101/1001: #34 - Attend my Graduation Ceremony

Well, it's done. After a lot of back and forth on my part about whether to attend or not, I did it, at the behest of a handful of the most important people in my life. And in the end, it didn't matter than I've been done with this part of my life for a year, because the people I love most were there, and they are the reason I was even able to finish this damn thing anyway.

Also, sometimes, your family gives you things that are perfect:

taken with my OG iPhone.

And sometimes, they write things that make you cry:

taken with my OG iPhone.

And now, to get moving on completing my application for Graduate school - all they need from me is transcripts.

Cheers, y'all.

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A few updates.

Hey there.

I thought I'd blog quickly, just to give some updates regarding life in general for us, as well as a few big changes that are afoot. I like the word 'afoot;' it makes me giggle. But anyway.

So, here's the list:

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1) I'm still querying, sort of. The thing is, certain events have transpired to really make me think, and at this juncture, I'm not entirely convinced that publishing is an industry I even want to be a part of, in the traditional sense. I won't get into the whys... just know that they are numerous. Therefore, once the queries I've sent out expire, I think I'm going to sit on the manuscript for a while. It's not that I don't love writing - far from it - but to be honest, I'm a bit disenfranchised with several aspects of publishing at present, and I'm doing some soul searching.

2) That said, I am working on a few shorter pieces in my spare time, and that work has made me remember how much I love short fiction. We'll see if that goes anywhere.

3) (And this is a big one...) Ken and I are giving serious consideration to home schooling Bella once she hits first grade. The list of reasons for this is also very lengthy, and because I need somewhere to blab about them and the situation in general, I have a blog dedicated solely to the topic of Classical Education and the process we're going through as we contemplate and move toward it. I want to throw out there that neither of us have a problem with public school, in general. At this point, this is what we want, but I'm not sure how we're going to make it happen financially. (There is a Classical private school in Austin, but they are CRAY-CRAY regarding tuition.) If you go over there to that blog, or you leave a comment about homeschooling here, please leave your hate at the door. Support is what we need, as well as trust that we'll make the best decision for our family.

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4) That said, I have a job opportunity that is very promising, and would drastically change our future if/when it is made official. I appreciate your good thoughts in that regard (and also, I'd appreciate it if you'd all send "HURRY UP ALREADY" thoughts to said job). ;)

Aside from that, Ken is really enjoying his new job (although we've recently learned that he's working with my ex... which is a bit weird for me), and has completed his first session in school. 2 classes down, many more to go, but progress is progress, and I'm very proud of him.



I hope this finds you well and content. Life is too short for anything else.

- a

People, Words, Music, and Lack

I turned 30 in December, and since then, I've come to a lot of realizations about life and where I want to be and what everything means. It's a bit like I disappeared into the book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and instead of coming up with 42, I got the real answer. Not that 42 isn't a real answer. Or something. And if you don't get that joke, I'm very sad for you.

Anyway.

Thing is, for several years, I've done what was easy for me.

Roughly translated: My life has sorely been lacking in passion.

I don't mean in my marriage or my friendships or whatever. And obviously, I've been writing a ton for the last few years, both on this blog and in other places, but what I mean is that I go to work, I come home. I go to work, I come home. I go to work. I come home.

And I'm bored all the while.

Because the fact of the matter is that I don't care about accounting, and that's what I work in, mostly because it's easy for me to get a job in that arena, and therefore: I am bored. I do good work, I'm efficient, and it's simple, for me. But I'm bored.

I did an inventory - a balls out sort of inventory, where I really tried to iron out my priorities. At the end of the day, here's the short list of things I care about, save my immediate family and friends (who are, generally speaking, more like family than most of the people who are technically classified as family based on genetic connectivity):

- people (both in and out of my life)
- words (i.e. writing and reading)
- music (no explanation necessary)

Yeah. No math.  No numbers. No office work.

Go figure.

So, anyway, this has been a really long, rambling way to get around to this announcement:

I'm going back to school, hopefully this fall, to get my Master's in Counseling from Saint Ed's. It's a 2-3 year program, exceptionally affordable by comparison to most of the other programs in this area, and I want it so bad I can taste it. Ken is wholly supporting, and feels a bit like "I told you so!" because he predicted this would happen years ago, as most people know.

When I think about what this would allow me to include in my life, I am giddy with excitement. I could work with people, day in, day out. I could make a difference in their lives, just by listening and offering quiet thoughts in return, if they want them. I could probably work part time and make more than I make doing my stupid accounting job, and I'd be happier, to boot. And that happiness? It's worth the strain of preparing to take (and ace?) the GRE, as well as managing life with a husband (who will also be in school) and a precocious daughter and school, all at once. Also, a social life.

Anyway.

So, yes, hopefully, you're reading the blog of a graduate of Saint Edward's University, Class of 2015 or 2016. Seeing LPC/LMFT behind my name is going to be pretty damn awesome.

P.S. For those of you wondering, yes, I am still querying my manuscript, and yes, I will still be writing. I will always write. Period.
P.S.S. It's Licensed Professional Counselor/Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I'd want both certifications.