It's the Last Summer

Well, at least my last summer session of grad school. And it's over half finished. I'm ready! I had intended to take only one course at a time in the summer. Due to financial aid requirements, I had to take six hours. Of course, the only two classes I needed were offered the same semester. And I really wanna graduate next May. With most of the work finished, I just have to finish these last two weeks. It'll all be over, for better or worse, on July 3.

I have officially been accepted into the Graduate Program for Initial Teacher Certification! I got my letter in the mail Friday, along with my Statement of Eligibility and confirmation that I'm taking the last class (except the internship classes) for that part of my degree. The only problem is that they accidentally put the wrong subject on my SOE. I emailed last night and was emailed the correct ones today. And just in time . . .

I have my first real interview for a teaching position at 9 am tomorrow! I am meeting with the Superintendent of Atlanta ISD. I was so nervous when I spoke to him this morning, I couldn't remember all the positions I applied for with that district. I have them all printed out and I'm psyching myself up for the interview. Translation: I keep praying about it and reminding myself that my other interviews have gone well and that I'll get one of these jobs if that's what God has planned. I really don't need to worry; God's got this!

Is it Summer yet?

Spring semester has come and almost gone. I'm pretty dang happy about that. I think this may have been the toughest semester of my entire college career. I was sick for almost an entire month, which got me behind on assignments. (I'm still trying to catch up on a couple of those.) To be honest, I haven't really felt good since. Maybe it's just the added stress of being behind on my assignments, plus work and being human. My nephew, Alex, started playing soccer, too. I'm also trying to get my resume and cover letter perfected so I can apply for teaching positions for this fall. I found out that I won't be eligible for financial aid if I only take one class in the summer, like I had planned. Since the only classes I need are offered in Summer I, I'll have another 6 credit hour Summer semester. (At least it doesn't start until June!) I'll be taking the TExES 4-8 Generalist exam on May 30, so I have most of the month to prepare. I also need to finish my last 9.5 hours of observation videos and answer the obervation questions to be accepted into the Graduate Program for Initial Teacher Certification. No stress, right?

Here're the good parts. My research anthology and PowerPoint presentation for one class are due no later than April 28. Then there isn't much left for the end of the semester. In the module posted yesterday for my other class, the due date for the research paper was pushed back to May 7. (I got a little breathing room this weekend!) The only other thing I know of there is the final exam. Totally doable, especially since everything for the first class is due by May 2. I feel pretty confident that I will come out of both classes with a B, so not really damaging to the GPA. Summer I is only a few weeks long. After July 3, we're done and I'll have the rest of the summer to concentrate on applying for jobs and, hopefully, setting up my new classroom. Once I pass the 4-8 Generalist exam, it should be easier to find a job. It broadens my certification, which means I won't be limited to Social Studies only. GOD'S GOT THIS.

Paul was in a wreck Saturday night. The short version is that he was blinded by the bright lights of an oncoming vehicle. When he could finally see again, he didn't have time to stop the car from hitting the pickup in front of him. He wasn't badly injured, just "strained, sprained, and bruised", as the ER doctor said. Our insurance should cover the other guy's medical bills and his truck, but we didn't have full coverage, so it will only pay part of Paul's ER visit and nothing on our car. Now we're being shuttled around by my mom and stepdad or my baby sister and brother-n-law while we're figuring out how to get another car. GOD'S GOT THIS.

Even though Paul was sore, Easter was pretty good. My sister and brother-in-law picked us up so we could go to lunch with everybody. Alex told us "I asked Jesus to move into my heart and he did." The best Easter news since Jesus rose!

The best part of everything is GOD'S GOT THIS. He protected Paul and the other guy involved in the wreck. He already knows what car we'll get and how we'll pay for it. All we have to do is thank Him for what He's done and what He will do and have faith that He will provide in His perfect timing.

Here are the pictures I took of the car at the tow yard yesterday and of Paul's injuries Sunday.

Ah! Spring! And Meet Noelle

My research has been going okay. I'll probably end up changing my question for my Research Proposal a little bit, but I think I have almost all the articles I need. (I need to go to the library at Texarkana College for the last two articles.) My research paper for Human Growth and Development is on hold until I finish my Chapter Review, which is due next Tuesday. God's got this, so I know I'll do fine.

Registration for the Spring semester started today for Grad students and Seniors at A&M - Texarkana. After talking with a nice gentleman in Financial Aid, I decided to register for two classes instead of three. It won't hurt my future financial aid and I'll be awarded aid based on the number of hours for which I register. I was looking at three classes, two education classes that my adviser had suggested, as well as a reading class she had suggested for next summer. The first seven weeks of this semester were pretty hectic. I am thankful that the tech class lasted only seven weeks. I'm hoping next semester will be a little less hectic. It will definitely be less hectic than if I had decided to take three classes.

While I was at Target last night, I found an Elf on the Shelf. There were only two left, both girls. Meet Noelle.

I have all kinds of mischievous and cute plans for her this holiday season! I'll be sure to post some of her adventures. 

One last thing. Paul almost never gets sick. He's been sick since Thursday. His fever keeps going up and down. He has a constant headache, apparent sinus problems, and his appetite is pretty much non-existent. Not that I want to be sick, but I almost wish it were me that's sick. At least I have medical insurance. I was able to add him to my vision and dental insurance, but medical was almost $300 out of each paycheck. We can't afford that big a hit twice a month. Any prayers for him would be greatly appreciated. 

It's not been my week . . .

Before I can tell you about this week, though, I need to rewind to last week. I knew last weekend that I had developed a urinary tract infection. Since Monday was Labor Day, I couldn't call my doctor's office. One of the first things I did when I got to work Tuesday morning was call the office and leave a message on the nurse's voice mail. Before class, I called to see if they had called in a prescription. I called again Wednesday. Still no meds. I'm almost positive I called and left the nurse another voice mail Thursday. I never got a call. 

This weekend, I knew the UTI was getting worse because my back was starting to hurt. I called again Monday morning and left yet another message for the nurse. By 10:30, I was hurting so bad I could hardly even sit still. A little after noon, I asked my supervisor if it was okay for me to leave to go to the doctor. I had Paul come get me and take me to an urgent care clinic. Then it was off to Target to get my prescriptions. We still had plenty of time to stop for lunch and I made it back to work half an hour early. Let's just say that the side effects of the meds started pretty quickly. I considered contacting Dr. L to see if I could miss class and take my exam later. But, we were learning about the library before the test, so I really wanted to try to make it. That was not my best decision of the day. I made it almost an hour before I had to ask to leave. (Now I just need to figure out when I'll have time to take the test.)

Today didn't start out much better. I got up for work and quickly realized that I wasn't going to make it. I went back to bed. I knew I couldn't miss my class tonight. Dr. R made it pretty clear the first night that missing classes is not acceptable. Fortunately, I started feeling a little better this afternoon. One side effect went away, another started. At least this one isn't as disruptive. I almost had the chapter read by the time we needed to get ready to leave. Then my day started to get worse again.

The porch by our back door only has like three steps. When I was stepping off the bottom step, I fell. I don't know how it happened. I just know I ended up laying in the dirt on my right side with my books and purse laying right there next to me. My faded black jeans looked like I'd been rolling in the dirt; I couldn't brush all the dirt off. On the positive side, I didn't really seem to hurt anything and I didn't get my shirt dirty. And it was the first time I've worn my TobyMac shirt from Winter Jam. This was definitely another instance of God watching out for me. I've hurt myself with what seemed to be a less dangerous fall. I'm sure I'll be sore and bruised tomorrow, but I'm thankful that's it. 

And, best of all, my student loan for this year has finally been awarded. I checked after I got home from class tonight. To my surprise, there it was. I accepted the whole amount and signed my master promissory note, so, hopefully, I'll be getting my refund soon. Maybe I'll be able to find out by the end of the week when it will be disbursed. That's one stressor gone, another prayer answered. 

In the morning I'll go back to work and I have group tomorrow night. I hope my week continues to improve.