I remember telling Tim to hurry up and decide if he wanted to have a baby. "Once Isabelle starts school I am not going to want to start over" I warned him. I had put everything on hold when she was born, and the only thing that had gotten me through was the light at the end of the tunnel when I would get to go to school. I had shit to do, I was looking forward to leaving the house and having my own life. Tim often startles me with how much he's actually paying attention to all my yammering. Our son was born a few weeks before Isabelle started kindergarten. Another surprise baby! Well, to be fair this one wasn't really that much of a shocker. You hammer long enough, the nail is going in. bwahahahaha! Oh gawd that's funny.
*ahem*
It put me in a panic. This was NOT the plan. I had put in my six years of stay at home mom time. There was no freakin' way I could give up anymore time and stay home another five years! Do you know how old I would be? So, I got it in my head that I HAD to go get my GED. Suddenly it was imperative to all our lives that I hold that paper certificate validating some sort of intelligence and ability outside of motherhood that prior and afterward I didn't give a rats ass about.
I went down to Mt. Hood Community College and paid for it. I filled out all the forms and they told me all I had to do was show up and take the five tests. I waited a while. (What's another coupla years? Haha) Several times I made arrangements for a sitter during the day that fell through. There were only two days a week when testing was in the evening (when Tim could watch Isabelle) and the times I showed up for it, they were already full. Finally I decided to take all the tests in one day against their recommendations.
So I picked a Saturday and waddled on down there, sitting in a room with teenagers and middle aged women waiting for the clock to tick by the minutes until I would be allowed to leave. I'm a fast tester. I think you either know or you don't. I really don't know math, btw. I left much of that blank. Or that's how I remember it anyway. My score was okay. Certainly passing. I spent the entire day filling in the little bubbles and wishing I could prop my feet up and walked out thinking jeez I wonder if I hafta take that math test over.
A few weeks later I received my shiny certificate. Special seals for outstanding GED scores, top two percent in Oregon, letters inviting me to hurry up and enroll in college, blah blah blah. Yes it does feel like getting the gold medal in the special Olympics, thanks for asking. So I called my mom. Told her I did it and that if she wanted to see the graduation thingy like she had been whining about for all the years since 1998 when I should have graduated, I would pay for the damn robe. She wasn't interested so I skipped it.
I put the paper away in a drawer and had another baby. Of course I'm staying home with him.
Hmmm what is my point? My cousin is graduating from high school next weekend. Class of 2008. It's got me thinking. About the way it feels to be that age. All that potential, the future so huge and plenty of time to do everything and anything. I didn't even really have that then. I missed that age I think. Other stuff going on and whatnot. SO.. I want you guys to tell me what it's like. OR if nobody really has that, if we only see it once we're old and looking at the young tell me that. And if you have something clever to go inside the card I'm making for her go ahead and tell me that too.
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