Sleepless in Salt Lake

3am and I'm still wide awake... but feeling amazing. After a wonderful evening out with my little family, a refreshing finish to the day was all that I needed. I picked up a friend and headed to the gym. The full moon outside against the asphalt sky and denim mountain profile was breath taking. I really wish I had stopped to take a photo of it before we went in for our workout. Sweaty. Sticky. It was great. I didn't push myself as hard as I should have, but it was a nice dip back into a routine after the week-long break I'd had from my injury... my pain in the ass, quite literally.
I came home and showered at the end of the evening, and here I am. Playing with my blog. Daydreaming... or rather, just dreaming about the incredible things I'll get to learn when I start college in a few weeks. Which reminds me, I really should be sleeping right now. Good habits die hard, and bad habits never seem to die at all... like staying up late. Or rather early. I have a mountain of things to do tomorrow, and who knows if I'll get to see the Lunar Eclipse that is set to occur in just a few hours.

Just a few reminders for myself...
I have a gym appointment at 11am.
I need to revisit my resume.
I need to do laundry and dishes.
The dining room needs swept and mopped.
I need to go through my maternity clothes for Mel and Jenny.
Oh yes, I also need to get my refrences and contact my old school district about obtaining a copy of my diploma for my school records.
By the way, I got my letter of acceptance today! I should probably look in to apply for some scholarships, too.
So much to do...
Life is grand!

Whirlwind Called LIFE

I can't believe how amazing these last few weeks have been. The changes in my life have been so incredible, it's almost surreal. This last week, especially, has shown me that changes can be very intimidating, but that conquering that intimidation and turning it into pure excitement is so empowering.
I enrolled in school for a Graphic Design program at a local private college this week. I'll be getting my Associates and although I was very nervous about entering into a large social setting such as this after recently fighting and overcoming social anxiety, I'm really looking forward to it. I start mid-September and most of my classes will be online and very fast paced. Friends and family have really encouraged me to do this, and I've finally come to terms with it being not only something I'm good at and can succeed in, but also something that I DO want to accomplish for myself.
I do have to thank my Dad and my Husband for really supporting me in this. Also two of my best friends, Keke and Brian, for encouraging me and believing in me. It feels awesome to have so many people standing behind me and beside me as I take such a huge, scary leap, feet first it would seem, into college after being out of school for almost 5 years now.
One of my biggest concerns about going to college was the cost involved. The program I'll be joining in on is just under $33,000 and runs for 15 months for full time students like myself. I'll have only an estimated $2,000 of Pell Grant money, so the rest will have to be paid through federal and private student loans. I haven't applied for any student loans aside from federal yet because after doing the math, if I can find an evening job that offers some tuition reimbursement, I'll be able to pay the rest of the cost off before I graduate next November. The College matches up to $5,000 in tuition, so I'm hoping to find a local job that can do tuition reimbursement for at least $1000 or more to help pay for the cost. Wouldn't that be awesome? It would really relieve a lot of my concerns, but at the same time, I've been living as a Stay-at-home-mom for several years now, so I don't have much experience in the work field to back me up in my skills and abilities that I know I have and can use to get a decent job while going to school.
Anyway, despite the irrational financial insecurities, I'm really very excited to be attending school once again. I have my doubts and concerns, but I haven't been dwelling on them because I really believe that this was meant to be. Ready or not, here I come!