Part-Time It is

Yesterday I made a big decision. I've opted to start grad. school on a part-time basis. It's been weighing on me the last month or so and I'm so happy to have the stress lifted. It comes down to balance, and I think that I would have been sacrificing too much to get the program done in two years. My marriage and kids are too precious! While I'm not thrilled about four years of school, this is the direction I want to go and if it takes two years, four years, or longer, so-be-it. I'm so thankful for Will's support. He makes tough decisions a lot eaiser. Love him.

The Girls' First Haircut

Needless to say, it's been a long time. A couple of updates before I get to today's main topic: 1. Accepted into grad. school, starting in the fall. 2. Girls turned 2 in March.
3. Great trip to the Bahamas with Will's work. 4. Taking Social Work (SWK) 1010 this semester. 5. And, of course, all of the little things, good and bad, that made up the majority of my life since last writing.

Moving right along...

The girls’ first haircut. A couple of days ago I finally decided it was time. Their bangs were hanging in their eyes, and the mullets were out of control shaggy. I tried taking them to a cute kid’s salon at the Orchard but the wait was too long so I opted to take them to Fantastik Cuts which is a mom and pop shop down the street from the house.

Sophie did really well! Embraced the cape, loved sitting in the race car seat and sat extremely still.


Sophie's First Haircut

Ava was not as settled about the whole experience. She was stoked about the car chair, however didn’t like the cape, and really didn’t like the cut. Thankfully, there were no tears, but she did end up finishing in my lap. Sadly, since I was by myself for this grandiose event, there are no photos during Ava’s first haircut.

As for the cut itself? As someone who has always hated when store owners mess with the spelling of words in effort to up the cute factor, i.e., "Kountry Kitchen," I should have known better than to take the girls to Fantastik Cuts. While the girls will always be adorable in my eyes, their resemblance to Harry and Lloyd from Dumb and Dumber is a little too close for my personal taste. You be the judge:


Sophie (L), Ava (R)

The day of the cut there were several occasions when I’d look at the girls and laugh out loud. All and all, a good experience, but maybe next time I’ll wait it out at the other place!

Fall Brings Procrastination

Fall is here and with it comes procrastination. I'm scheduled to take the Miller Analogies Test in 13 days and I have a lot of work ahead of me! Pretest score: 57/120. Not looking so good. I have about 1000 vocabulary words to learn, and hundreds of other items from historical events to social scientists to brush up on. Again, I have a lot of work ahead of me. Thankfully, as a result of my procrastination I have a spotless house, no dirty laundry and a to-do list that is quite short. I've put it off long enough, so it's time to jump on the studying...or maybe I'll clean the garage! Seriously, it's time to focus!

What's New?

Well, it's been a while. Summer is always a crazy time, busier than usual, and this summer is no exception. Truth is, I can't say what I've been doing, just the same old same. I think my blogging time was replaced by reading time...thank you, Kelly, for introducing me to Emily Griffin! And of course, there's the whole kid thing, seems to keep me on my toes.

It's been a good summer though. Highlights include hiring a babysitter! Such an awesome idea. I have so enjoyed getting a break. Much needed, in deed! Trading in my beloved Honda Accord for a much bigger Honda Pilot so the girls and I can have a little leg room when we're driving. I've gotten to spend a lot of time with friends this summer which has been so much fun! Though I haven't gone yet, I'm so looking forward to visiting my best friend from college, Joslyn, in DC later this month. And as always, watching the girls' constant growth and change is amazing.

Enter Teething! Though I can't say this is actually a highlight, it has sapped a lot of my time and energy so far this summer. Cannot wait for this to be over! On a brighter note, they're learning so much now. Always on the move, usually running. Someone actually said to me the other day, "wow, they get around well for having such short legs." Not sure, is that a backhanded compliment? I am the first to admit my girls are a short, but I'm still laughing at that one. They're trying so hard to talk now and actually have a handful of words. Hi, bye, sissy, ball, bath, trash, dog, duck, etc. In spite of their ever growing vocabulary they prefer barking, which they do constantly. Until very recently anything on four legs barked according to the girls. The older the girls get, the more fun I have. Looking forward to the next couple of months to see what else they have up their sleeves.

Still planning on going to grad. school fall of 2011. Once applications are available, I will apply to CSU and Metro's MSW programs. I'm actually leaning toward Metro's program now despite their newness and lack of reputation. It ultimately comes down to convenience at this time in my life and Metro's campus is only 25 minutes from the house compared to the hour long drive up to Ft. Collins. I think I've even figured out the direction I would like to take my career. I would love to be a part of the mental health treatment of Type 1 diabetics. As a diabetic, I feel like this is largely ignored though it is a huge part of having diabetes or any chronic illness for that matter. As I have not even applied for school yet, there is a huge possibility that this will change, but it is comforting thinking that I have a plan.

I will start taking a few classes required for admittance in the fall. I think I have about three or four to do. This will be a nice transition into full time school and will be mentally stimulating...something that has definitely been lacking in my life the last year and a half...no offense, girls!

Overall, life is good. It's been a good summer, but I'm ready for fall now, cooler weather and everything else it has to bring.

Insecurities

I'm very excited about my choice for grad. school and career to follow, however, with this excitement comes many insecurities. First, I'm horrified that I won't be accepted into the program. For the most part I have all of the requirements to get in, except of course GPA. My undergrad. GPA is a 2.98 (I wasn't exactly an over achiever in college) and the minimum at CSU is a 3.00. The website does say that on occasion they admit students with lower GPAs who have displayed the ability to succeed in graduate level course work. What the heck does this mean? How am I supposed to show them I have the ability to succeed in graduate level course work when I've never taken a graduate level course?

Moving on, let's say I am admitted to the program...which I'm still not convinced I will be as of this moment...what if I'm not cut out for graduate level course work? Will I be able to juggle being a mom and doing a Master's program? Should I consider doing the part time program? I just don't know.

My last fear is writing a thesis. As of now, I feel completely unprepared to do this. I know what you're thinking, you haven't even started the program yet, of course, you're not ready to write a thesis. But, I'm afraid that even after doing all of my course work I will be unable to complete it. In college I was the type to put off writing my 15 page essay until the night before, and I know that's not going to work for a thesis.

The truth is, I believe all of this will work out. I am capable of doing this and I will find the support that I need to balance the girls and school. The trouble is I don't have a Plan B if I'm not accepted into the program. I suppose once I answer the "what if's" and become comfortable with the alternative this cloud of insecurity will go away. Until then, I will sit with it and keep my fingers crossed that I display the ability to succeed in graduate level course work!

YES, THEY ARE TWINS!!!!!

I have a few things to say about comments from the public about my girls.

1. YES, THEY ARE TWINS!!!!! You must be a freakin' genious!

2. Yes, They are both girls! Was it the pink shirt, pink pants, pink socks or pink shoes that gave it away?

3. No, it is not time for their nap! If it were, I wouldn't be out right now, I would be at home putting them down!

4. Yes, I do have my hands full! Again, you must be a freakin' genious!

5. And lastly, No, I do not care about your brother's girlfriend's cousin's friend who has twins! So please, spare me!

I Think I Figured it Out!

I think I figured out what I want to do when I grow up...drum roll please...I want to be a therapist! I've been throwing around a couple ideas for some time now, namely nursing and teaching, but I think I ruled both of those out and am going to get my Master's in Social Work. So, the whole nursing thing still sounds cool to me, but I think it comes down to the strength of my stomach, and I just don't have it. Blood, guts, etc. give me the heebie jeebies and I can't do it. As far as teaching goes I think that working in a classroom of 30 ankle biters will burn me out faster than sitting in a cube for a giant corporation. I'm a helper by nature, and until very recently I couldn't figure out what other kind of helping positions were out there. I'm pretty excited about it!

I've looked into CSU and DU's programs, and although DU's sounds awesome I think the price is just too high. CSU's program is two years, and sounds great too. Icing on the cake: I don't have to take the GRE...woohoo!!! The downside for all of these programs is that I can't get started until fall of 2011. At the risk of stating the obvious, that is a long time from now! I do need to get 450 hours of volunteer work out of the way before I can apply to the program so a start date of 2011 will allow me plenty of time to get that done.

I think I'm most interested in doing family counseling, though, a school social worker sounds interesting too. I am definitely not interested in agency social work. I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole! Anyway, I have time to figure it all out. Ahhhhh, purpose, what a great feeling!