6 months of marriage!

This has been the longest (AND shortest at the same time...) 6 months of my life. We've definitely had our fair share of trials already, especially poor health and impossible school work loads, but is has been a fun and exciting half year!!

To celebrate our 6 month anniversary (which Thomas says is fake and nobody else celebrates it... LIE) we went to the temple for the first time together since we were sealed. It doesn't say much about our track record of couple temple attendance, but we are trying and it made today very special! I also saw one of my EFY girls from not last year but the year before (3 summers ago) and her family- that was so fun! 

Well its off to go visiting teaching, then ZUMBA at the gym (best thing that was ever invented.. besides me, of course) and then we'll do something fun for dinner. I don't know what, but as long as food as involved, it keeps us both happy :) 

Midterms? CHECK!

I just completed my last midterm EVER!!!!!!!! It felt so so good :) Also, only 12 more school days left.. EVER! Wow, this is pretty crazy, especially when I think about all I have to do the next few weeks. Well I'm going to celebrate by playing some InsanAquarium.. so fun! Gotta kill the aliens before they eat all my fish (who poo out coins and make me rich)!

Spring fever!!!

Yesterday was crazy- Dr. Timler was doing a conference here that we (BYU ComD Dept) was hosting, and it was great but CRAZY! I was glad when it was over :)  It has been fun to get to spend some time with my "cohort" (that's a very smart person's word for class!) and during lunch yesterday we had a picnic and played Uno + Secret Rules! It was so fun, I don't remember laughing so much in a long time... 

Today I just did homework and some spring cleaning- more cleaning than homework, because its more enjoyable (that's how sick I am of homework). We went grocery shopping and had dinner together while watching The Office, then we took a long walk together and enjoyed the beautiful weather! I need to write a few papers for school, then we get to watch a movie. I'm making cinnamon fried apples for a treat :) Wanna join??

Dysphagia

I am currently watching a videofluoroscopic study of people with dysphagia.. (swallowing difficulties) and it is pretty exciting! The only problem is that I can't tell what the structures are in these videos... (see attached picture). I love watching the bolus, especially when it gets stuck in the vallecula!

Only 17 more school days! YAY! I can't believe it. Then thesis, Praxis, 2 internships.. and GRADUATION! One year from now I'll be one of the most promising future clinicians as I earn my C's. My name will be Nicole Weber, M.S.; then a year after that (2011) I will be certified and become Nicole Weber, M.S., CCC-SLP! I will be so smart that I get 8 letters after my name. And you though a PhD was great! This is so much cooler.

It is probably time to pay attention to the video... and to stop eating chocolate with Maria (8 MiniTwix and 4 funsize m&ms later...). That's gross. Good thing I work out.. haha no wonder it is only maintaining. Oh the joys of Grad School

Catching up on life..

Even though I barely got any homework done today, it was a productive day and I feel accomplished. I know I can make it and I'm going to do great!!!! I'll be caught up and AHEAD by Monday. Promise. 

I co-facilitate a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Stroke support group at BYU. A supervisor started it with me and another girl in my program- they've been wanting to start one for years but it is just a big thing to do. So we started it in September and it has been a huge success! At least for me. I always leave feeling so uplifted and enlightened and with a realistically optimistic perspective. I am a "facilitator" but I definitely do not teach- I prepared a discussion tonight about Compensatory Strategies (mostly for memory deficits) and the group just took off as usual and brought so many things to the discussion, it was great! I learn so much from people who have been through such hard trials- and TBI isn't just physical, its mental, emotional and spiritual as well. These people go through so much in every aspect of their life, and though they may be sad, angry or depressed at times (they usually can't help it because of the brain injury), I find that generally they find the good and positive in everything. They inspire me so much, and tonight when they all came and hugged/thanked me for the discussion, tears came to my eyes because I did not do a single thing for them. I am walking away such a better person, and it is because they teach me so much about myself and how to be a good person. And they feel better because of the other members of the group, not me. It is such an amazing thing! I really love this group of people and hope that I can do this same thing when I am a certified SLP. 

Someday! Sooner than later.. time goes by so fast. In the next 5 years (my supervisor said that's the most she's giving me to get it all set up!) I will have my own business, hopefully in Arizona or somewhere WARM, and I can help so many people! But the secret is that although they may THINK I'm helping them, they are actually giving me so much more in return. Especially the littlest kids- everyone has so much to offer this world. It is truly amazing. 

10,000 Lost Parents

BYU hosts an event every year, where 5000 kids dress up in red, white or blue and sit in the Marriott center in the shape of a giant flag. After the 90 minute show of elementary school kids singing and jumping around like lil monkeys, the parents are turned lose outside the Marriott center and told to find their children. It is one of the CRAZIEST events ever- but as this my third year working outside helping parents find their children, I am pleased to say I didn't get sworn at tonight by any angry moms!! It was quite a surprise (as that is usually how it goes for about 20 minutes following each performance)... and quite an excellent surprise at that! 

Other than that, my computer is healed! The Dell guy came to our apartment and replaced the video chip, and gave me a complimentary new screen (which is great!) and a new panel of buttons that goes above the keyboard (volume, etc). what a pleasant surprise! It looks like a brand new computer again, and is running great :) Thank goodness my stay at home husband was here to let him in :)

Las Vegas, baby!

Well we just got back from my surprise trip to Vegas (this picture was taken on the strip)! Thomas planned it all and it was really fun- lots of sun, sights and buffets! Our hotel had a 6 story atrium with a koi pond and 2 swans on it named Elvis and Priscilla. We stayed in a nice suite that was about the same size as our apartment, and it was right off the strip. 

On a more negative note, my computer definitely died... so I now have 3 laptops and none of them run. BUT Dell is sending a guy out who supposedly can fix it, only he can't get here for a few days. So we'll see what happens. I'm glad I backed up my computer just last week- but this past week I did a lot of assignments that are due this week and so I lost all of those and have to do them again. Minor detail, what is about 15 hours of time when you're in grad school?? I should be working on that now instead of blogging..

this is one of the swans- going for a morning swim before we left
this is our amazing atrium- the koi pond, gazebo and palm trees!

The volcano erupting on the strip infront of The Mirage casino

This is my tired boy on our way home from vacation.. so cute!