Off course!

No, that's not a typo! I am OFF COURSE, of course. lol. I am funny to me, usually only me, but I laugh nonetheless!

So here's the happenings as of right now. After last nights engagement party lovingly and beautifully put together by Alecia, I am sooo ready to start the wedding planning. I had a relaxed day today so I spent all of it with my laptop! I've been getting ideas for the wedding and also researching my school choices. I'm off course for the time being because I am not attending any school this semester as I originally thought.

I will elaborate more on school in a post I am working on. I have received a lot of advice and encouragement and wisdom and opinions and I cherish everyone, people closest to me and complete strangers for their part in lighting my path. I am officially NOT going to be enrolling at ITT Technical institute. The two biggest contributing factors were cost and accreditation. The cost is ASTRONOMICAL compared to a traditional university. I don't even think Harvard or Yale costs that much. I had NO idea. I really thought it was going to be CHEAPER to go there. The second is something I had NO CLUE about until this week and that was accreditation. Apparently this place is not regionally accredited and therefore my degree would not be as welcome or recognized or transferable. Dane plans to return to school next fall (a year from now) for his Masters and being able to transfer credits or have my degree recognized by other schools is a REALLY big deal if I were to want to do the same once I finish my bachelors.

Lastly, I don't think Criminal Justice is going to be the program for me. My hearts desires look better suited to pursue social work and figure out what else to do with it. I am not looking to become wealthy from my career. I want to do what I LOVE and I want to HELP our youth. Being a product of the system myself, I know where I can be of use to this fragile and sometimes lost population. But I digress. This was not the topic of today's post. I will get more on that later.

I had a weekend of awakenings! Also, last night Daniel (Dane) and I agreed that September now seems so far away and are considering changing our wedding date. If the money looks right we are thinking before summer instead of after! THIS MAKES ME SO EXCITED. I mean, you can't even imagine. I am doing jumping jacks inside of myself. Ali is super dupe pumped too because she is totally my wedding planner.

We have a little money set aside... gifted to us... for this wedding and are going to pay for the rest ourselves so we aren't too worried about it. We have a budget max and Ali and I are totally going to make it WORK. We don't have enough to hire a "professional" planner. But let me tell you, after seeing the dinner Ali put together for us last night and I've been to a couple baby showers she's done, girl friend has a gift and she knows ME so she's all I need to make this day the day of my our dreams.

So bear with me, because this blog is going to become a hodge podge of my school and career obsessed posts as well as planning my wedding posts. We are now thinking April or May instead of September. That is of course only if the desired venues for the ceremony and reception are available to us.

I already have my color theme top 3 and I'm waiting for Dane to tell me which one he likes best and then I am full steam ahead. So excited! I am figuring out how to make those board thingys and then I will post three with my color theme ideas!

My Side Trip

(I wonder if I will keep up with the theme of "journey/travel/road" related subject titles to my posts? Lol. We'll see)

I'm excited! I am taking a day off from obsessing (because let's face it, it has become an obsession) about my "beyond high school" education and career plan, to enjoy the good old times! Time to make some more memories for our photo albums and our minds so we can share them with future children and grandchildren (ha ha ha!)

Dane and I are only recently engaged (July 4th!) and as SOON as his cousin found out she went into PLAN mode (WHICH I LOVE HER FOR, REALLY) and started making plans for our engagement party and has even been entertaining my desire to discuss wedding plans and all the festivities involved.
His whole family is on board and super excited and make me feel so welcome and loved. My family... well is my family... but I expect a few of them to be just a wonderful.

Our engagement party is this evening and I am over the moon excited. It's like step one of this next year and its like the kick off to the planning! After tonight Alecia and I can go into full planning mode. We can start thinking of color themes, and dresses, and decor, and invitations, and parties, and venues, and vendors and location location location!! lol

Dane and I have both already agreed on dates (we have three picked out, that we are happy with and will have to see once we narrow down venues which one we get!) and know it will likely be next September (so about a year off now)

I'll admit I have already been secretly stashing wedding ideas in a folder on my computer and have started a binder as well. I have also recently been introduced to the world of PINTEREST and will start a board soon. But first things first!!

There is a party in my our honor this evening and I am ecstatic! I am off now to find the right dress (I've already narrowed it down, but I am going back to try it on one more time before I buy it and then find accessories) I have a hair appointment and then off to dinner and merriment with loved ones.

This next year is going to be CRAZY! A journey to college, focusing on my future career and wedding planning! I think my plate is quite full, dont you think?

Well, I can tell I am all over the place with this post so I will end it for now and be back to update on some new things I've learned about my main trip and some new decisions I am making regarding it. Stay Tuned!!

Ciao

A Bump in the road...

On any road or path of a journey, you have to expect and be prepared for a bump or something that may delay or throw you off course. You certainly don't expect them so early on in your journey, but yes friends, I have come to that bump! My fiance Dane and I have been together for almost 3 years and are hoping to be married next year in September. We do everything together and he is my biggest source of support and encouragement!

So imagine my surprise when he sat me down a week ago and expressed his hesitation at my plans for this fall. He outlined his concerns and asked that I would give them serious consideration, but that ultimately he would support whatever I chose to do.

I agreed to consider and research all his points, because several of them are quite valid.

• Quality of my chosen program (school of choice!)
• Cost and future debt of program (student loans!)
• Successful completion of program (will it be something I wholeheatedly want to see to the end)
• Success upon completion of program (career! career! career!) 

We both are aware of how tough the job market is and incurring more debt right now, that won't pay off in the end is something we are both definitely concerned about. I disagree with him that it won't pay off. We both know that every job I look at that I am interested in, requires usually at the very least an associate degree, but more often than not, a bachelors. He just recently completed his bachelors degree himself, so he knows!

I am not taking on this task lightly. I am so very motivated, but I need him to be on board. We are planning to share our lives together for the rest of them, and I know that finances are often the breaking point of even the strongest of marriage. So I have to be sure!

So right now, I am reaching out and researching to help solidify my choice. I am quite apprehensive now that he has laid some things out on the table for me. I was full steam ahead with a bit of reckless abandon because I was just so excited (I've had a tough couple of years family and health wise and so finally feeling ready to GO was so invigorating to me, and now I'm a bit saddened by this roadblock)

I've outlined some of my biggest questions and if you could take a moment to answer them, if you are reading my blog, I would so appreciate it! I am reaching out to whoever, like a madwoman! I just want to do this right!!!

• Did you complete a program of study and receive a degree?
• Was it at a traditional college or unviersity or did you attend a trade school or online school?
• Have you been able to find work in your field upon graduation? If so, how long did it take? If not, how long have you been looking? what has your experience been?
• Was your program of study worth the incurred debt? Would you do it again?

Specifially for social work and criminal justice students/graduates:

• Would you recommened this program? If so where did you go to school?
• Have you been able to find work easily? Are you doing what you set out to do?
• What tips do you have at finding your career in this field? is it more WHO you know than what you know? 
• Do you have any networking tips? 

The LAST thing anyone wants is to set forth in school with a goal, reach that goal and then come to the end and not find the pot of gold.

I think some of Dane's apprehension and hesitance comes from the fact that the two biggest and most promising leads he had for his desired field fell through and he has been a graduate for several months now and has yet to land his dream career.

I'm definitely NOT stopping my journey. I am ready for all these bumps and detours and forks in the road. I have my GPS and my roadmap, but there is nothing like going the path with someone else who has been down it before! They tend to be better guides! We all know  how the GPS can run you in circles or take you the long way for no reason sometimes! LOL.

Please share your experience and/or answers to my questions in my comments box! I encourage and look forward to networking with you!! 

Welcome to my journey!

I am very excited about starting a new chapter in my future this year. I have mapped out a plan and I cannot wait until I see it begin to come to fruition. Since I will be starting back to school, I am very excited to do as much networking, volunteering, interning, reading, learning and planning to help me to my final goal of starting or improving a youth services program for at risk youth. I thought it might be a good idea to chronicle my journey for me and for other people who are also interested in the same things so that we can share tips, encouragement, frustrations and advice in our journey through schooling and finding our dream career! I hope you will follow my blog journey and feel free to reach out to chat whenever you would like. I cannot wait to start this journey of success!!