I PASSED!

Well, fellow readers...I have GREAT news!! You know that HUGE test I mentioned about a month back?? The one I was sure I wouldn't pass, seeing how it's a standardized test (of which I've NEVER been good at...)...yeah, well....I PASSED!!!!!!!!!! How did I manage to do this you may ask?? My only answer is by the grace of GOD! There's no way I could've passed without HIS help. I know a lot of people miss passing by about 3 or 4 points (which means ONE question...). But I managed to just BARELY pass...but PASS I did! No one cares what your score was; only that you passed...and I can definitely say that I passed that booger!!! It was by FAR the hardest test I've ever taken and I'm SO glad I don't have to take it again!!! YAY!

What a WONDERFUL Christmas it has already turned out to be!

Tomorrow I head to South Carolina to celebrate Mo's (my grandma) 86th birthday! She's the cutest little thing ever! I love her to pieces. Momma and I spent the day baking a Citrus zest bundt cake...and let me tell you, it's GOOD! Can't wait to try a piece!

Oh, and we had my Daddy's annual company Christmas party tonight. Which means I got to dress up, go to a FABULOUS restaurant in downtown Savannah, have endless wine, and be "giddy" with my Momma! And Selfish Santa was played. And I managed to JUST barely end up with another good gift this year! I got a flameless candle set on a wooden platform with pebbles that go around the 3 candles. And the best part? You can BLOW them on and off! Flameless candles that you can blow on and off!!! How FABULOUS! Needless to say, I think they shall make a wonderful addition to my little apartment! (I've already got one candle that sits in my living room that I got another year before...I'm rackin' up!)

Merry Christmas!

Saying Goodbye

Today was my last day of therapy with all of my speech babies at the school. I'm really going to miss them, but I didn't realize how much. I have a select few that were kind of my favorites, and I knew they were going to be the hardest ones to say goodbye to. As I was walking back one group to their class, one of the kids said to the other kids from the group (as they were walking ahead of us), "don't y'all wanna spend more time with her (as in, me)??" He just couldn't understand why they weren't walking with me since I was leaving them. It was so sweet. Then he asked me "will you come by tomorrow and give us hugs goodbye?" I couldn't help but tell him I would most definitely come by their class and give them all hugs.

What got me the most with my goodbyes today? Well, one of my sweetest girls was leaving after we did our fun Christmas activities. She had told me she would miss me, but sometimes you just wonder if it's just something kids say. Well, she started walking out of the door, and then proceeded to turn around and run over to my chair. I knew she was coming to hug me, so I was just expecting a regular hug. But no, she came and wrapped her sweet little arms around me and JUMPED into my lap while she gave me a really big, strong, long hug. She just kept her arms around me tight and hugged me. My eyes definitely watered. I felt loved and it touched my heart beyond belief. My supervisor said SHE was even tearing up watching her hug me! When I called my Mom later, tears were shed for real.

I sure am going to miss them...

"Nawlins" Bound!

My trip to New Orleans (Nawlins) begins in T-minus 12 HOURS!

We have our annual national convention for Speech Therapy in New Orleans this year and TOMORROW is the day that it begins! I've been washing loads upon loads of clothes the past 3 days (apparently, doing nothing but studying for 2 weeks straight causes your laundry to pile up into 6 loads worth!). And true to my style, it's almost 11:30 pm and I'm STILL packing! I mean really, why try and change who I am NOW?? And I'm definately taking the BIG suitcase. One of my friends coming with us has managed to pack nearly a whole week's worth of stuff in nothing but a CARRY-ON! That's incomprehensible to me. I mean, I require a carry-on size bag just to go HOME for the weekend! I've never been one to pack lightly...

Things I'm excited about:

1. Flying! (Traveling is my FAVORITE).

3. Just being in New Orleans in general!

4. Eating some gumbo! (though, growing up with a best friend whose parents are from Louisiana, I HAVE had the REAL stuff already!)

5. Eating BEIGNETS! (Now THESE I'm excited to try!)

6. Getting to see one of my bestest friends whom I haven't seen in about 5 years!

7. All the FREEBIES we get at the convention!!!

8. Spending 5 days with 2 good friends!

After I get back from my trip on Sunday, I get a whole WEEK off for Thanksgiving Break! So, basically I'm getting a week and a half vacation from work! Holidays, oh how I welcome you!

Well, my eyes are heavy...and I still need to pack more. We leave my apartment at 6 AM! uck!

Until I return from the Big Easy!...

Ready or Not...

Tomorrow morning.........I take my national board exam. Oh. Great.

And now, I must go back to studying some more. I'm ready to stop spending my nights with my face in a book.

Ready or not...here it comes.

I Got It!

Yes, people...that's right; I GOT THE JOB! I heard word yesterday that they have chosen me to be their student intern in January so I FINALLY have a place to go! I'll be in a chaotic, busy, and challenging environment...and though I'm slightly scared, I'm pretty excited about it too. It's a whole new experience doing things I really haven't had any hands-on experience with yet. I love the medical side to Speech Therapy, so I'm excited to get my hands in it all and see if it's really all I've hyped it up to be! All the therapists that I'll be working with are really nice and friendly, and I think that I'll get along with them really well. Our personalities just seemed to "click." They told me that I "have great interview skills and that's going to get me far." Wow! What a compliment! Oh, and I get to wear SCRUBS! Yes! They were all so cute in their scrubs...I'm gonna be cute like that. So, thanks for all the support and prayers everyone...it worked!

Taking the First Step

Well, I do believe that I've made the first step in "growing up." Being single and being blessed with a career that allows me to find a job wherever I want to go, the world really is my oyster right now! I have had the choice of choosing WHEREVER I wanted to go to start my career...the problem was figuring out WHERE that place was! I realize in this economy, this is a good problem to have; but it's been overwhelming to think about. But, after much thought and discussion with my mother (of which all good decisions are ultimately based on...) I do believe I've FINALLY decided where I'm going to narrow down my job search to! Woo-hoo! I'm going to move to (drum-roll please....) GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA! I am THRILLED! The town is very "young" and extremely cute! There are lots of options of places to work there, and apparently churches like my church back home are in abundance. It actually has SEASONS, it's in the mountains, it's close to my family in South Carolina, it's fairly close to home, and it's really close to our cabin in North Carolina. I think it's all around just a perfect place for me to go. So, I'm ready for May to get here so that I can graduate and move!

I mean honestly, who WOULDN'T want to live here???

And as for the interview; it went well, but I've still yet to hear if I got the placement or not. However, after what the interviewer told me about how LITTLE supervision they could dedicate to me, I'm kind of hoping I DON'T get the offer! But, if I do, I know I can handle it, it'll just be a lot more of a challenge than expected.

Big Kid Interview

I have my interview for my medical placement tomorrow. I'm just now starting to get a little bit nervous about it. I've never had an interview before, and now I'm having my first one, "big kid" style! If I don't get it, then I'm back to square one of finding a place to go come January. But, I'm just telling myself that I'll get it if I'm supposed to. So, surprisingly, I'm not as stressed about it as I would've thought. Guess I'll just have to wait and see...and trust that God will work everything out as HE sees fit. That's the only thing keeping me sane! I know my God will take care of me...He always has, and I know He's not going to stop now.

Week in Review

I've had a busy past couple of weeks...lots has gone on! Where do I start?? I had my Comps on Saturday! The week was spent frantically studying for the biggest exam of my life thus far. 4 hours of writing 6 essay questions encompassing EVERYTHING we've learned over the past year and half...and we didn't know WHAT we would be asked beforehand. It turned out to not be AS bad as I'd expected...but it still was bad. I answered SOMETHING on all of the questions; whether it was enough to get a "pass" on the question is something I'm not so sure of. We have to pass 5 of the 6 questions in order to pass our Comps...otherwise, we have to take them again. I REALLY don't want to do that again.

Having Comps this week wasn't enough to add to my plate however. Wednesday afternoon I suddenly had a sharp pain on the back top right side of my mouth. I thought I had an ulcer starting up, so I wanted to stick my finger in my mouth to feel where it was. Well, when I got to the spot I discovered that it was not an ulcer after all; it was a sharp pointy thing coming out of the side of my gums. I was confused because I had thought my dentist told me I didn't have any wisdom teeth, so I didn't know what it could be. My Mom called my dentist on Thursday and called me to tell me that I needed to leave work and rush home, because I did in fact have ONE wisdom tooth, in that same spot. My dentist was going to have to pull it out that day or else I could get an infection. Sooo, 2 days before my Comps, I'm rushing home to get a wisdom tooth pulled out of my mouth. That was the most uncomfortable dentist visit I've ever had. He stuck these huge barbaric tools into my mouth; it was crazy! But I'm SO thankful for my dentist; I would've been MISERABLE if it wasn't for him rushing me in to take care of me. I can't imagine what I would've done if I'd waited to get it taken out until I could get home this Thursday.

Then there was today. My tooth hadn't been hurting over the weekend. But the past 3 days it started hurting. So I took the Tylenol 3 with Codine that I was prescribed for my "just in case" pain. Sunday and Monday it was fine. Well, today I took it and just didn't feel well. After I took another one in the afternoon I started to feel achy, nauseous, my head was throbbing, and I was having a hard time functioning. I had to leave work early. Checked my temp and it was fine, so it wasn't the flu or anything. I took some Motrin and slept for about 3 hours. Woke up and I'm feeling good now. I guess I've discovered that I'm sensitive to Codine. Welp, good to know.

On a more positive note, tomorrow is my last day of school before we get Fall Break! Woo-hoo! We get 3 days off; yay! I'm gonna go home for the break so it'll be nice to have a few days of pampering from my Momma.

Lady...the Tramp. Who ME???

Question: What happens if you wear pants to work everyday and then decide to wear a (very respectable) turtleneck dress to work on one random day with leggings underneath?

Answer: The superintendent of the school system shows up that ONE random day, meets you for the first time, and informs your teacher that you need to "dress in a more professional manner" and "not wear that outfit to school again."

Result: The most mortifying and embarrassing day of my life thus far, and an overall "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day."

And I now will never wear a dress to school again...

"Happy Birthday Miss Muffin!"

Yesterday was my 24th birthday. No one really knew at work, and it was one of those things where you don't really know if it's appropriate to mention it, or if you just let it go lest you sound selfish. So, I just kinda went on with my day. My parents came in last night to take me out to dinner...and boy was it AH-MAZING! The restaurant was FABULOUS and I enjoyed EVERY bite of it! Momma also made me a homemade cake decorated all pretty, and it even had the coolest flower candle on it from China. It was so neat; you light all the smaller candles around it and then there was a larger wick underneath them all that you lit and it made a mini sparkler right there on the cake! And it played the "Happy Birthday" song at the same time! Oh, and once the sparkler was lit the petals opened up! I tried to get a video of it, but it was over by the time I got around to it...boo! However, we couldn't figure out how to make the music stop...so Dad had to demolish the thing in order to make it stop. So the flower is no more :0( Oh, well. My main present, which I got a little early, was my GPS. But I had another surprise gift that thrilled me...a BLENDER! woo-hoo!! You know you're getting older when you get excited over a blender for your birthday...... Well, Mom and Dad just hung around for awhile and didn't leave till really late, meaning they didn't get back to home until EXTREMELY late. But they did it for me so that I wouldn't be lonely on my birthday...and I couldn't of been more thankful for that!

Well, today I had a few surprises as well! I had told my boss, Dr. S, a couple weeks ago when my birthday was because I was asking her for restaurant suggestions. Well, she forgot, so I wasn't gonna mention it...until I decided I wanted 2 brownies at work, so I mentioned that "it's my birthday, I'll have 2". She then realized she'd forgotten, and she even had a present for me that she didn't bring. So when I got to work today she had my present sitting on my desk for me, and I thought that was nice enough in itself. I went to take one of our kids back to class after therapy and Dr. S came with me. As we walked back by my favorite teacher's class (the one containing all my favorite kids as well! Including my little cutie who calls me Miss Muffin!), she said she needed to stop in there for a minute. We walk in and they yell "Happy Birthday!!" to me and then start singing to me! All the kids are sitting so cute at the tables and it clicked that it was a surprise class birthday party for me...YAY! Dr. S had even gotten me a cookie cake, which topped it all: it said, "Happy Birthday Miss Muffin" on it!!! LOVED IT!!! That made me smile. Then my little cutie came up to me, and said in his cute little accent, "umm...Happy...Happy Birthday, Miss Muuufin" (just imagine a little country twang to it...it's precious!). He even gave me a hug. Touched my heart!!! I love my little speech babies in that class and I couldn't have asked for a better class that I'd want to share my birthday with! The kids ate up the cookie cake...one of which got it ALL OVER himself...I just had to laugh it was so funny. So, it turned out to be a great birthday after all...and one that I know I'll never forget!

Happy Birthday to Miss Muffin! :0)

Here's to Following Through!

Well, I have less than a MONTH before our Comprehensive exams, which entail EVERY subject we've had over the past YEAR. We've known about this since the end of July, and have I started studying yet??? NO. I think I've just been too overwhelmed as I look at the VAST amount of material I've got to cover and have no clue where to really begin! There's no study guide or anything...just know it all! But I've GOT to start studying! So, I decided this weekend that I've got to change a few of my "habits" in order to accomplish this. So, in order to hold myself accountable, I'm writing them down here. My goals are as follows:

1. NO naps!
2. Only 1 TV show per night
3. STUDY EVERY NIGHT!
4. In bed by 10:30 pm

I may have to revise my goals, but for now, I'm hoping this will work! I mean, I REALLY don't want to be the one that fails Comps and has to take them again...and at this rate, I believe I will be!

Oh, the stress of it all!! Eeek!

A Few Good Meals

I went home this weekend. Friday night my parents made me Filet Mignon. Sunday we had a family dinner with pork loin, tomato pie, lima beans, rice, and trifle.

To a girl who's recently discovered just how hard it is to survive living by myself with no roommate(s) to help split the bills with...food is kinda hard to come by...and this weekend was a nice change from my usual "guess I'll have a PB&J tonight" meal.

And yes, I DID bring back the leftovers...

Introducing........."Ms. Muffin!"

I walked into one of the special ed classrooms today to pick up our kids and when one of my kids saw me, he gave me a big hug, looked at me with wide, excited eyes, and said "HEY MS. MUFFIN!!!!!!" It took all I had in me to not just laugh uncontrollably! He was ADORABLE! He was just so sure that was my name I just COULDN'T correct him! What a horrible person I'd be to ruin that child's excitement if I did! He then saw another teacher in the hallway and told her he was "going with Ms. Muffin to Speech." I just had to smile and laugh...and then explain to the teacher about my "strange" name. It's just so precious and cute I've fallen completely in love with my new name! "Megan Muffin"....yes, I believe it fits.

Learning to Adjust

Well, Week 1 of my school internships is over. And I actually survived...quite well! And much to my surprise, the school system isn't the "chore" I thought it would be...it's quite interesting actually. Granted, I don't really enjoy waking up at 5:30 am and getting to school by 7:50 am...but I do get to leave by 4:00 at the latest, which is good. I've learned one main thing this week about working in the school system: no matter how little or much you do each day at school, it'll WEAR YOU OUT! I get home and I'm exhausted! And naps are pretty much non-existent because by the time I wake up from one it's time to get ready for bed again! Man, getting to bed early is a bust! This week was mainly just scheduling stuff and just basic "getting to know you" time with all the new clients...and meetings. But I got to sit in on a Speech team meeting, which was really neat. I LOVE my school system! The team is great, my mentor is FABULOUS, and the school is wonderful. Some of the kids are gonna be a handful, but a lot of them are really cute. I'm excited to get started on the therapy with them all. It's really a neat thing to see how they just incorporate so many kids into one session. It's a skill and there's a lot I've got to learn!

I've also realized that having a TV REALLY makes living alone a lot easier! I mean, I've got my dog, whom I ADORE...but as FABULOUS as he is...he doesn't talk. So, having some human voices in the apartment helps to make my time spent in my house a little less lonely...or at least not make me focus so much on the fact that I am.

The church I visited last week was wonderful, but when I actually worked up my courage to attend the "young adults" Bible Study, I suddenly felt as if it didn't "fit." I'm not going to completely write it off or anything, because the preaching really was good, but it at least helped me realize that I need to "look around" at the options and not just settle on the first "good thing" I fall upon. Because, although it may be good...it may not be the "best for me." So Sunday I go again to find "my church."

It's 11:30 and I'm already tired...and it's the weekend. Who am I??? I think adjusting to life here is going to take longer than I thought...in more ways than one...

Church Search Begins!

Well, my "church search" begins tomorrow morning! I'm really aching to get it started too, because I'm in serious need of finding friends and meeting people here. Church is the place to get plugged in and meet the types of people that I really need to help support me and lift me up. I've looked into a few different ones and asked around and I think I've narrowed down my search list to the one I'll try tomorrow. I looked it up online and watched a sermon and it looks like it's a fit for me...but I'll just have to go and see. I hope to be able to get involved in Sunday school classes and/or small groups. I guess I really just need to pray for God's guidance in showing me the right place to go in order to be where He ultimately wants me to be. Which, the way I found out about the church is kind of a "God-thing" in itself. No one I asked told me about it, but I discovered it as I went to Wal-Mart! haha. It's right next door to the Wal-Mart...good location! It's a contemporary church, which is what I enjoy most. The teaching seems to be Bible based and the pastor's young and really driven, it seems. He doesn't seem to mind "stepping on few toes" either...which is always a good thing! That's just the initial impression I've gathered from their site online and watching the sermon...I hope it remains true "in person." If I really like it, I'm tempted to not even try elsewhere, but I feel like I should go to more than just one place even so. Hmmm....??? I'm hoping to get more involved in a church here in Macon than I was in Valdosta. Especially since I have no friends here really. One of my Mom's very wise friend's said something to me before I left for Macon this past week. It's something I've heard before, but it was just a good reminder. She was in the same position I'm in: in PT school (except I'm in school for ST), about to start her internship, moved to a completely new town (Savannah), didn't know a soul. She told me "you have to be a friend to make a friend." It's so true. But I think that's a hard thing for me at times. Unless I already know people, it's hard for me to just go into a totally new and unknown environment and just meet people. I'm very shy in that aspect. But in order for me to enjoy life here, I really have to change who I am in that aspect and learn to "be a friend" first. I guess I could just look at it as if I'm acting. Pretend that I'm totally comfortable being the one to say something first, and then it'll come more naturally to me. I mean, is that bad to think of it in those terms?? As if I'm acting?? That sounds worse than the thought was intended to be...oops. I feel like I'm about to start my first day of school or something; I'm excited.

Which, school is another topic in and of itself. My school internship starts on Monday! Back to elementary school for me! But this time I'm in a public school! Eek! Yes, I'm a private school preppie to the core...I can't help it. I've never been in a public school in my entire life! However, I think the school system I'm going to is rather "harmless" to be general. So it really should be alright. I'm excited to get a start on what these next 4 months will be like for me. I think it should be fun...I hope so! I really feel like it's "first day jitters" because I'm nervous/excited about picking out my "first day outfit"! haha. Sadly, I don't have a new outfit to choose to wear. Living by yourself REALLY depletes your "extra expenses" budget! No job + no money = no new first day of school outfit! :0( Ok, moving on from my obsession with clothes. I hope that it all turns out to be a rewarding and fun experience for me and that I'm able to handle it all and am actually as prepared as my teacher's claim I am!

Happy "Church searching" to me!

Living Alone is Kinda...LONELY

Well, I've been in my new place in a new town all by myself for 2 (almost) whole nights now. It hasn't been as exciting as I'd hoped either. I've become REAL good friends with the Wal-Mart though. Seems like I've been there every day now. Helps pass the time... It's definitely gonna take A LOT longer to unpack everything than I originally thought! I used to like to escape to quietness...now when it's suddenly "forced" upon me, I'm not liking it too much. I don't know anyone here yet, so I'm REALLY hoping once I meet people I won't spend my days and nights so lonely. It'll be good to actually have my days occupied with work though...it's the nights I hope get busier...and less "quiet." I don't even have a TV yet...so I've had to resort to playing music on my laptop consistently so that there's at least SOMETHING making noises. Everyone says I'll grow to love it, and I originally thought I would as well...I admit that I welcomed the pest control man's visit today, as he was talkative and it was nice to talk to someone...other than the dogs. Here's to hoping that I grow to be a little less lonely....otherwise, it's gonna be one LONG year...

Meeting Madison Bennett!

Yes, I know my last post revolved around my 2nd nephew, but I've FINALLY gotten to meet him! And I'm in LOVE! He has RED HAIR...just like his Daddy and Auntie! I spent a few hours with him last night and he couldn't be a more perfect little baby! He practically slept the whole time, occasionally woke up to be fed (which was only known by him gnawing on his fist...no crying!). He would make a few little "squeaks" here and there...but they were absolutely precious! I just held him the whole time. And we weren't exactly being "quiet" either. My brother was playing his electric guitar, my other nephew was riding his scooter around the house (which, on wooden floors, proves to be quite noisy!). "Quiet voices" were not used the whole time. But, it didn't phase the little man...he slept through it all! He's such a little cuddler! I love it!! So does his Mommy and Daddy...Taylor (my first nephew) wasn't much of a snuggler (too independent!), so they're enjoying the change in temperaments! Here are some pictures of the little guy and his Aunt Megan...enjoy!

Red hair just like his Aunt Megan!

He's stolen my heart!

Look at that CuTiE!!

Aunt Megan and her boys!

Wordless Wednesday: My Nephews, Taylor James and Madison Bennett (Just born July 27, 2009)!

Packing is NOT fun

Well, I began the packing process this past weekend. I went and smuggled...I mean, GOT some boxes from Goodwill and Chick-fil-A. I ended up with 20 boxes (all transported via the Beetle Bug...I was impressed, nonetheless). I had a huge pile of boxes on the floor and just KNEW that would be PLENTY to pack up my entire life in Valdosta. Come to find out...it's NOT. I've got 3 of those 20 boxes left...and my room doesn't even look like I've made a DENT in it! Granted, I DID get the whole kitchen packed up...but my room is a wreck! (As you saw in a previous post...). I guess I really shouldn't be surprised it's requiring so much to pack up my room. I had A LOT of motivation to get it packed up this weekend...and now I've lost it. But I'm moving on Saturday...so I kinda have to "find" it regardless of if I want to or not! My Dad's bringing the U-Haul to transport all of my belongings up to Macon on Saturday...and I've been EXPLICITLY instructed that EVERYTHING I own is to boxed and disassembled BEFORE he arrives...yay (said in the most un-enthusiastic tone of voice possible). Luckily, I've had a client cancel my afternoon therapy for the week...which frees up mostly all of my day on Thursday and Friday. And I need to do some more work on packing things up today as well...but that means going out and getting more boxes...bugger. So, I think I'm going to take a short little nap (who me??) and then go collect more boxes and begin packing up things yet again...woo-hoo.

This whole "packing" thing is SO not the fun I thought it would be! (and yes, I actually did think it would be kinda fun...sad, I know.)

I'm just going to try and take the advice of the Seven Dwarves: Whistle while you work! ...except I can't whistle. hmmm...I guess I'll just hum a happy tune while I work instead! :0)

LONG day!

So, my family spent the weekend up in North Carolina. We didn't leave until yesterday, and since I have therapy on Tuesdays at 9:30 am, we were supposed to leave early so that we could get all the way back to Savannah in time for me to head back to Valdosta in the same day. Well, we Huffman's are CONSISTENTLY late...that you can ALWAYS count on. So, we got a late start...which meant I couldn't drive back to Valdosta last night. So, in order to make the 3 1/2 hour drive and get back in time to prepare for therapy, I had to wake up BRIGHT AND EARLY to leave...so that meant waking up at 4 AM! Yes, people...I did it. So I drove back in the wee hours of the morning (after my Mommy so sweetly made me a mug of coffee to-go and some breakfast to-go...i love her!). I got back and had to pretend that I was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed all through therapy for all of my clients...and Tuesdays/Thursdays are full days, mind you. It was tough! I don't know how my supervisor's didn't catch on...guess I'm just a good actress...whew! Soooo, I'm a little on the tired side tonight! However, no rest for the weary. I have other work to prepare for class in the morning. I think I'm just so over it all that I don't cry anymore...I just laugh. It's humorous really. If it's not one thing it's another...ohhh, what a funny situation it is. haha. Oh well!

"This too shall pass."

Ohhhh, Grad School....

I've about had it with tests! We had a big test last week, which I stayed up late for and was drilled extensively by one of my classmates, and I was POSITIVE I was going to ACE this test! Well, we get the test and OF COURSE he goes into detail on an area he didn't actually stress. I still did fine, but I was really bummed that I didn't kill that one as I expected. Bummer. Soo, just when I'd recovered and have been juggling everything trying to prepare therapy for 3 clients this semester, we have YET ANOTHER test this week class numero dos (that's "number two" for those of you who took French in highschool...b/c c'mon, that's the only way most of us actually know ANY foreign language nowadays, right?) Anywho. I'm just finding it SO hard to actually concentrate! I really enjoy my clients this semester, and I would really like to just have to worry about planning FABULOUS therapies for all of them...but instead I have to worry about tests. I mean, I know that's to make sure we learn the stuff...but I just need a break from it all! And more than the 4-day weekend kind of break. I'll get that break come August...but it's been a LONG process to get there!

Question: My roommate says that I have a pessimistic attitude about Grad school. So, to my fellow Grad school blogger (yes, Katherine, that's you...), is it just me or does this happen to others too??? I fear it's only me!

Comment: I discovered Belgian Chocolate Toffee creamer for my coffee yesterday...it's wonderful! It's getting me through what I can already tell is going to be a LATE night filled with lots and lots of coffee. Ohhhh, Grad School.....

I believe this captures my emotions right now...

Room Update

Ok, so here's the update on my "clean-up progress": 

I actually sorted through all of my clean clothes and organized them all into piles of "dresser" clothes and "hanging" clothes.  All clothes have been cleared out of my suitcases and they have been put away.  However, my organized clothes were then all moved onto one organized pile onto the floor yet again.  I know, I'm ridiculous.  But, I'm quite pleased with my progress because I really have a ton more freed up floor space.  I can actually walk in my closet again...amazing!  Really, what I need is boxes.  I have a TON of winter clothes that I need to just put away, but I have no where to store them.  So, yes, I did actually "clean" my room...even though to any other person it wouldn't appear to be so!

Oh well, I've got less than a month before it'll look like a wreck when I start packing everything up, so it's not a HUGE deal.  So it goes...

Worse than Oscar the Grouch

So, I think I live in a room that's worse than Oscar the Grouch's trash can. I don't know why, but I have a HORRIBLE habit of just letting my clothes and suitcases pile up in my room...and then I never do anything about it. I've got about 4 suitcases strewn about my room...all with clothes still in them. Then I have a HUGE box just sitting in my room with the intentions of using it to pack up my stuff when I move come July. Then there's about 2 or 3 HUGE piles of clean clothes just sitting all crumpled up in various piles around my floor and on my closet floor. It's like a maze to get from one place to another...and I don't have a very big room either. Oh, I must not forget all the random magazines and just trash laying all over the floor...or forget to mention the old desktop hard drive sitting in the middle of my floor either. I really should do SOMETHING about it...but instead, I write about it. Really, it's gotten to the point of being embarrassing. I mean, I need to clean it up because it has to be done before July 18 when I move out. I'm not doing anything now but watching HGTV...maybe I should take some inspiration from their clean houses and try and make a clean room. You know it's bad when it's not even organized chaos any longer. I used to be able to still find things amidst the mess...alas, that is not the case anymore. So sad...and shameful! It's so dreadful, I shouldn't even allow myself to post pictures for you to understand. However, in order to help you understand, and in an effort to shame me into actually cleaning my room, I shall post pictures. WARNING: You may now be fully grossed out and ashamed to say you know me.

This USED to be a walk-in closet...

There is no corner untouched by the chaotic mess

Shameful...I know

Yes, those ARE clean clothes...

So, in order to remedy the situation, I'm going to do it. I'm going to tackle the mess of my room. I hope to emerge before the break of daylight tomorrow...one never knows with THAT mess! Wish me luck!

Nervous!

Sooo....my parents leave for CHINA in the morning! They are going to serve in an orphanage with other members from our church. They're really excited about it...and I am too. But I'm also starting to realize how nervous I am for them as well. The Chinese government is requiring them to be quarantined for 7 of the 12 days that they are there...so they are now confined to just the orphanage they are partnered with for 7 of those days. I know that God has them in His hands and will have everything work out His way. I know He's going to protect them...but I'm still a tad bit nervous about it all. I'll have limited contact with them for 12 days while they're in a country that hates Christians. I've never gone more than 3 days (at the most!) without talking to my Momma or Daddy (or both), at least through e-mail if not the phone. They may not even be able to contact me via e-mail. I'm gonna miss them tremendously! Yes, I am Momma and Daddy's girl. My parents are practically like my best friends and it's gonna be rough not having them to talk to. Ok, probably not "rough" per se, but considering the situation, rougher than usual.

Mom is so excited. She really wants to bring back a Chinese baby...which is why my Dad is going...so that she DOESN'T. Mom's never been on a mission trip before, and Daddy has been on a few, as far as Mexico. This is the furthest either of them has been. They don't really know what's going to happen once they get there, but they're excited for the work that God has in store for them nonetheless. I'm excited to hear what God does as well. I know He'll use them to do His work, and I'm excited to see the kinds of changes it makes in both of their lives. I'll miss them...but I'll be praying for them and trying to trust that God will take care of my precious Momma and Daddy and bring them back home to me safe and sound.

Any extra prayers would be appreciated...I think they're going to need it.

Just Call Me Martha Stewart

I got the bright idea to give my office "goodbye" gifts. So, I made some chocolate covered pretzel rods. My roommate is a fantastic baker so I got the idea from her. She made some one time...and I'm pretty sure I ate the whole batch myself. They're addictive...really. I decided to make both milk chocolate and white chocolate. I went to the store to get the chocolate and found something that made me very happy: microwaveable dipping chocolate...straight in the container.

My little discovery made melting chocolate SO easy! I had a lot of fun making them actually. I even put rainbow sprinkles on top of them too. After the chocolate hardened, I put 2 of the milk chocolate and 1 white chocolate in cellophane bags tied with a pretty yellow ribbon. (Confession: I only gave 1 white chocolate pretzel because I actually wanted to eat the rest of them for myself. Hey, you can only be SO generous...) I think they look totally cute...I'm very pleased with my creation! What do you think??

A single serving

Here's the whole collection

You can just call me Martha Stewart...(minus the whole embezzling/prison thing...).

Who Does THAT??!!

So, as of yesterday, I've officially quit my job! Mind you, I used to actually LIKE my job. It was so easy, I got paid to play on Facebook most days, and my boss pretty much didn't care when I came in, as long as I got in my hours...at some point. It was fabulous. Then came summer term. And the reign of terror. I've been working at the "front desk" now for the secretary. So, pretty much, I'm the "do-it girl." Basically, anything that involves walking a matter of more than 5 steps across the office (such as *gasp* going downstairs to get the mail) I'm required to do. And I have to be in the office at 8:30 ON THE DOT. I got an e-mail and all reminding me I needed to be there at exactly 8:30 when I was coming in 10 minutes late. Timeliness is important for me apparently, because it's so hard for the OTHER 3 secretaries in the office to answer the phone when I'm not there. Really?? So, the secretary would get onto me for not delivering a timesheet to the financial office in time for a coworker to get paid (yet, when she had MY forms for summer payment sitting on her desk for 2 weeks without giving them to me, she simply smiled and said she "forgot," and acted like it was no big deal. Still makes me mad.) But that wasn't the point of this post...though it seems to be.

I could go on about how my job now annoys me, but the main reason I'm quitting is because they need me there in the mornings...and I have clients in the morning. So, I can't be there.

So, I go to inform my boss of my decision (though I'm not really sure who is ACTUALLY my boss anymore...). I get in her office...close the door...sit down...and I cry. WHAT?! Yes, I went to quit my job and I CRIED in front of my boss. Really?? It was uncontrollable. I tried to stop, but I just couldn't. So I just let it happen.

Crying aside, I've quit my job now. I work my last day this coming Friday. And I'm quite relieved. Yes, I'll be paying for tuition now and not receiving a monthly paycheck, but my parents are taking over, so I'm ok with that. I have no shame admitting I rely on my parents. I say, take advantage of it while you can. I'll be out in the real world soon enough with bills of my own to pay. I'm not gonna try and rush that any quicker than needed.

Moving Up: Is that good or bad?

So, I officially have a place set to move into in Macon come August. I'm quite excited about it too, actually. I'll be living on my own, just me and my man (aka: Ninja, my dog!). My parents set me up with the nicest one in the complex, complete with a sunroom and all. I think it's gonna to be beautiful. I'm really excited to "move on up" in the world, but nervous all at the same time. I'll be done with the "class" part of school in August, and will begin my internship in just 3 months. 3 months! I'm scared, really. Do I really know enough? Will I make a fool of myself in front of my supervisor? When I start my medical internship (which I've still YET to hear if I've even gotten it!), I'm really scared I'll look like an idiot. Will I know what I should know? I fear that I won't. Even so, I'm still excited to see what kind of adventures lie ahead of me in Macon. Why Macon? Why not? I needed a change, and didn't want anything too drastic...like Atlanta. Baby steps. I'll start moving out of my apartment here in Valdosta in July and officially move into my new one in Macon in August. And I think I'm ready.

Just one week left of Maymester. Which along with the end of Maymester, comes the end of my Graduate Assistantship/job. It's become too difficult to keep up with my heavy client load I'll have in the short 6 week summer semester, along with 2 classes, and then trying to work a now demanding job. I'm grateful that I have parents who will financially support my educational endeavors and allow me to make the decision to quit without any financial repercussions. They'll finish paying for the tuition I won't be receiving from my GA position now, and I'm so very thankful for that. It makes my life just a little bit less stressful.

Two more months of school and then I'm done here in 'ole Valdosta. As much as I've grown to despise this town in the past year (strange how the feeling came with the start of Grad school...), I actually think I will miss it when I look back. I've made some amazing friendships in my time here, and I wouldn't change my decision to come to Valdosta if I could go back and do it over. I've got many happy memories to look back on in this town, but I think all those memories have been darkened by the big dark cloud of Grad school. It's forced me to just see the bad of the whole situation in this town and I'd forgotten about all the sunshine I'd had here the past 4 years. The last year (and a half) have had some good times too, and I need to try and focus on that more than the bad. I think I've become too much of a pessimist since this past August...and that's not a good thing. I need to be like the sunshine...happy and bright.

Sweet Southern Sunshine...it's a frame of mind. One I need to work on daily...

Wondering Why?

So, I'm not too sure why I'm doing this.  I used to have a blog years ago...and I think it was mainly for me.  I guess sometimes I just need a place to write down my thoughts.  And maybe, as I'm growing older and moving on with my life...others will want a way, down the road, to catch up on the bits and pieces of my life.  Maybe.  I guess I'll see.

Honestly, I saw my roommate had started one...and I thought it sounded like a good idea.