Education Schmeducation

I am of the mindset that a college degree - the degree itself - is overrated. I have my Bachelors of Science in Marketing, and it was adequately over priced. Still paying for that precious little gem! I love the college experience - moving away into the dorm, the new friends, the parties- basically the social aspect. I fully see all those benefits in the lives of college aged students. And don't get me wrong, I fully believe in going to college. My point is that nowadays, a bachelors degree is basically a must have, similar to a high school diploma. Unless you work in a highly specialized field, like nuclear engineering, it doesn't matter what field of study you choose. Employers just want you to prove that you were dedicated enough to give it the old college try and make it through another 4 years of school. It just seems that to jump through all those hoops just to have a piece of a paper is a little silly.

I work at a public utility company in the marketing and business development field. Some of my colleagues who work in our customer service department have the following types of degrees: economics, social work, and elementary education. Yet here they are working at a utility company instead of working in their field of study. I actually started my college career as a political science major. Which leads me to another benefit I see with the whole college experience, taking classes to help you understand what you actually want to do with your life. I graduated high school at the age of 17 - didn't turn 18 until a month into my first semester in college. I was not one of those special people who grew up "just knowing" what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I've always had an interest in law - hence the political science major was born. Long story short, I ended up in the advertising field with a marketing major. It has worked out well for me so I can't complain too much.

I know I just said I think a college degree is overrated, but I meant that in the sense that you are just required to have one now. I might be contradicting myself here but I'm actually one of those weirdos who loves going to school - which is the entire reason I am writing this post. I am seriously contemplating going back to school to get my masters degree. I have even toyed with the idea of going to law school to get my J.D. Wouldn't that be just totally bat shit crazy of me at 27?? I would be the oldest person in the class! I can't help but think I would just love to finally fulfill that dream though. I've done all the research and figured out step-by-step everything that I would need to do to get started, but I just can't seem to make the first move. Am I scared? Hell, I don't know, but for whatever reason I've been thinking about this for about 2 years now and not made any moves. I still am paying on student loans from undergrad, which also factors into my decision. Let's face it - getting an education (especially in law or graduate school) isn't cheap! And I work full time! In order to efficiently complete law school in a reasonable amount of time before I turn 50, I would have to quit my job to go to school full time days and I guess find a job working nights? Okay so maybe I haven't thought that far ahead yet. I can't leave a job where I'm the breadwinner to pick up a job at Target for a couple of years. Can I? Can I leave my job where I have free health insurance? Keep in mind, that I'm not married so I can't just pick up on Skye's insurance because we don't have the same last name - lame! A career is law is also very much a full time commitment. Here I am at 27 hoping to get married soon...and start a family within the next 5 years for sure. Should I set aside that current dream to fulfill my childhood career dream? Classic female dilemma - do you strive for a well rounded family life or career life?? So many unanswered questions!!

What are you thoughts on higher education? Should I take the plunge and go to law school?

The Countdowns are ON!

I have a couple of countdowns going on right now that I want to share with you! December is always a busy time of the year with holiday parties and events, plus you have to squeeze in shopping and family Christmas time. Our anniversary is December 15th so that usually gets breezed over because it's so close to Christmas - note to self don't make your wedding day this close to Christmas when we finally decide to make it official!

3 WEEKS Until Skye's Graduation from the Police Academy!! We've been going at this stressful academy since July so I am relieved (as I'm sure he is too) to see the end in sight!

13 work days until I get 2 days off - to celebrate Skye's Graduation!

13 work days until mine and Skye's 7 year anniversary! Same day as his Graduation. May he be showered with gifts and love that week! Love his little heart for putting up with me for so long..maybe after the 7 year itch comes getting hitched???

THEN, only 4 days in the following work week because that's the week of Christmas!

We actually attended a sweet little wedding over the weekend. I love weddings! There's so much joy that occurs on a wedding day, it's so contagious. I guess I should say, I love receptions. I've only been to a few actual wedding ceremonies that I enjoyed, the receptions are the fun part. The bride put together the absolute cutest little table gifts too. It was a country style wedding, held in a barn type setting. You've seen the kind where the bridesmaids wear cowboy boots. Complete with Natty Light beer and cornhole! It felt very casual and comfortable. Usually the overdone country theme is not my style, but I really enjoyed and fell in love with this one. So fittingly enough, the table gifts were little horse shoes with a tag attached. I loved that idea of offering good luck with the horse shoes to all your guests. Here's a pic -

I wanted to show you my cute new dress and new sparkly gold eyeshadow that I showcased that evening, but of course I didn't get any full length dress pics and this picture makes me look super pale. Here's a small glimpse of my cute dress and new eyeshadow- I swear it looked better in person!

The bride and groom are both a quiet and reserved pair, so I was pleasantly surprised when their reception was a blast! And I continued the Thanksgiving weekend tradition of stuffing my face as I had 3 pieces of wedding cake! THREE! I'll be visiting my friend, Mr. Gym tonight to work that situation out.

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving holiday! Mine actually was ideal this year. This might be Skye's last Thanksgiving off for a while so I'm glad we decided to do it our way this year.

Tilly's Christmas PJs

Check this cute girl out! She cuddled with her mama last night in her cute little Christmas PJ onesie from Target. LOVE 'em! She's one of the loves of my life!

Family + Holiday = Drama

Oh, the holidays! Typically Skye and I are rushed to visit all of our loving family members over the holidays. We usually go to my dad's for an early lunch, then my mom's, then to visit with his dad's side of the family, then his mom's maternal side of the family and lastly end up at his mom's paternal side of the family. (Not to mention the fact that I do not usually get to see my grandparents because there just isn't enough time in a day. Hiding this sentence in a parenthesis counts as me "not mentioning" this.) We make our way from Clinton, to North Knox, to Farragut and usually end up in Friendsville - and for those of you outside my little area that's at least an hour drive time one way.

This year a blessing was bestowed upon us in the form of a new work schedule for Skye! He is actually getting the day off on Thanksgiving, but will have to go back to work on Friday. He is also under the stress of writing a 20 page research paper before he graduates the academy on December 15th. So needless to say, we cannot be running all around town when he needs to be focused on his paper, and we cannot be staying at his papaw's house until 10pm (with an hour drive home) when he has to get up early for work. I, for one, was thrilled that we did not have to play the holiday hustle and bustle this year. I despise that with a passion! We will probably make ONE stop within my family on Thursday to eat some Thanksgiving food, and then meet up at ONE stop with his family on Sunday. I am perfectly content with this plan, and very much looking forward to relaxing and enjoying my time off work!

Sounds pretty drama free this year, right? Well hell you know that's way too easy for me!! I found out today that my dad got married this afternoon to his gold digging fiance. I knew this was coming...for one because they got engaged last February so I begrudgingly assumed that marriage would follow...and for two because she let the cat out of the bag last week while my dad was in the hospital with his heart attack. I know this sounds horrible, but I'm going to go ahead and admit to you that my brother, dad and I got into a HUGE massive blow up fight over this "secret marriage" bullshit just last Monday while Dad was still in the hospital. I told my Dad that I would try to be happy for him....so that's what I am going to try and do. That is, after I vent all my frustration out here of course.

Let me break this down for you -
This all started back in October of last year. My dad had been acting fishy for a couple of months so we maybe suspected that he had a girlfriend. I was excited for him because I have never wanted him to be alone once my brother finally moved out. I had visions of a youthful, but appropriate cute lady friend for my dad who would take me shopping and be a good match for our family. WRONG! My dad asked my brother and I to go to dinner one night to meet a friend of his...aka his girlfriend. Again, I'm looking forward to this meeting. I walk into the restaurant we are meeting at and see my dad, see my brother, and see this GIRL sitting by my dad. My dad is 48 and this chick looked to be in her early 30's. I was immediately taken aback and a little disgusted. I just didn't think my dad would turn into THAT creepy old guy. Despite my first reactions to their obvious age difference, I thought that maybe this girl would be very mature for her age and a nice fit for my dad. WRONG AGAIN! She's an immature, emotional, recently divorced secretary with two young kids. The more I learn about her, the more turned off I am about this relationship.

Some time goes by, and I do not have much interaction with this girlfriend. Then all of a sudden I'm out of town in February and I find out VIA FACEBOOK that they have become engaged. Talk about flipping the fuck out...I called my dad and tore him a new one. I was furious and embarrassed and confused and still disgusted.

Let me refresh your memory by saying that my parents divorced when I was in 2nd or 3rd grade. Since then, my mom remarried when I was in about 6th grade but my dad has never so much as introduced us to a girlfriend. Then out of the blue, comes the girlfriend from Hell. She says inappropriate things, cries over any cross eyed look my brother or I send her way, tells my dad that we are brats, and has 2 kids that I have no intentions of getting to know.

So again, a couple months go by giving me time to adjust to this new engagement situation. I spend more time with this girl only to find out that she's actually 29...three years older than me. DIS-GUST-ING! I just cannot find a good reason to keep giving her chances when all I really want to do is hate her. Sure there are times when I can have a fun conversation with her or share a laugh, but mostly I find myself questioning her motives and my dad's sanity. Can we say mid-life crisis????

So today, my dad texts me to "let me know first", since I have often found out their business on Facebook before I've been told, that they went to the courthouse and got married. Gag. But I promised him last week that I would try to play nice. So I text him back with a simple - congrats. There are no words to describe my true feelings. Instead of being an emotional wreck, like his new wife, I'm void of emotion for this situation.

On a better note, I am definitely feeling a good raging work out coming on tonight! Nothing says Happy Holidays like the forceful interference of a new family member!