Spring Break 2011

It never ceases to amaze me how fast the months go! God has blessed us with so many great days already this year, so it is time to catch up on our news.

First of all, the snow we had this year was quite unusual! We missed school, but thankfully for us, no power outages or food shortages. I was ready to see it melt away, because this girl doesn't live in a snow state for a reason! Ha!

The new semester started for me on January 18th. A full load of classes (12 hours) for my last semester as an undergraduate! So far, I like all of my classes except one. Seems there is always one that I dread going to each semester.

One of my best classes is Anger Management Psychology. Our professor does not usually teach undergrads, this is a special topic, and he is an A.M. specialist. Anyway, he is a God-send for me! I began asking him if he knew of places I could do my clinical work for the online degree in Rehabilitation Counseling. To make a long story short, I am now going to attend TAMU-C graduate school, for a Master's in Counseling! Dr. H. will be my advisor along the way, and I am hoping to work with him on a chemical dependence certification as well. The very best news of all: I am being hired as a Graduate Assistant by Dr. H.! This means I will work for him (probably in research) and get paid a monthly stipend, plus my tuition! What a HUGE blessing!!!!

Now I just have to get through this semester, so I can actually graduate and finally get my Bachelor's Degree! It is a very exciting time for me, and I can still hardly believe it is happening! You might need to take stock in Kleenex, because this is a BIG deal for me!

I took the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) last week. It was BRUTAL, and I may have to retake it. Thankfully, our graduate school does not rely heavily on those scores!

Keegan has had a good year so far as well. He has been involved with Band stuff, and German competition. He participated in an ensemble for band at competition. And, his group went to the state German competition in Austin last month. They did very well!

We visited A&M College Station several weeks ago. It was a great dose of reality, as we sat in on meetings telling us how competitive it is to get in. For instance, the college of Engineering received 20,000 applications for 8,000 positions last year! Time for him to buckle down and make sure he continues to work hard. It amazes me how close he is to going to college! His girlfriend of one year went with us, because she wants to be a large animal vet. They are both excited about the possibility! Everyone was right, once our kids hit high school, time really passes quickly! Bittersweet moments, but so exciting to watch them mature.

He has been working with a NASA program on classes, and the chance to go there for a week this summer! We should also hear about his application for Boy's State, which meets in Austin for a week this summer. He is an all around busy young man!

I had the pleasure of meeting Mike Huckabee, former Arkansas Governor, possible Presidential candidtate, at his book signing here in town earlier this month. I enjoy watching his show on FOX, and listening to him on the radio sometimes.

An epic earthquake and tsunami hit Japan this past week. So much destruction and loss of life! Now there is threat of major contamination from their nuclear plants. Praying for God's miracle on that country and in their hearts!

(All photos from Japan, taken from Google Image search)

Ok, this has taken me more than two days to finish, so I will post it. I am working on several projects for school this week, and it is already Thursday! I am glad to have the time to work on them, but kind of sad this doesn't really seem like Spring Break!