Thursday, March 25, 2010

My Resume

Today I took a big step. I applied to Graduate School. Yes, after months of talking about it, today I signed the application, wrote the check and ordered my transcripts. I am officially waiting to be rejected. Or not. We'll see.

Actually, filling out the application to the University was the easy part. All very simple questions, nothing too challenging, just the facts, ma'am. Now I'm on to filling out the application for the particular program at the university, and it's a bit more challenging. Yes, they still want to know my name, address and ethnicity. The first thing that gave me pause was that they want to know when, exactly, I'll be taking the GRE, since I haven't taken that pesky little test yet. Um. . . There's several dates that will work for me, but if I commit, that means I'll have to really study that GRE book instead of peruse it as I fall asleep. (Can you hear my Dobie Gillis tendencies kicking in? Study? STUDY!!??!!)

Fine. I'll schedule the test as soon as Jerry gets home and I can ask his opinion about two possible dates. That blank can be filled in pretty quickly. Let's move on.

Okay - here's a question. When they ask for the past colleges that you attended, do they want to know what they were called when you attended, or what they are called now? Nothing stays the same, you know. Hmmm. I'll ponder that for a moment, but I think I'll stick with what they were called then, because THAT's where I went.

Now come the challenging parts. First, the resume. No, no, not just a resume - a Professional Resume. As in,
Using an additional sheet, describe your present and past employment history, including any volunteer work. Include dates of employment, job titles, and duties performed.
Okay. First I opened up my last "professional" resume. That is, the one that got me my last job. First thing I did was remove all the computer training and certifications - they are so outdated they might as well not be there - and made a heading for February 2000 to present. Now comes the hard part - what exactly have I been doing for the last ten years? Hmmm. I changed a lot of diapers. . . was the first thing that went through my head. Wiped a lot of noses. . . and other things. . . Somehow I think they'll be looking for more. I began thinking of all the e-mail forwards I get on a regular basis, talking about mom's listing themselves as "Research Associates" and other high-falutin titles. The ones that talk about what mothers are worth, and so forth. And while I do believe with all my heart that what I do for my kids and husband is important, and worthwhile, and irreplaceable, it's just so hard to put into resume form. And unlike my blog audience, I can't be sure the admissions board has a sense of humor.

So here's what I've got so far:

February 2000 - present - Homemaker - AKA Crisis Management
  • Responsible for well being and safety of two active children as well as day-to-day functioning of a household of four.
  • Reduced expenditures to live comfortably on one income, allowing me to stay at home with my little darlings.
  • Organized and implemented four moves between three states.
  • Girl Scout volunteer - troop leader, program coordinator, cookie management
  • Library volunteer at the girls school - read to kids, circulation, shelving etc. (I'm applying for a library program)

Well, it's getting there, anyway.

Now for the next bugger-boo - they want a "Statement of Purpose and Goals." This entails a one- to two-page essay stating my purpose and goals in applying to the program. Now, perhaps this is just me, but isn't everyone's goal who applies to this program to

A) Get a Degree (short-term goal) and
B) Get a Job (long-term goal)?

Could we be over-thinking this just a bit? Sigh. So, now I'm off to write a one- to two- page essay on why I want to totally re-arrange my life to get another degree and find a job. (JOB!!??!!) Perhaps the purpose of this essay is to make me decide if I want to do this after all. Oh well, I've already written the check for the application and sent it off, so I might as well try to work the sarcasm out of this essay.

Wish me luck!

Friday, March 19, 2010

It's SPRING Break!!

At least, it is supposed to be SPRING. Someone forgot to tell the weatherman though - they are forecasting a massive cold front tomorrow, the first day of Spring, and 4 - 8 inches of snow in the next 24 hours after that! UGH!

Well, we are enjoying the warm weather while it lasts. We actually had plans to be skiing for spring break, but after Amy Sr.'s death, we decided that spending time with our family would be more appropriate, so that's what we did.

Sunday, the day of the funeral, was absolutely beautiful. The dads took the cousins out for some farm exploring to the big pond, where they enjoyed tossing things into the pond and plowing through the woods. Here's Gracie and Will making a tractor stop on the way home:
After that they headed to the park for more fun - getting all worn out for the babysitter! Maggie took her role as older cousin seriously, watching over Carissa - not that little Miss Independent needed watching over! Here they are on the slide:

It's amazing how fast they grow up - I seriously have trouble remembering when Maggie was two - it was so long ago.

Amy Sr.'s service was beautiful. It was fairly small - for the visitation as well. I guess that's the hazard of living 91 years - there's not many of your peers left to come to your funeral. We sang her favorite songs. One was "There's Just Something About That Name." Amy Sr. had told me ever since I started taking piano lessons that she wanted that song at her funeral. I've played and sung that song a million times, but it was hard to sing it at her service.

We headed back home on Wednesday, stopping by to see GGma, who was back to her usual self. She's got her fancy new walker, which she calls her "hobby horse" and seems to be moving around pretty good.


Thursday we decided to take advantage of the nice weather and head down to the local nature park. At the visitor center they have a bunch of walking sticks that you can "borrow" for your visit - the girls chose two that had little loafers attached to the end of them. They got lots of comments as we walked the trails:
We came to a creek that the girls had played in during a trip last summer, but the water was cold, so we didn't wade across - although I'm sure Gracie would have if we had let her. Jerry mentioned how as a kid he had enjoyed playing in the creek. Gracie was amazed that he had come up from Texas to play in the creek here in Oklahoma. He clarified that it was not this particular creek, but one near his house. Gracie thought about that awhile and then said, "That was a long time ago, before there were swimming pools, right?"

Here's another shot of my pre-teen (that moan you just heard was Jerry - he gives this little moan of despair every time someone calls her a pre-teen.) Isn't it amazing how grown-up she is looking these days?

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Olga Mozelle Cleveland Randolph

September 1, 1918 - March 10, 2010

Olga Mozelle Cleveland Randolph, 91, beloved wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, grandmother and friend to many, passed away Wednesday, March 10, 2010, in Weatherford, Texas.

Mozelle was born in Acton, Texas, on Sunday, September 1, 1918, to Courts and Olga Cleveland. She started school at Acton, Texas, in September 1923 at the age of five years. She graduated from Stripling High School in Fort Worth, Texas, on May 29, 1934, at the age of fifteen. She received a Bachelor of Arts from Texas Wesleyan College, where she was chosen Class Beauty and May Queen in 1938. She graduated from TWC on May 29, 1938, having not missed a single day of school.

Mozelle married Robert Brown "Randy" Randolph on September 3, 1938, in Fort Worth, Texas, and honeymooned in Galveston. They made their first home in Sanger, Texas. They had three children, Suzanne, Jane and Robert.

She attended North Texas Teachers College and received her Masters of Arts degree in Elementary Education in August 1949 and taught for the Fort Worth Independent School District until 1971.

Mozelle and Randy returned to Acton around 1968 and were involved in the cattle business. Mozelle was a member of the Acton United Methodist Church where she was baptized as a baby and was a long time choir member, and a member of the 50/50 Sunday School class. she enjoyed going to Sunday School in the same small white chapel where she was baptized. She was an involved member of the community, serving with many groups such as the Hood County Beautification society, The Melody Belles, the DeCordova Bend Rockettes, Granbury Women's Wednesday Club, DCBE Board of Directors, and the Granbury Chamber of Commerce.

In her spare time Mozelle enjoyed golfing, bridge, dancing, singing and fellowship with friends and family. She was also an avid traveler. Her many trips included Hawaii, Alaska, the Orient, Europe, Africa, Australia, Egypt, Israel, the Mediterranean and much more.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Dinner Conversations

Okay, tonight the girls and I were eating without Jerry, as this is the night that he goes to Bible Study. This usually means a fairly quiet meal, as Jerry almost always finishes his meal first and spends the rest of the dinner time doing something to agitate the girls. It drives me mad.

Anyway, tonight it was just us girls, so I was expecing an uneventful dinner. However, as we began eating the conversation turned to . . . poo. Yes, that's right, my girls started discussing the finer points of poo. And not the kind from Tarleton State University either. I quickly moved to put the conversation to an end and stated in no uncertain terms that poo was not acceptable dinner conversation. The table grew quiet, and then. . .

"You know what's neat about snot?" My youngest began.

"ARGGH!!" I interjected. "NO! No poo, no snot, no bodily functions will be discussed at dinner!"

Another thing to put on the list of things I never thought I'd say.

Journey to Oz

Well, the journey to Oz is complete. Here is Maggie, singing with her fellow munchkins:

So that every child had an opportunity to sing a solo, play an instrument, or have a speaking part, there were multiple Dorothy's, Scarecrows, Tin Men and Lions. There were also a couple of Glendas:
There was only one Mayor of Munchkin City, and he was dedicated to his part. He had been practicing his best munchkin voice diligently for the occasion, and he was a hit:

Here's one of the Lollipop Guild:

And the one and only Wicked Witch of the West. She is in my Girl Scout Troop as well, and has been in several community plays. She knows all about throwing herself into character!

Here's Maggie, singing her brief duet part:

And dancing for joy that the Wicked Witch is dead:

Now that the play is over, I wonder how long it is going to take for me to stop singing Wizard of Oz songs. I had one of the songs running through my head while I was making dinner, and kept humming it aloud. Maggie asked "Is that song was stuck in your head?"

I replied, "Yes, it is, and I wish I could get it out of there!"

At that Maggie and Gracie began singing, "It's a small world after all. . . It's a small world after all. . . It's a small world after all, it's a small, small world."

It worked, but I'm not sure that song is any better!