M.A. CF-SLP

That's me! What does all of that nonsense stand for? Master of Arts, Clinical Fellowship Speech-Language Pathologist. I have to complete a clinical fellowship year before I can sign my name M.A. CCC-SLP. Those coveted C's stand for Certificate of Clinical Competence. Those C's mean that I can assess and treat individuals on my own- without a supervisor. Regardless, I am super excited about my master's degree! Woo hoo! It was a loooooong time comin', but I adore my field of choice. What more could a girl ask for?

Graduation also means that Andrew and I are finally together! YAY for this!!

I had to have a picture in front of the building where I have spent SO much of my time during these last four years. It's crazy to think that I won't be returning here.

That hood was itchy and hot.

The best friends a girl could ever hope for, wish for, or pray for.

My "little" brother graduated with his bachelor degree on Saturday as well. He will begin seminary in the fall. I'm a proud sister!

You can see my sparkly cap in this picture. Jen is on my left, and Andrea is on my right. It looks like we are praying, but I'm really not sure what's going on. Jen is probably starting to tear up at this point, which is when I bolted. No tears yet. Those come soon enough.

I know I've said it a thousand times lately, but the biggest blessing I've received from graduate school is the amazing friends I've made. These years have been so very tough, and we couldn't have made it through without each other to lean on.

It's so hard to believe that I am finished with school. That reality hasn't hit yet, and I'm not sure that it will until I am headed Northeast. It's also wild to think that my time here is almost over. That being said, I need to begin packing!

Little Bit of Bling

My friends and I got together on Thursday of this week to decorate our caps for graduation. We met for lunch beforehand, and then went to Hobby Lobby together to purchase supplies. We had SO much fun doing this together, and it made me realize even more how much I am going to miss this group of girls. They are awesome.

Here, Andrea and Ali are just getting started designing their caps.

Jen and me at the beginning.

Andrea and I finished first. Our finished caps looked awesome if I do say so myself!

Ali and Jen finished, and they also did a great job with theirs. So pretty!

We then had a little photoshoot in my kitchen. What a great, great group of friends. God has blessed me beyond my imagination. We have laughed together, cried together, and shared so much. I will take them with me wherever I go because they left such an imprint on my heart.

Jen and I had to snap a picture with our finished hats. Love, love, love her.

Here is a close-up of mine. Please notice the teals, greens, and purples that accent the rhinestones. How fun is this?!

I couldn't have asked for a better day with my friends, and I can't wait until they come and visit New York! I hope a trip is in the works soon : )

I love you guys!!



Teeny Tiny Visitor

I was on the phone with a recruiter today when I looked out my door and saw the most adorable thing. I had to quickly grab my camera, make sure Theodore didn't get out, respond appropriately to my phone conversation, all while trying not to scare this little guy away.

Precious, right?! I'm going to miss little things like this about this place...



Hot, Hot, Hot!

We are NOT lovers of the heat in this household. When I arrived home yesterday from Mother's Day with Mom, I walked into a house with the air blowing through the vents... as hot as could be. The air conditioner is out.

We made it through the night ok. I was very restless, Theodore drank 1.5 bowls of water.

At one point in the sweltering afternoon, I looked back to see this pitiful face. Doesn't his eyes just tell the whole story??

Luckily, not too long after this, Helen's husband, Harry, came over and put in the window unit Andrew keeps in the shed.

Theodore immediately lined himself up with the airflow from the window unit. He didn't budge for the rest of the day. That is, until it was his 9:00 bedtime. Yes, he puts himself to bed each night!

You know he's saying, "Now that's better!"

"Ahh! This is the life!"

The heating and cooling guy comes tomorrow morning. I am anxious to see what he says... in more ways than one. I am ready to get the air conditioner working again so it's more comfortable packing in here, but I'm also worried about the outcome.

Saying some prayers for sure...



Welcome, Little Freaks!

Sadly, my turtle doves lost their babies a week before they were due to hatch. I blame a snake, Andrew says it was probably the owl that lives in my bradford pear. I think he says that so I won't freak out about a snake.

The fatherless robins hatched this week though! They are some freaky looking babies too... especially when they stretch their little necks out to get food! I wish that I could capture a picture when the momma is feeding them, but she isn't too fond of me. We don't have the same bond that I had with Ellie Mae.

Anyway, she was off of her nest today, so I decided to take a few pictures. Please pardon the blurriness... it's hard to take pictures when you're dodging a mad momma!

See the little eye and pointy beak?

I cut the head off of one in this picture. Their beaks are crazy looking!

Here they both are! They look so snug in there. I think the one in back is getting squashed though. After taking these pictures, I realized that they do have feathers. That makes them cuter. When they have their necks stretched out, they look bald. So, maybe they aren't really freaks.

So sweet. I cannot imagine having 3-5 baby birds in there! Robins normally have 3-5, and this one only had two. That's probably good, because this nest is full.

I wish them the best... I only have another week with them.



Happy Mother's Day!

I made the trip home for Mother's Day today. I had a very good day with my momma!

They took me on a tour of the house that they're hoping to purchase. It's so cute, and it's definitely move-in ready. The current owner has the same taste as my mom- simple, classy, and perfect. I am very excited about this possibility for them!

My step-dad grilled for our dinner tonight. It was so tasty, and I enjoyed the first corn-on-the-cob of the season. YUM!

I hope Mom had as great of a day as I did.

Kristal brought my niece over to visit. It was SO good to see her. Although, we did have a rather tearful time for a bit. She is wise beyond her years and understands the move all too well. I think it would have been easier on me if she would have told me she hated me for moving. Instead, she tearfully nodded her understanding as to why I have to move so far away. Broke my heart to pieces.

You see, I helped "raise" her for the first 4.5 years of her life. Kristal always called me her second half when it came to Lexi. She even let me keep her as an infant. I now realize how much trust Kristal had in me to let an 18 year-old keep a tiny baby overnight.

Lexi and I have always had a special bond that extends beyond that of an aunt and niece. It's a bond that will never go away, but it's also a bond that feels great heartache with separation. I am amazed at Lexi's maturity as we discussed the move.

Tears dried up, hugs were given, and we both know that we will always be close at heart.

I also really enjoyed time with my nephew. He wanted to climb the tree like his sissy, so I gave him a boost. He was so excited and exclaimed, "I up high, I up high!" several times while sitting there. They're adorable kiddos!

I read something that really hit home today on my step-mom's status. She urged everyone to pray for those who are finding Mother's Day hard to celebrate this year. I urge you to do the same. Whether you know someone who lost a child prematurely, lost a mother to soon, or had a miscarriage, say a little prayer for them. It is possible that today was very hard for them to celebrate...

Wedding Frenzy

Late Thursday evening, I was contacted by a bride via Etsy about this hair accessory in my shop:

She really liked it, and she wanted to know if I could make 5 of them plus two smaller ones for her flower girls. The kicker? She needed them within the week.

I agreed that I could do it even though I was thinking about everything that I have to do for school, moving, etc. I also have two other large orders in the works. Luckily, they are for people I know, and they don't need them immediately. So, this order quickly got pushed to the top of my list.

Here are the final products! So sweet and pretty. I think that her bridal party will look so fair and ladylike with these in their hair on her wedding day.

She was a very sweet and energetic bride to work for. The only thing that I'm sad about is... I will never get to see pictures of these being put to use. That's the only negative thing about selling to strangers. I hope she enjoys them as much as I enjoyed working for her!



Basic Baked Barbeque

Chicken, that is. The "c" didn't go with my alliteration.

I made up my own chicken dish tonight. I really enjoy barbeque chicken, but I'm not a fan of grilled chicken. I think it gets to be too dry, and I don't like the charred taste it gets. I also like to bake my food- it's healthier that way.

So... here's how I did it!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup barbeque sauce (I used Maull's and Bull's Eye)

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup worcestershire sauce

Sprinkle of garlic salt

2-4 chicken breasts

Preparation:

Boil chicken breasts to ensure a moist and juicy meal.

When cooked throughout, remove and place in greased baking dish.

Top with barbeque mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes so the chicken isn't toooooooo moist (a.k.a. bad for my sensory texture issues). I know this is a contradiction of early, but trust me, this makes the chicken the perfect texture.

Remove & serve with a tasty, healthy veggie.

I made my baked brussel sprouts that I posted about months ago. It was a truly tasty meal. I will be making it again!

His & Hers

Andrew gave me the go ahead on the purple towels!

Disclaimer: I think I was taken the wrong way on my last blog. I don't try to "win" these "battles" when it comes to decorating. In fact, I most often just tell Andrew what I'm thinking about doing, and he gives me a thumbs-up. Sure, there are some boundaries... limit the pink, keep it a little less girly, don't get too fancy. You know, those things. He also knows that I don't decorate that way. Pretty much, I was just being silly when I posted that last night.

Anyway, back from that sidenote!

I found the perfect purple towels (as well as bathrugs) today! Target was having a sale on the exact towels that I wanted. I wanted super absorbent, but very soft ribbed towels. I had found some at Wal-Mart, but I wasn't a fan of their intense purple. The ones that I found at Target are made from bamboo, and they are a more steely-purple. Unfortunately, they didn't photograph exactly as they look in person. I also found super cool hardware at Hobby Lobby for half-price!

I found this for Andrew. He likes bath sheets as opposed to bath towels. They didn't come in purple, and I knew he would appreciate the manliness of this tan. Also, it helps break up the purple. How cool is the towel hanger?

Mine! These towels are awesome, and I am SO excited that everything was on sale today. I like to pretend that it was meant to be.

I found this adorable bird to use in the bathroom portion for our handtowel holder. This little guy was a little over a buck by the time the discount was taken! SOLD!

I am excited to get to work on the new bathroom. I definitely got a lot of fun stuff today.



Woot, Woot for the Hoot, Hoot!

My husband is pretty cool. Cool enough, that is, to let me get an owl shower curtain for the new bathroom!

Woot, woot!

I was having a hard time matching the light blue-ish green walls, and when I stumbled across this...

... I knew that it was perfect!

I'm trying to negotiate deep purple towels to accent this fabulous shower curtain.

I wonder how far I can get with that...