I'm Dreeeaaming of a Caaannnon Reeeebel....

Well I can dream. I've started saving (so I'm not buying anybody Christmas presents!) =). I'm so selfish!

School is FINALLY out!!!!!! Now I've got to find out what to do with my Tuesdays and Thursdays. I don't start again until the end of January. With Denice!!! She's going for her Masters. I'm so proud of her! Oh~so Stef and I were in Target yesterday and we were talking about kids and how Mat and I are going to be some of the most relaxed parents and how Denice's poor kids were going to suffer under her parentage. (Can you imagine having a linguist for a mother?!) We decided that their punishments would be having to READ THE DICTIONARY and LEARN 50 NEW WORDS! On top of that I wouldn't be surprised if her kids had to put them in a proper sentence. Poor kids--they're going to go to their Aunt Steffys and Deannas for some fun. Like, if they are bad at our house we're going to be like "Oh! You were bad? Have a popsicle? AND you learned a lesson? Have two!!" Just as long as she doesn't name her kids something like Eugene and Eugenia. Awww...her poor unborn children.

Mat is doing good. He got a job at In 'n Out (and LOVES it!!) and is waiting on a response from a law firm here in town that would be a great opportunity for him. His work schedule stinks because they put him in smack dab in the middle of the day. Yuck! But he likes it so oh well...

Well I'm out of cleverness....Stef is sucking it all out of me! Ta ta!

Friday Photography

So I have this hairbrained idea~I'm going to drop out of school, buy this old abandoned building and open my own photography studio. That would be so much fun! But I guess I couldn't do it without knowing a thing or two about accounting and owning my own business, so I guess I'll stay in school! =) Stef and I went out to have a photo day at the end of daylight on Friday and I found the COOLEST abandoned building--it had SO MUCH texture and feel to it, so we made it our back round. Below are some of the pics that I took of Stef--I really want to get into this whole photography thing. If anyone is feeling generous I'll take the digital Canon Rebel XT. =) What do you think of the pics?--think I could eventually start my own business? Isn't Stef beautiful?!

Inspiration

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,

When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,

As every one of us sometimes learns,

And many a failure turns about,

When you might have won had you stuck it out,

Don't give up though the pace seems slow,

You may succeed with another blow.

Often the struggler has given up

When he might have captured the victors cup;

And he learned too late when the night came down,

How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt

And you never can tell how close you are,

It may be close though it seems so far,

So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,

It's when things seem worst,

That you must not quit!

This poem seems to mean a lot to me right now. There is a lot going on and I'm beginning to get a little down. I've tried to keep a good attitude about everything, knowing that it's all going to turn around and come out fine, but its tough. School has proven to be a lot harder than what I expected. My teachers have very high expectations of their business students, and traditionally I would have just said forget it-I'll just give the minimum, but that's not getting me good grades. I have the rest of the semester to pick everything up and do great. And I can do it~that's different. I would not have cared that much before. Pray that Mat gets a job-for both our sakes. I know everything will turn out okay but it's the going is a little rough right now. Lots of changes. But change is good, so I'm excited to see what become of everything going on. Well, back to work.

Lazy Day

Today is such a lazy day! Its not very often that weekends are so relaxed. I feel as though I haven't been home all week (and I really don't think that I have) because we have had something every day and every night. But today the only thing we were supposed to do was canceled, as so it turns out that I have had quite the free afternoon. I sat down last night and started a book and finished it this afternoon. And it was mindless reading, not a textbook. I took a bath for an hour and a half and watched a whole movie last night. Had lunch and layed around relaxing with my husband. Did some chores and all at my own pace. I am loving today. Tonight I am to go and play tennis with my husband. And I'm still in my pajamas. A perfect, cost-free day. Well, just to put a damper on it, I do think I'm going to get some homework, but thats good. It'll still be on my time. Well I just wanted to write about my perfect day.

Hands, Hands, Anointed Hands

Our girls are fabulous! They did such a good job on Sunday. They signed absolutely beautifully and really put their hearts into the song. It's been a while since they did such a heartfelt performance. They even got cheering and such. But they received several compliments because of the emotion and passion that they put into their song! I'm so proud of them and just had to post! I'll post pics and a video soon!

Schedules and School

Well school has started and my days are once again busy and on a schedule. I am so happy!! I am FINALLY in my last two years of school! This semester my classes are Intermediate Accounting, Accounting Information Systems, Fundamentals of Finance, Intro to Marketing and American Sign Language. I am already loving my ASL class and hope that I can get a lot out of it. I found out that interpreters, if they work in a courtroom, can make about $100/hour. Not bad, not bad. Maybe a change of major? JUST KIDDING MOM!! =) I actually enjoy accounting and the work involved in it. I'll definitely be happier when I know more about the process and being able to reach a point where I have enough knowledge that I can start my own business and take clients. Until then though I'll work hard. Three of my teachers are saying that preparing for tests, quizzes etc is going take 13-15 hours outside of class. That's for each class! Welcome to upper division. But that's alright because I know if I do it then I'll just feel that much more proud if I get a good grade.

This weekend my husband and I got invited to go to Bakersfield, Universal Studios and head down to San Diego. All expenses paid. How great is that??! We're going with my in-laws. Then in a couple weeks I think we're going to be headed back down there for Praise on the Mountain. I haven't been in years and am really looking forward to it. If we get to go.

I've really been in the mood to scrapbook and haven't had the chance for beans. I take the bus up to school which takes a little over an hour. This is how long it would take in a car but I don't have to pay for parking and its free to ride the bus. How great is that! But it does seem like it takes a little longer because there is very little rest it in. So I'm beat. Last night when I got home from school the only dream I dreampt THE WHOLE NIGHT was that I was trying to catch the bus and wandering between school, the bus and the bus stop trying to find and catch a bus. It was a terrible dream because it kept me semi-awake. Frustrating. Hopefully thats a one time thing.

That's all for now. I'll write back with an update of classes and how its going. Adios!

Left...

I took a nap this afternoon (I have been SOOOO tired lately) and everyone left me home and went to church without me! sniff....so not only am I alone, I missed church. =(

I've been playing with Photoshop a lot lately, I'll have to make another post because we only have Elements at the house and the good stuff at the church. This is what I've done in Elements. You can tell I'm still pretty much a beginner--you should have seen the stuff I did before this!

BEFORE AFTER (There's still too much glow but I love the glow look)

BEFORE AFTER (Nano is totally my favorite subject. He isn't camera shy (in fact it cheers him up anytime--I just had to get these ones because of the look and tease him) amd those eyes!!!

BEFORE AFTER(Lina's BEAUTIFUL, I didn't work very long on this because I was just experimenting. I probably should have made the backround b/w.)

BEFORE AFTER (I'm still not sure how to do a fade over correctly but this turned out okay.)

So you can tell I'm not very good still but I'm working on it. This was all in elements. I love regular photoshop. In my second life I'm going to become a good photographer and go into business for myself. What the heck! I think I'll do that in this life~anyone have an extra Canon Digital Rebel XT lying around somewhere???

My name is Ann and I graduated from Sac State, his last name is Chappa, and we look WEIRD!!! Mat's interview with the Dispatch

Perserverence Pays Off
12:12 PMBy Perry Shirley
Staff Writer

Gilroy - Matt Chappa didn't want to be at Gilroy High School. He didn't like the work, didn't see the point. It didn't help that when he did call it quits, dropping out in 2001, he found good work as a cabinet maker in Gilroy.
No more teachers, no more school, but lots of cash, full benefits and plenty of freedom. Life was good.
But eventually things changed.
At first it was seeing his friends graduate, but also his longtime girlfriend, now his wife Ann, plowing on toward her college degree. Then a pastor at his church and his parents pressed him to return to school. He also got hit with a strong dose of reality. First, the woodworking industry took a hit and the money became scarce. Then, in 2002, he got in a serious car accident. His car spun out on the way to work after being T-boned on the driver's side by a Ford F-250 pickup.
Laying in a hospital bed with severe head trauma, a ruptured spleen and bruised liver, he was again encouraged by the support of others.
"The people at the hospital ... they said 'you should be dead' or 'you should be a vegetable right now. You shouldn't be talking to me,' " Chappa, 23, recalled.
Little by little he found he wanted to be in high school, or at least he wanted that diploma. Whatever the reason - money, job placement, pride, there's a place for adults who decide they want to earn their high school diploma: the Gilroy Adult Education program on the campus of South Valley Middle School. It's a small, mostly evening program in downtown Gilroy with a teaching staff of seven. But they are excited about working with adults willing to be taught.
"We work with mature, intelligent people," said Principal Alma Quintana. "You walk into a high school and it's a difficult time. Anyone who walks into the Adult Ed wants to be there. 'Want' is a magical word for teachers - they are open to learning, open to instruction."
On June 8, Chappa walked for the 2007 Gilroy Adult Education Graduation ceremony, one of 26 graduates who earned either a diploma or a GED. For many, it's just a stepping stone.
Chappa will be attending Gavilan College next year. The oldest graduate, 30-year-old Mexican immigrant Saide Perez-Medina, said she went back to get a job at a paper factory that requires GEDs but she plans to take online college courses.
When Chappa watched his high school friends and his girlfriend don their caps and gowns, he knew he should have been with them. But he still had that echo, reminding him of how little he liked school and why. As a youth leader at a local church, Chappa hears the same complaints he used to have, including "my teachers don't care."
Not so with the adult ed program and community college.
"The biggest difference for me was when teachers took an interest in me," Chappa said. Giving help to adults trying to earn their degrees can get contagious.
He credits his wife, a Sacramento State University graduate, and an Administration of Justice instructor at Gavilan College, Steven Smith, for pushing "to get that milestone."
Perry Shirley is a news intern and currently attends San Francisco State University. He can be reached at pshirley@svnewspaper.com. Christopher Quirk contributed to this report.

Graduation

Just some graduation pics. BA here I come!!

To Jeff~

There is never a reason to be afraid of me~no matter how life turned out for either you or me I will always love you and hold a special place in my heart for you. You were always such a good friend to me at times when I really needed a friend. You were so fun to pick on and I remember your laugh and how easily you were embarrased about little things. Every time you cross my mind I still pray for you and that no matter what decisions you have made or what path in life you have chosen that God would still be your guide and that His angels would surround and protect you. You mean a lot to me and I want you to realize that I will always be your friend and I'm here whenever you need to talk. Call me anytime and WRITE ME BACK!! =)

With all my love and friendship,

Deanna.

SSSSSTTRRRRREEESSED!!

Oh my god I'm stressing. I have in my possession 3 finals--two for economics and one for business law. This does not include the final I have on Monday for stats. I literally felt sick tonight because of the pressure. So not good, so I need to get it out out my system before I go nuts. Just this one weekend and I'M DONE!!! At least done with Gav. =) I've gotten all my paperwork in for SJSU so two more years of that and I'm really done. I'm seriously considering getting my CPA license. I think I would regret it if I didn't get it. But we'll see. Well I must go so that I can finish budgeting and start working on my finals. I think I'll just go to bed actually~I have to work tomorrow and I'm so tired. Until next time...

Nothing Funner

I don't very often do this because I always look stupid and Stef doesn't mind looking stupid (she has HUNDREDS , MULTI-HUNDREDS of these. No kidding. But these were ours. Click on them to make them bigger. So its just the two of us and she looks stupider than me...so we can show these.

HALFWAY DONE!!

Oh my god! It has taken me FOREVER to reach this point. You look at my transcripts and you can tell when I really started to get serious about school and finishing it. Right around the time that I would "just go to Gav and finish." So I'm finally halfway done this May. I'm going to SJSU in the fall to get my BA is accounting. After that, who knows. I'm thinking I'll get my CPA license and that'll pretty much guarantee that I can work from home. It will all kind of fall into line--I'll be done with school about the time that Mat and I have been married 4-5 years. Then we'll start thinking about a family. OMG I said that out loud!

Mat just got a really great job working in San Jose as an admin assistant. He handle's the president's calendar and all the other admin stuff...so wouldn't that make him an executive assistant? I don't know, but I'm glad he got it. Poor guy has 13 hour days by the time all is said and done. He hops on the bus at 6:15 and cathes the LightRail up to San Jose to work for 8 hours and then come home the same way. He does look awfully cute in his suit and tie! I could sit and stare at him...for like 10 minutes. LOL.

We just had slurpee fest youth night at the church. It was so fun. We played dodge ball! I haven't played that since I was 7. And once I started playing I remembered why...I wasn't even on my side for a minute before I was whammed on the back of the head, yeah no one fessed up to that one.

Well 'tis late and I'm off to the wizard, the wonderful wizard of snooze. Till next time, just keep bugging me to update...

JUST FOR YOU!!!

UPDATED. =) Everyone...this is Gabe when he was 16! He's much fatter now! LOL. He told me I needed to update my blog, so here you go!

Marriage

Mat and I celebrated our two year anniversary in January. It has been such a fun two years. Getting married young is definitely not something that I would easily recommend. We have worked really hard at our marriage and making it a good one. We've had to learn a lot and I wouldn't dare kid myself into thinking that just because we have a pretty good system down that the rest of our lives is going to be smooth sailing. I think about when we have kids, the different financial struggles/blessings we'll go through and what life has in store. Already we've hit one real major bump that I think we have handled beautifully. And it was hard. There were tears, some repentance involved and definitely a life changing attitude. But it made all the difference in the world to have a husband who would work through whatever we were going through with me and admit any wrong-doing. Understanding my side and I also having to do the same thing. I don't think we have an ordinary marriage for a couple our age, we both do our best to keep it fun, light-hearted yet growing at the same time. God has been good to us in every aspect. I remember there was a time when I didn't and felt I couldn't trust God with our financial situation and doubted that things would work out but in hindsight (and I have carried this from that point on) He has always made a way somehow. I love John P. Kee's song called Everytime. The lyrics say:Evertime I turn around He keeps making a way for me. I remember a time when I would hear that song and think Yeah Right. But I have learned to lean on God and it has not been easy. Even when Mat was laid off it was like, Okay...now what. But every time He has made a way. There are times I still struggle with surrendering complete control, but He's still working on me. He's still working on my husband and He is definitely working in our marriage.