It has been so hard for me to rest my hands! I've been trying to do as little as possible with my hands because my carpal tunnel syndrome flared up--and now I'm so antsy. At first, I thought, "This will be great! I can sit around for a couple of days without feeling guilty, reading my book, watching TV, etc." But just a few hours in, I was itching to go work on something.
I'd already finished painting the TV console and coffee table, but I still hadn't painted the drawer pulls, so I couldn't put the hardware back on the tables. I bought spray paint for those and every couple of hours yesterday, I went out to the garage to put a light coat on them, then turn them over, repeat. That didn't really bother my hands.
Today, I put the hardware back on the drawers for the coffee table, and I love how it looks! Restoring it took much longer than I expected it to (and it was a LOT more work) but I think it's worth it. I want to give the paint another day or two to cure before moving it into the house. Here is a before and after of the coffee table:
I'll post more pictures once we bring them in the house.
Last year, I was going through some papers and came across financial records from when I went to college. I went to Eastern Michigan University for two years, declaring psychology as my major. I had no idea what I planned to do with a degree in psychology, and after two years, I moved back home and started going to community college. I was accepted into a Dietetics program but I changed my mind about that. I took some health classes, thinking about nursing--but knew I didn't really want to do that, either.
Finally, after three years of college with no idea what I was going to do, I quit. Jerry and I had just gotten married and I was working as an assistant manager at Curves. I got pregnant a couple of months after getting married, and family life took over.
I never regretted not finishing school. And I still don't. There isn't a different career path that I'd wished I'd taken; I am happy with the way things turned out.
Anyway, I found the financial records and it made me curious about my grades and the classes I'd taken, and stuff like that. It was so long ago that I don't even remember anymore! I pulled up my records online and I noticed that after all of my credits from the university transferred to the community college, I was only two credits away from an associates degree.
Even though I have no need for a degree, it seemed kind of silly to be just two credit hours away from one. So, I decided to look into taking a class this year and finish the degree. I even added that to my 40 Goals by 40 Years Old List 2.0.
Jerry told me recently about a program that was recently passed in Michigan that allows people 25 years and older, who don't have a degree, to go to community college tuition-free. It includes both new students and returning students. The only caveat is that you have to enroll at least half-time (six credit hours) per semester.
I only need two credit hours, but if the state is going to pay for my tuition, I might as well take another class to hit the six credit hours needed. It's actually cheaper for me to take two classes, even after paying for my books.
I registered for two classes: Mental Health and Lifespan Psychology (Psychology of Aging). I'm sure not a single person reading this will be surprised by my choices!
I have to buy the books, but the total for those is only $130. I already have one of the required books for Mental Health--interestingly, it's a memoir of a woman with bipolar disorder. I think I'm going to like the class ;) While it would be kind of fun to go back into a classroom, both of the classes are done online. At least I don't have to be the random old lady in the room sitting apart from all the spring chickens ;)
I'm hoping that the tuition grant will go through before the tuition is due, otherwise I may have to wait until fall. I qualified for the grant and I started the whole process yesterday; the website said I should be good to go for summer classes, so we'll see. The classes start on May 10.
I'm kind of excited about it--even though I'm only taking these for "fun", I'm super interested in all things psychology; it'll be fun to learn more about it, and read and write about it.