It's my own fault :(

Hey everybody,

Let me just go ahead and say it.. I have to retake Theory 1. Yes, I didnt get enough homeowkr turned in, so now I have to retake the class. Honestly, I cant be mad at anyone but myself. I really do want to be a court reporter soo--o bad. But life--life just gets in the way. So, I dont have any excuses, I just have to take it over. And yes, I am paying out of pocket. UUggh!! Im so-oo angry at myself, but I cant cry over spilled milk, huh? Im trying to look on the bright side, I will know my Theory, really, really well. I figure, I can make up for lost time in speedbuilding. I know I can! Well, classes start Monday and of course, Im not excited as I was in the beginning. But, I know this is what I want to do, and like I said, its my own fault. So, Im getting back on the horse and this time Im staying on it.

Another shocker, my mentor is getting married and moving!! She is moving all the way to Washington. So, my plan of action is to spend as much time shadowing her as possible. I would really love to work for a firm part time, so Im currently looking. I cant believe she is leaving me!! But, Im soo happy for her :) My mentor is awesome! I met her when I was a flight attendant, and we just happened to be sitting next to each other. We didnt start talking until the plane was about to land, and the rest is history. She sponsored me when I joined the State association. She gave me a machine! She is just awesome, and I wish her the absolute best!!

What else? My baby is wonderful, she is almost standing up on her own. Time is just flying, she will be a year old in 2 months. She is my main motivation to finish school. I want to be able to spend more time with her and to afford all of her activities. I'm going to try and update this more, but you know, I say that all of the time :)

So...keep me in your prayers, and I will do the same :)

Hello world!!

   I know! I know! It takes me forever to update my blog. Im going to do better, but I say that all the time. However, Im going to try. So, updates... I still work at the college, just moved to a campus closer to home! YAY!!! Babygirl is almost 10 months old. She is growing up so fast, she can almost stand up by herself without holding onto anything. Today is my final exam at CCR. I still love CCR with a passion. Im guilty of not putting in the practice that I should. I have promised myself that Im going to do so much better next semester. I woke up this morning at 5:30 to get in some practice. I have to make sure that my Theory is solid. HAVE TO!!! I have a metronome, I have plenty of study material. I just have to buckle down and find the time, or use my time wiser. So I have decided to start getting up almost an hour earlier and get some quality practice in. I start my las Theory class in a couple of weeks. Im excited! I will be speedbuilding by the end of the year..Yipppee!!! I would really just love to go to school full time and be a stay at home mom. Maybe if I think positive and pray really hard, my prayers will be answered.  :) I just want this soo-oo bad, and I know its going to be an uphill battle. But I am up for the challenge. Sometimes, I wish that I would have gone to CR school straight out of high school. No loans, no debt, just a working reporter. But everything happens for a reason, right? As always, I have to mention my favorite groups on Facebook. Encouraging Court reporting students. Love, love, love this group!! Its always so encouraging to see all the people passing tests, and graduating. I will be there one day. Maybe next year :) Well, thats it for now. Im at work, its summer registration here. Love you all!

I've stayed away too long, again.

Hey everyone~

Let me update y'all! So, my Theory class was scheduled to start on January 17th. On January 17th, it was ..CANCELLED!! It was cancelled due to low enrollment, apparently, a class has to have 5 or more students for it to continue. I was so dissapointed! I actually cried when I got home from work. So I posted on facebook, and recieved so much encouragement from everyone. So...I dusted my self off and started searching for other possibilities. My teacher emailed me and said that she is going to offer the class again in August. August?!?!? I guess I could have waited until August, but I didnt. I was tired of waiting. So I asked around, did some research and now I enrolled at the college of Court Reporting. I love it!!! I had heard so many positive things, so I decided to go for it!! So far so good :) My teacher is great! She actually called me, to check on me. WOW! However, I did start off with Phoenix theory, and the school teaches the moody method, but it seems similar. I dont think I will have any problems. I am so motivated to do this!! Also, I got an alert on my phone from the discussion board for school. A graduate student was selling some of her stuff. I immediately contacted her and now I have Mark's Theory book, 20-30 tapes/CDs, and some Briefs books coming. What a blessing?!? I am setting myself up for success. You know, everything happens for a reason. What if my class hadnt been cancelled? But maybe Theory 2 wouldnt have had enough students, or my speed building class wasnt full. I would be at a stand still again. God works in mysterious way :) So maybe by the middle or end of the year, I will be in speed building class. This goal is achievable, with hard work and discipline.

Oh, I cannot express how great the court reporting groups on facebook are :) I am in a bunch of them, but all are so helpful and encouraging. Honestly, my groups are the only reason that I even get on facebook anymore.

I am going to try very hard to keep my blog updated. maybe this can be encouragement to other students, and when I become a court reporter, I can look back and see how far I have come.

So keep checking back. And I'll keep writing :) No matter how it looks, the glass is always half full!! My glass runneth over at the moment..lol

Still Here :)

Hey everyone~

   Even though school hasnt started back for me yet, Im still reading blogs, websites and practicing on my machine. I have come to the realization that there are not enough hours in the day..lol. So I try to practice for a few minutes before I leave for work, it might only be 10-15 minutes, but I try. Then, after I get the baby to bed I practice for a few good hours. However, once school starts back next month I will set my alarm to wake up 2 hours early to ensure that I get some focused practice before work. I've been really trying to get my Theory down so I can be ahead or at least wont struggle once I get in class. I just checked my Theory class roster and its only myself and one other student. As long as they dont cancel my class, I am completely fine with that.

   Oh! I am in soo-oo many groups on facebook that encourage and support court reporters and students and sooo many people are passing tests and certifications. I am so happy for everyone! When I get a chance I will list all of the groups I am in, so you all can join. YIPPEE!!  I cant wait until I am posting about my progress. I also figured that even when I dont have anything to write about I will try to find something motivational to post or say. I'm also loving watching all the youtube vidoes of court reporting students and their journey. I was thinking about doing my own videos, but like I said there are not enough hours in the day anymore..lol. If I get a chance, I might try and do a couple of videos every now and then ;)

          Hope everyone has a happy and safe holidays :)

Rookie writer signing off :)

I'm still here, I promise.

Hey everybody,

As you can tell, I took another break. Well, during the break my babygirl was born. YAY!! She is now 3 months old (Time flies) and I have gotten use to motherhood. So, its time for school. I will be in Theory 1 starting in January. I can't wait!! I'm in so many facebook groups its crazy. Im constantly on depoman.com, readback.org, of course my blogs and NCRA's site. I'm going to start practicing my theory again, in hopes that I can pass through quickly. I have to be honest and say that the world of captioning has caught my eye. So we will see which route I will go when I get to that point. But until then, I have to practice, practice, practice. I think Im going to use Mark's suggestion and practice 3 times a day, no matter what. Writing short is important so Im going to start my brief dictionary. Im preparing and planning. I'm going to do my best to update this as much as possible. Hope everyone is well out there.

Side bar: I cant believe the holidays are right around the corner. Yikes!!

Here is my love bug :)

Rookie writer signing off!!

New Purchase

Hey everyone~

So my wonderful fiance was on craigslists and found someone selling their court reporting books. So of course I had to have a few items, since they were super cheap. So now I have Phoenix fast track book, Phoenix reading practice, and a Phoenix speed building book. Yippeee!! All weekend I have been practicing on my theory and reading. Unfortunately, the lady who I purchased the books from was a former student from my school. She said that she had been in the program 4 years and made it to the 180s speed. Practice! Practice! Practice! That's all she stressed for the few minutes we met. So every night before bed I read a little bit and practice. Im super motivated!!! Here is a picture of the books she was selling. Oh! and she gave me some speed building tapes for free :) Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. It was super hot here, like 95! Plus me being 7 months pregnant doesnt help. But now I am addicted to all of my court reporting facebook groups, I am constantly checking them, so everyone go join! Well, keep practicing :)

It's the weekend!!!!!!!

    Good morning everyone!! My life hasnt gotten too exciting yet, but I wanted to let everyone know that I am still here. School starts on the 29th, and I cant wait! I miss being in school, maybe I'm just anxious to get moving again on the court reporting path. So I looked today and there are currently only 3 people in my Theory 1 class (including me). I am ok with that, maybe more individualized attention..lol..which means that I will be held accountable.
     In other news, I spoke with my mentor a few weeks back and asked her how the industry was doing. She told me that things had slowed down a little bit but she still managed to earn over 100k last year. So, you know what I was thinking.."Well, if thats slow, Im okay with that!" That reminds me, i would like to give a shoutout to my wonderful mentor, Monna. She is the absolute best!! I will have to write a blog on how we met, its one of those..Everything happens for a reason, God works in mysterious ways type of thing. But she lets me know about all scholarships, she was my sponsor when I joined TNCRA, and I can shadow her anytime I want to. And it doesnt hurt that she has some of the highest credentials in my city. woot*woot*
    Well, I'm still reading blogs and checking out CSR nation almost daily. I love reading about people's progress and accomplishments. I cant wait! I guess I should get back to work, its almost registration time here at the college and since I am a financial aid specialist, business is about to start picking up. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, and a HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!! I'm technically a mother too huh? So this is my first year celebrating this holiday. YAY!!
  I'll write again soon!!
Buh Bye!!

I'M BACK!!!

Hey everyone!! I have been gone for soo-oo long! Let me update you on whats going on. I am now 28, (knocking on 30s door) I am no longer a flight attendant. I now work as a financial aid counselor at a Southwest Tennesee Community College. I am no longer attending CRID. Can you guess where I will be attending?? Southwest Tennessee Community College!!..lol. So, I am having to retake Medical Terminology and Legal Terminology. Medical Terminology starts at the end of next month. The great thing is now that I work at the school that I will be attending is DISCOUNT!! woot*woot* And then Theory will start up in the fall along with another class. So-oo I am completely motivated again..yes again! I have been reading over raw notes and looking over my old material. I'm hoping that I can stay ahead and move through these tests quickly.

But one more thing I should mention. (wait for it)...I'm 6 months pregnant! Yes, you read correctly, baby Gabrielle is due July 27th. So this "wanna be" superwoman will be holding down a full time job, part time school, and a newborn baby! For those of you who pray, send one up for me :) Luckily, I do have a WONDERFUL fiance, that knows the potential of this career and is on board for my hectic schedule. So lets start this blog up again, and see what happens. Ya girl is going to be a Certified Court Reporter!! Thats it until next time :) Leave me a comment anytime.

By the way, I have been reading everyone's blog while I was gone. So good luck to all of the students on this journey, we can do this!!

Rookie Writer signing off :)

The Half way point!

Hey everyone~ So this is week 6 for this semester which marks the half way point. The semester is flying by and soon I will be in speed building. Yikes! This weekend I got caught up on all of my work, which is great! Oh! Since Halloween was last night my friend had the bright idea of going to a psychic, and of course I tagged along with her for the ride. And I'm sure you already guessed that I participated in the event. But luckily, the psychic told me that I would have a successful career and it had to do with the law and a court room. ooooo!! And I did not tell her anything about court reporting. So maybe being a court reporter is my calling. Now I just have to buckle down and practice, practice, practice! I'm sorry my stories aren't as interesting as the people who are in a classroom setting. But I can assure you by the time I get to speed building I will have a lot to talk..well vent about. Hope everyone had a fun Halloween weekend, we had at least 100 kids come by to get candy. 

Have a good week!

Rookiewriter901 over and out!

Buh bye- Buh Bye now!

I'm Back!!

Hey everyone~
I know its been awhile, but I am going to try and keep this blog updats throughout my journey. trust me, it's a journey! I might start calling it an obstacle course..lol. Well, I am in theory B and Legal Terminology. Legal Terminology is a breeze!! Thank goodness, because with Theory B and all the work that comes with it, I would be going down like the Titanic. We are starting to learn 2 and 3 stroke words. *faints and gets back up* I can get through this!! I just need to dedicate more time to practice. I say this in every blog but I need to stop talking about it and just do it!! Speed building will be here before you know it. *faints and stays down*

I'm not trying to make excuses but I have been sooo-oo busy these past two weeks. I had to house sit for my court reporting mentor all weekend, which included walking the dogs. I also had to babysit ALL day Saturday. Okay, well maybe I havent been THAT busy but it sure feels like it.

Good news! I am now a member of the Tennessee Court Reporting Association!! Woo hoo!! Maybe I can get a scholarship to help pay for school. Or maybe a shirt or a pencil or something..lol. I wont talk too long because I need to be doing homework, like right now. Hope everyone out there has a wonderful week :-) We are in this together!!

Oh! A friend of mine told me she saw a bumper sticker that said," Marry a court reporter! They're good listeners"

Rookiewriter901 signing off~
Buh Bye! Buh Bye now!

It's official, I have a problem...

It's Sunday, the end of week 9. But like last week, I had to do all of my work at the last minute. I have to do better!! I am not going to become the best court reporter ever if I keep cramming at the end. I have to make time to practice and do all of my homework. Ugghh!! I must do better! This week I have started going to the gym and babysitting everyday. I will just have to make time. So, today starts week 10, I only have 2 weeks left for this semester. I'm excited! But I must do better! Well, not alot to talk about, just frustrated!!

Rookie Writer signing off!
Buh Bye, Buh Bye now!

End of Week 8 and I'll be working late!

Hey all! So its the end of week 8, and I have a lot of catching up to do. I hate this!! I said I wasnt going to procrastinate and here I am again, trying to cram in everything and turn it in by midnight. I've decided that I'm going to write down a daily schedule to keep me on track and see how that works out. As always I added something else to my "To Do List." I got a gym membership this week so now "Operation Hot Body"  will start next week. I just need to prioritize and stick to it. I just took my medical terminology text and got a 92 on it. As long as I stay in the A range on all of my tests I'll be happy.(which I have done) So I have 4 weeks left in this semester..woo hoo!! I just have to do beter and spread my work out during the week and not cram at the end. So tonight I will be trying to master the 'ED' ending and the 'ING' ending. We will see how this goes and all of my work for the week has to be turned in my midnight tonight. That means I have about 10 lessons to complete...uugggh...such a procrastinator! I have to do better in order to be one of the best! Hope everyone out there had a great week and stayed cool. It was super hot here in Memphis. Week 9.....must...do...better! I'm sure there are some spelling errors and over use of commas in this blog as well :/

Rookie writer signing out!!...gotta burn the midnight oil to get all of my work down.
Buh bye buh bye now!

Week 8! ...Im going to be like wine, gets finer with time!

 So this is the beginning of week 8, each semester is 12 weeks long. We just started on numbers last week. I should warn everyone ahead of time, I am working on my punctuation and grammar. My mentor gave me a great book that helps with commas and semi colons because I will put a comma in anywhere...lol. So punctuation is definately something that I need to improve on.  I just finished practicing and well..I have a long way to go. I finally took a big step and decided to wear my natural nails. When I worked as a flight attendant I always had a french manicure which included tips. So now I have just sucked it and realized long nails are not going to work for me anymore. And I have to admit it is much easier with shorter nails.
   I'll be honest and admit that I have been known as the queen of procrastination. Well those days are over, I have got to make time to practice everyday consistently. I resigned from the airline so I would have more time to focus on my school work...and did that happen??? Not yet! So starting this week, August 15th, 2010 I WILL NOT PROCRASTINATE! If I want to be the best I have to do what it takes.
  Since I'm in online classes I dont have anyone who really relates to the court reporting field, except my wonderful mentor :)  So it's just going to be me and the machine. (thats a pretty good blog name) and of course my readers, if I ever get any..lol. Well, so long for now. I am going to try to write as often as possible (I WILL NOT PROCRASTINATE) that maybe everyday, once a week or once a month, so we will see.


Rookie Writer signing off!..lol
Buh Bye, Buh Bye Now, Buh Bye :)

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