Holiday time!

First off, I couldn't be more excited that Obama was elected president. I don't think I will ever forget where I was when it happened. More than anything I'm proud of our generation for getting out there and voting. What a turn out!

In other news... I have begun the countdown for the semester: 6 days of practicum, 17 days of class, 1 research paper, 3 projects and THEN a break!

In the meantime I have been traveling a lot. Rachel's (Russell's sister) birthday was a few weeks ago. She got a kitten which she named Toonces! We joke that we will be the crazy cat ladies some day. Baylor homecoming was two weekends ago. It was great. I go to Waco fairly often to visit Russell and friends still in school but this was a bit different. Meagan and Kelly flew in from Denver on Thursday night, Jessie drove up from Houston, and tons of other people made the trip back. Needless to say there were lots of dinner/lunch outings. Russell, Josh, and Pat hosted their last halloween party. It was fun to see everyone and celebrate together like old times. Russell and I were Jack in the Box and Wendy. Here are a few pictures:

Biggio meets his first cat friend, Toonces!

The pumpkin that took us 2 hours and wine!

Meagan, Kelly, and I visiting floats!! Congrats ZTA/ATO

Meagan, Russell and I at Bonfire

Meagan, Jessie and I

Banana (Luis), Jack in the Box (Russell), and Wendy (me)

Last weekend Russell and I took a trip to Austin for the Baylor vs. UT game. All in all it was a very lazy weekend. Lots of time spent with family. I got a tour of my sister's new condo which is amazing!

Next semester's schedule looks great. I'm doing assessment (testing) of all ages Wednesday and Thursday mornings and Our Children's House Wednesday afternoons. It will be all pediatrics in the Spring. I'm anxious to see how it goes since most of you know I'm set on working with adults. I need more experience though! I'm taking a variety of classes. The crazy thing is this will be my last semester of a heavy class load. This summer I'll take one or two classes and in the Fall, my internship, I'll have one or two classes as well. WOW things are flying by, December 2009 will be here before I know it! Until December I probably won't post again seeing as I should be using my free time to write my paper and do projects but I'll need distractions. Hope everyone is doing well!

Debates, Road Trips, State Fair and Football

I feel like those 3 things have been what the past few weeks have been.  Most of you that know me well know that I have a strong passion about this election. I won't go into much detail but goodness something has got to change.  I've been adamant about reading the news, watching the debates, etc. I actually feel like I'm voting for someone instead of against someone (Bush)!  So I hope all of you go out and vote! I know in Texas it can seem pointless (for either party) but how could you complain about either candidate if you didn't do your part? Anyways...VOTE! 

In school news, I'm meeting with my advisor tomorrow to create my Spring schedule. I can't believe it is that time again. I'm hoping to get some experience with children in a medical setting. I'll know more later. I'm still loving my practicum and classes are going well. 

Fun news,  I went to the UT v. Arkansas game...despite rude UT faculty/professors (yes, I was also rooting for UT)....the game was fun to watch! We are in the "go horns go" section, as my sister explains, for all you longhorn fans. I also spent the past weekend in Waco for the Baylor v. Oklahoma game. Considering OU was ranked #1 in the nation, Baylor stood little to no chance. However, being a Baylor fan I attend the games for the possible upset. Most of us never lose hope for that one upset of the season!  There was no upset...only a pretty nasty score. Better luck this week! 

Dallas has the Texas State Fair going on!! A ton of the Austin/Waco crew will be heading up to Dallas to enjoy the UT v. OU game. We are planning to tailgate at the fair! I don't know if I'm more excited about being in this atmosphere for the UT game or eating all the artery clogging food. I'll let you know how fried s'mores, jelly beans, and banana splits taste. Yes, those fried foods are all sold at the fair. Only in Texas, sick.  

I'm looking forward to Baylor homecoming, float, and Meagan and Kelly coming back to Texas in 23 days!  

Update!

An update on the past month!

I started in the rehab hospital almost 3 weeks ago and I'm really loving it. I have one individual inpatient client and then 3 of us lead an outpatient group.  I have really enjoyed both settings. All of our patients that we see have had a traumatic brain injury or stroke. It is a very interesting population. Up until yesterday I had no really great stories to share besides that I love it....then there was what I will refer to as "the incident." I get a weak stomach from my mom. My sister isn't too far behind me. Being in this field a weak stomach is not always a good thing (aka snot, throw up, bodily fluid, etc). Well my biggest fear has been that a client will throw up on me or near me! It happened.....

My client threw up, not on me, but in a trash can. Let it be noted that NO i did not urp immediately upon the sound... I was rather composed, stayed with her until the worst was over, got the nurse THEN preceded to feel very light headed. Needless to say it will probably be worse than what I saw yesterday but I guess I have stronger stomach than I thought. 

  

Other news:

--My sister, Christopher, and Russell came to Dallas last weekend. It was such a great time. Basically we laid around, ate a ton of food, shopped, and went out! I realize more than ever that the company kept is what makes where you are living bearable. Maybe I don't hate Dallas that much.... it may just be the fact that my close family and friends are MILES away! Thank goodness my cousin Aaron has moved here!!  Here is a pictures from NOBU, it was amazing. 

After dinner we were escorted in a private car to O-Bar where the rest of the night was spent dancing and drinking.  It was quiet the VIP weekend. 

--My roommates and I are attempting to join a kickball league here in Dallas. I'll keep you updated on that. Everyone knows I love me some kickball!!!   

Oh and a little SIC'EM BEARS!!! They have been so fun to watch this season. Something must be lucky about the number 10!

Vacation and Starting School

It is officially my second semester of graduate school. After a wonderful 3 week vacation I'm back in Dallas ready for another exciting semester. 

A little about my last few weeks: I first went to Austin where I was able to spend some time with the fam. It is never long enough!! I then flew to Houston for Russell's 23rd birthday where I found us a beach house in Galveston to spend 2 nights. All of his friends came up Friday night to help him celebrate. The most exciting addition was his cousin Drew who arrived back from Iraq that day for a two week leave.  I know it was really great for Russell to get to spend some time with him and I was excited to finally meet him! 

      At the airport with Drew!

After the beach house we spent some time in Houston with his family then made our way to Waco to move him back into his house! During the time in Waco we drove to Belton to celebrate his brother's engagement. After a few days in Waco it was up to Dallas. The 3 days we were here we did defensive driving (6 hours of staring at a computer), watched an excessive amount of heroes, painted my room, hung up pictures, and my favorite thing we went to the zoo (we did a lot of zoo/aquarium visits over our trip). 

                      

     Petting the Shark        Russell petting the stingray

              

        Gorilla at the Dallas Zoo!         

After Dallas, I went back to Houston where my family picked me up for a RELAXING week in Galveston! Most of the time it was raining but I can't complain. There was much time spent on the porch enjoying the ocean and full moon. Some good quality conversation and wine with my mom and sister made Friday night so much fun. My sister cooked some great meals. I even spotted a shark (maybe a dolphin) but for a good story I say a shark. 

                        

         The Full Moon!!

School started and not much to report. The only thing that is mildly concerning was our orientation today with the hospital. They are required to inform us of all infectious diseases we may be exposed to by our clients. I'm sure I'll be fine!!! 

The most exciting thing about being back besides school is that my cousin Aaron has moved up to Dallas!! I'm excited to spend some time with him exploring the city!! 

Congrats Meagan Ray on your new job!! Even though it moved you back to Colorado, Texas will forgive you!!  

Traveling around Texas

So, I probably won't post on here for awhile since I will be traveling all over the next couple of weeks.

Last week, the AC officially was fixed and they took money off our rent for all the trouble. Thank goodness that issue was solved after a month and a half! Very efficient.

This past weekend I went to Rachel's wedding! Meagan, Jessie James and Russell all came and spent the weekend in Dallas which was amazing. It was so great to catch up with Meagan and Jessie. I'm sure Russell was really annoyed by all the girl talk about weddings but he survived.

This Thursday I'll be flying to Houston. Russell and I will be spending three weeks in Houston, Waco, Dallas, and Galveston. Yes..lots of driving. Luckly we will be doing it in one car together. I'm excited to spend some more time with him and we will both get to enjoy a summer vacation for 3 weeks! If you are near any of those cities call us. We will be trying to visit everyone and spend time with people while we are there if possible.

I'll be returning to Dallas on August 20th and starting classes on August 21st! Just got some more news about my practicum for the Fall and it sounds like it is going to be an amazing opportunity. I can't say I'm not intimated by it though. I've never worked with adults so this will be quite an adventure!

One month of Vacation

I have officially finished one semester of graduate school and only have four more to go!  I'm pretty sure I passed everything (just kidding mom and dad),  I did. 

My birthday turned out to be amazing. Although it took a fews day for me to be excited about turning 22 I couldn't have asked for a better birthday. Russell came to Austin on Thursday where we had an amazing dinner cooked by my one and only sister, the chef! She cooked an amazing trout, with sides of asparagus and what I like to call $15 Macaroni and cheese. It was delicious, amazing, and extra cheesy. My favorite part about my sister's cooking is that whenever she is trying a new recipe she apologizes a thousand times that it might not turn out okay. Not once, ever, has it not turned out to be amazing.  So, on that note I feel like anyone that has catering needs or wants a dinner cooked for them should contact her on her website: Cheffonade 

The Friday night after my birthday was of course downtown on 6th. A small group of us went and had a wonderful time. Unfortunately alcohol seems to hurt all of us a little more these days. 

Dallas life is still going well.  I found another place last week (thank you Kelly!) to study. The name of it was BuzzBrews. It was amazing. A small diner type, with GREAT coffee, open 24 hours,clean and better service than Cafe Brazils. It was a great place to sit and study the night away for one of my finals! Besides that, our apartment has been lacking A/C pretty much since the 2nd day we moved in. It goes out constantly. While I love sweating and calling our apartment maintenance every few days.... I would like to have a trouble free apartment sometime soon! They are supposedly fixing the problem "for good" today!  I've also been told that about 5 times. Note that at this moment, July 22, 7:40 am it is 88 degrees in my apartment. I couldn't imagine a better morning!

July 4th and Turning 22

I am now just 2 days away from finishing my summer practicum and will be taking my finals next Friday. This summer session has gone by so quickly. 

Vacation officially begins in 10 days!

I got my Fall practicum assignment!! I will be working at the Baylor Rehabilitation Institute with in patient and out patient adults that need speech and language therapy. I will find out specifics in the next couple weeks but it is exactly where I wanted to be! Luckily all my classes and practicum

 are no more than 5 miles away from my apartment. 

Russell and I went to his lake house this July 4th. It was so relaxing and enjoyable to be on the lake for the first time all summer. I was excited just to lay in the sun and enjoy the water. I felt like it was a mini-vacation. His cousin, sister and our friend Josh were able to come spend time with us up there and we found some fun places to explore in Livingston, TX (which was hard to do). Our favorite location was Buster McNutty's. It was a little bar/dance hall complete with pick up trucks, trailers, cowboy hats, and overalls (a very stereotypical Texas environment). I'm not sure we fit in but it was still a fun night.  

I'll be traveling to Austin this weekend to celebrate my birthday with friends and family! It is weird to think this time last year I couldn't wait for my birthday. Somehow 22 isn't nearly as exciting. I haven't really had time to think too much about it. I'm sure I will have an amazing time though. 

Weddings, midterms, and wine

Tonight marks the end of a busy week. From last Tuesday until tonight there has not been much of a break.  After moving all week I flew to Houston Friday night for my cousin's wedding weekend.  I normally would be quiet annoyed by a flight delay but sitting in the airport for 3 hours gave me time to finish all my notes for a midterm I had on Monday afternoon. That meant little to no studying during the weekend of celebrations!

Russell picked me up from the airport and we had dinner and played scattergories with my aunt, uncle and cousins. Saturday afternoon was Whit's bridal shower, followed by a dinner celebration with Russell's family for his dad's birthday. Sunday was a pretty lazy day until the wedding at 7:00.  My cousin looked beautiful and everything went as planned. It was really nice to see my entire family in the same place at the same time in what seems like forever! With a wonderful Sunday night of dancing and celebrating came a very tired Monday!  This is where things went downhill....the first TWO MIDTERMS of graduate school....

I was exhausted from the 6 a.m. flight to Dallas (which was also delayed) and then followed that by studying for a midterm and preparing Monday night another one Tuesday! Needless to say, I am alive thanks to Cafe Brazil.  Who knows how the tests went but I will hope for the best! 

Now I sit, relaxing with a glass of wine, watching Friends in my new apartment that I can finally start enjoying!

Congratulations to Whitney and Brian!!

New apartment and thanks mom :-)

It is official. I am out of the hotel and into my apartment. It has been a crazy week of moving/studying/classes but all went as well as it could have. My mom came up to help me unpack (THANK YOU!) and I couldn't have done it without her. Lots of shopping and spending money but I found some really great deals on furniture. Anyone is welcome to come visit now that I have a bed and more than just a small room to entertain you in!! 

We are exactly 3 weeks away from being finished with my practicum. It has been a whirlwind but I have learned so much. It amazes me how much they surprise me everyday.  I definitely have no desire to work this age but needless to say I have learned a lot. I meet with an advisor tomorrow to set up my schedule for the fall. It is flying by! 

So this weekend I will be heading to Houston for my cousin's wedding and to stay with Russell's family (again). They have been so nice as to not make me stay in a hotel (again) while I'm staying there. She is getting married on Sunday with shower festivities on Saturday afternoon. It should be really fun and I'm looking forward to seeing all of my family in the same place at the same time for the first time in forever.  

Here are some pictures of my new apartment, very brief but it is a work in progress: 

 

Living room with new coffee table I bought!! 

 

My Bedroom 

The Pool!!

The Front of the Complex!

I found Kerbey Lane in Dallas!

So some of us have started a weekly Sunday dinner (as of tonight).  I picked a place tonight called Cafe Brazil.  It had been recommended to me by a friend of mine that has been helping me find all the "austin-y" spots in Dallas! Think Kerbey Lane (don't worry Mom we will steer clear of here when you come to visit) and Magnolia Cafe because Cafe Brazil comes complete with a weird atmosphere, mildly bad waiters, questionable cleanliness, and delicious food.  It definitely makes me feel a little more at home.  I would recommend anyone go there!!  The food was really good and it is open 24 hours! 

Learning mommy skills....

We aren't at Baylor anymore....we went to happy hour yesterday hosted by the local NSSLHA chapter and had drinks with our professors! It is so much more relaxing and inviting!

Classes/Clients: This week was the first week with our little clients.  I know there is a lot I can't say on here because of HIPAA laws but I will explain some of the basics. We have 12 kids most are around 2 to 3 years of age.  They all have different disorders but one thing is consistent among all of them they like to cry, snot, and make messes.  I suppose all of us are not only learning therapy techniques but how to play the "mommy role."  One girl has already swapped spit with one of her kids. She was holding him in the air and drool dripped in her mouth...the best part...he was smiling and happy for the first time all day so she resisted being completely disgusted.  I think we all have stories about this. I come home covered in tears and snot most of the time from the kids burying their heads in my stomach. They are adorable though! 

On another note, Russell and I went into Austin this weekend to get Biggio and relax.  It was an awesome time and we got to do lots of Austin-like things. I'm still searching for those places in Dallas.  So far have found some GREAT restaurants...still no local coffee shop so starbucks is still the staple. Any recommendations?? 

Update on the hotel: The smell of teriyaki is finally gone...YAY!!!!

Here are pictures of where I spend most of my day and the current hotel I'm in:

               

Moving to Dallas

I never thought I would consider myself to be from a small town.  Now, Waco is a small town and I lived there for 4 years but Austin...Austin is the capital, it's a big city and I lived there for 18 years.  Dallas wasn't going to be a huge change from Austin? I was wrong. There are more highways than I have ever seen, more traffic, no grocery stores around the corner, taller buildings, people honk a lot, and I find myself constantly confused as to where I am.  Let me just say I thank god every day that I have TomTom (my GPS). TomTom has prevented me from having a complete nervous breakdown! 

Living:  Currently I am living at a hotel until June 17th. So far I have only two complaints. First, as much as I love walking into a room where there are dirty underwear in the closet I decided that it was not adequate for my three week stay and promptly requested another room.  Second, I love chinese food but my room reeks of teriyaki.  It's an appetizing smell for a restaurant and all but I will be glad to smell something a little more fresh once I move into my apartment!  

Class: The first day was exhausting. I didn't sleep much the night before considering I had completely convinced myself that I was going to be horrible at grad school. Therefore that made a long day even longer. We started around 8:30 and I wasn't finished until almost 6:00. Everyone I've met is amazing so far. It's really nice to know we are all having anxiety about the same things. We start with our kids next week and I'll explain in another post exactly what I'll be doing (once I figure it out)! What I'm learning quickly is that everything is unknown and nothing is planned.  Little kids don't work that way!  The last few days have just been class and orientation, nothing exciting. However I have had a couple, "I'm not at Baylor anymore" moments when a professor cussed in class and another one talked about our president and how the war was unnecessary. It is a refreshing change to be away from the conservative side of Baylor.