Step by Step...

life has been going, full throttle at that.

Stepping into a new semester, a new home, a new year, a new me. I am happy.

The holidays rested me up for a whole handful of NEW.

 I turned 21 and had an extremely wonderful 21st        party, 1920's themed, it was a success! Then Vegas with a few of my old roommates from Santa Barbara, was a well rounded 21st if I say so myself!

 I chose to move out of my three bedroom two bath house and upgrade per say to a 5 bedroom house with 4 other roommates instead of 2 others. May I say I am thrilled I did. Old neighborhood wasn't working out so much, those of you that remember teardrop old man next door, cat lady on the other side, and ideally not the place for me. 

So I have moved closer to campus with girls that are excellently great! I have a larger room, newly remodeled house, and GUESS WHAT? College age neighbors

 I AM OVERLY FILLED WITH JOY! 

This semester is important, as I should always do good... this semester I need to excel. My educational goal is to become a Nurse, to help those that can't themselves, to travel this world and aide the sick, to give my knowledge in a field I can't get enough of. 

My plan....

 Currently I am on track to complete my bachelors degree in Childhood Development in a bit over a year from now. This sounds lovely, BUT isn't the goal I have for myself.

   I have applied for this next Fall 2013 to many nursing schools all over the face of our country. Im talking from TCU in Texas all the way to MSOE in Milwaukee. 

I will, I will get into Nursing school.

The competition is killer, has me laying awake all hours of the night making

 Plan B

............C

................D

..................EFG

its exhausting.

its my future.

why must it be so hard?

Step by Step I will get there.

SO as of now, I complete my bachelors degree UNLESS I get into a nursing school come Fall then I will transfer once more and be finished in 2 years. Now if I don't hear from a nursing school, after completion of my bachelors degree I will apply to advanced nursing programs(14 months) throughout the country and cross my fingers once more. 

This is life, no rush as my mom says, but I'm a girl with a plan, a plan that has me twisted with frustration. 

                 My time will come, and then I shall shine.

WORK, or for me PLAY...

I have a 6 family operation here in Sacramento, California. And let me tell you all it's setting off. I work daily. Yes, every single day! I work/play hard and love what I do. 

Families 1-4, are all best friends each family has 2 kids. This occupies me Monday-Thursday. I learn a lot. Or should I say I get tested a lot.

My Patience level

My Respect level

My Tolerance level

My Discipline level

....all things I never really focused on. 

Families 5 and 6 are sporadic and tend to fall on weekends if they aren't taken by families 1-4. 

I learn the tedious yet meaningful attributes of little ones. I run 573 miles per minute and cannot get enough. I wake up at the crack of dawn to either babysit then school, or school then babysit. 

I tend to dream of children games or how that Childhood Development lecture can apply to my kiddos. I'm learning hands on in my eyes.

On top of this multi-family operation I have become a Certified Instructor for this after school program for Elementary aged children. I work with two different schools, once a week per school for only an 1 1/2 hours at a time. Monday mom is the owner and got me onboard. I enjoy it. The program is called Early Engineers, this structure of program is to power the imagination of youngsters by applying a mini lesson of a type of structure maybe a car or a pagoda(Asian cultures building...this was last weeks) 

Once the lesson is displayed they are given the proper building pieces and are sent to work. The kids love it! I love watching the minds of K-2nd graders work diligently, and successfully. 

..........

With the good, comes a not so good. One of the schools is in the cuts or lets be direct the HOOD of Sacramento. This school is work, and going through three gates of security, multiple questioning, ID badge and paperwork I'm allowed on campus.

Stomach churning issue is THIS IS A ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PEOPLE. 

Once entering the classroom I was urgently ushered to close the curtains over the windows that surround the entire class, I asked why....my answer was "honey we've had instances, and it's an after school program we have to take precaution."

So last Thursday I was shaking and barely made it through the class, especially when told by a 6 year old " miss your ass is in my way" or "miss you have to help me build or I will tell my brother...he is in a gang! " I didn't know if this was going to exactly work! 

I kept my cool, and only peed my pants a tiny bit. 

I have decided that this school was given to me to teach because I can handle it! I wrote down rules, bought some prizes and this Thursday I will have a classroom full of 13 unprivileged elementary kids ready to show respect as well as have respect in a learning environment.  

And that is that! 

                   ________________________________________________

Made it back to Tejas for a good ol weekend with the folks as well as the pups. It was needed.

Mom also turned 30 so it was kind of a big deal! Many laughs, a spa day(with a male therapist my same age...twas interesting), nails, food food food, and some quality bonding. 

Bliss. 

Mom has me on a great new thing called Zeal, Highly recommend to all. Mom has  had many health issues that all never seemed to be cured unless meds and multiple pain killers were taken. Its a powder substance thats to be taken with water daily, its delicious and a days worth of all your vitamins and energy needed,  naturally. 

 Mom has been using Zeal for a few months and is on zero medication and no longer popping pain killers. Health being a primary key to my major this had me jumping with joy, totally AWESOME! Get on the Zeal bus today:)

Life can only be lived once therefore I try to live mine in a way that leaves fingerprints. 

I love being the girl in the local Starbucks that babysits for 4 best friends, I like being the girl that has reviews on Care.com that make me cry happy tears, I love being that girl that will speak up for a group of shy girls in class.

As any human, we feed off compliments, but as I Step into this new vamped, energized new year. I realize that some of the biggest compliments are those you don't hear. The ones that make eyebrows raise and people applaud. I started life here in Sacramento, California this past August in a rut, in a hole that buried me. 

Slowly.

Step by step, I am making a difference in my community,and each day that ends I proudly pat my back because the BEST recognition to me is the silent kind that really squeezes your heart! 

It's a challenge.

The reward though is endless. I see the good in those surrounding me, I see the bad in others, I feel it is my job (such as the unfortunate elementary school)to make a change. 

I can.

I will.

Step by Step.