Long time... no hear.
I can't believe that it's been almost 6 months since I've posted anything here. Unfortunately, there is good reason for it. Several, in fact.
1) I started school full-time at UIU to get my bachelor's degree in human services with a minor in criminology. It's an accelerated program which means terms run every 8 weeks (with no time off in between terms). I take 2 classes per term which makes me a full time student. I was taking one class on-line and one class at the site. With spring and summer, I decided to take 2 online classes instead. It means for more time on the computer and a lot more writing of papers and answering questions versus one 4 1/2 hour class one night a week where I have to give presentations on papers I write. I've been liking the online classes but it sure makes for long days when I sit at a computer all day for work and then come home and sit on the computer all night some nights until midnight trying to beat deadlines. All in all, it's been fun though and I've thoroughly enjoyed all of my classes. Luckily most of my classes from colleges past transferred and therefore I am taking all classes geared toward my degree instead of having to take generals still. Like I said, it's been interesting and I've enjoyed it. It's also nice knowing that this time around, I have maintained an A average. :-)
2) Kathy and I had some personal issues that we needed to work out. Because she'd not like me to share them in this type of setting, I won't. But let's just say that it's taken some time for us to work past our issues and we are now at a point where we are more solid then ever. So much so that we are planning on getting married April 2010.
3) We've had house guests. One moved out in April or May of this year. It meant that we got our spare bedroom upstairs back and I remade it back into a "kids" room again in hopes that we may get back into foster care soon. HOWEVER, because the person that was living in that room was a registered sex offender, we actually LOST our license and are currently NOT licensed foster parents anymore. We are waiting until August or September when our local foster care chapter will be offering training sessions again and hopefully once we get some training under our belt, we'll be able to write a letter to the head person at DHS and plead for our license back while trying to explain why we had to lose it in the first place.
4) Another person was also living in our house and while we were trying to help out - we've learned over the past year that things just are no longer working out and this person will be moving out at the end of July. I have mixed feelings about the move, but know it's for the best for all of us to remain sane. At this point I am not sure if the three of us will be able to walk away from this remaining friends. And to be honest, I'm not sure if we should. Only time will tell.
5) Lastly, I have been unemployed for almost 9 months now and coming to the end of the EPJ program... which means I am getting a little worried and scared as to what will happen in the next few months. There are a few things that I am working on in hopes of it helping out pay for school as well as possibly having some leads on a couple job opportunities as my graduation dates gets closer. But for now, I just worry.
So... I have some excuses reasons why I haven't written. And now that I'm hoping to get back into writing again, I'm not sure just how much I'll be writing or how often I can. But I do want to get back into it. I see that LJ is now offering a way in which to make all my posts up to now into a book... just what I've always wanted... so now I REALLY have a reason to get back into it. Actually, if I don't do it with this journal, I'll probably do it with my other one that centered on our first experience as foster parents. Another little momento to remember her by. :-)
I'm off. But I promise I'll be back!
1) I started school full-time at UIU to get my bachelor's degree in human services with a minor in criminology. It's an accelerated program which means terms run every 8 weeks (with no time off in between terms). I take 2 classes per term which makes me a full time student. I was taking one class on-line and one class at the site. With spring and summer, I decided to take 2 online classes instead. It means for more time on the computer and a lot more writing of papers and answering questions versus one 4 1/2 hour class one night a week where I have to give presentations on papers I write. I've been liking the online classes but it sure makes for long days when I sit at a computer all day for work and then come home and sit on the computer all night some nights until midnight trying to beat deadlines. All in all, it's been fun though and I've thoroughly enjoyed all of my classes. Luckily most of my classes from colleges past transferred and therefore I am taking all classes geared toward my degree instead of having to take generals still. Like I said, it's been interesting and I've enjoyed it. It's also nice knowing that this time around, I have maintained an A average. :-)
2) Kathy and I had some personal issues that we needed to work out. Because she'd not like me to share them in this type of setting, I won't. But let's just say that it's taken some time for us to work past our issues and we are now at a point where we are more solid then ever. So much so that we are planning on getting married April 2010.
3) We've had house guests. One moved out in April or May of this year. It meant that we got our spare bedroom upstairs back and I remade it back into a "kids" room again in hopes that we may get back into foster care soon. HOWEVER, because the person that was living in that room was a registered sex offender, we actually LOST our license and are currently NOT licensed foster parents anymore. We are waiting until August or September when our local foster care chapter will be offering training sessions again and hopefully once we get some training under our belt, we'll be able to write a letter to the head person at DHS and plead for our license back while trying to explain why we had to lose it in the first place.
4) Another person was also living in our house and while we were trying to help out - we've learned over the past year that things just are no longer working out and this person will be moving out at the end of July. I have mixed feelings about the move, but know it's for the best for all of us to remain sane. At this point I am not sure if the three of us will be able to walk away from this remaining friends. And to be honest, I'm not sure if we should. Only time will tell.
5) Lastly, I have been unemployed for almost 9 months now and coming to the end of the EPJ program... which means I am getting a little worried and scared as to what will happen in the next few months. There are a few things that I am working on in hopes of it helping out pay for school as well as possibly having some leads on a couple job opportunities as my graduation dates gets closer. But for now, I just worry.
So... I have some excuses reasons why I haven't written. And now that I'm hoping to get back into writing again, I'm not sure just how much I'll be writing or how often I can. But I do want to get back into it. I see that LJ is now offering a way in which to make all my posts up to now into a book... just what I've always wanted... so now I REALLY have a reason to get back into it. Actually, if I don't do it with this journal, I'll probably do it with my other one that centered on our first experience as foster parents. Another little momento to remember her by. :-)
I'm off. But I promise I'll be back!