Comps exam tomorrow

I haven't updated this in a very very long time! Tomorrow is my comprehensive exams for grad school. That means 4 essays that decide whether I graduate from grad school or not. I'll let everyone know how they go. I'm hoping and praying it goes well!!! Thanks for everyone who has supported me through this semester and all of grad school, yall are truly amazing! Update will come soon on whether I pass or fail!

So exactly how did the first week go....

I have finished my first week of my last semester of grad school....now that's a mouth full! It was definitely a new experience and my practicum is going to be a great experience. I really think my supervisor is going to challenge me and that I will learn a ton from her! Now most of you that talk to me know about the eccentric case load that a county hospital (Parkland) brought me. While I'm sure I will have some great stories this semester is going to be a lot different. Two really great things: 1. My supervisor is the only SLP on staff so I get to see anything and everything under the sun 2. I'm going to be able to sit in on a brain surgery at some point during the semester. As far as my caseload goes it looks more like I will have lung transplants, cystic fibrosis patients, general medical problems, and stroke patients. I definitely have set some goals for myself this semester! I really hope (since it is my last semester...in case no one has figured that out!) to be more independent so that when I take on the responsibilities of an actual job I'm confident and as proficient as possible. I think this will be a great place to have that experience.

Anyways life outside of that has been eventful. Went to margarita and salsa festival for the first time and had a good time. Also spent Friday night out in Grapevine. It was a such a cute little area. I'm definitely going to have to head out there for some shopping sometime. Maybe even there Wine Festival!

For anyone wondering also....Neil Patrick Harris is hosting the Emmy's!! Very exciting!

Official End of my LAST Summer

Sadly I have concluded my last summer vacation. It was definitely eventful and relaxing at times and ended rather abruptly.

I have been through many emotions starting this semester. Definitely scared of what is to come when graduation happens, as my previous post explains, but I do believe that I won't have time to think about it too much. I'm taking 3 classes, 20 hours of an internship at St. Pauls, and studying for my comprehensive exams. I will be busy busy.

Things I'm looking forward to:

Starting at St. Paul

College football (still crossing our fingers for UT tickets)

Stephanie and Chris's wedding

Comps being OVER

New York

Finishing schoooool and having a master's degree (5 1/2 years of college)

"The American Gladiator" kickball team

I start tomorrow at St. Paul. Wish me luck! I will be updating this week about how my first week ends up. I'm sure it will be overwhelming, eventful, and fulfilling to be back to doing what I love!

Times are a Changing

So I'm totally addicted to How I Met Your Mother. It's legendary and you all should watch it! There was a quote from a recent episode that I felt like explained a lot of how I'm feeling these last few months:

"Sometimes it is possible to think you're doing just fine in life, and then someone opens your eyes a little bit and you realize your whole world is off blanace, out of whack, crooked"

Now I'm so thankful for everything that I've had going on this past year. I'm just hitting that point of not really understanding what comes next. I officially registered for my last semester of graduate school, got a 4.0 this summer, and was placed at St. Paul Hospital for the Fall semester. I take my comprehensive exams in 3 months and graduate in 5 months. Somewhere in the midst of all of this I will have to decide the overwhelming question...where to go next?

See I've had most of what I've wanted to do planned out since I was like 14. I knew I wanted to speech therapy so picking a college became about that. I knew after college I would have to go do a master's degree and again picking a graduate school became about that. I've never moved some place for any other reason but my goals! While that is an incredibly wonderful accomplishment I have no idea what my goals or dreams are anymore. I know what I would like to do but more than likely I will be able to do that in any place I choose. I don't know if I want to move back to Austin closer to family, to take a job somewhere completely random to experience a new place outside of Texas, stay in Dallas where I have incredible networks of job opportunities??

I know I can't have it all figured out just yet but this "grey" area tends to haunt me everyday. I know at some point I will have to sit back and let the plan figure itself out but I'm just not to the point of letting that happen. I will always welcome any encouragement and kind words from all of you.

Here are some pictures of my most recent adventures all around. I'm so thankful for having a summer break to relax and just try to "stop thinking"

My Parent's Grandchildren!

I finally got my t-shirt quilt back! Here is the women that made it! Such a great job!

Texas T-Shirt Quilts

Birthday Celebration in Austin! Chris, Steph, Myself, and Christopher

Weekend trips

First stop Waco: A bunch of us attempted to go swimming although it was closed after questionable water conditions so we settled for the bathtub (aka outpost pool). We tried out the daiquiri drive thru on our way back.

For those of you wondering what a daiquiri drive thru here it goes: Imagine a hut that you drive up to a door (not window) a rude girl, who probably hates her job and life comes to serve you daiquiris and "margaritas" in a sealed bag. Somehow a sealed bag skirts the open container law. Anyway, while the concept is a novelty to Waco it was not worth the ordeal or taste! There was no menu and clearly we were not on the ready to know the daiquiri flavors available so the girl had to walk 3 steps to the door, retrieve a small blue paper with a menu, throw it in the window, and stair at the ground waiting for us to decipher terms like "berry bomb". Two margaritas, two strawberry daiquiris, and twenty minutes later we left. I'm pretty sure the margs had no alcohol and weren't margs at all but lime flavored daiquiri mix posing as a margarita and the daiquiris were questionable but had at least a hint of alcohol. Overall experience and taste: F. I will not be going back!

Went to Wild West that night to see Casey Donahew Band. It was a good time! Here is a link to there website: http://www.caseydonahewband.com/

On Saturday night my family and I went to see Mamma Mia. It was mediocre. Being able to drink wine during the show made it more enjoyable. Basically got to Austin and turned right around to come back to Dallas. Made a stop at Bed, Bath, & Beyond and got this door mat with an "R" of course:

Not too busy of a week ahead and looking forward to making plans for the 4th!!!

New apartment pictures

So I live at Vue at Live Oak in an efficiency apartment. I LOVE being by myself and having my own space finally. Biggio has not gone insane...yet. I need to get him a friend but puppy training in downtown Dallas would be ridiculous. My goal is to have a dog as my graduation present to myself come December if I can wait :-). Okay so here they are!

Summer update!

SO I guess it has been forever since I updated anything on my blog. So here it goes...

I finished up my internship at Parkland in the May and started working on an independent study with the head of the speech therapy department at Parkland. I'm creating their family education materials for TBI, stroke, dysphagia, etc. I'm also compiling a new student manual for their program. So it definitely takes up a lot of time but the perks: I don't have to make comps study materials this Fall! I will have summaries/study materials already created. SO when I start attempting to study for my comprehensive exams in August I'll be a step a head. Forced to not procrastinate, thankfully!

I'm in two different practicums which I'll explain at a later time. Basically one I love (adult setting) and one I'm counting down to the final day (kid setting). Surprised?? I do love the little boy I'm working with, he is adorable when he isn't screaming :-).

In other EXCITING NEWS....

• I moved to my new apartment
• Betsy came back a month early from Europe (I was totally surprised and so excited)
• Betsy, Christopher, Lara, Nat, and Aaron's birthdays were this past June
• Steph, Meagan, Angelica, and Myself are all having birthdays soon!! (and I always thought I was SO young)
• I'm completely obsessed with "How I met your mother"
• I have 5 months until graduation...and have no idea what I will be doing :-)
• Planning river trips and trips in general during my month long vacation (in 3.5 weeks)
• Texas is in the college world series...hook'em
• Mamma Mia is this weekend and Wicked is in a month!

So, I will post pictures soon of the new apartment....when it isn't a disaster like it is at the moment. Till then here is a view of the outside :-) My apartment is actually on the right 3rd floor next to the balcony.