first day of class.

Well...school is underway. Oh what fun! I am trying my best to enter with a positive attitude for this semester and trying to be excited about it as I possibly can.....this semester will definitely be a challenge. This is what my schedule looks like:
Applied Calculus
Business Stats
Human Resource Management
Organizational Management
Legal Environment for Business
My main concern was calc....but after going to all of my classes.... I have a lot on my plate. So glad I decided to just take 15 hours rather than the 18 like I had originally planned.

I have to tell you about my calculus class....keep in mind this is the FIRST class period. We quickly went over the syllabus and then started the first lecture which was an algebra review. It has been a few years since I took college algebra so I was completely lost. And it so happens my professor is big on class participation...whether or not I answer questions is part of my grade. Ohhhh great. Of course I wasn't able to participate since I didn't know what was happening. Towards the end of the class he hands out algebra reviews for us to work on. And as he is handing them out he is assigning problems to certain people to go work out on the white board. I notice a trend in the people he is calling on to work the problems....all those people who had not answered any questions. Perfect. I was hoping for a second I would disappear and he would forget about me, but no such luck.

So....I go up to the white board, completely freaking out on the inside. Thankfully, other students were freaking out just like me. And we all got up and worked on the problems together, so not all eyes were on me. But still....I was terrified. I just stared at my problem. I didn't even know where to begin. I was terrified. I looked around the room....some were working on their problems. But thankfully others had the same terrified look on their face as I did, staring blankly at the white board. That was comforting.

The longest 5 or 10 minutes of my life passed and he had us sit down. He assured us that his goal was not to make us feel stupid or humiliate us, but to put a name with a face (we had to write our names by our problems). So now I am known as Kaci, the girl who doesn't know algebra. Awesome! Great start to the semester. All this to say.....I have a LOT of reviewing to do!

And it hasn't stopped at Calculus. I have now been to all of my classes, and in every single one of them, class participation is part of my grade. According to my professor, my legal environment for business class is basically 3 years of law school crammed into a semester. Thankfully, one of my good friends and house mate is a law student! :)

What is funny about this whole class participation thing is I hate being put on the spot. I don't want to be called on and I won't volunteer to answer unless I am 100% positive I know the correct answer. I have been this way my whole life. This semester I have a feeling I will have to get over that fear, whether I like it or not. I have been praying about stepping out of my comfort zone, so I guess one of God's ways he wants me to do that is through school. Pray for me! :)


Something I really want to focus on this year is time management....I guess this semester will be a test of that! I have to work on avoiding procrastination....something I have mastered over the years. I HAVE to use my time wisely. I have to rely on the Lord to give me strength, because I will not make it on my own. Oh....did I mention I have 8am classes every day?! Last semester my earliest class was 11am....:) Kind of a big change. haha.

All of this to say....this will probably be my most challenging semester ever. It's all good though....Jesus will get me through!

"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."     -Isaiah 40:29-31

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men...." Colossians 3:23

To end.....a few pictures of the sunset I got to see on my drive back to Topeka on Sunday. It was so pretty....I stopped 3 times to take pictures! God is beautiful and so creative. :)

The first stop I made!

The second stop!

It was beautiful. 

And the 3rd stop.

This is the same picture as above. I normally go with the natural look but I was in no hurry and the sky
was SO awesome, I decided to play around with some of the settings on my camera. The other
pictures don't quite show just how bright and colorful it was...this one does though! :)

I have a thing for sunsets...seriously. They are my new favorite thing. I get so excited! I'm sure the sunrise is just as awesome, but I'm not usually up and around to see those! :)