Life is about to get busy.

At 23 years old, as a single mom to 3 kids, I am about to begin my first semester of college. I have a sense of pride I've never known before. I didn't think I'd ever get to this point. After my daughter was born coming "home" and finding out that I was having another baby. Making the decision to be a SAHM. Then deciding I did want to go to school, even for specialized training. Then, another baby.

I feel stupid for not doing this sooner. Why did I not go to college right after high school? Because I thought...Oh, I'll take a year off, have some experiences and then I'll go. Well, that plan was foiled rather quickly. I met an amazing man and from then on, he was my life. Then our daughter was my life. Now, over 5 years later, I have 3 children who are my life, and they deserve more.

I have to give them more. Not because it's expected of me, not because I am a failure if I don't. But, because they deserve a good chance at life.

Thank you to the one person who said, "You are more than a 6 week training program, get your ass into school, take the classes, get a degree, be somebody so that THEY can be somebody". You have NO idea how much your words meant to me, or how much I needed to hear that.

For so long, everyone kept accepting the bare minimum from me. I was doing the best I could for my situation. That was the first mistake. Thinking that anything less than a bar higher than cloud nine was acceptable. It's not. It's just not.

I haven't been happy with my life. I was going to accept a career I didn't love just so I could say I was doing something. What was wrong with me that that was enough? I had no self-esteem, no ambitions. I was a lifeless, breathing, moving drone. I did everything correct- except succeeding where it mattered.

I had two choices in front of me. Work a low paying job and hope for advancement and raises that would be sufficient enough too support a family of 4. Or, struggle really hard for a few years to have a career I LOVE while also giving my children a good, sound and solid future.

I am aiming high. But, I'm being realistic. Getting here was no easy task. Just getting everything ready for me to start school was a 6 month long venture. Filling out financial aid paperwork, applying to the school, waiting for financial aid to be approve, figuring out what degree program, what classes to take, what books do I need? I didn't think that at the end of this, I would actually being going to school.

I was setting myself up for the let down. I kept telling myself, it won't work out. But, guess what? It has! It has all worked out. My financial aid came through. I have almost all of my books. I am registered for my classes. I found a babysitter.

Two of my classes are online. They will mostly be done when my mom is home and looking after the kids. My other two classes are in a class room and I am VERY excited for those ones. Government and Intro to Law. The online classes are Humanities and English Composition I. Right now I am getting a Paralegal Degree. If all goes well and I get accepted at a university, I plan to go on to get a degree in Business Law. But, if I stop at Paralegal, I do know I will be satisfied with that. But, being an attorney would just give me some major smiles. And, I'd get some mad props for getting a law degree while being a single mom to 3 kids.

It's never too late to go after your dreams. And, if you really want something, you'll find a way to get it.