To quote Joseph, “The day I stop learning should be the day I die.” May this be true of all our lives.

~Abigail

In the beginning of October one of my friends asked me if I wanted to buy her horse. At first I thought no way. But after thinking about it for awhile I began to dream and think of owning this white horse. On the 29th of October I asked my dad what he thought about the horse. I was expecting a long conversation that we would discuss the pros and cons to the situation. But all he said was I think you should buy the horse. So, on October 31st, I became a horse owner. Mojave is a white 21 year old Arabian. One of my dreams came true. Shortly after purchasing Mojave, someone asked me if reality had hit me yet. And funny enough it’s not like I thought it would be. I treat Mojave as though I’m still leasing him from someone. I suppose that’s a good thing because in reality I am still just leasing him. Only this time the owner is God. I’m very thankful for the white horse that walked into my life this Thanksgiving.

We have just received word that he arrived safely around noon on Sunday. While we miss him (and Joshua) very much, we rejoice that he has an opportunity to further his training (paramedics), and reconnect with some very good friends down at ALERT. We look forward to a visit from him over the holidays, and to see what God has for him after he graduates in May 2008.

“For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the LORD; thoughts of peace and not of evil; to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

I continue to work at CollegePlus! in areas of website updates, graphic design, computer support and special projects. As August and September are just around the corner, peoples’ minds are thinking more about college. So are we…with a full seminar schedule coming up this fall on how to do college from home. Part of my job responsibility includes managing and marketing the technical end for these upcoming events (i.e. – designing flyers).

I am also enjoying my studies for and currently have 51 credits (in 3 months!) through the CLEP and Dantes tests that I’ve been taking at the UIW. Most of these tests were lower level subjects that I was either somewhat familiar with or had previous knowledge/experience. I’m almost halfway through my degree. However, I don’t expect this rate of earning credits to last much longer since I will be transitioning into some upper level, more difficult/specific material. Some of you are asking when I will start online classes. The answer is…a Managerial Communications course…probably this fall. Overall, I am satisfied with the progress I am making with my BSBA in General Management.

As far as my social life goes….I toured the Alamo and walked the River Walk a few weekends ago with some friends. I personally thought the Alamo was interesting, but the River Walk wasn’t all that great – although the Casa Rio restaurant had delicious, authentic Mexican, low priced food. The Casa Rio restaurant was the first business to open along side of the River Walk.

I’ve also had the opportunity to meet and fellowship with many new people down here, mainly through the church I’ve been attending. If studying becomes too much, I can always exercise, swim, play water volleyball, frisbee, or cards to maintain a healthy equilibrium.

Well, that is about all I can think of currently. I will try to update everyone on a more regular basis in the future.

A 4 year bachelors degree from a public university can easily cost greater than a total of $40,000 at a public university, including any financial aid you might receive. What about a private college? Yikes! That’s spendy at $100,000 plus or minus. The ROI (return on investment) may not even be worth it at that price, especially if the student winds up in some vocation completely unrelated to the field of their degree (and 80% already do according to statistics). Even with a 529 savings plan and financial aid, a student could still go deep into debt for many years.

Not only does college cost an arm and a leg, it’s taking more time. Some students (and colleges) are spending 5-6 years to complete a 4-year BA.

And what about the brainwashing, negative influences, and pressure to have fun in the college atmosphere?

Can a college degree be cost effective, time efficient, and have excellent quality all at the same time? That’s a good question that’s already been answered by an organization called “Global Learning Strategies.” If you remember back to January of last year, we (the Kraemers) hosted a seminar put on by this organization that addressed all of these questions. See this link for more information.

Global Learning Strategies has a service called CollegePlus! in which an individual is carefully guided step-by-step through the process of obtaining a 4-year, fully accredited Bachelors degree in less than 2 years for a total cost of less than $10,000. Quality of the degree is a priority for CollegePlus! since they don’t want people (like me) to major in test-taking.

Now that I’ve just done a whole infomercial for Global Learning Strategies/CollegePlus!, you are probably wondering: “soooo……what are the Kraemers doing about this?”

Well, I’m glad you asked because I’m here to inform you that I, Joshua Kraemer will begin CollegePlus! coaching and studying for my Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (General Management) on March 1st. I’m living proof that people who take 1+ years off after high school to work and pursue heavy investing can end up going to college.

After March 1st, I will still hopefully be able to work (but only half days max) and study for college (4-6 hours/day) with the rest of my day. That means no more “extra” activity or business pursuits for a while:( But, the idea of finishing a degree in two years or less (1 would be nice) is encouraging.

One last note: I will leave you with a bit of a surprise. Even though this plan is “set in stone,” it could all change at a moment’s notice due to something else exciting. It has nothing to do with Africa, however. I will try to tell you more later. But, that is all for now.