A much needed update!

I always think that I should blog, but never do. Today Louisville had a rare snow/ice storm, so I was able to work from home for my practicum and my real job was closed for the day (and they closed early yesterday too). Since I had this rare amount of unscheduled time, I decided I should do two things for sure (1) take a nap and (2) update my blog. So here you go. Isn't my life exciting :) I also was also pretty productive for a good portion of the day, despite suffering from my second cold of the season. I have been eating healthier, I excercise, I get enough sleep, I go to the chiropractor, I get weekly allergy shots...why am I still getting sick? And although my schedule is still busy, I am far less stressed compared to the previous three semesters. Maybe because it is my last semester and I have a) stopped caring slightly and b) have finally figured out how to successfully balance everything. I can't believe I graduate in May, it is going to come fast. Especially with a two week trip to Germany in there! (I will be gone March 1-16). I am very excited for the trip. As for life after graduation, haven't really started worrying about that yet, I figure it will all come into place, just as it always does. I plan on working at Americana through the summer, and that is when I will do some serious job searching and such. I figured I do not need to add the stress of a job search on top of everything else I am doing right now. I know that Americana is an option (which is why there is no need to worry/rush), but it depends on what the offer is (obviously my job duties will change since I will have a master's in social work!) I will most likely also look for jobs in Columbus. I am really debating between Columbus and Louisville. I love it here, but I also like Columbus and obviously my family is there, as well as being closer to a lot of good friends. Decisions, decisions....If I ended up leaving here, there would be a lot of things I would miss, including my church and my job (especially the kids...) Could I just move those things to Columbus? I honestly don't know yet what I will end up deciding, I say both chances are equal right now. Only time will tell!

New Semester and Weekend Road Trips...

I am a little over a month into my last semester of grad school, and have been out of town 3 out the 4 past weekends. My new schedule is practicum and work Mon-Wed, class and work on Thursday, and class all day Friday. Since I don't have class until Thursday, it is much easier to go on road trips compared to my Monday/Tuesday class schedule last year. But I also feel like I never have a significant amount of time to just rest! I am looking forward to being in town the next couple of weekends, before my two week trip to Germany for school!

Over Martin Luther King Day weekend I spent time in Bluffton/Findlay/Toledo. Several former Blufftonites were gathering to celebrate Eric's return from Vietnam, and most of them I hadn't seen since graduation, so I decided to make the trip. I think Chad was ecstatic to have 4 girls staying at his apartment in Findlay, hence all the towels. During this trip I also got to see all my grandparents, and spent the last part of the weekend in Toledo visiting Vicki. So it was worth the trip, plus a coworker/friend also had a friend in Toledo so he rode with me and helped with the gas, which is always nice.

The weekend after that, I made a trip to Eastern Kentucky with some friends to visit our friend Brittney who recently moved out there, joining a voluntary service unit. We ended up helping with a service project. I found out I suck at hammering, but am awesome at cleaning out gutters filled with nasty, black chunks of ice. Eastern Kentucky really is a whole other world...and the scenery is beautiful, even in the winter.

This past weekend I went home to Columbus and called Monday off work so I could go to the dentist there (because I am still under my mom's insurance - how wonderful!) Ironically, I planned the whole visit for this reason and then my car decided to die and I missed the appointment. I need to reschedule before I turn 25, so I have a few months...And my car is fine now, just needed a new battery. Well, actually the main problem was my headlights turned themselves on in the middle of the night and wouldn't turn off, which apparently has been a reported problem with my car when it is cold....I am hoping that doesn't happen again or I have a more serious problem! Other than that slight mishap, the weekend was lots of fun.

Other than fun trips, my life during the week consists of school, work and practicum. And this coming weekend I will actually be in town, and I plan to get some much needed rest!

Christmas was good....

Well it has been awhile since I updated, so I'll start with Christmas. It was good, as the title says. I was the head elf for the third year in a row at the Americana Holiday Party, which is always a fun but stressful job because it is impossible to please everyone. I was able to go home for a little over a week and had a wonderful time with family and friends as always. I was glad to get the chance to reunite with Bluffton friends at Abby's house in Van Wert, although I missed the baby shower due to Christmas at my Grandma's in Bluffton. And Suzanna and Rebekah being in Columbus at the same time was also a surprise. We caught up at the Starbucks I used to work at. It was the first time we had been together in over four years! As always, it was a little hard to go back to Louisville and back into the routine. Being at home is nice and relaxing. I had a whole five weeks of no school and enjoyed it thoroughly. As I'm sure I have said before, just working seems like a vacation to me! Oh yeah, I should also mention how awesome it is that Rebekah is back from Bangladesh!! Too bad she lives all the way in Pennsylvania. And Abby Mo, we missed you!