All My Friends Are Growing Up...

This has been an interesting year... and I'm pretty sure next year is going to be even crazier. For starters, one of my friends had a baby. I was super excited for her, but it was weird at the same time--seeing her baby belly, knowing that she wasn't just a friend and a wife... that she was a mom. Like... for real. (You know who you are and you know I love you!)

And then there was the fact that I got invited to fifteen weddings this summer, one of which I was a bridesmaid. Happy Singles Awareness Day x 15. But I got through it just fine, thank you very much.

So that left me wondering what was up next for me. When was I going to grow up? I've been in the same boat for a long time--going to school, getting good grades, hanging out with my friends, going to church, going to work, etc, etc. I thought moving to a new city and living on my own might do the trick. But really I was doing the same old things than I was before I moved, including getting a roommate all over again (which has turned out to be a good thing - paying the bills all on your own is tough stuff!)

But today, I did something that makes me feel VERY grown-up. And you know it's serious because I don't like to capitalize all the letters in a word very often :)

I officially submitted my resume for my first big girl job today.

It was a little scary at first, making sure everything looked right, etc. Resumes are a tricky business. You can't put too little information but you really can't put too much either. Do you include this or that or leave it out all together? What's relevant? Etc, etc.

But here's hoping that everything looked reeeeeal nice and that after reading that wonderful piece of paper, that they will want to meet me. And hire me? I dunno. Haven't thought that far yet.... It would require me to move back home and possibly in close proximity to my parents.

Seriously?

Seriously.

So... I Tried Some New Foods...

I tend to migrate back to the same foods over and over again. I like order the same thing in restaurants each time I go, request the same types of foods to be made during the holidays, and buy the same things at the grocery store each week. So you might can imagine how hard it must have been for me to travel to an entirely new part of the country and be hundreds of miles away from my comfort foods.

I landed in New Orleans Wednesday morning determined to not be a baby about eating new foods during my trip to the annual ASHA convention. First stop, lunch. My friends and I asked the concierge at the hotel where we stayed for a recommendation for New Orleans style food within walking distance and under ten bucks. The result? Hobnobber's on Carondelet Street. Don't pass this one up, folks. Though it looks rough from the outside (and you have to pass through a bar that looks like it could have come from the Godfather), it was worth it. This little restaurant in a tiny room at the back of a bar, complete with plastic lawn chairs like your grandmother has on her front porch, had the best shrimp po-boy I have ever tasted. (Granted, it was my first po-boy ever, but it was really, really good.)

Moving on to dinner, I managed to eat a crab and shrimp pasta dish at the Red Fish Grill on Bourbon Street (also really, really good). Dessert was way better though. I highly recommend you order the "Chocolate Creme Brulee S'mores Style." I cannot praise it highly enough do to it a shred of credit. Toasted mini marshmallows, crunchy graham cracker pieces, thick (and seriously rich) chocolate custard.... YUM.

I won't detail every meal I had, but for any of you who have been to New Orleans, here is a list of the other restaurants we went to:

• Cafe Maspero on Decatur Street (more shrimp po-boys, but more importantly, $1 daquiris and $1 glasses of wine!)
• Acme Oyster House on Iberville Street (where, no joke, I ate THREE oysters on the half shell... Chargrilled to perfection and covered in cheese and butter!)
• Oceana Grill on Conti Street (awful service, but probably the most incredible pie I have ever put in my mouth = Kentucky Bourbon Pecan Pie)

Oh, and I had to save this one for last. You will have to look at the evidence on Facebook. But, for the record, the last night we were in New Orleans, I actually ate... Lebanese food. Chicken shawarma and hummus to be exact. Not exactly the best thing I ever put in my mouth, but I surprised myself by eating more than two bites of everything. Would I eat it again by choice? Probably not. But I would suck it up if everyone else wanted to go :)

Seriously?

Seriously.

Christmas is Coming!

Dear Santa,

Here is my grownup Christmas list this year, a few weeks early so that you can avoid the after Thanksgiving rush. Also, to get you in the spirit, click here and listen to one of my favorite Christmas songs while your read this. It'll make it more fun.

I would like for my neighbors to stop making noises in the middle of the afternoon, for my across the street neighbors with Oklahoma license plate to stop parking their giganto car in my spot, for the dog two apartments down to stop barking in the middle of the night, and for my little patio to spontaneously grow about one hundred feet in each direction. In short, Santa, I would like a house for Christmas. Preferably with at least 3 bedrooms, 2 bathroom, and a fenced in backyard for Mattie and for the inevitable younger brother I am going to buy her once I have a place big enough to have two dogs.

Speaking of a younger brother for Mattie, Santa, we need to talk dogs. I want a big dog, that is easily housetrained, affectionate, snuggly, that doesn't shed a lot, doesn't smell too "dog-gy," and that gets along well with his precious older sister. In short, a cat. Only, I don't want a cat, Santa. So you have to use your head and make this happen for me.

And if I get a house, Santa, I am going to need some things to make it more like a grownup home and not a college apartment. The following list is totally reasonable and acceptable: a new living room set (couch, loveseat, chair, coffee table, side table, rug) in a neutral dog-friendly fabric, a new bedroom suit (because college graduates need big girl beds) in a gorgeous dark stain (like mahogany or cherry) complete with all the trimmings (king sized bed, dresser, chest of drawers, mirror, night stands), and of course some amazing bedding to go on that new bed. I've saved you the trouble and found some that I absolutely adore. In case your elves are extra busy this year, save yourself a trip to the workshop and buy it directly by clicking here.

Okay. Thanks, Santa. That'll do it. For now.... :)

Seriously?

Seriously.

The Downside

This day eventually comes for anyone in any profession--the day you realize that your perfect job had a downside. I think that for an SLP (or any teacher for that matter) in the school system that the downside is difficult students and difficult parents.

My heart is especially heavy for one of my students today, and even more so for his teachers, who have become dear friends. He has had some behavioral problems that have slowly escalated over the semester and have reached a point where a whole slew of people are now involved. It's so tough to see so many people in a constant state of being stressed out.

My thoughts and prayers are with these special teachers (you know who you are). I love you guys! We will all get through this and come out the better for it.

Seriously?

Seriously.

Waiting

Patience may be a virtue, but it isn't necessarily one of my virtues.

I hate waiting for anything. Autumn takes way too long to come back into season every year, Christmas should be more than once a year, graduations seem to take forever and a day to happen, and no matter how close I am to actually getting a real job, it seems as far away as it did when I was a little girl.

Here are things I am currently waiting on to happen:

• Comprehensive Exam Grades - I took this exam almost a month ago and have yet to hear whether or not I passed. I'm not entirely sure what the hold up is (I have heard rumors that some professors have been sick and others were late getting in their graded portions) but I am definitely ready to know once and for all whether I have to retake them or not. (Hopefully not.)
• Hospital Orientation - I have heard through the grape vine that I have to attend an orientation during the month of December for my hospital placement. I haven't heard anything from this particular hospital ever - just that I am supposed to report there in a few weeks. Is it very hard to send a confirmation email so that I can get a little more sleep at night? Here's a weird thought for you: really, all I want to know is what color scrubs I get to wear.
• Hospital vs. School - On the subject of hospitals, I would like to know once and for all which setting is the best fit for me as an employee. I am definitely leaning towards the school system right now (mostly because I love being part of a school community and really zeroing in and helping my students long-term). But part of me is tired of waiting to see whether I will sink or swim in the hospital.
• Location - I am waiting to figure out where I will live this time next year. I love Augusta and I have met some amazing people, but I hate being this far away from my best friends and family. Most of my family is over two hours away and my best friends are either back home or in Valdosta (or at least south of Macon). I am considering moving closer to home next summer. We'll see.
• Mattie's next vet appointment - Mattie has had some health scares lately and I have been concerned about her since we moved here back in August. Her November appointment at the vet will really be a big deal in letting me know what kind of shape she is in.

That's it in a nutshell--at least for now.

Seriously?

Seriously.

I kind of love my life :)

This weekend, I went home to celebrate my friend Abby's wedding and to watch the Georgia Tech homecoming game with my family.

Abby was a beautiful bride and I was so happy for her on her special day! She had asked me to be a part of the wedding a few months ago but I didn't really know specifically I would be doing to "help" her. But my name was in the program (how cool is that!) and I got to serve at her reception. I have to say (without any bias at all), that I am the queen of serving punch, haha. She and Doug are spending the next week in Jamaica (jealous!) scuba diving and whatnot. Can't wait to see the photos from the honeymoon - I know they will be gorgeous.

And now the subject of college football.... What an incredible weekend! First off, Texas (barely) beats out Oklahoma in the annual Cotton Bowl! I didn't get to watch the game because I was at the wedding, but I got my dad and brother to send me text messages to keep me updated. It's too bad about Sam Bradford getting hurt again, but I'm pretty sure that Texas wouldn't have pulled out a win without that injury. Praying for a speedy recovery for Sam.

Six o' clock comes around and my whole family is gathered around the television, Quizno's in hand, in great anticipation of the matchup between the #4 ranked Hokies and our #19 Yellow Jackets. WHAT a game. We yelled, we screamed, we groaned. But we pulled off a win! And if you have a spare moment, you should check out today's AP rankings. The Yellow Jackets are now #11.

Seriously?

Seriously.

Overdue

I have been a little absent (okay, a lot absent) from the blog scene as my life has been a little bit crazy over the last few weeks!

An update on my last post... We are still in the process of screening all those kindergartners. Turns out finding enough hours in the school day to get all 98 of them screened is easier said than done. But I am still chugging away with my hours (I think I have around 80 or 90 now!) and loving all my kiddos at the elementary school. Although I have come away with some crazy new stories and scars (not kidding), I have also come away with a ton of new friends at the school and will hate to tell them goodbye at the end of the semester. (So I'm trying real hard not to think about it.)

Anyway, I guess you might could deduct the fact that I was absent due to studying for my comprehensive exams - which I purposefully have not even mentioned (on blog or on facebook) until this point. Everybody gets so worked up about these exams and they don't stop to realize that they have already put in the time and effort into studying for comps. Get it? We already studied for the classes and the tests once and the questions aren't going to change just because the big test is comprehensive. Does that mean that we don't have to brush up on some things? No. But every girl in my class is more than capable of doing well on the big test, and I believe that we all did well. There just isn't a reason to stress out about it. We all have to have confidence in ourselves! Don't doubt that we haven't studied enough because we have all passed these courses the first time around. No stress needed. Stress causes you to do stupid things - like forgetting something that you know.

That is the attitude that I walked into comps with this morning and I left feeling... confident. The exam was not nearly as bad I had anticipated! We'll see how it goes.

In other news, I start full time next week, meaning that all 49 kids on the caseload are my responsibility for 4 weeks. I am excited about the challenge and ready to see how I respond to the pressure. I am anticipating a lot of laughs! Like today....

One minute, the 4 year old I was working with was sitting up in his chair and the next, I see his feet fly through the air and he jumps up really quickly and exclaims,

"Howy Cwap! I din see dat won comin!"

Seriously?

Seriously. :)