What are your goals for 2013?
Are they the same goals you list every year? Will this be the year you accomplish or make progress towards these goals?
I sure hope this is my year...Mine are the usual goals everyone makes, but I am hoping this year I will keep and make progress towards each goal:
1. Save Money
2. Pay off Debt (Dave Ramsey would be so ashamed of me, in less than a year, I have racked up credit card debt again - I went two whole years without ever using a credit card)
3. Exercise
4. Eat Healthy (with these my overall goal is to lose weight)
5. Volunteer
It is January 9 already, what have I done towards these goals so far??
1,2. Made a "new" budget
3. Went on a hike, a walk, and to a zumba class
4. Made an objective (yes, the SLP in me...) to eat at least 20 meals at home every week...beforehand, there were days I would eat all 3 meals in a day out (resturant and fast food) ....this again leads to saving money.
5. There is a volunteer orientation this Saturday at the Humane Society. I have always wanted to volunteer at one, but I know I would adopt every animal if I could. At least here in Kauai, I am unable to have animals where I live, so maybe this is the best time to give back in this area!
Christmas vacation was great - it was so nice to be home (in Texas) with my family and some of my friends! Each time I return home, part of me does not want to leave but there is a bigger part that sees that everyone/thing is okay and that I can go off and live my travel dream!
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Thankful
This time of year is my favorite!! I know most people enjoy Thanksgiving thru New Years, but it has ALWAYS been the time of year that I look forward to most. This is mostly due to all the family time and traditions we have...
BUT this year will be different....
I will not be home for Thanksgiving - the first time I have not spent Thanksgiving with my family...EVER! I know people aren't with their families for every holiday and that is fine for them, but for me, it is soooo strange. We have Thanksgiving dinner, go see a movie or watch football on TV while we peruse the Black Friday ads, make a plan for Black Friday, start the shopping at midnight (I just joined this tradition last year because I always felt sleep was more important, but I'm sad to miss it this year) and then shop til we drop! On the weekend following Thanksgiving, I start playing Christmas music (NEVER before Thanksgiving - I like one holiday at a time, Thank you very much!) and watch ALL of my Christmas movies while I decorate my tree and my condo - both inside and out!
This year, however, I will not be with my family for Thanksgiving. I do not have decorations or a tree. I will not be spending money on things "on sale" for the sake that they are "on sale" (this could be a plus!).
Now for the good news, I will get to spend Thanksgiving with my best friend in California. Being in Hawaii, I am a 9ish hour plane ride from home. From LA, only 5, so when she thought of the idea of me coming there instead - I wholeheartedly agreed and bought the ticket! We are not having the traditional Thanksgiving food, but will be having a Cajun Thanksgiving with food we are used to eating back home!
If you can't be with the family you were born into, the next best thing is the family you choose to have in your life!
BUT this year will be different....
I will not be home for Thanksgiving - the first time I have not spent Thanksgiving with my family...EVER! I know people aren't with their families for every holiday and that is fine for them, but for me, it is soooo strange. We have Thanksgiving dinner, go see a movie or watch football on TV while we peruse the Black Friday ads, make a plan for Black Friday, start the shopping at midnight (I just joined this tradition last year because I always felt sleep was more important, but I'm sad to miss it this year) and then shop til we drop! On the weekend following Thanksgiving, I start playing Christmas music (NEVER before Thanksgiving - I like one holiday at a time, Thank you very much!) and watch ALL of my Christmas movies while I decorate my tree and my condo - both inside and out!
This year, however, I will not be with my family for Thanksgiving. I do not have decorations or a tree. I will not be spending money on things "on sale" for the sake that they are "on sale" (this could be a plus!).
Now for the good news, I will get to spend Thanksgiving with my best friend in California. Being in Hawaii, I am a 9ish hour plane ride from home. From LA, only 5, so when she thought of the idea of me coming there instead - I wholeheartedly agreed and bought the ticket! We are not having the traditional Thanksgiving food, but will be having a Cajun Thanksgiving with food we are used to eating back home!
If you can't be with the family you were born into, the next best thing is the family you choose to have in your life!
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Middle School...
Do you remember middle school?
Most people hear "middle school" and start to cringe and usually have at least one story to tell. Usually their story does not have a happy ending....
Even though my middle school years were not so bad and I don't necessarily cringe when I hear those words, finding out my main caseload was to be middle schoolers had my mind racing! Middle schoolers? What will I do with middle school students? I am used to storybooks, singing, painting, kid games....
What I have learned is that I really do enjoy working with my middle school students! They are old enough to start cracking jokes with, to start talking about 'real world' information with, and to question you on answers you give! Some people may not like when a student gives their opinion or questions an action of an adult - but I, if it is asked in a respectful manner, encourage it! It makes me a better speech therapist and it makes me really think about the information I am trying to teach them! Now, there are definately moments when the hormones are raging - emotional girls, 'too tough for school' boys, and a little too much girlfriend/boyfriend-of-the-week talk. However, when asked to get back on topic, most of the time they comply. They are willing to do the work because they are starting to understand why it is important.
So for all you 'elementary only' SLPs - Middle School ain't so bad! :)
(Though I would still take the opportunity to get back to singing and storybooks!)
Most people hear "middle school" and start to cringe and usually have at least one story to tell. Usually their story does not have a happy ending....
Even though my middle school years were not so bad and I don't necessarily cringe when I hear those words, finding out my main caseload was to be middle schoolers had my mind racing! Middle schoolers? What will I do with middle school students? I am used to storybooks, singing, painting, kid games....
What I have learned is that I really do enjoy working with my middle school students! They are old enough to start cracking jokes with, to start talking about 'real world' information with, and to question you on answers you give! Some people may not like when a student gives their opinion or questions an action of an adult - but I, if it is asked in a respectful manner, encourage it! It makes me a better speech therapist and it makes me really think about the information I am trying to teach them! Now, there are definately moments when the hormones are raging - emotional girls, 'too tough for school' boys, and a little too much girlfriend/boyfriend-of-the-week talk. However, when asked to get back on topic, most of the time they comply. They are willing to do the work because they are starting to understand why it is important.
So for all you 'elementary only' SLPs - Middle School ain't so bad! :)
(Though I would still take the opportunity to get back to singing and storybooks!)
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
This blog is starting to resemble my journal...
And by that I mean I only write once every month, and by once every month I mean once every 2 months :)
I have always had a journal, as long as I can remember. My middle school journal was filled with sooo much middle school drama that it is funny. My high school journal became a little more "real life" and that journal is the same one I use today. How can a journal last that long, you ask? When you only write once every couple months, and sometimes once every couple years, the pages don't fill up that quick! There have been times I open my journal to write about a particularly stressful/sad/happy/monumental moment and see the last date was two years previous. I then try to play catch up and write down the highlights. I absolutely love to read back over my journal - I always laugh, always cry, always want to call my BFF from high school, and always think about how far I have come (and sometimes how much things are very much the same). During my undergraduate years in college, I wrote in an online diary (pre-blog world) called freeopendiary.com. I have since forgot my log-on name and password and can no longer view the entries which makes me sad to have lost those moments, so I am an big believer of hand-written journals.
I encourage everyone to keep a journal. If your not into writing, now with blogs, it is easier than ever to document your life!
Back to the purpose of this blog - travel therapy...
The job is going better now that I have established a routine. It's nice to know more about my co-workers, students, and the overall environment of my school(s). Kauai itself is still as lovely as ever - though I don't enjoy near as much as I should. Yesterday, due to not feeling well, I spent the entire day inside my condo! No beach, no walk, no swimming pool, no market - nothing! I sometimes let myself get too much into routine and don't take the time to stop and enjoy this once in a lifetime experience. This weekend I am heading to island of Maui - taking a few tours and relaxing by the beach there! I will come out of this job with NO money, but definitely some great memories!
Since I like to document specific events that have happened - I have officially survived my first tsunami evacuation! I am no stranger to evacuations, growing up on the gulf coast. BUT we usually have 2-3 days to evacuate to safety. Tsunami evacuations give you about 2 hours (if you're lucky)! I had just gotten home from a Hula show (left early actually) to hear all of the fire alarms going off in the condos. I thought, hm....that's strange, but there doesn't appear to be any apparent danger so I'll go inside. Next thing I know, I see one neighbor loading a suitcase and pillow into her van and another leaving her condo with four boxes. At this point, I am starting to think something isn't quite right and start thinking about all the gas stations I passed on the way home - all of them full of cars, lined up, like you see in a hurricane evacuation. So I continue to make my way to my door and another neighbor comes into the hall and asked if I've heard the warning. WARNING?!!! What warning, I asked...quite alarmed at this point!
She proceeds to inform me of the earthquake in Canada, how there is no land between there and here, how they are expecting 7-12 foot waves, how our condos will be underwater, how we have less than two hours to evacuate, etc. So I ask the obvious question, "Where do we evacuate to?" Her reply, "up the mountain." Up the mountain, UP THE MOUNTAIN - what the heck??? Luckily my wonderful neighbors took me under their wing, gave me instructions and exchanged cell phone numbers. I go upstairs to pack a few items and then there is knock on the door. The security guards are making their rounds, making us leave, no time left! So I finish packing, head downstairs and see the group of neighbors hanging out on the benches. Turns out the roads are blocked, the traffic isn't moving, so no one can get anywhere. They decide to wait it out...I, knowing what flooding can do, can't take the anxiety anymore. I decide to sit in my car on the road - hey I'm about 20 feet closer to being up the mountain.
Fast forward to 45 minutes later....I am parked in a field, at the middle school, about 1 mile up the mountain. My neighbors arrive not too much later, we set up chairs, and we wait......
and wait......
and wait...
befriend the security guard who starts to give us updates.....
and wait......
and wait.....
and finally, after only 1-2 foot waves (praise Jesus!) are told we are still locked in the gates and are not allowed to leave....
and wait.....
and wait.....
Finally, we get the all clear to leave. Best part about evacuating only a mile from your house?? It only takes about 20 minutes to get home and you get to sleep in your bed that night!
Apparently, being the touristy place it is, the good people of Kauai made shirts for the tourist "I survived the tsunami"....they were plain (hey, had to make them before the vacation was over!!) so I didn't purchase one myself, but I am now fully prepared if it ever happens again.
I leave you with Aloha!
I have always had a journal, as long as I can remember. My middle school journal was filled with sooo much middle school drama that it is funny. My high school journal became a little more "real life" and that journal is the same one I use today. How can a journal last that long, you ask? When you only write once every couple months, and sometimes once every couple years, the pages don't fill up that quick! There have been times I open my journal to write about a particularly stressful/sad/happy/monumental moment and see the last date was two years previous. I then try to play catch up and write down the highlights. I absolutely love to read back over my journal - I always laugh, always cry, always want to call my BFF from high school, and always think about how far I have come (and sometimes how much things are very much the same). During my undergraduate years in college, I wrote in an online diary (pre-blog world) called freeopendiary.com. I have since forgot my log-on name and password and can no longer view the entries which makes me sad to have lost those moments, so I am an big believer of hand-written journals.
I encourage everyone to keep a journal. If your not into writing, now with blogs, it is easier than ever to document your life!
Back to the purpose of this blog - travel therapy...
The job is going better now that I have established a routine. It's nice to know more about my co-workers, students, and the overall environment of my school(s). Kauai itself is still as lovely as ever - though I don't enjoy near as much as I should. Yesterday, due to not feeling well, I spent the entire day inside my condo! No beach, no walk, no swimming pool, no market - nothing! I sometimes let myself get too much into routine and don't take the time to stop and enjoy this once in a lifetime experience. This weekend I am heading to island of Maui - taking a few tours and relaxing by the beach there! I will come out of this job with NO money, but definitely some great memories!
Since I like to document specific events that have happened - I have officially survived my first tsunami evacuation! I am no stranger to evacuations, growing up on the gulf coast. BUT we usually have 2-3 days to evacuate to safety. Tsunami evacuations give you about 2 hours (if you're lucky)! I had just gotten home from a Hula show (left early actually) to hear all of the fire alarms going off in the condos. I thought, hm....that's strange, but there doesn't appear to be any apparent danger so I'll go inside. Next thing I know, I see one neighbor loading a suitcase and pillow into her van and another leaving her condo with four boxes. At this point, I am starting to think something isn't quite right and start thinking about all the gas stations I passed on the way home - all of them full of cars, lined up, like you see in a hurricane evacuation. So I continue to make my way to my door and another neighbor comes into the hall and asked if I've heard the warning. WARNING?!!! What warning, I asked...quite alarmed at this point!
She proceeds to inform me of the earthquake in Canada, how there is no land between there and here, how they are expecting 7-12 foot waves, how our condos will be underwater, how we have less than two hours to evacuate, etc. So I ask the obvious question, "Where do we evacuate to?" Her reply, "up the mountain." Up the mountain, UP THE MOUNTAIN - what the heck??? Luckily my wonderful neighbors took me under their wing, gave me instructions and exchanged cell phone numbers. I go upstairs to pack a few items and then there is knock on the door. The security guards are making their rounds, making us leave, no time left! So I finish packing, head downstairs and see the group of neighbors hanging out on the benches. Turns out the roads are blocked, the traffic isn't moving, so no one can get anywhere. They decide to wait it out...I, knowing what flooding can do, can't take the anxiety anymore. I decide to sit in my car on the road - hey I'm about 20 feet closer to being up the mountain.
Fast forward to 45 minutes later....I am parked in a field, at the middle school, about 1 mile up the mountain. My neighbors arrive not too much later, we set up chairs, and we wait......
and wait......
and wait...
befriend the security guard who starts to give us updates.....
and wait......
and wait.....
and finally, after only 1-2 foot waves (praise Jesus!) are told we are still locked in the gates and are not allowed to leave....
and wait.....
and wait.....
Finally, we get the all clear to leave. Best part about evacuating only a mile from your house?? It only takes about 20 minutes to get home and you get to sleep in your bed that night!
Apparently, being the touristy place it is, the good people of Kauai made shirts for the tourist "I survived the tsunami"....they were plain (hey, had to make them before the vacation was over!!) so I didn't purchase one myself, but I am now fully prepared if it ever happens again.
I leave you with Aloha!
Friday, September 7, 2012
Travel Speech Therapy
I considered travel speech therapy for many years before actually setting out to live this life! I was completely inspired by the blog: Ramblings of a Travel Speech Therapist (go check it out - her stories of therapy and her adventures are awesome to read about!)!
My adventure began when I became very frustrated at my last place of employment. I had already experienced a variety of settings and never quite found my niche. My last job was in an outpatient clinic working with children - which I loved! Working one-on-one allowed so much progress, good interactions with families, and I had the best (THE BEST - I swear!!!) co-workers a girl could have! So why leave? Why was I frustrated? The people running the company never quite grasped that whole - my employees are valuable concept. We went through not getting paid on payday, worrying about getting paid every 2 weeks after that, having our insuranace cancelled on us three times without our knowledge (while they still took the premiums out of our checks) and eventually having a "manager" who knew nothing about therapy/therapists/running a business and whom never had any interest in learning about it!
So in May of this year I decided - NOW IS THE TIME - Now is the time for me to start doing travel therapy. So I gave 30 days notice and began to interview recruiters. Yes, you read that right - I interviewed the recruiters. There are positions that need to be filled and if you are qualified, the most important thing you can do for yourself is find the best recruiter for you. I found this out the hard way - more on that later! So after talking to about 8 different companies/recruiters, I decided that I would travel with one specific company. The recruiter was so completely honest about the job outlook for my preference (Peds) and honest about positions available, that I felt she was more of a friend that a recruiter. She, and others at the company, worked each and every day to find a position that suited my preference for location and population. Our family went on vacation - everyday I checked my email hoping to see a possible job, but each day went by with no leads. I then received an interview for a SNF (Skilled Nursing Facility), but did not feel like it was the place for me. I called up my recruiter and expressed those concerns and was never pushed into reconsidering my decision. I respected that immensely!
At this point in time, my start date of July 9th was looking pretty grim so I decided to start searching potential travel jobs myself. I looked on ASHA's career page and saw this posting "NEED - SLP for HAWAII".....um, yes please! So I decided to call up the company offering that position (not the original company who I hoped to travel for) and within 2 days had said "yes" and had my resume faxed to the Hawaii Board of Education. That weekend, into the next week, my family took a mini-vacation and once again, everyday, I checked my email 1000 times! Finally a phone call came - "You're in..you're going to Hawaii"! My thoughts - "awesome, yes, this is amazing" and then they said "You need to be here on the 25th". My thoughts - "oh wow, I have to close on my condo, I have to pack, I have to move to storage, I have to get a license.......". But don't worry my thoughts eventually went back to "AWESOME - HAWAII"!!!!!
So then came the stream of paperwork, bloodwork, drug testing, fingerprints, quizzes, etc. All those were completed smoothly, so my only worry was my condo. I had set a closing date for July 30th. My wonderful father agreed to be my Power of Attorny and complete the closing for me. Without him and my mom, I would have never been able to do this! They took in my cat - who I miss so much! And they have taken care of so much back home!
Fast forward to July 25th - I board the plan to head to my new home in Kauai! A condo very close to the beach! Move in was rough - not clean AT ALL! However, one of the perks of your company providing you housing?? They have to deal with the issues. One phone call, okay more like 3 phones calls that day, and the cleaning crew was back at the condo and I started to make it my home. I probably made it to Walmart/Kmart 3 times in the first 2 days - so hopefully I will become better at living with other people's things! Also, being it was in Hawaii - I arrived here with 3 1/2 (carry-on :)) suitcases and that was it! Try packing your life into 3 1/2 suitcases - it's tough!
Fast forward again to today - September 6th - I sit here in my condo (with no central air - only a window unit that doesn't really work, but I have suprisingly embraced it) writing this blog. My goal this weekend is to get out and experience more of this beautiful island - to remember that I am not back in my tiny town, but on this tiny island. My assignment is for 10 months - so about 3x longer than the typical 13 weeks. I have questioned if that is too long for my first assignment, but it is what it is and at least if I'm stuck somewhere for 10 months, it's Kauai!! :)
My adventure began when I became very frustrated at my last place of employment. I had already experienced a variety of settings and never quite found my niche. My last job was in an outpatient clinic working with children - which I loved! Working one-on-one allowed so much progress, good interactions with families, and I had the best (THE BEST - I swear!!!) co-workers a girl could have! So why leave? Why was I frustrated? The people running the company never quite grasped that whole - my employees are valuable concept. We went through not getting paid on payday, worrying about getting paid every 2 weeks after that, having our insuranace cancelled on us three times without our knowledge (while they still took the premiums out of our checks) and eventually having a "manager" who knew nothing about therapy/therapists/running a business and whom never had any interest in learning about it!
So in May of this year I decided - NOW IS THE TIME - Now is the time for me to start doing travel therapy. So I gave 30 days notice and began to interview recruiters. Yes, you read that right - I interviewed the recruiters. There are positions that need to be filled and if you are qualified, the most important thing you can do for yourself is find the best recruiter for you. I found this out the hard way - more on that later! So after talking to about 8 different companies/recruiters, I decided that I would travel with one specific company. The recruiter was so completely honest about the job outlook for my preference (Peds) and honest about positions available, that I felt she was more of a friend that a recruiter. She, and others at the company, worked each and every day to find a position that suited my preference for location and population. Our family went on vacation - everyday I checked my email hoping to see a possible job, but each day went by with no leads. I then received an interview for a SNF (Skilled Nursing Facility), but did not feel like it was the place for me. I called up my recruiter and expressed those concerns and was never pushed into reconsidering my decision. I respected that immensely!
At this point in time, my start date of July 9th was looking pretty grim so I decided to start searching potential travel jobs myself. I looked on ASHA's career page and saw this posting "NEED - SLP for HAWAII".....um, yes please! So I decided to call up the company offering that position (not the original company who I hoped to travel for) and within 2 days had said "yes" and had my resume faxed to the Hawaii Board of Education. That weekend, into the next week, my family took a mini-vacation and once again, everyday, I checked my email 1000 times! Finally a phone call came - "You're in..you're going to Hawaii"! My thoughts - "awesome, yes, this is amazing" and then they said "You need to be here on the 25th". My thoughts - "oh wow, I have to close on my condo, I have to pack, I have to move to storage, I have to get a license.......". But don't worry my thoughts eventually went back to "AWESOME - HAWAII"!!!!!
So then came the stream of paperwork, bloodwork, drug testing, fingerprints, quizzes, etc. All those were completed smoothly, so my only worry was my condo. I had set a closing date for July 30th. My wonderful father agreed to be my Power of Attorny and complete the closing for me. Without him and my mom, I would have never been able to do this! They took in my cat - who I miss so much! And they have taken care of so much back home!
Fast forward to July 25th - I board the plan to head to my new home in Kauai! A condo very close to the beach! Move in was rough - not clean AT ALL! However, one of the perks of your company providing you housing?? They have to deal with the issues. One phone call, okay more like 3 phones calls that day, and the cleaning crew was back at the condo and I started to make it my home. I probably made it to Walmart/Kmart 3 times in the first 2 days - so hopefully I will become better at living with other people's things! Also, being it was in Hawaii - I arrived here with 3 1/2 (carry-on :)) suitcases and that was it! Try packing your life into 3 1/2 suitcases - it's tough!
Fast forward again to today - September 6th - I sit here in my condo (with no central air - only a window unit that doesn't really work, but I have suprisingly embraced it) writing this blog. My goal this weekend is to get out and experience more of this beautiful island - to remember that I am not back in my tiny town, but on this tiny island. My assignment is for 10 months - so about 3x longer than the typical 13 weeks. I have questioned if that is too long for my first assignment, but it is what it is and at least if I'm stuck somewhere for 10 months, it's Kauai!! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)