Perspective
Greetings! Wow. I can't believe it's been 10 months since my last post. I kind of feel like I need to present myself to some cyber-confession of sorts. Imagine
all of the impure thoughts I've had in those 10 months of blogging silence! ;)
So where have I been you ask? In school. Yes. Furthering my education. This endeavor, as I knew it would, has turned out to be one of the most time-consuming, enriching, dig-deep-girl, don't-panic-you-will-get-that-class-done-in-time, all-encompassing experiences. I am almost halfway through to acquiring my Masters degree in the Science of Nursing. An achievement I didn't even really dare think about too much a couple decades ago because it seemed so far-fetched. Well, as my absence here has indicated...I'm fetching! I realized that life as I knew it would change. I knew that in striving to reach the next level academically while working full-time, I would forgo social events, recreation opportunities with friends, and yes, on a bare basics level, a house as clean as I prefer.
My goals through this time of my life have been as follows:
1. Maintain my relationship with God
2. Maintain my relationship with my family
3. Maintain a modicum of my sanity and sense of humor
4. Maintain my physical fitness and proper eating habits including adequate sleep
5. Attain an advanced nursing degree
As you can see, there is a lot of maintaining going on. Did you notice I didn't even list maintaining my house in a certain order? I know my limits! And I know my family. They are amazing at picking up the slack. I mean AMAZING. When I have been too swamped to carry my load here at home, they quietly, all 3 of them, pitch in on whatever project we are working on and somehow magically it gets done. All of this has helped to keep my #3 goal more or less intact. Their abilities at running a home have allowed me to literally lock myself into the office for days at a time when I'm under a deadline. I could not do this without them.
I also want to give credit where it's due to my educational institution. I am taking courses from Western Governors University. When I started this whole process I had my reservations about online schools. How could I possibly learn anything from a non brick and mortar entity? I mean how could a course of study really be effective or hard enough when I wasn't sitting in front of a professor learning? Would the classes challenge me? Would I respect myself for receiving education this way? Would others? Would my future employers feel like I was worth hiring with this type of education or would they feel I had taken the easy way out and gotten a degree "off the internet?" So many questions. So many erroneous beliefs.
A respected colleague at work has her MSN through WGU. She is a nurse practitioner and is whip-smart. When I was interviewing for the position I currently hold, I mentioned that someday...SOMEDAY I would like to push for my MSN. I thought I saw a twinkle in her eye. A few months later she took me aside and told me how she had gotten her education. I was floored. Wow. I mean this woman has achieved things in her career and in her wide-open way of thinking that I humbly learn from on a daily basis. I was intrigued. I looked up the school online and found that it was one of the top ten online nursing schools in the nation. It also was the first and is the only university to date to be reviewed and awarded accreditation by four differing regional accreditors. This is due in part to its unique founding by 19 governors whose states encompass several regions. That was enough for me to ask for more information and within a day, I received a phone call from an enrollment counselor named Mike. He was extremely knowledgeable and broke the whole daunting process of getting started into several manageable phone calls. I was given 1-2 tasks between our weekly phone calls and before I knew it, I had applied, been accepted, been background-checked, declared a course of study, paid tuition, and was ready to GO. Eeeeeek!! There were moments of "What the heck am I doing???" But overall I felt a deep excitement bubbling up within me. This was happening. This was NOW. This was holy cow this was REAL!
And that's how it began. Fast forward 10 months. It really has gone by fast. I know I have a ways to go, but I'm on track. My goal is to achieve my degree by next summer. And it's totally doable. One of the amazing benefits that WGU offers is its student mentor program. Every student has a personal mentor, and every course has several mentors that are specific to that class. My student mentor is named Wendy. At first she called me at a time pre-arranged by the two of us about once a week. Now we talk about twice a month. She is so good at what she does. Seriously. Our early conversations were centered around technical issues. Each class seemed to have a different platform in regards to the books I was reading and how to access them. It really has grown me technically, which was badly needed. (Yes Husband...I see that smirk!) At first I was concerned that I didn't have the chops to figure out this whole online process. And it WAS a challenge. But thanks to Wendy and her calm voice on the line, and WGU's amazingly quick responses from their IT division, I found my footing pretty quickly. Now my conversations with Wendy cover a wide variety of topics. As always it is how am I progressing and do I have any questions or concerns? And then the conversation usually turns to what I plan to do with this degree, how has life changed for her since she has earned hers, etc. She has become a friend. There was a point last fall where I was extremely stressed. My work schedule had blown up and the cases I was seeing were intense and time-consuming. School was constantly being pushed to the back burner and I was enrolled in several courses that spanned the entire term. If I didn't consistently put time in, there would be no hope of catching up later. I brought my concerns to Wendy. She was extremely comforting. She said, "Kris you can do this. From what I know of you, completing your courses this term is completely possible. Try to get in 20 hours of studying a week like in the past, and you will be amazed at how much better you will feel. You have scaled far more difficult challenges in the past." And so I believed. And I rolled up my sleeves and powered through. I tell ya, student-paced learning is the way to go. I put my head down, shoved all extra-curricular activities to the side, and pushed through it. I'm almost done now with that term and I will make it. By the grace of God and because of a very understanding family.
I'm starting to see what schooling really does for a person. I'm seeing that the classes I'm taking are not so much teaching me new information, but teaching me HOW to think. I feel my world view is expanding. My goals and dreams have discovered a life of their own. There literally is nothing that cannot be achieved with the triad of effort, divine guidance, and a strong support network.
So, that's where I've been and will continue to be. Most of the time my brain is just too full to even think of blogging, but I want to touch base every so often! I want to take this opportunity to say that if you are one of the treasured people in my life, I haven't forgotten you. My time of being seemingly unreachable will come to a close. We will go hiking, climbing, cycling, shooting, and twirling again. We will travel. We will link arms and run through the rain. We will have close, deep conversations over coffee. We will just be. I really look forward to those days. And sometimes I'm able to fit in a lunch or a quick cup of joe. Please understand that this season of silence from me is temporary. There is nothing in this world that is more important to me than my relationships. Nothing. I truly appreciate the people who are woven into my tapestry and can't imagine life without you. Thank you for your presence.
Have a wonderful Spring everyone. The best way to reach me is by text. There are many days when I'm up against a bit of a wall and looking down at my phone to see a familiar name and message makes my whole day. So text away! It is my lifeline sometimes! :)
Make it a great day!!
pics courtesy of bestphotosite.net
So where have I been you ask? In school. Yes. Furthering my education. This endeavor, as I knew it would, has turned out to be one of the most time-consuming, enriching, dig-deep-girl, don't-panic-you-will-get-that-class-done-in-time, all-encompassing experiences. I am almost halfway through to acquiring my Masters degree in the Science of Nursing. An achievement I didn't even really dare think about too much a couple decades ago because it seemed so far-fetched. Well, as my absence here has indicated...I'm fetching! I realized that life as I knew it would change. I knew that in striving to reach the next level academically while working full-time, I would forgo social events, recreation opportunities with friends, and yes, on a bare basics level, a house as clean as I prefer.
My goals through this time of my life have been as follows:
1. Maintain my relationship with God
2. Maintain my relationship with my family
3. Maintain a modicum of my sanity and sense of humor
4. Maintain my physical fitness and proper eating habits including adequate sleep
5. Attain an advanced nursing degree
As you can see, there is a lot of maintaining going on. Did you notice I didn't even list maintaining my house in a certain order? I know my limits! And I know my family. They are amazing at picking up the slack. I mean AMAZING. When I have been too swamped to carry my load here at home, they quietly, all 3 of them, pitch in on whatever project we are working on and somehow magically it gets done. All of this has helped to keep my #3 goal more or less intact. Their abilities at running a home have allowed me to literally lock myself into the office for days at a time when I'm under a deadline. I could not do this without them.
I also want to give credit where it's due to my educational institution. I am taking courses from Western Governors University. When I started this whole process I had my reservations about online schools. How could I possibly learn anything from a non brick and mortar entity? I mean how could a course of study really be effective or hard enough when I wasn't sitting in front of a professor learning? Would the classes challenge me? Would I respect myself for receiving education this way? Would others? Would my future employers feel like I was worth hiring with this type of education or would they feel I had taken the easy way out and gotten a degree "off the internet?" So many questions. So many erroneous beliefs.
A respected colleague at work has her MSN through WGU. She is a nurse practitioner and is whip-smart. When I was interviewing for the position I currently hold, I mentioned that someday...SOMEDAY I would like to push for my MSN. I thought I saw a twinkle in her eye. A few months later she took me aside and told me how she had gotten her education. I was floored. Wow. I mean this woman has achieved things in her career and in her wide-open way of thinking that I humbly learn from on a daily basis. I was intrigued. I looked up the school online and found that it was one of the top ten online nursing schools in the nation. It also was the first and is the only university to date to be reviewed and awarded accreditation by four differing regional accreditors. This is due in part to its unique founding by 19 governors whose states encompass several regions. That was enough for me to ask for more information and within a day, I received a phone call from an enrollment counselor named Mike. He was extremely knowledgeable and broke the whole daunting process of getting started into several manageable phone calls. I was given 1-2 tasks between our weekly phone calls and before I knew it, I had applied, been accepted, been background-checked, declared a course of study, paid tuition, and was ready to GO. Eeeeeek!! There were moments of "What the heck am I doing???" But overall I felt a deep excitement bubbling up within me. This was happening. This was NOW. This was holy cow this was REAL!
And that's how it began. Fast forward 10 months. It really has gone by fast. I know I have a ways to go, but I'm on track. My goal is to achieve my degree by next summer. And it's totally doable. One of the amazing benefits that WGU offers is its student mentor program. Every student has a personal mentor, and every course has several mentors that are specific to that class. My student mentor is named Wendy. At first she called me at a time pre-arranged by the two of us about once a week. Now we talk about twice a month. She is so good at what she does. Seriously. Our early conversations were centered around technical issues. Each class seemed to have a different platform in regards to the books I was reading and how to access them. It really has grown me technically, which was badly needed. (Yes Husband...I see that smirk!) At first I was concerned that I didn't have the chops to figure out this whole online process. And it WAS a challenge. But thanks to Wendy and her calm voice on the line, and WGU's amazingly quick responses from their IT division, I found my footing pretty quickly. Now my conversations with Wendy cover a wide variety of topics. As always it is how am I progressing and do I have any questions or concerns? And then the conversation usually turns to what I plan to do with this degree, how has life changed for her since she has earned hers, etc. She has become a friend. There was a point last fall where I was extremely stressed. My work schedule had blown up and the cases I was seeing were intense and time-consuming. School was constantly being pushed to the back burner and I was enrolled in several courses that spanned the entire term. If I didn't consistently put time in, there would be no hope of catching up later. I brought my concerns to Wendy. She was extremely comforting. She said, "Kris you can do this. From what I know of you, completing your courses this term is completely possible. Try to get in 20 hours of studying a week like in the past, and you will be amazed at how much better you will feel. You have scaled far more difficult challenges in the past." And so I believed. And I rolled up my sleeves and powered through. I tell ya, student-paced learning is the way to go. I put my head down, shoved all extra-curricular activities to the side, and pushed through it. I'm almost done now with that term and I will make it. By the grace of God and because of a very understanding family.
I'm starting to see what schooling really does for a person. I'm seeing that the classes I'm taking are not so much teaching me new information, but teaching me HOW to think. I feel my world view is expanding. My goals and dreams have discovered a life of their own. There literally is nothing that cannot be achieved with the triad of effort, divine guidance, and a strong support network.
So, that's where I've been and will continue to be. Most of the time my brain is just too full to even think of blogging, but I want to touch base every so often! I want to take this opportunity to say that if you are one of the treasured people in my life, I haven't forgotten you. My time of being seemingly unreachable will come to a close. We will go hiking, climbing, cycling, shooting, and twirling again. We will travel. We will link arms and run through the rain. We will have close, deep conversations over coffee. We will just be. I really look forward to those days. And sometimes I'm able to fit in a lunch or a quick cup of joe. Please understand that this season of silence from me is temporary. There is nothing in this world that is more important to me than my relationships. Nothing. I truly appreciate the people who are woven into my tapestry and can't imagine life without you. Thank you for your presence.
Have a wonderful Spring everyone. The best way to reach me is by text. There are many days when I'm up against a bit of a wall and looking down at my phone to see a familiar name and message makes my whole day. So text away! It is my lifeline sometimes! :)
Make it a great day!!
pics courtesy of bestphotosite.net
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