Hectic Season!

I can't believe my last post was in Sept! That's crazy. So much has happened since then...

We found out that my youngest has mild aortic stenosis...he was born with two aortic valves instead of three and that's what caused his heart murmur. Valves develop in the first few weeks of pregnancy and I had the flu at the very beginning of the pregnancy with him...dunno if the fever played a part or what. We're worried because of what it could mean for him if it progresses past the mild stage. For example, even at the moderate stage, he'd be unable to play sports. However, his cardiologist says not to worry at this point, just watch for changes and to let him be a kid (mild doesn't require any special adjustments). Some people go all their lives without progressing one iota, so we're hoping for the best.

I finally made it through Fall trimester! My Algebra class was brutal and I won't know till tomorrow if I passed or not. I've never come so close to failing a class in my life...I really don't want to take it over again. I passed Internet Marketing and Communication. I've got two weeks off before Winter term starts...maybe to work, maybe to relax...dunno yet. Next up is Management, Advertising and Social Media Marketing...I'm taking a break from math before Statistics in the Spring, but got a heads up that the Intermediate Algebra course I just finished is way harder.

I asked my doc about the Essure procedure of sterilization and he told me of an improved version, called Adiana, and referred me to a colleague of his. It took two separate surgery dates before it finally took, so now we're waiting for the 3 month mark to be sure everything set right. If all goes well, I'm done having kids. The two (three if you count my niece) I have test my patience...I figure it's best not to test my luck.

I've gained a lot of great experience on oDesk lately, mostly in creating marketing materials, and one client referred me to one of her clients, who has since referred me to two others. I'm ecstatic that my skills are so well-thought of and I'm given a chance to advance in Marketing. I'll probably get some Adobe CS5 software for this, while the student discounts are still available. Next, I'd like to get hands-on with ecommerce admin and active online marketing campaigns or social media work.

I had some time to kill today and decided to look up language learning. I thought Rosetta Stone, while useful, was so far out of my budget it isn't funny. So, I looked up what was available for free and came across a site called LiveMocha"...It covered all 6 languages I want to learn (French, German, Italian, Gaelic, Latin and Cherokee), so I signed up. So far, I'm partway through the first French lesson. I've also gotten a start on gaining 'points' by helping those learning English to improve their skills. It's pretty cool...I'm enjoying it so far...

I better get going and make some dinner for the gang (got a house-full). We've got a full lunar eclipse tonight that I don't wanna miss...just in time for Yule!

Hope you're all well and enjoying this holiday season!