Here We Go!!!

It seems this year I have given hardly any notice to the fact that a new year has begun. Usually I spend quite a bit of time reflecting and setting goals, but this year I just slipped right into 2011 and hardly noticed. Perhaps this is because I feel like I am at the top of a steep slope, staring down, taking a deep breath, about to push off the ledge into a crazy downhill spiral of busy-ness!

Last semester wasn't too bad. I had a nice balance of activity, especially with no graduate school classes to worry about. However, we all knew that couldn't last long. I have decided to go back to school this semester and finish my other master's degree, the one I had originally started out to complete before switching to a library science major. Initially, I had started out to pursue a master of education in Reading. I only need 18 hours to complete it, so I decided to plunge back in and knock that out in 2011 before I get too far removed from "school mode." So this semester I will be taking 6 hours, face-to-face classes, starting in a couple of weeks. (I will then take six hours this summer and six hours this fall and be done!)

After I had already made the decision to go back to school and had that all lined up, I was presented with the opportunity to work as a part-time tutor after school for the Boys and Girls Club here in Dallas. I had been volunteering at Central Dallas (now known as CitySquare) in the library at Roseland, but wasn't feeling particularly needed or utilized there. I decided to go ahead and interview for the position and I found out yesterday that I got the job! I will be working four days a week from 4:00-7:00pm. I'm pretty excited about this opportunity, but not so excited about having to leave there and go straight to class from 7:30-10:20 two nights per week.

Now these two new activities are on top of my regular job and my two Saturdays per month job at Upward Bound and my weekly private tutoring sessions on Sundays. Not to mention that one of the few goals I did set for 2011 was to get more involved and connected at church . And I did want to get back into a more regular work-out routine, but I don't know when that's going to happen if I'm leaving the house at 7:45am every morning and not getting back until 10:30 or later at least two days per week. However, I think all of this will be worth it, both financially and in the aspect of building better relationships and in doing what I can for kids. I feel extremely blessed to have these opportunities and pray for the strength to make the most of them!

Yesterday I went home from work and took a 4 hr nap...I'm pretty sure that won't be happening again for a very long time! I only have a few days left before pushing off down the crazy slope, so I'm going to try to make the most of the slower pace while I can! :-)