Back to School

Well, it's that time of the year again. I am starting to investigate what it looks like to get my Masters degree.

I knew when I completed my Bachelors degree that I wasn't really finished with school and I am really excited about working towards a career.

I really want to be mindful of what my primary focus is right now and that is the education of my kids, but I also want to continue to look forward to the future.

Let's face it, at the most in 10 years my job gets outsourced. My kids will all be in college or working in their profession of choice, and my job as a home school mom will be...gone.

It is really exciting to think that in just a few years I could be doing a totally different job with all new adventures!

So, my hearts desire, right now, is to get a masters degree in counseling- marriage and family therapy. I don't know if that focus will change when I start the program, but I really feel like that is the direction God has been leading me in for quite some time.

There are a couple of problems with that degree.

First, the degree I get must be primarily on-line. I understand there will be a point where I will have to intern or do something like that to get practical experience, but for the most part I need the classes to be online.

Also, I need to make sure that the school isn't just accredited but it will also lead me into getting a license to practice in whatever state we may be in at that time. I have heard horror stories of people spending the time and money to get on-line degrees from some of these accredited on-line schools just to find out when they finish that they can not be licensed in the state they are in. For this reason, I am leaning towards a CA school that offers on-line degrees, but running into a road block when it comes to the degree I am looking into.

I am excited and a little fearful, but know that I can take this challenge on, and know that God will lead me to the right place and the right degree.

Kristen

What Does Your T-Shirt Say?

Once again, school is overtaking everything!

Love my classes this semester. Lots of art, literature, and philosophical analysis and interpretation. I am enjoying it, and trying to get everything I can out of it. After these classes just two more next semester and I graduate!

Kids are doing great in school.

Faith started using Video Text Interactive this year for Pre-Algebra and Algebra. We are really loving it and can't recommend it enough! Bit pricey, but really well worth the price, so far. Going to find out in the next month or so, what our options are for Faith going to high school part time. Pretty sure I don't want it to be a full day, and neither does she, but would like the access to activities offered there. We shall see.

Great things at the Orchard. Awesome to be involved in a place that cares about the community. One that realizes that it is all about unconditional love for people and not love with an agenda. Loved the song from this weekend Mike did "T-Shirts" by Derek Webb . The lyrics say it all:

they'll know us by the t-shirts that we wear
they'll know us by the way we point and stare
at anyone whose sin looks worse than ours
who cannot hide the scars of this curse that we all bare

they’ll know us by our picket lines and signs
they’ll know us by the pride we hide behind
like anyone on earth is living right
and isn’t that why Jesus died
not to make us think we’re right

chorus
when love, love, love
is what we should be known for
love, love, love
it’s the how and it’s the why
we live and breathe and we die

they’ll know us by reasons we divide
and how we can’t seem to unify
because we’ve gotta sing songs a certain style
or we’ll walk right down that aisle
and just leave ‘em all behind

they’ll know us by the billboards that we make
just turning God’s words to cheap clichés
says “what part of murder don’t you understand?”
but we hate our fellow man
and point a finger at his grave

chorus
they'll know us by the t-shirts that we wear
they'll know us by the way we point and stare
telling ‘em their sins are worse than ours
thinking we can hide our scars
beneath these t-shirts that we wear

What a sad commentary about the christian community. Love that the Orchard is all about letting people know what we stand for, instead of what we stand against. Jesus loved the people, hung with the sinners, and criticized the religious community. So if we want to be true Christ-followers we should be loving people where they are at and showing them the love they need, not telling them all the things they do wrong, as if we ourselves are blameless.

Okay, that's it for now.

Kristen

Blog Break

Well the Spring semester of school is officially over for me!!

I took a break from writing on here, there was so much to do, something had to go. The blog got cut.

But I missed it. And have lots and lots of thoughts swirling around right now.

School for me was great! The thing I was most worried about was the writing portion. I had not written a college level paper in 13 years! So of course, one of my classes, Humanities 370- The Popular Arts, was super writing intensive. Huge amounts of reading, like 60+ pages a week, and tons of writing. Very challenging, but I learned so much and loved thinking about stuff! Also cool, was watching all the movies for the class. My kids now have a huge appreciation for 1930's-1960's cinema! Pretty cool.

And I ended up with a 4.0 this semester!! Still made dinner for my fam. at least 5 nights a week, schooled the kids and kept the house in a sort of order. Now that I am on break, I am feeling a bit restless. Break won't last long though, I have a 30 day summer class starting on June 1st, so I have much to prepare for before it starts.

Also learned something about myself. I think schooling the kids has really taught me some amazing organizational skills!! I was not even aware that I had them!

Lots going on this month.

Mike is going to Africa with Scott. The kids and I are going to AZ while he is away. We are all excited.

Kids are also finishing up a great school year. They have really done awesome this year, learned so much.

Faith went for an orthodontic appointment to see if her jaw and slowed down enough to possibly fix her bite with braces. Unfortunately, it looks as if we are looking at surgery as she gets older :( What a great kid though, she thought that sounded better than wearing braces for several years.

Okay, I guess that is enough for now. More later.

Kristen

I Am Sorry- Me

Okay, so I think I owe myself an apology.

For the last 14 some years I have been embarrassed and ashamed that I was so near a degree in humanities. Not that I was so close to a degree and never finished, although that is pretty embarrassing, but because I was actually getting a degree in humanities. Whenever someone would ask me what I had studied in school, I would mutter something about being a humanities major and then quickly try and explain, that I was young when I chose it, that I wasn't really thinking about my future, that it was a silly choice and if I could go back and change things I would.

And since, I decided to go back and finish my degree, my attitude about that degree hadn't changed much. Until this week.

I am now realizing once again why I chose the major that I did.

I love it! I am so enjoying my history and humanities classes. My biggest struggle right now is drawing boundaries for myself so that I don't get so involved in my school work that I am neglecting what must come first. At first I thought it was a time management issue, but it isn't, I am just really enjoying my study time and re-learning some of the things I had forgotten.

So from this point on, I will not be ashamed of my education!

I will be proud!

And when people ask me what I am going to do with my humanities degree, and they will ask, I will tell them......well, I don't know what I will tell them, but I am a humanities major, I am sure I will come up with something creative!

Kristen

Just a Few More Credits

So I talked to someone at the registrar's office yesterday at NAU because there was some confusion as to whether or not I needed to send my transcripts from the community college I attended prior to NAU. since they had them at one time, I wasn't sure if they needed them again.

Any ways, the women said yes, and she pulled up my transcripts while she was talking to me and then she gasped.

Never a good sign.

She said,"You almost graduated."

I said, "I know, I was close but then had to move because I got married and when I transferred my stuff to ASU they didn't accept my major work, so I had to start all over again. I have three more semesters of work at ASU on top of what I did at NAU."

She said," You mean to tell me you have three more semesters of work? You may only have a class or two before you have your degree!"

Now, I realize she isn't a counselor but I knew I was close to graduating when I left NAU it just felt good to hear someone else acknowledge it.

That is when I decided that if a counselor takes a look at my stuff and says that I only have a couple of classes to get my BA in Humanities I think I should just go for that. That scares me to death. I am not sure I can jump right into all that again.

I wonder if I could double major and go for the Early Childhood education stuff also?

This is getting exciting!

Kristen

College Part 3

I woke up this morning with this nagging feeling.

I kept thinking about that NAU application that I filled out and never submitted. I said it was the 25 dollar entrance fee that was holding me back.

That was a lie.

I couldn't figure out what it was that was holding me back.

I am really busy.

That was a good excuse.

But am I so busy I don't have time for self improvement, to finish something I started.

No.

Well, I think one of the real reasons I was so reluctant to apply to this college was the whole Humanities degree. I loved humanities, when I was in college. I still love literature and art, music, and history, I just don't think I want a degree in it.

I woke up this morning with the idea that maybe NAU also offers an early childhood education degree on line. That is something I have pretty much dedicated my life to up to this point. And I have often thought that once my kids no longer need me to home school them it would be a shame that I couldn't share my experience or knowledge with someone else just because I don't have an official degree in it. Also, I took classes geared toward education while I was at NAU and ASU because I wasn't sure what I was going to do with the humanities degree. I figured I would teach. So I am hoping some of those classes would go towards it as well.

And lastly, I have for a long time, been interested in a degree in social work or counseling, and am thinking maybe I could get a masters in social work once I have my BAS?

Don't know haven't looked that far into it yet.

But I did it!! I filled out the rest of the application and applied to NAU for their spring quarter as an online student!

We will have to see what they come back with. I did see that one of the requirements for the early childhood degree was an AA. I had all the credits for it when I left MCC but never applied for it :(

I think that was one of those cocky young adult moves, "I don't need an AA, I am going to get my BA!"

Ha! Oh well, if hindsight were foresight. Can you apply for an AA years after you completed the work?

So I am hoping maybe I will hear something this week.

Pray that God will bless it and give me direction.

Kristen

College 2

I got some great responses from you all about my college question! Thanks for your encouragement.

I spent some time yesterday looking on-line and trying to decide what I might want to do. I ended up finding out that the college that I got a good deal of my major credits in Humanities from, NAU, offers an on-line BA degree in Humanities! I am pretty excited about that. I think if I could just finish up the last bit through the same school than I wouldn't have the headache of transferring credits to another university and all the mess that goes along with it.

I already got a call from the Arizona University online program people. They have already sent off information in the mail to me.

I think I may try applying on-line and then go from there. I went to ASU for a year after NAU so I have credits from there to transfer back to NAU. I would really love to speak to a counselor and find out what I really need to do to complete this thing.

I am pretty nervous. I haven't written a college level paper in 11 years. I am not sure I can still do it. Also, the classes will be higher levels and I am not sure how much I remember from the previous classes. But I think that if I commit to this I need to really commit and finish this time.

I will post about it when I know what is going to happen. Thanks for your prayers and encouragement.

Kristen

University

I went to college for three years and never finished a degree, but came close. I never regretted the decision to stop my studies and become a full time mom. I know I am intelligent and never felt the desire to go back just to get a piece of paper that somehow validates your education.

Until recently.

I don't know what it is and maybe it will pass. But I have this strong urge to have my credits from the three colleges I went to transferred to a local university and try and complete what I started.

We don't really have the finances right now to put into my education but it might be something I will be looking into in the future.

I am not sure it is something that is worth the time pursuing. I know I have lots of credits towards a degree in humanities and I know now I would want a degree in something more practical so I don't know how those credits would even transfer over.

Just a thought. What do you think? Should I pursue it or just be happy with what I have?

Kristen