Life is in the details...Part 1...

So guess which parents failed to get a family picture the day of their son's first birthday party?

You guessed it.

Our photo booth picture was actually taken on Jackson's official birthday, May 31st...so I guess this counts for something.

Okay, I have exactly 20 minutes to take advantage of here and wanted to get some things down while they were still rattling around in my head (hence, the "Part 1").

First and foremost, Jackson's first birthday party was wonderful. And by wonderful I mean, amazing and by amazing I mean, Perfect. Our families came out in full force and I was so incredibly pleased to see those smiling faces walk through the door. The kids that came all seemed to have a great time and Jackson was a trooper. Not one meltdown to speak of the entire day despite only having a 45 minute nap prior to the party.

Thanks to my parents and grandparents we had everything ready to go and properly decorated with just enough time to spare. I can't thank my parents enough for hosting the party and setting the tone for a wonderful afternoon.

I promise, more pictures will come.

So...in other exciting news I am one step closer to completing my degree. You know, that one pesky degree I've been working on now for nearly 6 years? Yeah, that one. I have exactly three classes left and WILL graduate May 2011. My plan has been to take a class this summer, a class in the fall and a class next spring. My plan seemed easy enough until I recognized that it would include a math class. Oh boy.

There's something you really ought to know about me. I am a rather bright individual. I can paint, sew, decorate a room, cook a meal, take care of a baby and a husband (simultaneously, mind you), keep a job, tend a garden, write a paper, and even play a little piano. But when it comes to fractions, linear equations, asymptotes (a word I just learned last week, seriously), geometry (Lord in heaven help me) and word problems (okay, now my palms are sweating), well, you'd think I'd need help tying my shoes too. To put it bluntly, I loathe math. Loathe. It. And frankly, I am pretty sure it loathes me right back.

It's always been this way. I don't do math. There is a giant mental block there and it's been there for quite some time. Moss has grown on this block, someone painted graffiti on it and as far as the landscape of my mind is concerned, it's just the ugly house on the block that everyone chooses to ignore. But Catie, you say, how in the world do you cook, and sew and pay bills and keep a job without some basic math skills? How in the world?! Obviously I have some capabilities and when it comes to cooking and sewing there's always Robbie to help. Sad, I know.

I tell all of this to you because I have, for 6 years now, been putting off this one math class that is required in order to complete my degree. In my current position I assist with a great deal of research and where there's research there is statistics. I promised myself (and my boss) that I would get back to school when it was reasonable and now I am facing down my arch nemesis. Because my job is involved with so much research I thought it would be brilliant to take a statistics class this summer. Brilliant, just brilliant. Apparently, in order to enroll in an elementary stats class, however, one must pass a math entrance exam. Crap.

In the last few weeks I have been painstakingly attempting, foolishly, I might add, to learn pre-algebra, algebra, a little calculus and geometry either all over again or for the very first time. The entrance test is given online and you can take it as many times as you need to get a passing score - and this sounds great if you have some knowledge of the subject matter. So, I did what any art student would....I begged my dad (someone who "does" math) to help me. And he helped. And I passed. And I am now enrolled in Statistics beginning June 7th.

Now I am trying to figure out how I can sneak my dad in to help me with the GRE.