New Beginnings....

If you remember back to my previous post, Strange Events, I was at a cross-roads about where I was headed for college in the fall.  I had everything planned, and then God stepped in.  As they say hindsight is truly 20/20 and now I am incredibly thankful for how everything worked out.  Sometimes I still am amazed that God knows what He is doing.  It is so say to me that after all He has done for me, I still question Him.  You would think I would have learned by now.  But that...is another post for another day.  Back to college.
After it was all said and done, I ask to have my appeal withdrawn.  Why?  I still do not know for sure, though it is more clear now than before, but God laid it in my heart that the Christian College was most definitely not the one for me.  Boy was I ever confused.    I mean, why did God want me to skip the Christian college for a secular community college.  Now....I understand. 
If I were attending the Christian college, I would not be able to work unless it was night shift or weekends.  That would mean no sleep, no family time, and most importantly, no time for Sunday worship or "hubby" time.  I would have had to have chosen, eventually that is, between work and school.  It would not have been pretty.
So off to the community college I went.  I managed to get my FA and Loan documents turned in ONE day before the deadline.  I was able to take my entrance exams, do my orientation, and get most of the classes I wanted.  And that, was truly a God thing.  Most of the fall classes were full in June.  So how I got them can only be attributed to my Heavenly Father.  
And then the waiting game began.  Will they approve my transcript?  Will I get credit for 2 years of school in Texas?  And then the answer came...No.  I was heartbroken.  I laid in bed that night and cried myself to sleep.  I was screaming at God inside wanting to know  why.  I did not understand, and I probably never will, but oh well.  God knows and that has to be enough for me for this life.  I press on...
So school started.  I got my books, and a new computer, and all my supplies, and realized...every class I have this semester is review.  All five of them.  I have taken each before...and then I started to understand a little bit of God's plan.  Not all of it, but a glimpse.  You see, I am going to get my LPN, then go back for my ASN.  Then transfer to another college and get my Masters.  To get my LPN/ASN at my chosen school...you have to have straight A's with a 4.0 gpa.  Otherwise, you can give up before you start.  It is currently the most competitive nursing school in the state.  And one of the most well-regarded.  Guess God did know what He was doing....:-)
Well my 5 classes have started.  I have Introduction to Sociology(3), Introduction to Psychology(3), English Composition(3), First Year Seminar(1), and Anatomy & Physiology 1(3).  The little number after each one...is how many credit hours each is worth.  If you add them all up, that is 13 hours total per week in class.  For Sociology and First Year you double those numbers to get the required study time per week for a total of 8.  For English and Psychology...you triple that number for 18 total(some weeks is less some is more).  And for A&P, well for every hour of lecture you double and for every hour of lab you triple which works out to 10 hours per week.  So total study time per week...36 hours give or take a little.  Plus 13 hours of lecture.  Plus 40 hours for work...89 hours of my week are donated for school and work.  If I were not in the smaller community college...I would never be able to do it.  God knows....and worked all things together for the good of my family and myself.
Oh, and I just got a phone call.  I was just accepted in to the TRIO SSS or TRIO Student Support Services.  Basically, I was one of 300 students accepted each semester(out of 6,000 FT at my local campus).  I feel blessed.  I know have access to FREE tutoring services, Scholarship and FA assistance, Transfer/Academic counseling, Mentoring, Degree specific counseling and prep classes, and many other advantages.  I am so thankful and feel so incredibly blessed right now.  
Well, now you know what I am up to for the next 3(give or take a little) months.  My books are calling my name...I have 5 exams and one paper due this week....