University visit with built in therapy

Today I took a little field trip to a university in the area to meet with a professor regarding what courses I need to take to get my certification up to date for the state.   The university butts up right next to the shore of Lake Michigan.  I had never been on campus before, and as I drove up I was amazed at the view.

The picture doesn't really do it justice.  I got there a few minutes early and parked my car and walked over to the bluffs. I think I stared out at the water for a good 10 minutes or so, just watching the waves and an occasional sailboat come by.  

There's something therapeutic about water.  I'm not a water baby.....I couldn't care less if I never went in it, but I LOVE to watch it.  I would just love to have a house on a lake with a balcony where I could sit out there in the morning with my coffee and watch the waves or just stare at the water.  Today when I got to the college, I was a little nervous about meeting with the professor, but looking at the water just soothed me.

  If you recall, I had been accepted into the University of Wisconsin's School of Social Work for the fall semester.  I declined acceptance after I had a chance to be on campus and interact with the departments.  Nothing, NOTHING against the U of W....it's a fantastic school.  But, it's more than an hour from me, and it's such a large institution.  I very much felt like a very small fish in a very large pond.  It turned out to be much too intimidating and overwhelming for me.

This university I visited today is very small.  Turns out, I didn't need to be stressed about meeting the professor because she was AWESOME!   She spent about 40 minutes with me discussing all my options and answering any questions I had.  I'm still not quite sure which route to take, but I now have much more information and I know that I can email or call her with any additional questions I have.    There's something to be said for small colleges and universities and the individual attention you receive there.  

The journey to figure out what I want to be "when I grow up" continues, but I feel like I am a million steps closer now than I was yesterday.  I also have a great place to visit now to get my great water views! :)

yard work

What happened to Summer???   Here in the upper Midwest the weather has taken a very cool turn.  I am actually loving the 60's and cloudy weather because just a week ago it was close to 100 here and very muggy.   Gotta love weather in the Midwest!  Anyway, Hubs and I are taking advantage of the cooler temps and getting some yard work done.

Ok, actually......Hubby is the one doing the brunt of it.  He took it upon himself to go and buy a chainsaw and trim up our two very large, very overgrown pine trees that are in our front yard.  He got both of them trimmed up pretty good and started burning some of the branches last night and again this morning.  He seems to be enjoying himself.  I'm not sure what it is about it that appeals to him.  It might be that it's outside and he can use a chainsaw (boys with toys), or maybe it's the fact that he got to see progress pretty quickly.   Whatever the reason, he's been on top of the chore and he's even talking about doing more yard work.

I'm loving it.  Not only does my yard look better, but it's good for Hubs.  He's active, doing productive things for our home, and he's involving our oldest child to help by bribing her to haul branches and sticks in return for money or time on a video game.   It's really a win-win for everyone.  

Now------How can I get him to finish up the projects INSIDE the house????   :)

Hot days cool nights

This summer has been busy, busy, busy.   After I decided to ixnay the whole Social Work degree thing, I started teaching a self-contained life skills class this summer.  I was approached to do it by an administrator in the district to do it since she knew I had a teaching license in that area.  It sounded okay to me, half days for four weeks and there were four aides and another teacher in there with me.

Holy cow, it's not easy!  Even with two teachers, it's so time consuming.   It makes me wonder if I'd ever want to teach a self contained class again.  I love the kids, but being together that long, whew!  Today I went with one student to an outside class because his aide that goes was sick.  It was a sports class where all they do is play field games.  I couldn't help but think to myself that this was grossly unfair.   This teacher gets paid the same amount I do, and she plays kickball everyday while I'm running around making copies, planning full blown lessons.....jeez.

But I still like it a lot.  I'm still committed to making teaching my career and not treating it like a passing job.  There were two open positions that opened up for a special education teacher so I applied.   I don't technically have my cross-cat license here, even though I've taught it in the state.  I was just so happy to get an interview!   I thought it went really, really well and I still think that even though I got an email today saying that they're going with other candidates.

I am not too upset.  I emailed back asking for feedback because I figure I can use their advise in the future for interviews.   I'm thinking it's because of the license snafu, but I'm happy to continue to work for the district as a para, especially while I'm back in school.   No worries!

I feel like this blog doesn't really fit me anymore.   I started it as a way to vent about my problems and struggles with my husband's PTSD.  I'm happy to report that we're finally in a good place and that the good place has lasted now for awhile.  I still think my hospitalization back in March really helped our marriage by making us realize how much we rely and appreciate each other.  However, i'm thinking I'm going to change this blog soon, or maybe move to another blog altogether.

Changes coming soon!