(Not So) Creamy Chicken and Noodles

I cooked in our slow cooker again today.  I made "Creamy Chicken and Noodles".  Ours should have been called Not so Creamy Chicken and Noodles Rice.  It was basically homemade chicken noodle soup.  For some reason ours was not so creamy though. We ran out of noodles so we made rice instead! William gave it 2 stars. But Monday's dinner received 4 stars on leftovers night! It was way better the second night.  


Yesterday I got my Richardson ISD name badge! I'm all official! I met up with my supervisor as well.  She's probably only a few years older than me and seems really cool! I'm going to be working at Big Springs Elementary Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday until about 1pm, and Thursday.  I should get a lot of hours and experience.  Most of my kids will be receiving articulation therapy or language therapy.  I will also have a few kids doing social skills therapy.  There are also some kids using augmentative devices and kids with auditory impairment that I will be seeing occasionally! I will also be getting to experience ARDs (which stands for Assessment, Review, Dismissal) and the school assessment process! I'm taking 4 classes also this semester. Two are in school classes. Two are "independent study" classes. So on Wednesdays I'll be sitting in class for 6 hours. But that's the only day I have to show up at school. Kinda sweet! Then I have 22 articles to read for my independent studies. I have to take quizzes on each one... but once I do all of them, that's it! Also nice!


Tomorrow I'm going to post some pictures of our "new" apartment! Anyone interested? We had to get a 5X5 storage unit because everything wouldn't fit! 


Anyways, I'm off to make sure Lucy and William haven't froze to death yet. They've been outside on a walk for a little while! We are supposed to get subzero temps until Saturday. Brrrr! 

Today was Lovely

Five reasons why:

1) I woke up before my alarm at 6am. Granted it was very dark outside (due to the near 144 hours of rain we have had this week), and I was not ready to get up... but none the less, I was up! Thus I was early for practicum. And that's ALWAYS a good way to start the day.

2)My supervisor didn't abandon me with 5 small not-so-well-hearing children! She stayed in the session with us today and I feel like I learned a whole lot! Even better I feel like they got something out of it! We have the cutest little girl, E, and she really enjoyed acting like a train today. She ran around stomping her feet saying "sh, sh, sh". Her approximation of "ch" which is more than good enough for me!

3)At lunch I got to print all 240 program covers. AND 40 placecards! Whoo hoo! I had myself all set up. Lunch in one hand, blank programs in the other and I pushed the print button with my toe as I fed the papers in one by one! HA! I'm talented!

4)Despite the fact that it rained, at least it never got over 90!

5)Well.... umm.... Okay I lied there are only 4 reasons why today was lovely. And actually this entire post was sparked by item number 3. whoo hoo!

Cochlear Implant Camp is... over!

Well today I finished a week of Cochlear Implant Camp. I'm kind of glad it's over... but it really ended up being a lot of fun. I was even a little sad when my camper wouldn't hug me at the end of the day! I have a couple of pictures but frankly I'm way too tired to go get my camera and upload the pictures. It's always rewarding working with kids. No matter how much of a difference you make, it feels good at the end of the day to say... "I gave them something."

My camper's mom told me today that "C seems like a normal little boy this week." My response was "Of course he is!" But then I realized that he may not be able to really show his true colors at home. He is from a very untraditionally aged family (his parents are late 50's and mid 60's, he's only 5). I have a feeling that a deaf child was not what his father thought he was getting. However, despite everything, his mother loves him so hard. I say hard because it's like she does everything in the world to make that child happy. Even to the point of giving him a unhealthy but C-friendly lunch filled with goldfish, teddy grahams, chips, marshmallows, and cheetoes. He has so much potential. He is entering kindergarten in the fall and already can write all the numbers and his name (and all the other letters too). C along with my client from this past spring are kiddos I really wish I could keep up with. I want to see them in 10 years and experience how far they have come. Oh well... I did my part... now it's time for the next therapist to get their hands on them!

Headed home!

So I'm heading home this weekend for my first SHOWER! I'm super duper duper excited. But first let me update you on my week! Overall... it was pretty great!

Monday: I went to practicum. My client was there and I started evaluating them! It was pretty exciting. My client is a little "apathetic" toward their therapy. Basically they don't really care if they are there or not. In other words, my job is hard as HECK! Trying to habilitate someone with no motivation is like asking a mountain very nicely to move. In other words... unless you are God, it's not happening. This became clear when I began asking my client what they wanted to work on and they responded "I don't need to work on anything." Sawwweeeet first day! I guess it's a good thing I was warned. I was not discouraged... just kept on evaluating and found out the deficits they had (which were plenty in number unlike what they though).

Then I went to class and learned about auditory verbal therapy... my favorite. That class is becoming seriously repetitive though. Oh well... the camp at the end of this semester is going to be great! I picked up the kids extra early and then their parents got home extra early! Which meant I got to go home extra early! Whoo hoo! Then Christine and I went to work out!

Tuesday: I got up fairly early and went to work out! Then when I got home I talked to Dana for a little while about wedding stuff! After that I went to make some lunch, turned on the water... and NOTHING came out! WHAT THE HECK! I was disgusting! I had to be at class in an hour! Good thing I have a cousin that lives near by. I ran over and took the world's fastest shower and then hopped in the car to head to class. I went to dysphagia, and then went to get the kids. The rest of the night was pretty boring.

Wednesday: Went to practicum as usual. Finished up my evaluation and started to present my "findings" and plan to my client. Except they would have none of it. My supervisor happened to walk in while this was going on so she sat down for a little chat with us. Basically she TOLD the client what we would be working on and then told them that we would seriously reconsider continuing therapy after this semester. The client was unphased! Ohhh man is my semester going to be hard. Oh well...

I went to class and then picked up the kids. As I was getting ready to leave their house it got pitch black outside. We turned on the tv to hear that a "wall cloud" was moving across dallas with great force. Wonderful! I still needed to get Lucy from Doggy Day Care. So I literally ran out the door into the worst weather I think I've ever driven in. Trees were falling on the road in front of me. It was raining like crazy. And the wind was about keeping me from going straight. I finally got her and got home.... finally!

Thursday: I woke up and it was still raining. Turns out it had rained allll night long! Insane! I went to get my eye brows waxed which turned out to be a very scary trip driving through Highland Park where there was zero power. I finally made it back home to walk through about 6 inches of water to get to the stairs leading up to the door! CRAZY! I hunkered down for a few more hours and then finally the sun came out! I drove over to the country club to work out! Then I went to pick up the kids and such!

So in case you notice the trend... I worked out every day this week except for Wednesday (hello the weather was horrible). That's right I'm kicking my butt into shape! I have to... I have a wedding dress to wear of course! I also joined weight watchers again. This week I lost at least 2lbs (my scale told me different things through out the day). I cannot wait to lose 10 lbs. William promises to give me a prize when I reach my first goal!

Alright I'll let you know how the shower goes!

I've Got Attitude!

So today is 175 days from our wedding.  It is so close... but so far at the same time.  It is so much closer than the 727 days of engagement that we will have endured when we finally get married.  But yet as I watch all the people get married in may, june, july and august I can't help but be extremely jealous that I still have 5 months to go.  

This week was my first real week of practicum and school for the summer.  I already had my first test (which kicked my butt) and I interacted with my first adult client on Wednesday.  My specific client didn't show up, but I helped a fellow clinician diagnose her client.  I am very excited about Monday though.  My client is a very young adult (read same age as me) with a Traumatic Brain Injury.  Now at first I was very weary about this client.  My supervisor preceded telling me who my client was by saying "Now Peyton we are all going to support you.  Don't worry we will get you through the semester with [client].  You see, [client] has a little attitude."  After she said this, two of my friends erupted in laughter... and you can bet I knew why.  I let off a huge sigh of relief and replied, "We will be great for each other then, because I do too."  Later my friends confirmed that they were thinking how perfect it was that I got that client.  Both of my friends are quiet, sweet individuals and I am definitely neither of those things.  Not to say I can't be a nice person... but let's face it, I do NOT put up with other people's crap! And quiet... HA! I'm the girl that spoke up so much in class that all my professors new my name the first week of school.  I even had one professor deny me the opportunity to answer questions aloud until several other people had attempted.  So anyways, back to my client.  Now I'm ready... I've got my game face on and when they show up on Monday I'm determined to preform a successful assessment and get some real work done this semester.  This client has been known to sort of attitude their way out of things.  Well... not with me!

This weekend, William has a training operation with the National Guard. He's going to be at some base in Texas, but right now I can't remember the name... oh well. I've got some homework to get done, but other than that I'm going to work out, and hang out with megan, taylor and the kids. This time next week I'll be on my way to Houston for my first shower which I am extremely excited about! I really cannot wait! It's going to be so fun to see all my friends together again... maybe for the last time until my wedding and even then I don't know if everyone will make it!

Alright, Lucy (the dog in the picture below) keeps biting my hand... I take it she wants to go outside! Have a nice Friday folks!