If it weren't for Bad Luck I would have no luck at all.

 Well, I planned on quilting over the long Labor Day weekend, but received some bad news. I had my Colonoscopy and they found something. The doctor sent me to a Surgeon, and he broke the news that I have Colon Cancer. He scheduled me for surgery on Friday, September 22. According to the CT Scan, it is only in  my colon and only about 5 centimeters. He said that as long as it has not gotten in to the Lymph-nodes, I won't have to undergo Chemo, but that we won't know until the surgery when he removes the parts of the colon that are Cancer and some of the Lymph-Nodes to test them. So this weekend, is going to be a lazy, do nothing, accomplish nothing weekend.

AAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNDDDDDDDDDDDDD its summer time. Almost a full year in our new home!

 Ok, we have been in our home almost a year now. I have finally posted an update to my quilt blog as I have started quilting again. Yeah me. I finally unpacked 1 of the many sewing machines I have. We have found 2 quilt shops nearby, one was found when my in-laws visited at Thanksgiving, the other just a few weeks ago. 

So yesterday Cocoa had to go in for her yearly check up and Natasha went in for a shot. low and behold Cocoa has been packing on the pounds because Natasha is taller than she is so she decided she needs to be bigger than Natasha. Coca weighed in at 19.16 lbs and Natasha at 19.45 lbs. while there they told David that Natasha is at the perfect weight for her. They wanted to verify that the slight heart murmur they detected on Cocoa was a new occurrence and not something they didn't notate last year. So Cocoa has developed a slight heart murmur since last year, Xander had notice that in the last week or so, she has taken to panting heavily and getting restless around bedtime. Right now they suggest just keeping an eye on it, that it is not serious (2 on a scale out of 6), but of course, I am reminded of the time we had Buckeye and took him to be neutered and they said to David, that we had opted for the non-laser surgery. David said there was a laser option, they said yes but they didn't press for it as this was not a major surgery and David's comment was its not major when it's not happening to you, when it is you consider everything major. He asked the cost (this was 25 years ago in Ohio) and the neutering was $35 and laser was like another $5. He told them to use the laser. Buckeye bounced around the house the next day like he had not had surgery. My parents were like are you sure he had surgery, he was so active. Fast for 4ish years and Xander gets BJ. Prices to neuter in Alabama were around $350 (depending on dog weight) and another $200 if you wanted laser.  

All that said, we are monitor her. I have feeling we might move up the time frame on getting another dog, so Natasha is not lonely should something happen to Cocoa. 

Xander is turning 20 next week, he has just completed 2 years at Elmhurst University, with at least the much if not a bit longer to go, as he has changed from Math Major with Minor in Education, to 2 Majors in Digital Media and looking at 3 or 4 Minors within the same discipline (just as crazy as his Mom was for trying for 2 different Majors {Business Information Technology & Marketing} and 2 different Minors {History & Computer Science}).  I think he is also thinking about getting a Masters too (like his dad), not sure if he will go for his doctorate yet or not, only time will tell. 

We get along with our detached next door neighbor and even their attached neighbor, but we rarely even see our attached neighbor and she is not communicative, you say Hi and she ignores you or acts like you are going to rob her. David knows at least 4 our neighbors behind us and several of their dogs. You rarely see her outside, I have seen her pulling into her garage and she barely has her car cleared and she is closing the door already. While we have sun blocking curtains up, we do leave the sliding door curtain ajar when we are home and we have a lacy curtain over our kitchen sink. Our neighbor has blackout curtains so tightly covered, you don't seen a hint of interior light at night, not even over her kitchen sink. Our friendly neighbors said she just acts like she doesn't hear them. At the rate she is going, she might as well live in an apartment building, she is only hurting herself, no one is going to know her and be able or willing to help her if help is needed.

Catching up

 I know it has been a while. Covid, Xander Graduating, adding a baby (pup) to the family, house shopping, getting pre-approved, signing contract, choosing all the options, having them come back 3 different times that the flooring we had chosen was no longer in stock, waiting on the house to be built, packing, signing mortgage paperwork, moving, blowing a tire at 5:30 am on busy interstate, changing tire, buying new tires, changing job positions within same company, unpacking (this is going to take a long time). We moved into our new home August 15. The in-laws came to visit for Thanksgiving and I think they were impressed with the size and layout of the house. 

I have a longer drive (50 minutes in to work and an hour plus home). When I haven't been working, I've been unpacking. Last weekend I took several days off to rearrange and set up my sewing area, reorganized my fabrics and started sewing. Realized that the quilt pieces I had been sewing into strips were just enough for a throw, but I have no matching material for binding. I have decided to put aside until I get more similar fabric to add a few more rows/columns, borders, binding and backing. I have pulled out a few others that have been cut to work on.

Our little girl is now 16 months old. A TToodle (Tibetan Terrier Poodle mix). We named her Natasha (as in the Black Widow), which is fitting as she is black with a white patch on her chest and chin.

Cocoa (top) Natasha (bottom) waiting for Dad to finish teaching in his upstairs office

Natasha enjoying their bed with a bone

David on front porch of our new home

Natasha laying on the floor

Cocoa jealous of Natasha getting attention so she stood up and started kissing him

David with Natasha the first few months we had Natasha

Graduation is getting closer!!

Final days of classes. Graduation is coming quickly. May graduation. Once I have graduated, moving and looking for a job, then I plan on getting back to quilting. I am attending my last WiCyS conference as a student. I have attended my last Hackathon's as a student. I am attending last meetings with student organizations. I will miss those classmates who have made a difference and I hope there are those who will miss me. 

Been thinking

As graduation draws near, I start thinking about what I want to do. I have talked to Doc Wells, my advisor, Dr. Talbert, one of my professors, and Doc Brown (hubby) about grad school. Option on what I can do, whether it is PhD in Engineering focusing on Computer Forensics, etc.

David said I am never going to finish school. Once I finish, if we are still at Tech, I might apply to help Doc Wells teach computer forensic courses and get either another degree under B.I.T. or a certificate program set up.

How time has flown

Here it is August 2018. School beings for me on Monday and it is hard to believe that, as long as everything goes as planned. I will be graduating in the Spring. On top of which, Xander has turned 15 and has earned his Drivers Permit. He starts driving lessons on Monday. It can't wait until he can get his real Drivers License next summer, when he turns 16. Now my degree will be dual majors - Business Information Technology & Marketing and dual minors - History & Computer Science.

How time has flown - Looking towards Graduating

As is typical with college students, I have changed my major and added minors. I started school and thought I would go for an Accounting Degree. After the first semester, I decided that I would rather major in marketing. During the second semester, the School of Business hosted a  Breakfast before Dawn bi-weekly gathering. I attended and talked with the Chair of the Decision Science department, after he heard my previous tech experience and my passion in my voice, he talked me into adding B.I.T. (Business Information Technology) as a major to my degree.

I took several history classes just for fun and have completed a minor in history. I started attending some Cyber Eagles student group meetings and got involved with GenCyber Camp. Last year I actively joined Cyber Eagles, Cyber Eagles-W, ACM, ACM-E & AITP groups.

 Last fall, I took several Computer science classes based on Dr. Siraj's recommendations. Between those classes and the one I took this past Spring, registered for this Summer and registered for this Fall, will finish off a Computer Science minor, as long as I pass the classes with at least a C or better.

I took a Computer Forensics class with Doc Wells and feel in love with finding hidden data. Dr. Siraj is trying to talk me into getting a Masters in Cyber Security. I am debating between Cyber Security and Computer Forensics Masters. That is, if I can get funding and accepted to the programs.

If I pass all my classes that I am taking this Summer, Fall and Spring. I will be graduating May 2019, after dropping my Marketing major because the classes and info is very outdated.