Oh, Hello 2011!

Hi friends. Sorry it's been so long since my last post. I feel like I have a lot less to blog about while in grad school. Things are pretty much the same from week-to-week. Study, sleep, eat, class, work... Sure, the occasional interesting thing happens, but the time just isn't there to share how my 7-year-old client told me I was going to 'Juvie' during one of our sessions.

So here's a summary of this last semester:
- Started school- Took a lot of tests
- Got Maggie spayed
- Continued to gain weight (lack of physical activity will do that to you!)
- Welcomed a new nephew into the family
- Finished crocheting a hat (big achievement, lemme tell ya!)
- Got hives a week before finals from stress
- Finished the semester with decent grades- Managed to stay healthy through the whole semester (knock on wood)

I'm quite relieved to be done with my first round of classes. I had a teacher that was...ahem...horrible. I felt as if I never knew what she wanted from me. I was constantly frustrated with her teaching style and always wanting to punch her in the face. Luckily, I kept my anger in check and passed both her classes. Success!

The break has been nice. Most nights I don't know what to do with myself. I'm so used to coming home and falling into the books/passing out on the couch that all this free time is hard to fill. I'm still a fan of falling asleep on the couch, so that's managed to stay on my after work 'to do' list. Hey, if you had our amazingly comfy couches and a dog to lay on your feet you'd fall asleep early every night, too!

A major highlight of the break was the annual friend Christmas party. Around 20 of us get together once a year and have a yummy dinner, a present exchange and play some awesome games. I love these people. They were the same gang that I went to La Jolla, California with when Bob and I met. I love how each year the group gets bigger with marriages and babies. This year we had 1 little guy there, and next year we will have at least 5 kids at the party. Wowza! I love these folks!

A small grouping of friends at the party.

Christmas was a little crazy, but awesome nonetheless. Bob got me some awesome gifts, and my parents hooked us up with some much needed things. We spent New Years Eve at Bob's sister's house with family and friends. We played games and snacked on yummies. Good times. We headed up to Bob's Momma's house on New Years Day and had an epic sledding adventure in Mantua. More good times with the Bob.

Speaking of the new year, I can't believe it is 2011. It sounds too...hmm...futuristic? Maybe it's those extra syllables twen-ty-e-le-ven. Yup. Those 5 syllables are most definitely more futuristic that the 3 in twen-ty-ten.

Syllables aside, it feels good to enter a new year. I love 'staring fresh'. Now that I have graduate school figured out, I am ready to take on a new semester. I am excited to work with my clients, and see the progress that they will make these next few months.

I'm not one to make New Years resolutions. I never keep them. They seem so overwhelming! Instead of making mammoth resolutions, I prefer to make 'tentative goals' for this year. Here's my list:

1. Get Healthier.
This can include just about anything. Eating better things for me, exercising more, taking the stairs, eating less at meals.

2. Be Nicer.
Less gossip, more patience, more service, less road rage.

3. Work Harder.
At everything! School, work, clinic, exercising, being an all-around better person.

4. Stop Chewing My Cheek
My nervous/bored habit? I bite the inside of my cheek. Especially during tests. I should probably work on stopping this. More gum, perhaps?

Yeah, that's all I have for now. I like keeping goals few and broad. Except for #4. That's pretty specific. And for good reason.

So there you have it. A nice summary of the past few months of my life wrapped into one handy-dandy blog post. Ta-da!!!