To the Graduate...

You did it! You are graduated from High School. You have walked across the stage and thrown your hat. You have ended one chapter and beginning another.

You are probably already thinking about all the things you have planned for this last summer before college and going to college, what you will need to pack, how much you will need to pack, and the wondering how it will all fit in your car.

College, as you know, will be a whole new challenge. You will experience new things and meet new people. You will feel it when it finally sinks in that your parents aren't near anymore and you have to figure it out on your own, even if you are "SO ready" to be on your own. You will feel the joy as you make new friends. You will feel more stress than you thought you could. You will experience success when you get a good grade in that class you weren't so sure you were doing well in. You will experience a sort of loss as you miss your friends and family back home.

Though it all, though, remember that you are extremely loved by your family and friends and that they will always welcome you back with open and joyful arms. Remember that if you need any advice or just someone to talk to, they are simply a phone call away.

Remember to always do you best, to do all your homework, and study for every test.

Above all, remember to keep God the center of your life. Don't forget to go to a congregation on Sundays and Wednesdays. Make sure to find and establish a church home away from your church home. Put on the armor of God every single day as the enemy is still seeking to destroy you. Maybe now more than ever as you are away from the support system you grew up with.

If you keep God first, everything else will fall into place.

As always, keep on keeping on. One step at a time.

Congratulations on graduating!

It's Back to School...

I'm going back to school. I'm thinking a business degree with a minor in photography or something. I bought a digital photography class off Groupon that I will start after my last day at Chick-fil-a and start college classes in the Fall. I've put the request in for my transcript from Harding, scoped out the community college here in Lafayette, scoped out what kinds of classes I will probably need, but here's where I get stuck. I don't even know where to start when it comes to financial aid.

There is also the part of me that wonders why I am even doing this, other than it was the catch in being able to quit my job. Everyone talks about how they loved college and they wish they could go back. My experience wasn't so great. I hated school. The homework, the classes, the stress of keeping grades where they need to be; it was the bane of my existence. My year at college is not one I look back on fondly. Granted I was dealing with a lot of pressure to make all A's, a boyfriend who slowly stopped talking to me, being drawn to drama queens as friends, and the loss of my car for not having higher grades. I remember feeling so alone. I was depressed. No matter how I tried to deny it. (More on that in my earlier blog What was Unknown is Now Blatantly Apparent.)

This time around, however, I have a loving husband who has already committed to helping me with any homework, a new sense of self, a firmer faith in God, and no desperation for friends who like me. Maybe this time I'll actually like college. I'm still nervous that I won't do well or that I'm picking the wrong degree, however. I guess we'll find out.

I am looking forward to cooking more again though! More home-cooked food for my wonderful husband! I'm already thinking about the things I'm going to make and how I'm going to organize the meals each week so I know what to buy for groceries. I'm thinking white rice and beef stroganoff, taco soup, homemade pizza, maybe some steak with mashed potatoes and peas, experiments with desserts; so many ideas! As well as my house being cleaner, even though I'm not really looking forward to cleaning. Cleaning is better than working at Chick-fil-a! Don't get me wrong, I love Chick-fil-a, but the one I am working out is going through some changes and so everything is just in chaos as far as working there. Of course, it doesn't help that my knee is giving me some real trouble. It's kind of a wake-up call when your knee hurts for a month and then it swells up and stays that way for (going on) two days. It is time for a change.

It looks like I am about to start a new chapter in my life. A chapter that hopefully is finished before a bigger chapter comes! I look forward to be a mom, but I'm not quite ready for that yet!

Keep on keeping on!

Fianally, my world is shrinking!

Okay... that probably sounds really weird. But I am SO happy about it! I have a speech class with someone I met LONG ago, and a few doors down is someone I used to hang out with at Bandina (church camp)! I also ran into one of the guys that went to Saturn Road. :) Of course, it helps that I've been to all of my classes and I am learning my way around the campus better. I've also noticed, that as all this is happening, my confidence has been growing! Maybe I'll put myself out there before the week ends... or... next week... hahaha!

Anyway, I went to my kinesiology, or wellness, class and the teacher is funny! So, I am actually excited about it! I know right! Who would be excited about a class where you either work out, or have lectures about how to be well? But I am! I think that the way a teacher presents him or herself, and how they approach and conduct their class, has a lot to do with weather I'm going to like it or not. What is really funny though, is my speech, or communications, teacher is my kinesiology teacher's brother. And they are alike in how they deal with their classes. Therefore, I am, surprisingly, excited about speech! I have a feeling that Tuesdays and Thursdays are going to be my fun days. Haha!

Unfortunately, though, I have to go out and buy a BUNCH of stuff for my art class tomorrow. Ugh. Though the funny thing is, my teacher grew up and went to church where I did... er... do.. something... ANYWAY! Haha! So, that is pretty cool. :) I'd better go get those before the store closes... *sigh*

But anyway, overall today was a really good day! Thank you, God! ^.^ Well, ta ta for now!

Not off to a good start...

Okay... so I started this in hopes to post everyday. So far, I'm obviously not doing so well. At least I haven't forgotten about it!

Anyway, today has been pretty average. Yesterday... yesterday was a mess. See... my mother grounded me from my car a while ago because I don't have all A's, so now I have a routine set up with my father of how to get back and forth between school and home. Well, he had to do something yesterday and so my mother took my sister and I to school. On our way there, mom decided that she would take me out to lunch, because as a senior I have off-campus lunch. Well, that wasn't the greatest because I usually go ut to lunch with my boyfriend. Though, on the up-side, I did get Ka-ze for lunch instead of fast food...

I then found out that I had the second body paragraph of my research paper for english due today and I hadn't even started! Then my mother decided to pick me and my sister up... which then resulted in us going to Hobby Lobby. Needless to say, I stayed in the car. Well, I fell asleep and they came back thirty minuets later. It was now 5:00.

When we got home, I started on my research paper and started to pull up my other sites that I go onto everyday. I'm a multi-tasker.. it's what I do. Well, my mother comes in and tells me not to... which means not getting on skype with my boy. Thus, I was upset and annoyed. Later that night my mom and I had a small fight and it was just not the greatest day of my life.

I guess it just comes from being a senior... I mean I heard that seniors head-butt with their parents... but right now I feel like I am going to go insane. With all the stress of school and going to college... and on top of that my parents saying that if I don't have all A's before school gets out, not only do I not get my car for the summer, I have to take a college class this summer, and I won't get to take it to college. Not only does that competely stink, it was bumped up from A's and B's last semester to all A's this semester. Their expectations keep rising and I am struggling to keep up.

So, now I am both excited and stressed about graduation. 29 school days to pull my grades up... and until I'm out of highschool. I just want to be able to be myself... is that such a horrible thing?