Posts Tagged ‘KSU’

M. Ed.

Thursday, May 14th, 2009


Those 3 letters and 2 periods are now what come after my name in my official work correspondence. I did a ton of work to earn the right to add those 3 little letters and those 2 periods to the end of my name.

The past 2 years of my life have been CRAZY. Two years ago when I started the Masters program at KSU life was slow and easy. The first year went pretty smooth. However, around March of last year I decided I could no longer stay at my current work place. Along with going to school I set out to find a new job closer to home. I was blessed with the wonderful job as a Career Pathways Facilitator with the Cherokee County School System. My thought was that I had a year of grad school under my belt and I could handle a new job with very few issues.

I was suppose to attend summer school but was unable to do so due to having to be in training for my new job. Well it was not a problem because I could take the missed classes during the fall and spring and still graduate on time. So the plan would be that I would go to class on Thursday’s and Saturday’s. David and Caleb were already used to me being gone on Thursdays, and it would not be too hard for them to adjust to me being gone on Saturday’s.

But then we got the call about Madilyn. I spent July with her and then it hit me in August. I have a new baby, a new job and have to go to graduate school 2 days a week. I did not think that I could handle all of these life changes at one time.

Thankfully I did not have to do it by myself. David made sure that he was always home on the days that I had to go to class. My KSU schedule made for long days for both of us. When I needed to study or work on a project David was always there to entertain Madilyn so that I could finish what needed to be finished. Without his love, support and understanding I would not have been able to complete my graduate school work on time, and I would not be able to add those 3 little letters and 2 periods after my name.

Donna J. Lloyd- M.Ed.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Family | Comments Off on M. Ed.

What was I thinking????

Friday, March 20th, 2009


I feel so over-whelmed. I sometimes wonder how I am making it through with so much going on in life and what the heck was I thinking when I made the decisions I have made.

Currently I am enrolled in graduate school for 11 credit hours. That is just 1 credit shy of being considered full time. What in the heck was I thinking. Lets see… I was thinking that if I do not finish by May I will have to follow the new rules, which means more classes and taking another state test. I was thinking if I don’t finish by May I will not have a summer again this year. I was thinking if I don’t finish by May I may never finish.

Currently I am taking School Law, Educational Research and Portfolio Development. The amount of work required for these classes is mind blowing. Somehow, I am pushing through and making it.

What was I thinking when I decided to get a new job. I was thinking I would be close to home, get some of of the classroom experience, get away from the situation I was in that was horrible. Now I see the grass is STILL greener on the other side, but I am having to learn a whole new county and whole new rules and a whole new job. Then to top it off, I am filling in at another school, so I am doing my job at 2 schools, all for the pay of doing it at one school. What was I thinking. It would have been so much easier to just stay where I was , where I knew everyone and knew everything about the job.

It would be so easy to stay in my comfort zone and never move forward. This is what I was thinking, but I did not do that. I went with a crazy plan to adopt a baby, get a new job, and go to graduate school all at the same time.

At least the adoption is done, grad school will be over in May, and then maybe life can get back to normal.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Family | Comments Off on What was I thinking????

Random Thoughts

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

Life is moving on as it should. Sometimes I wonder when or if things will ever slow down for us as a family. I have not had much time for blogging so today I will post some random updates.

  • Madilyn is now almost 8 months old and doing great.
  • We have received her new birth certificate in the mail as well as the final adoption decree.
  • I finished my Financial Resources class at KSU and am now 3 credits closer to graduation in May.
  • Work got really busy for me. Too busy in fact.
  • Now not only working at Creekview, I am also working at SHS. The lady who does my job their is on medical leave. So I have to divide my time between two schools. It has been challenging, but I am making it work. I think:)
  • I decided I hate my body and how I look. So I have reactivated my Gym membership. Last week I went 4 times. I plan to continue to go on a regular basis.
  • I got a new “Hot” and “Sexy” hair cut. Hot and sexy were the words used by my much younger college classmates. Made me feel good. The style is much easier to maintain and is more hip. Changed my haircolor, it is much lighter now.
  • Decided that short jeans just don’t work and went with average. So now i wear heels with jeans and feel like I look so much better, just by making that change.
  • Spent my entire winter break working on KSU work and myself.
  • Joe Sangel spoke at Rev this morning. He did a great job talking about “Being debt free is Sexy.” David and I are working really working on becoming debt free for our family. We attended a class offered by him last year and learned a lot.
  • Praying about Caleb’s school situation. Tuition at his school is going to be around $8500 next year. This is getting out of our range. Looking at a situation where he may be home schooled part time and in class part time. Cost would only be $250 per month instead of the current $800 a month.
  • David’s business is going very well. He has had to hire several more contractors and work continues to come in.

Need to update more often, but life keeps getting in the way.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Family | Comments Off on Random Thoughts

3 credits closer

Friday, October 10th, 2008

As of last night I am 3 credits closer to receiving my Masters Degree. I start another class next Thursday. I am so thankful that I have a job that allows for me to work on homework during the day, when I do not have any other task to do.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Family | Comments Off on 3 credits closer

Graduate School

Wednesday, October 8th, 2008

So many people have asked, “why are you going to Grad school.” The answer is I don’t know. I started grad school because once I complete the process I will get a big pay raise. I have not really thought about going into a leadership position, but I might. Just have not decided yet.

The program I am in is a 5 semester program. It is set for a teachers schedule, to earn 6 credits per semester by attending class 1 night a week for 8 weeks from 5 until 10. It was very easy during the first two semester. I earned 12 credits and made A’s in the four classes I completed.

Then I go my new job and had to attend trianing for two weeks this summer and could not attend the two summer sessions. I guess it is good that I did not start the sessions, becuase I would have had to drop out when we had to go to Iowa this summer for almost 3 weeks.

So now I am in make-up mode which means in addition to attending classes on Thursday I have to attend classes on Saturday from 8-4. I had my first Saturday class last weekend, it was a LONGGGGGG day. I will finish the first Saturday class the week prior to Thanksgiving, but will have to pick up another one next semester starting in either Jan or Mar.

I had no problem handling the work load for the Thurday classes, but adding Saturday is another thing. I already feel overwhelmed. But I will be done in May.

The bad thing is if I can not handle taking 9 credit hours next semester and the rest of this semester I will not graduate in May. That will be bad because then I will have to follow the new graduation rules, which will mean that I have to take 3 more classes and take the new state test, because the test I have already passed will no longer be accepted. So I feel the pressure to finish on time.

This too shall pass, and hopefully May 2009 will come quickly.

Tags: ,
Posted in Family | Comments Off on Graduate School

Ground Hog Day

Wednesday, October 8th, 2008

Have you ever seen the movie Ground Hog Day? If so I feel like I am living the movie. Everyday is the same.

Up at 5:30
Shower/dressed by 6:00
Start Load of Laundry
Unload Dishwasher
Get Caleb up
Pack Lunches
Make Bottles
Get Madilyn up
Leave house at 6:50
Drop Caleb off at Bus Stop
Drop Madilyn at Day Care
Go to Work (mostly at work I am bored, not a lot to do with this new job)
Pick Madilyn up at 3:30
Feed Madilyn
Put Madilyn down for a nap
Cook Dinner
Clean the Kitchen
Watch Tv for 1-2 hours
Go to bed
Start Over Again

*Thursday night I go to KSU from 5-10, so that day is a little different. And of course Saturday and Sunday’s are differnt.

I need a vacation, and a shake up to my routine. Today I am so tired I almost fell asleep in our morning meeting. There is no reason I should be this tired.

Tags: ,
Posted in Family | Comments Off on Ground Hog Day

Busy

Sunday, October 5th, 2008

To say we have been busy would be an understatement. Things around the Lloyd house have been entirely too busy.

Mostly it is me who is busy. As you all know I am in a graduate program. I graduate in May, can’t wait. Thursday I am in class fro 5:00 pm until 10:00 pm, which means I get home around 10:30. I had to drop out of school this summer for 2 reasons. First I got a new job (which I love) and I had to attend training for 2 weeks. Which meant missing 4 classes. I was going to go to summer school for the second session, and we got the call about Madilyn. So I did not earn my six credits this summer. Yesterday I started a Saturday class which will earn 3 of my six missing credits. The class starts at 8 and ends at 4. This means David has the kids all day by himself on Thursdays and Saturdays.
Saturday is our only day to shop, clean, and catch up on laundry. Needless to say none of that stuff got done yesterday. So we need to look at our schedules and see what we can change, so that David and I don’t have to stay up late in the night to take care of the house.
To top my busy schedule off, I have been assigned Home Game Football Club Duty. That means I have to sit with the FBLA club as they do face painting. Basically I have to watch the money box. I really do not want to be out both Thursday and Friday nights, but for now it can not be helped.
Keep us in your prays. My Saturday class ends the week before Thanksgiving so maybe for the holidays we will have a more normal schedule. Of course, in Jan. I will have to take another extra class to make up for the second class I missed this summer. I really can not wait until May.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Family | Comments Off on Busy