Randomness

How I Long For A Simpler Time

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / 1 Comment

Not like back before computers and iPhones or iPads, just back to when I wasn’t being pulled in 8 different directions. Every. Single. Day.  While I keep telling myself it’s going to get better, I think about something else to freak me out–like next year I’m going to have to pay tuition for two kids at our chosen private school.  Do you know the kinds of vacations we could have if we weren’t making two mortgage payments a month (one mortgage one tuition)?  I know it’s worth it but I question it completely especially as the end of school nears and I’ll have to start paying my student loans which are about the same as what we owe on our house.  We maybe making a change next year, I don’t know.  I’d hate to because I fully believe that the school Noah is at is the right place–Maybe I’ll just have to get another job or stop going to Starbucks.

I’m a little panicked because my comprehensive exams start on Monday.  I have 3 questions to answer with two weeks for each question.  This is scary as it is the last step prior to me getting to start my dissertation.  I’m so ready to be done with school and ready to get out there and work hard for my family and myself, but this is daunting.  The next few months are going to be tough as I have to submit my dissertation proposal by December 1 if I am going to begin collecting data for my dissertation in January.  I know this bores all of you and I’m sorry for that–bur right now this is my reality.  I am up to my eyes in Social Cognitive Theory, Critical Discourse Analysis, and Self-efficacy formation.  Exciting isn’t it.

On a happier note–because it’s apparent I need one.  Our family vacation went well.  It started off rocky–on our first night in Miami Zoë burned her hand.  It was so not my fault. (just realizing this doesn’t sound like a happier note)

The hotel has halogen lights in the ground.  These lights happened to be purple–which is Zoë’s favorite color.  She was over by my brother (it wasn’t his fault either) and she was looking at the lights.  I didn’t think for a second to tell her not to touch the lights as we all assumed they were covered.  Then all of a sudden, Zoë is standing behind my chair and it is clear that something is terribly wrong.  She is crying but no sound is coming out and she is holding her hand.  I immediately thrust her hand in my water class.  I knew what happened before I even asked her.  It was horrible.  I have never heard a child scream so badly in pain for so long (about 3 hours).  It was awful.  One of the worst moments in my life.  But the next day–she woke up as if nothing had happened and her hand never bothered her again.  The hotel felt awful and offered medical help–but we knew there was nothing they could do for these ‘minor” burns.  To continue the torture of my baby girl, when we were in Nassau, I got her hair braided.  She cried for an hour as two women worked quickly on her hair.  It looks adorable.  She still says “But I didn’t want my hair braided.”

I will be posting here off and on as I navigate my comp exams and write my dissertation proposal.  Most likely when I am procrastinating (like I am right now).

Vacation

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / Leave a comment

So far the trip has been awesome. The kids are awesome. Only a few minor “tired” moments with a few tears. But mostly it has been awesome and so much fun. Disneyland was a blast and the kids lasted 10 hours. We have seen and done a lot-driving, eating out, entertaining and waiting with the kids weathering it like pros.

Going, Going, Nearly Gone

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / Leave a comment

I can’t believe that summer is almost over and that I haven’t written anything about it.  My absence here really is a testament to just how crazy and busy my life is has become.  It is one whirlwind after the next.  I don’t feel like I have had a moment to be still since we returned from Hawaii–oh Hawaii how much I miss you.  The kids are keeping me busy, work is keeping me busy, teaching is keeping me busy.  Just life in general.  I keep reminding myself that I did this to myself.  I got such a late start in life on my career that I should really be done with all of this school crap already.  But here I am.  One year away.  It’s getting so close.

The kids really are awesome and we’ve had so much fun.

Swimming lessons have been the highlight for the kids–Noah is a champ is learning how to swim underwater.  This is a kid who in the beginning of June was terrified of being in the water for the most part–now, he’s part fish.  Zoë is also doing great.  She has a ways to go, but she loves the water.

Bike riding, painting (our faces with make up from Grandma Anne–pictures of that to come), dancing, pretending to be super heroes.  It has all been a blast.  We are leaving in a week for a vacation in Southern California–Disneyland, Legoland, Santa Barbara.  It’ll be a blast and I’m really looking forward to getting to spend some quality family time together.

Noah starts back to school in a month–I can’t believe it.  I start back to school in a month–I can’t believe that either.  There is still so much to do. I promise a much more thought out and cohesive post coming soon.  I just need a bit of time to decompress and get my mind situated.

I do have to say that reading books on my iPhone has been my newest revelation.  I just might have to get an iPad.

How’s your summer been?

The Benefits Of Too Much Caffeine

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / Leave a comment

I don’t know when I’ll learn not to drink anything with caffeine after about 6pm if I want to sleep that night.  Oh, how I miss the days that I could drink regular coffee at the end of a nice meal and sleep like a baby–someone’s baby (not mine).  Not so much and I’m usually pretty good about remembering.  But last night, I bought a soda before my class started.  Doom.

I was able to fall asleep but then one kid crawled into our bed about 1230 and then I was awake for a while.  I managed to doze off and the second kid crawled into bed.  I was wide awake.  It was close to 4 am.  What is one to do at 4am when they can’t sleep.  I did briefly contemplate going to the gym–briefly.  But then I decided to pull out the computer and pre-order my iPhone 4.  It seems I am one of the lucky few who happened to catch the servers at the right time and was able to complete my order without much headache–once I decided to try AT&T’s website and abandon Apple’s online store (it was not going well over there).  So, if all goes well it will be delivered to my front door on June 24th–which is awesome because my current first gen iPhone is cracked and has chunks missing from the display–I’ve been waiting for this.  So, I guess thank goodness, I can’t drink caffeine at night.