School

I'll just jot a few lines in the few minutes I have before Grace wakes up from her nap.

For those of you who may not know, I've recently returned to school. Pete and I have been talking for a while now about the possiblity of me going back to school for a nursing degree, and we finally decided now is the time. I had been looking into several different programs in the area when a church member mentioned that her granddaughter was part of a fast-track nursing program at Loyola University. Since all of the other programs were going to take at least three years and would have me repeating several classes that I had taken for my first degree, I decided to look into the program that this lady mentioned. Low and behold...Loyola offers an Accelerated Bachelor of Nursing program to people like me who already have a Bachelor's degree in another field. Loyola is very easy to get to from our house. I would just have to take the "el" which has a station about 3 miles from our house, and there is a stop called "Loyola" which lets off right at the university.

After further investigation it seemed this program was a perfect fit. The application deadline is November 15 for the program that begins May of 2009. If I get accepted (no small task considering they average 500-700 applications a year and only take 95 students) the whole program would take 12.5 months, and I would graduate in June of 2010 with a Bachelor of Nursing degree. The only "catch" is that I need to fulfill 4 courses, which I had not previously taken, before the May program would begin. So, after figuring all this information out in July, I immediately set out to our local community college to try to get the prerequisite courses started this semester. By the grace of God I was able to get into all three classes that I needed at times that would work with everyone's schedules (some of the classes had been full, but I was checking everyday to see if someone would drop out...I could go on, but the point is, it was stressful and I feel blessed that it all worked out).

Anyway, I am enrolled in Anatomy and Physiology, Microbiology, and Chemistry (I've had chemistry before but have to retake it because of a technicality). Next semester I will have to take Anatomy and Physiology II and Organic Chemistry. Becca watches the kids on Tuesday and Thursday mornings while I'm in school, and Pete has them Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and Saturday mornings. We say all the time that this just could not have worked out any better...the kids and their parents are adjusting very well. So far I've gotten straight "A"'s, with even a 100% on my first Anatomy test and a 99% on a Chemistry test. Like I said...it just couldn't be going any better than it is.

So, there you have it. Now we'll just pray that I get accepted to Loyola. I'll find out in December. We'll let you all know when we know!