God's Sense of Humor....

Today has been a day I will never forget.....Printing my dissertation was a tremendous ordeal....After printing 6 copies....at Office Depot, I realized there were several errors....it took me a long time to get everything right....The errors were things I've never encountered before...Here's an example of just one of the errors--You know how "Word" numbers the pages automatically....who would have figured that it wouldn't number them right! As I flipped through the pages I noticed that it went from p. 122 to 132....took me a while to fix it, but then the document had to be reprinted.....wound up taking me much longer than I had anticipated! I need to make a list of all of the errors I fixed while in Office Depot...don't know how I missed them when I proofed it for eight solid hours the day before....Oh wait! Maybe my weary eyes simply couldn't catch anymore errors.......I digress....I had a deadline to meet with my Chair...I promised it would be at GSU on Thursday...that I would drop it off before they closed at 5:30. I was next to the breaking point. That's not true....I was way past the breaking point. I had to drive too fast to get to GSU, just to make it within the time I had left...and that didn't take into account for traffic or wrecks! I was BLESSED by no traffic...no wrecks and NO COPS! Made it into the perimeter with time to spare...no sooner had I thought about how great traffic was....than it came to a CRAWL! I was stopped in bumper to bumper traffic..in downtown ATL..watching the minutes tick away....needing to get to GSU to deliver my dissertation....exit 248a was blocked....sirens all around....next thing I know a police car swerves next to me...a policeman jumps out of the car....he throws his hand in my face....and yells stop....I thought he was going to yank me out of the car! Instead he runs in front of me...I look to my right to see what on earth was going on...and to my total amazement...a ZEBRA ran right past me! The policeman tried to grab the reins, but the zebra was too fast....next thing I know we are surrounded by 16 more police cars and 5 police motorcycles..Sirens were screaming... blue lights were flashing....and all I can think about is.... how can I get to GSU if I can't get off on exit 248a?? Luckily......They caught the zebra...but all I wanted to know was...is it OK for me to squeeze around the blue lights, because I really need to get to GSU before they close the office....and the coast was clear!! All of the lanes on 75S were blocked with police cars....and I was right up front...so there were no cars ahead of me and no cars beside me... ....WOW!! What a day! All I can say is God has a GREAT sense of humor! I made it to GSU......just hope all the pages are actually in order.....don't really like things quite this messy!!

From One Project to the Next

While waiting on my professor to read my paper a few weeks ago, I started a new project.....making curtains for Aubree's new house. See the houndstooth fabric? Hope she likes them!
Even the dining room gets some action....messes everywhere!

I'm "Blessed" with this "Mess"

Thankful for such a nice office at home.....too bad I don't ever use it!!

The den was just more fun!

Lots...and Lots....of BOOKS!

Lots and lots of files.....

This is a Lexmark wireless printer....if you don't have one....they are awesome!

This picture never made it to the wall....I needed it for a bulletin board....

see the books....there's more every where I look!

Can you believe that I've read all of these books and more!

This is where I've read lots of books and written lots of papers!

The edges of the couch are beginning to fray!

Dissertation Project Clean Up

While I'm waiting on my final draft to print, I thought I should take a few pictures to document the total mess I've made. Our home office is a wreck, our den has my books and paper all around, and our dining room is in it's own state of waiting on me to finish the curtains I made for Aubree's new house! I started the curtains while I was waiting on feedback from one of my professors. I didn't quite finish that project before I had to kick it in gear again to work on final (I hope) revisions of my dissertation. I'm submitting it to the chair of my committee today. I certainly hope she's believes it's worthy of going forward to defense! If she doesn't, I think that I will surely curl up and die! Here are some glimpes of my mess....As soon as the printer finishes, and I've proofread for the last time, I pledge to begin Project Clean Up!

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Professors try to prepare you for the commitment: The physical, mental, and financial costs that will challenge a doctoral program. But no one can truly understand the price that is paid, until the journey begins. My family has experienced this journey with me. My husband committed to support me in this endeavor to the very end. And he did. My daughter supported me too. Since I’ve been on this journey, she’s graduated from high school and college, has moved from Georgia to Alaska, and has been engaged. Both my husband and my daughter have been my cheerleaders. They have encouraged me and pushed me when I really did not have it in me to keep going. My mother, father, brother, sister, and grandmother have listened to my stories and waited patiently for me to finish so that I could spend more time with them. Families endure great sacrifices during a journey such as this. Our family dog, Emma, has been my constant companion. She’s snuggled next to me either in my lap or at my feet throughout this journey. Sometimes, her head even rested on the keyboard of my laptop. Because of their consistent love and support, I would like to dedicate this dissertation to my family.
I want to express my deep appreciation to Dr. Sheryl Gowen, Dr. Bob Michael, Dr. Emily Dexter, Dr. Rick Lakes, Dr. Donna Breault, and Dr. Eric Freeman for their guidance, wisdom, and support. Thank you for meeting with me, having phone conferences with me, and encouraging me through this project.
A special thanks to the participants of this study. You were wonderful. You took time to meet with me and welcomed me into your classrooms with open arms. You shared your insights openly and honestly. Thank you for the effort that you put forth everyday to help all children learn to read and write.
I also want to thank my dear friends who have supported me. Jamie car-pooled with me for two years. He helped me with things that no one else would have taken the time to do. He has inspired me, challenged my thinking, and encouraged me. Orval read my drafts, questioned my thinking, and inspired me to move forward. They have my undying respect and enormous gratitude for the support they have given me.
I would also like to express a special note of appreciation to Dr. Bob Michael, the staff at North Georgia College and State University, and the members of the North GA Doctoral Co-hort. I will forever hold a special place in my heart for this journey we took together. You have answered questions, shared ideas, and given freely of your time. Finally, I am grateful to the guidance of Dr. Sheryl Gowen and Dr. Eric Freeman, my major advisors, who showed a genuine interest in my project and challenged my thinking. You have my respect and upmost appreciation. Thank you for your assistance and encouragement.

Idiom: Count Your Blessings

When people count their blessings they focus on all the good things in their lives instead of the negative ones. Here are the good things that came my way today:

1. It's Saturday
2. No alarm clock going off
3. No appointments to meet
4. Went to Chattanooga with Danny :)
5. Ate lunch at Nikki's in Chattanooga--hamburger and onion rings!
6. Had time to focus on editing my dissertation without distractions
7. Tomorrow is Sunday....a day of rest...... more time to work on editing!
8. Talked to Aubree :)

Today's Blessings

I LOVE the synergy created from working with people. Skills are complemented, strengths are maximized, while weaknesses are minimized. The new structures in our organization offer multiple opportunities for teaming. I'm blessed by having the opportunity to work with teams and co-leading with people who are willing to collaborate in order to achieve common goals.

Co-Workers are Blessings!

My superintendent has recently reorganized our district office. I've been more than blessed by having the opportunity to team with two very fine women. The greatest blessing I receive from them is that they like to have fun while working. Can you think of anything better than working with people who relish laughter in the workplace. WOW! A second blessing I receive from them is they are great listeners. They listen intently, ask good questions, and then offer input. Thirdly, they are quite simply, good people. They are compassionate and care about people. Thank you, Dear God, for blessing me this way.

Blessings...number 1, 2, and 3

1. Blessing number one--Danny. Not many people can say that they married their high school sweetheart, but I can. Of course, he was the only guy my dad would let me date! Ha! Ha! We've been married for 32 years. Life's been good to us. We have been blessed with good friends and good times. But mostly....by the greatest joy in our life, our daughter. Which leads me to....



2. Blessing number two--Aubree. We were married for 10 years before we had her. She's our one and only! When she was born we knew we had been blessed with the greatest joy....an overwhelming love of your life kind of joy. She wrapped her daddy around her little finger within just a few seconds of life on this earth.....and this bond has only deepened through the years.



3. Blessing number three---Bob Michael. For those of you who know me, you know that I have been working on my PhD for the past six years. A PhD program from Georgia State University is not for the faint at heart. It doesn't come without a lot of costs--physical, mental, and financial exhaustion! Not to mention a drain of energy and patience.....all at your family's expense. Bob Michael, Dean of the College of Education at North Georgia College and State University is supporting me in this last phase of edits before I defend my dissertation. I'm not sure I could finish without him. I'm still not convinced I really will finish. I'll believe it, when it happens.