Surgery went fine. I am in moderate pain, but have some wonderful drugs (legal of course!). Thanks to everyone who called and emailed. Will update again later.
Karen
PS- It was interesting...the doctor told Dave and Mom that when they took my gall bladder out it was very apparent that it wasn't healthy. Lots of scaring. He was pretty sure this would do the trick!
Friday, May 25, 2007
Sunday, May 20, 2007
New blog!
Everyone please check out my friend Robin's blog! I posted her on our list! Robin is a wonderful friend of mine and someone I admire in so many ways. She is a devoted wife and for a while we were the same person with the same dreams in college :>). Check out Cubbiehole of thoughts!
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Bits and bobbs
Lots of fun little things to report to all the Norvell Fans out there.....
This past weekend I went down to Houston to visit my best friend, Lauren. She got engaged last week and I hadn't even met the guy yet! They met on eharmony.com about 2 months ago and things have moved rather quickly since then. He is an absolutely wonderful person and I am so glad that they found each other. While I was down we went wedding dress shopping and I got to help her find her dress. It was so much fun and so special as she was the first one to go dress shopping with me, and was there when I found my dress also. This picture is us at the Cheesecake Factory afterwards celebrating! It was so good to get to see her....it had been since October. We have been friends since freshman year of college, and through transferring schools, moves, and marriages we have remained so close and tight. I have never had a friend like her before, and I hope that we can stay friends for a long time. The wedding is August 11!
Last night Dave and I undertook a huge goal together.....our front yard. As you can tell from the picture, it leaves much to be desired. The previous tenant did nothing to keep it up. When we moved in there was about 2 feet of leaves covering the entire yard. When we raked them up some grass started sprouting, but most of it had died. We have a very large tree that prevents sunlight, but we both are determined to grow some grass in our mostly dirt front yard.
Yesterday, after some advice from my father in law, we went to Lowe's and got some grass seed especially for shady areas. We weeded, tilled, raked spread seeds and watered. About an hour later we had a nice rain too, so our little seeds got a good soak. Hopefully in a week or so we will have some little baby grass sprouting up. We also worked on flower beds and the back yard a little too, which were worse then the front when we moved in. It's a work in progress. Dave's parents will be here in a few weeks. His dad, similar to my dad, is a master gardener, so nothing would make Dave more happy then to have a nice yard to show off to his folks. Hopefully we can work some more on it each day till they get home.
This past weekend I went down to Houston to visit my best friend, Lauren. She got engaged last week and I hadn't even met the guy yet! They met on eharmony.com about 2 months ago and things have moved rather quickly since then. He is an absolutely wonderful person and I am so glad that they found each other. While I was down we went wedding dress shopping and I got to help her find her dress. It was so much fun and so special as she was the first one to go dress shopping with me, and was there when I found my dress also. This picture is us at the Cheesecake Factory afterwards celebrating! It was so good to get to see her....it had been since October. We have been friends since freshman year of college, and through transferring schools, moves, and marriages we have remained so close and tight. I have never had a friend like her before, and I hope that we can stay friends for a long time. The wedding is August 11!
Last night Dave and I undertook a huge goal together.....our front yard. As you can tell from the picture, it leaves much to be desired. The previous tenant did nothing to keep it up. When we moved in there was about 2 feet of leaves covering the entire yard. When we raked them up some grass started sprouting, but most of it had died. We have a very large tree that prevents sunlight, but we both are determined to grow some grass in our mostly dirt front yard.
Yesterday, after some advice from my father in law, we went to Lowe's and got some grass seed especially for shady areas. We weeded, tilled, raked spread seeds and watered. About an hour later we had a nice rain too, so our little seeds got a good soak. Hopefully in a week or so we will have some little baby grass sprouting up. We also worked on flower beds and the back yard a little too, which were worse then the front when we moved in. It's a work in progress. Dave's parents will be here in a few weeks. His dad, similar to my dad, is a master gardener, so nothing would make Dave more happy then to have a nice yard to show off to his folks. Hopefully we can work some more on it each day till they get home.
Last, but certainly not least, the letters AA have new meaning to me this morning. No, I don't have a drinking problem, but I did get A's in both of my classes this semester!!! Woo hoo! Go me!!! That means I made a 4.0 my first year in grad school. I kick some serious behind if I do say so myself! This semester was tough, so hopefully I will be prepared for what comes my way next August. It's a great feeling working hard and seeing the results. Hopefully I can go this strong for two more years.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
"Do a little dance..."
The rest of that song is a little inappropriate for me to post on our blog, but lets just say I was singing it all the way home last night from my last day of class for the year! Yeah...I am done, Done, DONE!!!! It feels so good this mornig knowing that after Rachael Ray comes on, I don't have anything to do except lay on the couch and drink coffee!!
A few thoughts on my first year of graduate school:
As strange as this sounds, I felt myself grow smarter this semester, and it hurt a little. I don't necessiarily think that I have gained new knowledge or crammed more facts into my head, but I know my critical thinking and my analyzing skills have increased. My Gender and Communication class was so eye opening this semester. While I don't necessiarily agree with some of the liberal views discussed in class, being exposed to them makes me a stronger person in so many ways. Growing smarter hurt a little because I really had take myself outside of my box and think differently about things. Not always fun...and when a grade depended on my ability to do this, it was frustrating. But, hindsight is 20/20, and I feel smarter, like a better writer (don't use blog posts as examples of this :>) ) and a stronger critical thinker.
A little tribute to my professor, Dr. Lori Byers.
My first grad class ever last semester was with Lori. The moment she came into the classroom, I knew I was going to love her. Spunk, smarts, confidence, and just plain fun as a teacher. She is passionate about what she teaches and lets it shine through everything she says. Midway through last semester, she announced that she was leaving the school at the end of the year to pursue other career opportunities. She has been teaching since 1990 and is ready for a new challenge. I was devastated and decided to enroll in all the classes she was teaching this semester, which lead me to take Gender and Communication.
Fast forward to about a month ago. The Lord opened a door for me that I was hoping to have opened one day, just not so soon. The possibility of a full time sales position with McGraw-Hill was extremely real, and after much prayer and discussion with Dave, I decided to strive for it and do it. I had already received some endorsement from my boss, and a few higher ups had told me they were very pleased I was applying. The possibility of leaving school and going to work full time was almost a definite, but for some reason I couldn't get my heart or my mind to feel peaceful about about the decision to leave school. Last week, Lori gave a little impromptu speech about education. She talked about how education was the best kind of power cause it never goes away. Money fades, jobs go away, but once you have your education, it sticks with you for life. You never loose your degree. She talked about graduate school and how amazing it was that we had decided to get a Masters. She said that we would be the cream of the crop, and that getting a Masters degree proved more then we were smart, it proved we had discipline, motivation, and a desire to excel in everything. Mainly, it said we wanted to be above average.
I had been praying all the way to class that evening (about 40 miles) for the Lord to give me clarity in my decision. I hadn't shared anything with friends or family yet for that specific reason....no peace. I feel like the Lord spoke to me that night through my liberal, lesbian professor Lori Byers. When I heard her talk about school and education, I knew that I needed to finish. I knew I needed to wait. Jobs will always be around, but the more time goes by,the less likely I am to finish school. The next day I called my boss and told her that I wasn't interested in applying anymore. A Masters Degree holder herself, she completely understood and supported me, and I have enjoyed every minute of school since.
The Lord used Lori Byers to change the course of the next two years of my life. Last night I actually shed a little tear in the car on the way home thinking about never being under her teaching again. I have to admit, however, that my first year of graduate school would not be the same without her, and that I owe much of my academic growth to her classes. I can say with all confidence and assurance that 50 years from now I will still be feeling her influence and remember that Tuesday evening when the Lord used someone so unlike me, someone with a completely different life style, way of thinking, morals and convictions, to speak to me about His will and plan for me.
Well...the couch awaits me.
A few thoughts on my first year of graduate school:
As strange as this sounds, I felt myself grow smarter this semester, and it hurt a little. I don't necessiarily think that I have gained new knowledge or crammed more facts into my head, but I know my critical thinking and my analyzing skills have increased. My Gender and Communication class was so eye opening this semester. While I don't necessiarily agree with some of the liberal views discussed in class, being exposed to them makes me a stronger person in so many ways. Growing smarter hurt a little because I really had take myself outside of my box and think differently about things. Not always fun...and when a grade depended on my ability to do this, it was frustrating. But, hindsight is 20/20, and I feel smarter, like a better writer (don't use blog posts as examples of this :>) ) and a stronger critical thinker.
A little tribute to my professor, Dr. Lori Byers.
My first grad class ever last semester was with Lori. The moment she came into the classroom, I knew I was going to love her. Spunk, smarts, confidence, and just plain fun as a teacher. She is passionate about what she teaches and lets it shine through everything she says. Midway through last semester, she announced that she was leaving the school at the end of the year to pursue other career opportunities. She has been teaching since 1990 and is ready for a new challenge. I was devastated and decided to enroll in all the classes she was teaching this semester, which lead me to take Gender and Communication.
Fast forward to about a month ago. The Lord opened a door for me that I was hoping to have opened one day, just not so soon. The possibility of a full time sales position with McGraw-Hill was extremely real, and after much prayer and discussion with Dave, I decided to strive for it and do it. I had already received some endorsement from my boss, and a few higher ups had told me they were very pleased I was applying. The possibility of leaving school and going to work full time was almost a definite, but for some reason I couldn't get my heart or my mind to feel peaceful about about the decision to leave school. Last week, Lori gave a little impromptu speech about education. She talked about how education was the best kind of power cause it never goes away. Money fades, jobs go away, but once you have your education, it sticks with you for life. You never loose your degree. She talked about graduate school and how amazing it was that we had decided to get a Masters. She said that we would be the cream of the crop, and that getting a Masters degree proved more then we were smart, it proved we had discipline, motivation, and a desire to excel in everything. Mainly, it said we wanted to be above average.
I had been praying all the way to class that evening (about 40 miles) for the Lord to give me clarity in my decision. I hadn't shared anything with friends or family yet for that specific reason....no peace. I feel like the Lord spoke to me that night through my liberal, lesbian professor Lori Byers. When I heard her talk about school and education, I knew that I needed to finish. I knew I needed to wait. Jobs will always be around, but the more time goes by,the less likely I am to finish school. The next day I called my boss and told her that I wasn't interested in applying anymore. A Masters Degree holder herself, she completely understood and supported me, and I have enjoyed every minute of school since.
The Lord used Lori Byers to change the course of the next two years of my life. Last night I actually shed a little tear in the car on the way home thinking about never being under her teaching again. I have to admit, however, that my first year of graduate school would not be the same without her, and that I owe much of my academic growth to her classes. I can say with all confidence and assurance that 50 years from now I will still be feeling her influence and remember that Tuesday evening when the Lord used someone so unlike me, someone with a completely different life style, way of thinking, morals and convictions, to speak to me about His will and plan for me.
Well...the couch awaits me.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Three hours in the dark
This is Dave lighting the candles in our living room so we could have some light after the power went out just before 7 pm last night. The camera flash really illuminated the picture, but in reality it was pretty much pitch black. We had the 5th severe thunder storm since the beginning of April roll through little ole Euless Texas last night. No hail or tornado's this time, just heavy heavy rain, strong winds (reported 90 mph in Dallas, about 60 here) and some of the loudest thunder and lighting I had ever heard. When the power went out we were really "powerless" to do anything. It's amazing how bored you get when you can't even read (our flashlight was in the car...bad idea). What's amazing, though, is that my in laws saved the night...all the way from Arkansas. Two years ago, when Dave and I were engaged, they gave us each a mini light key chain in our stockings for Christmas. I still had mine on my keys, so I had a little light to move around. Last Christmas, we all got laser/light pens in our stocking (they love little gadgets). Dave thankfully had this in his pocket when the lights went out, so he had some light too. We were able to light candles, I stumbled for the camera and took this picture,which turned out pretty good for taking it in the dark, and spent the next three hours laying on the ground and drawing pictures on the ceiling with the red laser from the pen Dave had and making each other guess what we were drawing.
As much as I was bummed about the power going out (we didn't get to watch Lost and I lost 3 hours of work time in my paper) I reflected on the Lord's protection of our house,cars, lives, etc. 5 storms and this is the worst thing that has happened so far. Praise the Lord for his protection.
The power came back on at about 10. I watched the news this morning and they reported 200,000 customers still had no power across north Texas. Again, I was so thankful for the Lord's provision in even the smallest things as electricity.
Who wants to take bets on when storm 6 will hit? Anyone, anyone?
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
I am about to...
...disappear for a week. I have been working all semester on the hardest paper in my life to ever write for my Quantitative Research Methods class, and now I have to finish it in a week. This is very doable, as all I have to do is write up the results from my experiment and the discussion of the results. So what makes this hard you may ask? Well, writing in numbers is so very difficult for me. Numbers in general are difficult for me. All semester we have been learning how to take our data and run statistical tests on them to discover if the research question we chose was true, false, or whatever. My question was "To what extent does self-disclosure influence friendships in children grades 3-5?". I have been surveying tons and tons of kids from Dave's school to get my data. Last week I met with my prof. and she helped me run all the data through the computer to get my results, and now I have to write them up like a statistician. Oh boy. Prayers are appreciated.
On the upside, this is my last assignment to finish for the semester. Once this paper is done I am home free till August! Last semester I was pretty confident in my grades and ended up getting both A's. This semester is a little different. I have had a good mix of A's and B's on my assignments as the semester has progressed, and much weight lies in my final papers, so who knows at this point. I will accept B's...no problem with that! However, when I did get two A's in my first semester I thought to myself "if I only take two classes a semester, there is no reason why I can't get A's all the way through!". That, of course, was before I submitted myself to the torture of quantitative research. Bleh Bleh Bleh.
Expect a post from me in a week jumping up and down with joy for a nice three month long break.
On the upside, this is my last assignment to finish for the semester. Once this paper is done I am home free till August! Last semester I was pretty confident in my grades and ended up getting both A's. This semester is a little different. I have had a good mix of A's and B's on my assignments as the semester has progressed, and much weight lies in my final papers, so who knows at this point. I will accept B's...no problem with that! However, when I did get two A's in my first semester I thought to myself "if I only take two classes a semester, there is no reason why I can't get A's all the way through!". That, of course, was before I submitted myself to the torture of quantitative research. Bleh Bleh Bleh.
Expect a post from me in a week jumping up and down with joy for a nice three month long break.
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