Why don’t she write?

You may be wondering why I’ve not been blogging much.

In August, I quit my full-time job at Minot State University so I could go to school full time at Minot State University/Lake Region State College. I’ll graduate in May, 2019, with an AAS in American Sign Language and Interpreting Studies.

 

And then? 

I don’t know what I’m doing after that – and I’m not worrying about it now. I do have my sub teacher’s license, so that’s a fall-back thing.

Politics

I have also been enormously involved in local and national politics for the last two years and that takes up a lot of my time as well. I’m making signs, organizing, campaigning, and demonstrating. I’m feeling a little Norma Rae!

Eventually …

I’ll be back … eventually. I’m not letting go of the blog, but I’m giving it a rest.

So, for now …

Gone Fishing.

Asking for scholarship money

Request for Scholarship Money, or

How I Put 50 Years of “Want” Into a 250-Word Essay

Here’s what I came up with –

My scholarship request 

Little girl finds sign language alphabet in dictionary

Questions Mom

Mom and little girl learn manual alphabet for fun

Little girl grows up

Takes sign language class at Deaf School in Delaware

Fun!

Married

Twice

Divorced

Twice

Stupid

Single and poor again

Twice

Spent poo pile of money to move to Albuquerque to be near military son

Married again

Still stupid

Worked at New Mexico School for the Deaf Santa Fe

Five years

Learning sign and taking classes

Love sign and deaf people!

Got divorced

Single and poor

Again

Interpreter dream smashed

Supporting military son and his wife

No time or money for school

Son goes to Iraq

Put life on hold

Support and cook and clean and do laundry and babysit

Family most important

Son comes back from Iraq

Son transferred to Minot

We move to Minot

Still poor

Got wiped out in flood

Used up meager savings

Got job at MSU

Work work work

Start classes

Hmmm…English major?

Interpreter degree announced

REJOICE!!!

Bells Ring!!!

Take ASL 1

Love classes

Jazzed again

Earn 4.0

Want to learn more

Want to have degree

Want to interpret

58^th birthday passed

Getting old

Need scholarship now!

The End.

At nearly 57 y.o., I clicked “enroll”

Near my 57^th birthday 

On Friday, August 22, 2014, I clicked “enroll” for my first university class toward a degree. I’ve participated in other college classes – SFCC, UNM, UCLA.

My life

I married young, had a child, divorced young. I married two more times, divorced both of those losers. Throughout all this, I had to work full time to support myself, my son. I had set-backs, loads of them. I lost or sold a lot in every move, every divorce. Then I lost nearly everything in the Minot flood of 2011.

My family

I moved from Delaware to New Mexico to North Dakota to support my military son and his family. I left a lot of myself behind, each time.

I tried 

Throughout my life, I tried to go to school. English and Sign Language classes at Santa Fe Community College, a few art classes at UNM, some writing classes through UCLA Extension.

I’ve researched and studied a bunch of subjects that interested me. I’ve studied languages – from Arabic to Welsh. Through online classes, I’ve studied archeology and forensic science. I’ve read loads of books on sales and marketing, writing, editing, proofreading, publishing…

I’ve done a bunch of genealogical research – Wales, the Welsh people, Pennsylvania, coal mining…

A first

August 22, 2014 – I enrolled for my first degree class at Minot State University. When I clicked “enroll,” I actually teared up. An MSU rep was standing by, and she gave me a high five. I told her I was a grandma. I think maybe she hugged me.

It’s gonna take me a while

I may be 75 y.o. by the time I have a diploma, but right now, that does not matter. I made a step. A step toward a degree.

I’m a student! I’m enrolled!

It’s never too late

One of the presenters made a comment that they (at MSU) don’t want us there until we’re 65. I talked to her after her presentation, and I told her I might still be there at 65 and beyond. But that’s okay.

Because it’s never too late.

This is my right time

I’m right where I should be. The dominoes are falling gently into place.