In a Nutshell...

What a difference a year makes....someone said that to me the other day. I've heard this phrase many times throughout my life. This phrase has more significance in my life more than it ever has before. A year ago I was going through a big ordeal. I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. I was clueless what this meant. The cancer diagnosis rocked my world literally. The fear of the unknown was the most troubling. Fortunately, I had God and a strong support system on my side. Now, I think back over the past year and what a difference a year makes. The difference is huge. Although many people in my life and those that meet me do not realize the difference I do. My life will be forever changed because I had cancer and fought it. I had awesome doctors, God, and a strong support system on my side. I spoke about my scar diminishing in a previous post and that has happened. I still notice it every time I look in the mirror. It reminds me it happened and I have happy thoughts.    I have a ...

I've been geocaching for about 6 years now. GEOCACHING  is a free real-world outdoor treasure hunt. Players try to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, using a smartphone or GPS and can then share their experiences online. For the past 5 years, Discovery Educator Network has sponsored an annual geocaching day. I have participated and hosted a local event for this day each year. The attendance varies from year to year but the fun remains. I want to continue geocaching and hope to implement geocaching into my curriculum. I started incorporating geocaching as a culminating activity for my Forensic Science unit four years ago. Not sure how many of my students get the love for geocaching like I do, but I am happy to pass on this love regardless.   Donna Hammel (Mom) and Cathy Hammel (me) Check out www.geocaching.com Check out http://community.discoveryeducation.com/

The word cancer is not something you ever think you will get. I never thought that. I have always been good to my body and fortunate in life to not experience many medical issues. I have never had surgery except dental surgery, never had a broken bone, and never been seriously sick except for colds and the flu. Cancer is not discriminatory though. I have known people who had cancer. They fought it and won. Some tried to fight it and lost. To me cancer does not care who you are or what you are.  Fortunately for me the cancer I was diagnosed with is curable. Curable by surgery and medicine for the rest of my life. Sounds good to me. That does not sound to crazy. No, it is not crazy but the journey I started fall of 2011 changed my life and I did not realize it at the time.I am stubborn always have been. Doctor visits are twice a year so that I stay regular and nothing crazy happens to me. I am not afraid of doctors some people are though. The journey started with a regular physical. ...

Last time I wrote I spoke about starting my masters and my dating life. To me both have changed since then and something else happened as well. To quote myself, which I do not believe I do often,  In December of 2011 I stated my master's degree. A year and 1 month completed and I am nearing completion...Yay! It has been challenging becoming a student again. Still true but a great learning experience.   The online format is great and definitely meets my needs for schooling. So glad I chose the online format because after the year I've been through I could not have made it through  those crazy all day sessions and 4-5 evening sessions. No way! I am on a routine and schedule with my schoolwork. The routine changes a bit with each class but the routine and schedule is still there. My never stop learning motto is put into practice weekly. I am learning academically as well as emotionally. Amen!!! I have completed 1/4 of the program. 55% completed I am proud of my 3.9 GPA and i...

It has been 7 months since my last post...I am blessed and doing well. My dating experience has increased and I am happy. 1 guy has come and gone. Thought it would turn into a long lasting relationship, but it did not. A few months ago I met another man. 3 months and counting...so far so good and only time will tell. A sentence full of cliches is hilarious.  In December of 2011 I stated my master's degree. I enrolled in the University of Phoenix's Educational Administration program. It has been challenging becoming a student again. The online format is great and definitely meets my needs for schooling. I am on a routine and schedule with my schoolwork. My never stop learning motto is put into practice weekly. I am learning academically as well as emotionally. I have completed 1/4 of the program. I am proud of my 3.9 GPA and intend on keeping that until graduation. University of Phoenix is a great school and the people helping me out with my program are awesome. The admiss...

The title for this post is what I ended my last post with back in May. Wow...so much has changed since then. Different parts of me have changed, but for the most part I have stayed the same. The maturity has increased and I now know who I am. I'm constantly learning new things and fine tuning myself though. I'm still in the "dating pool" and have actually enjoyed it...the lows and the highs. A few guys have come and gone and yet again I have fine tuned what I really need in a relationship. Carlos turned out to be a friend who I see occasionally, then there was Peter. I thought Peter would last, but mutual feelings were not there. It was fun while it lasted though. Along the way I decided to reinstate my profile on match.com. I have also decided to cancel my memberships to both eHarmony and match at the end of 2011. I know someday my "prince" will come, but paying for these sites is not in my budget anymore. It's all good though. Recently Luis came into m...

It's been a long time since I last posted. Since then the confusion, hurt, depression, and sadness have come and gone. Every now and then I think about what happened, but those thoughts are few and far between. My hairstylist told me a few weeks ago that it was an experience. I thought about that for awhile and she is right. It was an experience...a bad one and a good one. I learned a lot about who I am and what I want. I want the love again. I'm not ashamed of who I am and that sometimes I can be naughty. Oh Haha! I don't care about a lot of stuff as much as what as I used too. Some people in my life have had a hard time with that. You know what...who cares! They are not living my life and they do not have power over me. I am living my life the way I choose and the way God wants me to live. I'm not a bible thumper by no means, but I do value the relationship I have with God very much. My relationship with Jeff ended even though I didn't want it to end. I had no con...