Don't Get Discouraged

That seems to be the new thing that I constantly tell myself. Don't get discouraged, it'll all work out. With so much to do between getting good grades this term, getting ready for next term, finding another job that'll bring in money so I can go to school.
I haven't yet taken the time to explain what happened with the BYU Idaho situation. Why suddenly, I announced that I was returning to BYU Idaho.
I was at home one night watching a CES fireside with Hannah. In the middle of the speaker's talk I felt prompted to look at BYU Idaho's Art Education program. It shrugged it off, but it wouldn't go away. Giving in, I got on the computer, in the middle of the talk, and began looking into the Art program. It was the kind of program I wanted with a lot of art classes, but the education classes weren't just about teaching. They're to teach you to teach and then the experience of actually teaching. They're education classes that I became excited about.
Some time later I was prompted to petition my suspension yet again. For what would be the third to fourth time. I put it off and put it off. I didn't know what to write for my petition. I felt that I couldn't remember what had happened. But one afternoon I just began typing. Simply explaining what had happened. I even included that when my mom had been diagnosed with cancer and my grades dropped again, I decided to find an answer. Leading to my diagnosis of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).
Going through the process just seemed so super stressful to me. I remember getting an email saying my petition was denied. I went to bed that night, crying. I had cracked. I had gotten discouraged. I remember thinking, why would the Lord have me go through this without making it back? What is the lesson to be learned from that? I cried and cried. The next morning I called the registrar's office explaining that admissions had not yet received my transcripts. They would pull out my petition and do it again.
A week later I had received another email saying my petition had been granted. It didn't feel real. It felt so surreal.

It still does feel surreal at times. I remember a friend of mine, John, once said that it's not going to get any easier. That there are going to be a lot of things thrown his way once he gets back to Idaho. I've had a lot thrown at me. I'm pretty poor and then yesterday found that I have medical bills to pay on top of finding money to pay for school. I'm still trying not to discouraged. After all, I'm pretty blessed.