Austin and I celebrated four years! We kept it low-key this year and went fishing in the Snowy Range (you guys, it's 10,000 feet up there!!), then walked around downtown Laramie. We spent time at our favorite thrift shop, then headed to Mizu Sushi for a wonderful dinner. We split a sushi roll (Rose Roll!) and had vermicelli because the place is actually run by vietnamese people... so you have to get the vietnamese food, it's legit! Big Dipper ice cream is also our favorite ice cream and gelato place, it's pricey but oh my word one scoop is almost too much. Best. Ever. When Austin and I got back from our adventures, we watched How I Met Your Mother and watched the movie Belle. Btw, that is a great period piece based on a true story, I recommend it!
Low-key was the best anniversary! I love this guy!
Plus we had some more good stuff happen...
Many of you don't know because it's just not something you share, but we were struggling big time with bad news of my financial aid falling through for my nursing. I had just started Image Boutique and new businesses are slow rolling at first. It's a long complicated story as to why it fell through, but basically the government taking over all of student loans meant they also changed how they regulated the awarding. Instead of a monetary limit, it became a credit limit. I have pulled out very little government financial aid because I had been blessed with scholarships and help at the beginning of my schooling by my wonderful family. You can get a BA and BA, or a BA and Associates, but I have a load of credits due to a school transfer, a minor, and also doing a BFA instead of a BA. So I was denied Financial Aid. Since the government take over, this also means there are no more private student loans (for BA-BA BA-Assoc.) unless you can get a very established person to co-sign with you. Meaning even if you have super good credit, you still don't qualify for loans because as a student you haven't made ginormous purchases such as a house or nice car.
This also meant that you no longer qualify for a vast majority of private grants and loans because they are dependent on qualifications of government financial aid. The scariest thing is a lot of nursing program grants and opportunities would go out the window for me.
After finally getting into nursing school, Austin and I had no way to pay for it. When you are denied financial aid, your payments are due a month earlier than everyone else. I was threatened with being dropped from the program. The only thing I had left was an appeal that would go in late and wouldn't be reviewed until late September. It is based on an essay, that's it.
I felt the strong need to fast about the appeal and pray about it through all this time. A very nice gentleman in the financial aid office was very proactive with my case and constantly gave me scholarship forms and had people call me about grants.What was interesting is these calls were about situations that no one would know unless they were reading my appeal essay...
Let me tell you something, my family is amazing. Everyone stepped up offering me support and promises that I wouldn't be left behind and that I would become a nurse. People made significant sacrifices and were ready to do anything to help me pursue my dreams. People offered payments and sent us home with food storage because it was getting bad...It truly humbled me and made me think hard about what I want to do for my children and their education and goals. It also made me grateful that Austin and I taught ourselves canning, dehydrating and preserving, because we were denied food stamps due to Austin being awarded law school scholarships and loans. While super grateful for that, it wouldn't help my tuition or our living situation. Neither of us can work full time anymore either due to the nature of our programs, but I was fully ready to get a second job as a CNA and worry about the balance of it all later.
After being completely humbled by my family's support, and on our anniversary, Austin happened to check my email late that night. The committee for the appeals hadn't met yet to my understanding, yet there was a vast amount sitting in my account and a short email stating the credit block was thrown out in my case and also, they appealed the case through all of my degree.
I couldn't believe it. I know that there has been many, many people looking after us and for that I am so grateful. I have learned how precious an education is, and what it is to trust that the Lord has it figured out. I understand that this doesn't happen for everyone, but the Lord also showed me that even if this appeal didn't go through, that we could figure it out between CNA, LPN jobs, scholarships, and mostly the amazing support and help of my family.
Thank you to everyone... I am so proud to be going to nursing school knowing everyone believes that much in me. This means so much more to me, and I didn't know it could!
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