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Ohhh me gooosh!!!

I can't believe I let so much time pass before updating this thing!  Last I checked, I was supposed to do a follow-up on my job interview in Nashville, TN [as an Arkansan, I feel the need to specify the state].  After a few weeks of anticipation, the job was offered to someone who has more experience than I do.  Which was okay!  During that "waiting period," I was offered a job here in Little Rock, and I had some thinking to do!  Fortunately for me, God answers prayers and He showed me where He wanted me to be, at least for now.  Who knows where I will be in 3, 5, 10 years...  Anyway, about 3 months ago, I started working at ACCESS Schools.  ACCESS is a non-profit organization that serves infants, toddlers, children and youth with special needs.  I provide speech and language therapy to children ages 3 to 5.  After feeling confident in my graduate clinicals, I thought I was well prepared to enter Big Girl World (BGW)!!  Boy, was I wrong.  The responsibilities of a graduate student clinician versus an actual CFY-SLP stretch far beyond what I had imagined and expected.  I wanted a challenge, and I've got one.  Perhaps one of the biggest challenges I'm constantly facing is behavior management.  I love all of my kids, but sometimes I find myself feeling so clueless in the "being the boss" department.  As a young professional, figuring out how to be both the friend and the B-O-S-S is hard to do.  I might be ready to crash as soon as the clock hits 4, but the work is totally worth it!  Luckily, I have an amazing "support system" at work.  There are plenty of SLP's at ACCESS who are more than willing to help me with whatever it is I need: therapy materials, language activities, reinforcement that will hopefully help cease what we like to call "bad choices" and reward the good ones, paperwork, you name it!!  To say I'm lucky would be a vast understatement!  I'm faithful that God will use me there & I'm excited to grow as a speechie4life!!

Another plus, BGW comes with a paycheck!  And a steady one at that!  None of that $2.65+tips waitress salary or a very low-paying graduate assistantship.  It's pretty awesome to be able to still have fun in BGW [something I think people tend to forget!!].  Here's a little bit of what I've been doing, er, where I've been going:

Dallas, TX, for A.Do A.Swad's wedding, where we:

...had a fabulous brunch at Sfuzzi's and then enjoyed the view from SOB's balcony.

...reunited with Delta sisters and had the time of our lives!

...caught the bouquet!!!

Las Vegas!!!! for LindsMcG's bachelorette party, where we:

...stayed at the PH West Towers & implemented the use of a self-timer before our first night out.

...did touristy things on the strip sans $100 fine.  And lost $$.
Garden Party.

...got strangers to take group pictures of us because we could:
Cha, me, Ash, Rachelle, Linds (B2B!), & Mon

...took lessons at the Stripper Bar in PH
(hah, not really).

...met the tallest man on Earth at Tao.

...danced our booties off at Marquee Day Club & met some really fun people!

...stayed out long enough on our last night to take an hour nap before our flights home.

Yeah that's about all for now!!  I hope you all have a fabulous next 3 months because I'm sure it'll take about that long for me to blog again.

Oh, & I'm officially allergic to cats.  And everything outside.