we make for a while. I am tired of moving and always wondering where my next paycheck is going to come from. So this time I am planning to make this job work long term. I will be working part time while I continue going to school. This will be the second to last move only because we decided to put all of our stuff in storage in Minneapolis and rent a room for a couple of months while we look for a place we can call home for a few years. The timing is perfect, with college students all gone for the summer there are lot’s of cheap rooms available. We’ll be able to save a lot of money this way with no ulitilies and cheap rent.

We originally planned to get a large enough truck to pack all the stuff here in Kansas City, then stop in Wisconsin to get the rest of our stuff in storage there and take it all with us. However, I really don’t want to have to move the stuff in Trempealeau twice, and it’s only two hours away from where we will be so we will likely wait until after Labor Day to deal with that stuff. Besides, our camping gear is there and we will be camping at Autumn Rose in Galesville, WI this September, so it will be near by. It will be nice to get all of our stuff together again, and to have a nice paying, albeit part-time, job that will likely become a full time position, if and when I want it to.

Changes at School

This move will effect the degree path I am following in school. Unfortunately, Minnesota does not allow the Elementary Education degree that the University of Phoenix offers. Though I still think it might be fun to be a teacher, reality has made this decision a lot easier. The highest paid elementary school teachers barely make $40K, and if I am already capable of making near $55K in the IT industry without a degree, think if what I could make with one! I will take a week off of school so we can move and get settled, and start back up on May 29th, with an emphasis on Information Technology, hopefully leading into a Bachelor’s Degree for System Analysis. I will keep you updated as I continue my education.

I am now in my fourth week of classes and so far I am doing very well with grades around 95% still. So now you have some proof that I am not perfect!

I really enjoy the work and doing the assignments online. Saves a lot of writing and paper that way. Basically I log in to the school’s web site and submit questions and answers via the threaded discussion board. I earn participation points for commenting on other classmates posts, and have a private area to turn in my assignments. It’s pretty easy to do and I have learned a lot so far.

Yesterday I finally received the information I was waiting for regarding financial aid. I qualified for enough on a loan to pay for all the classes, with some to spare. I also received a $2,366 Pell grant to use towards educational expenses. The grant is money I never have to pay back, though I will likely use the bulk of it to pay down the loan. This was great news since know I don’t have to worry about how I will be paying for school this year. It’s only guaranteed for one year, if I complete and pass all my classes. So I will need to reapply for next year but I don’t think it will be much of an issue.

I am really happy that I have finally made the decision to do this. I know that teaching will be a lot more enjoyable to me than writing computer and web software. I’ve done that for so long it is time for me to finally give it a rest. I still do some stuff and I talk about that on my other blog, GrandSlambert, but it’s mostly stuff for WordPress, the software we use on this web site.

I have a few people that want me to develop web sites for them, and I might just to make a little extra money, but eventually that will no longer be my business, so I am not working to build that business. Once I earn my degree and start teaching I don’t want to have to work on a computer. It can become my hobby again.

I learned a valuable lesson today about quality time. Allyssa wanted to spend some time with daddy after dinner and I had every intention of doing this. We started watching the Bee Movie together when I stupidly got on the computer and read an email which got me working on something that certainly could have waited. Guess I wasn’t thinking, because when I was done:

Allyssa feel asleep waiting for daddy to do something that could have waited until tomorrow.

I guess I need to really pay attention to what I do with my time. I start school on Monday so time will become even more precious than it used to be. I have a schedule planned for Monday through Friday:

• 7:00am – Wake Up
• 8:00am – 1:00pm – Work
• 1:00pm – 2:00pm – Lunch and exercise
• 2:00pm – 4:00pm – School Work
• 4:00pm – 5:30pm – Work
• 5:30pm – Make dinner and spend time with the family before I go to bed.

No planning work or school on Weekends – those days are for family time. This looks like it should be good right? Hopefully I can stick to it, but I will need Laura’s and Allyssa’s help in several ways:

1. While I am at work, they need to avoid distracting me.
2. Have lunch ready around 1:00 so I can eat and exercise before school work.
3. While I am at school, they need to avoid distracting me.
4. At 5:30, they have to tell me to stop and be with the family.

I am sure if we both work at it, I will get on the schedule and be able to stick to it. It’s gonna be a long, hard 2 years with work and school, but I know it will be worth it. After this, we shall see if I continue for my Bachelor’s degree. You ready for this, Laura?

P.S. I should add that I did spend a few hours with her playing with a ball, potatoe heads, blocks and things before we started watching the movie. But it probably wasn’t enough.

Well, as Shane mentioned, he’s going back to school online.  I wish him the best of luck with that.  I know it will certainly keep him busy.  He’s made a schedule up, and it does show time for Allyssa and I, but like all schedules we will see how well it actually works out.

He talks about doing dinner, but he enjoys that (usually) and find it relaxing.  But don’t worry he doesn’t do all the cooking.  I make the lunches for the 3 of us since he works and will be going to school from home.  While some might thing that lunch is a lighter meal, it’s still important to keep it balanced.  My theory is that we’d be better off if lunch is a bit heartier and dinner a bit lighter since most don’t have a lot of physical activity in the evening.

Shane has also started doing weekly fighter practice for SCA.  This is once a week on Wednesday.  Allyssa and I go as well, we talk to others and watch him get hit with sticks.  It’s good to get to know the other SCA folks in the area.  And we have several events we are talking about going to in the near future.

We have found two parks in the area which Allyssa enjoys.  Of course we’ve also found out that as long as the park has slides it will be one that she enjoys.  She is a huge fan of riding the slides.

I have found a cross stitching shop in the area.  It wasn’t easy but I have finally figured out how to find shops when you new to the area and have no idea of what they are called.  It’s hard to do an internet search for them without a name, and harder still to do a yellow pages search because often the shops are so poorly categorized on the online yellow pages.  I was on a website of a company that dye their own fabric colors for cross stitch.  They are a wholesale company so when I asked them about shops in my area they were able to give me the name of two within 21 miles of me.  So now I know how to look for shops in the future.  Go to the wholesale suppliers and ask them who is in my area.

Why worry about giving a local shop?  Well I try to support the local shops whenever possible.  I have a simple view of things.  If I don’t do my part to support my local shop, when I need to pick something up quick they won’t be there.  The day after I received the information about local shops, I went to the closest one and checked them out.  It was good to be in a shop dedicated to needlework.  Not one where it’s just shoved off into a small corner of the craft store, which keeps getting smaller.

I finished the birth announcement I was working on for Allyssa.  Please click on the image to see the entire piece.  Now I’ll have to clean and mount it.  Of course, since that one is done, I had to start another project.  This new project is one of Santa looking at signs to check his directions.  It’s on a black background and is originally from an old postcard.  I have an entire book of Santa’s from old artwork it’s called Santa Remembered from Leisure Arts.

Allyssa is growing in leaps and bounds, but lately it’s been hard to get her to sleep on her own.  She wants to be attached to momma when she sleeps.  She just doesn’t want to let go.  Lately it’s been if she won’t let go at nap time, we get up.  It makes her more tired in the evening, but she has to learn that she can’t stay attached to momma.

When she falls asleep at night, she also wants to stay attached also.  This makes things hard for momma.  While I don’t mind taking an afternoon nap with her (actually I usually enjoy a good afternoon nap), I like to get up for a bit after Shane and Allyssa are in bed.  It’s a good time for me to have some private quiet time.  It’s my ME time, and I have learned that I need it.  If I can’t have my me time for I get more irritable and much easier to annoy.  I have also found that if the housework isn’t done before they go to bed it’s not going to get done that night.  My time is for me, not for housework.  (Doing housework during that time is a sure fire way for me to get extremely annoyed.)

Well that’s all my thoughts for now.  I’ll try catching people up again soon.