Graduation Weekend

As I mentioned in my last post; I graduated with my Masters degree in Speech-Language Pathology and Thomas graduated with his Bachelors degree in Exercise Science on April 30th. The whole weekend was such a whirlwind, but one I never want to forget!

Our families arrived in town Friday afternoon. Once everyone was settled we met at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in the Amway Grand Hotel for a delicious dinner. The food was impeccable and every one of us loved our meals. Thomas and I shared the crab cake appetizer and a caesar salad, then we each got our own filets. Our servers even brought out a celebratory desert to share!

Once dinner was finished we headed to GVSU for my cording ceremony. The ceremony was where we received our graduation cords signifying our major, speech-language pathology, and a final chance for us to mingle with faculty and one another.

PS- I figured out how to properly wear the hood before the commencement ceremony lol

Quick Catch Up

Phew, what a month it has been! Today I'm sharing a quick recap of all we've been up to and in the upcoming weeks I'll write more in depth posts.

April 21st was my last day at my internship and the beginning of the end so to speak. I will miss those kiddos and they sure taught me a lot! The following day I submitted my final assessment for my online class and picked up my cap and gown. I was officially DONE with my Masters degree! 

April 22nd I presented at the annual Michigan Speech Language Hearing Association (MSHA) conference which happened to be in Grand Rapids this year! The presentation was for the program I did my summer internship at.

                                 

The next morning was our commencement ceremony! WE DID IT!

Thomas chose not to walk, but he graduated too! 

We had one day to recuperate before T & I headed to Washington DC for five days! We had such a great trip and Thomas already wants to go back.

Now we're getting caught up on... life. So much laundry, DVR-ing, and cleaning to do. Now you can see why I've been MIA this past month ;)

What's in my Bag | SLP Grad School Edition

Another semester is under way! Classes started last Thursday and my clinical placement, at my neighborhood elementary school, started today. So far so good, but I know it's going to be a busy 14 weeks. Only 14 weeks left of classes and then onto my final semester, which is a full time internship.

Speaking of classes, I'm always interested in what other women carry in their purse/work/school bag so that's what I'm sharing today :)

Week in the Life | Second Semester Edition

The past five months have flown by at lightening speed. You blink and almost half a year has gone by! So what has happened since March? I'm a year older and a semester closer to graduation. Thomas had a successful emergency back surgery and has made the Dean's List each semester. We attended three weddings and countless other fun events. Life is good, really good. I'm going to do my best to become more active here, in posting and commenting, and I hope you stay along for the ride :)

Week in the Life | Grad School First Semester Edition

I've been in grad school for two+ months now and somehow they have been the quickest yet longest two months of my life. I have a feeling that's how I'm going to feel about the entire program. I don't know if I have posted this yet or not, but the Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Program at Grand Valley State is an one year accelerated program. That means that it's only four semesters long, from January 2015 to April 2016 for my cohort. The first three semesters are 16 credits each and the final semester is a full time internship. This type of program has both pros and cons. As you can imagine it is extremely intense, but you also get out into the field quicker and therefore can start making money quicker. It is a great fit for me since I took a year off after finishing my undergrad and then didn't get into any grad schools the first time around. There are still days that I can't believe that I'm actually in grad school and that in thirteen months I'll be an SLP.

Now that I've given some background I figure I'd write out the typical week for me during this first semester (and through out the rest of the program), similar to my DITL posts. Since everyday is different I figured a weekly view would work better.

Currently..

It's been quite a while since I opened up this Blogger page and to be honest I'm not really sure where to start. To say the least, life has been hectic since I started grad school in January and I'm still feeling a little off balance. It's hard going back to school after a substantial time off. I'm a week away from the half way point of the semester and I still haven't completely adjusted. That's not to say that I'm not loving it though,  because I am! I finally feel at peace with my life; that I'm where I belong and I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing, which is such a relief. I'm learning so much and I'm actually enjoying it! It doesn't leave very much free time and I haven't really been the most efficient with the little free time that I do have. That's something that I'm really struggling with and need to work on. My free time is only going to get more limited as my program progresses, because starting next semester my workload doubles.

Life has been pretty mundane, which is another reason I haven't posted in a while. Thomas and I go  to school, work on homework, workout, make dinner, and repeat. We're beyond ready for these freezing temperatures to take a hike and for warm weather to head our way so that we can be outside for more than five minutes.

So that's what I've been up to lately. And since I'm in the mood here's a little currently for you, enjoy ;)

DITL | WMU Edition

I finally completed a DITL (Day in the Life)! I've been attempting to do one for years and I just could never got through the entire day. I can't say that my days are all that exciting, but they are definitely busy. I know that when I graduate (in FOURTEEN days!) I'll miss being this busy. And I think this will be really fun to look back on.

 

Thursday April 11, 2013

 Woke up at 8am and I usually lay in bed for a few minutes catching up on Twitter and Instagram. Then I hop in the shower while T takes Duke outside and feeds him. Once out of the shower I do my morning routine ;)

 Once I'm dressed I put on my makeup and do my hair. (I really need to buy a full length mirror for our next place).

The demon puppy is tied up because he was misbehaving and now it's T's turn to get ready while I pack my bag. Since we're so behind on laundry I throw in a load and then Duke goes in his crate waiting for a treat before we leave for class.

It's pouring outside which is no fun. Class is.. class haha Then I get to work- I work as a Student Receptionist in one of the departments on campus. Yummy lunch! I'm going to miss that chili more than anything.

 Once I finish my work for the day I do a little Pretty Little Liars reading. I fly through those books when I have time to read. Walking over to the speech clinic in my Hunter Wellies and rain coat. Therapy room all set up! I also have a meeting after therapy with my group and supervisor.

While waiting for T to pick me up I send my Grandparents a email because they're currently in London! T and I have started tanning to get our bodies ready for the Caribbean sun. Once home I read a couple of blog posts while snacking on Pepper Rings. Left over Ribs from Applebee's for dinner- I know it doesn't look very appetizing, but I promise it was!

Catch up on some DVR while T plays a computer game. Do another load of laundry. Cuddle on the couch with Duke while he sucks on the blanket... and read a little more Pretty Little Liars.

I met two of my friends at Buffalo Wild Wings for .50 wings and drinks. Put on my PJs. Get ready for bed. Check Twitter/Instagram one last time and curl up next to my hubby <3