l went back to school as an adult, transferring 6 hours of the 12 meager hours I had accumulated at the age of 19. I attended Oregon State University, and I was thrilled. It seemed like a miracle to me, going to college, getting an education, getting a degree. I had such a thirst to learn about so many things. 

Keeping up was a challenge, because I had three young children at home. However, I was motivated and determined to do it all. During the course of my college education, I first chose English as my major. I loved books, and I was always in the middle of a book. However, after studying French for two years, I decided to major in modern languages and added a year of German before coming to my senses. Much as I loved foreign languages, I finally had to recognize how impractical it was to learn something I would rarely use in our West Coast community. So I returned to my English major roots and added journalism classes to my course load. 

During college I wrote novels, romance novels, short stories, and even a play. I continue writing, and I now have a romance novel ready for publication. Yay! 

The time came when it was increasingly awkward to stay in school, since I had accumulated many more hours than I needed to finish. One evening I watched Animal House and saw Belushi throw himself on the couch at his beloved frat house, when it was put on probation and I heard him say, “Seven years of college down the drain.” We all laughed, but I knew I held the record. Not long after that I graduated. It was a proud moment for me, but I know, in my heart, that I could have happily gone on forever taking classes and learning.