Well I can honestly say that I am starting to feel a whole lot better as far as my health and recovery goes !!! I am finding that although it was difficult at first that I am able to be on my feet longer and become more and more active as time goes by. Previously I would admittedly feel fatigued and tired all the time when I would engage in simple activities such as taking a shower or walking around the house. I guess that is a natural thing after being in the bed on bed rest for a few weeks. However after making a concerted effort to become progressively and routinely more active as the days go by I can definitely see and feel the difference.

Although I have had the opportunity, and thankfully so, to focus on my Business courses that Penn Foster has laid out for me, I have missed "actively" studying like I used to at the gym. Depending how my check up appointment visit to my physician goes later on this week I hope to start walking with my Mp3 player short distances outside to get some fresh air with my audio files which I have had a whole lot of time to build up for when my exercise regiment resumes !!! Additionally I hope that my walks of "fresh air" lead to my return to the treadmill at first and hopefully the elliptical machine as well where I can "get back in the groove" with my Penn Foster Study Audios as my "workout fuel" !

Okay I feel like I am bout to lose my mind !!!! I swear that for the better part of the past three weeks I have been essentially confined to the indoors and in my bed in my bedroom as I have not been healthy enough to go do anything outside that requires a great deal of walking. I am not even able to drive my car at present !!! I feel like these walls are closing in on me too !!!!

I want to hurry up and heal. I also want to "strangle my doctors" and have them hurry u and clear me to do all of the things that I used to do !!! Okay maybe that was a bit much….lol….

I am getting better. I just am not getting better as quickly as I would like to be. It is very frustrating for me to have to just wait for myself to heal when I feel like there are so many things I could be doing with my time and so many responsibilities that I would prefer to be attending to.

I can not express how fortunate I feel to be able to study for my Associates Degree in this online platform via Penn Foster. I would not be able to physically attend classes if this were a :"brick and mortar" school. Additionally the avenue of studying has granted me a welcome diversion to keep my mind occupied and make myself feel productive as I can do all of my studying and reading and test taking right from the comfort of my own bed.

Thank goodness for Penn Foster in my time of need !!!

Well I am finally home from the hospital AGAIN. But once again my area is in a recovery from an emergency situation after getting pelted by the worst snow storm the region has seen in almost 100 years !!!! It was so bad that they nick named the storm the Mid Atlantic "Snow-Meggedeon" !!!!

Walking to and from the car was no easy task given that much of the snow is up to my knees !!!! Most of the region is in a state of emergency still and a state of recovery as in the days following the initial pelting of snow the temperatures have remained below freezing level of cold so the snow has not been able to melt which has greatly inconvenienced the city and snow removal crews and also caused a myriad of problems for residents such as myself.

The main issue I have taken exception with, which has directly affected my efforts to study and review my Penn Foster textbook and supporting materials for my Associates Degree in Human Resources Management, has been the frequent power issues we have been having !!!!

All of the thick and heavy snow has been weighing heavy on the neighborhood's power lines and has frequently caused multi-hour power outages which directly affects my home's utilities and also my ability to study effectively the way I need to as you can not study in the dark !!!!

All of this and we got a report that there is more snow on the way if you can believe that !!!! I hope things get back to normal soon. I just want to be healthy, happy and be able to study my Penn Foster stuff PEACEFULLY once again with out all of this "drama" I seem to keep experiencing in my life……ugh….

Well although I have been under a lot of stress and discomfort during my extended stay at the hospital and on bed rest at home I can at least be thankful for the unique opportunity granted to me to be able to study in a 100% distraction free environment IN MY OWN BED IN MY OWN HOUSE !!!!

I swear I never did have the opportunity to appreciate what a difference it makes when you do not have any peripheral distractions what so ever in the course of putting yourself through the mental calisthenics needed to read and comprehend the topics I am learning here at Penn Foster.

I have noticed that the major difference is the realization as to how much mental energy I expend to "diffuse" outside distractions to grant me the window of time to partake in my studies to learn and advance through my course load. When those distractions are not present, and that mental energy is not expended I feel like a whoooooole other person and student.

I can honestly say that the information speaks to me even better and my aptitude for learning increases and I can really see and feel the difference and the results from the same effort level I expend to complete my course work. I mean I could see if I was studying HARDER or MORE hours, but the fact that I am studying the same amount of time and at the same amount of effort really shows me what a difference "peace and quiet" can make !!!

Hmmmmm….I will have to give serious thought to making this "study zone" permanent fixture in the future once I am able to….

Well the game of the year is here and although I do like watching football I am more so interested in the REAL reason for watching the game !!!!

Well yes the New Orleans Saints are playing and yes that does mean Mr. Reggie Bush is playing (YES !!!!). And yes we do expect for the New Orleans Saints to beat the lowly Indianapolis Colts' butts !!!!! And yes the party we have at our house will be a fun one with all of our friends and family over with us to watch the game.

However am I alone in really looking forward to the game to be able to watch all of the cool commercials ?!?!?!?!? I mean it seems like every single year this is the one event that all of these companies use to put out those super doper ads and commercial spots in the broadcast of the big game to the tune of millions of dollars per 30 seconds on the television channel that is showing the game !!!

According to my Principles of Management business course book for my attainment of my Associate Degree in Human Resources Management here at Penn Foster College, this single event and resulting commercials are what companies' entire annual marketing campaign will be based off of and if unsuccessful can result in an employee's termination from the company !!!!

That is a whoooooole lot of pressure to be under to produce a quality ad for a company's products for these execs. It seems as though it is "fast or famine" for them in that it is either a "home run" or a "strikeout" as goes the direction of the ads and product for the company !!!

Granted I am biased but I PERSONALLY feel that these companies would put themselves in a better position to succeed if they followed the fundamental principles of sales and marketing as laid out in my Penn Foster textbook on the subject !!!

Wow !!!! Can you believe that we are currently in the midst of getting pelted with a historic barrage of snow that is on pace to break a 100 year old record in the local metropolitan area !?!?!?!

Snow has been falling for the better part of the past two days and has pretty much SHUT DOWN everything and everyone because of the adverse travel conditions that are  present both via car on the roads and highways and the shut down of public transportation as a direct result of the monumental accumulations !!!!

What has me angry is that I can not "feel like a kid again" in that these are the times that a lot of us look forward to getting days off from work very much like when we were all kids growing up !!!! However not only has the storm happened over the course of the weekend which is the time which many people's jobs would not be able to function, thus having people stay home, but I am on medical leave ANYWAYS and as a result I do not get to share in the benefits of such.  What a bummer……

The issue I have had though is that with the kids not only being kept at home from school because of the adverse blizzard conditions, but also the kids being forced to stay indoors, it is really messing with the quiet serene environment I had started to get used to here at home for studying and review of my Penn Foster material; !!! GRRRRRR….

I can definitely see the difference in my concentration and productivity of my Penn Foster business course studies when I am able to study uninterrupted versus when I hear "mommy Can I ?" & "Mommy Will you…." Grrrr…….

Well I am still at the hospital unfortunately. These doctors are very intent on keeping me under observation to ensure that THIS time when I depart I absolutely positively DO NOT have to report back. There are a number of precautionary evaluations they are performing in the wake of my procedure from almost two weeks ago that they are currently in the process of doing.

I mean on the one hand I am appreciative for the care my doctors are giving me to try their best to ensure that I am 100% okay. They want to rule out all possible issues that could arise while I am home on bed rest to make sure I am as comfortable, pain free and healthy as I possibly can be. However on the other hand I am really REALLY just sick and tired of being in the hospital and dealing with all of these issues that have arisen since my procedure that have done nothing but inconvenience me, my family and my friends and constantly complicate my life.

I have been reading some of my Penn Foster study notes on Business from one of my earlier Business course textbooks that in essence said to "keep your eyes on the pie" to help yourself get through the tough parts. That piece of advice has been welcome as I have applied it to this situation in looking forward to getting done with all of this so I can go back to being healthy. Another meaningful nugget of information I have been able to gain from the time I have put in on my Penn Foster studies !!!

So they had to keep me overnight AGAIN at the hospital. I am soooooo bummed out. Although they are saying that it is nothing serious they just want to keep me under observation for at least a 48 hour period to make sure that this time when they release me to go home that I will not have to come back. I can not tell you how sad I am that I have to stay here AGAIN……

In my efforts to be prepared as best possible I try to take the perspective in situations like this as best I can to "Prepare For The worst and Pray for the Best". With that being said I had acknowledged that there was a CHANCE that I would be kept overnight again so I brought my Penn Foster Business textbook that I have been trying my absolute best to get through both before and now after my procedure. And I brought my mini laptop to "keep me company" as I try my best to be strong and get through all of this.

I swear they say that you never really appreciate things until you do not have them. As much as I would think my life was challenging I really do see how comparatively simple it was when compared to what I am dealing with at present. I just want to be better again so that things can finally get back to normal….the way that they used to be for me…..

Well at least I can keep reading m textbook(since I did not bring my open or notebook for study notes) so that I can help this time pass until the doctor and nurses come back to check up on me…..Hopefully I will be able to go home tomorrow – If I am fortunate…..ugh….

Okay so I am in a great deal of discomfort and pain still that is forcing me to return to the hospital emergency room for urgent care. I do not feel well and the pain level is just to great. I have been sitting here trying to read and study hoping that occupying my mind somewhere else would help take the pain away or at least distract me from what I am feeling. However in the course of me trying to read I keep wincing in pain and closing my eyes for seconds at a time which keeps making me lose my place in the book yet alone hold a pen to write in my notebook my thoughts on the sections of material I am studying about. This last wince of pain brought ears to my eyes which I am sure you can understand might make it a little bit difficult to find my place in my text book to study with tears coming out of my eyes….

I am admittedly a little bit concerned as I would think that I would be feeling a LOT better by now after having my procedure done last week, however, that is DEFINITELY not the case. It is my hope that the doctors can help alleviate my discomfort so that I do not have to stay there longer then just tonight. I mean if it was not for this pain then I would be okay and I could rest and relax and most importantly STUDY like how I want to.

I guess that all that I can do is "Hope for the best" and pray that things work out positively for me…..

There is an expression that says "Reading is Fundamental". That line is so profound that an entire branch of the government has been created to use that line as a slogan for literacy and libraries and productive learning along those lines. Although I do not disagree in the least as to the validity of that line I would personally like to add one as an addendum to that statemt "Music is fundamental TOO !!!" LOL !!!!

I have been feeling so down and bad and in so much PAIN since my procedure that it is very hard to get in the right mind frame to do ANYTHING yet alone STUDY !!! I mean it is hard for me to rest at all and even when I do it is not very restful or pleasurable because I toss and turn and it does not feel good when I do that.

However there are a few new songs that I purchased that totally and completely change my mnood !!! "Tik Tok" by Kesha, "Battlefield" by Jordin Sparks, and "Party In The USA" by Miley Cyrus !!!! AAAAHHHHHH !!!!!

No matter how bad I am feeling when I put those songs on it is like better then taking a pain pill !!!! My mood gets so much better and I really FEEL so much better. I notice that my study level is SOOOOO MUCH BETTER when I am listening to my musical rotation then it is without it !!!!!

So for the record I think that when it comes to me with my Penn Foster Associate degree pursuit n my current life predicament in my recovery effort my slogan should be "Reading is Fundamental – And Ms. Passion's Play list is TOO !!!"

Okay so just when I thought that the bulk of my problems were behind me I had an unpleasant discovery. You see a week or so ago I had a "new addition" to my life. I finally achieved enough financial security where I could FINALLY purchase a new car that I wanted !!!! I did so because I rationalized with the busy lifestyle that I have as a single mother, working parent and school attendee, I have a VERY car dependant life. I NEED my car to be able to handle my responsibilities daily so that I can take care of my kids, run my errands, get to and from work  and do all of these things in an expedient and as productive manner as possible so that I can leave enough hours free n the course of the day for my study time and of course my "ME TIME" !!!

With that being said there have been a number of setbacks that I have had over the past few years with used car maintenance and I just got tired of not having the peace of mind that I needed. Buying a new car was supposed to alleviate all of those feelings to give me the peace of mind I need to be "okay". However I have discovered that no sooner then I have bought the car that I have a, what they are terming a "brake adjustment", because my break pad and sensors are not properly aligned thus making the warning light flash on the dashboard and the brakes squeak !!!!!

I need to hurry up and get my Associates Degree from Penn Foster so I can expedite my career advancement so that I can afford a DRIVER SERVICE so that I do not have to do deal with this drama any more !!!!! GRRR !!!!!

There is an old saying or cautionary tale of advice that says that "You should be careful what it is that you find yourself wishing for – Because you juuuuuust might GET IT."  Well let me be the one to tell you that that saying is sooooooo TRUE !!!! And especially in my current case as I am discovering day in and day out !!!!

You see I have been finding myself wishing to myself that I had more quality and quiet time in my day and week that I could better utilize for studying and my schoolwork. With all of the responsibilities that I have squarely on my shoulders as a single parent and as a working adult my energies and time is split in so many ways that I often times find myself forcing myself to study and take a better approach to my schooling as it is a constant battle not to just study to "Get It Done" as opposed to actually LEARNING the material that I am studying about.

This is what occurs when you do not have a lot of QUALITY time to "go around". I often times found myself wishing for either an extra day a week or a few extra hours a day to have to rest and study at a higher level. Well let me tell you I have an abundance of such time at present and I will tell you that I MISS not having as much !!! LOL !!!! All of this time that I have on my hands day in and day out where I am in bed 90% is about to drive me crazy !!!!!

Now granted I have been somewhat "out of commision" dealing with health related issues on a personal level over the past few weeks but I have had a chance to catch up on current events both near and a far by watching the news and reading up on some stuff online. Is that not an amazingly horrific event that occurred in Haiti?!?!?!?

I feel as though I am watching a "movie" that just played out a few years ago in New Orleans, LA with what happened with Hurricane Katrina !!!! Reading about and hearing about the incredibly challenging and unfortunate events that have befallen the residents of Haiti is really unfortunate and really makes you feel for them and appreciate what we have here in our country !!!!

The luxury of being able to study virtually to advance myself through my Associates Degree in Human Resources Management through Penn Foster College is something that I admittedly take for granted. Such an option is not readily available for such residents ion Haiti, even of there had not been an earthquake, and schooling in general is not a primary option for life there !!!!

When things like this happen the best I feel that we can do is give what support that we can and also appreciate what we DO have in life and cherish such as "nothing in life is guaranteed" as this event has demonstrated.

With the incredibly challenging circumstances that these Haitian residents are forced to cope with I have NO EXCUSE not to be studying my school work daily and taking advantage of my blessings and options, schooling and otherwise, even if I am on bed rest !!!!

Well I am STILL not feeling all too well. I have never had a surgical procedure before IN MY LIFE thankfully. Although I have and still do consider that a positive that I have been healthy enough in my short time here in this thing we call "life" to not require a need for a surgical procedure, the flip side is that my body is learning now how to recover from one and boy was I not aware of how this would make me feel !!!!

The pain is constant and there is no relief in site. The medication that the doctors provided to me helps a little bit however everyone keeps telling me that there is nothing that is going to take away all of the pain and that I am just going to have to accept and deal with it until I heal fully which is not going fast enough for me.

Given that I will be on bed rest for the foreseeable future the one productive thing that I CAN do is some school work as it is a VERY welcome diversion from watching television or surfing the net until my brain oozes out of my ears.

I am still adjusting to studying with the effect of some of these pain medications in my system as my comprehension and motor skills can be a bit impaired at times. This too is a foreign concept to me and my body. However I think I am starting to adjust so that I can read, comprehend and study at a good pace so that I can possibly get ahead of the pace and schedule for schooling completion that I was originally on.

AT least that is ONE positive that has come of all of this…..

So I am doing a little bit better today. I had a really rough night. When they finally gave me my pain medication it made me feel a bit dizzy and disoriented because I have not been able to eat any solid food for over twenty four hours. I got a little bit of reading done but at some pint I pretty much passed out because I remember having my book in my hand and then when I woke up it was book marked and placed on the stand next to my hospital bed. I guess the nurse must have stopped in to check on me and saved the page for me and placed it to the side for me.

They ended up letting me go home earlier this afternoon as they were encouraged and pleased with the healing my body did overnight. I am still very sore and am in a lot of pain however it is a little bit better then it was yesterday when it was a 12 on a scale of 1 – 10 seemingly each and every way I moved.

I am now in the process of trying to position my pillows in my bed so that I can be as comfortable as I can be given my condition and be able to relax and rest as painlessly as possible as I will likely be bed ridden for at least a week now…..

Again the positive that I am trying to take from this experience is that I will have plenty of private, quite "me time" to read and study as the kids will be at school and I will be home from work. I have placed an order at Chipolte which my Hunni Bear is bringing home to me. I am hoping that once I get some solid food in me and take my medicine I will feel better and he able to get some reading done in my Principles of Managment textbook.

I am really glad to be home, really thankful to still be here and glad I have my school work to occupy my mind and time while I heal…..