Brief update... and articulation errors.

Whew! Work is busy. Busy busy busy. We are four SLP's short in my district, so we are all over our caseload limits. The district has actively been searching for SLP's to hire, but there just aren't any. I have some of the lowest numbers (with 54), and some ladies have RIDICULOUSLY high numbers (like, 77). We are all just trying to do the best we can. I heard that this may happen when I was in grad school, but you don't really think much of it until it actually happens. It's craziness, but luckily I have been keeping my head above water so far.

I love my kids. They are adorable and wonderful and make me laugh almost every day. Some days the paperwork and everything I have to do weighs on me a bit, but the students really help put it back in perspective: I'm there for them, and I know I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be right now. Around 60% of my caseload does not have English for their first language. Since I serve K-3, for a number of these students it is their first real exposure to English. That makes for some pretty funny articulation errors. I have one student who is one of the most unintelligible kiddos I've ever heard, but he is SO animated and excited to talk. He is a little cutie pie who LOVES to tell stories with his hands and facial expressions. Normally I can glean what he is trying to tell me, but sometimes I can't. Anywho, here is a story about him:

We are playing "Go Fish" with cards that have numbers and sea creatures on them. Suddenly, he gets this huge smile and goes:

WOOOWWW!! A BIG fart. A HUGE fart. A MEAN fart.
Me: What? What are you talking about?
*it's a shark. So he keeps saying "fart" and his peers start giggling a bit, so I'm like... Okay. I have to get this kid saying "shark".
Me: Shhhhh... like you're telling someone to be quiet. "SSshhhhh"
Him: SSHHHHH.
Me: Yes! Now, Shhhhaaaa
Him: Shhhaaaaaa
Me: Yes! Shaaaaaark.
Him: SSSHHHHAAAARRRRRTTT.
Me: : | .
*Now I'm thinking, "crap! I don't know which was better for him to be saying: 'fart' or 'shart'". Eventually, I got him saying "shark" correctly.

Also, kiddos with an /r/ distortion (think Boston, "cah" for "car"). I've just stopped doing "fork" for now, because it comes out as a fairly inappropriate word for that age group to use. Say it in your head. I serve a pretty rough population, as well, so they have DEFINITELY heard that word before, and it always ends in hysterics. I just don't use it until they have the sound down now :). 

Yesterday, I drove up to Branson to see my aunt who was in town visiting another family who recently moved to Missouri from the U.P. We went on a Showboat Dinner Cruise, and it was so much fun! After that, we walked around Branson and saw some live music. The drive up there was SUPER curvy, but it was almost entirely through the Ozarks. The colors have just started changing here, and the scenery was incredible. It was so nice to see a familiar face from home; especially someone I love so much!

Well, I'm going to go do some Medicaid billing and review some reports (while watching "Harry Potter" of course). I hope all is well with everyone. As an update, I said "y'all" the other day; I also said "come get you some", which is another Southern saying I've seemed to pick up. We'll see how this goes ;) .

"Y'all fixin' to?"

Whew. It's been a while since I've posted. I JUST got internet, like, two days ago. I'll do a quick update.

I'm living in Fort Smith, AR. I have met some really wonderful people, and I'm enjoying it so far. It's hot, but that's what I wanted. I found a cute little duplex that's been completely redone and I love it. The only thing I'm not too impressed with is my neighbor--who smokes and has a dog that never stops barking (in a non-smoking/no pets apartment. We'll see what happens with that. I'm just a little annoyed with coming home and having my house smell like smoke, especially when it's not supposed to.

The school I'm at is great so far. Almost everyone is super nice and welcoming. They are really involved with the kids and are open to me trying whatever I want--which is wonderful! My school is 97% Free or Reduced Lunch, and a lot of my students' parents don't speak English. My Multicultural class is very much coming in handy! The district I work in is pretty big--around 17,000 students. Arkansas puts a lot of money into their education system, and you can tell when you really get involved in the schools. I definitely feel like I'm in the right place right now. As for getting here...

I had an almost uneventful trip down. I had my car loaded up with my car topper equally loaded on top. It was strapped down and ready to go--or so I thought. It kept making weird noises, so I'd pull over and check it. Then, somewhere before Green Bay, WI, I hear *plunk*. It was a very uneventful sound, but one that caught my ear. I happened to look in my rear-view mirror and I see my huge car-topper barreling through the air on the highway. Luckily, the only vehicle behind me was far enough back that they could swerve and miss it (it was an RV, and hopefully nothing in there went flying when they had to deke my topper).  Anywho, I threw 'er in reverse and proceeded to drag my topper to the side of the road. This thing was HEAVY. Thankfully, about five minutes later, a man in a van with his two teenage sons passed. They stopped and tried to figure out how to fix my topper--that wasn't happening. They then got it back on top of my car, which was a struggle. He pointed me to the nearest gas station and said that I should get some ratchet straps.

I get to the gas station... and there are no ratchet straps. I go to the gas station across the street... and there are no ratchet straps. I ask a man who has a fishing boat behind his truck--he seemed like he was from around there--where I could get ratchet straps. He said that there was a grain and feed store in the town we were by about three miles away. I thanked him and headed on my way. I get to the grain and feed store and walk in. There's a young teenage girl sitting there with three cats--I really don't like cats. I'm immediately swarmed. I tell her what I need and she goes in the back to get her mum. Her mum comes out and points me in the direction of the ratchet straps...ONE LEFT. I grabbed it like it was the last item on sale on Black Friday. Then, I had to swallow my pride and ask if anyone could help me put it on. Luckily, her husband had just gotten to work and a farmer who was buying feed had just pulled up. The two men ratched it down assured me that I could take flight before that thing would come off again... and they were right. I made it!

The only other thing that happened was my GPS failing me in St. Louis. The exit I happened to take was Stadium Dr., which happened to go DIRECTLY to the Cardinals' Stadium, on an evening where there HAPPENED to be a game about to start. Needless to say, the detour tacked a bit of time onto my trip.

That's about all that's exciting that has happened so far. My birthday was very fun. We went to the land and swam and lit fireworks and it was good :).

I'll leave you with a somewhat funny story. There a young girl at my school who is a bit rough. Very sweet, but a bit rough. Around thirty or so different languages are spoken in my district, so I never really know what to expect. This is how the exchange went. Keep in mind that she is seeing me for articulation difficulty, so pronunciation was a bit skewed:

Girl (G): Bonjourmesamies.
Me (M): What?
Girl (G): Bonjourmesamies. That means, "Hello, how are you?"
Me (M): OH! Bonjour, mes amies! Yes, that means, "Hello, my friends" in French! I kind of speak French!
G: No, it doesn't. It means, "Hello, how are you".
M: Oh, okay.
*We continue to work on articulation*
M: Say, "ra".
G: (In a throaty voice), RRRAAAAA. That's "r" in French.
M: Oh. I see. Say "the".
G: (Again in a throaty voice), TTTTHHHEEEUUUUGGGH. That's "the" in French.
NO. IT'S NOT.
M: Fascinating.

She continued to do this for the duration of our session. Funny thing in case you didn't know: apparently every word in French is just the English word said in a different accent. WHO KNEW?!

I love kids. They are fantastic and make me happy.

Oh! I went and saw Merle Haggard on Friday at the Choctaw Nation Labor Day Festival. It was fun :).

A few of the teachers at my school have made it their mission to get me saying "y'all" and "fixin' to". I've come close a few times, but haven't actually done it. We'll see how long I can hold out!

I guess that's all for now. I'll try to update more seeing as I have internet.
Love y'all ;) !

Festivals and Farewells.

Why, hello there. I am now back in Marquette... for a week. I leave for Arkansas for training in three short days. Crazy!

My last few weeks in Traverse were great. I feel blessed to have had the supervisor I did--I learned so much. The patients and everyone else were fantastic, as well. The Cherry Festival was going on my last week in TC, so the traffic was crazy. I was told that 300-400,000 extra people flood the city for the event. I met up with a friend at the festival and we walked around and had dinner. I had some local fries and a delicious corndog (yea, I like 'em) and a caramel apple. Well, we split the caramel apple and an elephant ear so needless to say, I was full. Like, beyond full. The food was good and we got to hear the first bit of Thorogood's set so all in all, it was a good evening!

Since I've been in Marquette I've just been relaxing and spending time with family. It's been great. I've called on a few apartments in Arkansas, and it seems like there is a lot of availability. Hopefully I'll find something easily--fingers crossed! I can't believe that this time next week I'll be in training for my BIG GIRL JOB. Wow!

I'm looking forward to being able to share more stories with you once I move down South. It'll be a whole different world, but I'm excited about it. I'm excited for my daddio, who recently accepted a new job, as well! Lots of exciting things happening. I'll try to keep you updated.

Love, y'all.

J. O. B. and the internal compass.

Oh, hello there. I have a job. 'tis true. Here are the details:

1. It is in Arkansas.
2. It is warm in Arkansas.
3. The place I'm moving to does not get tornadoes, like, ever (this is very important for those who really know me).
4. It is at a preschool/elementary school.
5. I am very much excited about and looking forward to this new adventure.

The story is kind of funny. So, I was waiting on this other job I had mentioned and then this school asks to set up a Skype interview with me. We are Skyping and it is all going VERY well. I told them that I was waiting to hear from another school--which I was--and they said something along the lines of, "Well, if we were to offer you the job right now... what would you say?" They didn't; however, they did call my references and offer me the job two hours later. I asked if I could have a couple hours to mull it over (they were looking to hire very quickly). I called the other school (which was supposed to let me know by that same day of there decision) and nothing happened. SO.... I accepted the job. It was really too good of an offer to pass up. The other place had been kind of hit or miss with their communication anyways.

SIDEBAR: The following Monday I got a phone call from the district I couldn't get ahold of saying that they were going through HR changes and to please not accept a position somewhere. At that point, it was too late. I had.

I am extremely happy with my choice. Not only did it have better benefits and perks and such, but it's also in a preschool/elementary school. That's right where I wanted to be (the other job was at a middle school). It's in a city that is close to a few of my friends, and only a few hours away from some of my family members, so I'm really looking forward to it all!

The hospital has been great. I've gotten to see SO many interesting things. Today was one of those days where I felt like this was my actual job--as in, I felt comfortable making prognostic comments and medical judgements without the help of my supervisor. Pretty dang cool. Even though today was crappy outside (at first), the day was just beautiful. I learned a lot. The people were great. Beautiful day, beautiful life. Another exciting thing: people are calling me an actual speech therapist! I know I'm technically a student for three and a half more weeks, but still. I get little butterflies whenever someone says it or asks for my clinical judgement or says, "my speech therapist...". YAY :).

I went to Charlevoix to watch my sister's softball tourney this weekend and got to hang out with/stay at my aunt and uncle's house. I love my family so much. All of them. They are seriously the best people I could ever ask to have in a family and they are all in mine. Whadda ya know!? 

Well, I've been sitting at the coffee shop now drinking water (I finished my food a while ago) and doing work for a bit too long without purchasing something, so I should probably head home. No wine or beer for me tonight--I'm watching my girlish figure for my best friend's wedding this weekend!

Which I am very excited for.

Obviously.

Because it's going to be incredible and fun and wonderful.

Obviously.

New things on the horizon! I'll try to keep you updated. Hey! Now that I'm leaving Michigan again (in a different direction on the compass this time) maybe I will have some funny/interesting stories again. I'll be in a preschool/elementary school after all and, as we know, kids are pretty dang entertaining.Also, I'll be in the South :).

Love, y'all.

That moment when...

You don't pay quite enough attention to a job application, and you end up leaving the name of the school in your previous letter of interest for the one you are otherwise applying to. Yea. That happened. And I was wondering why they didn't call haha. FOR THE RECORD: I was asked if I wanted to work at a different location in that city, so I'm not too hurt about it at the moment. Anyways, it's a little too close for comfort to something at the moment. Vague? Sorry.

So I've been having an interesting go with this whole job application thing. It's different than I anticipated. I submitted a few more tonight, and I plan to submit yet more tomorrow. It's all a bit exciting and I'm enjoying it :). All applications are down South--as I mentioned they would be. That's all I'll give ya for now.

Other than the job hunt, things have been pretty good. I am loving TC still. I mean, how could you not? My mum and dad came to visit last weekend for my sister's softball districts; it was SO nice to see them. They are so cute, and I love how in love they are. That was sappy, I know. I just like seeing people happy, and they are happy, and that makes me happy :). Sappy, happy, happy, happy. I sound like Uncle Si from DD. Anywho, it was great to see them.

One of my best friends is getting married in a couple of weeks and I CAN'T FREAKIN' BELIEVE IT. Her fiancee is wonderful, and I'm so extremely happy for them. Also, I'm happy for her to be done with her med school boards in less than a week, which she is taking right before her wedding, because she is flocking crazy. If there were anyone in the world who could handle that with the grace and (seeming) ease, however, it would be her. She is a force to be reckoned with, and I pity the board examiners she is going to steamroll with her intelligence (I LOVE YOU, LADY!).

This has been an odd summer, I must say. A lot has happened, and yet, not much at all. I'm feeling kind of free at the moment. Not like, AHHH YES I'M FREE I'M FREE, but like, "Yea, this is cool. I'm enjoying this going home and laying on the deck and going for runs and watching movies at night and hanging by the water and enjoying the landscape and loving where I'm at and relaxing" sort of thing. Some disappointing things have happened, but what I've learned about that is that it's pointless to dwell.

Quotes that are consistent with my thoughts on life and current situations (so that I don't sit and explain a situation, because that would be boring as hell):

“And that's the thing about people who mean everything they say. They think everyone else does too.” “Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.”
“It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.”

The authors were George Washington, Khaled Hoseini, and Albert Einstein. Game time... figure out the order. Ready? Go!

I just finished a book that I started months ago; didn't love it, for the record. It was The Casual Vacancy. The character development and writing style were good, but I didn't love the story.

Not many stories I can share about the hospital recently. 

For the meantime, I'm enjoying where I'm at. I'm in a wonderful place with good people, great weather, meaningful lessons, and perpetual beauty (internal and external). That's what I'm still loving about being at the hospital. I'm thankful every day. Every. Single. Day. Not a bad way to be :).

I'll let you know when I know where I'll be in a couple of months (ahem*EMPLOYMENT*ahem). Love y'all.

IT'S DONE.

MY THESIS IS DONE AND SUBMITTED AND WHAT THE HELL!!??? Yay. I mean, the university may still have some edits they want me to do before they approve the publication, BUT, my supervisor said that isn't likely. SO FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES THE THING I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON FOR ALMOST TWO YEARS IS NOW DONE.

All I have left to do before I have that pretty piece of diplomatic (wrong use of that word, but we'll go with it) paper in my hand is to finish my medical practicum here in Traverse. I'm kind of at a crossroads of thinking because I technically only have about twenty hours left of my practicum to do before I meet the qualifications for my degree...and I'll get those in like, a week... but I am here until mid-July. I am going to make the most of my time here and soak up all of the information that I can. It's a great learning environment and my supervisor is super knowledgeable--catch that pun ;)?--so I might as well learn as much as I possibly can!

Now, I guess my focus is on finding a job.. or rather, finding a place that I want to apply for a job. I'm still looking down South, but I'm finding there are a LOT of things I need to be considering. Currently, I am trying to figure out licensing in a state I may not be staying in when I am not already licensed. Also, I need to figure out if these job postings I'm seeing will take a CFY (Clinical Fellowship Year). I'm not technically nationally licensed until I finish my 9-month fellowship year. So, anywho. That's where I'm at.

No funny stories at the moment. I said goodbye to a few of my patient's today who have been in the hospital since I started. I was a bit attached seeing as they were my first round of patients, but I'm glad that they are getting to go home! Some more sad things have been happening too. One thing I am actually enjoying about the hospital is that being there really makes you appreciate what you have and who you are. It takes all kinds, my dears.

I will update again soon. I am once again in the coffee shop, having a beer. I think I deserve it after the thesis submission. A random guy walked by and winked a minute ago, but I'll take that over the musical stranger from last week.

FOR THE RECORD: he was rapping. He told me that he was in the process of composing a song that was half-folk/half-rap. He had finished the folk portion because, "that came naturally to [him]", but he was really struggling with the rapping. I left immediately after that. At least people are interesting. Again, it takes all kinds, and I enjoy almost all of them for different reasons. People are pretty damn cool. :)

Love, y'all!

Codes and coffee shops.

So, I have moved to Traverse City. Temporarily, but nonetheless, I am here. The area is beautiful; anyone from Michigan knows that. I am currently doing an internship at the hospital here and I have to say: I am really loving it. It's a challenge. It's fast-paced. I think it's going to fly by.

It has been an interesting few weeks. Some big stuff happened, and that's cool. That's the way life works, I think. You move to a new place where you know no one and just when you think you are really feeling a certain way, you start to feel that way even more. Too vague? Sorry. Basically, I am enjoying having some time to do things I enjoy. Currently, I am sitting in a coffee shop drinking wine. It's a grand ole time :).

Anyways, the hospital is great. It is often very sad, but more than often very rewarding. Making someone tear up with happiness because you are giving them the okay to eat a chicken pot pie (when all they have been able to eat is purreed food) is pretty outstanding. I guess I have a somewhat funny story I can share that will not give any patient identifiers:

I am in the office (I have my own office, kind of! Cool, eh?). Anyways, I'm in the office. I hear, "CODE PURPLE. CODE PURPLE." over the intercom. I know that's a pediatric code. I look at the back of my card to see what it is and it's a child abduction. The exchange with me (M) and my supervisor (S) goes like this:

M: WHAT DO WE DO?
S: Meh. We'll go stand by the door over by the North stairwell. It's probably a drill.
M: Um, okay!
(follows supervisor to stairwell)
M: So, we just wait?
S: Well, I'm going to go guard the exit door, you stand here and guard this door. If it's peds, this is the only stairwell. So we should probably watch all the doors in case it's not a drill. If they don't give a description soon it's probably a drill.
INTERCOM: CODE PURPLE. MALE. 5 YEARS. BLONDE HAIR. BROWN EYES. FLANNEL SHIRT. SUSPECT IN BLACK HOODIE. NORTH STAIRWELL.
M (internally): OH SHIT.
S: Alright, I'm gonna check the door.
M (to other SLP standing by me): What do we do? Do I need to be trained? What do I do?
S: I'm sure it's fine.
M: Which is the North stairwell?
S: This one. It's the only one that goes off the peds floor.
M:

SIDEBAR: I am so surprised by this I didn't even finish my last sentence. There is a man who just randomly sat across from me at the coffee shop. Like, at my table for two. While there are MULTIPLE tables open. He just looked at me. The exchange goes like this:

Him (H):  Can I sit here?
Me (M): Um, sure? I'm about to leave so...
He sits down.
......a few minutes go by....
H: If I start making weird faces, I'm sorry. I'm just trying to come up with lyrics.
M: Um... no worries. It's all good.
.....a few minutes go by...
H: I'm sorry if I'm looking at you. I just talk to myself sometimes when I'm doing this, so I figured I should start sitting across from people otherwise I get really weird looks.
M: It's all good, dude. I get it. You do your thing. I'll do my thing. Then I'll leave.
....I'm now chugging my wine. So I'll finish this story quickly and go.

M (internally): Oh, geeze LOUISE.
RUSHING FOOTSTEPS ARE HEARD ABOVE. I AM INTERNALLY FREAKING OUT.
On the outside I am the picture of calm and knowledge.
I see a face. It's a male nurse (MN).
MN: DID YOU SEE ANYONE?
M (sighing): No. Supervisor is at the bottom door looking out.
MN: K, I'll go look and see if I can see anyone on the roof or fire escapes.
M: Ha. Okay!
RUSHING FOOTSTEPS ARE HEARD ABOVE. It's a female nurse (FN).
FN: DID YOU SEE ANYONE?
M: Nope! MN is up above and Supervisor is at the bottom of the stairs.
FN: Okay!
At this point I am thinking I'm going to have to turn into Bruce Lee or something. I have no idea what to do. 
M (to other SLP): Like, do I tackle him?
Her: Mmm.. No. We report it.
M: Okay?
INTERCOM: CODE PURPLE ALL CLEAR.
......... long pregnant pause......
INTERCOM: THIS WAS A DRILL.

Good, heavens. We have had lots of different codes since I've been there, but this was the one I was most directly involved in (besides the Code Blue that happened in the room next to me, and a subsequent Code after that). I am glad it was a drill.

SIDEBAR: Guy across from me is stroking his chin and speaking out loud. And rapping. I think he's rapping. 

So all in all, I am loving it here. My roommate situation is a little different (I'll post on that later), but otherwise I'm feeling pretty good. Lonely sometimes, but that is to be expected in a new city. I think once summer really picks up and there are things to do it will be better :). Hopefully friends come visit! I feel very lucky to be in such a beautiful place for the summer. I have been traveling a lot on the weekends, but I think I may actually try and stay here and explore this upcoming one. Wish me luck. I'll try to keep you updated, but strict confidentiality keeps me from saying too much about work. Now if only I could find the motivation to apply for some jobs. C'est la vie.

Love y'all.

Pink and blue and bows.

This past weekend I took a little jaunt over to the Soo for my best friend's bridal shower. Her colors are navy blue and fuchsia and as would be expected, everything was pink (and white)! She's adorable. It was her spring break from med school this past week, and she was in Marquette looking for an apartment for her clinical rotations beginning this June. I got to spend Sunday and Monday with her! It was nice. Then, as I mentioned, I had her bridal shower. It's the most I've seen her in that short of a period of time since we lived in the same city I think! I've missed her lots.

Anywho, the bridal shower was very cute. Her maid of honor did a great job organizing it, and we all had a wonderful time. A group of us went out Saturday night and had more fun, so it was a successful weekend all in all!

I can't believe I only have two and a half weeks left at my Marquette externship!  I'm REALLY going to miss it. A lot of funny things happen at the preschool, but I've come to understand both that I find things funny that others may not, and also that context is pretty important for a lot of the things that happen. Additionally, I need to keep them anonymous and some of the humor in the situations comes from which kids have done these things--if that makes sense. Anyways, here are a couple of cute things that have happened at the preschool:

Young girl (same one who is the "girlfriend" from the last story): UGH. It's just SO hot in this bra I'm wearing. (Looks to see if I'm paying attention... I don't look at her). UGH. This BRA is just SO HOT. (I nod and walk away. That girl, haha).

Young enthusiastic boy who asked a question about Tooter in the last post. This also happened during show and tell: (To child who brought show and tell) I WOULD LIKE TO TOUCH IT.
Teacher: I don't think you need to. It's not yours.
YEB: (Turns to teacher) I wasn't asking you.

The previously mentioned child is just SO good at reasoning and talking his way out of things, that sometimes you can't do anything but giggle.

I'm sure there's more, but I've forgotten. OH! I have a young one who is now insisting on calling me "Peanut Butter". Hilarity usually ensues and the kids in the class love it, but he's the only one who is calling me that (so far). You, too, may call me "Peanut Butter" if you want now I guess.

Also! Someone special is coming to visit me in less than three weeks, and I am SO excited!!

Anyways, I need to go order shoes for my friend's wedding in June. Love y'all!

Nautical nonsense and preschoolers.

Just so that I give credit where credit is due, the print I found to use as my new background is from: bespokeprints.com. Additionally, I should probably give credit to a quote that has been inspiring me lately, which also has to do with my new background. It is as follows:

“A ship in harbor is safe — but that is not what ships are built for.” — John A. Shedd.

I love all things nautical (including anchors)--much to the bemusement of my family probably, considering I REALLY don't care for, or even like, Lake State. In fact, when I came home with a blue phone case that had an anchor on the back, I didn't hear the end of it. I bought a new case, naturally. It is now sparkly silver and gold and has been deemed the "porn star phone case" by one of my best friend's cousins. C'est la vie. Anyways, I just love my new background simply for the fact that it has chevron, a nautical feel, and NO anchor. Everyone's happy.

I have been thinking about the quote I mentioned a lot lately. Growing up in the U.P., we are in a nautical environment ALL the time. I never really realized it until I moved out West though. I'm proud of being from Michigan--more specifically, the U.P.. It's an amazing area.

SIDEBAR: I'm going to be like everyone else and just say, THIS WINTER IS BULLSHIT. Like, seriously. Okay, if we're going to get a bunch of snow, fine. Whatever. I would prefer cold to snow, but NOT BOTH. It's March this weekend and our 10-day forecast does not have us getting above zero--not including wind chill. I'm just done with it.

So the U.P. is great. In the summer, Michigan is the most incredible place in the country to be--in my not-so-unbiased opinion. This winter has kind of solidified my desire to look for my CFY (9 month clinical fellowship all SLPs are required to do) in southern states. So I've started doing that. I can't wait to be WARM, provided that I get a job down there. If I end up hating it, then hey, it's only for one school year. I've left the harbor once for the Wild West and loved it, might as well do it again in a different direction!

For a quick update, I've been working at a preschool in Marquette. It's wonderful. I had no desire to work with the preschool population, but now being in one that is inclusive (as in, we provide speech-language services to the kids in their classroom) it's making me consider doing this for a job. I'm a little wary that I haven't yet worked in a skilled nursing facility or hospital. Those are the environments I was, and still am, most interested in working in; however, there's something to be said for truly looking forward to going to your job every day. Here are a few reasons I love the preschool:

1. The kids are FREAKIN' hilarious. Like, I crack up almost daily.
2. The people I am working with are awesome and they make going there everyday enjoyable.
3. The kids are FREAKIN' adorable. Like, I just want to pick them up and squeeze them sometimes.
4. THE KIDS.
5. THE KIDS.
6. THE KIDS.
7. It's actually a big challenge. I thought that being at a preschool would become kind of routine and wouldn't be super challenging. I've been proven wrong. I've had to learn a ton about behavior management and strategy. I also always have to be on my feet thinking about what each child's goals are and how I can incorporate them into the classroom activities we are doing. The evaluations I've been doing are great too.
8. THE KIDS.
9. I get to play with Legos, Playdough, blocks, etc. It's great.
10. THE KIDS.

I'm starting to think that maybe it would be fun to have a job where you see so much progress in your clients. It also is great to be there during the times they are learning a ton to provide them with the best possible intervention and language learning you can. Preschoolers are at this crazy age and some of them have more negative things going on in their life than you or I do. It's extremely rewarding to be that person there telling them you care about them and making them feel good about themselves--and hopefully providing a good base for the future. It's pretty neat. To finish off, I'll provide a few anonymous things my kids have said to me:

1. (There will be a few in one number for this kid). While staring longingly into my eyes, "you're hands are so soft."
"Look at your cheekies, your beautiful little cheekies" (then pinches my cheeks).
"I just LOVE your beautiful hair" (then pets my hair).
"We're going to play house. You be the mommy, and I'll be the doctor" (I shut this one down quickly).
"Ms. Mia, do you want to know something? You're beautiful." (I say "thank you").
Later, child turns around and says, "Ms. Mia, do you still want to be beautiful?" Um.... yes?

2. Child brings show and tell stuffed animals: an elephant and a seal. We ask their names. They were Porky and Tooter, respectively. Spunky young child bounces in seat raising a hand to ask a question of the child who brought show and tell like an interviewer at a press conference: "Umm, yes, thanks. First, I'd like to ask a question about Tooter...". Proceeds with Tooter having his 15 minutes of fame and Porky being swept to the side.

3. One of my favorites so far, while talking to my supervisor and I: "I don't know if you know this, but you're going to die. You're going to get old, and you're going to die. I won't, I want to stay little, so I won't die. But you will. You're going to meet our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, up there. But don't worry, he's a pretty nice guy. And Slipknot is the devil's music." We just stared at each other.

4. Same child as #3 with another child, sitting on bean bags. I think, awesome! Perfect opportunity for some language treatment! I'll read this one like a dialogue:
Me (M): Hey, guys! What are ya up to? (Both stare at me like I'm nuts).
Boy (B): Just talking.
Girl (G): Yea, just talking.
M: Can I sit with you, or would you rather be alone?
G: We'd rather be alone.
B: Yea, and she's my girlfriend and we're gonna get married. We'd rather be alone.
M: Okay.... well, see ya. (Walk away with head down. I am not the cool kid in class). 

Later that day:
B: Ms. Mia! Look what I drew!
M: (Trying to interpret scribbles) Oh, nice! What is it?
B: Me and G up on top of a hill swinging in the sunset because we're in love. Isn't that nice?!
M: Umm...
B: (To girl) Would you like that? We'll take a picnic and walk up a hill and lay on a blanket and eat the picnic and watch the sunrise! Does that sound fun?
G: (This actually happened. Girl exasperatedly puts her head in her hands and says) Not now, we're coloring.

I'll try to update more with anonymous silly stories, because there have been many I've forgotten.

Love, y'all!

Home is where the heat is.

No, I didn't spell that wrong. We have a sauna at my house and with how FREAKIN' COLD it's been lately, I have been taking one every day. It's the only way I can really warm up. I mean, it got to like, -50 degrees in Wyoming, but it's not humid--if you're bundled up, you don't really feel it. Here, it's the exact opposite. When it's -30 degrees, it feels like it no matter what you wrap yourself up in.

I'm home. I'm all done with graduate school classes and now just have my two externships and thesis defense before I am officially graduated. CRAZY. I have to admit, I'm really missing Wyoming. That was to be expected though, I suppose. One thing I will say is that it has been a chore fitting an apartment-full of stuff into my small bedroom, but I have somewhat succeeded. Yes, there are books on books on books and we had to buy some new storage shelves, but we figured it out. My friend Shell's sister helped us unpack the car when we got back to my house in Michigan and her comment on the number of books we had to unload--which was drastically reduced as I had shipped eight boxes home already--was, "Geeze, this is like unpacking Rorie Gilmore's car." I took it as a compliment :).

Home has been nice so far. I got to see pretty much all of my family, eat delicious food, relax, spend time with my bestest friends, and spend a lot of time in the car. Like, a lot. My travels over the last three weeks have been as follows:

Laramie > Marquette.
Marquette > Soo.
Soo > Petoskey.
Petoskey > Detroit.
Detroit > Green Bay (via Chicago).
Green Bay > Marquette.
Marquette > Soo.
Soo > Lansing.
Lansing > Kalamazoo.
Kalamazoo > Marquette.

Whew. I think that's it. It's a good thing I love car trips!

Anyways, I am beginning my externship at an early developmental center this week. It was supposed to begin on Monday, but with the "Polar Vortex" sweeping through the nation, we have had triple cold days. I'm hoping to begin on Thursday. Don't get me wrong, I love the extra vacation time. I'm just getting a little bit stir crazy being in the house so much. Now that my room is all organized, I really don't have much to do. Maybe I'll start studying for my board exam...... HA. No, that can wait. Also! I found out that other than IFSP/IEP meetings or professional seminars I am able to wear jeans and casual shirts to work! Seeing as we are on the floor with preschoolers all day, this makes sense. I'm still excited, though.

As I'm no longer out West I'm not sure what kind of updates/posts I'll be doing, or how often I'll be doing them. It will most likely be little stories about my preschoolers and where I'm at with finishing school and such. Hopefully it will pick up more once I begin the job hunt, and then start said job! (Preview: I'll likely be looking down South or on the East Coast). Wish me luck!

Love, y'all!