and we’re off

i found this in my drafts pile from a while ago…don’t know why i didn’t publish it.

 

the 903 girls are reuniting for a beach trip the first weekend in june. i am so excited, i can’t stop thinking about it. i miss those girls so much. never knew how lucky i was until they got married and moved away. but i guess that’s the story of everyone’s life. it’s hard to live with people you are not really close to…well, not really hard so to say, but just different. i would definantly prefer to live with my old friends. i started my practicum. i’m in 3 schools in the downtown area above crosstown. i have been dreading my school rotation b/c i love the hospital, but i love working with these kids…duh, i don’t know how i could have forgotten in the short time that i have been away from working with kids (first time in about 9 years)…most come from the government housing across the streets and i feel at home with them more b/c they remind me of my kids from the home. i am finding that i am in love with handicapped kids…not all the kids from low incomes are handicapped, that was just a sidenote. i love their strengths and their weaknesses and i want to hug all of them until they pop. it’s so rewarding to love on them and give them activities that they actually succeed at so they can feel smart, if only for 3o minutes. it’s my desire for those kids, when they’re around me for an hour at a time, for that time to forget whatever is going on at home and to know that they are loved unconditionally. unconditional love is my passion. it is what my relationship with christ is based on. freedom and unconditional love. so this school rotation isn’t so bad. my supervisor is really cool. she’s younger and has a one year old son named miles. that name is so cute. i was dead set on traveling far away to do both of my clinical affiliations…one will definetly be at Rehab Institute of Chicago…the last one, but i’m actually looking at moving back to charlotte for my first affiliation to carolina’s rehab uptown. i’m thinking charlotte might be where i end up. i keep coming back to it…i’m looking at my first rotation being at the rehab institute of charlotte uptown.   i don’t know, we’ll see. my life is so open right now. and i love that

really

soooooo, here’s the thing….i really want a boat…maybe just for this summer, maybe forever who knows, but probably not forever.  its probably not worth the trouble that a boat is, but i keep thinking about it.  found a good one on craig’s list…just thought i would throw that out there.

i hate

walmart.  period.  i don’t have a long expose on why, i’m not going to get into the politics of it all.  but i hate it.

 

but i love the woods : )  and bluegrass and crickets.  : )  and my church Eternal Pres. (www.eternal.gs)  and grace and wild love and that man/God, Jesus.

 

To follow that, anyone who has struggled with major doubts about their faith in Christianity should read “Lord, Liar, or Lunatic” by John
Carpenter.  It breaks it down as either Jesus was Lord, a liar, or a lunatic.  get it?  It helped me alot.  I just went through a huge years-long battle.  Not to say that I will never struggle with it again, but thank God for His faithfulness and forgiveness (not so much for the doubting, but for other bumps along the way these past years…ok, and yes somewhat for the doubting), and mercy, and the friends he has surrounded me with.

He is a faithful God.  And maybe not so much in our timing.

bryan…

it’s lasted a week now, i think. 

respect *snap*

so, one question.  is cd-r spelled like dinosaur?  (rachel:  oh my god)  no?  ok, just wondering. 

 

gonna grab some afternoon delight!

time on my hands could be time spent with you

and by you, i mean my reader(s).  that’s funny. 

so anyway, i haven’t written on this thing in close to a year.  i had forgotten about it but was reminded when i thought of rachel and how we both started one blah blah long time ago blah blah.  and i took the link off of facebook and im contemplating putting it back on.  so anyway, here’s what’s been going on…

i did my two affiliations here in the charlotte area…one at carolinas rehab and one at healthsouth and really enjoyed both.  i graduated and accepted a job in lancaster, sc…it’s a small country town south east of rock hill, where i’m living.  i’m working with adults in neuro rehab and enjoying so far. 

lately i’ve been enjoying the warm weather and spending lots of time by the river and with friends.  i’ve got a one bedroom apartment and enjoying living by myself for the first time in 25 years.   and for the first time i am really missing my family.  i wish we lived closer.  i love hanging out with them, they’re fun.

on a more somber note, one of america’s most famed journalist, tim russert died last week.  i am really sad about that.  meet the press is one of the most entertaining and longstanding political shows to date, and tim had developed such a no bullshit, sharp hitting interview style that always pulls out all the stops from presidential candidates campaign season after campaign season.  candidates who don’t pass the test with tim russert should (for the most part) go ahead and write their tickets back to senate, the house, or even better, county council.  and what i loved most about him was that he was so down to earth and real with people.  we’ve lost a legend.

on a happier note i’ve been reading a book called “a walk in the woods” by bill bryson.  it’s about a man who hikes the appalachian trail with his fat friend katz.  and it’s hilarious and peppered with u.s. history, so i recommend to anyone who enjoys a good lighthearted read.   and katz is one of my most favorite characters in all the books i’ve read.  i’m starting to read johnny cash’s autobiography.  it’s a pretty thick one, we’ll see how this goes.

i am SO SICK of living with so many people.  i can’t wait till december. 

this month

is filled with fun things.  we’re going to the gauley festival in summersville, va in a couple of weeks!  SO excited!  we’ll be camping by the river, going down the river, hiking, and listening to bluegrass every night…AND we get to see whitewater demonstrations by the best paddlers in the country.  i absolutely can not wait.  and classes are canceled that friday so we can leave early.  and i’m going to chicago a month after that for a long weekend…so excited!!

it’s been a while

hellooooo, it’s been a long time since i’ve written anything on here.  so here’s an update:  comps are over YAY!!  i find out monday whether or not i passed AAAAAHHH!!  the summer flew by b/c i studied the whole time.  fall is coming and i am SO excited.  i’ve been in the mood to backpack lately, and hopefully i will soon.  some trips are in the works, just got to wait for the planning to pan out.  my affiliations got all screwed up, so i may not be going to chicago now.  and that makes me sick to my stomach.  but i know that i’m going to go where i’m supposed to, it’s always worked out like that.  and if not, oh well it’s only 8 weeks.  but i REALLY hope it works out!  i’m going on a cruise with pat and laura and her family this december…we’re going to cozumel and belize and i’m so excited!  in october i’m going to see julie in chicago with lizzy.  next may i’m going to hawaii and maybe to europe..so i’m finally getting to travel!  i have to go take a shower now, it’s almost time for class : )

untitled for a purpose

so it really is spring now!  the trees are budding and flowers are shooting up everywhere.  and the high today was 76!  perfect : )  rachel asked me today if i had posted anything on this thing and i realized that i had totally forgotten about it.  so this shout out goes to you raylee.  and everything we’ve been thinking about.  like quitting school.  well, maybe not seriously walking out, but it has been such a tough semester.  i hate to whine about it but dang.  seriously.  didn’t think it was going to be this rough.  i’ve been thinking alot about things lately.  just got back from a trip across the country.  made me realize that i could travel like that for the rest of my life; or for at least the next 5 years, and love every minute of it.  i really just want to see the world…i loved seeing things i had never seen before on this trip. rachel showed me this website about this couple who’s taking a year to travel the world.  they saved up their money, packed 3 tshirts and 2 pairs of pants each and just took off.  how exciting!  i mean, it’s all romanticized and all, but i still think it would be so exciting to do something like that.  i know that i at least want to devote a year or so to missions (here or overseas) before jumping into the work world.  like after my CFY.  speaking of, london and ireland and germany and some other places are hiring SLP’s for their CFY’s across all settings right now b/c there’s such a demand…i’ve been thinking alot about doing something like that…i would only be committed for 9 months, but would have the option to stay if i wanted.  oh my, i’m getting really excited just thinking about it.  that would be so fun.  and i think this is going to be a really fun summer.  i’ve put my name in the pot to work at a summer camp this summer as my clinical rotation.  i’m kindof torn b/c i don’t want to miss out on an opportunity to work in the hospital in acute care, but then again the summer program lasts only 4 weeks….FOUR WEEKS!  and then i would be done with my clinical rotation for the summer!!  i wish i knew where i was placed this summer…our program is starting to really frustrate me b/c it’s like we’re never informed ahead of time what our schedule will be like for the next semester.  it’s like we’re just flying by the seat of our pants.  ugh.  oh well.  im off to watch the big lebowski.  david and matt put me in the mood over our trip.   and then bed b/c i’ve slept in the past 3 days and i probably have added time to my running.  oh well.  again.  love you all : )

spring spring said the robin

well, it’s not really spring but we had a thunderstorm yesterday night and it was amazing!!  i was writing up a report and i had my window open and it was really windy.  my neighbors have these chimes outside their house, but they’re not like the high pitched tinky chimes, they’re big and hollow and have the coolest sound.  and they were clanging when the wind was blowing and i could hear them because, well, the houses are just that close together in charleston.  and then the thunder came and i was so happy.  i finished my report.  then i got my brand new GREEN sheets out of the dryer and i had just dried them with my new downy pleasures dryer sheets and they smelled good enough to lay in.  so that’s what i did..and watched t.v. with lily and it was so great.  i LOVE nights like that!  80’s prom is this weekend but i haven’t heard from chris so i guess it’s a no go.  but it would have been fun.  cindy lopper, peter gabriel, what!!  mack’s parents live on sulivan’s island and will be out of town this weekend, so i think me and rachel are going to go to the beach house this weekend regardless.  really excited about that.  i love sulivan’s island b/c it’s not so commercialized.  i want to visit hunting island…it’s between here and hilton head and bryan said it’s all natural and there’s tons to do like kayaking, crabbing, fishing, stuff like that, and you can camp and your dog doesn’t have to be leashed.  so i think that’s a good idea.  i’ve been really happy with this semester, even though i’ve had to get up at 5-5:30 in the morning, it’s been nice being able to have time to myself before the busy day starts to swim and run and do what i do.  b/c once the day starts i’m running worrying about my kids, then class, but that time in the am is spent on me and i like it.  i’ve been picking up the guitar amy gave me some.  i feel like a dork but i do like it.  don’t be looking for my ep or anything though.  hahaha, yeah that’s funny.  and i’ve started painting again, hopefully i’ll stick to it this time and get a little better b/c i’m not good.  and i’m excited about spring and flowers : )