Love/Hate = College

I have a very strong love/hate relationship with college and I start back tomorrow after a three week Christmas break.  I have mixed emotions about starting.  I'm so excited to start new classes, but I'm not sure I'm ready for the busy schedule and seeing John less.  I think my attitude would be completely different if I was in a different place in my life.  If I wasn't married I'd be excited about seeing my friends and living the college life.  I just have to keep looking forward and trusting that I will be able to finish.  I look forward to the day John and I can have similar schedules and start thinking about expanding our family.  Until then, I'll be excited about learning new things and expanding myself as a person.  With that in mind this semester will probably be challenging.  I have six classes!

Preparation for Working with Families
Family Systems and Diversity
Global and Diverse Families
Principles of Holistic Health and Healing
Intro to Intimate Partner Violence
Gender Violence from a Global Perspective

I'm pumped for the subjects I get to study, even excited for the books I have to read.  I'll try to continue school updates throughout the semester :)

 

So long, Facebook.

Last week I came across a year-end reflection question asking, "What was your biggest time waster in 2010?"  My response would be facebook, up until about the end of October when I decided to get rid of my account.  I was sick an tired of a lot of things on the social networking site and truth be told when I'd go on to check one thing, that would lead to another... and another... and another.  I was extremely sad when I learned about some of the cyber-bullying that used facebook as a means to spread rumors and attack others.  Some of the groups that I got invited to made me sick to my stomach (Dear Lord, This year you took my favorite actor, Patrick Swayze, you took my favorite actree, Farrah Fawcett, you took my favorite singer, Michael Jackson.  I just wanted to let you know my favorite president is Barack Obama.  Amen.  <--I was invited to join more than once!) I understand everyone has freedom of speech and I am SO thankful for it, but sometimes people take advantage of it.  I'm also not trying to take a political stand.  I'm just saying it's rude and hateful and terribly immature.  It's not even a funny joke.  Wishing someone's death is never okay and I doubt that's what the founders of the United States were trying to protect.  I also thought some of my friend requests started to get a little out there.  People I never talked to were adding me and it was becoming a means of finding out what everyone was up to without having any actual contact with that person.  The site really started taking away from face-to-face contact with the people I really cared about and wanted to further a deep relationship with.  Now I know that there are numerous arguments for all these issues like "I could delete down to just my close friends and family", "I don't have to join groups I don't want to" and "I don't have to look at what certain people were up to", but deleting my account all together was what was best for me and I hope there's respect for that as I respect those who have an account.  Thus far life without facebook has been fabulous.  I miss looking at and posting photos and having easy access to my family and close friends, but it has forced me to be more deliberate about important relationships in my life.  I am healthier mentally and emotionally without it.  As far as missing photographs I decided to start a blog strictly devoted to that.  If you're missing my photographs or would just enjoy a look, consider yourself invited :) Click here.  I wish there was a way to have the best of both worlds, but until then I will be facebook free.