Midterm break & the birthday.

Hello, hello. :-) This week is my first week back to school since midterm break and it's a doozy. The mister and I had a wonderful time at the beach and I'll have a post coming up on that once I get my pictures loaded on the computer. This weekend I'm headed out of town once again to visit the mister and his family to celebrate my birthday on Saturday.

Growing up so far from my exteneded family made me appreciate the few times we could all be together, usually during the summer. Now that I live across the country, I rarely get to see any of my family. The past few years I have only seen my mom, dad, and sister once a year around Christmas.

Mom!

Living so close to Terence's family has been such a blessing and I am lucky to have them. And I'm even more blessed because they all actually consider me part of the family, and I, them. And really, I'd rather spend my birthday relaxing at the house surrounded by family than any over the top party, anyday. Here's to growing older & wiser!

Mom #2!

Tidbits [2]

Something you feel strongly about:

So I have never been one to really get involved in fundraisers or things like that, but I think it's because I never had a true passion for whichever cause I was offered to support by joining a team. That is not to say they weren't worthy causes, on the contrary they all were. But this year, I have the opportunity to join the team of my NSSLHA (National Student Speech Language Hearing Association) members at Western Carolina. We are taking part in the 2011 Walk to End Alzheimer's in Asheville, NC.

For those confused by that acronym , it's basically the student association of people like myself who are studying to become Speech Language Pathologists, sometimes simply called Speech/Language Therapists.


A common misconception is that Speech Language Pathologists only teach children how to say sounds correctly. While this is true, it is only one of the many things we do. 

The role of a Speech Language Pathologist is to evaluate, diagnose, and treat

communication disorders for children and adults with: 

Articulation disorders	Language disorders
Auditory Processing disorders	Phonological disorders
Developmental delay	Stuttering
English language learners (or ELL)	Stroke
Hearing loss	Traumatic Brain Injury

And that’s just the beginning! We can also serve individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (or ASD), Apraxia of Speech, Cochlear Implants, Learning Disorders/Learning Disabilities, Pervasive Developmental Disorder (or PDD), Speech Muscle Weakness (also known as Dysarthria), and Sensory Integration Disorder.

Furthermore… we help both young and old who have or have had: Voice Disorders, a laryngectomy, Feeding Disorders, Accent Reduction/Modification needs, Cleft Lip or Cleft Palate, Swallowing Disorders (also known as Dysphagia), Syndromes like Down, Asperger, and Craniofacial, Neurological Disorders such as Cerebral Palsy, Alternative and Augmentative Communication (or AAC), Diseases like Alzheimer’s, Dementia, Parkinson’s etc.

The more I learn in my graduate classes about the vast number of ways I can impact positively the lives of my future clients, the more my passion grows. 

I'm not asking everyone to donate money, that's not what this post is about. But if you feel any sort of stirring for this cause or have known a loved one who suffers from Alzheimer's, I would be more than happy to accept your donation. It is one population of many that SLPs get the opportunity to serve and I wouldn't be true to my calling to this profession if I didn't support those I serve in additional ways beyond therapy.

If you do feel you want to donate (even if only a dollar), you can do so HERE.

Thanks so much and KUDOS to those who made it through this whole post, it does mean a lot.

Click Here to Donate

with a week to go.

So the mister surprised me and drove up here Monday night to stay for the week. He thought he was so sneaky, telling me he had a meeting until 7pm. Evidently he actually got off around 3 and drove up here, stopped to buy me wine and People (I have a slight obsession with the magazine), AND groceries. I am one lucky lady. Seriously. Love that guy. (Hi dear!)I had orientation on Tuesday with my current class starting in the Communication Sciences and Disorders graduate coursework. It was very informative and helpful, but also intimidating because most everyone already has a background in the field, unlike me. Luckily my 2nd year "buddy" was in the same boat as me last year and had a lot of useful advice and insight.

Yesterday, the mister and I had a relaxing, lazy day. We got up and went to the rec center on campus to get in a workout and a run. I was glad to go for the first time with him so I had someone to explore the place with instead of looking lost. We also had to drive out to a town about 30 minutes away to apply (again) for a replacement social security card. I requested one a month ago and it got lost in the mail so i'm crossing my fingers this time. We spent the evening watching movies and playing Call of Duty.

Since I'm on a budget, I currently don't have any type of TV service. And also my TV is tiny. So low and behold, I look in the back of the mister's car and see none other than his big TV and PlayStation3. Hey, whatever it takes to make him feel at home this week. lol

Today, I have one more orientation for the Graduate School in general before school starts on Monday. Tomorrow we might venture into Asheville for a little exploring and day of fun. Neither of us are too familiar with the city.

But in more exciting news, I told the mister was a VLOG was and I may just make one with him as a special guest. I hope everyone's week is going well!

Sleeping in is a thing of the past!

I don't know if it's the fact that I have a new bed, or maybe it's because I'm in a new place. Maybe it's my nerves and the fact that I can't quiet my mind long enough to get any solid sleep during the night. Whatever the case, I miss being the girl in that illustration!

I was blessed enough to be able to graduate a semester early and spent December until now, well... relaxing! I know, I know, that's a long time to be doing nothing. But the truth of the matter is, I was burned out from school. Burned out? How? You graduated early! I just really don't enjoy school too much. I know that education is a privilege and I am thankful for the opportunity, but that doesn't mean I have to enjoy it.

*(I didn't sit around for months. I actually watched the mister's 1.5 year old nephew early morning until evening for about 3 months, sometimes whole weeks at a time. Deployed daddy in oversees. Maybe a post about little Cartier will be next. For now enjoy these pictures. I love him to pieces. He turns two on Monday.)

I digress. When I decided to go to graduate school and study Speech Pathology, I actually got EXCITED. I really am. I can't wait to dive into my studies. It's like a whole new me. But the anticipation and little fears surrounding it all is what keeps me awake at night.

I don't want to be one of those people that is dependent on sleep aids, but last night Tylenol PM was my best amigo! No shame, here.

easier than I expected.

Wow. Talk about a crazy turn of events. While I was sitting in the waiting room for the meeting Wednesday morning at the school in Virginia, I received an email from the school that had pretty much filled the seats for the incoming class. This was the school I really wanted to go to because of the program length and distance to Columbia-- where I live now and where my boyfriend will be living. They had one opening and offered it to me. As soon as my meeting was over with the Graduate Director in Virginia, I got in the car and drove 8 hours to the school. So I have come to my decision with much ease. In the fall, I will be attending Western Carolina University nestled in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina.

Lauren