College

It's official. I'm a college student!!! With all the other things I have going on in my life. Dan has encouraged me to go back to school. I've taken the leap of faith and I am doing it. Too my surprise, quite well. Now that I'm caught up of course. I honestly didn't think it would be possible to go back to school to complete my live long dream of helping people as a Registered Nurse. With three kids, one in part time Kindergarten, a Marine husband, along with watching two more kids full time to make a little extra money. There couldn't possibly be anymore time in my day to fit in school, right? Wrong... Call it youth or call it determination, I was going back to school some way some how.

Dan changed my mind. He showed me how flexible college has become. After all, he was going to work everyday and taking three classes, one at night(twice a week), two online, and he still manages to give me and the kiddos an hour of his time every night. Anyone can go back and earn a degree of some sort. It may take a few years, but it can be done.

I for some crazy reason let him talk me into the idea to try to do the late start condensed version of spring semester online. Just one week before these classes started. We must have made a million phone calls, asking every question imaginable. How do I pay for college? Can we afford another payment on ONE income? Where do I get grants? Where to go for Financial aid and how to obtain the College Opportunity Fund. Along with when and where to take the placement test. It's a test to see how smart I really am. Just kidding, it's to see where I would best fit into college courses. I didn't do too bad in reading and writing considering I've been out of high school for almost 7 years and I didn't study. I don't recommend the no studying part... It'll be a low blow to you and your ego when you get those scores back.

Sooo... I didn't do great in the math portion. Honestly?? Math has never been my strength...perhaps I'll get right this time?? Looking back, I feel like an idiot for sobbing my eyes out in the empty conference room after I got the results back. Dan being the great man he is, tried to lift my spirits by rambling off some statistic about how the average level of math for a majority of adults is middle school. Great, my husband just compared me to a middle school-er....that made me cry more. I continued to cry until he said, "Well, perhaps this time you'll do great. I believe in you and I'll do my best to help you." I swallowed my pride and decided to suck it up and enroll anyways. I have to start somewhere right?

These courses are 10 weeks instead of 13. Three weeks may not seem like a lot of time but when your dealing with English Composition, you could have written three 3-4 more papers in that time.

I consider myself pretty internet savvy, but when you have two classes with two different websites for homework and assignments. It all became very overwhelming quickly! My first paper was due 4 days after class began! I didn't get it done on time but I did at least turn it in for some credit. After reading most of the classmates discussions, I started to feel less overwhelmed. Everyone was in the same boat as me. Thank goodness too.

I decided that my evenings after kids go to bed are better spent studying. I used to sit down and watch one of the 10 shows we record every week on the DVR. I've tried to do some work while everyone is awake. That all came crashing down upon me as I tried to cram in an hours worth of English into 30 mins. I guess I cant juggle that part of my life. It definitely showed too, because it wasn't my best piece either...

So for now, I'm mother of three during the day and college student by night. Sorry Dan, I guess that only leaves time for you on the weekends. Haha. Just kidding. We make it work. Thanks for being my biggest supporter. I love you.