New blog look and site

It was time for a much needed change. I am still ironing out the kinks with moving a blog. Please bare with me as I make this blog more user friendly.

Welcome! 

NaBloPoMo

Am I speaking a different language...well no. But it is National Blog Posting Month and I have accepted the challenge to post for 30 days starting yesterday...every day, including weekends, this month. Nablopomo stands for National Blog Posting Month. To read more about this cool challenge...just click on the button above.

Happy Monday to you!!!

Seriously people?!?!

MckMama wrote this post with a link to the news story that ran last night. I watched the entire story this morning and can you just say I am MADDER than a hornet's nest from the unsettling facts I found out about a few people who follow MckMama. I am angry/mad because I had no idea to what extent people would call MckMama names and throw her down...daily. I am ANGRY because people are nit-picking HER LIFE and criticizing EVERY thing she writes.

I am ANGRY that people personally attack MckMama and say NASTY things. Seriously...why should WE judge?! It is not our business to look beyond the blog and spread NASTY rumors. I truly think that it is up to Mckmama to decide what goes on her blog. I believe some people are just MEAN and telling MckMama that she exploits her children among other things...is WRONG. What in the world are some people thinking?! It amazes me at the lengths people would go to shoot down MckMama and her family.

Well I am here to tell you that MckMama, considered by me, is a friend and I will NEVER EVER shoot her down or say an ugly word about her. Shame on those who personally attack her or dig up dirt!

MckMama...I have your back!!!

The award(s) goes too...

Tina awarded me with the following awards and completely made my day. Thanks Tina!

Here are the rules for the awards:
1. Include the award logo in your blog post.
2. Nominate as many blogs which you like.
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post. (see followers at the top of blog)
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog. (this post)
5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

Please take a few moments to connect with these wonderful bloggers. I guarantee you will enjoy your time there. So, without further ado, I give you my nominees: I think I will follow Tina's lead and say all 101 followers and however many commentors deserve these awards. You guys ROCK my world each and every day. From the sweet comments to the laughter you allow me to have...you guys ROCK MY WORLD each and every day!!!!

Please take the awards as you wish! You have all been my supporters, my encouragers, my rocks, and my friends!!!

Thanks again Tina for these awesome awards!!!!

Notice anything different?

OOOPS! She did it again! Drama Mama gave me 3 columns! Thanks Hollie!

Also-I am rearranging my blog a bit and adding a blog roll too. If you want to be on it...leave me a comment!

I want to know YOU

Due to the fact that I have several, I mean 91, followers and multiple comments each post...I want to know why YOU read my blog???? Tell me who you are & why you read...that simple.

Also...what else would you like to see on my blog???

Random tidbits of information & a laugh

Ok...if someone can tell me why the month of May has flown by...please let me know! This post, just to warn you, will have random bits of information mixed in. I want to remember some "moments" and be able to look back and LAUGH at my blog posts.

** Today, while at the library...surprise, surprise, I was next to a basketball player who was 7 foot tall (I asked). He was going onto our table about how the "Dancing with the Stars" people could not keep on the beat of the cha-cha. So then, he turned up some music (yep he did), grabbed the girl next to him, and showed the entire downstairs of the library how to do a REAL "cha-cha" dance! Seriously...I wish I could have had my camera...it was THAT HILARIOUS!

** I talked to my mom on the phone for an HOUR on Monday and she said a few things that CRACKED me up. First you have to know that she is 5 feet, 5 inches. Ok, so she told me about the senior field day on Friday. She was over the 3-legged race. Some of the athletes got a little competitive, so to speak, and mom, being who she IS, stepped in the middle of these tower(ish) boys and started telling them yelling at them to calm down and "suck it up because they are seniors and they WILL walk across that stage in two weeks." Seriously...my mother cracked me up! It was that HILARIOUS to me!

Oh it gets SO better...just wait...

** THEN mom tells me that there is this Indian guy who thinks my mom is picking on him since he is being told not to slap/hit at the other guys. Well, my mom geniusly says "I'm the minority" to the athletes/guys who all TOWER over her. The indian guy plus all the players did laugh :) I'm sorry, but I LAUGHED so HARD at this one...it was that HILARIOUS.

Oh and there's more...

One of the assistant principles was walking over to my mom when the guys looked like they were going to dish it out and mom jumped in the middle, yelled, and got them to be nice :) She told my mom that her "technique" would definitely be talked about as she handled the situation PERFECTLY!!! YAHOO MAMA :)

Just FYI...I am down to my last three (YAHOO) days of my MAYMESTER class...I am SO READY to go home...I have not been since the second week of March :)

So there you have it...tidbits of information & laughter all mixed in!

400th post & giveaways

Hi sweet peeps...well the day has come and my 400th post has arrived! I can't believe I am at 400! I started blogging my Freshman year in college and just completed my Sophomore year! I officially have two years left...it hit me as I was classified as a "junior!" Time sure does FLY by...I can finally agree with my parents and grandparents on this one!

Now onto what you all want...giveaways! Yes it is plural...I decided early this morning that I will give away FOUR $25 VISA gift cards (to FOUR different people)! You will be able to use it on whatever your heart desires! If you have any questions...email me!

So here are the rules:

1. You may enter in the comment section as many times as you want.

2. You can follow me and let me know and that counts as an extra vote. If you already follow me, let me know too and that will also count as an extra vote!

3. You may tweet about this and let me know via comment on this post and that will count as an extra vote!

4. To have your vote counted, you must only vote on this post only!

The voting will run for a week and will end on Tuesday, May 19th.

Learning new things each day

Monday started off a tad rocky and ended in exhaustion. The usual Monday routine though. Someone/everyone keeps asking in SHOCK wonder how I am taking 19 hours, yes 19 hours, and still doing all that I do. The simple is I take the week one day at a time. The longer answer is that I LIKE being busy and actually like college. I have to stay busy to keep my mind from wondering and missing home. Yes I still miss home, but staying busy with school and college life helps. My goal everyday is to learn something new and I strive to achieve it.

Tonight I was getting a little antsy since I had been in the library for four hours and was ready to be DONE with tutoring for the evening. Then J, my tutoree, said he was ready for me to edit his 6 page paper and a smile came upon my face. I know that J knew I was ready to be done, but being able to help him succeed in school made me think. I helped him achieve an assignment and he helped me be less antsy. Lesson learned...people who bless our lives in small ways are EVERYWHERE. J has been my tutoree for now four semesters and I enjoy helping him.

I may get tired of the gasps and questions and wonders of how I pull of 19 hours, but being blessed by learning new things still AMAZES me!
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My blog is being featured again in the Serious Life Magazine this month and so are MANY amazing blogs as well. Check it out when you can! Everything from Christianity to parenthood to adoption is talked about and the magazine is FREE!
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I am also amazed by the STRENGTH sweet Stellan has endured and how his fight and drive continues each day against SVT. Click on the button above or his name in this post to check on his status. He is such a little fighter at 5 months old and this amazes me too!
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Have an amazing Tuesday!!!!

TGIF

It's Friday!!!! I have a few things on my mind that I would like to share:

** I have spent a majority of my free time in the Math Lab this week. Has it been all that math homework? No...I was laughing until my jaw hurt and having real "friend" time...I was so amazed!

** I told a fib-let lied to a meeting group on Thursday night and said I was studying for my test that next hour...I was eating dinner and then again I laughed.

** I got to talk to my mom for ONE HOUR tonight and enjoyed each and every minute of it. I have not talked to her in FIVE days and it was time :)

** I have to skip my sister's deal on Sunday evening since it is at 5:30pm and that would mean I would not leave till 10pm on Sunday night to make the trek back to Collegetown. So I am not going home this weekend! I am a little sad but have a surprise up my sleeve for next week since I am home next weekend too. I will reveal surprise later.

** I have been in a funk all week long and am so looking forward to going to bed at a reasonable hour on Friday night...yippee...I am so serious :)

** My 400th post will be in 15 more posts after this. I am working on a great giveaway for that. Details to come soon :) I can't believe I am almost at 400!

** I have become more of a blog-o-holic this week with the daily updates. I am also following twitter and MckMama like mad now too :)

Hope you all survived another week...can you believe that it is over and the weekend is here? Any special plans? Not me...but I see a tiny bit of relaxing and a BUSY weekend in my future :)

TGIF

A few new things

A bunch has happened over the past few days and I wanted to fill you in a bit. First, I have added a prayer button on the top of my posts to the prayer vigil website for Stellan. I am amazed at how our blogging community has pulled together. A friend today asked me why I cared so much today about sweet Stellan since I was constantly checking my tweets and dashboard. I told her that Stellan's mama has brought us together through her blog and all I can do right now is PRAY. I am upholding my end of the bargain.
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Secondly, I received my Pay It Foward prize from Amanda and IKEA prize from Tobi. A post will come sometime later this week!
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Thirdly, this week has brought a break through with the teacher I was having difficulties trials struggles with. I actually enjoyed my art class on Tuesday night too. We had a conversation and understand on Monday afternoon as well. After an hour of discussion, I am hoping that the last 6 weeks are bearable and great...I WILL BE OPTIMISTIC! THANK YOU for all of your sweet and encouraging comments through this hurdle as well.
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A few songs lyrics that I have mixed for how life's events are going:
GOD is in control
HE will raise your up on Eagle's wings
HOLD you in the palm of HIS hand
Shining in the light of HIS glory
This is the day
HE lives in me
I am a child of GOD

Serious.Life.Magazine

Serious Life Magazine is a free magazine that is published monthly. It can even be emailed to you...that easy and free. Brent Riggs, who is the editor, invited blogs to be featured in a blog directory...in the magazine. The magazine will be up online on Monday. My blog as well as many others, including MckMama's, will be featured in the blog directory. Just to let my curious bloggers know, Brent Riggs is the father of Abby, who is on my Prayer List. She has leukemia and is such a little fighter!

Head over to Serious.Life.Magazine to see what this magazine has to offer. Pick from an array of many subjects such as family, adoption, humor, spiritual life, finance, and many more! Remember that the magazine is FREE and the new issue is available on the Serious.Life.Magazine website THIS Monday!!!!

TGIF

Thank goodness it is Friday...I have learned a few things today that I thought I would share. I actually like down time now. If you read yesterday's post, I was like a deer in the headlights with nothing to do. But then something happened...do not know what...but life was a little nicer today.

I worked this morning then went to run errands and run to Target just to look around. I got a magazine and then went to Hastings and got another magazine to read. Then I grabbed a salad and came back to my apartment. NOW, I am in bed blogging. I actually like all this downtime. I like no stress and LOVE being able to sit and relax for just a little bit. I love the feeling and will take hold of it today! Thanks for all of your kind words and encouragement over these last few days. I am learning to relax again and it feels great!

Have a wonderful evening!!!!

Following HIM

Someone asked me why I named my blog "Following HIM," so I thought I would enlighten you all and post it. During the beginning of this semester, I was told that I needed to get into the school of Education by the end of the semester to graduate in time (May 2011). One of the road blocks was this stinkin' Critical Thinking test that I needed to pass to actually get into the school of education.

Well, I took the test in early September and I remember what I did after that. I walked out of the test and directly walked to the elevator to take stuff up to the newspaper office. I remember getting on my knees and praying to God that if I did not pass the test, that I would take it as a sign and choose something else. That hour felt like eternity for the staff to grade my test. I called after an hour and was so nervous. I found out that I had PASSED the test; therefore could apply and then get into the school of Education. God opened the door for me and I am continuing to follow HIM through my path of life. HE did allow me to complete this hurdle and I still am jumping more hurdles today.

Some may say that it was coincidence that I passed the test or luck, but with God and my FAITH and HOPE in HIM, it is HIS WILL that is seeing me through!!! Life will throw you hurdles or problems, but the end result is so worth it. Life is full of surprises and HE does surprise me most of the time!!!

Have a wonderful Sunday!!!!

New Look...that I LOVE

HOLLIE, the amazing blog designer created this new blog for me. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU HOLLIE!!!!!!!

What does everyone think?

It will be updated over the next couple of days, so changes will appear!!! She matched my personality perfectly!!!!

THANK YOU AGAIN HOLLIE!!!!!!

I WON, I WON, I WON

Hollie-an amazing blog designer and mom of THREE sweethearts had a blog drawing and I WON a blog makeover!!!! Can you tell I am excited???? She does blog designs on the side while being a full time mom, so I am impressed. Click on over to her website and see what she is up to!

SO EXCITED

100th post

I can not believe that I have been blogging for 100 posts! Where did the time go? One of my bloggers asked me where June went and I said "it snuck out the back door." Time is going by so fast. I can not believe that I am a "sophomore in college." EEK!!! I can not believe how time seems to warp and speed up. Life as I know it is going VERY FAST and I have to jump on the bandwagon and go along for the ride.

It is so wild that I have lived through so much! It is so wild that life goes by so fast. It is so cool that the people I am encouraged by are online!!! THANK YOU!!! This blogging business has allowed me to vent and be encouraged. Life may be going fast, but I am so up for the ride.

Have an awesome Monday!!!

Why I blog...

A number of people ask me why I blog and the simple truth is to journal my feelings and to connect with others. I then find others who blog and encourage them as well. I may not know the people who I encourage, but I just encourage them in their time of need. I find potential blogs to read by viewing comments. I promise that I am not stalking. I just like to watch kiddos grow up.

A little background is that I have been babysitting kiddos for over 8+ years now and I love every second of it. I want to be able to encourage mothers when possible. Several of my blogs that I read daily encourage me when I read them. I remember that I encouraged one blogger and she returned the favor when I was having a tough time. Right now, I am in college getting my B.B.S. in EC-4 and Special Education. I have a passion for kiddos and love seeing how they learn.

My goal in life is to teach and be a mom. So when I make connections in the blogging world, I am not stalking, I am just encouraging and giving encouragement when needed! I promise never to be mean or rude, just to give encouragement.

Life is tough, but encouragement goes a long way!!! Every single human being likes to be encouraged and that is all I plan to do!!!

Encourage someone today!!! They will remember it!!!