my 3rd college degree....helping my kid figure out college!

 the road to college has been a road with ups and downs, twists and turns and i am still unsure what the end of the road will be....

i highly recommend that if you have a high school student (freshman year would be best) to start the process of the college search if there is ANY chance they want to attend a college. i feel like we were late to the game and currently the game is in fast forward.

there are so many things to do and i honestly havent found a super helpful resource yet. i truly dont know how students do it without some sort of parental support because at this point i need some support much less bryson doing it alone. maybe i am doing it all wrong and i dont know any better but there are endless steps and so many decisions it is a daunting task. (if you have some tips, please share) 

my 1st tip....take tours, go as early as possibly in case you need to go back and take another look. i feel like we have learned so much on tours. you get to see how it feels, how it looks, and if you know the major you can do a special tour for that too. start tours early! they have been the best part of the process. 

my 2nd tip.....fill out scholarships now....NOW. there are so many, there are so many spam ones, there are SO MANY and i have yet to find decent ones. i could i truly use some assistance with this. i have said to brooks if someone could give me some legit engineering scholarship list we might could figure this out. i am spending a few hours a week searching and its not going well. you find a place and you start reading the criteria and its like you can apply if you are a part of NSAHA union or have a family member in the union or if you live in OH or CA, etc the searching is exhausting. and the ones the school has provided are difficult in you have to print, handwrite, include this and that, etc. start scholarships as a FRESHMAN! also, with scholarships you are doing A LOT of work for a minimal amount..$500-$2500 mostly. there are essays, video clips, a student resume, transcripts, etc required for most and i am finding the time and effort spent aren't even close to equal.

my 3rd tip....if you have saved money its probably not enough. we are looking at $200k for bryson to attend clemson, maybe its just us, but we dont have that sitting in the bank. so if you have a high school student OR even better a newborn start saving a few $100 a month now!

my 4th tip....i think i still agree with this, use common app to apply for schools. it allows you to apply for multiple schools without putting info in over and over. the only reason i question this piece is because if you do the actual schools app process you can then be entered into some scholarships so its hard to say which is the best way...the easiest way is common app. 

my 5th tip....and a tip that we havent completed yet and honestly are unsure when we will. committing. you can get accepted all day long to 10 different schools, but until you commit nothing is done. we dont know the right answer at this point in time. but we need to hurry because once you commit (and pay the fee), you then have to commit to housing (AND PAY THE FEE) $500 later. the fees will nickel and dime you to death. honestly at this point the easy part was applying and i thought 6 months ago that was the hard part. 

my 6th tip....i know people would disagree with me on this, but honestly i am learning the AP, IB, college classes etc aren't beneficial. i think as a society we are selling these programs as helpful and a way to build up schools, but i am not finding that to be. bryson was in AP, that didnt go well, he dropped that sophomore year and has been at mitchell ever since. he will have 32 credit hours and about 9 will be beneficial and transfer. here is why i say this....i am speaking for engineering at clemson bc that is where most of my recent research has been focused. freshman year has 2 classes beyond engineering classes. an arts and a science (1 1st semester and the other 2nd semester). i am not seeing spanish 101, english 101, communications or college algebra. i am seeing classes that are focused on the degree of interest (i guess colleges have wised up to transfer classes and figured out a way to collect more money)....pretty much what he needs is 85% at clemson and not in AP, IB or at mitchell or any other fancy HS program for that matter. there are no more 2 years of undergrad basic.....you start your major freshman year....you can't get that in HS! 

my 7th tip....find some podcasts and listen to how people do it! i have listened to some about to pay nothing for college, not that i have figured it out, but listening to others and what they did or suggest has been helpful to tell me if i am on the right road or need to figure out a new path...

if you have experience in this or have ANY tips to share, please do....it is a long, hard road. we want to make sure we are making the right choice not only for us as a family but for bryson to be as successful as he can be. i have always found that as my kids get older the tasks get harder as a parent and this task is for sure the hardest....we have faced. it is such a life changing decision for us all!!

shoutout to my girl kris for holding my hand along the way...i remember her wise words way back in the summer....its only just beginning, just wait.....and that is so so true! i have found the easiest part is ordering the cap and gown! 

feel free to reach out...

much love, alysha 

post 5 of 6-----vision board progress!

post 5 of 6 for my 2023 vision board...

i'm a tad behind which really annoys my OCD. the week didn't go as i had intended and i ended up sick which is not a norm for me, so i have struggled to recover and accomplish things that should have already been accomplished. 

in this post i wanted to share my progress on my 2023 vision board. 

my word of the year was intentional-i absolutely feel like i lived up to this word. i have caught myself on many occasions seeing that word in the middle of my board and bringing me back to being intentional! i have tried to leave things better than i found them, i have lived in the moment and worked hard at making things intentional. 

grounding-i have failed on this one....it has been harder than i thought it would be, but grounding is something that i feel like i can mentally carryover and continue to work on. 

travel-in my book we have accomplished this. brooks and i traveled to mexico. we have made several little trips-snowboarding, beaches, theme parks, we have accomplished this goal!

calories-i turned this word pretty early on into fasting. i have really enjoyed pushing my body and seeing how often it really doesn't need food. i am thankful that the end of the year is here because i can see myself falling off a little last few weeks of the year, but i am back on and yesterday actually went 23 hours. i promise your body doesn't not need food constantly-promise. 

mileage-i have definitely continued to stick with this word. i do about 90,000-100,000+ steps a week. walking is very important to me and its very important to a healthy life and honestly its simple. move your feet. i do love a good step bet. its an app, check it out, it holds you accountable and you get your money back plus money from those that didn't hit their goals. granted you're not going to get rich, but as long as you stick to your goals you aren't going to lose. 

new car-check! brooks made those dreams come true in may when he had a rollback deliver the car i had been eyeballing for months the week of mothers day!

cleaning biz-my little biz continues to bless me. honestly i tell people i have to go to therapy when i go to clean. its very satisfying for me and the families that i serve are near and dear to me. i enjoy their spaces, i enjoy that things are minimal and i appreciate being able to be in their homes and keeping things maintained for them. at this time. my plate is full, i am very content in what i have! 

enough-i am probably carrying this word over to 2024. i have found myself lots lately especially with christmas gifts not stopping at ENOUGH. i feel like i am always thinking and doing just one more...one more thing, one more minute, one more time. i have not mastered enough! i need to continue to work on enough. 

blog-i am real close to hitting my goals. i will succeed even if a few days late. 

goals-all in all i am happy with the progress that was made in 2023. i very much enjoyed having my vision board on my desk as every time i walked by it caught my eye, often times i can see the board in my head and it pushed to do whatever i needed to do. i guess with this process i have learned that i am very visual person and it helps me to see the goals ahead....

so i have not started my 2024 board yet, but there are thoughts of it in my head----it will be completed soon! 

my final post of 2023 will be my new vision board so stay tuned, it will be soon!

hope you had a wonderful christmas and a happy new year!

much love, alysha 

a coach’s wife.

 post #4 of #6 for the 2023 year. 

this topic is going to be touchy, not well received-i am certain by some-and possibly controversial. thats your warning....

i make blog posts for an outlet, started 13 years ago as a healing outlet, lead to a sharing outlet, has dwindled over the years, but the purpose has ALWAYS been the same...an outlet. 

i want to start this one with a few pieces of background knowledge 1-because i am not new to this rodeo and 2-because i have learned over the years and reflected on situations that lead me to believe i have decent knowledge of this topic ..

i am mostly a soccer mom...also a tennis mom and a cheer mom, but mostly a soccer mom (no secret in that), but before i was that. i was AND still am a coach’s  wife. you see brooks has coached longer than we have been married. he has coached for 20 years.....20 STRAIGHT years....its not like here or there or a fill in, its not like a season a year, its like multiple seasons a year, multiple teams a year, its a lot. always has been. he coached at NIHS my 1st year teaching and then went to WIHS and then coached recreation and now club. all levels 3-18 years old, rec to premier.  i honestly wish i had better stats on wins, losses, goals, shutouts, etc. but honestly that is a point i hope to get across in this post........

the stats dont matter. you know why? because it all fades away and the things you really take from it are not about the game! not about the coaches, not about the scores, not about the goals. (take that in and read it again)

i dont write this post for stats, i dont write this post for attention, i write this post because i have knowledge, i have reasons for sharing this topic....

when your child(ern) play sports, they have a coach---good, bad, invested, not invested, dedicated, lacking dedication, etc. when you talk about your child's coach in front of them. you change them. you change the game for them. you change the view of their coach in their eyes. its kind of like a teacher....teachers can be all of the above too----good, bad, invested, not invested, dedicated, lacking dedication, etc. when you talk poorly about an adult your child should respect and majority of the time listen to, YOU change YOUR child. just like a doctor....you go to a doctor and then you tell me they are terrible, eek i am now tainted, i dont want to go to that doctor. OUR opinions of others CHANGE others. 

most importantly when your child hears you talking about (good or bad) their coach, their teacher, their doctor, their friend, ETC YOU change YOUR child's views! you may not mean to, it honestly could not even be intentional, but your child wants nothing more than to please you! yes, they want to please friends, teachers, coaches, but their ultimate goal is to not let YOU down as their parent. 

so if they hear good or bad things about authoritative people in their lives, they REACT on it! i say all of this because i have witnessed on not just one occasion, but several! parents ruin things for their children. i like to hope that the original intent of whatever you choose to talk with your child about-about their coaches, teachers, friends, etc did not original start out as being harmful/hurtful. i like to hope that emotions, possibly pride, something of that nature got in the way and it wasnt truly to be harmful. 

i get it, 1000%! i am not here to say brooks is perfect, outstanding, the best, etc.....i am his biggest critic and he is mine! but i will say, he coaches because he sees things, he sees the game, he sees positions, etc he studies, he plans, he ENJOYS his PASSION. he doesnt do this for money, fame, a pat on the back, etc, he does this because its what he knows! its what he’s lived and its what he wants to share with others. NOW to that i also know he is hard, he can be tough, some would say mean, whatever you want to say, that’s on you....he doesnt coach to lose. he doesnt coach for mediocre. but at the end of the day, the practice, the game---a coach is only as good as the support he has behind him. 

i have watched a team crumble, hit rockbottom. and then i saw that same team RISE further than we ever thought possible. when there is toxicity, there is toxicity. and it doesnt matter how good the team is toxicity impacts the whole dynamic.  

i also have been more of a coach’s wife than a soccer mom when my husband and my child are on the same field. because although, it may truly not be needed----coaches wives carry heavy, heavy burdens when their husbands are on the other side of the field. it feels suffocating, it feels exhausting and it is HARD. i want nothing more than for YOUR child to succeed alongside my husband. after all, we are on the same team. 

how you raise your child is not for me to judge...but please know that YOU are who they want to please most! YOU ultimately hold the key to their successes AND their failures. its not a coach, its not a teacher, its not a doctor or a friend. just be mindful of what you say, your tone and expressing your thoughts about adults that are in the path of your child that hopefully have the ultimate goal of helping YOUR child grow in some fashion!

this post has been years in the making, situation after situation i have replayed thoughts in my head to share over and over, so i share this as my outlet....as always! there is nothing more to it, dont read too much into it....just be MINDFUL! 

and most importantly, i am guilty. i have done it. i have participated in negative talk about a leader in my children's lives. i am not here to pretend that i am innocent in that. but the key is learning from that and choosing to do better and build those leaders up NOT tear them down----and i am still learning. 

as always thanks for reading & much love, alysha 

(if you have 2 more topics for me to write about between now and 1/1/24, please share)

living intentional! (random thoughts)

 i have 2 topics looming over me and 4 blog posts to reach my goal for my 2023 vision board....i guess i will start with possibly the least controversial one....

it has to do with my 2023 vision board and the goals i laid out for the year! i think coming into the phase of life that i am currently in....40s, mom of an almost teen and an almost adult...things are just looking different. i had on my vision board the word intentional and although i am not certain i have done that word complete justice there have definitely been intentions in my vision this year. 

i have made some changes on the home front, we have made some changes on the home front. i make laundry detergent, fast daily, bake bread weekly and we just purchased 1/4 of a grass fed cow! we have been intentional in certain things FOR SURE! 

whats the need in this post, you ask. well it honestly is to raise question of what more can we be intentional about. what more can you be intentional about. i have said it multiple times....i thrive to live minimal. i don't want things. i don't want my kids wanting "things". i do want things that are meaningful and NEEDED! but meaningless, taking up space things are not necessary. there is intent in that!

i want for my kids to live a clean life....clean spaces, clean mind and somewhat clean eating. 

i am not there on the last one believe me, but there have been changes and they are evident. i have been fasting 15-18 hours almost daily since january! that was a piece on my vision board, the actual word was calories, but i have seen research on that and its not really about calories like we have been led to believe. its kind of like friends, i would rather have quality over quantity. putting less crap in your body no matter the calorie count is a positive thing! there is intent in that. 

cleaning with less chemicals is a positive thing! 

cutting out people that are negative, not beneficial to you or an intentional mindset, is a positive thing!

i am not really sure what has lead the change over the last year, but the lens is just clearer of whats needed, whats important and how we are truly meant to live. 

i know this post is all over the place and possibly makes no sense at all, but my main goal for sharing was to say....try being intentional. try doing things in a cleaner way. there are plenty other things that could be cleaned up in life and i am open to suggestions....please share

also, this post is important for me because i have a goal and when i set goals, i complete them! (even if its terrible content---sorry)

all in all, i hope you are well, i hope you are ready for the upcoming holidays, lets try to be more intentional with our holiday time! 

sorry for the random thoughts, much love, alysha 

a struggling senior mom.....

 happy tuesday! 

as i reflect on my 2023 vision board there is one glaring thing i am behind on...blogging....and when i set goals i complete them so here i am! you will see me 5 more times this 2023 year to mark this off the board!

i have a couple topics in my head, but being that it is summer---i am starting here. i am in the phase of summer slipping away and it makes me sad, but i have tried so hard this summer to enjoy, not rush and truly soak it in. 

this has been a defining summer for me. bryson is weeks away from his senior year. and its HARD. possibly the hardest part i recall in this parenting journey. tears fill my eyes as i type as they have for weeks when i let myself think that this is it. it's almost over. this phase is nearing the end. and the next phase may hold sweet, precious times as well, but dang the not knowing hurts!

i have tried my very best to be present. be in the moment. although then i have tears. again. i keep reliving all the small things, the big things, all the things. did we do enough, did we teach enough, did we do a decent job. it's like nothing i have experienced as a parent. sure changing diapers, securing childcare, terrible 2s, etc they were challenges but i feel like you are so deep in those moments, you don't reflect and when the end is staring you in the face all you have is reflection. 

as i cried for 30 mins after dropping him off for his last soccer camp the other day, i was reminded i can be sad, but i should be proud, sad/proud is acceptable and it's a great thought. i am, we are, super proud of him. anything he has ever set his mind to, he has accomplished. and as we took our 1st college tours last week i was reminded of how proud we are, he has worked so hard to be competitive when applying for colleges soon. (btw-i may start sharing tips for parents entering this stage, because i am learning a lot and surely there are others out there that need help navigating this as well). 

so here i sit sad/proud. but i have thoughts and they are thoughts that some won't agree with and that's okay maybe they aren't in the same phase or maybe they will never have these thoughts. but here are my thoughts....yall. we as a society, us included, spend too much time pushing our kids into activities. i know, i have done it, WE are guilty, but now that i see the end. it doesn't matter. i say that for a few reasons and it doesn't matter seems not a nice way or the right way to explain my thoughts. i say this because bryson has played soccer for almost 15 years. we have done it all. traveled near and far, played all levels. and all those memories i would not trade (that's where this is tricky and i wouldn't trade it, but then i say its not worth it-see hard to explain). we have met some of our closest friends on this journey, but bryson has no intentions of playing soccer in college. no intentions because what he wants to study wouldn't allow time to be a student athlete as well and thats okay. but when i say not worth it.....we pay so much money, we spend so much time dropping here, dropping there, missing out on time with them. and i currently want more time. i am not saying no activities because the other side of that are the benefits of being on a team, learning to win and be a good loser, but i am saying...maybe less. not 5 sports, not activities 24/7. i just want more slow days at home in our home, just us because those days are oh so numbered. 

i feel like i have tried to be so selfish this summer. i want to keep them both home with me, in our bubble, alone. i dont want to share them, i dont want them to go without me. i want to spend all the time with them. and then i think of school starting. sports starting. and we go back to 12-14 hour days where i dont seem them. and its not worth it. i want all the minutes with them. i want all the time. 

so you see i am so conflicted. i am sad/proud. i want more time. i want another 18 years. 

the whole point of this blog from day 1 was to let my emotions out, so if you stuck with this, this is me. raw, crying, sad/proud. and i just want to say e.n.j.o.y. all the moments, don't rush them, soak it all in because one day you will see about 365 days remaining on this part of the parenting journey and things suddenly look differently. 

thanks for always reading-i will be back 4 more times once i publish this one because remember you set goals to accomplish them, not to abandon them! 

much love as always, alysha 

minimalism & debt

 hey guys

its that time again....our debt anniversary. many know my secret debt life, but i have started to realize that not only was that a testimony that i carry, but it does seem to be connected to minimalism-who knew. 

when you start to live with less, it impacts many aspects of life. i have said before we dont live to keep up with the joneses. we dont need our home filled with things and unlimited amounts of clothes, shoes, purses, etc. no one does (sorry, truth hurts). 

if you had asked me 11 years ago, when our lives changed drastically, if i wanted to be a minimalist, i would not have even known what that meant. it has been a journey that just continues to teach me. minimalism is a simple way of life that has to be embraced to work. (i really wish i could get my eating habits as solid as my minimalism)......but i do know it takes a lot of self discipline, constant work, you can't do it once and think it stays that way, its always evolving. (ex. i have taken 4 bags to goodwill in the last month----you have to be willing to always recycle and clear out)

so how does it relate. well the easiest correlation i see is many people have debt because they have a LOT of stuff, that they have more than likely purchased with debt. but also, when you realize and analyze all purchases it helps with debt. you are not buying things constantly. there has to be a reason for the purchase. i have been guilty lately of purchasing a new shirt too often when i visit tj maxx (thats my weakness-tj maxx), but if one new thing comes in one old thing goes out. it has to work that way or it DOESNT work. 

when i say i wish the world could feel the freedom in not living in clutter and debt----i am so very serious. i was that person, i literally did all i could to make it. i think i have said this before---there was a time, bryson was a baby, i was taking grad night classes at UNCC and i knew there was a bill coming in the mail that day, i literally lied about class being canceled to stay home to intercept the mail to HIDE my secret. i lived in that fear and chaos for years! i lived for checking the mail to avoid being caught. the stuff i had purchased on that secret debt was not worth it. i literally almost caused us to lose everything. it. is. not. a. good. healthy. life. i promise! and the stuff is not worth it!

i do think that "it" taught me how to be disciplined (again not with food), but with routine, order, etc. i strive to accomplish (that may not be super healthy either, but its way better than lying, hiding and barely making it). 

i just really encourage you to....let go of having stuff, let go of spending money you may not have or money that could be used for something bigger and better, let go of impressing people----honestly people dont care, they are going to judge you for having or not having, it DOESNT matter. just make YOUR people happy, keep them safe, teach them better ways. 

i truly appreciate you reading---if you have questions, if you need a starting point, ASK me....if you have budgeting question-i know a guy! i truly want the world to be better and i do think letting go of stuff, debt and envy would be a great start! 

*****for anyone that saw my vision board for 23---this is my 1st of 6 posts!!! (sorry had to document that)...if you want to know about my $32k hidden debt, you can catch up here: http://brooksalyshabryson.blogspot.com/2013/02/

as always, much love, alysha 

8.16.21-was a defining day.

i have pondered this post for a whole year...i have started it and left it. but today being 8.16 i am hitting publish....

i have used this platform as reflection and healing for 12 years, so its only fitting this topic gets a place holder as well. 

365 days ago it was my 40th birthday eve. brooks and i had just returned home from a b-day trip and i was nervous and apprehensive about going back to work on 8.16. i didnt realize it was going to change my family and life plan. every summer i dreaded going back because for years there were always changes, i was always on pins and needles wondering the last 1/2 of the summer what would change next. last year i pumped myself up and said i am not doing this. i am not worrying about this. it is what it is (thats my new 40 year old phrase, i use it often). but i was still oblivious to what could really happen......

so on monday i got up went to work in the pouring rain and had to deliver paper boxes of folders to several schools....i think it was about 15 boxes (some of this day i blocked from my memory) this was a least favorite part of the job because we had to do it every year and it is difficult, one to carry them and two to actually get into buildings carrying and trying to open doors....

we were told we had a meeting at 330 pm. i go into the meeting thinking it cant be that bad, it will be okay, it is what it is. and by 335 pm we were told we had to help in schools due to the teacher shortage. now let me pause here. i get it. 100% get it. there are no teachers. i wont get into why because again, it is what it is and i wouldnt be here if i werent 18 years in. i was given 3 schools. i had to serve as a teacher in 3 schools until positions were filled. now that may seem not so bad, but honestly with only 4 workdays ahead being told you are going to teach in 3 schools and school starts in 6 days was more than i could handle. this changed the family dynamic of pickup. drop off. this is a change that someone as ocd as me. can’t handle at the drop of a hat. this is a life changing thing. i am thankful i didnt have a nervous breakdown (or maybe i did, but refuse to give anyone credit for that). so that evening and the next few days there were many tears, many questions and an 8 year old resume updated. 

the next month of my life and my families life was upside down. i pondered quitting. i accepted a position in catawba county by the end of that week. i quit iss. and then on the day before my 30 day notice, i rescinded. things just didnt feel right (nothing honestly felt right). i then took a single position at west. it was good, it was a good year. i was with bryson. i learned that i could teach again. i had a great team. it was the best landing spot i could have found. but after years and years-8 of them. i am damaged. i trust nothing. i feared around march that i would be blindsided, again. so i started the hunt, again. i played out every worst case scenario in my head. again. i made the choice to move to another school for this upcoming year in may. i dont trust. i know that last september 24th (the day i rescinded my 30 day notice) i was told on the phone standing in the west high parking lot "you are good for this year but anything can change". 

last september when i was on the fence of just walking away and having a possible midlife crisis. i pondered cleaning houses. i love cleaning. i love organizing. and there is no fear of what could change in that environment. but i was scared and i backed off and settled into west high. in april when my mind was spinning, again. i was given the opportunity to clean a new reno. brit and i did it! it was fun! it was rewarding (& it was fun money). since then we have cleaned 2 faithful houses every other week and a few others along the way. i will not give credit for the year i had last year, but i will give credit for the push out of my comfort zone to try something i have wanted to do for years. 

this starts year 19. i plan to retire at the end of year 20. 

i have learned through this journey. a job is not worth it. i need "the job" to provide for my kids (because lets be honest if it werent for kids we would all be millionaires). i need 2 more years to accomplish a goal. but i dont need a job that makes me fearful daily. i dont need a title to feel accomplished in life. life is not about a job. life is about what you do in your homes with your families. it is not about working 15 hours a day and worrying about "the job" the remaining 9 hours. "the job" no longer consumes me. my family gets that! 

i have needed to write this for a long time. i need to let it go. i learned at church sunday that i’m not a good forgiver and i need to work on that. i need a positive attitude-1-because it is not fair to my family. 2-it is not fair to the new school i am going to. and 3-it is not fair to me to fear a job anymore! 

if you want to send some good vibes, i will take them. if you need your house cleaned, reach out. i am building a better future...

much love, alysha