Changing Times

It is funny how life works out sometimes. Like, you think you know what you want to do and you’re on that path to achieve it, but things start to happen and you feel like you are losing it all or it is all falling apart. You think and feel this way because you are used to it, just when things are becoming normal or they are good, life gets turned upside, usually for the worst. Not this time!

Over the past two weeks I have been trying to decide whether I wanted to give up my blog or not. I never have time to write (even now I am doing this instead of studying my business law notes), and the only books I get to read are childrens books or school books. And I don’t even want to talk my fitness journey, that has been set on a far back burner that I can barely see it. I was almost ready to write my good-bye blog when we got news from the Financial Aid at my school. Apparently, I won’t be getting very much and the awards I do get are mostly student loans. My goal was to get my Associates without student loans unless I was at the very end (which I am, I have 6 classes left). After three more days of discussions, obsessions over the “what if’s”, and plenty of options I had I finally concluded. I am going to take a year off from getting my degree.

I am educationally tired, I have been going to college, being a stay at home mom, balancing other activities, and trying to build a business for three years. This mama is ready for a break. So, this is my plan. I am going to take a year off from school. In that year, I am going to be looking for a home-based job I can do on top of my Pampered Chef business, this way I am helping bring in money (having a tight budget is starting to get the better of us), I am going to work in my yard to finally get it where I want, take care of the house and family and all that it entails, and… I am going to try and blog more.

I am kind of excited for it, a little nervous as well because I don’t know what the future holds and I have been going to school for so long that homework is all I get done during the day. Now, I am not going straight to work because my son is only in half-day preschool and the costs of childcare is not something we want to add to our plates now, that is why I am looking for something that allows me to stay home. Once my son starts kindergarten I will get looking for full-time work and trying to finish my degree.

I am hoping that this route will lift some of the stress on the house because it is starting to get the better of all of us and that is no fun. I am hoping you can join me in this new journey. I have a few weeks left in this quarter, after that I will be trying to pick up my blog some more. I am sorry to my loyal followers that I have not posted anything. As I progressed through my degree the classes became more demanding, just this quarter I am taking Payroll Taxes, Business Law, and Intro to Project Management. I barely find time to do much of anything past homework. But now there is a light at the end of the road.

The more I talk about my plan the more relived I feel and the more excited I get. I am ready to put down the school books and focus on my family and my house. Join me in that adventure and we can explore it together. Keep a look out because at this time next month I am hoping to post more often. Stay tuned!

“To Make Her Love Me” by Rascal Flatts

Oh the memory of young love. I was in high school when I heard this song. I had just broken up with my boyfriend, again, I felt like my whole world was ending. I must have listened to this song a hundred times. I keep it on my Ipod because it is a good song and I like Rascal Flatts. I hope you like this song as much as I do.

“When A Man Loves A Woman” by Percy Sledge

I have this song simply because a boyfriend I was with at the time kept singing it to me. At the time I thought I was going to be with him for the rest of my life. It was a whirl wind romance, a summer I will never forget. But that image got shattered when we both went home. He went to his duty station and I went back home. We kept the relationship going as long as we could. But we couldn’t stand being away from each other. Obviously the relationship didn’t last because I am married now. I keep the song on my Ipod to remind myself of that summer, to remind myself of my adventures before a started a new book in my series of Life. I hope you like this song as much as I do.

“Wagon Wheel” by Darius Rucker

I apologize if I have posted this song before, but I love it. I love the beat, I love the story, and it lifts my mood every time I hear it. I think of all the times I was at training and away from my little family. How excited I was to see them when it was all over. I love a song that I can close my eyes to and just sway while I listen to the words. I like to pick my son up when this song comes on and just dance with him. When he was tiny it would soothe him when he was fussy, now that he is older he just looks at me like I am crazy and insists I put him down so we can dance together. This song is a feel good song, and I hope it lifts your spirits as much as it does mine.

“Cost of Livin'” by Ronnie Dunn

This song really hits home in this age. So many people are out of work, or come off of active duty and can’t get work. The most vivid memory I have of this song is when I was headed up to a training site with my Sergeant. We were driving the box van and he let me hook up my Ipod. I had just downloaded this song before I left my apartment. I like Brookes & Dunn, so I figured I would like this song. When this song came on I saw a whole new side to my Sergeant. I saw sadness on his face, I heard the desperate cry in his voice while I listened to him sing. He is an older man, made the military his life. He was getting out soon due to medical and that retirement was calling. But in the civilian life he wasn’t close to retiring. He was struggling to figure out what he was going to do when he didn’t have to report everyday. After that song I had a new respect for him and for everyone who struggles to put food on the table and make sure bills are paid. I hope you like this song as much as I do.

“I Knew I Loved You” by Savage Garden

I think this song came out when I was in middle school, maybe a little sooner. I remember listening to it while I wrote in my journal about my recent crush. It was another love ballad for the hopeless romantics. Then when I met my now hubby it became the song I thought of every time I saw him. It was over the moment I saw him, I knew I had to get him but wasn’t sure it was ever going to happen because of the age difference and the fact that he had kids. Never did I ever imagine actually getting what I wanted. I didn’t pursue him like I did other crushes, I just waited patiently. I think at some point I gave up on the idea of being with him, until I needed someone to help me move my new bed to my apartment. I still love this song and I still think of my hubby when I hear it. I hope you like it as much as I do.

“Rock the Beat” by LMFAO

I found out about LMFAO by accident. I don’t even remember where I heard them, I just knew I had to get their music. When I heard this song it was all over, I was hooked. It isn’t so much about the lyrics, to me it is all about the beat. Can I dance to it? Can I let go to it? What can it do to my mood? I know this song is short but it does the job for me. I hope you like it as much as I do. Warning: It is not an actually video, just the music.