{third year}

I know, I know. I said that I was going to blog every day this month and it is only six days in and I have already failed. I am not too good at keeping to my word, am I? Haha! I thought about it last night, I did. I even worked out early in order to watch the show that I wanted to and then still have enough time to blog before it got to late and then I just got lazy. I was tired and didn't have the ambition to blog about the details of our final day of the last weekend of 'summer'. I think you all survived though, correct?!

Today starts my first 'official' day as a THIRD year graduate student! When did I become a third year graduate student?! I remember starting graduate school as a newbie... coming in and thinking that the next four years were going to go SO slow and that I would never make it through! Graduate school is a daunting thought! And here I sit, writing this to you as a third year student. Yes, I will write it again... a third year student. That means that after this year I am out on my externship, one year closer to the real world. One year closer to having my own patients and not being supervised. I am just in awe of it all because a few weeks into last year and I thought that I was never going to make it through! Last year flew by and I am sure that this year will be no different. It's like moving up the ladder in high school and then moving up it again as a undergraduate and now I've almost reached the top for the third time. And then as my friend Katie said today, we start all over in our careers.

I am officially done with beginning of the year AuD orientations. It seems weird to write that. The one today seemed kind of pointless. They didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know. It was nice to see all of my fellow Madison classmates again though. We only actually see each other (in the flesh) twice a year. It was nice to catch up with everyone, especially since when we see them they are about two inches tall on a TV screen.

I think the only thing that the orientation did today was overwhelm me with all of the stuff that I need to accomplish this coming year. I cringe at the thought of it because it seems like a lot more than I had originally anticipated, but it really isn’t. I was reminded about a super huge test that we have to take at the end of the year… I thought I was done with all standardized tests, but I guess not. Alas, I will not worry about it right now. Can’t get stressed about something that is currently so far away.

I made myself get up early this morning and work out before heading off to work. 6am wake up call! In order to feel more awake, I drank about 3/4 of a 5 hour energy drink. I’m sure you’ve seen it advertised on TV. I read a large amount of reviews about it on Amazon and the majority of them we positive. I honestly don’t know if it gave me the jolt of energy I was looking for. After I drank it, I went and worked out right away and I know that working out helps wake you up as well. It didn’t make me feel jittery or anything and I didn’t have a crash later, but like I said, I don’t know if I got the right effect from it. I have to get up at 5:30am tomorrow in order to make it to my orientation on time and will not have time to work out in the morning so I might take the other one then and see if it helps with the early morning drive.

I think the best part of today was finding out that what I thought was supposed to be a Monday and Wednesday 8am class is really only a Wednesday night class! You cannot imagine my excitement! I don’t even think the sleeping in is the best part, it’s the fact that Ayden doesn’t have to attend before school care those two mornings now. That is going to save us $51 a month! I am elated!!! (And of course now I get to sleep in a little bit as well!)

CIAO! LOVE ME!