To them I would like to send a THANKS and GOD BLESS!!

Wherever you were yesterday, I hope that you took a moment and thought of those serving our great nation, particularly those currently away from their family and friends.

HOORAH!!!

The above index card is a true story; particularly at an all-women’s college. Drama is excepted when you place many people, particularly women in the same location! Let me say that there are times that I think I am still in high school with the amount of drama that occurs in a give day around other women. Seriously!!!

Anyway….My dear computer and I are not getting along so posting will be limited for the time being. Besides the next few weeks into the end of April are going to be hectic and messy. Therefore, again posting will be limited.

The real world truly is calling my name. Therefore, I shall answer it’s call.

I am a crazy spazzastic Military Brat turned College student with little time on her hands. I am very talkative but don’t always make sense. In my multiple year journey through military life, I have lived at seven bases (11 houses/apartments) and gone to 8/9 schools not counting college.

As for my blogging life: I just started (Nov ’09). I blab and blog about my life, experiences, and religion as well as everything in-between!!! In Nov ’10 I decided to separate my religious ramblings and my non-religious ramblings. The religious ramblings can now be found on my second blog, while my non-religious ramblings are on this one.

Questions are welcome from all??? Answers may be slow…although with this snow WHO knows! I do reserve the right not to respond or not fully respond.

1. Graduate (ok that is sorta a freebee) and continue to my Masters (working on that)

2. Post a blog post a week on BOTH blogs

3. read one NON-academic book a month and blog about it

Happy New Year All!!

A true friend is one who thinks you are a good egg even if you are half-cracked.  ~Author Unknown

This semester I was driving with my Best Friend, M. She and I were laughing and talking and then I went into manic laughter and could not stop laughing. She asked if I was ok. I said I had cracked.

Then we came up with a whole system

Whole

Cracked

Yoked

Scrabbled

There were more but I can remember them but regardless, the point is still the same this semester was/is an adventure. Thanks to everyone who helped me survive it. I only have one presentation and two finals left and I am done.

Well this semester he got more than one in. We had a silent dinner, so NO talking with your voice! I learned a lot!!! Then he had me tell my story after dinner after they took their ear plugs out.

What an amazing 2 hours!!!

I just, this past weekend, posted about the religious homecoming as well a the college one….I wanted to expand on the military one over here. Let me tell you from a personal view, it is an amazing thing; one of the most blessed amazing days of my life, one I will always remember.

It is not that day that really brought it home that I was really going to get the keep my father in my life for a reasonable amount (2 weeks) of time. It was two months (give or take a few days) on May 16, 200x, the official homecoming. My father marched for the last time in formation with his unit; he worked one of his last protection details; he wore his ‘war face’ one of the last times. I finally had my father home!!!

I will not deny that separation changed me and my relationship with my dad. I will say that it changed me in some amazing ways but in some ways I wish it had not. I feared him coming home, would he know me or would I know him…I don’t me recognize him, I mean would he understand what i was feeling and would I be able to relate to him??? I mean I had survived a lot with him directly there, granted not the first time but this time it was ‘more meaningful’ to me (please keep in mind that I was a teenager). I worried a lot the few weeks before and for several weeks, months, even a few years later; how much did that experience change us?

So in summary: Homecoming is joyful and much awaited but holds a certain fear/concern.

So I have decided to split the blog in two. This one, TCD ramblings, will be mostly military and daily life things. While the new one : handsofworship will be about catholicism, my faith and my journey, and other religious topics.

There will be of course some posts that fit both blogs…I will either blog it on one and link the other blog or blog it separately on both dependent on if I think there is enough to be said that would validate doing so.

HOORAH for change and please bare with me while I work on that change.

I found myself sitting I down to write this post and had no words….

…..even nine years later I find myself at a lost for words to describe what I am feeling and needing to say.

So let me leave it with….Thanks to the men and women in uniform, those who came home and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.  Thanks you to my father and Friends.

After the graduation of the class of 2010, she drove home, which made for a LONG Saturday. She began her internship at her old high school that Monday teaching Chemistry. WHAT A BLAST!!! I understand why my teachers did their jobs, even when the students are not the most appreciative people in the world. To ALL my teachers past and present, I apologize for me and my classmates. I am where I am today because of some amazing people in my life and my teachers played a huge part in my future goals. With that said; To every student that I have had, will have, and have; remember that there is a reason for what you are learning, ask if you don’t get it.

June began with my internship and ended with Girl Scouts, specifically GS Camp unit leader. As I began to work my internship, I realized I had 8 weeks of summer extra and nothing to do; so I found a job!

July was GS residential camp (grades 6-12) with 2 other unit leaders, 3 counselors and an art counselor plus the admin.

August was GS day camp(grades K-5) with two PAs and an adult and then packing as well as back to school.

A special view into camp:

Week 1 was staff training. Therefore great bonding combined with boring things with splash of water! First Aid training was just as thrilling as before BUT quite necessary. I am now small craft certified too as well health board certified.

Week 2 was Camp Scene Investigators in Blackfoot (Adirondacks) with eight girls. This was an adventure! We had a crime scene with a whole backstory. We took fingerprints, shoeprints, and did pH testing; heaven for the labrat in me.

Week 3 was Certifiable in Arapho(cabins) with three girls. We shared our site with another unit which was Director’s Cut, also three girls. This week was a lot of training for the girls and downtime for us, since the training was run by an instructor. They got certified in Pet First Aid, Babysitter Training, and Small Craft.

Week 4 was Wild Wild Sports in Crotan(platform tents) with five girls. We played flashlight tag, glow-in-the-dark football, and even all camp kickball game. This week was also the week of bad whether, so two nights we slept in the staff lodge for safety.

Week 5/6 was Go for Silver unit in Arapho with eight girls. These two weeks got very hot!! We went to bowling and the movie theater (with parental permission). We also spent a lot of time inside reading the Silver journey book: Breathe; talking about air and noise pollution; and discussing/planning their service project.

Week 7 was the junior unit during flip-flop week with 7 girls, one Program Aide as well as an adult for most of the days.

Week 8 was the junior unit during enchanted forest week with 5 girls, one program Aide as well as an adult.

Overall this summer was tiring but a blast!!!!