The End........

The end of the semester has finally come. This semester was a very interesting for me. I learned a lot of things that I will use in my future. One thing is for sure, when I send out an email at work, I am much more aware of my grammatical errors, and find myself revising each and every email I send out. I also now have a tendency to correct my wife’s text messages she sends me. I still make errors, and don't completely understand it all, but this class has made a drastic difference in anything I write. I also realized this semester how much I actually enjoyed reading. I now try and regularly take a trip to the local library with my kids, and not only do we pick out books for them, I will pick out a book to read myself. I find reading a stress reliever, never thought I would be saying I love to read. I can count on one hand how many books I had read in the last ten years, and until this semester started, I hadn’t read a single book since high school.......bad, I know. I would read magazines, and newspapers, etc., but never books. I now love to read books about hunting, and I actually am enjoying a John Grisham book right now. 

                When this semester started, I thought this English class would be the death of me. English was not my favorite subject, and all I kept thinking of is my high school English instructor, Ms. Schultz, she was a crazy old lady.  She stood about 5 ft. tall and weighed about 80 pounds soaking wet. She was the toughest lady I have ever met, she was also the mouthiest little thing, and nobody got away with anything in her class. She could take down the naughtiest kid in the class with just her mouth. Yes ……she had a way with words that I will never forget.  I was deathly afraid of her when I took my first class with her, but as time went on, I grew to like her. In fact she taught me so much. So when I enrolled in this class, the first thing I thought of was Ms. Schultz. Much to my surprise, not all English teachers are like Ms. Schultz. I thoroughly enjoyed this class and really liked the discussion boards, blogs, and reading The Glass castle. Next semester, its back to the business classes, I am looking forward to that also, but this English class was an enjoyable break from them.

   

                                                         Back to School

       I did not go to college right out of high school, I decided to get a full time job, and think about my options. I was young, and I was thinking I have my whole life to go to college. Well, I ended up getting married and having two kids, so college got put on the back burner. I worked as a laborer in the freezer at Kemp's stacking and loading ice cream into trucks, then I got hired at Federal Mogul. I took the position at Federal Mogul just because my body could not take any more of that work in -30 degree temps, and working 16 hour days. I was constantly sick with pneumonia, and my body could not physically take that job anymore. When I took the job at Federal Mogul, I thought it was just going to be a temporary job as a machine operator until I could figure out what I wanted to do. I ended up being a machine operator, and then being promoted to a Utility, then I was promoted to a Lead Man, and finally they hired me as a Supervisor. Never in a million years did I think I was going to be a Supervisor in this place. I love my job, and everything that goes along with running a company. It intrigues me, and I learn something new everyday. I decided to go back to school last fall, just to be able to further my career with Federal Mogul, and because they are requiring all Supervisors to have a degree. I am the only Supervisor without a degree, and I have worked my way up the ladder fair and square with just plain hard work and patience. Going back to school has been a challenge for me, I have been out of high school for 12 years now, so it's like learning all over again. I feel like Adam Sandler from the movie Billy Madison. In fact, my wife occasionally sings me the song from the movie "back to school, to prove to dad that I'm not a fool, I got my boots tied tight, I hope I don't get in a fight". Yes that's how I feel in a nutshell, although on the other hand I am excited finish my degree and see how far it can take me in the career world. Also to show my boys how important a college degree is and that you can do anything you put your mind to .

                                                   Research Paper Writing
     When I seen the assignment for an argumentive research paper. I thought to myself, “This could be interesting”. I have not written a research paper since I was in high school, 13 years ago…….um, yes that is a long time ago. I was thinking also what a challenge this is going to be because my wife and I are in the process of buying a house, so we are very busy juggling, kids, jobs, packing, and all the new challenges that go with buying a new home. My plate is overflowing with responsibility right now and it’s a little tough to handle at times. I know all of this will pass, and I will get through it, but right now I wish it was all over and that it was summer break, and my summer vacation away from work for 2 weeks………cannot wait. I struggled with coming up with a topic to write about, I thought about it for days. One night my wife said why you don’t write about ADHD, I thought to myself “no  that wouldn’t be interesting”. Then I thought about it some more and decided to do some research about it, and pinpoint what about ADHD exactly going to write about. The more I researched the topic, the more I loved the topic. I am very familiar with what ADHD entails, because my wife was diagnosed with it a couple of years ago. What amazes me is that she went all her life knowing something was wrong, and remembers not being able to concentrate even as far back as elementary school. Finally after the birth of our second son she felt extremely overwhelmed; she was rarely able to finish a task she started. At times she would start 5 projects at once, and not finish them. She just could not concentrate, and has a very impulsive behavior, for example we would have plans to go somewhere and she would be getting ready to go, and then she would start to clean out the pantry in the kitchen, and have everything tore apart then we would end up late to where we were going in the first place. She was also very forgetful, always losing her keys, cellphone, sometimes even her purse. She is a super neat freak with the house, and an over the top germ-a-phob, so she is constantly cleaning, which is good for me cause my clothes are always clean and ironed, and my truck is always spotless thanks to her. She  is also the nicest person you will ever meet and can talk to anyone. She has a lot of friends, and she is known as the fun one in the group. This is one thing that first attracted me to my wife 15 years ago, I loved that she was outgoing, sometimes crazy, and a fly by the seat of your pants kind of girl. I am going to admit, sometimes the ADHD gets in the way, but it’s not her fault.  I wanted to write this research paper on ADHD to get a better understanding of this disorder, so I can be more understanding to my wife with what she struggles with on a daily basis.  

     I am a Christian; I gave my life to Christ when I was nine years old. Yes, I know I was young, but that was when I knew that Jesus was my Lord and Savior. Since then I have tried to do my best to be a faithful follower and servant. I read my Bible, pray, and try to follow His will for my life on a daily basis. I’m not going to lie, I am not perfect, but I give it my best. God did not make us perfect, so even being an avid believer; we all sin on a daily basis.

       With this being said, I am a firm believer that God should be a part of public school. I do not think we should have stopped saying the Pledge of Allegiance because it says, "One nation under God", or I don’t think they should ban prayer in public school either. I know many people have their opinions, but I am seeing our nation turning away from God and moving closer to socialism. When I say this I mean that the people of the United States have come to believe that government is there to take care of us, when we should be able to take care of ourselves, government is supposed to be there to protect us. We are getting so wrapped up in debt; the government cannot even afford to pay our schools to give our children education, or even keep our kids safe in school. With all the school shootings, and bulling going on in the schools this day in age, I think if they put the principles of God back in public school , some of this stuff would stop. Since the courts started banning prayer, and references to God, even going as far as to taking down the 10 Commandments out of public places, the nation including our school systems, have gone downhill. Even on our currency it says "In God we trust", why can’t we go back to our nation and schools trusting in God. I am also a firm believer in the power of prayer, and I think that all of us who do believe need to pray for all the people in this world that don’t know God, and we also need to pray for our government, and the men and women that we voted in office. God has a plan for each and every one of us, we need to believe, study His word, and pray so we will follow His will for our own life.

                                                         The Glass Castle

     In my college English course we were to read the book “The Glass Castle”, by Jeannette Walls. This book is a story of the trials and tribulations of her life. It was actually a really good book. Me being a guy, I don’t read much unless it has to do with hunting, fishing, or sports. I found this book to be very intriguing and keeps the reader interested; actually I had a hard time putting it down.

     Before I began the book, I stared at it for a few weeks, thinking “I should really start reading this book”, but never picked it up. When it came down to crunch time, I started it on a Sunday afternoon, thinking I was just going to read a couple chapters. I honestly thought the book was going to be like reading a text book…..boring. Much to my surprise the book was very interesting and the first day I read 150 pages. I had a hard time putting it down, it kept me wondering “what could possibly happen next”. Jeannette Walls did a great job describing all the situations she was put in as a child, in fact she did such a great job you could paint a picture in your head, and almost imaging yourself there. It had a great balance of being enjoyable to read and also having a meaning.

     I would definitely recommend this book to others. It has great meaning, and I think all high schools should have it in their curriculum for the students read. If teenagers read this book, maybe some of the bullying would stop, and make them think twice of making fun of another less fortunate student.  

                                                Tattoos and piercings

What do I think of tattoos? Well…….I think tattoos are okay on some people and look not so good on other people. I myself do not have a tattoo, I have always wanted to get one, but have not gotten up the courage to get one yet. I think tattoos that mean something and are not obnoxious are good. A tattoo is not something I feel you should just decide one day to go and get, I think you should thing about the idea, and decide what you want, and where to put it on your body. I think this because you are stuck with this tattoo for the rest of your life, and I myself do not want a tattoo of something I will regret when I am 50 years old. Like all those young women who got the sun tattooed around their belly buttons before they had children, and then after giving birth the sun is all stretched out and ugly looking. Not to mention, in my opinion around the belly button is a bad place to get a tattoo. Other than that I don’t have a problem with tattoos, I feel it’s your own choice to choose whether or not you want to have a tattoo, or piercing. I think most tattoos are well thought out processes, and have some kind of meaning to the person. I would like to get a tattoo of my children’s names or something to do with them. Someday maybe, I just haven’t worked up the courage to do it yet.

Piercings are another thing to me. I am not a big fan of piercings, especially when there are too many piercings on a person, or when they are inappropriate. I don’t mind ear piercings, belly button piercings on women for that matter, but when a person chooses to pierce everything on their face, that’s when it gets to me. I would never say something to a person with several piercings or treat them any differently, but this is my personal opinion about piercings. It is not my place to judge a person with tattoos or piercings it is their own personal choice to do what they want with their body.

                                                                              Family Dynamics

              I think everyone can say that they have functional and dysfunctional elements in their families. To start with, no one was made perfect, and this is why we have both elements. I think everyone has that so called "dysfunctional family members", who starts fights, sticks their nose in everyone else’s business, and always have drama in their life. I think this is perfectly normal to have those, I admit, I have not been perfect at times, but we were all made sinners.  We all need to ask for forgiveness when we screw up, and also learn to say sorry when it is needed. I have family members who will have a “blow up” , and go years without taking to each other, then make up but neither of them will admit what they did wrong in the situation, or say sorry. It is sad how we as humans can hold such terrible grudges. We all have our opinions in life, and we are entitled to them, but there is a time and a place when we should speak our opinion. I think that sometimes it is better to just keep your mouth shut.  I also think it’s all in the way you handle all the family dynamics, and how your family gets through the rough patches in life. If you can sit down and talk about a problem, that is good, if you yell, scream, and throw punches, that’s where the problem comes in. We all have family dynamics that we are not proud to be a part of, but in the end you should accept your family for who they are and not judge them. I have many "dysfunctional” family members, and sometimes they can make life interesting, and not to mention, they make me realize what I do not want to live like.

                                                                                      My favorite hobby

        Coon hunting is one of my favorite things to do, besides spending time with my family. My kids are old enough now that they come with along with my wife.  There is nothing like being out in the quiet peaceful woods, listening to my dog bark on a coon track. It is such a rush when my dog chases a coon up a tree, and then I can shoot it.   I have been coon hunting since I was 3 or 4 years old. I went with my dad as a young kid, and when he didn’t take me, I would scream and cry until he came home.  The first time I went by myself, I think I was about 11 years old. My dad told me I could go out behind our house, I was so excited, I got everything ready, my light,  22 rifle, my knife, and got all dressed , grabbed my dog, her name was Fly. She was a Blue tick coonhound, she had a beautiful voice.  Fly and I walked into the neighbor’s corn field and I unleashed her and she took off into the woods. I was trying to be tough, but to tell you the truth, I was scared to death. I couldn’t wait to run as fast as I could home. But, I knew if I ran home scared, my parents would never let me go again by myself, and I would never hear the end of me being a “scardy pants” from my sisters. So I stayed out listening to Fly on a coon track, she would howl up the coon track. While I was waiting for her to put the coon up a tree, I was trying not to think of all the scary movies I have watched in the past. I was terrified. Before I knew it, Fly had located on a tree and started treeing. I started walking up the hill towards my dog, still scared, but now I had adrenaline running through me, excited to see if she had the coon up the tree. I got to the top of the hill, and there she was, barking with her front paws up on the tree. I then took my light and shined it in the tree, and way at the tippy top of a huge oak tree, was a coon lying on a branch. I remember my heart about beating out of my chest; I loaded my 22 rifle, and aimed at the coon. I shot and completely missed because I was so nervous. I aimed again and shot and the coon flopped out of the tree to the ground. Fly went after it and rolled it halfway down the hill. I was so excited; I grabbed the coon, and put the leash back on Fly and walked home. I was so proud I actually stayed out myself, and I was addicted. I think my parents were also surprised that I didn’t come running home scared.  I have been coon hunting ever since. A few years later, Fly ended up getting ran over by a car. I was devastated. Since then, I have had my fair share of dogs, but I am now a proud owner of a Treeing Walker out of the bloodlines of Houses Lipper, she is our family pet, her name is Meg, but we call her princess because that’s what she is. She is almost 9 years old now and, I have had some great times hunting her, we have won many competition hunts; she has won the Governor’s cup, 10,000 Lakes Event, and the Minnesota State Championship. She has been my favorite dog I have ever owned. In fact, one time I was offered a brand new four wheeler to trade her for. Yes, someone was going to pay literally ten thousand dollars for my dog. I turned it down; I can’t imagine my life without her. She is now old and grey, but I still hunt her every fall, she still loves it. I just recently bought another Treeing Walker that came from the same bloodlines as Meg, and we named him Mouse.  I hope he turns out to be just like Meg, so far he is showing great progress.  He has also become our family house pet. There is nothing like a hound dog, I sure do love mine!

                                                               Facebook

Social Networking………Facebook………. What do I think of it?? Well, I don’t have a Facebook page, due to the position I have at work we were asked to not have a Facebook page. My wife has one, and yes, in my opinion, it is a time-chugging website. With that being said, she really likes it, it keeps her in contact with a lot of her family and friends from Wisconsin, which is great. There was a poll on TV one night that said that the average person spends 4 hours a day on just social networking sites. I was in total shock that people waste 4 hours of their life on Facebook each day, by the end of the week that adds up to 28 hours. Wow!  My wife denies spending that much time on Facebook each day; I think she spends that much time on Facebook ;).  It is like an addiction, she will just grab the computer if the kids do something funny, or if she made something really good for dinner and she will take a picture, upload it, post it as her status. Status??.......Hmmmmmm, I wonder what my statuses would consist of if I had a page of my own??  I think probably something about the kids, work, hunting, or some short quote.   If I had a Facebook page, I would probably be addicted too.  Would I invite my parents to my Facebook page?  Yes, I definitely would, but if this was about 15 years ago, when I was a teenager, I probably would have said no. When I was a teenager the only kind of internet that existed was dial-up internet, which was as slow as a turtle. I think every day of what the internet and social networking sites will be like when my kids are old enough to use them.  I remember when you had to wait 10 minutes just to load your email, and you only had 1 email and being so excited about 1 email. Now I get my email from my cell phone and it takes me 2 seconds to get 200 emails.  Sometimes I wish we could go back in time because I really don’t have time to read 200 emails, and I think people talked face to face more. Now, everyone sends an email or texts. I’m guilty of this too; I just think is some circumstances we need to have face to face conversations and not email or text messages.

                                                                                     One sad Day

I don’t watch the news, or read the newspaper; I just don’t have time between work, school, and my family. My wife seems to be the one who keeps me caught up on what’s going on in the world and what the weather forecast is going to be for the week.

One story in the news that I kept up to date on was when Officer Shawn Schneider was shot and killed in Lake City, Minnesota. This was one of the saddest days I think that town has ever seen.  I don’t live in Lake City, but I work there. This is a small town and when I’m there I have never thought twice e about leaving my car running while I run into the gas station, grocery store, or the bank. I wouldn’t even lock my doors at work; it’s just one of those towns you feel safe in. 

I kept up to date on this news story because it hit so close to home, and the incident happened about a block from where I work.   It was the morning of December, 8 2011. The morning started off normal, it was a normal busy day at work. About 8:40am we heard over our radios/walkie talkies that we wear for communication someone saying “SHOTS FIRED, SHOTS FIRED, SECURE THE BUILDING” My heart just sank, and could not believe what I was hearing. As a supervisor it was my job to make sure every gate and door was locked and that all of my 55+ employees were accounted for.  We were told by the Lake City Police Department that no one was to come in or leave the building until further notice. They had also informed us that there had been a shooting about a block away and they were looking for the suspect.  The day went on we continued and we were on lock down, all the schools were on lockdown, and the entire town of lake city was blocked off.  There were police officers, SWAT team, FBI, and the bomb squad in Lake City. I have never seen anything like this in this area in my 30 years of life. What an awful and sad day! About 5:30pm that day we were informed that they found the suspect in the house where this all took place, and he had died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. 

We learned later that day that Officer Schneider was responding to a domestic disturbance when this all took place. Officer Schneider held on to life for 3 weeks and passed away on December 30 2011. I couldn’t believe this when I heard the news, it brought me to tears. My heart goes out to all of his family, friends and the Lake City Police Department. What a brave man to give up his life for another.  When something like this happens it makes you think about everything police officers, and the men and women in the military do for us. How they keep us all safe and put their lives on the line on a daily just going to work. Thank you to all who serve and all who have loved ones who serve.  I have great appreciation for what you do, and to the families of these people, thank you for letting them do what they do. ! Every day on my way to work me drive past this home where it all took place, and think of him and his family it breaks my heart. This all makes me appreciate my family even more that I did before, and also makes me realize that it can all be gone in a blink of an eye!  Live your life like it’s your last day every day because any day can be your last! RIP Officer Schneider!   

                                                     Grandpa Earl Zabel

       

         “If heaven wasn’t so far away, I’d pack up my things and go for a day, introduce them to their Grandpa, watch them laugh at the way he talks” These lyrics make me think of my Grandpa Earl every time I hear this song by Justin Moore. It literally brings me to tears every time. Last April, I lost my Grandpa, he was 88 years old. He was one of the closest people to me in my life. I have so many great memories of him.

        As a kid I would spend weeks at their house during the summer, they lived in central Wisconsin in a town called Loyal. They lived on the countryside, just off the highway. My Grandpa was a collector of Allis Chalmers Tractors. When you would pull up to his house, his yard was littered with these bright orange tractors. I used to think, what a mess, but these tractors are one of my favorite memories of him. I would play on those tractors all day, hop from one to another, pretend I was a farmer, or in a tractor pull. I had so much fun.  My Grandpa was an encyclopedia of tractor knowledge. He bought tractors from auctions, and restored them, sold them, and also fixed tractors. He also participated in tractor pulls; I remember going to them all the time as a kid and being so proud of that little 5 foot 3 bald man, who could barely walk, hop up on that tractor like it was nothing. He entered tractor pulls up until 9 months before he passed away. He was 87 years old.  The last tractor pull he entered, I even had a chance to bring my kids to watch their Great Grandpa in the tractor pull.  It was a great memory. I hope that they have great memories of him, just like I do!      

        Another memory I have of him was his house, it was a small cozy little house. When you walked in, it smelled like cigarette smoke and moth balls. I know, it sounds gross, but my grandma was a heavy smoker back in the day, and I think every old person’s house smells like a moth ball! It’s just one of those smells. My grandpa had many toy tractors in the living room, on shelf’s, and in glass cabinets. I loved to play with them, but I was only allowed to play with a few because the others were collectors and worth money. Also in their living room was a cuckoo clock. This clock was an antique; it was a wedding gift to my Great Grandparents. I was told that the clock was probably 100 years old. It was hanging on the wall that backed up against the kitchen, and above his recliner chair that he always sat in. As a child,  whenever the cuckoo clock went off, I would drop everything I was doing , grab my toy gun and attempt to shoot the cuckoo bird. I somehow never seemed to be able to get that stupid bird, but I sure did try.                                   

       Next to the cuckoo clock was a .22 rifle hanging on the wall. This was also an antique.  It was dark brown wood, with a dark colored barrel. I always had my eye on that gun. I took it off the wall one to many times, and got in big trouble, my Grandpa bent me over his old knee and spanked my butt! That was the last time I took that gun off the wall. When I got old enough, I even had a chance to shoot that gun with my grandpa. This was a great memory, and was the first time I ever shot a gun.                                             

        I ended up inheriting this gun and the cuckoo clock when he passed away. I was so honored that he had that in his Will. He always told me I would have it when he passed on, but I figured someone else would get it.  When my mom brought it home for me, it brought me to tears. To this day, it just feels like I shouldn’t have it in my gun safe, it feels like it should be on his wall above his chair.  I can still hear my grandpa telling me about the history of the gun, and yelling at me for taking it off the wall.   What  great memories, I can't help but smile when I think of him.
                 
         Grandpa, I hope you are dancing the polka, and playing crazy poker with Grandma in heaven. I know you are looking down on us, and watching my boys grow up. I miss you like crazy, and love you more than you will ever know! 

 “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away”   By Justin Moore

Every day I drive to work across Flint River bridge

A hundred yards from the spot where me and grandpa fished

There's a piece of his old fruit stand on the side of Sawmill Road

He'd be there peelin' peaches if it was twenty years ago

And what I wouldn't give

To ride around in that old truck with him

If heaven wasn't so far away

I'd pack up the kids and go for the day

Introduce them to their grandpa

Watch 'em laugh at the way he talks

I'd find my long lost cousin John

The one we left back in Vietnam

Show him a picture of his daughter now

She's a doctor and he'd be proud

Then tell him we'd be back in a couple of days

In the rear view mirror we'd all watch 'em wave

Yeah, and losing them wouldn't be so hard to take

If heaven wasn't so far away

I'd hug all three of those girls we lost from the class

And I'd find my bird dog Bo and take him huntin' one more time

I'd ask Hank why he took those pills back in '53

And Janis to sing the second verse of "Me and Bobby McGee”

Sit on a cloud and visit for a while

It'd do me good just to see them smile

If heaven wasn't so far away

I'd pack up the kids and go for the day

Introduce them to their grandpa

Watch 'em laugh at the way he talks

I'd find my long lost cousin John

The one we left back in Vietnam

Show him a picture of his daughter now

She's a doctor and he'd be proud

Then tell him we'd be back in a couple of days

In the rear view mirror we'd all watch 'em wave

Yeah, and losing them wouldn't be so hard to take

If heaven wasn't so far

If heaven wasn't so far

If heaven wasn't so far away

So far away

So far away

Psalm :2 and my Dad

             

              My dad always told me growing up “anything you want to do in life is worth working hard to achieve”. He also always repeated a particular scripture from the Bible, it was Psalm 128:2 “You will eat the fruit of your labor, and blessing and prosperity will be yours” (NIV). Growing up, what I remember is how hard my dad worked. He never missed a day, and to this day he still is a die hard. He will go to work being literally deathly ill, he even went to work when he had the west Nile virus. I always told him as teenager, “just take a day off”, and then he would always quote me this scripture. He also made it known that if I wanted to continue eating, he would have to continue to work!  My Dad was such an inspiration to me, and has made me the man I am today.  I feel that if there’s something you want in life you should have to work hard for it. Too many times in life, things just get handed to people on a silver platter, and they don’t have to work for it.  I also think that in this day in age; too many people take things for granted. I am a firm believer that if you haven’t worked for it, you don’t take care of it as well as if you worked to pay for it. For example, my wife’s parents bought her a can when she turned sixteen, and she was horrible at taking care of it. She never had the oil changed; tires rotated, or never cleaned it.  After two years, her car died, she ended up having to buy a new one. Well, this time it was a different story because she had to make the payment. Let me tell you, her car was so clean, and she also kept up on maintenance and she drove the same car for 9 years, and never had a problem with it.  I, on the other hand had to buy my own vehicle, l worked and saved for a few years before I could afford my first truck. I was so careful with that truck, and kept it clean, and did all the regular maintenance myself. This taught me a lot about how to take care of everything I own.

We eat the fruits of our labor in many ways, not just money and material things. Also, being Christian myself, this scripture means more to me than just working hard at work; it also means that if you take time out to study God’s word, and pray, “You will eat the fruit of your labor, and have blessings and prosperity"(NIV), as the Bible says. If you take time out for God, he will take time out for you in so many ways. Every day I see God working in my life in many ways, whether He’s showing me what is right and wrong, or putting me through a trial to test my faith. Even reading my Bible on a daily basis, I find myself astounded by how much it relates to my life.  This passage from the Bible replays over and over in my head on a daily basis, and if I don’t want to go to work , I can still see my father telling saying this to me , as if I was a child again.        

Writing, college, and education

          Writing..........What do I think of writing?  I really don't know what to think of writing, and I don't even know if I like writing, I never had a chance to really dive in and enjoy it. My only experience with writing was in high school and that experience seemed to always make me feel nervous, rushed, and completely unprepared. I always waited until the last minute to start anything, and scrambled to get it finished the day it was due. In fact, a lot of times I didn’t even start a paper until the day it was due. I was notorious for trying to write papers in my study hall. I wasted so much time, doing nothing back then! This was completely my fault, I procrastinated! I am happy to say that I have changed my procrastinating ways from high school, but my life is completely different now, I have a family, and a full time job, so procrastination is not an option, and neither is failure.

        I decided last fall to enroll in college. There were many reasons why I decided to enroll. One of the reasons I enrolled is because I need a degree to further my career with the company I work for, but the biggest reason is I wanted to show my children how important education is, and that if you work hard and believe in yourself , you can accomplish anything. I hope someday they follow in my footsteps and go to college, and have a successful career doing something they love to do. I just hope they do it 12 years earlier than I did.