Going to School

Everybody finds there own way to get through deployment. Some people work full times jobs in order to fill up their free time and feel like they were productive, some people devote all their extra time to their kids. Doing activities and just trying to be the best parent that they possibly can be. I go to school, by no means am I the only military wife to go to school during a deployment but honestly it's quite surprising the amount of wives that at the end of a deployment all they have to show for all that time is a pay check or a slightly older kid. Both of those things are valid but to me an education is something more, it's something I do for myself, it's invaluable. To grow in your intellect and push your career further is the most productive and personally beneficial thing I can think to do to make the most of all that time to myself. Plus going to school is honestly one of my favorite things to do, I love studying, homework, intelligent group discussions and learning from professors and my peers. And the end of this deployment I will have my associates degree and it's so satisfying for me to be able to say that after two deployments I have managed to get my first degree and have something truly concrete to show for all that time and effort. Deployments suck but when you take that time and really make the most out of it, it's not so bad. Being able to see the work you do in the credits you've earned is such a gratifying feeling. Being able to track that time in assignments and weeks of school and know that at the end of all of this you'll be closer not only to your spouse coming home but to your career goals is an amazing feeling. Having something similar to school can be your greatest asset to getting through school but you have to understand balance. Deployment is emotionally draining on it's own. Going to school, raising kids, and working are all great ways to spend your time but doing all three is a recipe for disaster. If you are working I wouldn't suggest a full course load, maybe one or two online or at campus courses. Enough to keep your mind busy but not overwhelm you each night. With kids school or work can be extremely challenging. That's one of one million reasons that I don't want one of my own. For someone that's never taken an online course, setting aside the time to do your assignments is difficult, and I can only imagine the added distraction of a child making it relatively impossible. For that reason I would most likely side on taking a limited on campus course load. That way the time spent in class isn't as hard to dedicate to learning and studying and you can find someone to watch your kids while you're at school. Obviously online classes would SEEM to be a better solution but coming from someone that's taken online classes...They are harder, it's easier to fall behind and I see more people drop online classes because they weren't prepared to dedicate 16 hours a week to one course and they were overwhelmed before midterms. It's different for everyone but when your husband is gone staying busy is key but it's a balance between keeping busy and not allowing yourself to become overwhelmed. This recipe is different for every person. For me it's school and in my free time I spend as much time as I can with my family in order to make the most of my time home before moving back to Florida. Make the most of this time to yourself, find your identity, take a class, learn a craft. Do something for yourself and enjoy it. They'll be home eventually and you'll have something to show for it and you'll have done something to make them proud. 

Any Day But Today,

Kayla 

I germinated these awesome seeds in my biology lab. It was a pretty gratifying feeling to have succefully germinate all twenty of them in my Petri dishes. It's the small things in life. Lol