APA (almost) style update.

Wow. I feel like I start the majority of my posts with either "wow" or "so". C'est la vie. I have two weeks of grad school left (and two externships), and I will have my Master's degree. What the wha? This is crazy. It has been an insane semester. Clearly, due to my lack of posts. I must be completely honest though: it wasn't as crazy as last year. I think I just reveled in soaking up the time I have here with the people I've been spending time with, and I was just enjoying it all a lot. I apologize--to my family, really--for my lack of updates. Grandma told me a couple of weeks ago that I needed to post again before I left, so I decided to do it. If Gma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy (or something like that). I shudder to think of the guilt that would be laid on me if I didn't update at least once more. So here goes (I'll use bolded titles so you may decide what you want/don't want to read):

Why I don't want to leave. To be completely frank, I'm not sure that I'm ready to leave here yet for a number of reasons. Mainly, I've learned a ton about myself and I'm kind of enjoying that journey.

Friends. I have wonderful friends and people I really care about all in one place. That is never easy to leave. I go away confident, however, that my friendships will be solid. Distance means little when relationships are meaningful--that's what I keep reminding myself of. Things I've learned in regards to friends include: 1) gut instincts are generally correct, 2) you aren't going to be friends with everyone, and 3) people really are put into your life (and you in theirs) for a purpose. I'm going to miss these people dearly.

Sig-O's. I was fortunate while out here to have met a few great guys. Luckily, one of them became a very close friend--and now I'm friends with that group. They are awesome people. The other turned into something much more than I expected. He means a lot to me, and I will miss him when I head home for a few months. If nothing else though, I learned a lot about relationships and myself in them. I take that as a wonderful experience to have had. I will leave it at that.

Landscape. GOSH DARN IT. Wyoming is beautiful. I feel privileged to be able to take day trips to Colorado if I want--or to just drive ten minutes and be in the mountains. Sunsets are unreal (I've taken in a few lately), the vast amount of land is unreal, just everything. It's beautiful.

School. Yea. I'll say it. I'll miss school. I'm ready for a break. I mean, I've been going to school for eighteen years straight (that's kind of disgusting, haha), but I just don't feel like I'm done. I'm going to work for a few years, but my tentative plan is to go back for my PhD in the near future. Might as well, eh? (We'll see if I like working and having free time too much instead ;) ).

College schedule. This may sound crazy, but I'm going to miss my schedule. I worked nearly full-time all through undergrad while taking at least seventeen credits, so I never really had down time to just study, sleep in, and such. I have in grad school, and I love it! I will sincerely miss being able to grocery shop or run and get coffee in the middle of the day if I feel like it. The freedom of not working has not been lost on me.

So now I'll go through some updates about what's been happening in my life, I guess (bolded titles perpetuate):

Thesis research. Well, the research portion is almost done--for the actual thesis, that is... and just in English, but yea. Still more needs to be done for the Spanish portion and the actual paper to be submitted for publishing, but I see the light! I will spend my first few months while at home working on that so I can come back out here and defend it--and then be done!--in the Spring. Woo woo!

ASHA. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA; ie.) our national governing body) annual convention was in Chicago this year. My friend and I had posters that we presented, and it was amazing! I had three people whom I cite in my research stop by and talk to me about everything; the remaining people I cite are either at UW or I met them later in the conference. What an opportunity! It was awesome, and the food was awesome, and it was awesome. Did I say that already? I don't care. It was. :)

School. School is going well. One more day of classes and two more days of my community placement (at a middle school) and then it's just final exams!

Community placement. So my clinical community placement is at a middle school here in Laramie. It's been a rewarding--and at times very funny experience. I have learned a ton, and I was fortunate enough to have an amazing supervisor. All's good on that front, I suppose.

I feel like I've been rambling--in an organized way--and I'm not really quite sure what else to say. Maybe I'll try to post some more in the next couple of weeks. Shell is coming out to help me move home in less than two weeks, and I'm so excited to see her--not so much for the leaving part! It will be great to have her here and to have her see where I've been for the last year and a half. Soon enough I will be home, and then I probably won't know what to do with myself for a while. Such is life... and it's a great one. :)