Hi Everyone! I am DONE with my first semester of school! Woo-hoo! 6 credits done, 54 to go! That's a lot. Most MA programs in other majors are 30 credits. And then there's counseling. Go to school for twice as long and make half as much as someone in another field. But hey, what can I say? It's what I believe God has called me to do, and I really am looking forward to being able to make a difference in people's lives. But I'm still very glad to have a month off. The past 16 weeks have been a lot of work, mostly interesting stuff, but still a LOT of reading, writing, taking quizzes and tests, and learning how to make videos of myself discussing study topics (Not my fave experience having to watch and listen to myself.) In my mind, I feel much younger looking and definitely thinner. The class I just finished was Ethical and Legal Issues in Counseling, and unless I utterly failed the last assignment (Like under 25 points out of 100), which hasn't yet been graded, I will get an A. I don't know how important GPA will be in finding jobs, but since I don't have any prior experience, I figure good grades might be a help. Next semester I'm taking 4 classes instead of 2, so lots more work. The first quarter I'm taking Human Growth and Development and Multicultural Counseling. They both sound interesting to me, and the Multicultural Counseling is just a Pass/Fail, so that should take off some pressure. In case you haven't noticed, I really try to go for the A in letter graded classes.
Ok I've pretty much stalled out on the weight loss thing. I think until after the holidays, my goal will be simply to not gain weight. Then I will start working on losing 1 to 2 lbs a week after the first of the year.
I'm so excited because my son, Cory, the Marine, who I haven't seen in 7 months, is coming home on Saturday! He's staying for a couple of weeks. The last time he was home for that long was before he left for boot camp 14 months ago.
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| Cory is on the right. Love those dress blues! |
My husband is also off of work until January 7! Yay! That will be a change having him home all day for almost 3 weeks. He had to use up his excess vacation time or lose it. And of course, we have all the fun of Christmas to enjoy. We also will be adding in rehearsal evenings because my youngest son, James, had his first ever audition for our community theater musical, and he got a part. They had to cut about half the kids because there were almost 60 kids for 30 to 35 parts. So, I was telling James not to feel bad if he didn't get in this time. But, he has a minor part, playing one of the Wickersham brothers in Seussical Jr. It looks like a very fun role, but it will be a lot of work for him, especially learning the dancing since he's had no dance lessons ever.
So, I've decided to work on adding beauty in my life by making myself look more attractive. I'm going to get my hair cut a bit shorter. I LOVE long, beautiful, flowing hair and have been trying to grow mine out for a few years now, but it won't get past this awkward just below the shoulders length. The ends, especially in the back, where it's longest, are just kind of thin and scraggly looking. Long hair isn't pretty if it's dry, frizzy, and skimpy. So, I'm going to ask my hair stylist to cut it into a shorter (but not too short) bob. I think that will help it look fuller. My girls HATE bobs. They think the style I like looks like a suburban soccer mom who goes into businesses with an attitude and says, "I want to see your manager!" Where do they get this? Anyway, here's a pic of what I'm thinking, though I do want to keep my bangs. Cuz after 40 they say, "It's bangs or Botox," and bangs are waaaayyyy cheaper and less painful than needles in your face.
https://goo.gl/images/h5DSBw is the link. I like the style in the big pic. Although this style is straight, and my hair on its own is definitely not, I can blowdry and use a straightening iron when I want to copy that exact look, but the cut will still work for days I want to either just keep my natural wavy texture or add more curl. And it's not so short that my head will freeze during our arctic Minnesota winters. Though today was blissfully warm for December! 39 degrees!
So, anyone else have any changes coming up? What's something you do or would like to do to bring out your beauty? Yes, I know inner beauty is more important, but I think most of us still like to look as nice as we can. And it's nice to get out of our same old, same old ruts every once in a while. Fresh and new just can be so much fun! I don't know whether or not I will post again before the holidays, so in case not, Merry Christmas! and Happy New Year! I hope your holidays are filled with love, joy, and beauty!
