An update

Wow.  How do 2 months pass so quickly?  I'll tell you how.  School.  I'm in school full-time and I absolutely love it.   It's been a loooonnnnggg time since I have felt such happiness and pure joy in something I am doing outside of my children.   I didn't realize just how unhappy I was in my job until I started school.  I feel like I'm home when I go there.  My stress disappears.   I smile more now than I have in a long time.   I'm doing something for me.  I'm doing something for my girls.  I am working to rebuild our lives and make things better for us.   With teaching, there was always a ceiling cap in how much I made.  No matter how hard I worked or how many hours I worked, I was never going to make more money.  The value in all that hard work was intrinsic.  I saw the value in what I did when my students would learn something new.  I'm not knocking that. It's an amazing thing when you realize you have changed a child's life in what you've taught them.  It's just with cosmetology I have a chance to really make OUR lives better.

In a discussion with Ali tonight, we talked about how nice it would be to not just make a ton of money but that it would be nice to not worry so much about surviving things financially.  I'm looking forward to finally being able to give my girls not only what they need but a lot of what they want too.

We have been super busy.  Brigid, Caroline, and Megan are all in the advanced program this year.  Not too shabby considering I am a single parent and do this by myself.  Abigail is like the turtle in a race.  Slow and steady wins the race.  I finally see the lightbulb coming on with her and I am impressed with how hard she is working to learn.  The trio are training for their 1st 5k in December through Girls on the Run.   Abigail and Caroline are in choir club.  Caroline and Brigid start band on Monday.  Flutes for both of them!!!

Tuesday I am taking Caroline to the Weiskopf Center to finally be tested for Asperger's Syndrome.   After years of hearing this in relation to  her, it will be nice to get an answer one way or another.

Brigid is having lots of Chiari headaches again.  I hate Chiaris.  I mean I fucking hate them.  She is on an exercise restriction again and has an MRI scheduled at the end of October and an appointment with her neurosurgeon in November.   Some prayers would be nice here.

Megan was asked to join the Beta Club.  You need a 3.5 or above.  I am so proud of her.  She is, and has always been, a smart cookie.   She has just recently started to babysit and make some of her own money.  Last Saturday I took her and 2 friends to the mall where they got to walk around by themselves and shop.  She loved the freedom of spending her own money and getting to hang with her friends.  I remember being in middle school and LOVING getting to go to the mall with my friends.  

One of the perks of being in cosmetology school is getting to change my hair all the time.  Her are a few of my hair colors I have had since June:

This was the first color.  I loved having the pink hair.

I loved having pink hair so much that I went all over pink.

Then I shaved most of my hair and colored it brown with pink highlights.

Now my hair is dark brown with red/cranberry highlights.  I freakin' love it.  I finally feel like I am comfortable in my own skin with my own unique look.  It's taken 44 years to get to that point.

One of the things I was most worried about was the fact that I am 44 and I'm in school with a majority of 18-20 year olds.  I kept thinking there was no way I'd have anything in common with woman young enough to be my daughters.  On the 2nd day of school I called Ali and told her I didn't think I could handle being around people who are still teenagers.  You know what?   I don't feel out of place at all.  I don't know if it's the fact that we are all on an even playing field in the fact that we are learning together, or if it's the fact that I just really love learning what we are doing, but these amazing young women have accepted me and encouraged me in everything I do.   I love these young ladies and respect them for how dedicated they are to learning.

Can you tell I'm feeling Blessed??   I can tell you that is one thing I haven't lost by switching careers.  My Faith is as strong as ever.   I love God.  Plain and simple.  In everything that happens in my life, the loss of my parents and sister, the loss of my marriage, my depressions, my financial issues (man that sounds awful), my Faith is continually renewed.  

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I love this verse from the Bible.   God doesn't promise that you won't ever have bad things happen to you, he promises that he will carry you and give you Grace to survive all that happens to you.

Let me tell you.  I am full of Grace.

So that's my entry back in to blogging.  Oh by the way, I finally hit over 30,000 hits on my blog.   Compared to some that isn't a lot.  For me I feel like it's an accomplishment.  My words are getting noticed. For a writer that is the greatest compliment.

Thanks for taking part in my life.