Forever a Student

Tomorrow will be my 17th annual first day of school. Can you believe that? This summer was the longest amount of time I had been out of school since Kindergarten. Tomorrow I begin graduate school and I have all of those typical first day feelings. Excited to be in class again. Excited for new opportunities. Anxious because I don't know what to expect. Nervous about the work load and scheduling my time.

I will be pursuing a Masters of Arts at Texas Woman's University. It is a two year program and is a kind of "create your own program" degree. There are set classes in the dance department that are required but I also have freedom to take graduate level courses from many different departments if I choose. I don't know exactly what my focus will be yet-- I can find a way to use study history along side dance or I could venture out and study something new. Studying dance and film or dance and photography would be interesting and there is also an option to work with the education department and get certified to teach. It will be a great opportunity to explore my interests and how I can combine them with my love of dance.

Meanwhile, I will still be teaching dance at the studio in the evenings. It is hard not to be home in the evenings but I love teaching at the studio as well and it allows me to pay for my degree without student loans so that is good. Grant is very encouraging and helps me to "fly in the direction of my dreams" as President Hinckley put it.

As a last note, this week we have had amazing weather! I never knew that low 90's could feel so cool. It is starting to feel a bit more like fall (even though I know the heat will inevitably be back soon), and we are excited for the time when we can go on a nice leisurely walk without coming home all sweaty.