Art 1010 Found Art Project

Art 1010 Found Art Project

“Off duty Sherriff Wesley”

Staci Alvey

7\22\2014

 

When I first read the assignment I thought this would be a really fun project and began to brainstorm instantly. In my mind I had envisioned many beautifully crafted animals from turtles to horses. I started to look around for things and as I was looking I soon realized that it wasn’t as easy as I had envisioned.  Several days before the due date, I begin putting random odds and ends together in hopes of creating something amazing, that I would be proud to call my own. Once again I was very disappointed. I searched several websites several books and every time I thought I had the right tools I would end up realizing that I didn’t have all the tools that I had hoped for.

While searching my house I found a vase that I knew I wanted to use due to the shape and size of this particular vase. I had glued and tied several items to this vase and after trial and error multiple times I had realized that it would make a great head for my piece. After finding the head I started looking for all the physical features.  This was a bit easier then I had anticipated and had my entire family looking f or Ideas that I could use.  I first had the idea that I would recreate a character from a famous TV show, but I’m my own way.  I soon realized that I didn’t like the idea of taking what was clearly not my own. So once again I stated over.

After trying several different ideas I decided that I just needed to glue and leave something and then maybe the ideas would flow from there. This in the end is what helped me to complete my project.  As I started gluing the piece on a personality began to take its own and after applying the nail scrub brush the idea of a Sherriff came to mind. This was it; this is finally what I was going to do. I have always loved western movie and have a fascination of cowboy art. I decided was going to create my own cowboy piece.  Before I completed the face I knew I wanted him to have a lasso in on hand and some cards in the other. The idea was a Sherriff off duty.  He would still be prepared to use a lasso if needed but also you get the idea that he is laid back with the few cards in his hands. In many of the westerns I have watched poker always seems to be the game of choice and I too wanted to keep that idea.

When I look at this piece I think wow it may seem kind of weird to some but it is just what I had envisioned after all the trials.  It may also seem plain and simple but that describes my life as well as what I feel a cowboys life would be.  I know that a cowboy is nothing without a pistol but being that is was for school I decided with much deliberation that it would not be appropriate.  I do however understand that art is a story or an emotion of the artist life. I felt that it was not the time or the place for that strong of a message.

Through the entire process I had to other issues besides not knowing exactly what I wanted to do. The belt was a big part of the piece and I wanted it to be just right. I wanted the belt buckle right in the middle and I wanted it to look as if my creation was actually wearing a belt. However it did not want to stay in the original place that I wanted it and I tried several times to make it work. At one point I was so fed up with just the belt not turning out as I wanted, and decided that I needed to take a break and come back a few minutes with a fresh mind. Turns out this are was exactly what I needed. I can’t even imagine how other artist must experience extreme stress in trying to make their piece look just right.  My piece wasn’t very big compared to other pieces of art that I have seen.  I know that I would never attempt that type of piece because the amount of pressure and stress must be ridiculous.

After all is said and done I am glad how it turned out. The days before were hectic in making decisions and finding the right pieces. I actually had the hardest time figuring out what to use for the nose. I had several things that I had tried for the nose and nothing seemed to work. After expressing my thoughts to my husband he began to help me look again, jokingly he pulled a dog tag out of the junk drawer and said to use it. That was what I needed to complete Sherriff Wesley.  Sometimes some of the best things in life were created by accident and this was one of those times.  This was probably one of the hardest assignments I have done. I consider myself to be a pretty creative person but this project left me completely  lost and had no idea what to do originally.

 My advice for other students who are struggling with this assignment is to look absolutely everywhere. Books, magazines, online, art shops, outdoors, everywhere.  There are so many ideas out there and it makes it much easier to have books and pictures online to be inspired and to help threw the process. Also it made it easier to have friends and families thoughts to help spark ideas. I know I had a lot of help from my husband and was able to make something to be proud of. This was a lot more fun after all is said and done. I recommended it as an assignment for other students.

Hummanities Race Journal

Race Journal

This week I learned a lot more about myself and have done a lot more soul searching. I know you probably looking forward to me saying that I liked certain quotes or particular stories, but what I believe I have learned is a bit deeper then just reading material.  Don’t get me wrong I enjoyed the reading but the real learning was done from the quiz.   

                After completing the racial quizzes I have came to realize that I am a bit raciest.  Before this quiz I never would have considered myself to be raciest at all, not even one bit. As a matter of fact, I have always been around people of different races and have never had any negative feeling and or emotions about them. I also have a family member that is from a different country and I love and adore her. Not only do I adore her but I look up to her.   As I stated in a previous assignment I come from a very respectful family that has taught me good morals and has made me the person I am today. However I now realize more that some of the negativity that I had, but didn’t realize I have toward darker skinned people, may have steamed from my step dad. Now I know it’s not completely fair to say that he is to blame for my negative feelings however, I think he may be some of the reason I am who I am, I am today. Growing up I always looked op to him and asked him for advice and his opinion. He would give me his opinion like I asked and then in turn he would ask mine. I don’t remember what I would have said but I always remember my dad saying well I’m glad that I raised you right and you know the difference between right and wrong.   I remember always wanting to say the right thing and wanting to make him proud.  So I basically would re state what he just said just in a different way, a more childlike ways.  This example as well as other I can think about makes me believe that I may have listened to him and his negativity too much

            After reviewing my test conclusion I have come to realize that racism truly is a learned condition. I have been talking to a lot of my family about this specific assignment and have discussed why they think that they might be racist. Many of them like my self have said that they blame it on there family surrounding and up bringing. Then we came to a conclusion that this is a vicious cycle and it will continue to be this way until someone decides other wise. For instance in a family, there may be few who have positive thoughts and the others have nothing negative to say. If certain family members choose to not be negative this may have a trickle effect and may create a positive surrounding for other family members to grow up learning only positive thoughts for people who may “different".

            I think it is important to know about racism because it is still an on going issue in the world. It is important to know if we are raciest so that we can work on fixing ourselves and in turn helping the world to better appreciate each other as a person rather then a certain race or ethnic background.  I know that this will more then likely always be a problem but looking back at our history we have came a long way. I think that no matter who you are and what your beliefs are you will always have a bit of raciest thoughts. I think that it doesn’t always have to be based specifically on race but also could be that you may favor a certain gender, religious group, and political preferences.  I know this isn’t technically racist but I feel when you favor one group or another it could cause problems in the world. I think more people would be surprised to see the results of the test if they took it. I think there would be more people that might be racist and not realize it. A lot of times like for instance my case I didn’t realize I had that opinion because of my surroundings and the people that I choose to surround myself with.

            I have decided to do my E Portfolio paper on the race journal. As an assignment we were asked to take two quizzes. Both quizzes were a series of questions based on skin color and race. Going into the assignment I thought that the quiz would be silly and I would find out that, just as I thought I was not a racist person and liked all races equally.  Little did I know I would soon find out that I was a bit more racist then I thought.  I have always been a person who gets along with many and just enjoy being around others.  I have never been the type to start any type of confrontation and in fact I have always been the exact the opposite. I never want to hurt anyone or many any one feel as they are inferior to anyone else. I always go out of my way to make a person smile when I know they are going threw a hard time. With these results staring me in the face I began to wonder if I am a hurtful person and if I deep down look at a person of different skin color  different then others. In my heart I knew that I wouldn’t ever say nor do anything to intentionally hurt someone. But have I said or acted certain away around a person with a different skin color subconsciously. 

            This assignment has had a major impact on my life and I have now been trying to change my feelings and emotions about others. I have had an eye opening experience that has made me what to change for the better and become a better person. It also made me realize that I am not the only one in the world who has a bit of racism. I think that it is human nature to judge a person who looks different then ourselves. With that being said it doesn’t make it right to have feelings toward someone else. This is one of the reason we have so much hate in the world is because people feel that they are inferior then others. If we could all work on ourselves and try to be a bit more excepting of others the world would be a much happier place.

            Some may wonder why I used such an intense topic to publish on my E portfolio for any one to see. I have decided to use this journal because I have learned a lot about my self as well as others because of this assignment.  I think that others should take the quiz and or take time to think if they treat everyone else with the equal amount of respect. Chances are there may be a certain group of people that you may look down upon and feel inferior in one way or another.  If people realized they had these feelings they may be able to make some changes in their life and in turn make life for others better by being more excepting. Life is about learning and learning more about ourselves. It’s about figuring ways to improve our lives as well as others around us and ultimately making this world a better place to live. I am grateful for this assignment to teach me more about my self making me a better well rounded individual.

Geog 1700-042

taci Alvey E portfolio Final Project Three years ago my husband and I were fortune to be able to go to Maui Hawaii on our honeymoon. We were able to see and experience things that many people only dream about. Besides to normal snorkeling, dinner cruises and surf lessons we were able to walk around Haleakala Volcano. The experience was one we will never forget. We were able to walk on the hard lava that had covered the once standing road. It was so interesting to see that it completely destroyed everything in its path. When being assigned this assignment I was so excited to learn of more about the volcanoes in Hawaii. I was also curious to see which island still had active volcanoes today. Hawaii has so much beauty my husband and I had a hard time leaving and wished we could stay forever. I started to wonder if I were to stay and live there, I would want to know where the volcanoes were and if they were likely to erupt. Hawaii is home to four volcanoes Maunaloa, Kilauea, Hualalai, and the underwater Loihi. Based on the map I have created the areas surrounding Mauna Kea, Kilauea, and Maunaloa, has been targeted as lava flow hazards zones. These areas seem to be quite large and continually growing. With that being said, this area must be uninhabited and living conditions would be unsafe for people to live there. The under water volcano Loihi seems to pose no threat being that it has yet to have erupted above the surface and is located a distance from the main island. This map web site may be helpful in other classes such as history, other science classes and maybe a humanities class. It would be helpful to see where specific events in history have taken place and where certain things have been developed and or created in the scientific world. I also think it would be helpful to us in my everyday life where I ma be able to see where certain places are in the world if I’m thinking about vacationing. By being able to use this map I will be able to help others answer any questions to where places are located, if they have any sort of hazardous locations in the area. It is always helpful to me to be able to see where things happening in the world are occurring, and sometimes its fun to see how close or how far away I live compared to other places on earth. I would love to go back to Hawaii and visit Hawaii National Park to see all the volcanoes and to learn more about them.

GEOG-1700-042-F13

Students will be introduced to natural disasters; the processes and energy sources that produce them, along with the spatial distribution and pattern of natural phenomena, while developing an understanding of the impact these phenomena have on human activity.

Students will become aware of the dynamic nature of the earth, and the effect this has on the physical, economic, and personal/emotional aspects of their lives. They will discover the ramifications of these phenomena in their lives with an increased understanding of the necessity for preparation, if not prevention, should some type of natural disaster occur locally. Students will also develop an increased awareness of the financial and emotional toll that a headline really represents. All disasters are actually individual disasters! The Geography Program at SLCC has listed the following as its desired outcomes for students in relation to the college-wide learning outcomes, who upon the completion of GEOG 1700 should be able to:

Students communicate effectively.

This includes developing critical literacies—reading, writing, speaking, listening, visual understanding—that they can apply in various contexts; Organizing and presenting ideas and information visually, orally, and in writing according to standard usage; Understanding and using the elements of effective communication in interpersonal, small group, and mass settings.

 Determine what the roles are of natural disaster mitigation at a federal and local governmental level, community level, and individual.

Students develop quantitative literacies necessary for their chosen field of study.

This includes approaching practical problems by choosing and applying appropriate mathematical techniques; Using information represented as data, graphs, tables, and schematics in a variety of disciplines; Applying mathematical theory, concepts, and methods of inquiry appropriate to program-specific problems.

Students think critically and creatively.

This includes reasoning effectively from available evidence; demonstrating effective problem solving; engaging in creative thinking, expression, and application; Engaging in reflective thinking and expression; Demonstrating higher-order skills such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation; Making connections across disciplines; Applying scientific methods to the inquiry process.

 Analyze and understand natural processes that create disaster events such as: earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, tsunamis, severe weather, disease, and climate change.

 Understand how natural hazards become disasters and ultimately catastrophes.

 Know how many natural processes are cylindrical meaning that they a frequency of recurrence which also influences their magnitude.

History Oral Project

When I first signed up for this class I was not excited to take a second history class after being mislead into taking the first class.  I knew that it would be a lot of reading and busy work that I wasn’t excited to do. However this actually didn’t end up being as bad as I thought. I actually enjoyed that we had assignments that we were able to share with other class members and see what their opinion of a topic was. It was nice to have a starting point when you were unsure of what to write about. I actually liked the discussion assignments where we kind of worked in groups but on our own in the same sense.

 I liked the fact that the quizzes was more of a learning tool rather than “here’s your score you need to work on things” type of a test. The fact that it gave us multiple tries to complete it helped you remember the subject better and made it stick in your mind.  It took a while to complete but it was a great learning tool

Staci Alvey

 History 1700

Oral Project

Aug 2013

Oral History Project

I have been extremely blessed to have married into such an amazing family that I respect and adore.  After thinking about whom to interview it was clear that my father in law would be a great candidate. My father in law Brent served in the National Guard off and on for many years.  I knew that he was amazing before but after talking about his experience, my respect for him has grown. Although he did not fight in the Gulf War he was trained and ready to go to battle if called.                                                            

History of the Gulf War

The Gulf War also known as Operation Desert Strom, Persian Gulf War, First Gulf War, and First Iraq war. Iraq’s invasion on Kuwait in August 1990 caused issues internationally. The invasion motivated by Iraq trying to acquire Kwaits oil fields and by explained power throughout the area. The United States formed a coalition with other countries such as other Arab countries, and begins sending troops to Saudi Arabia. When Iraq ignored the demand to withdraw from Kuwait the troops began a large scale air attack. In response Saddm Ussein launched ballistic missiles against nearby coalition states as well as Israel. Forty two days later a victory was achieved. Approximately 100,000 Iraq people died. About 300 hundred of our troops died as well.

 Life of Brent Alvey

Brent was born June 2, 1960 to the proud parents of Shirley and Barney Alvey. Brent was 21 years old when he joined the National Guard.  He never knew what to expect when he first signed up.  His parents were nervous for him but knew it was something he wanted and needed to do.  Brent was part of the 1457 Combat Engineers.  His job was to drive the heavy equipment as well as road work and building shelter.  His first assignment would be operation Desert Storm.

Brent had been in the National Guard for several years and had gone back and for the between active and inactive duty.  One day in December of 1991 he had received call saying that he had been reactivated and that he had five days to get ready to be deployed. Him and 750 others from Utah left and arrived in Washington.  After waiting two weeks he had been shipped to Germany to stage.             

Upon arriving in Germany he realized that there were thousands of people preparing for the Gulf War. His mission was humanitarism and was going to get the curds out of Iraq.  In a blink of an eye the war was over and luckily for him, he didn’t see battle.  Brent said there was a ton of people that were deployed and now that the war was over they needed to send them all home.  Because of the overwhelming amount of people he was stuck in Germany for about four to five months waiting for a ride home. They had decided that it was only fair to send the people that arrived to Germany first, home first. People were outraged that they couldn’t go home right away and would call home and complain to their families.  The complaining became such a problem, and the mayor was notified.  

One day the marched all the troops to a theater to explain that they were doing the best they could to get them home and they were only making things worse by complaining. From then on out they were not allowed to talk of their deploy date. Sense Brent arrived later he knew he would be staying a bit longer. He missed his family but knew it was something that needed to be done. While waiting to go home he helped with work around Germany. They built bridges, roads and any other work to improve the conditions of the base.

Missing Home

While being deployed his youngest and only daughter was born and when he got news she was born it made him want to go home even more. Brent said this was one of the hardest things about being away from home for so long. He says that he was busy most of the time that and didn’t have much time to be home sick. However late at night before going to bed or any down time your family is about the only thing you can think about.  When I asked how he coped with being homesick he answered by saying’ Knowing that you leave your family in good hands, with many family members to help take care of your kids and wife makes you feel a bit more at ease.  It was also easier knowing that I wasn’t the only on that was homesick and missing my family. We would often share stories about our families and share pictures. That was the hardest thing for Brent about being in the National Guard was being away from his family.

Returning Home

 After being gone for what felt like years, he was finally able to hold his baby girl for the first time. He was able to spend all the time he wanted with his wife and kids. After being gone so long you come to realize how important life truly is and how important your loved ones are.

Being home was excited but also he never felt like he could ever really relax until he was no longer on active duty and didn’t have to worry about being called out at random times.  Being in the service makes you pay more attention to the world around you. You seem to always be on your toes when you hear of any wars going on in the world.  He is so grateful for all the men and woman out there that have been away from their families in order to protect our country.

            I am so glad I had this opportunity to dig deeper into Brent s life and find out what really made him the amazing man he is.  He has done so much for this country even though he didn’t actually see battle and I am very grateful to have such a powerful influence in my life.  There are always bits of history that people don’t know about until they have actually been there and have witnessed the feelings and emotions that go with being in the service and in some cases war.  Would should all learn to be more thankful for all those out there fighting and sacrificing their lives for our freedom. Be thankful that they are willing to leave their own family and miss out on special events in their lives just to ensure that we all have a great life,

                                                                             

Thanks Brent Alvey you truly are an inspiration to us all.                                                                 

Brent Alvey 801-966-5284 ( By phone Interview)

 Other Information

Experience History (Interpreting Americas Past)

Wikapedia.com

http://www.answers.com/topic/gulf-war

Interview Questions

1.      How old were you when you joined the service? 21  when I joined the National Guard

2.       What was your job in the National Guard? I drove the heavy machines, did road work, build shelter.

3.      How long were you in the National Guard? About 15 years off and on

4.      What was the best part about the National Guard? Knowing that you are bettering the lives of others and helping the country.

5.       What was the worst part of being in the National Guard?  Being away from your family for long periods of time and missing out on different parts of their life.

6.       Do you have a different perspective of life after being in the service? I have a better respect for all the other men and woman fighting for our freedom. A lot of them have seen some really horrific things that have changed them forever.

7.      Were there times when you thought you had made the wrong decision when joining the National Guard?  There were plenty of times when I had to rethink why I had put myself threw the stuff I did. I would always re think my decision when I was missing my family.

8.      Would you recommend joining the service to others? Being in the service was a good experience but it isn’t for everyone. Don’t do it if you’re not one hundred percent sure that it is what you want.

English 2010

Reflective Essay

I have to admit that I have actually enjoyed this class. I know going into this class I was a bit worried that it would be extremely overwhelming and I would be extremely stressed out. This class however has been everything but stressful. I have enjoyed having a teacher that has understood that the summer semester is much shorter and was able to break this semester down it down to be more manageable. I also really enjoyed having a group that I was able review each of my papers and give me feedback that was very helpful in my final revisions. I appreciated that our teacher would give us choices of the different writing types.

Class Objectives

The course objectives state that upon completion of this class students shall be able to write in multiple genres. This class has taught us many types of genres and as I student I find it helpful for my other classes to be able to use different ideas to better write a paper. I know that teachers are always looking for creativity and notice the amount of time a student puts into to an assignment. With having learned the different genres a student will be able to become a better writer.

As part of the course objectives students will learn to effectively work with others. Throughout the whole semester we had to submit all our outlines, rough drafts and final drafts to a group of students we had been assigned to. After submitting our papers others students were able to read and critique our papers. This not only help me with my own paper but to see other writing styles that other students had used. I also learned that by reading and revising other people’s papers I had to look for grammatical errors which in turn helped me to become a better writer. I also really enjoyed the peer reviews because as a writer you can sit and look at the same paper for hours not seeing some mistakes. It is good to have a fresh pair of eyes to spot what you may have missed.

Working with peers

As stated above I really enjoyed working with a group. Not only was it nice to have someone else re read your papers but it was nice to know that I wasn’t alone in this class. I can remember in the beginning I had a few questions and was a bit confused. I soon realized I wasn’t the only one with questions. It made it nice to have someone else help answer your questions because sometimes there was someone who answered it right away. I know that for me personally knowing that I’m not the only one to have homework gives me a weird sense of comfort.

I enjoy the fact that other students had posted their work online so that others could see. I found it to be helpful when I had any questions or confusion as to what was expected. I was able to see what others had written and was able to form my own ideas and was able to clear up my confusion.

Suggestions from my Peers

I found it very helpful to have other people read my paper. They always seemed to have good suggestions that I was able to use to improve my paper. They would often see things that I didn’t see such as spelling and grammatical errors. Also they always seemed to great ideas that would “pretty up” my paper. When submitting a paper I often think did I do the assignment right? Did I include all that the teacher was looking for? For this semester they were my extra set of eyes. I always feel better submitting a rough draft first. To be sure that the information I have is correct. After reviewing the peer reviews I like to make the changes if I feel they are necessary. While reviewing my memoir the reviewer had said to add pictures that relate to the topic at hand. After thinking about the picture I had already choose I decided that the reviewer was right and I found pictures on line that I thought were more appropriate.

Life of Brent Anderson

It’s a wonderful life…

Fifty two years ago the world rejoiced when Brent Anderson was born. His parents were so blessed to have a perfect baby and dreamed of what his life would be like. Would he grow up to be a lawyer, a doctor, or a dentist? His parents had big expectations and knew that there wouldn’t be anything he couldn’t accomplish.  As the Years went by when asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, he would always reply “I’m going to be a school teacher”. His parents believed that he would grow out of this dream, and become a carpenter like the rest of the men in his family. Soon came graduation and his parents couldn’t be any more proud. As a graduation gift his father handed him a tool belt and said “Son you will need this”. 

The start of something new…

Four years had passed, and after working in the family business, doing labor intensive work, he realized that he did not want to do carpentry for the rest of his life. The next day he went into the local college and applied for classes. He had no idea what he wanted to be when he grew up but realized he needed to figure it out soon. After a few months of thinking what it was he truly wanted to be, he decided he wanted to share his passion of learning with others.  He knew from that day forward that he would become an elementary teacher. He enjoyed learning new things and being able to help children. Learning came easy to him and he wanted to be able to help others. His parents were disappointed that he wouldn’t continue in his father’s footsteps, but knew that his deep love for children and his passion for learning would make him a great teacher.

The struggles of a college student…

Just like many other college students he understood the feeling of being poor after paying for all his classes, fees, and of course the dreaded text books. He knew right away that the price (even then) cost more than they should have. He thought hard about having the book and succeeding or not having the book and trying to succeed without it. After buying a few books at full price he figured he wanted to find a cheaper way to buy books. He soon found that it was much cheaper to split the cost of books with a friend and share the book. They found that not only did they save money, but it was best to study together.  After all two brains were better than one.

Life as a teacher…

When he finally graduated from college and began prepping for his first class. He realized he would have to decide on classroom text books. Brent came from a frugal family and saving money was what they did best. Because of this he carried his frugality into his professional career. Being frugal was the key when dealing with a small budget. A small budget is one of the biggest challenges for teachers.  After much thought and research of the books, he decided on what he thought was the best for his class. Having had dealt with the price of his college text books, he only thought it would be appropriate to save the school money. He decided to order the cheaper books.  Rather than buying the packaged book that came with a cd, (which cost more money), he would buy the individual book.

From the beginning of his teaching career he would always try to buy the cheapest books, only if he felt they gave the students the appropriate information.  When having to buy newer versions of books, he would shop around to find a fair price with good information. When he got new books he would ask other teachers if they wanted to have his old books, I hope of saving the school money. Teachers only want what is best for their students, and want them to have the best equipment. However sometimes they are unable to buy the things that they need.

 Brent says that if there was anything he could change about being a teacher it would be more funding for the students. As a teacher for twenty five years plus years he has seen many changes in the budget. Brent loves what he is doing and says that he would choose to be a teacher again, even knowing the amount of money he makes.

After teaching second grade for a few years he decided that he wanted to go back to school and realized that sixth grade was the grade he would like to teach until he retired. His favorite part of teaching was seeing his students grow and to see the excitement they would have when learning new subjects. He made it a personal goal to spend extra time with the students who didn’t seem to catch on as fast. He would make himself available before and after school for any students that needed special attention. This two was one of his favorite parts of being a teacher. On the other hand the hardest part of being a teacher was that you begin to love your students and you are always sad to say good bye to them at the end of the year. However he knew that he had helped in molding each student into a successful person.  

Staci Alvey

Memoir

July 2013

English 2010

Holloway

Inspiration by success of others

My parents had always encouraged me to go to college and get an education. They would always say “You don’t want to be like us when you grow up”. Of course because I knew everything at that time I knew that they were just being silly and college really wasn’t important.  Little did I know that I would be inspired years later and have a complete change of heart.

Inspiration happens here…

I was sitting in the stands at the Maverick center anxiously waiting for my sister in law to receive her diploma. She had worked so hard to receive her associate’s degree in dental hygiene. I starting thinking about all the fun places she would be able to go, all the toys she could buy and all the positive aspects that come with achieving a college degree. Before then I had never thought that school would even be in my future, and I would be happy to live my life based on pay check to paycheck. After realizing that it would be much harder not having any type of degree, I decided right then and there that I needed to go to school.  I thought a lot about school and constantly went back and forth between different career options. I thought about school for weeks and the more I would think about it, the more I would talk myself out of it. I was scared and knew in my heart that I wasn’t ready and couldn’t do it. 

About a week later I was talking to a friend who was working on her generals and she said “Don’t be scared just do it”.  I kept making excuses as to why I could not go to school. And every time I would make an excuse she would say “There is absolutely no reason you cannot go back to school”. I left and begin to think more about what she said. An hour later she called me up to her desk and said “Hey I need your credit card information”. I asked “why” and she explained that she had registered me for school, and needed my credit card information to pay for the registration fee. As soon as she said she had signed me up for college my heart sank to my toes and I knew there was turning back.

I called my dad and explained what I had just done. I have never heard my dad sound so surprised but so proud at the same time.  After the pep talk with my dad I slowly began to get excited and felt as though I was going to change the world. For the first time in my life I was proud of myself. I kept telling myself over and over that applying for college is a big deal.  You begin to experience many emotions and feelings that you had never experienced before.  I started to stress out about where I was going to come up with money for tuition, fees and of course the dreaded books.

                                               

Oh the dreaded books…

 I signed up for my first semester of school and realized that I needed five books for three classes.  The size of the text book was over whelming itself, let alone the extreme price of the book. Luckily I had done a bit of research before classes started, and had a bit of time to save some money up for books.  When I had saved up enough money for all my books, I went to the check out at the library and nervously waited for the cashier to tell me my price. After putting all the books in a bag the lady replied “that will be four hundred and seventy two dollars”. At that moment I felt like a cartoon character whose eyes had just popped out of their head.  After picking my mouth up off the ground, I gave the lady my credit card. From that moment on I knew this would not be the first or the last time I would feel robbed at the SLCC book store.

 I can remember walking out of the book store like a scared dog with my tail between my legs. For the next few days my topic of conversation with anyone who asked about school was the outrageous cost of books.  I still could not believe that on top of all the other expenses I had already paid for, I had to fork out four hundred and some odd dollars for books.

Having been going to school for almost two years I have paid approximately 3200 dollars on books thus far.  I know I will spend much more when I get accepted into the program of choice.

 I have been trying to find more ways of spending less money on books. So far I have found a few ways to save money. I have bought books from online stores that have been a bit cheaper, I buy used books if possible, I try to buy books from friends that have previously  have taken the class.  I will chose to buy the book by itself rather than buying the bundled pack with the book and cd. Even after all these money saving tricks I will still pay an arm and a leg to successfully complete my college career.

   As college students we must face cold hard facts that we will always have to pay high amounts of money in order to receive a great education. To buy books or not to buy books that is the question.

Marriage and Family Reflection

When I first signed up for this class I had my doubts just like with every other class I have taken as part of my general education.  I wondered if it would even be anything that I would be able to use in my everyday life.  As a married college student I thought I might learn more about the interworking’s of a happy, healthy relationship. One of the most important things I have learned in this class is to keep an open opinion. While going through the different topics and sharing my thoughts and opinions with other students I learned that it is always important to appreciate other people’s opinions even if you don’t believe in what they have to say.  It is important to keep an open opinion because there is always someone out there who may have an opinion about something that you may end up agreeing with.

I have also learned and discussed many problems that might occur in a marriage. It was so amazing with the amount of divorce that happens these days. I think it is so sad that divorce is such a common thing. I have decided to submit my Good parents and my step parent papers. One because I have the world’s best parents, and two because I have been blessed with amazing step parents.  I have learned in this class that there are a lot more people out there that are children of divorce and I was able to hear some of what they would have to say. It’s always nice to know that you are not alone with trials that you experience in your life. I also found it be calming to right about my personal experiences in life dealing with the different topics.

 I would recommend this class to anyone. It would help anyone regardless if they are marries, single, divorced, widowed, etc.  This class also touched on topics that may have been a grey are for some and they might not have been  as open to it topics in the beginning’s However I feel that through the discussion bored you were able to express your opinion and not have to worry about what others would say. Making it much easier to open up and discuss topics you would on a regular basis.