Mandatory New Year's Blog?

Since everyone else is posting facebook status updates and blogs reflecting on last year and expressing hopes for 2012, I figured I should put in my 2 cents as well.  I don't blog often because I usually feel a little self-indulgent just writing about myself, but what the hell -- buckle up people, this is all about ME!!  =)

I have a much brighter outlook right now than this time last year.  Had a happy holiday season with the fam, brought in the new year with friends, and now I'm looking forward to all that's coming up in the next year or so.  I graduate with my M.S. in Marriage and Family Therapy in December, woo hoo!  Right now I'm in the process of applying for a stipend that potentially would provide me with $18,500 (yowzers!) a year from now IF I commit to working 1 full-time year for a county-funded mental health agency in California.  My best case scenario is to start volunteering or working low-level for a place like Butte County Behavioral Health as soon as this summer, just so I can get a foot in the door.  This way I will increase my chances of not having to move to some other part of California to find work.  I'd miss my friends too much.  =(

I've also got potential prospects at Butte College, since my old boss is hoping to get the funding to hire me as a counseling intern next academic year.  But if that conflicts with working for the county for this stipend, I'd have to put off Butte College for now (IF I get the stipend -- trying to not get ahead of myself).  But I'm so excited at all these prospects coming up!

The next couple years will consist of me becoming a registered MFTi (Marriage and Family Therapist Intern), accumulating my 3000 hours (required for licensing), and studying for the MFT comprehensive licensing exam.  It's a long road, but it's so worth it.  It helps when you like what you're doing!  Meanwhile, Dustin got straight A's last semester and is on his way to a B.S. in Engineering.  He'll probably transfer Fall 2013 to Chico State. I'm hoping that 5 years from now, we'll both have awesome careers and maybe be able to do a little traveling.  It would be so romantic for us to be whisked away to New Zealand to have a getaway in the shire . . . and perhaps walk the road to the fires of Mount Doom where we can destroy the ring of power.  I know, right??

I'm hoping that financial stability is coming up in the next 2 years or so, but I've become accustomed to never knowing what the hell is going on.  I'm starting to relinquish some control, which is good.  That's one thing God has taught me over and over again -- Get over yourself, you can't control life!  I hope everyone else has a great 2012 too.  A wise man once said "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."  So true, Gandalf.  So true.