5 Year Journal Day 353

      Today's prompt is "Moderation or excess?" Excess.

     Alot has happened over the past few days. I have been accepted into Capella University for their Masters Degree of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis with concentration in Autism Spectrum Disorder! I confirmed my acceptance, and am now working on getting my finances together. I had already applied for financial aid with the FAFSA, but had to update it to include the school code for Capella University. I filed the application to change schools with the VA for my Post 9/11 GI bill. Yesterday, I spent alot of the day filling out applications for scholarships online. I moved my start date from July to August so that I could make sure I have time to apply for all the financial aid I need. I found out that I cannot apply for federal student loans without a doctor's note about my current condition, so it is unlikely that I will be eligible for federal student loans. 

     I chatted with a veteran Facebook friend, Brandi Miles, who is a veteran coach and mentor. I let her know I wanted to be a published author, and she connected me to Sheila Farr who has been publishing her own books! I am now going to be a published author in her book that is being released July 7th! Woop-woop! I am a contributing author in the anthology called, "Let Go or Be Dragged!" Yesterday I typed up 1,007 words of my 2,000 words allotted, and I'm not done yet!

      Yesterday Christinia and I took the kids to the pool at the community college to swim. They had so much fun! I did my stretching and what I remembered from my pool physical therapy. Afterwards, we went to Jersey Mike's for lunch! Yummy!

     I am having trouble getting in touch with the VA rep who called me about changing my bathroom.

     Thursday we went to pick up the Volvo from the shop. The brake pads and calipers were replaced. Later that morning, we took Bubba to his first vet appointment. Afterwards we took him inside Walmart to do a little grocery shopping. He was such a good boy! He really is a sweet puppy. I had my appointment with my psychiatrist by video call at 1300. It was like one thing after another. I was exhausted by the time the appointment was over, and needed a nap. 

     Wednesday we dropped the Volvo off at the shop in the morning. Then I came home and started preparing for Junkluggers to come over and remove the china cabinet, mattress, and box spring from the property. The china cabinet was located in a corner by where I sit at the dining table. I had tons of stuff in the way that I had to move before I could empty the china cabinet itself. The Junkluggers called to ask if they could arrive earlier than scheduled, because they were already in the area. I hurried up and got done just minutes before they arrived. Everything was moved out without any problems, and Caleb and I cleaned the area that was now clear, for the rest of the afternoon. We removed the rug that was under the dining table, and vacuumed the carpet. Who knows when the last time was that we had seen the carpet under the rug? 

     I want to share my essays that I wrote for one of the scholarships because I am proud of my work. 

     "I served for 4 years in the U.S. Army. During that time I travelled from Greensboro, NC to Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, to Ft. Sam Houston, TX, to Ft. Lee, VA, and from there to Seoul, South Korea. I went to Basic Training in Ft. Leonard Wood, where I learned that I had inner strength beyond measure. I was injured one week prior to graduation, and put in physical therapy and on crutches for 6 weeks. I had to re-cycle, which meant watching my peers graduate without me, and going through a whole new training cycle until it was time for me to be discharged from physical therapy. I was in a lot of pain, and yet I did not want to quit. I did not want to return home on a medical discharge. I did everything in my power to recover quickly and followed doctor’s orders to the t.

            I completed Basic Training with my second class, and then was transported by bus to Ft. Sam Houston for “Healthcare Specialist” training. That was Army code, which I did not know at the time, for “Combat Medic”. Once again, I was injured in the same way one week prior to graduation, and put in physical therapy and on crutches for 6 weeks. I was given the chance to be discharged from the Army on a medical discharge, or be put on a permanent profile. I chose the permanent profile. Then I was told to choose a job from a list titled, “Top 20 Needs of the Army."

            From there I chose to become a 92Y, a Unit Supply Specialist. I had to fly to Ft. Lee for job training. I successfully graduated from 92Y training and was flown halfway across the globe to Seoul, Korea. I completed the rest of my first enlistment there, at Yongsan.

            Just getting from the point of joining the Army, to the point of actually doing my job was a struggle for me, but I made it! I feel like all the setbacks set me up for future successes because I learned to never quit. As a matter of fact, that is a line in the Soldier’s Creed. “I will never quit. I will never give up.”

            After I graduate, I plan to continue my education at the ph.D. level. Once I graduate from that track, I want to write books, and advocate for people with Autism. My Master’s Degree is going to be in Applied Behavioral Analysis with concentration in Autism Spectrum Disorder."

     "I am a disabled veteran and single mother to a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder. I have mental illness, and am likely on the Autism Spectrum too. I came from a single father family. My father is a disabled veteran. I believe that people who need help should have access to it, and currently there are no professionals who support people on the Autism Spectrum in my county, and few in the whole state. I would like to be a part of the team that is trying to provide for this population. I am currently 39 years old, but I have lived enough and experienced enough to be able to assist with people who are like me. I have developed coping mechanisms and essentially survived what people call “normal” environments as well as “abnormal” environments.

I believe my strength resides within my faith and optimistic outlook. I have empathy for people, and can relate even more to people who struggle as I do. I believe that having Autism myself is a strength in helping other Autistic people. I can more deeply relate to the everyday struggles that people with Autism have, having them myself. I am not on the outside looking in. I am on the inside with them.

I have been a single parent since my son’s birth. His story is a long one, and so I will just touch on his struggles and how I parent him. He has BIG emotional outbursts, and I don’t react like a “normal” parent, because I am not one. I let him express his emotions without reacting to them. I let him calm down until he can “use his words” to talk to me in a normal tone of voice. This has made our relationship stronger. He trusts me not to hurt him, because I never have, but others have.

I have had my son in psychological programs since he was about 2 years old, trying to put a finger on what was causing his speech delays, toileting delays, and tantrums that were extreme. He is now 13, and only within the past few months diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Mind you, I went to NC TEACH when he was beginning school-age to be tested, and they replied that he “did not present as someone with Autism.”

I have advocated for him to get the same education as his peers, where he is actually learning within his abilities. I have argued and fought the “good fight.”

I will advocate for others in the same manner. Everyone should be respected and educated."

Those are 2 essay submissions I wrote yesterday. I wish I would have kept the prompts so it would make more sense, but essentially one of the questions was about how did the military change your life? How did the military prepare you for college? The other prompt was asking what makes me different, and how will that improve the community at large?