2016: The Year for Dreams

I've had a small set of big dreams/goals for awhile. Things just bidding their time until an inkling of possibility showed itself. A dream my husband and I have shared since we had our family was to own a bigger house on a little bit of land. We'd really given up looking because we didn't want to leave our area and houses with our criteria were out of the price range around here. But, in January we found a foreclosure in truly good shape that is fixable and stays in budget! It's not all final, it could still fall through, but it's been pretty exciting and we are currently in waiting mode. So we will see.

More exciting news from the past couple weeks is that I will be teaching a college writing class in my high school to Seniors next year. The program is offered by my Alma Mater, Youngstown State University. Students literally pay next to nothing, the school purchases the books, and the credit is highly transferable. I have always dreamed of teaching for YSU, a gem in our community and the place where I really fell in love with learning. Technically, I have to be employed by YSU to teach this class within my high school and that application finalized this past fall. It's not on campus and technically not college students, but it's a step closer people, it's a step. I'm on the radar.

And the whole reason for this post?! Today a personal goal I set almost twenty years ago at YSU became a reality. I received an acceptance letter into the PhD Literature program from Kent State University. Last fall I applied on a whim. Life has settled quite a bit over the past year. My kids seem more independent than they were even the year before, their schedules have settled, and I find myself at a loss in some ways. What better timing to shoot for it? It was a long, multi-step process I started in August and finished in October, knowing I had to wait until March for results. And just like that, I'm in. Wow. It hasn't quite settled in my mind yet.


So it seems 2016 is the year of dreams for me. It's crazy that all at once my biggest goals have come to fruition. I am going to enjoy it all as much as possible.