Grateful for...Week Two

Here's the second round of thankful fors...

8.  Sisters and fun weekends we spend together

9.  Family that lets me come visit and do my laundry for free at their houses

10. Covered parking spot so I don't have to scrape my car in the morning

11. Professors and mentors who believe in me

12.  Class getting out early

13.  Gluten free grilled ham and cheese sandwiches

14.  Long phone calls with best friends

15. The fact that snow melts... even if it's going to be winter and snowy for months, at least I know that sometime in March...or April... or perhaps May... there won't be snow in Logan.

Occupational Hazard

I got to talk to this awesome person tonight!!

Yes, it's an old picture...but still one of my favorites!!

Seriously, we were so overdue for a two hour phone call and it was perfect!!  I love that no matter how far apart we may be living, or how long it's been since the last phone call/skype session, we can always pick right back up where we left off.

But tonight, I noticed something different about our conversation.  And I blame grad school.  We concluded it is just an "occupational hazard."  But seriously, as she would talk, I was super conscious of what I was saying and how I was responding to her.  I think it's because we just had to an assignment where we had a mock interview/session with a "client" and then had to transcribe a portion of that interview.  We then went through the transcription and marked every time we used a minimal encourager, summarization, reflection of feeling, advice giving, etc.  All those therapeutic techniques are now on my mind and as she told me all about her exciting adventures, I kept analyzing what I was saying.

You're using too many minimal encouragers...She can't even see you shake your head...That was a good reflection of feeling...Should you really be giving advice here?  And then I actually said "You're talking in the past tense- I felt ___ and I thought ___.  Does that mean you've changed your mind?"

Seriously!?!?  I mean, I guess it's good because these things are sinking in and I'm definitely more aware of them, but... not how I pictured it going!  So, this serves as your warning for our future conversations... It's an occupational hazard and you never know when those skills are going to pop up.

Tuesday Thought

Whew!  After a super fun weekend with my sister and her kiddos, I'm back and all caught up on my assignments.  I even put away all my laundry today... which never happens within 2 days of washing them.  Haha.  I've got some good posts coming up, but after today's productivity I decided just to post an awesome quote I saw on Pinterest today...  Pretty much sums up how I feel about my first semester of grad school!  And I am SO glad I took that risk!!  I've learned so much about what I can do these last few months... and know that next semester holds even more adventures!

Life is good!

I hope this works, I'm posting from my phone tonight. I'm so glad it's the weekend and am loving hanging out with these cute kiddos!!

Seriously, is there anything better than this?

Grateful for... Week 1

So everyone's Facebook and Instagram are popping up with things they are grateful for every day in November.  I thought about doing that, but decided this blogging once a day is enough for me to focus on this month.  That being said, I do want to focus on things I have to be grateful for this month.  So for today's NaBloPoMo post, here are 7 things I am grateful for... one for each day this month.

1.  I am grateful for the opportunities I have to be in Logan and at USU.  Grad school is hard, but it is definitely a privilege and opportunity to be here.  And despite the long hours, hard work, never-ending reading and endless to do lists, I really do love my program and what I'm studying.

2. I am grateful for productive days when I can cross of lots of things on my to do list!

3.  I am grateful for Sundays, when I can take a break from all the worldly things and focus on what really matters and have time to take care of myself.

4.  I am grateful that there is a Sonic in Logan, and I can get my Coke Zero with Cherry!

5.  I am grateful for a paycheck every month!

6.  I am grateful for friends and family members that take such good care of me, and are such a support to me.  I am grateful for fiends in my cohort who understand exactly how I feel when I'm stressed with a professor or assignment or whatever it may be.

7.  I am grateful for my niece and nephews...and even more grateful that I'll get to see them tomorrow!!

Good Things to Come

This is one of my favorite Mormon Message videos.  I just love Elder Holland and all of his talks!

No matter what we might be facing, if we trust in the Lord, He will watch out for us and bless us in His way and His time.

the WISC

I feel like I should do some kind of funny post... or meaningful post... or anything really.  But the truth of the matter is that I'm a grad student, and my life pretty much revolves around school, grading, lots and lots of articles, thesis work, presentations, meetings, etc.  This week my focus has been on the WISC-IV.

The WISC-IV an IQ test for kids ages 6-16.  In one of our classes this semester we have to get certified to administer this (as well as the WAIS- the adult version).  Since my kiddo is coming to the psych clinic tomorrow to be tested, I've spent a lot of time with my WISC manual preparing this week.  And am now I'm going to relax and get ready for bed, because you should always make sure you get a good night's rest before any major test... whether taking it or giving it! :)