Coming to the end of this Journey, starting a new path

The last few months have been stressful.  It seems that this term has taken the longest and I know it is because this is the final term and I have been anticipating it for so long.  The stress is beginning to set in.  I am beyond happy to be finishing up at Kaplan with a Bachelors Degree in Human Service for Child and Family Welfare.  I am anxious to receive my diploma and start a new chapter in my life.  I thank Kaplan for everything they have done for me and for all the help of the academic team, professors, and classmates a long the way.  But, now the stress starts in. Coming to an end with this degree means the struggle of trying to find a job. I no longer want just a job I want a career which is why I went back to school.  I plan on having my baby in 8 weeks and start job hunting not to long after.  I have enjoyed being an Army wife over the past 5 years. There have been trials and tribulations just like there is in any other obstacles you will face in life. But I would not have changed it. We have had the opportunity to be able to travel, met new people and experience new things.  But now that is coming to an end to. We have about 11 months left in the Army. It is still debatable if my husband is going to reenlist or not but at the moment we are against it. Which means on top of having a new degree, and a new baby we will be trying to find new careers for the both of us while I try and continue my education for my next degree, while having to move and decide if we are going to buy a house or not.  Being an army wife I am use to the unknown and am use to the constant change and the fact that nothing your plan stays the same.  However, I usually only have to worry about one or two things not being constant not everything changing at once. We really don't even know adulthood outside of the Army and it is going to be a big adjustment for us.  I may be extremely stress, and nervous, but I am also overly excited and anxious.  I can not wait for the new path and journey that my family is about to turn on. :)

Podcast

Podcast is something that is new to me. I must have recorded and rerecorded this at least 20 times.  Each time it felt like it could be better, and although I was not 100% satisfied with it I thought it was the best it was going to get. I think this is something that truly takes practice and work at. I did the video one and trying to make sure that your voice and face and tone and everything else are all matching up is not an easy task.  I hope you enjoy my podcast that is dedicated to my experience at Kaplan University.  I have enjoyed it a great deal but I am beyond thrilled to be able to be graduating in about a week :)

Podcast

Podcast Script 

Have you ever thought about going back to school? Have you thought that I don’t have time for that, or thought that it would be a never ending process, or thought I have kids and a job theres no way I have room to throw school on top of the mix to?  This is what I use to think in Dec of 2009 I decided to give it a chance and enrolled in Kaplan University. I had a daughter who was one and a half and we had just relocated through the army to fort hood but I was ready so I signed up. When I first started it really felt like it would never be over. I now have 3 weeks until I graduate and am debating on which direction to go from here or which degree to obtain next.  Kaplan University has been an amazing experience for me. I have learned so much.  I was able to get my Bachelors degree in 3 years by taking the asselerated track and taking a higher course load.  I was able to choose the classes that I was interested in such as electives, some of the classes that I was able to take included business classes as well as child development classes, and case management and compensation classes.  As nervous as I was about starting school I am graduating with honors with a 3.7 GPA.  I have went from being nervous and scared to being able to write as big as a 33 page final paper.  I went from doing just school and being a stay at home mom and being in school and taking as many as 18 credit hours for one term and having a house full of kids to earn an extra income.  If you think that it is impossible, its not! There is always a way and you will find the time and you will be done before you know it and once you have the degree in your hand that is something that no one can ever take away from you and you will be more proud and feel a sense of accomplishment that you would have never thought you could feel.  

The life of a pregnant college student :)

This week has been interesting. Sometimes it seems like there are weeks where I have a lot of school work and other weeks it seems like there is A LOT of school work that needs to be done. This was one of the weeks where I did not have a lot of work that needed to be done.  However, it still seems like it took all week to get it done. I am almost 28 weeks pregnant and have been in a lot of pain this week.  It is getting closer to the end and I feel myself starting to procrastinate more. I know this is not a good thing and I am trying to maintain focus but it is hard and I know it will get harder the more pregnant I get. But tonight ends week 5 which means that our term is half over and at the end of Dec. I will be able to say that I have my Bachelors degree in Human Services for child and family welfare.  After I graduate I will have about a month an a half before the baby is born. Then I will be able to take off a few months and Start my Masters degree. Getting my Bachelors degree has been an interesting journey and I am a little sad to see it come to an end but I am beyond excited and proud of myself that I have made it this far :)

USO

The USO is amazing! They offer so many things for the military and so many people just don't know about. Today at Fort hood the USO is setting up to give away 2 free pies and 2 free family movies to active duty households.  They are doing this for Thanksgiving, and I am really grateful for everything they do for us. The way they go above and beyond to help out the solider's as well as their families not only in times of need but always.
THANK YOU USO!

Operation Homefront

As it gets closer to the holiday’s military families struggle just as much as those who are civilians.  There are so many resources that are available that no one tends to know about or people tend to overlook. There is no shame in getting the extra help around the holidays because there are people that are so thankful that they want to give back to the military.  The majority of the time it is the wife that finds out and signs up for these events as opposed to the solider.  Some of the things you can get signed up for are a free holiday dinner, gift cards to certain places, free movie and free pie day. There is also an event that will open up either today or tomorrow for a toy drive for the military dependents.  If you get registered then each child that is eligible can get 10-15 free toys.  Good luck, and remember there is no shame in taking advantage of all of the resources that are available because they are there to help!