In Over My Head?

I have now been attending classes full time at Mars Hill for a little over two years. I can honestly say that this is the first time I have felt completely overwhelmed. I can't say whether it is due to the intense nature of the two full-term online classes I am taking in addition to two short-term in-class courses I have, or if it is due to the winter depression I fall into each year. Either way, I am struggling at this point. I have no doubt I can pull it off--it's just going to really take more effort than I have ever had to produce. I have begun to really attempt some organization throughout my work. From weekly overviews to daily to-do lists, I am trying to stay on top of the work. It is my hope to stay at least a half-step ahead to avoid getting caught up in last minute struggles. We shall see.

On a lighter note, our water was restored late last night. Thus came the commotion of some heavy-duty cleaning lasting late into the night...or morning, really. As I sat in a tub FULL of suds this morning, it occurred to me that I may never again take bathing for granted. Or dish washing. Or toilet flushing. Well, you get the picture. Indoor plumbing is awesome.

Positively Blessed

Oh my Lord...I have been so negative for the last few weeks. I have been in such a depressed mood and it seems that not a lot is going right. Winter is such a hard time for me. Though the snow and ice can be beautiful, it is not conducive to my mental well being.

Mammaw G. was put in the hospital last Sunday and has since been moved to Asheville. What we thought was going to be her biggest obstacle has turned out to be at the bottom of the worry list. She suffered a stroke Wednesday morning. Wednesday night, the neurosurgeon removed one blood clot from her brain. There is another remaining clot which cannot be reached at this time. The days and weeks to follow will reveal the full extent of the damage done to her brain. HOWEVER, she is breathing on her own and the physical therapy department has been working her pretty hard. There is always reason for praise.

Our water has been frozen since Wednesday night. I am sick of not being able to flush the toilet. Despite bringing in jugs of water to do what we can, the bathrooms are starting to become negatively odoriferous. Here's hoping that the temperature will rise drastically in the next day or so. Reality says that this won't happen though--it's supposed to snow Monday and Tuesday. Ah well... it could be worse.

In all reality, I know in my heart that my troubles are SMALL. I have decided that I must look past the negative and try to focus on the positive, because I really am positively blessed.

Oh, and one last random thought. I want to try yoga. We can all use some focus.

New Term

So, I start a new term tonight...yay! Tonight's class is Intro to Literature--should be great. I always get so excited when I start a new class. Two of my classes will be online this time around and that is wonderful. It means that most of the time I will only have to drive two hours each way on one night per week.

Lord, I wish I was disciplined enough to keep up with this blog. I want to journal, really I do. I just forget. Or get caught up in assignments. Or get lost in the latest crochet project. I need some sort of reminder, I suppose.

One other thing I need to get back into my routine: weight watcher points. Agh, I fell off the wagon bad and I'm having a heck of a time catching back up to that beast.

Well, off to prepare for the evening.

Slacker

Boy, I sure haven't managed to keep up this journal very well so far, have I? I guess I'm just trying to settle in and get my bearings here. I'm not used to journaling regularly yet and with classes coming to an end soon, things have been a little hectic. Good things are coming, though. I have my teacher education program interview on December 10. This Friday, though, I'm Tennessee-bound for a trip with my Momma, my sister, and my daughter--serious fun to be had.

I began counting Weight Watcher points around the beginning of October and it has worked better than I could have imagined. So far I have lost about 34 pounds. Not bad for a couple of months. I've kind of plateaued right now, mainly because I got slack on writing everything down. I'm planning to buy an exercise bike soon, though, so that should help get the pounds moving again.

More soon... I'm off to play Super Paper Mario with my son. :) Good night.

The Beginning

So, I received my Praxis scores in the mail yesterday. I passed. My acceptance into the teacher education program at Mars Hill College depended on this very test; therefore, it feels as if I am entering a new phase in life. From this point on, my education will center around learning the skills needed to be a successful teacher; more specifically, a special education teacher. With this new direction, I feel the need to begin reflecting on where I've been and, more importantly, to chronicle where I am going--if for no other reason than creating a personal journal of my thoughts.

This is where the journal (the new journey) begins. I hope that when it ends, my life will prove to have made some small difference somewhere along the way.