October 18, 2010 my fabulous Godson, Corbin, was born! Unfortunately it was four hours away and my crazy schedule kept me from being able to visit right away! One of my best friends, Lindsey, & her husband, Rhine are from Lincolnton {my hometown} and planned to visit for Thanksgiving. What a perfect time to get together! We planned to hang out Tuesday night and as soon as I could, I rushed home so I could meet Corbin finally & visit with Lindsey & Rhine! I enjoyed every minute of it and look forward to when Alex & I can go visit them in Wilmington {very} soon! I hate they live so far away and I hardly ever get to see them. Mine and Lindsey's phone dates are all I have right now! :) That & Facebook! ;)
Here are some pics from the evening!
Here is an example of Alex's hilarious photography skills. Surely he knew I wanted to be in the picture WITH Corbin....{I can hear him now, "Don't call me Shirley!" haha}
Corbin fell in love with Alex. He wouldn't take his eyes off of him....
See?!? :) ....
He's still watching...just doesn't know about this "poking" thing...
He's only about five weeks old, so he doesn't do much...but he sure is pretty to look at! :)
I tried to get a pic of Linds with Corbin but, he decided to play dinosaur instead...She looks so great for just having had a baby!! {Pretty sure that's not correct English}
Here's Alex again...I think he loves Corbin already! :)
FINALLY! Here's {a decent} one of Corbin & his "fairy Godmother!"
I have been MIA in the blogging world and with good reason. My life has been consumed with this dreaded meta-analysis I have been working my butt off on! I can't explain to you how oh-so-good it feels to have that thing submitted for grading! That was the peak of my semester I believe...and now it's all downhill from here! Yesterday was a 7am-11pm kind of day...today I have much more free time to get some things marked off my to-do list.
I started Couch-to-5k again. I pretty much got super busy after Week 2 last time I started it and it kinda feel to the bottom of my priorities list. After that delicious Thanksgiving meal, it is back on the priority list! I started back on Week 2....I'm 2 out of 3 days down this week so far & might attempt a little "over and beyond." Alex and I made a sweet little deal too... if I complete the 9 weeks of the program, I will get a nice "surprise" :) ... I never said bribery wouldn't motivate me!!
For someone who feels like they have ZERO spare time (and yesterday was a fabulous example) I sure am adding things to my plate. I am very excited about some things coming up and some things I am starting... as I get started I will update! I am praying I stay motivated and encouraged and everything works out for the best! I am letting God lead the way because I am living on auto-pilot right now.
I've just gotta get these last minute assignments completed so I can just sit back and relax as long as possible in the month of December! Wow....this year has FLOWN by. December already?! That kind of relieves me though, as I am officially counting down until May! :)
Side note: Did anyone catch the Taylor Swift: Speak Now special on NBC Thanksgiving night?? I just had a chance to watch it last night. {Thank you TiVo for saving me again!} This special just made me fall more in love with Taylor Swift. I really think she's my favorite.
Another side note: I thought it was funny that ABC has a Beyonce special on, also on Thanksgiving night. I have heard one too many Taylor vs. Beyonce "arguments" & I just had to chuckle that these were on on the same night. I personally love Taylor way more but I want to try to catch the Beyonce special on ABC.com sometime if I get a chance. They are just too different to compare people, so stop trying! :)
I kind of like this whole "getting dark at 5pm thing" because I am sitting here, after a VERY long day, finally getting a chance to sit down....to do homework mind you....and I feel like it's about 11pm! It was only 6something! Between that & (first forgetting too & then) choosing not to change my microwave's time back quite yet has really tricked my mind well a number of times into at least thinking I had more hours in the day. We're all asking for this, wishing we had more time in the day and here I go...finding ways to at least make myself THINK I do! :) I am just so smart. Ha!
Today I assisted a large number of high school seniors at Maiden High in applying for college. It's College Application Week so they get to apply to some (mostly private) colleges for free this week. Listening to all the questions and concerns they had really made me wish I could tell them "it doesn't matter!" You don't have to pick your major right now, you don't have to accurately calculate how much of your expenses are paid by your parents, how much by you, and how much by your savings account....things like that. Just guess as good as you can!
I am just so so so thankful that season in my life is OVER! I remember sitting at my computer, applying to Appalachian, wondering if I would get in, being glad I didn't have to write an essay to get in & the application fee was only $25. On top of that, I found out a month after I applied whether I got in or not. I did get a great deal on the "applying to college" gig. But then the next 3 years of my life were devoted to school work, working part-time jobs, driving up & down a mountain, & just figuring out a way to make it all end as soon as possible.
.... and I did. 3 years & I was out of there!
Boone, I love you (at times), but I'm not in love with you. I'm definitely glad I don't live in Boone anymore...even though Boone was beautiful last time Alex & I visited.
Side thought: "Boone. I like that name. I might name a dog Boone one day."
My point is...thank God I am past that season in my life. It was a tough one for me and just a stepping stone/obstacle in my way in the long scheme of things.
I have enjoyed graduate school so much more.
But school, I'm REALLY getting tired of you.
I'm working my butt off to get everything else that's due this semester done ASAP! That way I will be able to breathe a little, enjoy myself a little, and gosh darn clean those dishes that have been piling up in my sink! My poor apartment has been completely neglected the last 2 weeks due to all this school work I've had going on. And I feel like I've barely made a dent in my mountain!
"...It's like moving mountainsssssss...." ~ anyone know that Usher song?? ha!
I'm not trying to get too personal, but tonight was a really really really bad night for me. I cried out of anger. I cried out of pain. I just got plain mad. I cussed. I got quiet. I just sat. I stared into the deep dark hole that I was in. I didn't want to move. Or drive. {Unlucky for me I still wanted to eat. I hadn't had supper yet and it was getting late. I wish I was one of those girls that when they got upset, they didn't eat. I'll never be one of those girls.} I complained...on and on and on. I think I listed everything NOT going right in my life, not going to my plan. Around 7:45pm I left for the library to study for tomorrow's bigger-than-ever test, and three hours later, I had never made it in the library, and I was headed home to eat McDonald's and stand in a very hot shower. {Please note studying had not occurred yet, and again, bigger-than-ever test tomorrow.}
Side note: Lord, thank you for Alex. During all of those things I listed above he was there, sitting on the other side of the phone, not knowing what to say, but trying really hard (I think, or at least I will give him credit for). He knew he was as helpless as I was/am in these situations, so he just sat, and listened. Then the Lord provided him with something really awesome to say, so, thanks God, and thank you Alex.
It was one of THOSE nights. You know what I mean. We all have them.
I guess I should have known it was coming, but I didn't see it coming, so tonight hit me like a ton of bricks. It hit hard and it hurt. I still don't have any answers. I still can't control anything or anyone in my life.
All I can do is PRAY and HOPE. That's it. Literally. Alex and I tried tonight to think, of anything, possibly anything that could be done. We have nothing. Absolutely nothing. Jesus Christ is literally all I have. All that's forever. All that's unconditional. He is the reason for the unexplainable hope in my heart tonight, because the Lord knows that if I was looking for it tonight, it was out of sight.
Please know that I'm not being selfish. Of course I'd like to know when I'm going to get married, heck or when I'll be engaged, or where I'll be working in August, IF I'll be working in August. I wish I knew what the future held, but I don't. There's no way for me to know. But that's not what I wanted tonight. Tonight I wanted RIGHT. I wanted people to make good choices. I wanted the right things to be said and for things to go the way the SHOULD go, not the way necessarily that *I* want them. {However, it just so happens that I want what's right}. Is that so much to ask? I don't think so. But apparently it is, right now anyways.
Things, vices, situations, and other people effect people's lives so much to the point that they're in a season of their life where doing what's right isn't what's top priority. Don't get me started on what their priority is... just know, it isn't what's "right."
I wonder, how long will God make me endure this? What's his reasoning for it? Maybe it's to bring me closer to Him. Maybe it'll go on forever. Maybe it's meant to go on forever. So what then? Will I be this sad and upset forever? God says no. I trust that He'll provide me the strength, people, love, and resources to get through this time, no matter how long it lasts.
I seriously don't know how anyone gets through anything without God.
This song popped into my head tonight and God's eyes crossed as I sang it in the shower. It really was my heart song tonight {Happy Feet reference}. Oh, how I love it...
This is one of my favorite songs of all time. I love this version compared to the actual music video's version, which is why I'm showing this version instead. If you haven't heard it, go ahead and press play...
I am going to bed less sad, loved by and very thankful for my boyfriend, more hopeful, and faithful that God will get me through my test tomorrow. There's no way it's not God lifting my spirits, no way in the world.
I'm studying for & taking the CPCE (Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination).
"Comprehensive Exam"...two of my least favorite words!
When am I taking it?
This Tuesday.
When did I figure out I needed to take it this Tuesday instead of in April?
On Wednesday.
When did I get permission to take it this late in the game?
Thursday.
When did I purchase the review book?
TODAY/Friday.
Holy crap! So what does that mean? I have four "full" days, minus class & work and meetings, to study for this "comprehensive exam." Again, let me reiterate... Holy crap!
So, that's what I've been doing....all day today.
Ok, well, since about 3:30 today, and not while eating dinner at Chili's. :)
Some people (almost everyone else taking this CPCE Tuesday) have been studying for this test for weeks/months. The review book is a 1,050-question review book. It's massive! But it's a decent read, thank the LORD!
Something funny I read tonight in it:
Pica is a condition in which a person wishes to eat items that are not food (i.e., the item has no nutritional value), such as consuming a pencil or perhaps a watch band. Just in case you're wondering, fast-food consumption is not considered a sign of pica in our society--yet!
Haha...good one! :) I appreciate the author's attempt at making this dreadful material interesting. It's info like, "Who is the father of career counseling?" and stuff of the sort. It's not anything I need to know to help a client in need- so don't worry, you future clients of mine, you. :)
I know people in the past that have studied their butts off, only to go take the exam and not feel prepared whatsoever. So what I'm going to do is just read as much as I can until Tuesday morning, and see what happens. Oh, and ask for your prayers!
Worse case scenario: I don't pass it and re-take it in April.
Seriously, I'm not that worried about it.
Maybe I should be.
Watch, I'm going to regret being such a horrible student.
It's 8:40pm and it's already been SUCH an eventful day. You all probably know by now that people start needing me about this time of night, but tonight, I just really hope they don't. I love you guys, but I'm not in love with you. I just really want to enjoy the rest of my evening, alone, relaxing, in pajamas, watching TV, and getting in the bed at a decent hour. Is that so much to ask?! :)
Today Jodi and I went to the NC School Counselors Association's conference in Greensboro, NC. We presented a poster on drop out prevention, primarily at the high school level. We had a little sports theme and titled it, "Stay In The Game." Clever, huh? Here's our poster...
I was proud of us, of all of us fabulous LR school counseling students! All of our posters looked awesome!
I honestly had a good time because we got to have girl time on the way there & back but also, while we were there, stood around with Monica {who is amazing and joined us for moral support} and had more girl time! Funny stories were definitely shared! ;)
We had to rush back after the luncheon because I had a dentist appointment in Lincolnton. Ultimately it only lasted a total of five minutes, which was great, because I had to rush back for class...but in the end, I left with an...(dun dun dun) appliance! Yes, for the first time in my life, I have some sort of metal in my mouth. It's ironic because the purpose of it is to reduce headaches caused my mouth clenching and teeth grinding, but for 2 and a 1/2 hours of class tonight, I just played with it in my mouth and tested it's strength (by clenching my mouth, haha) and NOW I have a headache. :/ Go figure. I have got to got to got to get used to it being there and learn to just leave it alone! Not to mention that I sound like a total... (that was going to be offensive). I have to learn to talk with it in my mouth, but until then, try not to make too much fun of me.
I bet my sweet potato fries are totally burnt by now...
Tonight Erin and I watched 16 & Pregnant on MTV. We missed you, Maria! I look forward to Tuesdays and Thursdays, or well, I did, but now I guess it's just going to be Tuesdays....anyways, I look forward to MTV nights. We girls all watch the show(s) anyways...so we might as well watch them together! :) I love our commercial commentaries. Well, tonight there was a girl on there, Felicia, who is, I'm sorry the most passive girl ever. Her "baby daddy" was gone out of the hospital within HOURS of her daughter being born, not coming back until the next DAY, and tell her "damn girl, you move too much" when she's {the only one} getting up in the middle of the night to tend to their newborn baby girl. Ah! This drove me crazy for an hour!
Can we all just take a moment to pray for Felicia? Because it's obvious she's going to be a single mother, she's struggling to graduate HIGH SCHOOL, and she has a LIFE to be responsible for. I would have gone ahead and smacked homeboy in the head for telling me I "moved too much." Seriously, the boy would be dead the minute he attempted to leave that hospital room. What a LOSER!
I don't understand why she doesn't confront him. I mean, she tries to communicate with him when he's home, but she just tells him that she needs him and would like his help. I would be informing that boy he is going to help, starting now!
Did anybody else feel so so sorry for this girl while watching this show tonight? I know I'm not alone! Ha ha!
So, my ever so fabulous friend, Caroline is assisting me in my efforts to get my act together and participate in this semester's "crunch time" by changing my Facebook password! That's right. It's No Shave Facebook November! {We'll see} But for now, I'm approaching 24 hours without it, was informed I could easily reset my password {thanks Jamie, but I'll pretend you didn't say that}, and getting work done! {which is good because I have a LOT of it to do} .. Stay tuned for my progress! I should start taking bets on how long I'll last! Somebody should have cut my cable off....then I'd REALLY get a move on! Just sayin'.
Let the countdown continue: 36ish more days until the end of the semester!
Praise/Help me, Jesus!
Now, LISTEN UP!!! (Here comes the point of this post....)
I just want to direct you to Ashley Collin's blog. She is sharing, piece by piece, the very personal story of her and her husband's journey. She writes on her blog:
During the month of November we'll share a little of our family's story- from the diagnosis of preclampsia to our days in the NICU to life at home with an ex-micro-preemie. We'll give tips on what to say to a family with an unexpected, early arrival and how you can best support them. We'll share the fear that we faced during her birth and hospitalization and the fears for complications that her prematurity could still bring. More importantly however, we'll share the amazing success and strength that Beatrice Kate has shown everyday since she was born; and how God's Grace brought us closer together as family by walking through these trials together.
It's only day two (I think) and I'm already intrigued! Her husband's also joining in on the writing, so you should definitely check her them out!
