Snow...snow...snow

We got 16 inches of snow here in Denver last night. The day started out absolutely beautiful. Jack and I headed downtown to the 16th Street Mall where we had lunch at Hard Rock Cafe. When we left the house, it was 55 degrees and sunny. By the time we were done with lunch, clouds had rolled in and the winds had picked up. However, it was still nice enough to wander the mall. It was really neat because it's all outdoors. The street is closed down to traffic and people just wander in and out of the stores at their own pace.

I bought t-shirts for the kids and then we headed to the Tattered Cover, this amazing and old Denver bookstore. I bought myself some hot chocolate (because there is nothing better than hot chocolate while in a bookstore!) and just wandered in amazement. This bookstore is by far the coolest bookstore I've ever been in because it's old and filled with two stories of books and magazines. I could have spent all day in there but I managed to make it out with only having spent $20 and that on a magazine, a book, and my hot chocolate.

By the time we walked out of the bookstore, it was pouring down rain. We made a mad dash for the bus and made it just before the doors closed. We took it to the stop closest to Jack's car but we still had to walk two blocks in the rain. By the time we reached the parking garage we were soaked but laughing because it had been fun running in the rain.

We decided on our drive home that the weather was perfect for soup and grilled cheese so we stopped at the grocery store on our way home to get the ingredients for dinner. I also bought brownie mix and made dessert as well. By the time we reached the house, not even an hour later, the rain had changed over to snow and it was coming down fast and quick. By this morning we had gotten 16 inches of snow. Crazy.

Last night Angie and Joseph came over and we just hung out and watched American Idol. Tonight we're all going over to Jack's house for dinner. He's making tacos and we're going to watch Idol again tonight. I've spent a good portion of the day just lying around. I did find the motivation to shower which is good. haha

I got my grades back! I got a 4.0 for the quarter and my overall gpa went up from a 3.2 to a 3.4! Woo! I'm so proud of how well I'm doing in grad school. I absolutlely love it. It's hard but all of my hard work is paying off and my grades definitely reflect it.

I also paid off my credit card today with my financial aid refund and it feels so good to know I have no more debt to my name other than my student loan debt. I shudder at the thought of paying off student loans for the rest of my life. Boo.

But, I don't want to end on a sad note. I did awesome this quarter and I'm having a great time on spring break so it can't get much better than this right now! :-)

No place like home

So this is my third day in Denver and I'm actually kind of missing home already. Is that sad? Don't get me wrong-I'm having a great time. It's just been hard to chat with my parents and friends because I keep forgetting the time difference. And it's definitely weird to not be at work right now. I wonder how the first day went without me. Oh geez...time to move on to a new topic since I just mentioned work during my vacation. :-P

Last night's big news was the health care bill and since it passed, I know a lot of people who have been angry about it. I don't know enough about it to take a stance nor do I really want anyone to fill me in. I plan to research it myself and then take a stand on it, even if it's already passed. So in that respect, please keep your comments to yourself regarding the health care bill. :-)

I joined the rec center here yesterday as a non-resident. It only cost me $7 to join and then it'll be $5.50 every time I go in to work out. Plus, the pass is good for two years so I can use it when I come back to visit again next summer. My cousin is going to let me have the car in the afternoons while he's in class so this will give me the chance to stay on top of my workouts while I'm on vacation. Yesterday the two of us, his friend Angie, and her son went to the rec and walked the outdoor bike/hike path. It's almost a full mile around and then it splits off into another path which is another mile so by the time I was done, I had run two miles. I opted to run while they walked, though I did walk parts of it. Angie's son Joseph walked and ran with me which was fun. We clicked right away and had a lot to talk about. At the end of my run, I plopped down in the middle of the sidewalk and told them I wasn't moving again because I couldn't feel my legs. :-P

After our run, we went to get a smoothie at this place called Inta Juice and it was super yummy. We came back so I could shower and then went to dinner at Famous Dave's BBQ, a place we don't have in Cincinnati. Then we pretty much hung out and watched the health care coverage until everyone went to bed.

Mike and Terry Lee are both working this morning and then Terry Lee is coming here to drop the car off so I can take him to class and then I'm going to go exploring on my own. No worries though...no chance of me getting lost! They have a gps so I should be relatively fine. Everything here seems to be on a grid and I plan to avoid the highways so it shouldn't be too bad. I really just want to find a Wal-mart or a Joanne's Fabrics so I can get Denver Broncos fabric to make my mom a fleece tie blanket so she'll give me my Charlie Brown blanket back. ;-D

Alright, I'm off. I just loaded the dishwasher and Terry Lee should be home anytime now so I'm going to go explore. :-)

In Denver!!

I'm officially in Denver and settled in. I stayed at a hotel in Indianapolis last night (Friday...I'm not sure how this will post with the time differences and stuff :-P ) at a hotel where I paid for one night but could leave my car parked for the week and then take their shuttle to th airport. I had a lovely 5:30 a.m. wake up call from the front desk and caught the 6 a.m. shuttle to the airport for my 8:10 a.m. flight.

Since I had checked in online yesterday morning and already printed my boarding pass, I was able to quickly check my suitcase and move through security. My flight was about two and a half hours and I spent that time finishing a book I had started the night before in the hotel. We had some bumpy moments during the flight but overall it was great.

I landed and quickly moved to baggage and we headed out the door. My cousin graciously gave my the front seat since Mike was driving so I could see better. The view of the Rockies had been stunning from the plane but it was even more stunning the closer we moved towards them. This is the furthest west I have ever been and it's gorgeous out here.

We went to Fuddruckers for lunch where the last eight years quickly melted away. Afterward, we came back and I settled in on th couch to watch OU take on Tennessee but since I had made the mistake of covering up with a blanket, I quickly fell asleep and slept for three hours. Terry Lee and Mike had been out and about doing stuff for work so it was nice to unwind and nap. The thinner air and the little sleep I got last night made the nap necessary.

After I woke up, we hung out for a bit and then Mike, Jack, and I went to Kmart and dinner since Terry Lee had fallen asleep. They took me to this little hole in th wall pizza place called Wazee, which is the equivalent of Mac's for all you Cliftonites in Cincinnati. It was really good and we all know how picky I can be.

I got to see part of downtown while we drove and we drove past Coors Field which means Megan you and I are coming back sometime during the summertime (maybe next year??) to go to a Rockies game! Sometime this week I also get to see Mile High Stadium which will make my mom jealous since she loves the Broncos.

Now it's bedtime. Tomorrow I'm going to church with Mike and Jack and then hopefully working out at the rec center before exploring again. So far, so good. I'm having a great time!

A month?!?

I can't believe it's been a month since I've updated! Actually, I can. This quarter has been so ridiculously busy that I haven't had time to breathe, let alone blog. So what's been going on in my life?

School is going well. I've been working with a real life client this quarter which has been challenging. She has definitely taught me a lot about being a counselor and has also affirmed that I definitely want to be in the school setting and not the mental health field. Classes are also going well. I scheduled for the spring and I'm taking my field practicum along with muticultural counseling so it should be another busy quarter since I'm going to be working in an elementary school with the school counselor for ten weeks starting after spring break.

Dave and Katie's wedding is rapidly approaching, which means Vince's visit is also coming soon! I spent Friday night at Dave and Katie's new house and it made me realize how much I miss them. I'm so busy that on weekends anymore I prefer to curl up on the couch with a book instead of going out. I need to stop being so antisocial but that's what work and grad school have done to me.

My weight loss has stalled big time. I didn't make it to the gym at all this past week because I was working on a research paper all week and my eating habits have gone down the drain again. I need to get myself back on track. I plan on making it to the gym a couple times this week and then taking my running clothes to Denver with me next week since the weather looks like it'll be nice for at least part of my visit.

Speaking of Denver I'm only six days away! I'm driving to Indianapolis Friday night after working and then flying out first thing Saturday morning. I can't wait to spend a week with Terry Lee and he's got big plans for my visit, which sounds like it's going to be a blast. It's also going to be nice to just relax and catch my breath before spring quarter starts.

There's really not much else going on. Work, school, and spending time with my family and friends when I can pretty much consumes me. Nothing exciting happened in the last month unless you count all the snow we got. Other than that, things have just been as normal as they can be.

I probably won't update again before I leave so I'm sure I'll be back after my trip with lots of pictures and stories!

Snow

We have more snow on the way. Ugh. As if the foot of snow we've already gotten this month isn't enough, there is six to nine more inches expected between late tonight and Tuesday morning, with another potential storm moving in on Friday night.

I've already made my preparations so I don't have to miss work. I'm staying at my aunt and uncle's tonight so I'm only about 15 minutes from work instead of 35. Then tomorrow night I'm most likely going to crash at Jana and Jason's so I'm five minutes from work instead of the 15 from my aunt's or the 35 from my house.

My parents are supposed to leave for Tennessee tomorrow evening but something tells me they're going to have to postpone their trip until Tuesday morning or Tuesday afternoon, depending on what this system does.

I officially hate this winter. We have gotten more snow this month than we have gotten in a couple of years and I don't know how much more my nerves can take.

On that note, I'm off to make myself a lunch for work and then get going to my aunt's house. Argh.

Snow snow go away

I am so over the cold and the snow. Between Monday night and this morning, we have gotten about a foot of snow, which to those of you in northeast Ohio and along the Atlantic coast I know isn't a lot but for those of us in southwest Ohio, this is not normal. At least, not all at one time.

My preschool has been open both yesterday and today. Today we were on a delay and opened at 9 a.m. instead of 6:30 a.m. However, I'm still sitting at home waiting for the wonderful Monroe or Butler County people or whoever to come plow and salt my street so I can get out of my driveway. My parents, of course, are out and about because Glenn has his four wheel drive SUV. Actually, they're currently rescuing my sister, whose car wouldn't start this morning when she went to turn it on and clean it off so she could go to work tonight.

As of right now, I'm thinking I probably will not make it to work today. I also have class this afternoon and I'm waiting to see if I'll be able to get out for that. I'm starting to go crazy being cooped up. I didn't make it to work yesterday. I tried but on the way there, I slid off the road not once, but twice. The first time it happened I managed to get myself back on the road and pulled into a UDF where I called work crying. I was told that four teachers were already out and to try my best to make it in. I managed to calm myself down and got back out on the road.

This time, I made it as far as the highway. I got about two exits down and just about careened into a wall. Instead, I ended up in the grass and had enough. I was hysterical at this point. I called my mom twice before finally reaching her. We left my car where it was and I ended up coming home. About three years ago, when doing seasonal work at a Christian bookstore over winter break from school, I did a 180 and ended up facing oncoming traffic. Ever since, I have been terrified of the snow and yesterday's incidents did not help matters at all.

Our co-director of the preschool called to check on me last night which I thought was sweet. She knows about my fears of driving in the snow and had heard about my adventures yesterday morning and wanted to make sure I was okay. I told her I was but that I was just really shaken up. We had gone to my aunt and uncle's for dinner and I told her I couldn't even stand to be in the car as a passenger at that point because I was so freaked out. She told me that she had jokingly told one of our other employees to make sure they had a bottle of Valium and a bottle of vodka ready for me when I got to work today to calm my nerves. lol It was really sweet of her to call and check on me and just another reason why I love where I work.

I know I need to work through this fear and would have done so today except that my tiny little Ford Focus currently can not get out of the driveway! I wish I could say this is probably it for our snow accumulation for winter but apparently we're supposed to get 2-3 more inches this weekend. At least it'll fall on a weekend and not a weekday. I'm so tired of being cooped up. I'm tired of snow. I want warm weather. Is it June and time for Florida yet???

Procrastination at it's finest

I figured I would write an entry that didn't have me whining and crying all over the place. I feel like it's all I've been doing lately so I'm going for a more upbeat entry tonight.

I'm currently working on a research proposal topic for my Child and Adolescent Counseling class. I'm thinking it's going to be on the need for groups and resources at the middle school level for dealing with divorce, blended families, and single parenting. Divorce is becoming too common in our society anymore and I think there should be resources available to students who have families going through these situations, especially at the middle school level when parents may be so busy battling each other to give the student the resources they need to avoid peer pressure and make good decisions.

I also have another paper due in the same class on Thursday that I haven't started yet. Well, not physically. I've been writing it in my head all weekend. I had to do some interactive exercises with some youth and then have to write about what I learned while completing the activity. The paper should be fairly simple to write.

This is week five of our ten week quarter which means my trip to Denver is six weeks from Saturday!!! I am sooo excited to spend a week with one of my favorite cousins in a city that I have heard is gorgeous. I just can't believe another quarter is almost over. I registered for spring and I'm taking my practicum class, which means completing a 100 hour internship next quarter. I'm trying to get into an elementary school near my house but the budget is being cut back (again) so the school counselor said she would let me know by the end of the week what the school board has decided.

I'm debating about going and trading my iphone in during my lunch break tomorrow. I've been having issues talking on it and I just don't know if I like it. I'm thinking about getting a blackberry instead but we'll see what AT&T has to offer me when I go there tomorrow.

I should probably really stop procrastinating, especially since it's 11 p.m. and I'm exhausted. I want to at least get this one page proposal done tonight so I can get a quick workout in after work tomorrow before having to do an assignment due Wednesday.

Six more weeks. Just six more weeks and I get a much needed week off from school. I can make it. Yes I can.