Exam Cram and Photography Heaven  

On Friday the 9th, I had to drive up to Casa Grande to take an exam that determined if I would be able to move forward in my program for my degree. I was a little worried about the reading and writing, but I was freaking out over the math. I am not a math person. I have never been a math person. I will never be a math person. I just do not have the type of brain that works well in that type of thinking. Needless to say the few days leading up to the test were a little hectic and stressed. I studied like crazy and I was grateful for a very patient tutor that was by my side the entire way. Cody luckily is very good at math, and was an enormous help. He just kept telling me I could do it, and deep inside I think it helped.

The day of the exam crept up on me quickly and I was on my way to Casa Grande early that morning. I was schedule to start my exam at noon but I had to be there early to check in and make sure that I had all of the necessary identification and paperwork. I went in to make sure I was set and the guy at the testing center said they were not very busy that day so I could start early if I wanted. I have to admit, I panicked a little and then got over it. I ran outside and called Cody to let him know I was heading in early. It was a 4 1/2 hour test, so I wanted him to know when I was starting it. I got in, took a few deep breaths and dove in. I was breezing through the reading, and then got to the math portion. I just told myself that I could only do my best. I hammered through it and eventually got to the writing portion. I was surprised, the only part I was actually crammed for time on was the writing segment. I still was able to finish it, but I wished I had more time to look over my essay. Each part of the test was timed individually, so I couldn't borrow any of the extra time I had on my reading exam. After the test was complete it showed me my unofficial scores for the reading and math. I passed!! I was way above the required score on both!! I was so surprised because I actually scored one point higher on my math than on my reading. I guess all of the studying paid off. Now I am awaiting my official scores which will have the writing score with it as well. I pretty sure I passed but you never know. I have about another week before they come in.

I was really happy to be out of the testing center and made all of the phone calls to those who were waiting to hear how it went. It was nice to be able to tell them I passed. After the exam, I was on my way up to Phoenix to spend the night with my sister and then attend a photography workshop the next day. I made it up to her house in about an hour and as a congrats for doing well on my test, Cody treated me to a pedicure! Shanny had never gotten one so it was a lot of fun getting to experience that with her. We were laughing tons and just relaxing which is something neither of us had been able to do in a long time. Especially together! It had been since before Joshua was born that we'd had a sister's night with just the two of us. Apparently we were pretty funny to the ladies there because we had everyone laughing. It went something like:

"Shanny, are you gonna get a flower?"
"No..."
"Why??! You need a flower."
"No, really it's ok"
"No, really you need a flower."
"OK... I'll get the flower."

Then we went on to talk about who's feet we got. I think we decided that Shannon has my Dad's feet and I have my Mom's. The ladies there were rolling. We weren't even trying to be funny. It was SO MUCH FUN!!! It was the perfect thing after such a stressful week.

After we finished our toes we thought we would find something to eat but we both needed to do some homework so we drove over th Shanny's school to use the library. It was closed so we headed back to Shannon's. I was glad that I got to see her school though. It is a really nice campus and I think it fits her well. When we got back, we went down and sat by the pool while we worked because that area had a better internet connection. It was really nice. I didn't even really mind that I was doing homework. After we finished up we decided to drive forever and go to Olive Garden. It was well worth the drive and we had a great server who made it even more fun. The food was super tasty and we even got some lemon cake for dessert.

We headed back to the house and even though I was having a great time I couldn't keep my eyes open. I had only gotten three hours of sleep the night before and had made a 3 1/2 hour drive that day. I was wiped out. Shanny was so sweet and insisted I sleep in her bed. I felt like my head had just hit the pillow when the alarms went off. Yes, alarm...s. We are both really heavy sleepers and don't particularly care for the morning. So to make sure we got up on time we set a few alarms.

It was hard getting up early after a long day and late night, but I was SO EXCITED!!! I was on my way to attend an all day photography workshop that I had waited months to attend. A good friend of mine recommended it because her cousin was one of the amazing photographers who created it. I had about an hour drive to get there from my sisters but it was nice to be able to visit with Cody while I made the drive. Somehow I managed to forget directions so he guided me there. Thanks heavens!! The workshop was supposed to be 10 hours but ended up being around 11 hours. I guess we were a chatty group. We went over a ton of information and it was well worth all of the pennies I saved to be able to go. That afternoon they had some models come for us to have a photo shoot with. They had two young women from their ward that were sisters and another family that lived across the street who were also from their ward. I have done a lot of family pictures and decided to practice my new tips on the two girls. I will be starting into the senior portrait market this year so I thought it would be a great place to start. The girls were really sweet and great models.

After the photo shoot was complete, we headed back in to have dinner and finish up. We finally tied up the last few knots at 9:30 that night and I had to decide if I would drive the hour back to Shanny's and stay the night or just head home. I knew the drive home would be a long one, but I was ready to get back and see my hubby and bug-a-boo (Joshua. Where I got that nickname I don't know but it's the one that stuck). I called Cody and started the drive home. I got off on the wrong exit so I had to go an alternate route which took a little longer. Traffic was awful and I was disappointed because I was looking forward to a quite drive home to think about all of the exciting stuff I had been able to learn and perfect. But it was probably better that it was busy because it kept me awake. I finally made it home at 1:00 a.m., and was welcomed by Cody who had waited up for me. I walked in and he had picked up the house and had gotten me flowers to congratulate me for passing my test. I'm sure I had a pretty big smile on my face. There are not a lot of places to get flowers here in Willcox, and I was a little bummed that the ones he got didn't last very long. I was only able to get a picture of one of the lilys. The roses were long gone and the other lily's were getting to be pretty sad.

Even though I was ready for bed I pulled out the computer and edited a couple of images from the day. I was just too excited to wait until morning. I still have a ton of learning to do, and so much work to put in before I get to the level of photography I would like to eventually reach but this workshop was one very big step in the right direction.

It was another long and crazy weekend, which it seems like our family has been involved in far too often these days. However, it was fantastic! I am so excited for the new things that are coming our way for photography and for the chance to continue my education and work towards my goal of being a teacher like my Mom. It was nice to spend time with Shanny and have a girls night but it was also so great to come home to my two boys. I was able to really see what a blessed girl I am during my time away. I am so grateful for the many things my Heavenly Father has given me and I hope I always remember how wonderful each of those blessing are.