Good Bye Orange Cat

We met up with a family from SC today that is going to give him a very loving home. Their young, teenage daughter is super excited and has named him "Jasper", which really fits him. They put him in their carrier, but we saw as we were driving away, that he was standing up on the back seat and then being cuddled and pet as they headed home. Hannah took it okay. She got pretty teary at lunch, and honestly, I hated to see him go too, but that was the "deal". We knew when we let him in that it would be for a short time until we could try to find his family or find him a family of his own. Of course, as soon as we got home, there were two different people saying that he could be their lost cat. So far, they haven't been back in touch to say the photo I sent was a match.

We're working on getting the OTHER stray a home now. I have a feeling he's not going to be as easy. He's completely outdoors, not declawed or neutered. I could see him being a barn cat. Anyone need a barn cat?

We went to Lowe's and picked up new wood to replace the siding on the hot tub. It was completely destroyed by the movers. We also got wood to build the shelf that I've wanted in here to go around near the ceiling. I have it in my head how it's supposed to look. Hopefully, we will be able to get it sort of close to that.

I'm still struggling with Hannah's school situation, but this is going to be a new week. Having the weekend to unwind, and Keith to sort of take away the feeling that I'm all alone here, has really helped.

I am looking at possibly going to Capella University to continue my master's degree. Unfortunately (or fortunately), I have a lot of choices to make. There is a PhD. program in Industrial and Organizational Psychology that would allow me to transition into more of the training and human resources side of the business world without being a numbers cruncher -- but that just sounds a little soft to me. Then there's a MS in Non-Profit Organization Management. I would really enjoy that and it would cover the business side of things to possibly open doors there. I'm just not completely sold on it, BUT they would take my credit hours from Webster and transfer them so I'd only need 9 classes to finish... Then, there's the MS in counseling or marriage and family counseling. 1000 hours of internship and practicum and 40 credit hours. More than the other two require. I am not looking to establish a private practice, I just want to help people... It is something I constantly revisit - the time commitment in addition to the class commitment. Is that what I REALLY want? At this particular moment I have in my mind; I don't want to work with pedophiles, I don't want to help men who are cheating on their wives, I don't want to work with hateful people... What is the likelihood that I could solely do career counseling and make a living worthy of the tuition I would have to put out to get the degree?

So, as I continue to think about what online program I am going to go with, I am also thinking about what degree would be the right fit for me. Please pray for me to have the wisdom to heed the calling of my own vocation. It may or may not involve me furthering my education, but I just really enjoy learning. I just ask the Lord will guide my steps and my decisions as I think about the future.