In the beginning

I will begin by saying this is not my first blog. I have been a lazy blogger for a while, and my other blogs are "Why My Husband Hates Me" and "Liberaltruthsayer." I am writing this blog so that I can document my journey through my undergraduate degree, and eventually law school.

Eventually isn't really that far away. I am a Senior at the University of New Mexico, and plan to graduate in one year.

I am writing because I have had the best and worst semesters of my life, and recognize that I need an outlet to vent my frustrations and hopefully find some other moms out there who decided to tackle the education trip, too. Maybe we can support one another.

So, let me tell you a bit about me (ah the narcissism of blogging). I am Cara. I am 42 years old. I have four young, wonderful kids, and am the birth mother of a fabulous, brilliant young man in New York. I am very proud of my beautiful kids. I am married to the most patient and kind man in the world, Charles. We have been together for over 15 years now, and life is great. I frequently say that I am the happiest person in the world.

Having been orphaned by the 2008 election (I have worked most of my adult life in political campaigns) and knowing that the economy and job market sucked I decided I would do what I have always wanted to do, and that is finish my undergrad work and get my law degree. I enrolled in the University of New Mexico in the Spring of 2009. My first day of school was January 20th, which was both my daughter Amanda's 11th birthday and President Obama's inauguration day. To celebrate I made cupcakes and sent them with her to celebrate both events with her class...

It was a little daunting entering university life at 40. First of all, I could be nearly everyone else's mom, and I am already pretty maternal by nature. Some of the kids in my class are so cute I end up just telling them, "you are too much. I have to hug you." Most of them like it. Thank goodness, I don't want to be accused of going to Cougarville. But it is also really challenging to take a full load of college courses, study, cook, clean and make sure that not only my own homework gets done, but that three other people are doing their own homework. (The youngest isn't quite in school yet...) It has been tough. But, it has also been very rewarding.

Last fall, at the end of my second term, I was contacted by email by the National and International Scholarship and Fellowship office at UNM. They said I had been identified as a top student and asked me if I would be interested in competing for the Truman Scholarship. I competed, and won. The Truman is one of the most prestigious scholarships available, offering up to $30,000 for graduate schools for students interested in pursuing a career in public service. This effectively means that my law school is paid for. All I have to do now is get accepted. I was also notified this week that I was awarded the Dorothy Cline Memorial Undergraduate Fellowship, which will help me with my senior year tuition. So, as I have said, it has been rewarding indeed.

But it has also been very challenging. I just had the worst semester of my academic life, where I struggled every day to keep my head over water, and just trudged to the end. My grades were not what I wanted. I was sick all semester. I badly injured my left hand mid-term, and it still is in a lot of pain. Excuses notwithstanding, I fought hard for every good, mediocre and lousy grade I got this term, and boy howdy did I get some doozies. And though I turned in my last paper today, I cannot wait until summer classes start and I can begin to redeem myself.

So this is my new blog. I hope you like it. I will post as often as I can. Sometimes the posts may be snarky, bitchy, or profane. Hold onto your hats.