Strait A's - so far.

Well, I managed to get all A's in my last four classes.  I had a few weeks breather and now it's the Summer semester.  The three classes for this seven-week semester are: Math review II, English Composition, and Communication 450 (Communication, Gender & Culture).  With the first week behind me, I think I am ready for the next six weeks.  It will take all my concentration, but I can do it!  Seven weeks will be over on June 29th!  Then I will be taking a humanities class from June 30th through August 20th.  Fall semester starts September 6th.  Then I will be on campus, yay!!!!!  I am sure it will be a whole different world! 

Locked out!

Yesterday was the first time I have ever gotten completely locked out of my house. I had to ask someone to drive me to the church building where my husband was parked so that I could borrow his garage door opener. My brain must have taken a short vacation. I hope that does not ever happen again!

Ugggghhhh.

Fighting a cold is no fun. I managed to go to church last Sunday, go to the gym on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, & Saturday. Friday I felt awful, but not the sickest I have ever been. I also managed to clean my house twice during the week (including Friday). I thought I was getting better. I was so tired yesterday (Sunday), and grumpy too. This morning I feel yucky, but not horrible. I am glad this cold is not as horrible as it could be.
On a brighter note: no more Winter! Yahhhhhoooooooooo! 

Thank God for Extra Credit!

Well, at least I got a B- on the Human Anatomy final. I got 88 out of 108 correct. That is 81.49% correct. I got 10 extra credit points. My total points for the whole class are 463 (out of 496). That is 93.35%. That should give me an A as my end grade. That would be nice since I am a little disappointed about missing 20 questions! I can't believe I missed so many! Oh well. Now that HA is over, I need to get to work on my other three classes! I have a mid-term in my math class. I am real glad the test is not timed. Okay, now for a workout at the gym! 

100% !!!!!!!!!!

I just finished my 4th Human Anatomy test, and I was able to answer all the questions correctly! It helped that we only had 2 chapters to cover this week! The first three tests covered too much information. Week one was 4 chapters. On that test I got 48 correct, out of 51. The 2nd week covered eight chapters. It was quite difficult to find all the answers, let alone remember everything! That time I got 43 out of 50 correct. Most of the questions were about muscles. After 2 1/2 hours of searching for specific muscles, I started to go cross-eyed. The 3rd week was 5 chapters (the nervous system), and on the test I scored 48 out of 52 correctly. Some of the chapters are really long. Next week is the cardiovascular system, which is 3 chapters long. I read some of the first chapter (blood) a few weeks ago, so it shouldn't be too horrible. FUN FUN!

Me: Hashimoto's thyroiditis & thyroid nodules

I'm not trying to get any sympathy from anyone. I just thought I would post some information on what I have been suffering with. I was diagnosed in 2007. I have to have a thyroid ultrasound at least once per year. I am currently taking thyroid hormones. The only thing about the following information that does NOT apply to me, and hopefully NEVER will is having a diagnosis of cancer. I have had ALL the tests, side effects,  & symptoms listed.
 A lot of people get Hashimoto's confused with hypothyroidism, or Grave's disease. I copied the following information and a link to the page it is from below:

Hashimoto's disease is a disease, and hypothyroidism is a condition. Hypothyroidism is most commonly caused by Hashimoto's disease, but the two terms are not interchangeable.

Hashimoto's disease, sometimes known as Hashimoto's thyroiditis, autoimmune thyroiditis, or chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, is an autoimmune disease. In Hashimoto's, antibodies react against proteins in the thyroid gland, causing gradual destruction of the gland itself, and making the gland unable to produce the thyroid hormones the body needs.

Hashimoto's typically involves a slow but steady destruction of the gland that eventually results in the thyroid's inability to produce sufficient thyroid hormone -- the condition known as hypothyroidism. Along the way, however, there can be periods where the thyroid sputters back to life, even causing temporary hyperthyroidism, then a return to hypothyroidism. This cycling back and forth between hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism is characteristic of Hashimoto's disease. So, for example, periods of anxiety/insomnia/diarrhea/weight loss may be followed by periods of depression/fatigue/constipation/weight gain.

http://thyroid.about.com/cs/hypothyroidism/a/hashivshypo.htm

Thyroid nodules are very common. A nodule is a swelling or lump, which can be a solid or liquid filled cyst or mass. Most are benign, but a small percentage can be cancerous. So you should always have a nodule evaluated by your physician as soon as you notice it. An estimated one in 12 to 15 women and one in 50 men has a thyroid nodule More than 90 percent of all thyroid nodules are not cancerous.

http://thyroid.about.com/cs/nodulesgoiters/a/nodules.htm

A nodule is more likely to be cancerous if it falls into certain risk factors:

Larger nodules - over 4 centimeters, are more likely to be cancerous than nodules less than 4 centimeters

• Men's nodules are more likely to be cancerous than women's nodules
• A solitary nodule is more likely to be cancerous than nodules found in a "multinodular" thyroid
• Nodules in a person younger than 20 or older than 70
• History of external neck irradiation during childhood
• "Cold" characterization on ultrasound - meaning that the nodule does not absorb iodine or make thyroid hormone

A conservative estimate is that as many as 5% of adults (an estimated 15 million Americans) have thyroid nodules -- lumps or growths located in the thyroid gland. Most of these nodules are non-cancerous (benign). In 2007, an estimated 30,200 cases of thyroid cancer were diagnosed.
Determining which nodules are cancerous is a challenge that typically falls to endocrinologists. Endocrinologists typically evaluate nodules with radioactiove uptake scans, ultrasound, and blood tests.
Those nodules that remain suspicious are evaluated by a procedure known as fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy. 
 
 http://thyroid.about.com/od/cancergoiternodules/a/galectin3.htm

Joyce Birkenstock, artist of angels

This woman is an amazing artist. Here is a link to a web-site dedicated to her artwork:

http://www.joycebirkenstock.com/

A new favorite:

Cat Nap, by Joyce Birkenstock