Ready or Not...

Our week off before summer classes started is just about at an end. Ready or not the craziness is about to begin again.

I received a letter from my school...oh man I was nervous when I read that it contained the answer to my in-state tuition request. If I didn't tell you the answer until the bottom of this blog you may begin to feel the nervous trepidation that lit up my hands with sweat and sent my head a whirling. They APPROVED it! I had submitted it to the school and on the way home I turned to Charles and said, "This will be a miracle if I get this." There were too many things out of order. We didn't license the car immediately, I didn't get my license immediately, we own a home in Colorado...it seemed the list went on and on with each on and on my prospects got dimmer. Everyone I told about my situation basically said..."good luck you have a snowball's chance in the 'theological place of eternal punishment'". Which added to my general sense of encouragement. :-) But it happened, thank God, and I now pay $650 for a class I would have payed $2700 last semester.

Charles is also classified as in state. The process was not as drawn out for him. In fact he went and wrote on a form that he lived here 12 months and that was that. HAHA! Some guy confessed to him that he also was out of state but lied on his form and said he was in state and they never checked. But I appreciate my favorite guy's honesty. Now a class that would have cost him $900 costs $126. WOW! That is great!

Let's see I am doing 2nd semester of physics & lab which involves magnetic fields, electricity and sound waves...oh yeh in 5 weeks. Charles is doing college math and chemistry and he is self paced so no set time for him.

It was our 6th anniversary this last week. YEY! We went to the Outer Banks for a couple days and one night.

The Ferry to Ocracoke Island




Our first campsite


Hatteras National Seashore






Lighthouses of the Outer Banks

Ocracoke Island


Hatteras


Bodie Island

We were going to camp for longer but our second camping spot turned out to be on some sand dunes with wind gusts of 50-60 miles per hour. Serious loofa action on any exposed skin. Hmm maybe I should start a spa there. People can stand naked in the dunes with wind blasting them with sand to get some de-wrinkle exfoliation. (Yikes!) We skipped the second night of camping and came home.



We love Ocracoke Island and we will go back to Ocracoke when we get a chance. It has a "cute as a kitten" little town that is mostly travel by bicycle or foot. A bunch of niftea resturants and shops, a history that includes Blackbeard the notorious pirate, wild island ponies, thousands of old shipwrecks, daring rescues, and sand and surf that doesn't have as many people because access is only by boat.

Oh yeh...I get to ride the public bus to school. We still haven't been able to find a replacement for Blueberry and at this point would have difficulty affording one. North Carolina State University has a deal where you can ride all public transit in the triangle area for free. So I have a chill 48 minute (minimal) ride to school every morning. It doesn't seem too bad and will save us fuel money, insurance and upkeep on a car. The bus stop is about a 10 minute walk from our apartment.

I am still waiting to hear if I am accepted to a BA in Chemistry which will help relieve the financial situation. Hopefully, I will hear in the next week. The undergraduate dean who was helping me out left on a month long motorcycle trip...he will be going through Durango and Moab! :-) But with the process not done it is a little scary to have him gone. My original benefactor Dr Gunnoe has put me in touch with a new person last week...but I haven't heard anything back from them. It's one of those things and God is giving me peace, quiet patience and focus.

Well I think I will go read one of the many books I have laying around or maybe finish a drawing. I don't have too many more hours of freedom.

No Clouds, all Sun and an Ice Cream Truck

Ever had one of those days that seems everything is brighter, tastier and happier than it has ever been? Don't you love emotions, 3 blogs back I was almost rocked to my core over some rough news, today the sky's the limit and its blooming flowers in my path - quite literally.

I am not generally dramatic. (couldn't guess could you?) Although the past year has held a good bit of drama and lessons for me. It seems I waited years for some change in my life...spiritual growth, noticeable emotional growth, some flash of clarity on what I wanted for my future. And it all happens *slam* in one year. These are my favorite years even though they are my toughest years.

Another such year that flavors my heart strongly is my year in Cambodia. Much harder than this year it was one to grow bitter on or grow stronger on. Thank God, after a few years of quiet contemplation He has turned into "miracle grow fertilizer" for my heart; scribing deeper the channels of spiritual understanding and human empathy. It is touching many decisions I make today is a tendril that curls down deep into that year.

Oh I digress...bother that was not my intent.

So the other day. YEY! I spent it studying sort of a normal day. But it was warm...70's the windows were open, birds sang their zippy little songs and Charles did his homework as well.

We had noticed an ice cream truck with tinny little speakers had wound its way through our apartment complex a week ago. Charles and I talked of our ice cream truck memories. He bought ice cream from such a truck when he was a child. He remembered pooling all his coins together in hopes to afford on of the pictured delicacies. I remembered reading about ice cream trucks and wanted to buy ice cream from one since I was small.



The familiar sound of "Mary had a Little Lamb" played on some circus synthesizer through cheap speakers came floating through our open window. WHOO HOOO! The ice cream man! I went digging through my purse but I had no cash, this is not a surprise I don't really carry cash like I should. Charles clucked and scolded me about not having cash and then dug around and found a $5. YEY!

Out to the truck to pick our ice cream from the pictures on the side. It was hard to decide and I was glad there were 5 small heads milling around the truck shouting out their orders, gave me more time to decide. Five cheering little heads raced past my waist and it was my turn.

The ice cream man's tired face pokes out his side window. He looks like he has dealt with thousands of fighting children before noon. I finally choose an ice cream sandwich and place my order, immediately I see three other things I might have liked too but ice cream sandwiches are tops so I am happy! Charles picks a drumstick and we trot off to our apartment with our prizes. WHOOOO HOOOO ! I want to shout I bought ice cream from an ice cream truck how COOL is that?!

Have you ever wished you could do something for years and then when you do it, it just isn't what you hoped? Well I am here to say that this was NOT one of those things. Nope, it was all I dreamed of and more.

Charles of course said the best was to come. We stashed our treasure in our freezer, ate lunch and then loitered around outside licking (yes, I lick my ice cream sandwich thank you very much...it lasts longer!) the heavenly goo off of our quickly melting purchases, our sticky fingers and sweetly dabbled noses...(ok that was just me, Charles is cleaner than I am). And for 30 minutes we were 8 years old, sitting on the sidewalk, laughing, not a care in the world, not a cloud in the sky, enjoying the best of life.

The Good and the Waiting

In my first blog I spoke of telling the teacher I supplemental instruct for about my woes and to let me know if he heard of something that would help me out. He has done more than that. He called me to his office and in no uncertain terms said he believed I should be in the school and had found a path that might help me out. Then he told me he had spoken with the undergraduate dean of the chemistry department and the dean now wanted to speak with me.

Who was I to dally? I thanked him profusely and clicked my heals with joy (oh yes quite literally)! I was so excited to have any sort of hope.

The undergraduate dean saw me immediately and said that if Dr Gunnoe thought they needed me in the department then he would do it all he could to keep me in school and get me into the department. WOW! I about fell right on over in SHOCK! He was so kind and set out a plan for us to follow to try to make it work. "It" being that I would apply for admissions even though I was told admissions were over and he would make sure I was accepted into the Chemistry department as a Chemistry BA student.

How does that help? When I am accepted I can get governement loans and grants. He also suggested that he may be able to find a scholarship for me...WOW! If only...!

So I have submitted my application and it is waiting for one of my transcripts to make its way there via USPS. Then my application should wind its way slowly through the beauracracy of the school where it will land on the desk of my new supporter, the dean of the chemistry department.

I am also submitting my "long form" for in-state tuition. After looking at all my "evidence" for being eligible to get in-state tuition it seems it will take a miracle to get me (and Charles) that status. We spread out getting some of the neccesary things done to keep from getting credit card debt. That is a ding against us. We have a house in another state, and that is a ding against us.

Sadly, I have found out that Dr Gunnoe has accepted an offer from the University of Virginia so he will not be here next year. He is doing highly sought after research in the field of inorganic chemistry and is a wonderful chemist. I knew that he did research but to me he is a great teacher who kindly put himself on the line for my dream. Because he believes in me. What a humbling experience. If it all didn't work out I would have seen God's love in each of these people who took their time to help one student in a sea of students at that school.

So I patiently at times (thanks to the comfort of my Friend and friends) and not so patiently at times await the grand finalle of my latest adventure. This all so wonderful but even more wonderful has been my ability to concentrate on my finals and not worry because I have a Friend who always comes through with the strength I need when I need it. And it isn't over...I am still waiting and, for me, waiting is one of the hardest parts.