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    We've reached another stage in our daughter's development. As we learn something new each day, the term I'm referring to is pouching. Last Tuesday May turned 17 months old and for the last couple of days she's been taking her food and storing much of it on the right side of her cheek. Now at first we didn't really see it as being odd but then she started doing it more and more. May is still picky with her foods. We give her rice, pasta, bananas and such but then she just started storing the food in her mouth like a chipmunk! I'm not talking for a few minutes, she'll walk around with the food in her mouth for like 15 minutes. Eventually she'll swallow the food or we have to get her to spit it out.

    I searched what she was doing online and saw the article mentioned earlier. I read that it's usually a phase and is relatively harmless, though the child can choke if you aren't careful. Usually when we give May her food, it's in a small bowl and in a small amount. We'll definitely be keeping more of an eye on the foods we are giving her. She is still gaining weight. Hopefully she will grow out of this, it's kind of gross having to take out her already moisten food, but we also want her to be safe.

    May is also getting more teeth. Right now she's at 6 teeth, with 4 at the bottom and 2 on the top. It actually looks like she'll be getting another one on the top. We're soon going to start brushing her teeth. I remember her pediatrician said to use toothpaste with no fluoride in it, so I'll have to look out for that. The liquid vitamins she takes, has fluoride in though.

    Meanwhile I'm still searching for a job. I'm looking more for temporary at the moment. Even though I have a Masters in Atmospheric Science, many of the jobs in my field are all over the US. Rex and I talked about moving to where the job is and we decided that it is worth it. Rex already has to commute an hour to his job and we've already discussed moving out there. I've really been applying many different places, in anything from clerical to air quality specialist. Air quality is what I really took to heart while doing my research for my thesis and I've always been very passionate about researching to help the general public improve their health and understanding of an atmospheric phenomena. I know Rex too, wants to be more of a nurse and though working at the meat factory he's gaining more experience (and bringing home free meat), he doesn't want to stay there. We actually think we might try to go back to Maryland, or at least Rex go back to Maryland to start. His old job at the hotel said they'd be more than happy to have him back. His condition with his anxiety has gotten better too. He still has a few symptoms but they are becoming more in control.

    We know we'll get more on a straighter path eventually. We are so forever thankful of our friends and family who have helped us. It's tough but we'll make it, together.
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    Here's a couple of pictures I wanted to share from the other week.

    May is one happy and active little girl!!!

     Courtesy of Google Auto Awesome.




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     It's been a little while once again, since I featured a Friday Find. That'll change for today and beyond, hehe. Today I'll be featuring the survey site TellWut. I've been registered with TellWut for a few weeks now and I really like how many options the website has. There are surveys you can take that are no more than 5 minutes, much of the time, that users of the site have created. You can also create your own surveys. Though these surveys only range from 5 to 10 points, TellWut sends out the opportunity to earn more points doing other surveys. Those surveys usually take longer like 15 minutes or more but the points can range from 50 and above. The website also offers coupons specific to your location.

    Many of the surveys in the most recent category are very current with what's going on in the world and it's interesting to see the different options. You can also comment on the surveys are well. The rewards aren't too bad. Here's a view of some of the rewards:


    You can see that a $10 Amazon gift card is 4,000 points. There are actually many nice rewards on the site. I'm working towards the $10 Amazon girt card though the $25 Visa card for 13,000 points doesn't look so bad. I also like how TellWut sometimes offers invitations to panels. Panels are a nice way to share ideas about various topics and in a lot of cases you can get gift cards just for participating. I recently joined a panel about cleaning called Home Clean Home. So far I've seen panel options are few but when you get an email for one, take the survey if you can. You might find yourself on a panel you really enjoy. Overall, I think TellWut is a very lively site. There are a lot of option you can do on the site itself.

    For more information, check out TellWut's About Us page.

    Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post.
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    Today I am pleased to say that I've earned my Masters in Atmospheric Science. Though the road was long, I am so happy that I accomplished this goal and I am looking forward to see what the future holds.

    The date of the main ceremony was May 10th, while the more personal ceremony for Masters and Ph.Ds was on the 8th. I knew I wanted to be present for the ceremony on the 8th and left for Maryland with May on the 6th. That was the day the graduates had to pick up their cap and gown. My in-laws watched May as I picked up my cap and gown. Rex's aunt was so nice to offer us a place to stay so we didn't have to drive up to NJ and back the next day. Rex was working that Tuesday and Wednesday and took the bus to join us Wednesday night.

    It was so good seeing our family in Maryland. May really had a good time being with her cousins. The ceremony on the 8th was very nice. It was held at the Cranton Auditorium. Though I hadn't gone to the auditorium that much during my years at Howard, I do remember the time back in 2011 when I got to see Michelle Obama speak. Rex came to the ceremony with May but May was very cranky. I wanted her to be at the ceremony but they left and waited at a building near by, not long after it started. I did get to walk across the stage and my classmates who were getting their Ph.Ds rooted for me. It was hot that day and many of the graduates had to take off their robes afterward. I was so happy to see my good friend and former classmate, KK, come to watch me graduate.

    Rex and I decided to stay until Saturday, which his aunt said was fine because Rex's family wanted to throw a graduation BBQ for me that Friday. The BBQ was great and it was wonderful seeing a lot of family members we hadn't seen in a long time. There were many family members and friends. I invited KK and she had a good time too. This is the cake for me:


    It was gone in about 40 minutes. We left around 11 pm because I also decided that I was going to go the main ceremony on Saturday. I originally was not going to because I knew there was going to be a lot of people but I'm happy we did go because it was a very good event. The graduates were supposed to arrive at 7 am in the morning. I got there around 7:30 am. It was OK because all we did was line up before it started. Rex and I decided to leave May with her cousins during the event. Rex's step-mom and his brother's girlfriend came. I also invited KK. This event you needed tickets to get in and each graduate was only given four. My parents didn't come for either ceremony. I know it would be hard for them to get down to Maryland. I also knew they were very proud.

    The commencement speaker was rapper P.Diddy. I had my doubts about him but he actually did pretty good. He attended Howard for 2 years and dropped out, but he always kept Howard in mind. He made references to him not completing his degree and talked about following dream and recognizing the power within ourselves. He also received an honorary doctorate degree. CNN reporter Wolf Blitzer also received an honorary doctorate. It was cool seeing him because Rex watches a lot of CNN and Wolf Blitzer is one of his favorite reporters. After the ceremony, I posted a picture of Wolf Blitzer to my Twitter account and he actually replied. I was shocked!

    The event was about 4 hours and the rain held off for much of the ceremony. The interim president of Howard had to kind of end the ceremony abruptly towards the end of the Ph.Ds walking on stage, do to rain drops. Not long after it poured. It only poured for a few minutes though. I didn't care, I was dancing in the rain. I was and still am so happy to have graduated. I was struggle towards the end of the completion of my thesis. I thought I'd never complete it. I lost motivation when I couldn't find jobs before the completion and when we lost our housing in MD. I remembered though that I had to finish what I had started. Four years ago I took my first steps at Howard, not knowing anyone. I took classes and workshops, also a writing exams. All at which I passed. Along the way I made friends and participated in a student organization and community events. I also met the man who would soon become my husband (off campus), and we had a beautiful girl together. It's been bumpy, but I'm very happy to be a Howard Alumni. I'm even more excited finally have my M.S.

    As we work our way to get back on our feet, the realm of possibilities is even closer in reach!

    Now for the pics!!
    My amazing adviser/life coach Dr. William R. Stockwell and my friend and former classmate Dr. Charlene Lawson.



     With my in-laws.
     With my friend and former classmate KK.

     Love this pic. 

     The good ol' Founder's Library.

     Shot of Wolf Blitzer (to the left) and P.Diddy (in the middle in black) on stage.
     Wolf Blitzer.
     P.Diddy


    The science hall!

    We did it!



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    Earlier today, we lost my cat Tabitha. She was 18 years old. I've had her since I was 8. She had been getting real sick the past couple of weeks. She threw up at least four times almost every day and she had been getting skinner and skinner.

    She was actually skin and bones. She was pulling her hair out and she was very disoriented. It was so hard seeing her like that. My mom knew we should put her down a few weeks ago but I was really in denial. It wasn't until just a few days ago, I realized she wasn't going to get any better. May wanted to play with Tabitha, but Tabitha being as sick as she was, just wanted to sleep and not really be active.

    We all went to the vet around 12:00 pm and she was put to sleep around 1. I was there with her, along with my dad. My mom took May outside. They had to sedate Tabitha before the procedure and after she was sedated she seemed she was more at peace. She just looked forward and didn't even blink, she was breathing very slowly. Gosh she was so thin. I used to struggle with the carrier when she was in there because she was a big cat, when I took her into the building, she was literally light as a feather.

    I was crying even before they took her back to put the catheter in her arm. I was trying to hold it together when the doctor began putting her to sleep. The doctor said we were doing the right thing. The doctor had taken a look at Tabitha in the back. The doctor said she might stretch or twitch, but Tabitha just laid there, very still. The doctor said she wouldn't close her eyes and she didn't. The doctor checked her heartbeat not too long after she started administering the injection. They asked if we wanted to stay with her and I shook my head. I lost it when they took her away.

    We did get a chance to stay with her before the procedure. I told her how much I loved her and said I was sorry. I was remembering the times we had together. 18 years, the doctor said she had a long life, and she did. She was so active, even when she was a kitten. I remember when she would stay at the foot of my bed when I slept, or when she got so tired after chasing a string that she was gasping for air. I remember the times when she would sit on my laptop when I was trying to type. She was even walking on my keyboard a few days ago. I'm thinking about her now as I  type this entry.

    I asked to get her cremated and they asked if we wanted the ashes back, which I replied yes. They also asked if I wanted a paw print made, which I do. I can't believe she's gone though. She was the longest living pet I've had. I had her when I was in middle school, high school, college, and graduate school. She was here to see my daughter. Though May most likely won't remember Tabitha, she was a good cat. A little mean at times, she definitely part of the family. I feel bad leaving her all those times I went away to school. I brought her to an apartment I moved into when I first moved down to Maryland, but when that didn't work out there, she stayed at my parent's house for the remainder of her life.

    We'll miss you Tabby. We love you so much!


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    Hi my name is Tasha. I'm a down-to-earth, free spirited mother to two beautiful girls, May and Nia and loving wife to my Liberian born husband, Rex. I enjoy making the most out of my family life, as well as learning more about topics such as Earth Science, technology, creative writing and frugal living.

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