Major Changes In My Life :-)

Hello All!

It has definitely been awhile since my last post... and I apologize for that. By, been awhile, I mean almost a year (wow I suck at this stuff). A lot has been going on in my life, mostly terrifying and exciting at the same time! So let's just start a month ago, or so.

Well, Ryan and I have moved again, this time to El Paso, TX... and let me tell you, it is SOOO much different than where we were! It's not different in a bad way at all, just in a... er... different way. The different cultures in the area amaze me almost daily, we have so many ethnicities. It is so awesome to see so many different people in the area working and playing together. :-) It is also different because we live in a city now! **YAY** :-D You have no idea how nice it is to be back among the masses. Before it took 30 minutes, by highway, to get to the nearest mall, and 20 minutes, by county road, to the nearest grocery store (if you don't count the commissary). Now it's only a rocks-throw away to get to whatever I want to do! Oh... AND we have mountains... how cool is that!? They always tell you that the military is what you make of it and whether you are excited or dreading the next place you live... it is all about your attitude... and you will be right. Well, I am determined to have a positive attitude, life is too precious not to!

Any who, there have been so many changes in my life! As most of you know, I graduated May 2011 with my bachelors in Music Education and Psychology. Don't get me wrong, I am beyond grateful that I got to major in what I love and have even gotten to teach it, but it seems my life is actually taking on a new direction for now. Don't worry too much yet, I have not given up my music in any stretch of the imagination... I equate it to breathing, and you certainly can not live without breathing, right?! However, I have really been praying and thinking on it a lot lately and it seems God has been saying teaching in a school system is not what I am supposed to be doing with my gift... at least for now. So I am trying my darndest to follow what has been put in front of me. Is it scary? Oh my goodness, yes! But I am so ready to follow even if I am scared of what is being put in front of me.

So what am I doing? Well, here's the fun part. A few months ago I had been really trying to figure out why on earth I was able to finish my Psychology degree... by all measures, there should've been no way to pass it. I was not the picture of a student trying to really pursue it and it showed. My GPA in the the area was 0.5 below what I needed and I had 1 year to raise it AND to meet all the requirements of the degree. Well, by the grace of God I was able to by getting all A's and all 7 credits I needed were being offered. It really showed me that no matter what, if I put my mind to it, I can do anything... which up to that point I didn't (and still don't) believe sometimes. I had some roadblocks with some of my professors while going through college that really tore my confidence down, especially in the last year and a half of my degrees. They really had me believing I could not do it and I would not be good at it even if I tried. That being said, I had many more professors that did believe in me and helped me achieve my goals, but it is difficult when not everyone is rooting for you to succeed.

This last year I learned that being a teacher, especially a music teacher, was a very difficult way to go while also being a military wife. I got very lucky and got to teach in Alabama for a Boys & Girls club that I, not only, loved teaching at, but was teaching me as well. The kids showed me the love for music and how wonderful it feels to show off all the hard work. I just wish I would have had more time with them. I am so grateful that I got the chance to build up their program so that someone else might take over and help them succeed even more.

That being said, it was brought to my attention this year that I would be a good nurse. My first reaction was, "Yeah right? Me? I can't do science... at all!" Then I got to thinking about it... and researching it... and praying about it. I looked up all the places we were told we would move (El Paso was not even on the list) and none of them even had a nursing school within 3 hours, so I dismissed it. I also thought about the fact that I didn't want to go back to school for 6 more years and learned there is such a thing as an accelerated BSN, so I wouldn't have to. Then, the icing on the cake... we learned we were coming to El Paso, I looked up if there were any nursing schools close by, AND THERE WERE 3 IN THE CITY ALONE!! So I thought, "wow! Maybe I should really consider this." I strongly believe that if there are so many things leading you in a direction, you at least owe it to yourself to consider it. I'm still not sure if I can do the science, but, as I learned from my Psych degree, I can do anything I put my mind to, so I'm going to give it a try. I figure, I have to keep my loans in deferment anyway, so I mine-as-well try something new, different, and exciting to pass the time!

So this year, I will start pursing my future nursing degree. In a couple weeks I start volunteering at University Medical Center, in a month I will start school, and in a couple months I will start my Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) certification. I am so excited for these changes in my life and it just feels like the right step to take. Not only will I continue to be able to help people, I will be able to transfer this job anywhere the military might take us.

So now you may be asking, where is the music in that? Well, it is not, but I am actively trying to find a church to join and sing in their praise and worship band. I actually went to one yesterday that is trying to build up their youth worship band and asked me if I would be interested in helping. :-) I have very fond memories of my days in my youth worship band at Community Covenant Church in KC... and it seems right. So, why not? Everything seems to be falling into place.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this novel about the changes that have been happening and I promise to update you all more often. I know there are a few of you who have heard this all before, but those of you that care and that I may not talk to often, this is for you. So until next time, I hope you find the joy in life as I am trying to do.

Love,

Nicole