Finally, finally, I am done. Finished with school at least until I realize that this degree still isn't going to help me get a job and I try for a new one. I made a joke a million years ago that I was going to start with Accounting and continue getting degrees until I got to Zoology, but who can afford that kind of thing these days? I sure can't! Even with the military discount (which was pretty substantial), I paid enough for this Masters' degree that I flinch when I think about it. I know R is supportive and we talked about the financial aspect of it before I started the degree program, but something about not having income of my own and spending that kind of money makes me queasy. So, let's hope it pays off in the long run. If I go back to school - and that's a pretty substantial IF - I'm going to major in marriage and family counseling or human resources. If that doesn't work, I'm going to stand near intersections with my diplomas in one hand and and hold up a sign in the other that says "Have degrees, seeking work, resumes available". I mean, hey, how often do those folks give you something for free?
The kids aren't sure what to think that I'm not glued to my laptop for hours a day. Of course, now I'm on Facebook and addicted to Sorority Life and Farm Town and My Zoo, so I might still need an intervention. I take it as a good sign that when I open my laptop, S doesn't shout, "NOOOOOOOOO!" and try to close it even if my fingers are in the way.
So, what am I going to do with all my free time? My immediate priorities are twofold - get back in shape (I want to jog/run a 5K before we leave this base) and get this house in order. We've still got boxes in the spare downstairs bedroom that haven't been unpacked since we got here. And that was almost a year ago. Of course, both of those pale in comparison to spending more time with the kids. For the most part, I tried to limit how much time I spent on schoolwork while they were awake, but I was often distracted. So, here's hoping for a wonderful and fun summer - our last in Germany - and the start to another wonderful chapter of our family life.
Yesterday we went for a walk, letting the kids ride their bikes on the walking path. When I say ride their bikes, I really mean that T rode his bike and S sat on hers while we pushed her. About a half mile in, I noticed that S can finally reach the pedals of her bike. Two months ago, she was a couple inches short. She's just growing so fast. So is T, who now comes up to R's elbow when they are standing side by side. On our way back, S had decided she wanted to walk, and she just started twirling. R, who I truly believe had very limited fun as a kid, didn't get the fun in that, so I told him and T just to keep going, that I'd wait for S to finish and we'd catch up. She was having so much fun that I started to twirl too, and then we twirled together, laughing and giggling. I looked up to see R looking at me with an expression on his face that suggested he was doubting my sanity. Who can blame him? But the divine Ms. S and I, we had a LOT of fun.
