Request

One more thing....

I'm requesting some serious prayers. You all know that my lab, Bella, was diagnosed with Cushing's Disease in July 2008. During my Tulsa trip this week, Bella and I visited our favorite vets, Dr. Steve and Laura (Catoosa Small Animal Clinic--Best Vets EVER), to get a re-check on Bella's levels (Cushing's disease affects the thyroid and adrenal glands). I also had the vets check on this little lump I found on her knee, earlier this fall. They said it was probably nothing, just a little fat deposit.

Sadly, it is something...It is a malignant tumor. They removed the tumor on Tuesday and now I am just waiting for the results. The tumor tests will show the TMN, otherwise known as the site (of the tumor), nodules, and metastisis (if it has spread somewhere else).

Please keep her in your prayers.

2009

Here is my first post for 2009. Although it is a little bit late, I would like to share my 2009 resolutions with you.

1. Make my debt more manageable.
I hate to admit it, but I have 12 open lines of credit, totaling $21,242.00. Yes, that is credit card debt. It has been accruing since I was 18 and obviously I don't have it under control. I do factor in that I was in school for three years, living on my graduate assistant pay, which was not very much. I also factor in that I have had life changes that were out of my control (and left me with more debt than I originally had). Essentially, I lived on credit cards for a few years (obviously) and that has to change, NOW.

The good news is that I have not used one credit card since August and have been making as large of payments as humanly possible.

2. Do not accrue any more debt.
I also have $67,242.00 in student loans. Sadly, I went to TU on a full scholarship, but once again, used money that was not mine to pay for daily things. I have entered into repayment and the payment is like a mortgage.

Now, when I purchase anything, I pay cash for it. I've also adopted this very annoying procedure of not opening/taking the tags off any of my new things, until I have had it in my home for 2 weeks. If I really need it, I use it. If I don't, I take it back. I suppose it would be easier to just not buy it. But, hey...baby steps.....

3. Make the most out of all situations.
Many of you know that because of reasons #1 and #2 and the "D," I am living with my mom and step-dad in Houston. It is a horrendous blow to the ego, considering I haven't lived with any family member since I was 18. I also work in a job that I do not like (not the profession, just the setting) and I dread going to work every day.

I am going to feel blessed that I: a)have family willing to allow me to live with them, while I get everything sorted out b)feel blessed that I HAVE a job, with a steady paycheck.

4. Make more time for the ones who love me and quit wasting time on the ones who don't.
I've learned quickly who my true friends are since I moved and since the "D." I have also learned that old habits do not die and that people do not change, even if you really, really want them to. If you know me well, you know exactly who I am talking about here.

I am going to invest more time and myself into those who love me and stop worrying about the ones who don't. I deserve more.

5. Take up a hobby and meet new people.
I was reminiscing about my life about 10 years ago and how many extracurricular activities I was involved in. Of course, when you are in high school, you have more opportunity. I also have had a hard time with my transition here in Houston, because I haven't made that many friends. I realized that I haven't really being trying. Besides the dad factor (he still lives in Tulsa), having no friends has been a main reason of why I wanted to move back to Tulsa. My close friend Lisa recently said this to me:

"You need to move back to Tulsa for the right reasons. You need to decide what those reasons are. If your reason is just for comfort, then don't move back. That isn't a good reason. You need to plant yourself in Houston for awhile and try to make a life for yourself. You can't do that if your head is living in Tulsa."

I enrolled in the Wilton Cake Decorating I, II, III and Fondant class at the local community college. I also joined a fitness program, CrossFit Houston. I'm so excited.

6. Move on.
A new year is a time for change AND forgiveness. I am blessed with so many things in my life and I somehow always get jaded. I WILL forgive others (you know who) and move on with my life. There is so much more out there waiting for me.

I also need to move out. I have started making a list of things I will need to move out on my own. I am hoping March.

Lastly,
Thank you to everyone who encouraged me and supported me in 2008. I could not have made it through without you.

I look forward to sharing good and bad news with you over the next year. I also look forward to the age that so many dread.....30.

I hope you all have a great year!

Learning how to breathe

Many of you know how hard and interesting this year has been for me. I have experienced three of life's greatest stressors, all in one year. I still have the days where it is hard for me to get out of bed. I still get the sensation that I can't breathe. But, with each passing day, it gets easier.

Last night, I attended Handel's Messiah at the Houston Symphony, by myself. It was a decision that I made earlier in the week. As I drove towards the symphony, the overwhelming sensation of not being able to breathe came back. I thought to myself, "what am I doing?" and had to call many friends to give me a pep talk.

I reached my destination, got out of my car and walked confidently towards the symphony hall. I picked up my ticket and proceeded to the bar, where I enjoyed a glass of white wine. I looked around and there were so many couples, families, groups, but no one alone. Instead of feeling sadness and anxiety, all of the sudden, the sensation of not being able to breathe went away. I sat between two couples, both of which kept asking me if "someone was going to join me." I confidently said "no."

The performance was wonderful. It had been years since I had been to the symphony. When I say years, I'm pretty sure the last time I heard an orchestra performance was when I was in the orchestra in high school.

The experience was exhilirating and liberating. I've always wanted my life to be perfect. Perfect isn't always extravagant. Last night, I conquered my fears. Last night was my perfect night, and it is all I really ever needed. Most importantly, I learned how to breathe again, by myself.

There's a SLP shortage??? Who knew......

Shortage of Speech Language Pathologists Reported on Local News

A parent in a school district north of Houston videotaped a therapy session with her son, and was unhappy with what she saw. It is later discussed how their is a nation wide shortage of SLPs.

http://www.khou.com/video/index.html?nvid=314761&shu=1

Antlers, Weather, Therapy Ideas and Cake Balls:)

Hello everyone! It has been too long. I need to be better about posting every chance I get, that way I'm not bombarding you with everything that has been going on!

The picture above is of my sweet Bella. She looks frightened, but she actually wagged her tail as I was putting the antlers on. I can't believe that she is 7 years old already. I got her a few months after I graduated from OSU and I hope she is with me forever:)

The weather in H-town has been very odd. It snowed here last week, was 80 degrees two days later and now is back to being cold and drizzly.

Sooooooooooooo, a lot has been going on since my last post. I have been toying with the idea of moving back home to T-town. I still don't know if it will happen, but it is in the works and I'll keep everyone updated.

As for work, it has been pretty good. I finally got my bearings and started feeling like I was competent enough to do the job. It's been difficult because not only am I learning the job, I'm learning the "cy-fair" way of doing things (cy-fair is the district I work for) and those are two completely different things.

This week, I'm working on a fun project for my preschool speech kids. I'm going to read one of my favorite books, "There's a mouse about the house" by Richard Fowler. Then, we are going to make little mice ornaments for them to take home and put on their tree. Of course, I will take pictures tomorrow and post them at some point.

My regular speech kids will be making cake balls and reading "Amelia Bedelia's Merry Christmas," which happens to be another favorite book of mine. Why the cake balls? Well, in the story, Amelia Bedelia is baking a cake. And, I had to some how get making/eating food incorporated into therapy:) The recipe for cake balls is:

1 package boxed cake mix (follow the directions, bake and then cool)
1 tub frosting
Melted almond bark

Take the cooled cake and break up into smaller pieces. Add tub of frosting and mix. Form balls from the mixture and set aside (really, you are supposed to freeze them so they set). Dip into almond bark and sprinkle favorite candies, sprinkles, nuts, etc... over them. Eat!!!!

I used red velvet cake mix, cream cheese frosting and the white almond bark. For garnishes, I had crushed oreos and christmas tree sprinkles.

I hope everyone has a great holiday. I'll write soon....

P.S. If you are a couponer or like to save money, make sure you clipped the Proctor and Gamble deal out of the Sunday paper. If you spend $50 on P&G products, you can get a free book of P&G coupons worth $120! That's a great deal!

Treasure Chest

After weeks of not having a "prize box," I finally caved in. I created this treasure chest and filled it with tons of goodies from the dollar store (pencils, erasers, bubbles...NO candy). Our school district has very strict rules about candy and food. It actually has to be written that the SLP/classroom teacher can used foods of "minimal nutritional value" in their IEP!

My students get to choose an item out of the treasure chest by filling up their sticker chart with 20 stickers. They receive stickers for the following: working hard towards their speech goals (I have my students tell me "what they are working on" before AND after the session), helping/being a good friend (to others in the group), listening and following ALL the speech rules.

Here is how I created my treasure chest:

Hobby Lobby is having a 50% sale on their home decor/crafts this week. I got this chest and gemstones for $14.00 and what a great investment!

Homemade Aquarium

I did this activity with my little ones. It was fun and once again, it uses household items.

This activity is good for following directions (one step and two step), repeating and motor skills. If you wanted to use it for articulation, you could have the child write their speech words on the "water" and practice them. For a language activity, you could ask the child "wh" questions about what you are doing, have them sequence the steps or ask them to describe what they are doing (ex: "How many fish are there?).

I also have sequence cards that go with this activity (i.e., Step One: glue fish on water, Step Two: open bag, Step Three: put water in bag, Step Four, put oatmeal in bag, Step Five: close/seal bag)

What you will need:
zip top bag
oatmeal ("sand")
yellow construction paper (cut into fish shapes)
blue construction paper (cut into a square that will fit inside the zip top bag)

Enjoy!