{end of practicum and comps}

i feel so blessed to have ended my schooling career the way i did.

last semester was rough.  i didn't feel happy, i felt stressed, i didn't feel like i was doing anything substantial as a speech therapist.

this semester was the polar opposite.  i have loved working in the schools.  my supervisor was amazing, and really made me feel like i was doing things right.  she trusted me with the kids and let me learn and be independent, while giving me helpful hints and information along the way.  i loved the kids i was working with this semester.  they were some of the funniest, sweet, caring kids i have ever gotten to work with.  so many told me i had to come back and visit and that they'd miss me and that they didn't want me to leave.  it was so nice to just watch kids learn and improve and open up to me.

the teachers were also fabulous.  from day 1, everyone was so helpful and didn't treat me like a student teacher, but i felt like a coworker.  i never felt belittled or like i couldn't be trusted, but the opposite.

today was a good way to end my time there and feel prepared to take my comps tomorrow.  so many people encouraged me and offered help if i ever needed it in the future.  it was a good send off.

i'm taking comps feeling nervous, but confident.  i feel like i am ready to do this job.  i feel like i'm ready to become a speech therapist.  3 tests separate me from that.  3 tests.

prayers tomorrow and saturday morning would be much appreciated :)

{tired}

i'm tired and worn out... i have 1 more month... 1 month separates me from being a student and being a working, responsible adult.  1 month.  that's crazy.  at the beginning of the year, that seemed so far away.  today i realized i have 1 more week at my internship.  1 more week with the kids.  1 more week of working before testing begins.

i am going to make it.  i can push through.  God will give me strength and endurance.  i see the light, i just have to get there.

{ckrh}

last semester i had the pleasure of working with a client who participated in therapeutic riding.  his family could see a huge growth in his muscle strength, coordination, verbal output, and overall happiness.

after they talked about it, i decided to look into volunteering and went through the training at central kentucky riding for hope.  it's a nonprofit organization at the horse park that does therapeutic riding for all ages and abilities.

from a young age, i was your typical girl.  i wanted a pony.  my parents calmly explained that i could own a horse if i saved a lot of money for the horse itself, boarding, food, lessons, a truck and trailer (the list can go on and on).  needless to say, i took riding lessons for a few years, but a horse was not in my future.

secretly, there is still a little girl inside of me who wants to grow up and have horses, but honestly, volunteering may be better.

every monday, i get off work, change, and head up 75 to the horse park.  i muck some stalls, love on some of my favorite horses, help with barn work, groom horses, pull and tack up horses for lessons, and i get to lead during a few lessons.  the kids are so fun.  seeing the joy on their faces when they're on top of the horse and how attentive they are to what's being taught is great.  today, the teacher was teaching horse body parts and asked a little girl if she had a tail like the horse.  she turned around to look at her rump and replied, 'i don't think so!'.  it was adorable.

i really love having a day where i get to serve others, but have fun doing it.  i get my horse fix (it's part of the reason i came to ky after all!), and it's a nice time to relax when school is getting crazy.

http://www.ckrh.org/

{waiting rooms}

i'm currently sitting at a facial and oral surgery suite waiting for ian to get out of surgery.

happy spring break to him, he's getting his wisdom teeth cut out.

i don't like the waiting.  it's been an hour, which i know isn't a long time, but it feels like a long time just sitting here.  i've tried to be productive.  i've finished my ktip assignment for student teaching, i've caught up on some random homework i've been putting off, i've sat here and prayed.  i'm just ready to see him.

waiting rooms are always interesting places though.  is it weird to like the hope and prayer surrounding them?

i just watched a high school boy (clearly nervous for his upcoming surgery) pray with his mom.  it was just precious.

i know lots of people have wisdom teeth surgery each year, but that doesn't change my nerves.  i'm ready to see my boyfriend, take him home, and watch him hopefully peacefully sleep...

{beauty in simplicity}

i'm drawn to things that are beautiful, but not in a done up, effortful way.  sure, i think a million dollar house is beautiful and the rockefeller tree all done up every year is beautiful, but they are forced beautiful. it's not natural.  it's not organic.

at midnight last night, i was letting stress and my emotions run my thoughts, not joy and peace.  then i got a text telling me to look outside, that i would see one of my favorite things.

it was snowing.  big, heavy, snowflakes.  and absolutely no wind.  just the heavy flakes gently falling to the ground.  i woke up this morning to a thick blanket of snow just covering everything perfectly.  have you ever listened when it's snowing?  if it's quiet, you can hear the snow falling...

i like those moments when God reminds me: stop.  slow down.  remember who I am and who I made you to be.  remember that in this moment, everything has stopped but the gentle falling of the snow and I see you.

{grad school}

i know grad school isn't supposed to be easy.  it's like the end of a marathon.  and really, quite literally.
i told one of my preschoolers the other day i have been in school for 20 years.  he thought it wasn't a real number of years a person can be in school.  i wish he was right!

it's so close... what separates me from grad school are a few projects, a few really big tests, and walking across that beautiful, beautiful stage for the last time.

part of me is nostalgic.  i have met and made friends with some of the most amazing people.  i have learned a ton, and i'm using it.  it's one of the best feelings to be able to do something and defend why you're doing it, and then seeing it help someone.

and honestly, i love my placement right now.  i never thought i'd like the schools.  it seemed more boring to me from the outside, opposed to the hospital, but i love kids.  i love getting to know them and learning about their passions and seeing their enthusiasm for life.  kids just want to have fun, and i want to have fun with them!  i made bouncy balls on thursday.  that was therapy.  how fun is that!?  i'm also with a supervisor who believes in me and encourages me and tells me she'll come beat me if i don't work with kids.  it's nice to feel like someone notices when you're doing a good job, and encourages your passions.  i also like the people i work with.  they don't treat me like a student teacher, they treat me like a professional who can make good decisions regarding the treatment of children on our caseloads.  i feel like a working adult, and it's nice.

still, i'm ready to graduate.  i'm ready to have 2 competency exams and a praxis exam out of the way.  i'm ready to celebrate with my classmates years and years and years of school over.  i'm ready for a job that pays money (man i love working 40 hours a week for free!).  i'm ready to not have homework and projects to come home to.

i know i will miss school to some degree.  i will miss my classmates and professors.  i will miss the semi-non adultness that comes with being in school, but i'm ready for my next adventure.  i'm ready.