For those of you that are not familiar with Assessment Staff "alphabet soup", EOY stands for End of Year...that's right, I have nearly completed my first year as a Speech Pathologist in the schools. Lots has happened within this academic year and I am going to attempt to summarize it all here:
First semester brought a whole new wave of changes for me. Not only was I new to the field and district, but I was new to DFW. Driving 30 minutes to get anywhere was a struggle for me, an Abilene native, but I managed to get used to it. Sand volleyball that carried over from the last weeks of summer afforded me some new friends that I still hang out with regularly. Among the new changes: paying bills, having a regular work schedule to keep, documentation, troubleshooting life problems on my own, creating a budget and sticking to it. I would say that by December I felt much better about it all. I think I'd like to go back to Kindergarten please...
Second semester was a lot smoother in some areas, but that's also when new referrals flood in, as well as Spring Fever (for everyone). I love the people that I work with on a daily basis. As for the kids, I like them all and love a select few (that's ok, right?). I have tried to get involved more at my campuses by working Middle School track meets, attending Special Olympics soccer games, working Field Day for K-5 graders. Haha, looking at that list, I only seem interested in active events, oh well.
Now that I live in the BiG city, I have been able to go skeet shooting, try wake surfing, try sushi, attend a Stars game, attend a Mavericks game, attend an FC Dallas game, explore new restaurants, and much more.
As for church, I have been visiting at North Davis CoC in Arlington and enjoy it. I am not sure I have found my place to "do life" yet, but it will come. God has truly been good to me. He has walked with me through this time of changes and will continue to guide my heart.
That's a decent summary without getting too much into the details of my job. I am looking forward to my summer months! You will be seeing several more posts hopefully, as I am going back to Peru this year! I may even have to fly by myself for the first time...yikes.
Thank you to all of you who ask about me and pray for me! May your lives continue to be blessed as we boldly go where He leads.
Friday, May 30, 2014
Friday, July 19, 2013
Gone, Gone, Gone
I promise this is my last post to update on my life for a little while. As I said, I will be working in the schools as a Speech Pathologist for the 2013-2014 year in Grand Prairie, TX. It it right between Arlington and Dallas. I just signed my contract and was inducted yesterday. Boy am I overwhelmed! Insurance, payroll, social security, technology training, finding a place to live, etc. I will need many prayers in the coming weeks as I make the transition and start the job. It's not so much the job itself that is making me nervous but everything surrounding it. Abilene has been a wonderful place to grow up and have a church family love me, but it is time for me to fly. I will meet new people, make new friends and find another family who will love me just as much. Not saying that to be boastful, but I am confident that God has prepared the way before me and He only has good things for His children. My dream is to be able to travel the world and begin a family of my own someday. The journey is just beginning.
Since I just went to New England, I missed out on the Peru trip this year. I sure do miss my kids! The piece of my heart that dwells with them is yearning for hugs and kisses, songs and smiles. Speaking of dreams, maybe I will make it on the Peru trip and get to hop over to the World Cup in Brazil in 2014.
"I'm not moving on, I'll love you long after you're gone. For you, for you....long after you're gone, gone, gone."
Since I just went to New England, I missed out on the Peru trip this year. I sure do miss my kids! The piece of my heart that dwells with them is yearning for hugs and kisses, songs and smiles. Speaking of dreams, maybe I will make it on the Peru trip and get to hop over to the World Cup in Brazil in 2014.
"I'm not moving on, I'll love you long after you're gone. For you, for you....long after you're gone, gone, gone."
Two if By Sea
Saturday morning we checked out of the lamest hotel in the United States and went up to the Anheuser-Busch brewery in Merrimack, New Hampshire. The tour was free and we learned all about how they make beer. The Clydesdale horses were also there. They are huge and beautiful! On our route to York Harbor, Maine we then stopped at a vineyard/winery that was started by a retired ER doctor. Even though we were there for a short time, I really enjoyed the state of New Hampshire (plus there's no sales tax). To crossover into Maine we went through Portsmouth and made it to the York Harbor Inn by 3:15 p.m. Kate Huggins was one of my roommates and best friends in college at ACU. Linley, Kate, and I studied abroad together in Uruguay our Junior year and that solidified our lifelong friendship. We we blessed and honored to attend her wedding to Garrett Rampon! There are so many details to this wedding that I would love to share, but I will just overview to save time. Linley and I ended up being needed more than initially planned. Because it was a destination wedding, most of the attendees and bridal party were family members, but we became ladies in waiting for the bride. We stayed the night before the wedding with her in the inn, brought forgotten items (gifts, water bottles, polish), answered the phone, dried bouquets, and handed out programs and communion cups. It was an absolute blast!! The wedding on Sunday was short and sweet, in the park overlooking the ocean. Afterwards we all had dinner and dancing. Kate and Garrett met on a med student trip to Guatemala so all of the tables were designated with some of the countries they had been to. Since the group was small, we became close and I felt like I was in a dream or a movie. Kate Huggins Rampon sure does know how to do a wedding! She was praised as the most organized bride from those who did dozens of weddings at this inn each year. Who else? :)
We said our goodbyes after the couple sent lit paper lanterns into the coastal sky (yes, just like the movie Tangled). The next stop was a cottage in Kennebunk, Maine, just up the coast from York Harbor. It was a relief to stay there after the horrible hotel outside of Boston. Actually staying in a small town was better than visiting them in the days previous. This must be confirming the fact that I am a small "town/city" girl at heart...we'll see how I do in Grand Prairie. There was time to shop like a tourist, swim/tan at the beaches, and of course watch TV. The best part of new beaches is exploring, so we found two types of crabs, snails, clams, shells and rocks. Don't worry, we left the living creatures in their habitats but did bring back a collection of shells and rocks. After spending almost all our money, we made our way back on Tuesday afternoon through Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Boston traffic to our last stop in Weymouth. If you haven't been paying attention, I love to watch baseball, so of course we watched what we could of the 2013 All-Star Game (which the AL won 3-0)!
Wednesday was an early morning but 5 a.m. was not early enough. Our boarding time was 6:55 a.m. so after trudging though Boston traffic, returning the rental car, checking our bags and going through security, we missed our flight arriving at our gate at 7:15 a.m. Grr! $50 later we had a new flight and a five and a half hour wait before boarding for DFW. Live and learn I guess. Made it home to Texas before 4 p.m. local time, almost had a luggage scare, and went to Abilene as quick as possible.
I truly enjoyed my trip to Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine for Kate's wedding! Even though it was rough at times, it was nice to get away and once again, appreciate the state that I love, Texas. Kate, you were a beautiful bride and I am glad to call you friend!
We said our goodbyes after the couple sent lit paper lanterns into the coastal sky (yes, just like the movie Tangled). The next stop was a cottage in Kennebunk, Maine, just up the coast from York Harbor. It was a relief to stay there after the horrible hotel outside of Boston. Actually staying in a small town was better than visiting them in the days previous. This must be confirming the fact that I am a small "town/city" girl at heart...we'll see how I do in Grand Prairie. There was time to shop like a tourist, swim/tan at the beaches, and of course watch TV. The best part of new beaches is exploring, so we found two types of crabs, snails, clams, shells and rocks. Don't worry, we left the living creatures in their habitats but did bring back a collection of shells and rocks. After spending almost all our money, we made our way back on Tuesday afternoon through Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Boston traffic to our last stop in Weymouth. If you haven't been paying attention, I love to watch baseball, so of course we watched what we could of the 2013 All-Star Game (which the AL won 3-0)!
Wednesday was an early morning but 5 a.m. was not early enough. Our boarding time was 6:55 a.m. so after trudging though Boston traffic, returning the rental car, checking our bags and going through security, we missed our flight arriving at our gate at 7:15 a.m. Grr! $50 later we had a new flight and a five and a half hour wait before boarding for DFW. Live and learn I guess. Made it home to Texas before 4 p.m. local time, almost had a luggage scare, and went to Abilene as quick as possible.
I truly enjoyed my trip to Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine for Kate's wedding! Even though it was rough at times, it was nice to get away and once again, appreciate the state that I love, Texas. Kate, you were a beautiful bride and I am glad to call you friend!
Best Laid Plans
July 10-17th, 2013
The internet connections were no good at the places I stayed this past week, so now that I am back in Texas I will recap in a few posts what I did. First of all, I did receive and accept the offer to work in Grand Prairie ISD for this coming school year! There are so many things to get done before school starts and it is overwhleming! Thank you to those of you who prayed for me and encouraged me along the way.
Now for the trip...
One of my college roommates, Linley, and I were taken to DFW on Wednesday July 10th. Long story short, there was a ground stop in Boston where we were flying to and our flight was delayed for three hours! While this was somewhat inconvenient, I was glad that we were safe and able to relax. The staff for the JetBlue airline were friendly and fun (giving us snacks, drinks, and decks of cards to keep us occupied). Once we took off at 8 p.m. Texas time, we landed in Boston Logan airport at 12:20 a.m. local time. After collecting our luggage, we waited for a bus to take us to Alamo to pick up the rental car we had reserved. That went smoothly but it was nearly 1:30 am local time...we missed our turn in the tunnels and ended up going west when we needed to go north. As the navigator, I was trying to get us back to a highway, but that is easier said than done....in the dark, in a new area, in Massachusetts. If any of you have visited New England before, you know that it is NOTHING like Texas in its city planning or business locations. There are turnabouts and trees everywhere. The trees line the highway so there are no landmarks. The turnabouts mix up your sense of cardinal directions. Despite the scenic route we took, we made it to our hotel at 3 a.m. and were exhausted. But wait, there's more......our room was not clean, even though we were assured that it had been cleaned! Linley and I were fed up with it all, so we asked for more towels and new sheets, changed them ourselves and went to sleep at 4 a.m.!! Not a great way to start a trip. I guess you get what you pay for, but at least the room should be clean!
After being up so early, the things we had planned were all messed up. So we found food in a small town nearby called Andover and drove into the city of Boston. Our hotel was 30 minutes outside the city in Methuen, but luckily our rental car had the ECO feature. It became a ritual to find a new small town for each meal. We visited Lawrence for Mexican food, Lowell for pizza, and Andover for italian deli. On Thursday afternoon we were able to take a student led tour on the campus of Harvard. It was beautiful but very humid that day. Learned lots of cool things about the school and of course I bought the cheapest item as a souvenir :) The Boston native Liberty Mutual Insurance agent that I sat next to on the plane was right in saying that it was a bad idea to drive into the city (we really had no other option on our first day until we figured out the subway system). The parking bill was $28 for less than 6 hours. Ugh. Shot to the heart. Friday was much better. We drove to the subway station outside the city, parked for $7, bought an all day pass for $11, and made it to the 10 a.m. tour of historic Fenway Park! It is the oldest baseball park and has lots of great things to appreciate by all baseball fans, no matter who you cheer for. They were setting up for a Jason Aldean concert so the field was covered up, but we saw the stands, Green Monster, cafe area and the press box! I took lots of pictures and I hope to post them soon!! The only place we ate in Boston was called Sweet Caroline's, named after the tradition within the stadium of playing Neil Diamond's song Sweet Caroline before every 8th inning. Friday entailed a lot of walking and riding the subway. We followed the Freedom Trail, stopping at King's Chapel and Burial grounds, the Old State House and site of the Boston Massacre. Finally we went to the Old North Church where the lanterns were hung by Paul Revere.
Saturday was our day to drive up through New Hampshire and into Maine for the "main" event :) Kate's wedding!! Separate post will begin shortly...
The internet connections were no good at the places I stayed this past week, so now that I am back in Texas I will recap in a few posts what I did. First of all, I did receive and accept the offer to work in Grand Prairie ISD for this coming school year! There are so many things to get done before school starts and it is overwhleming! Thank you to those of you who prayed for me and encouraged me along the way.
Now for the trip...
One of my college roommates, Linley, and I were taken to DFW on Wednesday July 10th. Long story short, there was a ground stop in Boston where we were flying to and our flight was delayed for three hours! While this was somewhat inconvenient, I was glad that we were safe and able to relax. The staff for the JetBlue airline were friendly and fun (giving us snacks, drinks, and decks of cards to keep us occupied). Once we took off at 8 p.m. Texas time, we landed in Boston Logan airport at 12:20 a.m. local time. After collecting our luggage, we waited for a bus to take us to Alamo to pick up the rental car we had reserved. That went smoothly but it was nearly 1:30 am local time...we missed our turn in the tunnels and ended up going west when we needed to go north. As the navigator, I was trying to get us back to a highway, but that is easier said than done....in the dark, in a new area, in Massachusetts. If any of you have visited New England before, you know that it is NOTHING like Texas in its city planning or business locations. There are turnabouts and trees everywhere. The trees line the highway so there are no landmarks. The turnabouts mix up your sense of cardinal directions. Despite the scenic route we took, we made it to our hotel at 3 a.m. and were exhausted. But wait, there's more......our room was not clean, even though we were assured that it had been cleaned! Linley and I were fed up with it all, so we asked for more towels and new sheets, changed them ourselves and went to sleep at 4 a.m.!! Not a great way to start a trip. I guess you get what you pay for, but at least the room should be clean!
After being up so early, the things we had planned were all messed up. So we found food in a small town nearby called Andover and drove into the city of Boston. Our hotel was 30 minutes outside the city in Methuen, but luckily our rental car had the ECO feature. It became a ritual to find a new small town for each meal. We visited Lawrence for Mexican food, Lowell for pizza, and Andover for italian deli. On Thursday afternoon we were able to take a student led tour on the campus of Harvard. It was beautiful but very humid that day. Learned lots of cool things about the school and of course I bought the cheapest item as a souvenir :) The Boston native Liberty Mutual Insurance agent that I sat next to on the plane was right in saying that it was a bad idea to drive into the city (we really had no other option on our first day until we figured out the subway system). The parking bill was $28 for less than 6 hours. Ugh. Shot to the heart. Friday was much better. We drove to the subway station outside the city, parked for $7, bought an all day pass for $11, and made it to the 10 a.m. tour of historic Fenway Park! It is the oldest baseball park and has lots of great things to appreciate by all baseball fans, no matter who you cheer for. They were setting up for a Jason Aldean concert so the field was covered up, but we saw the stands, Green Monster, cafe area and the press box! I took lots of pictures and I hope to post them soon!! The only place we ate in Boston was called Sweet Caroline's, named after the tradition within the stadium of playing Neil Diamond's song Sweet Caroline before every 8th inning. Friday entailed a lot of walking and riding the subway. We followed the Freedom Trail, stopping at King's Chapel and Burial grounds, the Old State House and site of the Boston Massacre. Finally we went to the Old North Church where the lanterns were hung by Paul Revere.
Saturday was our day to drive up through New Hampshire and into Maine for the "main" event :) Kate's wedding!! Separate post will begin shortly...
Thursday, June 13, 2013
The Other Side
Well, I did it.
I completed my first interview for a speech pathologist job.
While I was nervous, God truly blessed me through the experience. I should know this coming week whether or not they offer the job to me. By no means was it what I initially thought I wanted, but neither was staying in Abilene for graduate school. My life is not my own.
Pray that if this is where I need to be, then doors will continue to open (place to live, money to get there, friends, and a new family).
I really don't like being an adult, but it must be done, and I'll probably like it more as time goes on.
Pros about this position: Cons about this position:
1) Working with kids 1) Median pay
2) New city 2) New city
3) More to do in free time 3) New church family
4) Sporting events/adult leagues 4) Drive time
5) College friends close by
6) Family atmosphere
7) Within visiting distance of home
Now its time to pack up my house and move home for a month. More blog posts will occur in July as I head to Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine for the "doctors" wedding, where Kate Huggins will be a beautiful bride!! Can't wait!!
I completed my first interview for a speech pathologist job.
While I was nervous, God truly blessed me through the experience. I should know this coming week whether or not they offer the job to me. By no means was it what I initially thought I wanted, but neither was staying in Abilene for graduate school. My life is not my own.
Pray that if this is where I need to be, then doors will continue to open (place to live, money to get there, friends, and a new family).
I really don't like being an adult, but it must be done, and I'll probably like it more as time goes on.
Pros about this position: Cons about this position:
1) Working with kids 1) Median pay
2) New city 2) New city
3) More to do in free time 3) New church family
4) Sporting events/adult leagues 4) Drive time
5) College friends close by
6) Family atmosphere
7) Within visiting distance of home
Now its time to pack up my house and move home for a month. More blog posts will occur in July as I head to Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine for the "doctors" wedding, where Kate Huggins will be a beautiful bride!! Can't wait!!
Friday, May 10, 2013
The Last Pomp and Circumstance
In just under 24 hours I will be participating in my last foreseeable graduation ceremony. It hit me last night just how wonderful my journey though the college world has been, and how greatly I will miss it. So many people made an impression on my life and my heart that will be impossible to forget. My first thought is to be sad that I am "losing" that part of my life, but my Dad reminded me that it is something I can keep forever. Life has so many possibilities and this is just one stepping stone. You may agree with me when I say that you plan up to this point in your life, then the rest is wide open. God has much better plans than I could ever make or imagine and THAT is exciting. I appreciate each one of you and what you have meant to my life. Each day I am being formed into what God wants me to be and He will continue to walk with me, bringing people along the way.
If any of you are able, come to the 3 p.m. ceremony at ACU, Saturday, May 11 (tomorrow)! I would love to see you there as I receive my Masters. I leave you with a phrase that has been become a motto in these past few weeks; take it as you will:
There should be dancing.
If any of you are able, come to the 3 p.m. ceremony at ACU, Saturday, May 11 (tomorrow)! I would love to see you there as I receive my Masters. I leave you with a phrase that has been become a motto in these past few weeks; take it as you will:
There should be dancing.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
T-16: Unreal
That seems unbelievable that there are only 16 days until I graduate with my Masters degree! I will officially have an MS in Communication Sciences and Disorders, and be able to apply as a M.S., SLP-CF. That means that will be paid for the work that I do, but I still have to be supervised for a certain number of hours before I am certified as CCC-SLP. Lots of hoops to jump through still.
Since I last posted, I have taken my Praxis exam and almost completed my final 7 weeks of graduate clinical hours. I won't know my score on the Praxis until right around graduation, so we'll see. No serious job hunting has come from my end, but I am still confident that God will point the way. If any of you have a summer job that I can work for some extra money until I transition into a career job I would greatly appreciate it!
I always try to look back and find something that I've learned in the spirit of this blog. This time its a little harder to see...I have gained confidence not only as a professional but as a "grown-up", I have felt a deeper connection with scripture on a daily basis, and I have found a new soft spot in my heart for the elderly population. Working with the "end-of-life" atmosphere has given me a new perspective on life, choices, and loving others. Even though I have no clue how to best serve specific patients with speech-pathology on certain days, I do know how to love them through a smile and a servant heart.
May this post find all of you living in the light of His Grace, being changed because of what you've been given. I would love to hear from any of you and/or pray for you! As one of my patients said today, "There should be dancing everyday"....how profound :D
Since I last posted, I have taken my Praxis exam and almost completed my final 7 weeks of graduate clinical hours. I won't know my score on the Praxis until right around graduation, so we'll see. No serious job hunting has come from my end, but I am still confident that God will point the way. If any of you have a summer job that I can work for some extra money until I transition into a career job I would greatly appreciate it!
I always try to look back and find something that I've learned in the spirit of this blog. This time its a little harder to see...I have gained confidence not only as a professional but as a "grown-up", I have felt a deeper connection with scripture on a daily basis, and I have found a new soft spot in my heart for the elderly population. Working with the "end-of-life" atmosphere has given me a new perspective on life, choices, and loving others. Even though I have no clue how to best serve specific patients with speech-pathology on certain days, I do know how to love them through a smile and a servant heart.
May this post find all of you living in the light of His Grace, being changed because of what you've been given. I would love to hear from any of you and/or pray for you! As one of my patients said today, "There should be dancing everyday"....how profound :D
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