I'm A Big Kid Now. . . . :D

It's definitely been a while since I've posted on here. So much has happened in my life & it seems that I haven't been able to find time to sit down & gather my thoughts together. Crazy how this is absolutely 'normal' for a mother of six w/half in school & the other half at home. Well, maybe it's just my 'normal.' I don't know, but somewhere in between the cracks, my 'ME' time is nowhere to be found. Lol. Anyways, moving on to what's been going on with 'US'

We've cut the chord & made the move away from mom & dad. We're OFFICIALLY on our own & happily singing the ending to the Toys 'R Us song. . . ."I'm a big kid NOW." Lol. As funny as that may sound, that small phrase holds so many truths & has so many different meanings attached to it. I prayed for quite a while on where we should relocate to. It was such a BIG step for us. I wanted to make sure it was the RIGHT one as well. When I was first looking into going back to school, Weber State University was always so attractive because of the fact that tuition was so cheap as well as housing in Ogden. But when I mentioned it to Hoko, he was pretty firm that we would never live here. Well, that has changed & this is where we are making a home for our growing family for the next couple of years. :D And I'm happy to say that it's been the BEST decision thus far.

One of the benefits that it has brought to the future of our family is EDUCATION. Education is something that has never been taken lightly in my upbringing. I grew up the daughter of a medical doctor as well as a mother that attended nursing school in Fiji. She never finished because she started a family unexpectedly. My parents are converts to the church & didn't become members until after my sister, Lote was already in elementary. They migrated us here to the states in 1989. As soon as my mom was given the chance, she went & sat for her GED so that she could enroll in college. She graduated with a double major from Columbia College with a major in psychology & a minor in business. How's that for being out of school for over 20+ yrs. And she is currently working on her masters degree in public health. She's my role model of someone who understands the importance of education. If it were for the pure knowledge alone, it would be enough & worth it for people to go back to school.

My dad doesn't practice medicine here in the states because his license wasn't valid here. He teaches in the medical assisting program at Stevens Henegar College. He's definitely a 'ONE-OF-A-KIND' instructor & anyone lucky enough to be one of his students. . . .knows exactly what I mean. He has a passion for teaching that makes him stand out so much in his field. His compassion for people & wanting to see them succeed has been carried on to his grandchildren & I am so grateful. I definitely owe it to my parents who have instilled in both me & my siblings the very importance of getting/receiving an education. We're all three enrolled & back in school right now. :D It's very humbling & I'm so grateful to be able to further my education.

It's the very reason we made the move out here to Ogden. I will be transferring from Salt Lake Community at the end of the semester & attending Weber State in the spring. I'm so excited. Weber's started a Science Moms program to help moms to teach their kids that science isn't just for the SUPER-SMART. It can be so much fun, too. I will be attending that program until June. The girls LOVE their new school. And so do I. The diversity alone will introduce them to different ethnicities & open their eyes to a more global point of view. I didn't realize how much of a blessing it's been for the girls as well when it comes to their education. When they started school here, we quickly realized that they were very behind. This new school is way ahead of where they were at their old school. And even though we're working harder to get them up to par, I feel very fortunate that they are getting such a GREAT education. I had quite the motivational talk with them on their 1st day of school. Had to pick them up & reassure them that with a lot effort & hard work put in by both them & me, we WILL get them up to par with the rest of their classmates. :D And it's been a very time consuming goal, but one that we are more than willing to take head on. :D

This is so random, but if it wasn't. . . .then I wouldn't be ME. Lol. But I'm sitting here typing away & I start to sing in my head the Toys 'R Us song & how come the ending I remember is not this 'I'm a big kid now.' Hahaha. . . .oh gosh. This is totally from another commercial & I can't remember which one. Oh well. I'll stick with what I've already written. Hahaha. . . . .

When we were moving, those were my thoughts exactly. That we were officially grown-ups. Moving on our own & really being totally dependent on each other now. No more mom & dad for the kids to run to. No more 24/7 babysitters. No more late night talks with mom about anything & everything. No more ZUMBA. :( It's been quite the transition to our new life here, but it's been one that's worth every bit of toil put into it. Our home is much smaller than the previous one so it's maintainable for me. It's much more economical in every aspect of the word. The size of the home alone has so many bonuses to it. Easier to keep clean, smaller utility bills, I know where my kids are all the time, it's cozy & warm, & most of all. . . . .it's AFFORDABLE. :D We have a fenced yard for Titan with a covered patio that his doghouse is under so that it's good to go in any weather. We have been very blessed & I'm so grateful. I can officially say that 'I'm a big kid now.' And yet I'm closer to 30 yrs old than I am to 25. Lol. I guess that saying really is true, huh?? 'It's better late than never.' :D