Not to say that this is providential...as you may have been aware I was contemplating the search for fulltime employment. As it happens, I cold called a company on Monday and spoke with the Human Resource Manager, he enthusiastically told me (or maybe he is just a bubbly person) that he had just been authorized to release an announcement regarding open positions. He asked me to drop off a resume in the next couple of days. While getting ready to leave the house this morning, my husband (he works at this company) called and said that a co-worker's wife does daycare, and just had two openings become available. I called to schedule an appt with this daycare person, and when I asked how many children, she informs me that there are only three kids (now) and two of them are 4 and 3. The ages of my own girls! H has been asking for playmates! Now, I'm not hired yet and there are still kinks to work out, but it is looking good so far. :)

Yesterday I had a moment to chat with my friend (the one who enjoys socializing in fun bars) and I was disheartened. I told her about applying for a full-time position and her reaction was: "You can't do it all. Go to school, work fulltime, and manage a family." It ruffled my hen feathers! She proceeded to explain that she knew someone who tried what I am, and ended up quitting work. I explained that I can NOT quit, and that I will have to do what I need to do to make things successful. And than, the truth of it all came out, she states:"But I'll never see you. You won't have a social life" She wasn't really thinking that I can not do full-time work and school online, she was thinking, "she'll have no time for me". (At least that is my interpertation.) I began to understand her point of view after I soothed my feathers, and picked at some yummy grass, but it bothers me still. I do not know how many times I have said that I can not quit school to her, because we need the resources that it will give us in the future, and yet, she brings it up almost every time we talk. "Why are you doing this? Why not let Mark work more? Isn't serving enough for you?" Just so you understand, a little background check on her: her husband is a Chiropracitor and makes substantially more than we do combined. I try to tell her that she has the resources that she has and the freedom to make the choices she makes because her husband has gotten his doctorate, and while she acknowledges this...it has to be repeated again whenever we get on the discussioon of the value of education. She agrees that education is valuable, but she disagrees that all the sacrifices may be worth it in the end. However, this comes mainly from listening to her husband complain about having to work so hard, and have so little while he pursued a doctorate that he feels he would rather not have. BUT he is now sitting one side of the income line, and we are sitting on the other. Basically, do not be telling someone something wasn't worth what you had to do to get it , "therefore do not worry about getting the degree, etc.", when you have all the things available to you that the other person doesn't.

I have friends, and perhaps family, that feel I am taking on alot, and maybe it is too much. However, they do not tell me that "I can not do it", they instead offer suggestions of pursuing a matter in another way, offer to make time available so that I may have free time, and/or just give me a pat on the back when my spirit seems down. They seem to recognize something within me, and have hope that I will succeed at my ambitions. And in them I see encouragement which keeps me going when I feel low. I also see it in my kids, they are my reason for going to school. Oh, well, yes there is a selfish part too, but I explained all that on another post. :)

Well, got a task to do. So chat with you another time.