i'm not completely completely done, but i feel as if i'm done enough that i can finally say...
i made it!
summer school is o-v-e-r!
technically i have to finish 1 exam BUT my first of 2 questions is done, and it's not due til the 3rd, SO for all intensive purposes, i'm done :)
it's kind of crazy that the classroom learning portion of grad school is over! in 3 short weeks, i will be employed (for free) by the va medical clinic here in lexington. i'm pumped... i discovered last semester my love for working with adults and just being able to talk straight. it's nice to have real conversations with people and be able to have them tell me their hopes and dreams and what they want to accomplish. i like being able to not just talk about toys and disney movies (while that's super fun some times too...), but talk about life experiences and families and struggles and hopes. it's encouraging to me to watch someone struggle with something so much, and then be able to give them the tools to see they're amazing and wonderful and talented.
i get to work with one of the great girls from my program, so it'll be nice to not have to do it alone, and work with someone i know i already get along with!
i'm also looking forward to going home for a week :) i get to go kayaking and canoeing, fishing, hang out with the rentals, help them move to the lake (amazing!) and relax.... oh the joys of break. i love you, break. you almost make grad school worth it!
also just because this clip is super cute and i only quoted it 100 times this week...
i feel... i feel... i feel happy of myself!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
{organized mess}
i have a problem...
i am not an organized person.
i have a really great memory for where i put things down, and especially when i was younger, it wasn't totally uncommon for my mom to ask me to find something in my mess of a closet, and i could produce it in less than 5 minutes. it was impressive really, if you ask me!
so much so, that for much of my life, i have maintained that being able to find things in a mess is actually more impressive than just being organized.
sadly, this is kind of silly (yes, i'm aware that if you are an organized person, that makes sense... if you're slightly messy like me, you're internally saying 'awwww' right now. admit it... you are)
over the years, i have become MUCH better about keeping 'community spaces' much more neat and organized. (and this is the part where i apologize to my roommate freshman year who never got mad at me... ) i try to pick up after myself and who doesn't like when something looks neat, tidy and cute?
my last problem is my bedroom. i don't share, therefore it is not 'community', and it tends to reflect the state of my life. the state of my life is currently chaos, so therefore, the room is well... a mess.
i have a desire to be crafty
to be creative
to have a cute room
to be.... organized...
it just doesn't seem to be working.
so i'm trying. really hard. to make this room organized and make lots of things hide and look put away.
if you have suggestions, please leave them. i know i am friends with many organized people, and i love you and want to learn from you. share me your knowledge. teach a slightly crazy/messy/organized mess person to be simply. organized.
**particularly bookcases.... this is currently my achilles heel... it always looks like poo :( **
i am not an organized person.
i have a really great memory for where i put things down, and especially when i was younger, it wasn't totally uncommon for my mom to ask me to find something in my mess of a closet, and i could produce it in less than 5 minutes. it was impressive really, if you ask me!
so much so, that for much of my life, i have maintained that being able to find things in a mess is actually more impressive than just being organized.
sadly, this is kind of silly (yes, i'm aware that if you are an organized person, that makes sense... if you're slightly messy like me, you're internally saying 'awwww' right now. admit it... you are)
over the years, i have become MUCH better about keeping 'community spaces' much more neat and organized. (and this is the part where i apologize to my roommate freshman year who never got mad at me... ) i try to pick up after myself and who doesn't like when something looks neat, tidy and cute?
my last problem is my bedroom. i don't share, therefore it is not 'community', and it tends to reflect the state of my life. the state of my life is currently chaos, so therefore, the room is well... a mess.
i have a desire to be crafty
to be creative
to have a cute room
to be.... organized...
it just doesn't seem to be working.
so i'm trying. really hard. to make this room organized and make lots of things hide and look put away.
if you have suggestions, please leave them. i know i am friends with many organized people, and i love you and want to learn from you. share me your knowledge. teach a slightly crazy/messy/organized mess person to be simply. organized.
**particularly bookcases.... this is currently my achilles heel... it always looks like poo :( **
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
{iced coffee}
i love pinterest. if you don't know what that is, basically you get to find fun things (recipes, artsy things, home decor) and post them on a board to keep organized and show others who follow you.
my latest find was an iced coffee recipe!
the recipe was originally from craving comfort, but i halfed the recipe because i wasn't sure how it would turn out.
basically you take coffee (i bought cheap stuff from kroger) and put half a pound of coffee with half a gallon of water and stuck it in the fridge overnight. this morning i used my french press to filter out the grounds and the coffee can stay in my fridge for up to a month!
the milk is a can of sweetened condensed milk and a can of evaporated milk mixed together. that's it.
it's for real good. like delish. like perfect for these 100-105 degree days. and cheaper than starbucks by a boatload! we're talking cents per cup. i love thrifty/cheap/delicious!
make it. you won't regret it (unless you absolutely hate coffee, then this post is wasted on you ;) )
my latest find was an iced coffee recipe!
the recipe was originally from craving comfort, but i halfed the recipe because i wasn't sure how it would turn out.
basically you take coffee (i bought cheap stuff from kroger) and put half a pound of coffee with half a gallon of water and stuck it in the fridge overnight. this morning i used my french press to filter out the grounds and the coffee can stay in my fridge for up to a month!
the milk is a can of sweetened condensed milk and a can of evaporated milk mixed together. that's it.
it's for real good. like delish. like perfect for these 100-105 degree days. and cheaper than starbucks by a boatload! we're talking cents per cup. i love thrifty/cheap/delicious!
make it. you won't regret it (unless you absolutely hate coffee, then this post is wasted on you ;) )
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
{caught}
today is one of those days i just feel stuck.
it's not like i woke up feeling bad or feeling good, but for the past few days, i just feel caught between many things.
i feel caught between being a child and being an adult. i make grown-up decisions for myself each day, do the best to support myself, i'm entrusted with therapy and decisions surrounding that, i make my own meals and pack my own lunch (super adult, i know...) , but then i stop. am i an adult? what does an 'adult' feel like? will i ever feel grown up? do i even want to feel grown up?
i'm caught between being a student and being a speech therapist. i go to summer school where information is intensely thrown at me and i do my best to trap as much as i can in this brain of mine. i try to keep experiences, facts, percentages, rationales, all of it in various parts that i can one day retrieve and prove i really can do this thing. i can do this thing, right?
it's strange... i just feel caught and honestly, most of it i can't even put into words. the frustration of someone who is being trained to teach language and the infinite uses of words and sounds and utterances, and i can't put my own thoughts into those words... it's a fabulous (sarcasm) thing.
i guess this is life. this is the internal struggle where only Christ knows me well enough to do something about it. or maybe not do anything about it to teach me to let go and live. to teach me only He can know me in this way- a way sometimes i don't even feel i can know me. to feel caught between this world that isn't home and one that is
it's not like i woke up feeling bad or feeling good, but for the past few days, i just feel caught between many things.
i feel caught between being a child and being an adult. i make grown-up decisions for myself each day, do the best to support myself, i'm entrusted with therapy and decisions surrounding that, i make my own meals and pack my own lunch (super adult, i know...) , but then i stop. am i an adult? what does an 'adult' feel like? will i ever feel grown up? do i even want to feel grown up?
i'm caught between being a student and being a speech therapist. i go to summer school where information is intensely thrown at me and i do my best to trap as much as i can in this brain of mine. i try to keep experiences, facts, percentages, rationales, all of it in various parts that i can one day retrieve and prove i really can do this thing. i can do this thing, right?
it's strange... i just feel caught and honestly, most of it i can't even put into words. the frustration of someone who is being trained to teach language and the infinite uses of words and sounds and utterances, and i can't put my own thoughts into those words... it's a fabulous (sarcasm) thing.
i guess this is life. this is the internal struggle where only Christ knows me well enough to do something about it. or maybe not do anything about it to teach me to let go and live. to teach me only He can know me in this way- a way sometimes i don't even feel i can know me. to feel caught between this world that isn't home and one that is
Sunday, July 17, 2011
{weekend update}
weekends: the essence of all things wonderful!
this weekend started off not so wonderful with the moving of my best friend... katie and i have lived across the hall from each other for 6 years. we bonded in the lovely blanding tower, moved to waller (lovingly named "waller holler"), moved in with the marshalls, and finally, moved to sugar creek. it's happy because she's getting ready to be married to a wonderful man, BUT it's still sad to not have her across the hall... 6 years is a long stinking time!
saturday was my first attempt in a very, very long time golfing. the boyfriend got a little practice for his ta job in the fall teaching me the basics of golf, and if my before and after swing was any indicator to how he'll teach, all his students are going to get straight a's! i'm not 'good' by any stretch of the imagination, but i managed to get a few straight, high, long shots! i was pretty proud of myself :)
we spent the rest of the night cooking for the next few nights... we've decided we're only going to keep getting busier, and we don't like eating out much, which means we better get good at cooking! we made stuffed peppers and taco soup. both delicious, both easy to make, and both easy to reheat! we also felt super impressive with so much on the stove...
it was a great weekend, and gave me some hope that i can make it through these next 2 weeks of class... 8 more days and i'll be done with summer school... 8 more... 8 more... 8 more...
this weekend started off not so wonderful with the moving of my best friend... katie and i have lived across the hall from each other for 6 years. we bonded in the lovely blanding tower, moved to waller (lovingly named "waller holler"), moved in with the marshalls, and finally, moved to sugar creek. it's happy because she's getting ready to be married to a wonderful man, BUT it's still sad to not have her across the hall... 6 years is a long stinking time!
saturday was my first attempt in a very, very long time golfing. the boyfriend got a little practice for his ta job in the fall teaching me the basics of golf, and if my before and after swing was any indicator to how he'll teach, all his students are going to get straight a's! i'm not 'good' by any stretch of the imagination, but i managed to get a few straight, high, long shots! i was pretty proud of myself :)
 |
| it's ok to be impressed |
Friday, July 15, 2011
{silly me}
silly me thinking that this whole 'blogging' deal could be kept up consistently during grad school!
between multiple tests a week, projects, organizing notebooks, doing diagnostics and figuring out things for extenship, much more of my life tends to just take a backseat.
oh well... it's a part of grad school!
yesterday was the end to a long week at school. i have woken up early every day to do something (mowing the lawn, doing group projects, studying for tests), and it's taken it's tole.
still, i had something to look forward to:
HARRY POTTER. yes, i'm a nerd, and i'm totally ok with it! a group of us went to see it at midnight, and it was amazing. i was out til 3 am, but sleep is for the weak! luckily, i got to sleep in this morning :)
go see the movie. it's lovely. i feel as if i've grown up with harry for the past 11 years (he was my age when the books came out), and the finale was great.
this morning (ok, this afternoon....) i woke up and decided to be super productive. why have i not gone to the tates creek library until now???? i organized ALL of my notebooks that are now ready to be studied for comps, worked on 2 projects, and feel much better about these last 2 weeks of school.
we can push through and make it!
between multiple tests a week, projects, organizing notebooks, doing diagnostics and figuring out things for extenship, much more of my life tends to just take a backseat.
oh well... it's a part of grad school!
yesterday was the end to a long week at school. i have woken up early every day to do something (mowing the lawn, doing group projects, studying for tests), and it's taken it's tole.
still, i had something to look forward to:
HARRY POTTER. yes, i'm a nerd, and i'm totally ok with it! a group of us went to see it at midnight, and it was amazing. i was out til 3 am, but sleep is for the weak! luckily, i got to sleep in this morning :)
go see the movie. it's lovely. i feel as if i've grown up with harry for the past 11 years (he was my age when the books came out), and the finale was great.
this morning (ok, this afternoon....) i woke up and decided to be super productive. why have i not gone to the tates creek library until now???? i organized ALL of my notebooks that are now ready to be studied for comps, worked on 2 projects, and feel much better about these last 2 weeks of school.
we can push through and make it!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
{quirks}
i have discovered many quirks about myself in all my years as a student...
one of the major ones is my quirk about pens.
#1. (which i think i inherited from my mother if that is even possible...) black pen is boring and annoys me. i like to take notes in color, and each day should preferably be a different color. this was more evident in undergrad when powerpoints weren't used as much and i hand wrote most of my notes, but even now, it's not uncommon to go through my powerpoints and find at least 2 different colors of ink.
#2. i'm picky about how pens write. weak pens drive me crazy, so i like thick ones. the problem is so many bleed through! (even if they advertise 'won't bleed through paper', let's be honest... they do). i also go through a lot of pens, because they are my weakness at the beginning of each semester and i decide i need new ones. i feel like in the grand scheme of life, to buy new pens isn't the worst thing i could do!
i used to love the bic... but that kick may be over :-/
and sharpie just came out with a fun one that i like for testing (it starts out a pencil and after a few days becomes a pen! hello perfection since i used to have to go over my pencil marks with a pen!) but it wrote a little light... booooo
so moral of this story is now i'm on the hunt for some new pens. it's lame, but it's the life of a grad student.
suggestions for new pens is officially welcomed!
one of the major ones is my quirk about pens.
#1. (which i think i inherited from my mother if that is even possible...) black pen is boring and annoys me. i like to take notes in color, and each day should preferably be a different color. this was more evident in undergrad when powerpoints weren't used as much and i hand wrote most of my notes, but even now, it's not uncommon to go through my powerpoints and find at least 2 different colors of ink.
#2. i'm picky about how pens write. weak pens drive me crazy, so i like thick ones. the problem is so many bleed through! (even if they advertise 'won't bleed through paper', let's be honest... they do). i also go through a lot of pens, because they are my weakness at the beginning of each semester and i decide i need new ones. i feel like in the grand scheme of life, to buy new pens isn't the worst thing i could do!
i used to love the bic... but that kick may be over :-/
so moral of this story is now i'm on the hunt for some new pens. it's lame, but it's the life of a grad student.
suggestions for new pens is officially welcomed!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
{much needed weekend}
i have made a discovery i'm assumed has been made by many a grad student before me...
I LIVE FOR 4 DAY WEEKENDS!
for real. who knew that extra sleep could do so much for a person?
this weekend has given me the extra umph i think i need to get through this last month of grad school (that and the fact i am no longer waking up at 5:45 am! everybody reading this needs to give a cheer for that...)
it was so great to relax, to cook (ian and i baked!... homemade bread, homemade cupcakes)
we took my favorite munchkins swimming, and swimming with an almost 2 year old and a 3 and a half year old is just fun! they have so much fun splashing and swimming and jumping in, ian and i laughed with them for 3 hours while we swam and played... hello joyful heart!
we woke up super early yesterday to go cheer on lots of friends at the bluegrass 10,000 (and made a commitment to run next year...), we relaxed and played lots of cards, made a campfire and roasted hotdogs, brats, and marshmallows, and got to hang out with wonderful friends while we watched the fireworks.
today, it's back to the grind, but honestly, i'm not dreading it. without speech camp, life gets to slow down just a bit, to a slightly more manageable pace, and i only have 1 month left of sitting in a classroom. 1 month. how crazy is that????
**side note... does anyone know of someone looking for a place to live? or a job... i'm currently looking for both. if you hear of either, my gratitude towards you will be immense :)
happy tuesday, everyone!
I LIVE FOR 4 DAY WEEKENDS!
for real. who knew that extra sleep could do so much for a person?
this weekend has given me the extra umph i think i need to get through this last month of grad school (that and the fact i am no longer waking up at 5:45 am! everybody reading this needs to give a cheer for that...)
it was so great to relax, to cook (ian and i baked!... homemade bread, homemade cupcakes)
we took my favorite munchkins swimming, and swimming with an almost 2 year old and a 3 and a half year old is just fun! they have so much fun splashing and swimming and jumping in, ian and i laughed with them for 3 hours while we swam and played... hello joyful heart!
we woke up super early yesterday to go cheer on lots of friends at the bluegrass 10,000 (and made a commitment to run next year...), we relaxed and played lots of cards, made a campfire and roasted hotdogs, brats, and marshmallows, and got to hang out with wonderful friends while we watched the fireworks.
today, it's back to the grind, but honestly, i'm not dreading it. without speech camp, life gets to slow down just a bit, to a slightly more manageable pace, and i only have 1 month left of sitting in a classroom. 1 month. how crazy is that????
**side note... does anyone know of someone looking for a place to live? or a job... i'm currently looking for both. if you hear of either, my gratitude towards you will be immense :)
happy tuesday, everyone!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
{the list}
first off.... CONGRATS TO MY ROOMMATE! erica and john are officially engaged! so happy for you guys :) love you both very much!
ian and i have a list of things to do when we get bored... some things are easier to do (like go to the farmer's market), and other things are a little more special.
today was a special day!
we started things off with a trip to talon winery. neither of us know very much at all about wine, and it was a nice day, so we packed a lunch and went out tates creek road.
the winery was great... we had the place to ourselves and walked around and learned all about the process of making wine.
we have lived in lexington for far too long to never have done this! we went and explored eku for a bit, then came home and marked a third item off our list... cupcakes from scratch!!
we made coconut cupcakes with chocolate ganache. the ganache didn't really turn out all fluffy like it was supposed to, but they were really good
what a day! 3 things marked off our list... guess we'll have to put some more items on there
ian and i have a list of things to do when we get bored... some things are easier to do (like go to the farmer's market), and other things are a little more special.
today was a special day!
we started things off with a trip to talon winery. neither of us know very much at all about wine, and it was a nice day, so we packed a lunch and went out tates creek road.
the winery was great... we had the place to ourselves and walked around and learned all about the process of making wine.
after the winery, we decided we would mark another item off the list... taking a trip on the ferry across tates creek road!
 |
| waiting our turn |
 |
| how fun!?!? |
we made coconut cupcakes with chocolate ganache. the ganache didn't really turn out all fluffy like it was supposed to, but they were really good
 |
| finishing the night off classy-style... water and iced tea ;) |
Friday, July 1, 2011
{freedom!}
well, this isn't to celebrate freedom from oppression that we're celebrating on monday, BUT....
i'm free from speech camp!
the kids were fun and it was a good experience, but i can't wait to actually get more than 5-6 hours of sleep a night :) it's the simple things in life...
today started out great with a little picnic breakfast in the arboretum with ian. we found some shade and plopped down for about 2 hours which was glorious... i love being outside in the summer. i practically lived outside when it got warm all growing up (we even ate outside a lot of nights... talk about heaven!), so when kids hate being outside, it's so foreign to me! it was a great way to start the day, especially since he works super late on friday nights, so i don't get to see him much.
i went and killed some time around lexington before coffee with the lovely lauren preece :) i had a gift card and got some reusable muffin cups and a french press coffee maker. i love them both.... i hate buying muffin cups that i'm just going to throw away, and these are really fun AND can be put in the dishwasher. i made some chocolate chip/coconut muffins and they're super good... (a boxed mix + coconut extract and topped with coconut... heavenly and easy)
the french press is interesting.... it will take some figuring out, but the coffee really tastes better! and it feels adult for some reason. is that lame? it's ok if it is...
i have exciting news too, BUT you have to wait :) it's exciting though, so check back soon.
i'm free from speech camp!
the kids were fun and it was a good experience, but i can't wait to actually get more than 5-6 hours of sleep a night :) it's the simple things in life...
today started out great with a little picnic breakfast in the arboretum with ian. we found some shade and plopped down for about 2 hours which was glorious... i love being outside in the summer. i practically lived outside when it got warm all growing up (we even ate outside a lot of nights... talk about heaven!), so when kids hate being outside, it's so foreign to me! it was a great way to start the day, especially since he works super late on friday nights, so i don't get to see him much.
i went and killed some time around lexington before coffee with the lovely lauren preece :) i had a gift card and got some reusable muffin cups and a french press coffee maker. i love them both.... i hate buying muffin cups that i'm just going to throw away, and these are really fun AND can be put in the dishwasher. i made some chocolate chip/coconut muffins and they're super good... (a boxed mix + coconut extract and topped with coconut... heavenly and easy)
the french press is interesting.... it will take some figuring out, but the coffee really tastes better! and it feels adult for some reason. is that lame? it's ok if it is...
i have exciting news too, BUT you have to wait :) it's exciting though, so check back soon.
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